When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 81

Yun Zhuoran suddenly has an absurd thought. His face darkens slightly as he throws down the red dress and turns to walk toward the door.

The heart demon follows closely behind, watching as Yun Zhuoran summons the three-foot-long Penglai Jade Branch.

Clearly, he intends to break down the door by force.

However, all of his attacks strike only the dark abyss outside the door and elicit no response.

Yun Zhuoran tries several times without success before finally withdrawing the Jade Branch Sword with an expressionless face.

The heart demon doesn’t look disappointed or upset—he simply holds the back of Yun Zhuoran’s hand.

“It’s okay, brother.”

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head without saying a word. The heart demon doesn’t understand his current concerns, and Yun Zhuoran doesn’t want to voice his guess about how to leave the room. But at that moment, the floating command tokens on both of them unexpectedly emit a prompt.

The heart demon leans over to look, and without hesitation reads it aloud: “Please put on the accessory representing your identity according to the identity card you drew, and exit the guest room…”

As the final word leaves the heart demon’s mouth, Yun Zhuoran’s expression turns grim.

As expected…

Yun Zhuoran’s fingers tighten suddenly, as if he wants to crush the troublesome floating order on the spot.

“Ah!”

After thinking for a moment, the heart demon slowly reacts. His dark eyes, tinged faintly with blood-red light, widen. He first looks at the luxurious red dress on the bed, then turns to the cold-faced Yun Zhuoran beside him.

“Brother… do we have to wear the dress to leave this room?”

Yun Zhuoran: “…”

What must come, will come.

At this moment, Yun Zhuoran is once again reminded of that truth. Gu Shenshu has suffered quite the loss here; of course he would try to get even in some other way.

For instance—by making him wear a dress.

Yun Zhuoran can only sneer inwardly.

When he first sees the dress and the identity card, he vaguely guesses what is going on. He utterly rejects the idea and doesn’t plan to speak of it. But he doesn’t expect Gu Shenshu to control the floating command token to prod them along.

Yun Zhuoran’s silence is tacit agreement.

The heart demon is quiet for a long time but keeps glancing at him eagerly, as if still harboring a trace of hope.

Yun Zhuoran immediately says, “No.”

“Brother?”

The heart demon blinks, the light in his eyes shimmering slightly. With such an exquisitely beautiful face, if it were someone with weaker will, they might be willing to hand over their heart if the heart demon so much as asks.

But Yun Zhuoran shakes his head firmly. “No.” He lectures the heart demon seriously, “That is a woman’s dress. Men and women are different. You and I are both men.”

That red dress is clearly something Gu Shenshu has left behind to mock him.

Yet seeing the heart demon’s puzzled expression, Yun Zhuoran suddenly realizes he has never taught him even the most basic of common sense. The heart demon looks like an adult, so Yun Zhuoran has unconsciously overlooked this. Could it be… Yun Zhuoran finds it hard to believe—could it be that the heart demon genuinely doesn’t know?

Just as Yun Zhuoran is wondering how to explain these concepts, the heart demon scratches his head and says, “But if we don’t do it, we can’t leave.”

Yun Zhuoran is briefly stunned, then quickly reconsiders. Maybe he’s overthinking it. The heart demon probably does understand but is just focused on how to get out.

He gives the heart demon a suspicious look. “Do you want to leave?”

The heart demon replies, “It doesn’t matter whether I go out or not, as long as I stay with Brother. But if Brother doesn’t go out, he won’t be able to find Gu Shenshu. So Brother has to leave.”

Yun Zhuoran pauses. He can’t deny that the heart demon’s words move him.

The heart demon is thinking for his sake…

The heart demon frowns, clearly deep in thought. Then he suddenly slaps his forehead, turns to the bed, and picks up the eye-catching red dress. “It’s okay. If Brother doesn’t like it, Weiran can wear it.”

As he speaks, he holds the red dress up to himself, seemingly ready to put it on.

Yun Zhuoran is visibly surprised.

The heart demon sighs softly. “Just leave anything Brother doesn’t like to me.”

Something stirs in Yun Zhuoran’s heart. For a moment, he even forgets what he is going to say.

The heart demon then removes the outer robe Yun Zhuoran has given him and clumsily drapes the red dress over himself. He is still a boy who hasn’t fully grown, and Yun Zhuoran has also been very slim in his youth. Even with several layers of tattered clothes underneath, he doesn’t appear bulky.

The problem is that the dress is too thin. It is a one-piece style, and even when buttoned, the collar slips off the shoulders and barely clings to the arms. The belt, embroidered with golden peonies, cinches at the waist, but below that, the loose fabric has no buttons or ties, revealing bare thighs.

Fortunately, the heart demon is still wearing his own clothes underneath, but the spark-burned hole on his shoulder exposes a small patch of pale skin. The red shirt beneath is similar in color to the dress, so it doesn’t clash. In fact, the ensemble looks like a matching set.

Yun Zhuoran is stunned.

