It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead-Chapter 17.11-Volume 17 part18

Translated by Eve

Edited by Kara

Sui Yuan hadn't been planning on "encountering misfortune" the first time he went out to hunt. After all, Hui from the original plot was able to persevere for a period of time even with one eye before falling. He was currently in better condition than the original Hui, so it would seem way too intentional to get injured so quickly.

Unfortunately, God's plans superseded our own. While Sui Yuan was pondering over what time would be the most appropriate to "get injured" while also pursuing a wild rabbit-like animal, 5237 suddenly shouted, "Not good! Our Creator just told me to quickly send you to Zhao Xihe's world to help him!"

Sui Yuan was frightened. His heart "thumped," and he suddenly skidded on the snow, losing his balance. He unexpectedly landed harshly into a cave of ice.

——He just knew it! He shouldn't have let his imagination go wild before. Now, he'd planted so many flags!

Even if he tried his utmost to reverse his trajectory and land more safely, Sui Yuan still bruised his front legs badly on the icy surface of the cave ground.

There was also a clear snap from his leg bone. It seemed like it had been broken. He was unable to use any strength, but Sui Yuan had no time to pay any attention to the unbearable pain. He looked at 5237 in a hurry and asked, "What happened? Did something happen to Zhao Xihe?"

"Mn, yes," 5237 hesitated for a moment, "I don't really know what exactly happened. In short, looking at the information transmitted from 0007 and the Origin, something happened between Zhao Xihe and Mo Ziyou, and a part of their spiritual force fused."

"Fused?" Sui Yuan furrowed his brows deeply, "Their spiritual forces fused…that's to say that their awareness is being shared and that they have become a single person?"

"No, it's not that bad. Only a small part has fused," 5237 actually wasn't too sure of the details. He could only judge based on the data.

"They are two different existences. Only a small part has intersected. However, although it's but a small part, if we don't pull them apart in time, it will still be very dangerous. This is a way to take someone down with you. I really don't know what Mo Ziyou wants to do. Clearly, the situation hadn't yet come to such desperate straits, and yet, he chose such a vicious and merciless suicidal method…" 5237 was rather speechless, "Zhao Xihe obviously also did not think that the other would be so ruthless. He's even more ruthless than Zhao Xihe. That's why he fell for it."

Although he also didn't know what Mo Ziyou was thinking, and Sui Yuan only understood a little bit about combining spiritual forces, he knew that this wasn't the time to bicker over the specifics. He quickly asked, "What do I need to do then?"

"Only the person involved can extract himself from the fusion. Only, it is necessary to stimulate him from the outside. For example, by employing the help of the person most important to the person whose spiritual energy is being fused," 5237 said, word-by-word, "You are, without a doubt, the person Zhao Xihe cares about the most. Your existence will help him maintain his ego, strengthen his willpower, and allow him to free himself of the fusion."

"…Although I don't really get it, I understand the general idea. I just have to appear by Zhao Xihe's side, right?" Sui Yuan nodded, lowering his head to look at himself, "Then, what should we do about this role? Should I just die like this?"

"You have two choices right now. The first is to die immediately and completely end the mission for this world. Although it's a bit abrupt, we don't have the time to attend to this very much." 5237 looked at Sui Yuan's expression and quickly followed with, "The second option is to go missing. I can hide your body. After you finish things on Zhao Xihe's end, you can continue the mission here."

Sui Yuan hesitated, "Let's go for the middle ground, ba. Hide my body, but leave enough blood as evidence of me having suffered a fatal injury. If matters are settled quickly, I'll come back. If it takes too long, then we'll just let the body perish."

"This is good too," 5237 swayed its body, agreeing to Sui Yuan's thoughts. It very quickly carried the plan out.

Before leaving the world, Sui Yuan heard the incessant anxious and sorrowful howls his pack emitted while looking for him. He could only give a silent word of apology.

