I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 55

At this moment, there was no better phrase to describe the scene than: ‘I guessed the beginning, but I never saw the ending coming.’

Shen Xi and Ah Luo came out safe and sound, but the cameraman who pressed the button ended up going in. He was trapped in the hidden room for over an hour, and only because Ah Luo and Shen Xi called for help in time. Otherwise, he’d have waited there for a long time.

The owner of the castle explained that the room was one of the hidden levels inside the place, and it was rarely discovered, so he hadn’t bothered to warn them. He hadn’t expected Shen Xi to find it.

The incident sparked a round of discussion online. Most people were amazed by Shen Xi’s talent for solving puzzles and impressed by Xin Luo’s vigilance. Only a small number sympathised with the unlucky cameraman—and even then, they laughed about it for a good while. After all, he had no one to blame but himself for recklessly pressing that button.

The cameraman assigned to follow Ah Luo’s team was swapped out after that. Over the next couple of days, Shen Xi became absolutely fascinated with the castle. He and Ah Luo wandered around every day solving mysteries. The livestream viewers, who had tuned in hoping to watch some romance, ended up spending three full days watching puzzle-solving content instead.

The cameraman who had fallen into the chamber was too traumatised to keep following them.

They triggered several more hidden levels along the way, but always made it through safely in the end.

At first, netizens were clamouring for romance and saying they didn’t want to watch puzzle-solving anymore. Eventually, though, they all got hooked. The number of people watching the livestream actually grew.

It was just impossible to look away. Those two were simply too good-looking, and Shen Xi’s intelligence was no joke. He practically explored every corner of the castle. Any spot that held a puzzle, he found it. In the end, the castle owner had to beg him to stop digging any deeper—if he kept solving things at this rate, the entire place would lose its appeal. Everyone would already know the answers before they even got there.

There was no denying it. This handsome and smart little puppy-type guy was pure gold. The entire second half of the show turned into his personal stage, as he showcased his razor-sharp intellect and keen attention to detail. He gained a massive wave of new fans.

The first session of filming ended amidst a love-hate mix of feelings from the production crew. On one hand, the show hit an unprecedented level of popularity. On the other, over those last three days, all the other couples were completely overshadowed by Shen Xi and Xin Luo. The romance variety show had somehow turned into a puzzle-solving show. It was both hilarious and exasperating.

As for the castle treasure hunt challenge—it was no surprise that Ah Luo and Shen Xi ended up taking the win. Shen Xi’s speed was incredible. While the other pairs were still slowly gathering clues on the second day, he had already found the hidden treasure planted by the production crew and claimed victory ahead of schedule.

On the final day of the filming session, everyone emerged from the castle. Several nanny vans were parked outside.

Ah Luo followed behind Shen Xi. The young man was dragging two suitcases, one in each hand. He escorted her to the car and even opened the door for her.

It was early evening. The sun still hung low in the sky and cast a golden light that fell over the young man’s figure. It made his fair skin seem even paler, and his whole presence clean and radiant.

Ah Luo got into the car. The young man still stood at the door. His eyes were filled with obvious reluctance.

“Sister, isn’t there anything you want to say to me?” He opened his mouth and asked with a hopeful expression.

The moment of parting had come, and yet Xin Luo still hadn’t said anything resembling a confession. Shen Xi couldn’t help but grow anxious.

Ah Luo beckoned him over. “Come a little closer.”

The young man blinked in surprise, but leaned in obediently.

Ah Luo glanced around—her assistant was busy loading suitcases in the back, and Sister Pei was speaking with the show director. No one was paying attention to them.

She reached out, grabbed the front of the young man’s shirt, and pulled his upper body into the car.

He looked at her, dazed, but in the next instant, his eyes flew wide open.

A soft fragrance enveloped him. The woman with a bold and flawless makeup tilted up her beautiful face and placed a light kiss on his lips. Then, she leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “You’re my little boyfriend now. No more chasing after other pretty ladies, okay?”

With just that fleeting touch, she let him go, then gave him a little push. There was a bright and happy smile on her face.

Shen Xi stared at her. He was stunned, and his mouth was slightly agape. “You—you…”

Ah Luo beamed. “I’m starting a new film shoot in a few days. Will Lele have time to visit me on set?”

The young man was still trying to process what had just happened. He echoed her question without thinking, “Visit… on set?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ah Luo saw Sister Pei approaching. She waved him off. “I’ll message you. Go on, go home now.”

Even after her car had driven away, Shen Xi remained standing there, frozen in place. He didn’t move for several minutes.

Then another car pulled up in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing the face of his older brother, Shen Yu.

“Lele, time to go home.”

Shen Xi jolted and blurted out, “Brother!”

Shen Yu glanced at him and said, “Why are your lips so red?”

The young man’s face instantly turned bright red. He hurriedly raised a hand to wipe the corner of his mouth. Sure enough, there was a vivid red stain on his fingertip. It was a trace of lipstick that Xin Luo had left behind.

Shen Yu eyed his younger brother suspiciously. “What’s that?”

Shen Xi shook his head. His face was still flushed, and he still didn’t say a word. He quickly ducked into the back seat of the car.

Shen Yu had always been quite attentive to his little brother. He’d watched the live broadcast of the show every day as it aired, and naturally, had seen his brother’s performance on it. With a thoughtful look, he asked, “Lele, did you have fun these past few days?”

Shen Xi replied, “It was pretty fun. That castle was especially cool.”

