The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

Watching the young woman leave, Mother He immediately turned to her son and asked, “I like this girl. She’s beautiful, graceful, and speaks nicely. She’s nothing like Nian Zhenzhen, who was always crying and useless. Son, be honest with me; do you and she have a chance?”

He Dongchen thought for a moment and replied seriously, “Let things happen naturally. Don’t push her; it’ll only make her uncomfortable.”

Mother He understood immediately that there was a chance and was overjoyed. She was genuinely scared by Nian Zhenzhen and was worried that her son might get emotionally involved and end up becoming an accidental father.

***

The next day, He Dongchen and Nan Shuang began their work, taking a car to meet a client at a particular club.

On the way, He Dongchen advised, “Last night, the other party called and said a leader would be joining. I looked into it, and their style isn’t great. Be careful and don’t get taken advantage of.”

Nan Shuang nodded seriously. As an attractive professional, she had her own ways of handling such situations.

10 minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of a lavish club. Guided by staff, they went up to the third floor to a private swimming pool.

As they entered, they saw ten women in swimsuits frolicking around a man, creating a chaotic scene.

He Dongchen frowned slightly, considering whether to abandon this client. Just then, the man, surrounded by women, called out to them, “Xingchen Network? Come in!”

He Dongchen glanced at Nan Shuang, and they entered together, standing by the pool and observing the scene.

The man pushed the women away from him and climbed up the steps, splashing water everywhere. When he came up from the pool right in front of Nan Shuang’s smooth calf, she stepped back calmly, maintaining her smile.

The man put his hands on his hips and looked He Dongchen up and down. With a hint of ambiguity, he said, “You’re quite handsome. Ever thought about becoming a star? You’d make more money than you’re making now, working so hard.”

Before either of them could speak, the man began to scrutinize Nan Shuang again, his finger tracing his lips as he grinned, “With such a good figure, why don’t you take a swim? If you swim a few laps, I’ll sign the contract.”

Nan Shuang had encountered many distasteful people in past collaborations, but she had never seen such blatant arrogance. She suppressed her disgust and looked at He Dongchen, trying to gauge his reaction.

He Dongchen’s response was to lift his foot and kick the man back into the pool.

With a splash, the man fell into the water, causing the dozen or so women to scream and rush to help him.

Nan Shuang looked at He Dongchen in surprise, unsure of what to say, but feeling an unspoken sense of admiration welling up inside her.

In the past, when dealing with such disgusting people, her leaders had only advised her to endure, or at best, taught her how to discreetly avoid them. No one had ever been so bold as to physically confront them.

Her eyes grew a bit misty, and she quickly blinked away her emotions.

Fuming with rage after being thrown into the water, the man cursed loudly while swimming back to the shore, shouting, “Do you still want to cooperate or not?”

He Dongchen laughed, “It seems you’re quite interested in our company, otherwise, why would you be so worked up about a contract after being kicked into the water?”

Realizing what had happened, the man’s anger escalated, “Damn it, you’ve got guts! I’ll climb out and beat you to death!”

He Dongchen remained calm, standing by the edge of the pool. As the man tried to get out, He Dongchen casually lifted his foot, sending him back into the water.

“Stay in the water then. Nan Shuang, let’s go.”

“Alright.” Nan Shuang glanced at the man floundering in the pool with satisfaction and followed He Dongchen out.

Once outside the club, the warm breeze helped Nan Shuang calm down. She rubbed her temples and said, “This collaboration is definitely over.”

Feeling a bit guilty, she wondered if she should have said something to defuse the situation.

He Dongchen reassured her, “It’s a good thing. We cut our losses early. With a leader like that, the other side’s in trouble.”

Nan Shuang felt a bit better upon hearing this.

They headed back to the hotel, with their flight scheduled for the day after tomorrow, giving them two days of free time.

***

When Mother He found out, she insisted that they not change their flight and spend a few days relaxing and enjoying themselves.

He Dongchen, after considering that there was nothing pressing at the company, agreed. They changed into casual clothes and began their vacation. Nan Shuang benefitted from it, joining He Dongchen’s family for meals and sightseeing, and helping to take many pictures.

“Nan Shuang, give me the camera. You go over there and take a picture with Dongchen. It’s rare to come out like this.” Mother He took the phone and pushed Nan Shuang a few steps forward.

“Come over here.” He Dongchen waved from a distance.

Nan Shuang walked over and stood beside him. They leaned against the railing side by side, with the sea breeze lifting their clothes and filling the gap between them. In the picture, it looked like they were close together, their poses intimate.

Mother He was very pleased with the picture, smiling broadly. She quickly posted it on social media, where a group of friends commented on how beautiful the ‘daughter-in-law’ was. Mother He, feeling delighted, confirmed it was indeed true, and promptly forgot about He Dongchen’s earlier advice.

***

In the hospital, when Nan Shuang saw the picture and the comments, her smile was twisted with anguish. While she was experiencing a near-death situation, He Dongchen’s family was happily traveling, and now He Dongchen had a new partner.

She hadn’t heard any hints about this in the past 2 months.

Tears and laughter mixed on Nan Shuang’s face, causing the nurse to be alarmed and quickly soothe her, “You just had a scare. You need to stay calm. Think about the baby in your belly. He’s only 4 months old, so small and fragile.”

Nan Shuang took a deep breath and touched her belly. He was all she had left.