It isn’t because the heart demon looks awkward or feminine in the dress. On the contrary, the embroidered golden phoenix on the red fabric adds a regal air to him and enhances his natural demonic aura.

What stuns Yun Zhuoran is the fact that the heart demon wears the dress without hesitation—for his sake.

In truth, most people are full of contradictions. Normally, the heart demon is obedient and always tries to please Yun Zhuoran, which he appreciates and sometimes praises. But none of that compares to the complex emotions this one simple act evokes.

An overwhelming helplessness suddenly rises in Yun Zhuoran’s chest.

Yun Zhuoran opens his mouth but doesn’t know what to say. His dark eyes clearly reflect the young man in red. He feels a strange sense of unfamiliarity with the heart demon, yet also a quiet joy.

“Weiran—”

Even though he knows Gu Shenshu has arranged all this to make fun of him, Yun Zhuoran suddenly feels a little relieved. “You don’t like this kind of thing, so let—”

Before he can finish the words “let me do it”, the heart demon happily lifts his wide sleeves and spins in front of him, red fabric billowing like clouds. He looks like a proud and unrestrained precious peony.

“Brother, look! Do I look good in a skirt?”

Yun Zhuoran says, “You look good…”

But deep down, he thinks there is no need for the heart demon to suffer this grievance on his behalf.

He has raised the heart demon not to let him work or suffer for him.

The heart demon drags the wide, ornate sleeves and skirt back, then pulls out two peonies—one white, one purple—from his storage bracelet and stuffs them into Yun Zhuoran’s hands.

“I feel like something’s missing. Brother, do you want to put a flower on my head? These two are from the peony garden. Aren’t they pretty?”

“…They are.”

Looking at the heart demon’s bright and excited smile, Yun Zhuoran falls silent. It seems he has misunderstood. The heart demon doesn’t just ignore the difference between men and women—perhaps he doesn’t even think it’s strange for a man to wear a skirt. To him, it’s just playing dress-up…

Suddenly, a faint creaking comes from the front of the room, breaking the silence.

The door opens.

Yun Zhuoran stares in a daze. He hasn’t expected it would actually work.

The heart demon laughs immediately.

“See? I told you it was fine!”

Yun Zhuoran lowers his eyes and looks at the small bamboo card on the bed. “…Take a look at this first.”

The small bamboo card that has been placed on the pillow flashes red and adds a few more words: —A maidservant who stole the courtesan’s clothes.

Ridiculous.

Yun Zhuoran looks at the bamboo card in his own hand—courtesan. That title hasn’t changed at all.

But either way, the door has opened.

Yun Zhuoran pushes down the emotions in his chest, tucks away all of the heart demon’s peonies, and has no intention of helping him put them in his hair. He takes the lead and walks out of the room. “Let’s go see what’s outside.”

Though the heart demon doesn’t look bad in the red dress, Yun Zhuoran still feels a headache just looking at it.

Once they leave the room, Yun Zhuoran realizes they have been on the third floor. A small wooden sign hangs in front of the door with the words Heaven-Class Upper Room A. Across the corridor is Heaven-Class Upper Room B.

These are the only two upper rooms on the floor.

The two of them go downstairs. The second floor is lined with regular guest rooms, while the first floor is the inn’s lobby.

There are already quite a few people in the lobby—the remaining seven from Shuanglu Pavilion. It looks like the fox demon and tiger demon have obediently brought everyone in. But something is clearly off. Aside from Yun Zhuoran, all seven who have arrived earlier are dressed strangely.

Young Master Yin looks relatively normal—his iron fan has been swapped for an old bamboo scroll.

Jiang Zhibai has a cloth bag slung over his shoulder, a half-dried isatis root poking out from it.

Gu Qiuming carries a thick wooden staff, and Shen Lingshu is dressed in rough gray cloth. These noble cultivators have all been turned into poor, wandering commoners…

These four are still somewhat normal.

Gu Jinping is simply wearing a man’s nightgown.

But when Yun Zhuoran glances over the rest and his eyes land on the final two, his expression changes and he immediately turns to look at the heart demon.

No other reason—Li Jianming and Ji Ruo’s luck seems to match his and the heart demon’s.

Utterly unlucky.

Ji Ruo is wearing a crooked white dress and has a little white flower pinned to his hair. With his delicate features, he looks like a young girl. His face is as dark as ink.

And Li Jianming…

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes burn the moment he sees him. He turns to look at the heart demon just to refresh himself with something more pleasant.

Li Jianming is wearing a golden dress, with gold ornaments on both arms that jingle when he moves. His body is large and muscular—pairing that with the flashy outfit makes him look not only gaudy but also bloated. To top it off, he’s holding a box of rouge and pretending to apply it to his face.

Everyone instinctively distances themselves.

Li Jianming doesn’t seem to notice and begins flirting with Shen Lingshu in a falsetto voice. “If you’re gonna wear it, might as well go all out… Shen Lingshu, you’re gonna sell this rouge anyway, right? Might as well let me use it.”

He looks like a madam from a brothel.

Shen Lingshu’s face darkens. “Whatever you want.”