“Then how about joining another show? A few days ago, Heartbeat Secrets sent me a script. It’s another romance variety show. This time, you’d get to surf on an island…”

Before he could finish, Shen Xi was already shaking his head rapidly. He refused without the slightest hesitation. “No way.”

Shen Yu didn’t seem surprised. He chuckled lightly and said, “Well, I also have a script here that needs a guest actor. Want to give it a try?”

Shen Xi looked puzzled. “I’m not even in the entertainment industry. What would I do that for?”

“Oh?” Shen Yu gave a regretful sigh, dragging his words a little. “I heard Xin Luo’s acting in it too. You seemed to get along pretty well with her, so I pulled some strings to get you the part. But if you’re not interested, I’ll let it go.”

He had barely finished speaking when the young man in the back seat lunged forward, leaning over the backrest and saying repeatedly, “Brother, Brother, I’ll do it!”

Meanwhile, in another nanny van, Ah Luo and Sister Pei were also discussing the same drama.

“This variety show really worked out for you,” Sister Pei said with a sigh. “The gossip about you and Zhou Jiayin was out of control before it. Zhou Jiayin even made a statement, which made it look like we were the ones clinging on for attention. But now, you’ve cleared your name.”

She gave Ah Luo a curious look. “But how come I never knew your acting had improved so much? Have you been in seclusion training at home lately?”

Ah Luo replied, “I wasn’t acting.”

Sister Pei didn’t get it. “Huh?”

Ah Luo smiled slightly but didn’t explain. Instead, she changed the subject: “In a few days, Ballad of the Azure Palace will start filming. Let Xiaolin come with me. Sister Pei, you can go take care of the new talents.”

Sister Pei frowned. “Are you sure you’ll be okay without me?”

“I’m not a rookie anymore. Why wouldn’t I be? And anyway, I remember those new ones are about to go on an idol competition show, right? You’d better keep an eye on them.”

Sister Pei thought it over and eventually agreed.

In recent years, Xin Luo’s star had risen fast, and Sister Pei had also become a top-tier agent. Last year, the company handed her a few new talents to manage. She hadn’t been thrilled about it. After all, Xin Luo was the company’s cash cow, and sticking with her was the best bet. However, she had no real say in the matter as a mere employee. Besides, two of the newcomers had backing, so neglecting them wasn’t an option.

In truth, Sister Pei had hinted more than once that Xin Luo should strike out on her own. That way, she could follow Xin Luo and start their own operation. It’d be better than being pushed around inside their current company.

Unfortunately, Xin Luo seemed dead set on staying with this small-time company. Even now, as a top-tier actress, she’d never considered doing what other stars did and setting up her own studio.

Thinking of this, Sister Pei couldn’t help but say, “Xin Luo, with your status now, you could totally bring it up with CEO Xu. You’ve made him so much money all these years. He wouldn’t seriously try to stop you from leaving, right?”

Hearing that, Ah Luo paused slightly. After a moment, she said, “Sister Pei, let’s not talk about that anymore. I can’t leave just yet.”

“…Alright.” Seeing how firm her attitude was, Sister Pei could only sigh in resignation.

Ah Luo sighed inwardly, too. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave—just that she had signed a deeply unfair contract when she was too young to know better. She could walk away, sure, but she’d have to shoulder an enormous amount of debt—maybe so much she’d never be able to pay it back in this lifetime.

Xin Luo came from humble roots. Her father had been a police officer who died in the line of duty when she was just six years old.

After that, her mother raised her alone. The two depended entirely on each other. When Xin Luo was fifteen, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, which plunged their already struggling household into further hardship.

She entered the entertainment industry right after high school. Her current company, Xingchen Entertainment, had been something of a lifeline for her. Its CEO, Xu Dongzhou, signed her and even paid for her college tuition and her mother’s medical treatment.

Although her mother still passed away in the end, Xin Luo agreed to Xu Dongzhou’s terms and signed a twenty-year contract with the company. From age eighteen to thirty-eight, she couldn’t leave Starshine, and her salary was painfully low. Breaking the contract early required a sky-high penalty—one that her years of savings couldn’t even begin to cover.

Other entertainment companies had tried to poach her before, but once they saw the size of the penalty fee, most of them backed off.

In truth, Xin Luo was tired. At first, she’d entered the industry to earn money for her mother’s treatment. However, after her mother died, she was left alone in the world, with no clear direction. Her life suddenly felt empty, and she wandered through it in a daze.

There were some big entertainment companies who had offered to pay her penalty fee, but she turned them all down.

Partly out of gratitude, partly because she felt it wouldn’t really make a difference. Whether it was Xingchen or some other agency, it was all just filming and work to her.

Her heart had nowhere to rest. No matter where she went, she was only getting by.

When Ah Luo got home, she picked up her phone and glanced at it. The screen was completely empty.

The young man who’d been calling her ‘Sister’ over and over on the show hadn’t sent her a single message. She stared at the screen for a while. His profile picture was a character from an anime—she didn’t recognise it, but it was clearly a passionate young hero type.

Ah Luo suddenly thought of her own age. She was already twenty-six, and he was only nineteen. They had a seven-year gap between them. She couldn’t begin to understand his world, and even if he’d blushed and felt his heart race around her on the show, he probably wasn’t taking it too seriously… was he?

Maybe it was the memories of the past creeping in, but out of nowhere, a wave of nameless sorrow washed over her.

Just then, her phone chimed with a ding, and the chat window with the anime boy icon popped up with a message.

[Sister, are you home yet? Didn’t you say we’d stay in touch by phone? I’ve been waiting forever. Why haven’t you messaged me? [crying]]