I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 10

Ah Luo was still groggy when she was pulled out of her warm bed and placed in front of her dressing table to be prepared for her big day. It was, after all, still in the middle of the night.

It was June, and the sky outside was still dark. That alone made it clear how early it was.

Ah Luo, half-asleep with her eyes barely open, decided to close them entirely. She allowed her maids and bridal attendants to do their work on her face—threading her brows, applying makeup, painting her lips, and adorning her with decorative forehead pieces. Finally, they styled her hair, pinning it up into an intricate bun, a symbolic gesture that marked her transition from girlhood to womanhood.

“Put the golden butterfly hairpin in as well,” Ah Luo told the maid working on her hair.

Ah Luo glanced at herself in the bronze mirror. She was dressed in the crimson bridal gown she had painstakingly embroidered. The girl reflected in the mirror had snow-white skin, red lips, and jet-black hair adorned with golden ornaments. Her bright eyes and perfect teeth completed her peerless, striking beauty.

The bridal attendant praised her, saying, “Miss, you are truly beautiful. I have never seen a bride more radiant than you.”

Ah Luo also felt satisfied with her appearance. As the foil character to the soft and delicate female protagonist, Su Luoyan’s face was particularly suited to bold, vibrant makeup. Her striking features were enhanced by the rich colours, and the combination created a dramatic and stunning effect on her.

Her only regret was that Wenren Jin couldn’t see her even though she was at the most beautiful.

With a sigh of regret, Ah Luo allowed the bridal veil to be placed over her head. She was then led into the swaying bridal sedan chair.

By then, the sky had begun to lighten.

Weddings in this era followed many customs, with elaborate rituals and banquets for the guests. Given Wenren Jin’s status as the heir to a marquis, their wedding ceremony was even more formal and required an entire day to complete.

Fortunately for the bride, the bulk of the work fell on the groom. The bride, meanwhile, only needed to sit dressed in her finest clothes, like a doll placed in the sedan, carried amidst the fanfare from one house to another, before being led by the groom to perform the ceremony. Afterwards, she would sit quietly, still veiled, as the rituals continued.

Through her veil, Ah Luo could only see a small patch of ground at her feet. 

She felt herself being jostled in the sedan for a long time, surrounded by the joyful sounds of music and the bustling voices of people in the streets. Finally, after what felt like forever, the sedan came to a stop.

The curtain of the sedan was lifted from the outside, allowing a burst of light to flood in.

A familiar voice said, “Sister, I’m here to carry you.”

It was her brother, Su Shaoyan. He turned and bent his back toward her, offering his strong, steady back for her to climb onto.

This was part of the process that Lady Yao had explained to her beforehand. Ah Luo carefully lifted her skirt and leaned forward onto her brother’s broad back.

Su Shaoyan lifted her with ease and carried her silently across the threshold and into a grand hall.

As he set her down, Su Shaoyan whispered softly, “The Su family will always be your home. If he treats you poorly, you can come back.”

There was deep care and concern in his words. Ah Luo softly responded with an, “Mm.”

She stood still and looked around through the thin fabric of her red veil. The room was filled with dark, indistinct figures, but none of them made a sound.

A tall, blurry silhouette moved through the crowd and approached her. The person extended a hand towards her.

The hand was pale and graceful, with long, slender fingers holding a bright red silk ribbon. The contrast between the crimson ribbon and the porcelain-like skin made the hand seem as if carved from the finest jade.

Though the figure said nothing, Ah Luo immediately knew who it was.

She took the other end of the ribbon and held it in her hand as he led her forward. They walked to the centre of the hall, where the master of ceremonies began reciting a string of auspicious blessings, followed by a loud call.

“First, bow to heaven and earth—”

“Second, bow to the ancestors—”

“Third, bow to each other—”

After performing the three bows, Ah Luo stood up but slightly stumbled as she did so.

It wasn’t intentional. She was simply exhausted from waking so early. She hadn’t had a bite to eat, not even a sip of water. Moreover, she also had heavy gold and jade ornaments weighing her down. Considering that her body was that of a delicate noble girl, it was impressive that she had lasted this long.

As she teetered, a strong hand immediately grasped her waist, steadying her.

Once she was stable, the hand quickly retreated.

“Miss Su… are you feeling unwell?” A soft, elegant voice reached her ears. His tone was low and magnetic, with a hint of huskiness. His low volume was probably due to the formal occasion.

Ah Luo’s ears burned as she replied, “I’m just a bit hungry.”

There was a brief pause, before the voice responded with a gentle, “I understand.”

The words were laced with a trace of hidden amusement.

Ah Luo’s face flushed. What did he mean by that? She said she was hungry; what did he mean by saying ‘I understand’ to that?

It wasn’t until she was seated in the bridal chamber that Ah Luo finally understood what Wenren Jin had meant.

He had arranged for an entire feast to be sent to her, with chicken, duck, fish, and all manner of delicacies spread out on the table. The rich aromas were intoxicating and made her stomach rumble with hunger.

Ah Luo tried to resist it, but she eventually failed. She lifted her red veil and started filling her stomach.

Her maid, Chun Xi, had accompanied her as a dowry maid and was the only other person in the room. A proper lady like Su Luoyan would never lift her own veil to eat, but Ah Luo was too hungry to care.

Chun Xi had grown accustomed to her mistress’ occasional unorthodox behaviour. She attributed the change to the shock Ah Luo had endured after the crown prince’s betrayal.

After she finished eating, Ah Luo returned to sit on the bed, and Chun Xi covered her with her veil once more.

