I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 60
Anyone with even a rough idea of the situation could tell that everything Xu Dongzhou had said was just his side of the story.
Why did all the resources go to her first? Because over the years, Xingchen had only managed to make one person famous—her. No one else had made the company nearly as much money.
Xin Luo had been in the industry for eight years. Even while attending university, she juggled acting alongside her studies. The amount of money she’d made for Xu Dongzhou over the years was incalculable.
It wasn’t that Xu Dongzhou hadn’t tried to promote another leading star—after all, everyone knew not to put all their eggs in one basket. However, even though those stars were riding on Xin Luo’s coattails, and Xu Dongzhou had poured vast sums into others, not one of them had managed to explode in popularity like she had.
Xin Luo’s fame wasn’t a fluke. She was breathtakingly beautiful—so much so that, in this era of big data, she could attract legions of fans even if she were just a pretty face. However, she wasn’t just a pretty face. She could act, she worked hard, she kept a low profile and never caused trouble. She’d made it this far not through luck alone.
Even without Xu Dongzhou, even without Xingchen Entertainment, Xin Luo would have become famous eventually.
Xu Dongzhou’s good fortune lay in the fact that he had been the first to discover her, and so he gained the early advantage.
After realising that Xin Luo’s success couldn’t be replicated and that he’d wasted enormous sums chasing that dream, Xu Dongzhou cut his losses in time and gave up on cultivating anyone else. He chose instead to focus solely on developing Xin Luo’s career.
That was why he said all company resources were devoted to Ah Luo, that her agent served her and her alone, that she could pick any role she liked, and everything would be done according to her wishes.
To outsiders, he might have seemed considerate to the extreme—but Ah Luo knew the truth. He was simply afraid.
Even if she’d once owed him a favour, Xin Luo had long since repaid that debt, many times over, with her current market value. However, Xu Dongzhou was too greedy. He still squeezed every last drop out of her and refused to let go.
No one on the outside knew that Xin Luo’s monthly salary was less than 10,000 yuan. She still lived in accommodation arranged by the company. Every person around her—her agent, her assistant—answered to the company. No matter what she did, every detail would be reported back to Xu Dongzhou.
It wasn’t until six months ago, when Xin Luo developed feelings for Zhou Jiayin, that she first considered leaving Xingchen.
Xu Dongzhou had been both shocked and furious. He wasn’t about to let his cash cow walk away. However, Xin Luo had long since begun slipping beyond his control.
She had grown strong wings and was no longer the desperate young girl who had once signed that unequal contract with him.
Even with that astronomical penalty for breach of contract, Xu Dongzhou was afraid. He knew full well that many other entertainment companies had high hopes for Xin Luo. According to Pei Shuang, several companies had already reached out to her—including some with deep pockets. If they really wanted to poach Xin Luo, they could afford the penalty.
After all, Xin Luo’s future was limitless. The penalty might be hefty, but she could earn far more than that.
It would be hard to keep her by force, so Xu Dongzhou turned to softer tactics. That was why he had been treating her so well lately and agreeing to her every request.
At his core, Xu Dongzhou was a greedy businessman. To him, Xin Luo was the most valuable asset he possessed. He only wanted to hold on tight and never let go—her wishes were never part of the equation.
What made Ah Luo feel sick to her stomach was that, before Xin Luo had risen to fame, Xu Dongzhou had once harboured other intentions towards her.
Xin Luo’s beauty was renowned, and Xu Dongzhou was no man of honour.
At the time, Xin Luo had been very young. Her mother had just passed away, and she found herself facing Xu Dongzhou’s predatory advances. Her life was especially bleak then. With no one to turn to, she accepted a role in a drama set in a remote, poverty-stricken area, playing a young girl who had been trafficked but fought bravely to save herself, fleeing to an isolated mountain village far from the world.
Unexpectedly, the drama became a huge hit. Xin Luo’s stunning appearance, combined with the tragic fate of her character, struck a powerful chord with audiences. Because she herself had been in the depths of despair at the time, she captured the resilience and survival instinct of the trafficked girl to perfection. She became an overnight sensation.
After that, Xu Dongzhou restrained himself. He no longer dared to harass her as he had before. He might never bring it up again, but she would never forget.
“There’s nothing urgent, really—I just wanted to have a meal together,” Xu Dongzhou said with a beaming smile. “You’ve worked hard all these years, and I’ve been thinking we could sign a new contract, give you a raise—what do you think?”
Ah Luo replied calmly, “CEO Xu, do you know why I came here today?”
Ever since those events in the past, Xin Luo had seldom met with Xu Dongzhou alone. If anything came up, she spoke with Sister Pei, her agent, and let her pass the message on to the company.
Hearing this, Xu Dongzhou’s heart sank, but his expression remained composed. “Why?”
Ah Luo’s tone was steady and unhurried. “I came to discuss my contract as well. You know perfectly well what my current contract entails. All these years, I’ve never exposed it publicly—because I remembered the help you gave me back then. But I think I’ve repaid my debt to you by now.”
The smile slowly faded from Xu Dongzhou’s face, replaced by an expressionless calm.
Ah Luo paid no attention to his shift in demeanour. Her voice remained even as she continued, “The reason I didn’t leave before was because I figured it wouldn’t make much difference where I worked. It’s all just acting to me. I was used to Xingchen, and I’m not someone with high demands. Just as you said, the company’s treated me decently these past few years.
