I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 49

In the livestream chat, a bunch of rubbernecking viewers were laughing gloatingly at Shen Xi.

On camera, Shen Xi looked utterly defeated. One meme could perfectly sum up his current state, and it was ‘Calm as a veteran on the outside, freaking out like mad on the inside.jpg.’

He’d received five questions and answered all of them wrong.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but just moments ago, Xin Luo had accurately answered all of the five questions she got. The contrast made things suddenly feel *much* more serious.

The final pair—the athlete and the model—had also started answering questions. Despite being the underdogs, they unexpectedly scored six points, three each.

Shen Xi: ‘…’

[Look at Shen Xi’s eyes. He was so full of hope, but then got crushed into despair. I’m dying of laughter, hahahahahahaha!]

[Doesn’t this feel exactly like back in school, when you got a terrible test score and went around asking your classmates if anyone did worse than you? And then you find out you’re the lowest, and you still had to take the paper home for your parents to sign… that feeling of utter soul-crushing defeat…]

[Sorry, can’t relate, never ranked dead last, hahahahahahahahahahahaha!]

Since everyone was sitting in the living room for this segment, fans who’d originally been scattered across different livestream rooms had all gathered in one place.

Xin Luo and Shen Xi had way too many highlights. Moreover, Shen Xi’s soft puppy-like demeanour made him irresistibly cute. Whatever he was thinking showed clearly on his face. As such, everyone’s attention naturally ended up glued to the two of them.

The director said, “Now, I’ll announce the rankings. First place goes to Lu Tao and Yan Jiaqi. You’ll receive a full day of gourmet meals, plus a ticket to the amusement park. Second place is Zhou Jiayin and Wen Yuxin—you’ll be rewarded with three regular meals for the day.

“Third place, Zhao Qianqian and Sun Ningyu—you get no reward, and will have to fend for yourselves today. And in last place, Xin Luo and Shen Xi—not only do you need to prepare your own food, you also have a punishment.”

At this point, he paused deliberately. He clearly knew how to build suspense.

“The punishment is—you two will be trimming the mansion’s garden today.”

And honestly, that really did count as a punishment.

Just because this was a living-together reality show didn’t mean the cast could spend all day sitting around at home. The show needed entertainment value. The audience wouldn’t want to just watch people eating and sleeping.

So usually, the cast would be sent out for activities during the day, and return to the mansion at night. They called it ‘couples’ date time.’

The whole idea was: the sweeter and more authentic the couple acted, the better. That not only made the show more engaging, but also helped boost each cast member’s personal popularity.

Think about it—while the other couples were off visiting amusement parks, strolling hand in hand down the street, having candlelit dinners, catching movies, and playing claw machines—basically maxing out on romance—Ah Luo’s pair would be stuck at home mowing the lawn. Which one sounded more fun to watch?

When Ah Luo heard this, though, her expression didn’t change. She smiled and said, “Okay, Director.”

The young man next to her visibly shuddered. Even though Xin Luo had been smiling the whole time, he couldn’t help feel a chill run down his spine.

Once the little quiz segment was over, the crew brought in breakfast. The spread really was impressive. It piled high on the table. The last two pairs could only watch from the side lines as the other two pairs ate.

While Lu Tao’s pair dug in, Ah Luo quietly headed into the kitchen to cook. She fried an egg, toasted two slices of bread, and squeezed a glass of fresh juice.

Shen Xi followed her around like a little tail, but didn’t say a word. He just kept giving her puppy-dog eyes.

After a while, seeing that Ah Luo was still ignoring him, the young man sneakily reached out with his long, pale fingers and tugged at the hem of her shirt. In a soft voice, he said, “Sister… I was wrong… I’m sorry…”

Ah Luo replied coolly, “What exactly did you do wrong?”

Hearing this, the young man looked even more uneasy. Carefully, he said, “I—I got all the answers wrong.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ah Luo said lightly. “You didn’t know me before the show. It’s normal that you couldn’t answer.”

“But, but…” Shen Xi couldn’t help growing anxious. She was right. Before this show, he’d never paid any attention to the entertainment industry.

In fact, due to his family background, Shen Xi had seen a lot of the unspoken rules behind the scenes since he was young, so he had always kept a cautious distance from female celebrities.

As for Xin Luo… just based on her appearance, his first impression was inevitably tinged with certain stereotypes and scandalous associations. If he hadn’t seen her clumsily playing games that first time, and sincerely celebrating over some tiny, insignificant victory in-game, his opinion of her definitely wouldn’t have been very good.

However, while he had held prejudices against her, she had been quietly paying attention to him, caring about him from some far-off corner.

Shen Xi could practically picture her, searching up his background online, memorising every little detail about his life and interests.

For a young man who had never been in love before, that realisation stirred up a strange, overwhelming sense of guilt.

Xin Luo had offered him her whole heart. She liked him so much. She knew him so well. And he… had let all that go to waste.

The young man couldn’t stop the guilt from rising in his chest.

He bowed his head deeply and said, “Sister, I’m sorry.”

Ah Luo looked up at him. The young man’s head was hanging low in dejection. The soft curls of his chestnut hair drooped. His head looked fluffy. He seemed pitiful and adorable all at once.

She couldn’t help herself. She reached out and gave his head a pat, just like she was petting a well-behaved little puppy.

“It’s okay.”

Ah Luo didn’t brush him off with any high-sounding excuse, nor did she pretend nothing had happened. Instead, she asked him gently, “So… will you remember those things from now on?”

