I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 5
Ah Luo had high hopes, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as she hoped.
She walked around Zhenbao Pavilion and looked at all sorts of treasures. However, she didn’t see many people in the shop.
Ordinary people wouldn’t come to a place like Zhenbao Pavilion. The treasures here were priceless, and only the wealthy and powerful could afford them. Therefore, there were few customers in the store, and she could see everyone there at a single glance.
To her disappointment, Ah Luo didn’t see the man that she wanted to see. Instead, she saw Zhao Qiuchen, the daughter of the grand commandant, who had always been at odds with the original host. (1-11)
To put it nicely, Zhao Qiuchen was a very straightforward person. To put it bluntly, she was a tactless person with low emotional intelligence. Because his father was the grand commandant—one of the three excellencies, Zhao Qiuchen felt that she was superior to other people and often acted ostentatiously. (1-12)
She was also the only daughter of her family; all the other offspring of her family were male. As such, everyone from her eighty-year-old matriarch grandmother to her four-year-old nephew, treated her well and spoiled her. This resulted in Zhao Qiuchen developing an overbearing and self-centred personality.
Su Luoyan disliked Zhao Qiuchen’s unruly and mannerless behavior. She felt that they were not on the same path of life, and generally ignored her most of the time.
Meanwhile, Zhao Qiuchen regarded Su Luoyan as pretentious. She hadn’t even married the crown prince yet, but she had already acted like a high and mighty crown princess. She always wore a stern face and acted like no other noble miss could be more dignified and virtuous than her.
Because the two of them were about the same age, other people naturally compared them to each other. In such conversations, Su Luoyan was always the one who was praised; to Zhao Qiuchen, she was an ‘other people’s child’ figure, and Zhao Qiuchen loathed her because of that. (1-13)
Whenever the two of them met, Zhao Qiuchen would always take the opportunity to bother and taunt her.
Ah Luo pretended not to see Zhao Qiuchen. She lowered her head to look at a golden butterfly hairpin placed on a display cabinet.
Then, she heard a familiar, flamboyant voice from behind her, saying, “Oh, who do we have here? It’s Miss Su.”
Ah Luo silently turned her head towards the voice. She saw Zhao Qiuchen in a fiery red dress and with a small red whip in her hand. She swaggered over, leading a string of maids and male servants.
Zhao Qiuchen clucked her tongue as she looked at Ah Luo from head to toe in surprise. She had an exaggerated expression of shock that reeked of sarcasm on her face as she said, “From a distance, I almost didn’t recognize you. Su Luoyan, dressed like this today, you really look like a Daoist nun ready to ascend to immortality. Are you really preparing to become a nun and give up on becoming the crown princess?”
“Miss Zhao,” Ah Luo said after she nodded calmly toward Zhao Qiuchen. She greeted her as she always did, without answering any of her words.
Zhao Qiuchen was the type who would get more riled up the more seriously one took her. Ignoring her as usual would result in just a few sarcastic remarks before she lost interest.
Ah Luo continued looking at the hairpin. It was exquisitely made, with finely polished golden threads strung with delicate gold beads, curved and combined to form butterfly wings. One could imagine that if worn on the head, the butterfly wings would gently flutter with each step, as if it was alive.
Zhao Qiuchen, who didn’t receive any attention from Ah Luo, felt bored. Seeing how miserable Su Luoyan was, she felt like it’d be too embarrassing to continue mocking her.
The eldest Miss Zhao sulkily touched her nose and began to browse the store.
However, the two were unaware that their conversation had already been overheard and caused a slight stir.
In a hidden room at the back of Zhenbao Pavilion, a handsome and gentle young man in white was originally sitting behind a desk, checking the ledgers. He didn’t use his eyes; instead, he extended his hand, feeling the ink marks on the pages with the pads of his index and middle fingers.
As his slender, fair fingers moved, the characters seemed to leap into his mind.
Sometimes, after long periods of this, a persistent scent of ink would linger on his hands and body.
He was immersed in his ‘reading’ until the conversation outside caused his fingers to pause. This person was none other than Wenren Jin, whom Ah Luo had failed to see earlier.