“But now things are different. I finally have somewhere I truly want to go. No matter what happens this time—I’m leaving.”
Xu Dongzhou’s face darkened. “I don’t agree. You think you can leave just like that?”
Ah Luo said, “I’m not here to ask for your opinion. I’m just informing you. If you disagree, then I’ll see you in court.”
With that, she didn’t wait for a response and rose to leave.
From behind her came Xu Dongzhou’s cold, sharp, and biting voice. “Xin Luo, I was the one who put you where you are now, and I can just as easily bring you crashing down. If you still want to survive in this industry, you’d better take those words back.”
Ah Luo halted in her tracks. The heel of her shoe landed on the floor with a sharp thud.
“In that case,” she said mildly as she turned to look at Xu Dongzhou, “I’ll be waiting.”
Xu Dongzhou didn’t get the reaction he’d expected, and he looked furious—flustered, even. There was a trace of panic in his expression.
He snapped, “Xin Luo, isn’t your whole goal to marry into a wealthy family? With a background like yours, how could the Shen family possibly accept you? Even if the young master of the Shen family does like you, the moment you step out that door today, I’ll make sure you’re finished in this circle by tomorrow. Once your name is dragged through the mud, let’s see who still wants you!”
Xingchen had yet to groom a successor to Xin Luo. If she left, the company’s vitality would take a serious hit, and whether they’d be able to recover in the coming years was an uncertain question. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Xu Dongzhou had no desire to fall out with her. But now that Xin Luo had grown wings and seized the initiative, he had no leverage left. The only card he could play now was a threat.
Rather than letting her leave, he might as well destroy her completely, so she’d understand there was no room for wilfulness in this industry. Only Xingchen could be her support.
Destroying someone was far easier than making them famous. A star could easily be toppled from their pedestal just with afew misleading rumours, a couple of blurry photos, and some supposed ‘insiders’ airing dirt.
Once Xin Luo’s public image collapsed, which company would still take her in?
This time, Ah Luo didn’t even look back. She let Xu Dongzhou rant behind her as she walked out of the private room with steady, measured steps.
Back in the car, Ah Luo took out her phone to check it. As expected, her boyfriend had sent her several unread messages.
He was sweet as a puppy, though perhaps a bit clingy. She had never been one for chatting during her spare time, but now she found herself checking her phone regularly, afraid of missing a message from him.
She had to admit, though—the feeling of being needed and cared for was a good one. Ah Luo savoured it.
Ever since her mother passed away, she had always felt like a drifting reed, with no real place in the world. Even when surrounded by adoring fans and a glamorous life, none of it could soothe her wandering, rootless soul.
Some might say she still had all those fans who loved her. However, there was an unbridgeable distance between a fan and their idol. What they adored was the image of her in front of the camera, not the real Xin Luo. They looked up to her, but they could never truly draw near.
In short, this relationship—they were both hopelessly caught up in it. Not just the young man, but Ah Luo as well.
She held her phone as she replied to his messages. Her eyes shimmered with amusement and joy that lingered long after.
Time flew by on set, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Ballad of the Azure Palace was scheduled to air after the New Year, so the timeline was tight. Ah Luo’s work was far from easy. She often filmed late into the night, and by the time she returned to the hotel, she barely had time to wash up before collapsing into bed.
Sometimes, she’d fall asleep in the middle of a voice call with Shen Xi.
He knew she was exhausted, so he never clung to her. The two of them found time each day to chat, sharing little moments from their lives. Ah Luo would talk about the scenes she filmed, and the young man would tell her about things that happened in his game. Every now and then, he sent her food deliveries—fruit tea, snacks—straight to the set.
Over time, Ah Luo began to realise that Shen Xi was a young man full of contradictions. Sometimes, he was very childish. For instance, if someone insulted Ah Luo in-game, he’d immediately argue back. If someone attacked her, he’d chase them all the way to their virtual doorstep to get revenge.
Whenever he saw Ah Luo filming intimate scenes with other actors, he’d get sulky for ages. He’d need kisses and coaxing before he’d cheer up again. He cared about the strangest things—like their in-game couple status. They’d even set matching profile pictures: he was a soft, adorable cartoon dog, and Ah Luo was a graceful little cat.
And yet, at times, he revealed a maturity beyond that of most men, like when he spoke seriously about responsibility, and with the thoughtful way he cared for her these past weeks. Most of all, it was the quiet respect he showed her that struck her heart.
Xu Dongzhou wasn’t entirely wrong. Families from the upper echelons of society rarely looked kindly upon celebrities. Even if they were willing to accept a female star, they couldn’t tolerate her still showing her face in public after marrying into the family. That was why many actresses chose to leave the industry once they married rich.
But from Shen Xi, Ah Luo had never felt even a hint of that aristocratic arrogance.
He respected her career. Even when she acted in intimate scenes and he wasn’t happy, he never asked her to stop. No matter how tired she was, he never said, ‘I’ll take care of you—just rest at home.’
That young man had been well brought up to his very bones. His love burned like sunlight—bright and warm—but it was also tender and accommodating. It never bound her, or stole her freedom.
A young man like Shen Xi was the kind of person anyone would fall for.
So, surely, he wouldn’t let her down this time… would he?