I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 3

The betrothal between Gu Xiuyan and Su Luoyan started with a joke from the emperor.

Su Luoyan’s father, Grand Tutor Su, had been a friend of the emperor ever since they were young. At that time, the emperor had yet to ascend the throne; he was only the third prince among many. During the fight for the crown prince position, Grand Tutor Su remained faithfully and unwaveringly by his side and advised him despite the numerous attempts by other princes to win him over to their side instead. This was why the third prince—the current emperor, valued him so highly. 

The third prince later seized the throne and ascended as the emperor. Grand Tutor Su himself was, at that time, the grand chancellor. He frequently gave him advice and contributed many excellent policies for governmental matters. At that time, he was an important and powerful court official who was highly esteemed by the emperor.

Despite their position as the monarch and a court official, their years of companionship had forged a bond between them; in private, they remained the best of friends.

When Lady Yao, Grand Tutor Su’s wife, became pregnant, and the emperor heard the news, the emperor made a joke. He lightly talked about how Grand Tutor Su was such a great talent that even though they were already perfectly matched as the monarch and a court official, he wished to further solidify their bond by becoming in-laws.

This meant that the emperor admired him so much that he wished for them to be in-laws—connected through the marriage of their children.

Neither the Grand Tutor Su nor the emperor took this remark seriously. Besides, the remark was not made in a public setting but in their private conversation.

However, the emperor’s words were never taken lightly. Unlike ordinary people, every word from the emperor was scrutinised by many.

As expected, it wasn’t long before this casual remark spread throughout the palace and the capital.

The emperor couldn’t possibly contradict himself. As such, he tacitly approved of the rumor and did not clarify it. Thus, the betrothal between the imperial family and the Su family was verbally established.

Grand Tutor Su was a wise man. After the birth of his legitimate daughter, Su Luoyan, he voluntarily resigned from his then-position as the grand chancellor. He expressed his preference for being a teacher instead. Despite the emperor’s repeated attempts to retain him, Grand Tutor Su still refused to stay. The emperor eventually appointed him as the grand tutor, responsible for teaching the princes about literature, calligraphy, and etiquette.

Even though he had become a grand tutor, who had no real political power, the respect he commanded only increased.

Grand Tutor Su was known for his talent, which the emperor frequently praised. The emperor still occasionally sought his advice on national policies. Moreover, with his impending status as the future imperial father-in-law, no one dared to underestimate him.

The emperor’s golden words about forming an in-law relationship with the Su family made Su Luoyan the ‘designated crown princess’ in everyone’s eyes. For many years, both Grand Tutor Su and Su Luoyan had been preparing for her to marry into the imperial family.

Now that Ah Luo was here, though, the betrothal would certainly fall through.

Su Baiwei was also the daughter of Grand Tutor Su. She could marry into the imperial family instead of her. That’d achieve the same purpose of strengthening the ties between the two families.

Wasn’t Su Baiwei’s goal to become Gu Xiuyan’s legitimate wife?

Ah Luo now intended to make way for Su Baiwei and Gu Xiuyan so they could be together without having to go through all the melodramatic twists and turns that they went through in the original plot.

Ah Luo was thinking all that inwardly. However, outwardly, she raised her hands to cover her face and faked crying. “Now that my reputation is ruined, how could I still have the gall to marry Your Imperial Highness?”

Gu Xiuyan replied, “Why would you say that, Yan’er? I was present today as well; I know that you did what you did because it was an emergency, and you wanted to save your sister. Moreover, the marquis of Yuanting’s heir is blind; I will not misunderstand you. You need not be concerned about what happened earlier.”

Ah Luo shook her head vigorously. Her eyes were misty with tears. She looked straight at Gu Xiuyan with an unwavering gaze. Then, she said, “Your Imperial Highness, please don’t comfort me. I know you are broad-minded. However, you are the esteemed crown prince, admired and respected by all, like a deity. How could you marry a woman whose reputation is tarnished? When you ascend the throne, people might ridicule you for it. I am unworthy of you.”

Su Luoyan was wearing a plain blue dress now. She had black hair and snow-white skin; her tearful eyes resembled a puddle of clear water in autumn. Her pale lips looked fragile, like a flower bud that was about to wither.

Gu Xiuyan blankly stared at her. Her words echoed in his mind, and suddenly, his heart was moved.