The maids who had brought the dishes quietly re-entered to clear the plates. Just before leaving, one of them approached Ah Luo, bowed, and said, “I am Qing Yuan. I will be standing just outside. If the lady has any need, simply call for me.”

With that, she respectfully left. Her footsteps were silent as she went.

Ah Luo realised that the marquis’ household must be quite strict with its rules.

Originally, Ah Luo thought she would be waiting in the bridal chamber for a long time, given how many guests there were. From what she had seen on the guest list, it seemed like half the nobility of the capital had been invited.

To her surprise, after only half an hour, while the lively sounds of celebration were still ongoing outside, the door to the bridal chamber was quietly pushed open.

Ah Luo heard Qing Yuan call out ‘heir,’ and immediately, her heart leapt to her throat.

Chun Xi discreetly slipped out, leaving only the newlyweds in the room.

Wenren Jin slowly entered the room. He was unhurried, and his footsteps were steady and measured, as always. While he walked, each step he took seemed to echo in her chest. Ah Luo lowered her head; through the veil, she could see the red hem of his clothes.

She couldn’t help but wonder: she had often seen him in white, but what did he look like in red?

“Miss Su.” His warm voice interrupted her thoughts. Wenren Jin’s tone was as calm and composed as ever. “I need to lift your veil. As I cannot see, may I ask for your guidance?”

He was so matter-of-fact about his blindness and treated it as if it were no more than a trivial inconvenience. In truth, his inability to see didn’t seem to have hindered him at all; on the contrary, it seemed to add an air of mystery and allure to him.

Ah Luo pressed her lips together and softly replied, “Give me your hand.”

Once again, that flawless hand appeared before her eyes. Ah Luo reached up and gently took his fingers. The touch of his skin sent a slight current of electricity through her, making her heart skip a beat. She calmed herself and guided his hand to the edge of her red veil.

Once he had a hold of it, she let go. Courteously, he said, “Thank you, Miss Su.”

“Are you… still going to call me ‘Miss Su’?”

The man before her hesitated for a moment before replying, “I assumed… your marriage to me was merely out of convenience.”

Ah Luo understood and fell silent. She could explain that she hadn’t been forced into this marriage, that she genuinely wanted to be with him.

However, doing so would be ‘out of character’ for Su Luoyan, and her persona would collapse. It would then cause her to fail her task.

She could let herself loose a little in front of a minor character like Chun Xi. However, in front of the real task target, she could only act the way Su Luoyan would’ve acted.

After she fell quiet, Wenren Jin also fell silent. 

A strange sense of tension filled the air and made Ah Luo feel slightly uneasy.

While keeping Su Luoyan’s formal nature in mind, Ah Luo carefully tested the waters. “We’re married now. You can call me ‘Wife’… and I’ll call you ‘Husband.’” (1-25)

Her soft words seemed to dispel the heavy atmosphere. The tension in the room suddenly lifted, and Ah Luo quietly let out a breath of relief.

Wenren Jin seemed momentarily stunned. After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, “What… did you just call me?”

“Husband,” Ah Luo repeated. “I have already married you, so of course, I should call you that.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Wenren Jin went silent for a while. He seemed to be at a loss for how to respond. After a long while, he finally moved. He reached for the red stick on the small table beside them and used it to lift the veil from Ah Luo’s head.

Light flooded her vision, and Ah Luo instinctively looked up.

The man who was usually as pure and elegant as jade, always dressed in white, was now draped in red. His hair was tied with crimson silk, and around his waist was a red sash. His pale, refined face was tinged with a faint blush.

The striking white purity was now drenched in fiery red, and the once ethereal young man now carried a trace of something more seductive. His clear, elegant features had softened into something more tender, and the long corners of his eyes were lined with a hint of sultry red.

It was as though the serene immortal, once untouched by the world, had been lured down from the clouds, and was now utterly immersed in the dust of the mortal realm. The pristine white of his being had been completely tainted by the crimson hues of the earthly world.

The more Ah Luo stared at him, the hotter her face became. Her heart raced in her chest.

“Husband,” she reminded him softly, “we still need to drink the nuptial wine.” 

Su Luoyan, after all, was someone who followed the rules strictly, and she wouldn’t skip any part of the ceremony.

Wenren Jin seemed to have familiarized himself with the layout of the room beforehand. He went straight to the table and brought over the two cups of nuptial wine.

Ah Luo took the cup in her hand and leaned closer to him. She could see the slight flush on his ears, the red on his cheeks, and the delicate tremble of his long lashes.

‘Wearing red didn’t taint you,’ Ah Luo thought absentmindedly as she drank the entire cup of nuptial wine. ‘The real ‘tainting’ hasn’t begun yet.’

It was common to add certain ingredients meant to enhance the mood in the nuptial wine traditionally shared by newlyweds during the wedding ceremony. After all, it was called ‘nuptial wine’ for a reason, and it was expected of them to consummate the marriage.

Moreover, it was such an auspicious day. If the newlyweds didn’t enjoy the moment to the fullest, wouldn’t it be a waste of such a perfect occasion?

“Husband… you look very handsome today.”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was just this body’s low tolerance, but Ah Luo felt her entire body heat up. Her emotions were running high. She couldn’t stop herself from speaking her mind.

She put down her cup and, without thinking, grabbed Wenren Jin’s hand.

“Miss Su—Wife, you’re drunk,” he said softly.

Ah Luo shook her head. She pulled his elegant hand closer to her. She brought it near and lightly rested her cheek against his warm, dry palm.

“I look beautiful today too,” she murmured. “Would you like to feel what I look like for yourself?”