Although he was very regretful for leaving like this, Zhao Xihe was much more important to him. He could not delay things.

Probably because things were so urgent, Sui Yuan did not enter a body smoothly and steadily while lying on a bed this time.

When the dizziness that came with transmigrating finally faded away, Sui Yuan discovered that he was standing on a street with people coming and going, and he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Only, the people by his side didn't even give him a chance to look at his surroundings. The person reached out and pushed him, causing him to stumble, "What are you spacing out for!? Go quickly!"

The person's tone was terrible, and their expression was even more cruel and impatient. Sui Yuan had no time to think and promptly followed after the other young boys and girls, copying their stupefied expressions as they walked forward with lowered heads.

This body's condition did not look good. His clothes were ragged, his body sickly and malnourished, and his arms were full of scars from having been beaten by some rod-like object. 5237 scooted over rather awkwardly, "This…after all, the story has already progressed quite far. There aren't many choices of characters to possess left. Thus, I had no choice but to pick this small role. I've wronged you…."

Sui Yuan nodded calmly and was not discontent, "What about Zhao Xihe, ne? Who is he in this world? How can I find him?"

"I just connected with 0007. Right now, your character is that of an orphan who is being trafficked to Zhao Xihe dada's residence. If you manage to stay there, then the probability of seeing him is much higher…" 5237 was quite conflicted, "Only, right now, a part of Zhao Xihe's awareness has fused with Mo Ziyou. Mo Ziyou seems to have discovered that something is worrying the Origin. Therefore, in order to prevent the situation from becoming worse, we directly sealed a part of Zhao Xihe's memory."

"So, what you're saying is…" Sui Yuan furrowed his brows.

"What I'm saying is that the current Zhao Xihe is not the same Zhao Xihe who you know, or the person who has spent much time with you. He probably is going to be like when he had first met you or when he had only known you for a short period of time," 5237 summarized, "Of course, even if he doesn't remember you, you are still the most important person to him! That is unquestionable!"

Sui Yuan："…………………………"

——Although he was being comforted, why did he feel a bit crushed?

Only, even if he felt upset, Sui Yuan still needed to find Zhao Xihe first.

This world had a division of states led by feudal lords vying for supremacy, nonstop wars, families wrenched apart—it was a terrible situation for all involved. Only, under Zhao Xihe's efforts, the small states were already mostly annexed. What was left were just three great powers in a tripartite confrontation.

Of course, this wasn't important to Sui Yuan. Right now, he had a role that was so small it couldn't be any smaller. What he needed to do was successfully sell himself as a slave….

Zhao Xihe's residence was huge. Although he didn't waste any expenses or thoughts on elaborate pavilions, an inhibited, fierce, and aggressive aura permeated throughout. This caused the timid youngsters, who had never seen much of the world, to tremble and look like they were on the verge of collapsing.

From time to time, soldiers dressed in armour would walk through the residence with weapons in hand. They emitted a bloody and fiendish air all over. It was obvious that they were no ordinary guards. They were elites who had fought on the battlefield with their lives on the line. The security around the residence was extremely tight, giving Sui Yuan a bit of a headache. How would he meet with Zhao Xihe, ne?

Sui and co. quivered under the soldiers' examination and were gathered in the servants' quarters. Meanwhile, the person in charge of picking the slaves was a lively, elderly man with a head and beard full of white who the soldiers called "Head Steward."

The Head Steward's gaze was sharp as if capable of seeing through people's hearts. He flitted his eyes, scanning the youngsters, eyebrows a bit furrowed, clearly very dissatisfied with the appearances of these children.

The human trafficker saw this and rubbed his hands with a flattering smile, "Head Steward, don't look at how these children's appearances are a bit bad. That's only because this lowly one didn't have enough to feed them their fill. After all, these half-grown youngsters have eaten Laozi out of his wallet! However, they are actually very clever and capable! They are easy to raise too! Their backgrounds are clean, and thus, you can be very at ease in using them!"