Shang Nian was preoccupied with company troubles and didn’t have time for Nan Shuang, but Liu Mengyu, Shang Nian’s fiancée, was keeping an eye on her. Liu Mengyu had long heard about Shang Nian supporting another woman for 8 years, and now that the woman was in the hospital with a 4-month-old pregnancy, Liu Mengyu figured it must be Shang Nian’s child.

Furious, Liu Mengyu planned to confront the woman, but her mother stopped her, saying, “Silly girl, with the Shang family in trouble, they need our help. Let Shang Nian handle this. Don’t dirty your own hands.”

Liu Mengyu reconsidered and calmed down, thinking that if Shang Nian dealt with the woman, it would only cause her more pain. The idea made her feel better.

Liu’s family sent the news about Nan Shuang to Shang Nian, watching from the sidelines, waiting for his reaction.

Shang Nian, frustrated with his recent failures and irritations, heard about Nan Shuang’s pregnancy and was infuriated. He laughed bitterly, smashing a wine glass, “No wonder she left without a word. It turns out she was planning to leverage the child for status. Nan Shuang, you’re nothing more than that.”

In the original plot, Nan Shuang had left 5 years ago without touching any money from her account. As time went on, Liu Mengyu grew more crazed, and Shang Nian began to remember Nan Shuang’s good qualities. His feelings intensified, and when he discovered that Nan Shuang had given him a clever son, his joy exceeded his unresolved emotions.

Now, facing work difficulties and relying on his fiancée’s family for support, Nan Shuang had become an obstacle in his eyes.

Without hesitation, he arranged for Nan Shuang to be transferred to a private hospital for abortion.

“If she runs away, don’t come back,” Shang Nian said darkly.

The assistant bowed and left the office.

***

When Nan Shuang saw Shang Nian’s assistant again, she became alarmed and extremely agitated. “Did he send you? I’m telling you, don’t even think about killing my baby! Otherwise, I’ll jump off the Shang Building!”

The assistant spoke softly and gently, “Of course not. You’ve been with President Shang for 8 years; he has feelings for you. President Shang sent me to take you to a safe place to prevent you from being harmed by the Liu family.”

“Liu family?” Nan Shuang paused.

“Yes, President Shang’s fiancée’s surname is Liu. Miss Nan, please come with us quickly, so we don’t delay any further,” the assistant urged with a coaxing tone.

“Is it true? Does Shang Nian really want me to have the baby?” Nan Shuang was tempted; if that were the case, it would be wonderful.

“Of course. Come with me,” the assistant said with a gentle smile.

Nan Shuang hesitated for a moment, then, with tears in her eyes, nodded and signed the consent form for the transfer. That day, she was moved to a private hospital and settled into a deluxe room, where several nurses took care of her attentively and kindly.

Nan Shuang sighed with relief, suddenly feeling a bit drowsy. She slowly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

“She’s asleep.”

The assistant, leaning against the corridor wall and smoking, heard this and flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, crushing it with his shoe. His tone was ambiguous as he said, “Then let’s proceed with the surgery.”

“Understood.”

Unaware of what was happening, Nan Shuang underwent surgery.

When she woke up the next day, she thought she had just been exhausted and had a long nap. In the days that followed, Nan Shuang stayed in the hospital, resting and frequently touching her belly while murmuring to herself, hoping Shang Nian would come to visit them.

The compassionate nurse, feeling conflicted, had not yet taken any action, but she was transferred the next day. This example served as a warning to others, who were then cautious about speaking up.

It wasn’t until half a month later that Nan Shuang noticed her belly hadn’t grown, which led her to become suspicious. Eventually, she discovered that the baby was gone. She caused a commotion in the hospital, even climbing onto the roof, summoning the police and media, and accusing Shang Nian of forcing her to have an abortion and deliberately causing harm.

The recent hacking attack on Shangshi Games hadn’t been resolved yet, and now the scandal of CEO Shang Nian forcing a woman to abort was causing an uproar. The news spread quickly across the internet.

Information about Shang Nian and Nan Shuang was exposed. One was a man who had supported a young woman, and the other had been kept as a mistress for 8 years. Neither was considered virtuous.

Men criticized Nan Shuang for her vanity and ambition, claiming she deserved what happened to her, while women denounced Shang Nian as a scoundrel who used his wealth and influence to deceive a naive young girl. At that time, Nan Shuang had just finished her college entrance exams and couldn’t have understood much. They believed Shang Nian had taken advantage of her and deliberately manipulated her. Now that a marriage alliance was in the works, he discarded her like trash! How despicable!

Legal bloggers also came forward, asserting that women had the right to freely choose to have children, and no one should infringe upon that right. If Shang Nian had indeed forced Nan Shuang to abort, he would face charges of deliberate harm. If Nan Shuang’s abortion had no further complications, it would be considered a minor injury, punishable by up to 3 years in prison, detention, or probation. If there were subsequent complications, it would be deemed a serious injury, and Shang Nian would face imprisonment from three to 10 years.

The news caused a stir online, revealing how serious the miscarriage plotlines in wealthy families could be. Public opinion was fervent, and the police took the matter seriously, launching an investigation.

Regardless of who was right or wrong between Shang Nian and Nan Shuang, the law could not be ignored.

***

He Dongchen was surprised to see the usually tearful Nan Shuang take legal action against Shang Nian, but he had a feeling that the matter might end inconclusively.

After all, Nan Shuang had been willing to be Shang Nian’s mistress for 8 years. The commotion she was making now was just a momentary outburst. Once Shang Nian said a few soothing words, Nan Shuang might very well soften.

After all, there was a harsh truth; children could be had again.