Could it be that the usually wooden Su Luoyan, who always lowered her head as she greeted him and seemed shy about any close contact, actually revered him this much?

Had he known too little about her all along? 

Huh. Actually, why hadn’t he realized before that Su Luoyan was so beautiful?

These thoughts only flickered briefly in his mind, and Gu Xiuyan didn’t ponder them deeply.

Gu Xiuyan shook his head and said, “Yan’er, don’t be ridiculous. Our betrothal was arranged by the emperor himself; how could it be broken off so easily?” 

If not for this, he wouldn’t be tied down by a betrothal that he never wanted. If not for this, he would be able to marry the woman that he truly loved.

To that, Ah Luo replied, “His Imperial Majesty only said that he wanted to be in-laws with my father, and my father has more than one daughter.”

She lowered her eyes. Her thick lashes cast shadows over her bright eyes, making her appear very despondent. “And… I know that Your Imperial Highness has feelings for my sister, Baiwei. If Your Imperial Highness could marry her, it would make Your Imperial Highness very happy, would it not?”

Gu Xiuyan was startled by what Ah Luo said. Suddenly, he realized that this was indeed not impossible!

However, he didn’t quite believe that Su Luoyan would be so considerate and accommodating towards him. He couldn’t help asking in suspicion, “Yan’er… Do you really think this way?”

Ah Luo raised her hand and wiped her ‘tears’ away from the corners of her eyes. Then, she sobbed and choked as she said, “I know that I’m not worthy of Your Imperial Highness and that I’m not Your Imperial Highness’ beloved, anyway, so I mustn’t force things. Your Imperial Highness, please go; I want to rest now.”

After saying that, Ah Luo lay down and turned her back to the crown prince, as if she was throwing a fit.

Her thin shoulders supported a thin quilty, and she was curled up into a small ball. Her waist-length hair flowed on top of her pillow and revealed a part of her snow-white neck. A sad and helpless air lingered around her; this air was inexplicably pity-arousing.

Seeing this, the crown prince stopped talking and hurried out of the door.

His mind was filled with what Ah Luo had just said. He was now eager to see his beloved and share this unexpected joy with her.

He went to Su Baiwei’s courtyard. As soon as he entered Su Baiwei’s room, he saw her pressing a hot towel to her knees.

His sudden entrance to her room made Su Baiwei feel slightly startled. She hurriedly dropped her lifted skirt, but unfortunately, she was still a step too late.

Gu Xiuyan’s face turned cold. He strode forward as he asked, “What was that? Are you hurt?”

Timidly, Su Baiwei replied, “No. It’s nothing…”

Gu Xiuyan forcefully lifted up her skirt, revealing her white legs and her contrasting red knees.

This action was too bold and impolite. However, Su Baiwei thought about how intimately they’d been to each other earlier when they were underwater and decided not to stop him. Still, her face turned crimson, and the blush spread across her cheeks, making her delicate face look even more charming.

“Don’t…”

“Tell me, how did you get hurt?”

Su Baiwei’s face paled. She said, “Since I caused my legitimate sister to fall into the water, I went to apologize to her…”

Su Baiwei said this because she wanted to gain the crown prince’s sympathy and to make him angry at Su Luoyan. She wanted him to think of Su Luoyan as a vicious woman.

Unexpectedly, Gu Xiuyan only went silent for a moment, before then nodding and saying, “That is as it should be. You are but a concubine’s daughter, and Yan’er fell into the water to save you. You kneeling and apologising to her is appropriate.”

Su Baiwei: ‘???’

Why was his reaction different from what she had imagined?

Ah Luo was having a headache. She’d just dealt with the crown prince, and now came her father.

Grand Tutor Su had just returned from the palace. However, he had already heard most of the details of the incident. When Ah Luo saw him, his expression was calm as usual.

Ah Luo was afraid that Grand Tutor Su would realize that she was not the real Su Luoyan; this was what made him difficult to deal with.

Ah Luo was not a real person. Rather than a person, it was more fitting to call her a consciousness. She was an existence born from the readers’ sympathy for the male and female supporting characters. She had transmigrated into countless story worlds, with the task of changing the tragic fate of those male and female supporting characters and making them happy. In completing her tasks, the only rule that she needed to abide by was that she couldn’t act ‘out of character’ and destroy her ‘persona.’