Miss Su, the crown princess—these two keywords quickly made him aware of who the conversation was about.
Today she dressed… like a Daoist nun?
She should have received his letter, which he sent this morning, by now. If she had received it and dressed that way anyway, did it mean that she was rejecting him?
For some reason, Wenren Jin did not feel much joy in his heart upon making this conclusion.
A rejection would reduce his burden and free him from taking on an unplanned responsibility, but…
He couldn’t help thinking back to that day. The girl’s petite, soft body suddenly lunged at him, tightly grasping the hem of his clothes…
Wenren Jin was blind, so he couldn’t see her, but he could still feel her.
He felt as if she were waiting there for him, waiting for him to save her. When he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, she went along with it so obediently, unlike most who’d panic and struggle when they fell into the water. When he touched her skin, which was as smooth as the finest jade, it felt cool yet with a hint of warmth.
It was a purposeless thing that Wenren Jin just suddenly wanted to do. After writing the letter, Wenren Jin slipped a jade pendant that he had personally carved and treasured for a long time into the envelope. Then, he sent the envelope to the Su family’s residence.
In retrospect, it seemed he was being presumptuous.
He considered her his responsibility, but perhaps she didn’t think the same. Nevertheless, he would respect her decision, whatever it was.
After pondering this, Wenren Jin’s fingers began to move again, slowly sliding down the ink marks. However, his ‘reading’ speed was significantly slower than before.
Outside, Zhao Qiuchen couldn’t stay quiet for long. She used to be annoyed by Su Luoyan putting on airs like she was already the crown princess, but now, seeing her so downcast, she felt a bit sorry for her.
“Su Luoyan, I think it’s good you’re not going to be the crown princess. The crown prince isn’t a good guy. If I were you, I would have climbed out of the lake and kicked him to death right there and then on that day.
“And that stepsister of yours is a real ingrate. Why did you even go to save her? I never knew you were so kind-hearted.”
Zhao Qiuchen talked without stopping. She felt just like a fly buzzing in Ah Luo’s ears. In Ah Luo’s mind, she had already branded Zhao Qiuchen as a chatterbox.
“Hey, Su Luoyan, the jade pendant on your waist is really pretty. It matches your outfit perfectly. I have to say, the carving of that crane is excellent. It looks like it dropped down from the heavens.”
Ah Luo finally responded to her by faintly saying, “Indeed, I have good taste.”
Zhao Qiuchen noticed that Su Luoyan was like a fairy when she didn’t speak, but once she did, she immediately became the annoying girl she knew again.
Zhao Qiuchen gave her a half-hearted smile. “Heh, it is such a nice thing. How about lending it to me for a look?”
Ah Luo stepped back. She covered the jade pendant with her hand and firmly shook her head. “No, if you like it, you can buy one yourself.”
Zhao Qiuchen took a step closer. Seeing how Ah Luo protected the pendant, she deliberately approached her. She said, “Even if you don’t give it to me, I still want to look at it anyway.”
Ah Luo knew of Zhao Qiuchen’s reckless nature; she might actually try to snatch the pendant from her. Without thinking, Ah Luo bent down and dodged, then ran out of the store. She climbed into her family’s carriage and instructed the driver to return to their residence immediately.
She ran so fast that no one else could react in time. Zhao Qiuchen chased after her but was a step too late. She shouted at the distant carriage, “Su Luoyan, wait!”
Ah Luo lifted the curtain and quickly made a face at her when no one else was looking.
Zhao Qiuchen was stunned. Then, she suddenly laughed and said, “I never knew Su Luoyan could be so fun.”
After Ah Luo left, Zhao Qiuchen lost interest in shopping and rode off on her little red horse.
Inside the Treasure Pavilion, a man dressed in white emerged from the inner room. His sharp ears had caught every word of their conversation, including their ‘fight over the jade pendant.’
Without him even realizing it, a faint and gentle smile appeared on his face.
The shopkeeper, seeing him appear, respectfully approached him and asked, “My lord, have you finished checking the ledgers?”