He doesn’t believe Li Jianming will actually put on rouge just to annoy them.

Li Jianming grins and dabs his finger into the rouge. “Alright, I’ll check if there’s any silver in the props later and pay you for it.”

Shen Lingshu is completely done and turns to leave without another word. Li Jianming, of course, doesn’t actually want to put on the rouge. The moment someone comes down from upstairs, he wipes his fingers on his sleeve and greets them with a dramatic wave of his orchid fingers.

“Oh! If it isn’t our Island Master Yun!”

Yun Zhuoran pulls Weiran behind him and says flatly, “Stay away.”

Seeing how Yun Zhuoran treats him like a plague, Li Jianming bursts out laughing and, at last, returns to his normal self. Then his gaze falls on Weiran in surprise.

“If I’m not mistaken, that’s also a skirt. Little Island Master, how can you wear it so gracefully? At first glance, I thought it was your Penglai Taoist robe. Can you show me how to wear it better?”

Everyone quickly realizes that Yun Zhuoran and his companion have come down. When they see Weiran in his new outfit, they can’t help but admire his appearance. But when they turn to Yun Zhuoran—who is dressed as usual with no odd props in sight—they’re all stunned, then deeply envious.

The heart demon never gives outsiders much face, so he turns away with a grim expression.

“Forget it, you’re hopeless.”

Li Jianming’s mouth twitches. He only wants to tease the little island master. As for the ridiculous clothes he’s forced to wear, he doesn’t care much. Any lingering annoyance has already been washed away by the earlier wave of secondhand embarrassment.

“…Alright then.”

He touches his nose, and the eight gold bracelets on his wrist clang noisily, giving him a headache. Grimacing, he begins removing them one by one while curiously asking Yun Zhuoran, “Why didn’t you change clothes? After we got teleported here, it seemed like we had to wear some kind of special prop before we could come out…”

He tugs a little too hard on one of the bracelets and gasps in pain before continuing, “I was teleported to the Heaven-Class Upper Room on the third floor. The identity card I got says I’m a ‘rich girl who ran away from home.’”

He wiggles his waist, motioning for Yun Zhuoran to look at the bamboo token hanging there. Sure enough, it reads Runaway Rich Girl, with the character “Ming” stamped at the end.

So the final character on the card comes from their names?

Yun Zhuoran looks at the others again.

Young Master Yin, understanding he needs to be respectful around Yun Zhuoran, is the first to raise his identity token. “Ordinary guest room on the second floor. A scholar on his way to take the imperial exam.”

Jiang Zhibai looks helplessly at the isatis root in his bag. “An apprentice at a medicine shop who sleeps in a large bunk bed.”

Gu Qiuming’s cheeks flush. He speaks with embarrassment, “A bodyguard in the bunkroom.”

Shen Lingshu’s face darkens. “A peddler.”

Li Jianming adds helpfully, “A peddler who sells rouge. He was also in the bunkroom.”

Shen Lingshu ignores him.

The truth is, he ended up in the same room as Gu Qiuming. That alone is enough to sour his mood—never mind being assigned such a humiliating identity.

Ji Ruo snorts, gritting his teeth. “An orphan who sold herself to bury her father.”

Weiran lets out a surprised “Oh.” He’s heard that story before in one of Song Shao’s tales.

Ji Ruo’s face grows darker by the second.

Gu Jinping keeps sneaking glances at Yun Zhuoran and Xin Mo, but doesn’t dare act out. After all, she’s still wary they might hold a grudge over the Fire Sea incident. So, when everyone turns to her, she steps back guiltily and mumbles with shifty eyes, “A master thief…”

By now, Li Jianming has finally managed to remove all his bracelets. He lets out a long breath, looks at Yun Zhuoran and the others, and says, “I thought I had to wear the full set of props before I could leave the room, but once I came downstairs, I realized I only needed one. What a letdown… Yun Zhuoran, what identities did you and the little island master draw?”

Many expectant eyes turn toward them. Yun Zhuoran’s expression darkens.

“…The Courtesan.”

“I’m the Courtesan,” the heart demon cuts in smoothly before Yun Zhuoran can finish. Flashing a wide, toothy smile, he looks at everyone in the hall. “What? Anyone got a problem with that?”

Everyone exchanges glances, remembering vividly how the little island owner crunched that demon core.

Li Jianming quickly crosses his arms and backs away in horror. “Who would dare object… Little island master, don’t take this the wrong way! I just wanted to ask if you struck a secret deal with the Floating City Lord. Your outfit doesn’t look like a courtesan’s at all—it looks more like a dragon robe worn by a secular emperor!”

His words are full of flattery, and the heart demon clearly enjoys it.

“I think it looks great too—hiss!”

The heart demon suddenly sucks in a breath and pulls a smooth, jade-colored bamboo token from his sleeve.

Yun Zhuoran clearly sees that the name on the heart demon’s identity card has changed again.

—A thief who stole the courtesan’s outfit and is pretending to be one.

Tsk. The title’s getting longer and longer.