Since she had entered this world and became Su Luoyan, she had to act and live like Su Luoyan. Everyone had to believe that she was truly the real Su Luoyan.

It wasn’t a difficult thing to do. Ah Luo was just a consciousness. After she entered Su Luoyan’s body, she had inwardly acquired all of Su Luoyan’s memories and skills. Outwardly, she also looked exactly the same as the real Su Luoyan.

However, Grand Tutor Su was still a very smart man. Ah Luo must be very, very careful around him. Otherwise, he would notice her, and her her character setting—her persona, would collapse; if that happened, she would immediately be rejected by this world.

It had happened before. One time, Ah Luo’s task target was a male strategist who was so cunning and smart to the point that he was somewhat evil. As soon as they met, he questioned her about her real identity; she failed that task right there and then.

Fortunately, Ah Luo was much more experienced now. Grand Tutor Su didn’t seem to notice anything strange about her.

Grand Tutor Su first expressed his concern for Ah Luo before seriously asking, “Yan’er, what do you think about what happened earlier?”

Ah Luo knew that Grand Tutor Su was thinking of a plan. Judging from Grand Tutor Su’s personality, whatever plan he was thinking of making would likely be beneficial to her.

Cautiously, she replied, “From what happened earlier, I think I can see that His Imperial Highness, the crown prince, is fond of Sister Baiwei; he does not seem to like me.”

“Hmm,” Grand Tutor Su said. He then sighed before he continued, “It all began with a mere jest years ago. Who could have foreseen the current situation? I never intended for you to enter that treacherous palace. Today, the crown prince ignored you; who knows if he might discard you like an old shoe one day? The crown prince is too heartless; he is not a good match for you.”

Outwardly, Ah Luo listened to her father speaking and kept silent. Inwardly, though, she kept nodding. Grand Tutor Su was really good at seeing through people. What he just said was the exact end that Su Luoyan suffered in the original storyline.

“A forced relationship brings no happiness. I do not wish to insist on this betrothal. Father, please make a decision on my behalf.”

Grand Tutor Su didn’t reply immediately and stayed silent.

All of a sudden, Lady Yao appeared from behind a screen. She must have heard Grand Tutor Su and Ah Luo talking. She appeared slightly less sorrowful than she had earlier today and said, “Yan’er, although you have come to terms with this, your reputation has been tarnished. You are also past marriageable age since you had waited for the crown prince to return from the frontier for too many years; now, it’d be difficult for you to find a good match other than him.”

Hesitantly, Ah Luo suggested, “I remember that the person who saved me today was a gentleman…”

Lady Yao immediately shook her head. “You must mean the marquis of Yuanting’s heir. He cannot marry you.”

Ah Luo blinked. She almost blurted out, ‘Why? In the original storyline, Wenren Jin clearly was a good enough match for Su Baiwei; why can’t Su Luoyan marry him? This makes no sense!’

She didn’t end up saying that, but still, she couldn’t help asking, “Is it because he is blind?”

Grand Tutor Su explained, “Not at all. The marquis’ heir is young, but he is unparalleled in terms of talent; he is a true, extraordinary genius. Despite being blind, he is far superior to many other noble sons in the capital. However, since he’d lived on Tianmen Mountain for many years, he is not well known.”

Grand Tutor Su spoke highly of Wenren Jin. However, his tone shifted as he said, “He was frail as a child, but was fortunate enough to become a disciple of Daoist Master Qing Yi, who lives on Tianmen Mountain as well. He practises Daoism like a monk, but without shaving his head—as a layman practicioner. Moreover, Daoist Master Qing Yi had declared that he should never marry; he’s followed his master’s order ever since and had never been with any women.”

Ah Luo was confused. This plot was certainly not in the novel, though.

Then again, novels were usually written from the perspective of the male and female protagonists; they usually only vaguely explained the backgrounds of the male and female supporting characters.

The novel only mentioned that the male supporting character was very chaste when he first appeared. Even the crown prince had a few maids who served him in bed, but the male supporting character’s courtyard was conspicuously clean. 

When the female protagonist married him, she lived a carefree life; she could even meet the male protagonist in secret whenever she wanted, making it convenient for their illicit romance.

Could it be that because Ah Luo was not the female protagonist, such a master’s decree had suddenly appeared?

This was such an offense to supporting characters! Ah Luo was filled with indignation.