Wenren Jin nodded slightly. In a gentle tone, he said, “Yes. There are no errors in them. You did well.”
After a brief pause, he walked slowly to a counter and pointed to a spot, asking, “What is placed here?”
The shopkeeper looked at it, then replied, “Sir, it is the golden silk butterfly hairpin that you brought back.”
Wenren Jin softly said, “Wrap it up and send it to the Su family’s residence. Tell them that Miss Su left it in the shop earlier.”
Hearing this, the shopkeeper looked shocked.
The hairpin wasn’t made of precious materials, but it was made with exquisite craftsmanship. This made it a treasured display piece and not for sale to anyone. He didn’t expect the young master to give it away for free.
The shopkeeper couldn’t help but speculate if his young master had feelings for Miss Su.
Despite his wondering, he quickly composed himself and nodded in agreement.
Ah Luo returned to the Su family’s residence in dejection. She intended to write Wenren Jin a proper reply tomorrow.
She was not the female protagonist. She didn’t have the female protagonist’s aura and couldn’t meet the male supporting character anytime and anywhere like the female protagonist could. Since she was an ordinary person, she should follow the path of an ordinary person.
Just as she was thinking this, she bumped into the male protagonist and the female protagonist in her family residence’s garden.
‘Good things never come as a surprise, only bad things would,’ Ah Luo mused to herself.
Perhaps because their ‘affair’ had been brought to light, the crown prince had become increasingly brazen in visiting Su Baiwei. They openly showed off the fact that they were deeply in love and inseparable now.
Their scandal was widely known now, but neither of them seemed aware of it; perhaps they were, but did not care.
Anyhow, no one dared to say anything about it in front of them. Even Grand Tutor Su, Lady Yao, and the crown prince’s nominal betrothed—Ah Luo, turned a blind eye to it. Naturally, the lovebirds no longer hid their relationship.
Gu Xiuyan looked at Ah Luo with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“Yan’er, are you finally willing to go out?” he asked.
Ah Luo has been staying behind closed doors for the past few days. She said she wanted to become a nun and cultivate. Gu Xiuyan knew this. Although he felt very sorry for her, he did not stop her.
After not seeing her for a few days, though, Gu Xiuyan noticed that she had become more beautiful.
Her fair, delicate face was unadorned and looked as cold as frost. She wore a blue dress with a white jade crane pendant on her waist. She seemed to radiate an ethereal aura, somehow, like a celestial immortal coldly looking down on the mortal world.
For a moment, Gu Xiuyan suddenly had second thoughts. Did he really want to give up on his betrothed? She was dignified, elegant, tolerant, knowledgeable, courteous, and considerate; she also held a lot of respect for him.
He knew very well that there was no one in the world more suitable to be the crown princess and future empress than Su Luoyan.
As soon as this thought came to his mind, a soft little hand suddenly slipped into his palm.
Gu Xiuyan turned his head and saw that Su Baiwei was looking up at him. Her eyes seemed to focus only on him as if he was the only person in this world whom she could see.
His wavering heart immediately became firm again. He squeezed her hand back firmly. His wife could only be the woman he loved.
Su Baiwei turned to face Ah Luo. She blushed and shyly said, “Sister, I feel sorry to you, but… we really love each other…”
Ah Luo: ‘…’
They could be lovey-dovey on their own, so why did they have to flaunt their romance in front of her?
Normally, Ah Luo would play along. However, she was in a bad mood and didn’t feel like acting right now.
Still, with a cold expression on her face, she perfunctorily curtsied and greeted them as ‘Your Imperial Highness’ and ‘Little Sister.’ Then, she tried to pass by them and leave.
Just then, the gatekeeper found her. His eyes lit up, and he said, “Miss, there you are. Someone from Zhenbao Pavilion brought this box. They said you bought something and forgot to take it, so they delivered it.”
“Huh? I didn’t buy any—”
Her words came to a sudden halt as she realized something. A smile suddenly appeared on her cold face, like ice being melted by a spring breeze and revealing a pool of clear water beneath it.
“It’s mine, I’ll go get it!” the girl said happily.