The young man immediately looked up. His puppy-like eyes shined as he gazed at Ah Luo. A moment later, a bright smile broke across his face, showing off his small tiger teeth as he said happily, “I already remembered just now! You like savoury food, you like the colour white, you graduated from Central Academy of Drama, your first role was in Peerless Beauty, and you’ve never been in a relationship—

“Ah, that’s not right…” he suddenly corrected himself. “You have been in a relationship.”

Ah Luo frowned in confusion. “Hm?”

“Aren’t you my girlfriend?” The young man tilted his head slightly, blinking his eyes that were filled with amusement and brightness.

He thought to himself, since she truly liked him, he should treat her even better.

[Waaaah, this is too sweet, too sweet, too sweet!!! These two are literally dating right now, aaaaah!]

[I opened both my phone and laptop so I could watch both Male God Zhou and Goddess Xin at the same time, but my eyes have been glued to the phone watching the goddess and this baby-faced pup. Forget it—the phone screen is too small, I need to switch to my laptop. Sorry, Male God Zhou! I’m not being unfaithful to you, it’s just that these two are too sweet together!]

[This little puppy is too good, too good!! My inner fangirl is combusting! Please lock this couple in permanently, okay!?]

After breakfast, the cast split up to make their own plans. Lu Tao’s pair headed to an amusement park, Zhou Jiayin and Wen Yuxin decided to go see a movie, and the model Zhao Qianqian and the athlete Sun Ningyu hadn’t had breakfast, so they went off planning to busk on the street for food.

Back at the mansion, only one cameraman remained—with Ah Luo’s group.

The mansion was quite large, and the garden wasn’t small either. Most of it was lawn, which just needed mowing. Around the edge of the lawn was a ring of low hedges, and there was also a small flowerbed planted with roses.

It was the sweltering heat of August—working outside under the blazing sun was no easy task.

As a celebrity who managed her image with utmost discipline, Ah Luo was highly professional. She changed into long-sleeved, full-length sun-protection clothing, and slathered a thick layer of sunscreen over her exposed hands, neck, and face. Finally, she pulled Shen Xi over and applied sunscreen to his face as well.

“Sister, I’m not afraid of the sun,” the young man said as she pressed him down onto the couch, tilting his face up for her to apply the cream. His ears flushed red as he spoke.

He’d never been this physically close with a girl before—this was a first.

Ah Luo chided him, “Girls only like boys with fair skin.”

As she was applying the sunscreen to his cheeks, the young man mumbled, “My cousin likes guys like Xu Ye.”

Xu Ye was a well-known actor in the entertainment industry, famous for his rugged masculine charm. He had bronze-toned skin, long legs, and eight-pack abs. He drove more than a few girls absolutely wild.

Hearing the envy in his voice, Ah Luo glanced at him and couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t even think about it. You’re a fair-skinned pretty boy. The most you could be is a little puppy boy who scams older sisters.”

“Hmm…” Shen Xi thought for a moment, then suddenly decided to test the waters with a smile. He asked, “Then would you like a fair-skinned boy like me, Sister?”

Ah Luo’s hand paused on his cheek. She was briefly stunned and realised too late that she might’ve just gotten flirted with.

Her fingers moved slightly and pinched his soft cheek. She smiled and said, “I like boys who are good at gaming.”

[That was a hint, right? That was definitely a subtle confession! Aaaah, the goddess is so smooth, I’m crying!]

[AHH! The Xi-Luo ship is real! Who’s better at gaming than Shen Xi!? She’s clearly confessing, oh my god!!]

[Wait, hold up—the goddess just basically confessed, so why does Shen Xi look… unhappy? Didn’t he seem really into her before? Why the cold reaction all of a sudden?]

No one could guess what Shen Xi was thinking of in that moment—his mind had gone to their time together in the game.

When she said she liked boys who were good at games… she probably meant him, right?

Shen Xi felt a complicated mix of emotions. When he first heard that Xin Luo liked him, he’d found it surreal. He felt like this couldn’t be real. However, as she revealed more and more personal details, he began to sense that maybe she did genuinely like him… and he no longer knew how to face her.

He admitted to himself that yes, he had started to develop feelings for her. What man could resist when they were being liked by someone like Xin Luo?

Sometimes, he even wondered why she always hinted so subtly instead of just confessing outright. If she did, he wouldn’t have to feel so conflicted.

Ah Luo had no idea what kind of storm was brewing in the young man’s heart. She simply finished applying his sunscreen with care, and then the two of them headed outside, into the mansion’s front garden.

Ah Luo had put on a sunhat, and she was so bundled up that just a few minutes under the sun had her breaking out in sweat.

Shen Xi was dressed much more simply. He was just wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of casual pants. His long legs carried him easily ahead.

The weather was breezy today, and the wind billowed out his thin T-shirt, revealing his clean and graceful waistline—slim yet strong, full of the vibrant energy unique to young people.

“I know how to use the lawnmower. I’ll take care of the lawn. You can handle the hedges, Sister,” Shen Xi said as he expertly wheeled the lawnmower over to the edge of the grass.

The production crew had prepared all the tools in advance. Ah Luo picked up a large pair of shears and asked curiously, “How do you know how to mow a lawn?”

The young man’s fair skin glowed in the sunlight. HIs clear voice drifted over with the breeze. “We used to have gardeners at home when I was little. I watched them enough that I learned.”

The lawnmower roared to life, and its blades whirred. Freshly cut grass clippings scattered to the ground, and the scent of green plants filled the air.

[Wait a second. I thought Lingshen’s family was supposed to be poor? They had a *garden* while he was growing up???]