Sui Yuan glanced at the babbling human trafficker, who was speaking without thinking. He really didn't know how these thin, weak, and numb children were "clever" or "capable." Only, he could not give up this chance. He shyly raised his head to look at the Head Steward, revealing hope and an appeal for help in his eyes.

——He had never looked forward to his halo's effect like this before!

The vigilant Head Steward naturally turned to look at Sui Yuan, and instantly, he met with those misty black eyes that were like splendid stars. The Head Steward had a blank expression for a moment and couldn't help but carefully size up the youngster, who had caused his iron-like heart to tremble for a moment, while clearly looking like he was not quite able to steel his heart.

Sui Yuan was not beautiful. To be precise, no one would be beautiful if malnourished to this point. However, even if his looks weren't up to standards, his halo gave him a temperament that made people feel very tender towards him. Instantly, the Head Steward's heart softened quite a bit.

"Their histories are all clean?" The Head Steward averted his gaze and looked at the human trafficker, tone much more gentle.

The human trafficker nodded repeatedly, overwhelmed with favour, his eyes shining, "All their histories are clean! Don't you know me!? If their backgrounds were unclear, would this lowly one dare to bring them to you? If this lowly one did, then this lowly one would have no brains!"

The Head Steward nodded. He raised a hand to point at several children who were comparatively pleasing. Sui Yuan was naturally included. As they watched as the unchosen children were taken away by the foul-mouthed human trafficker, the remaining children couldn't help but reveal relief from having escaped. Their gazes towards the Head Steward were full of gratitude and admiration.

The "seasoned" Head Steward was already used to this kind of gaze. However, he didn't know why, but today he felt quite elated. Even his usually strict admonishments became much more gentle, seeming more like he was advising others rather than admonishing them.

After the children had memorized the rules of the residence while keeping quiet out of fear, what was left was the assignment of posts. Even if the Head Steward was rather partial towards Sui Yuan, he absolutely could not let this child, who had never received any lessons, be by the master's side. Sui Yuan was chosen to be a manservant who would be doing the grunt work. While being assigned posts, he also could not escape this category.

The Head Steward looked at Sui Yuan and muttered to himself for awhile, "As for you…go to the kitchen!"

"Yes!" Sui Yuan revealed a just-right expression of bewilderment while responding obediently. The Head Steward's gaze became much softer, "Work hard in the kitchen. Listen to Madam Li!"

"This lowly one understands." Sui Yuan nodded, his gaze towards the Head Steward very enthusiastic. This made the Head Steward unable to help but smile despite his usually stern face. He didn't disdain Sui Yuan's slightly dirty and dry hair while giving it a rub, "Go, ba."

Sui Yuan quickly saluted, overwhelmed with favour. He then went with the other menservants to go wash up and change into clean clothes. Only then was he brought to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a very profitable place. The work was not very tiring. and you could get special treatment. It was especially suitable for Sui Yuan…a seemingly unhealthy little child.

Sui Yuan's halo naturally fiercely made its presence known within the kitchen. Compared to the Head Steward, who was good at self-restraint, the head of the kitchen, Madam Li, couldn't help but get flooded by maternal affection from a single look at Sui Yuan. Seeing his scrawny appearance, she couldn't bear to force him to do any heavy labour like chopping firewood. She directly gave him the easy job of starting the cooking fire.

Although Sui Yuan had never learned how to light a clay oven, he was very smart and quickly picked up how to do it after Madam Li showed him a few times. His actions were efficient, so no one worried about him. Moreover, he would do anything that was asked of him and did not rely on Madam Li's favour to try and shirk his duties.

Although Sui Yuan's good treatment made the other "experienced people" in the kitchen rather envious, the rules within the residence were always strict. In addition, Sui Yuan's halo made it very difficult for people to truly hate him. Therefore, the peace continued for now.

After passing the busy suppertime, Sui Yuan obtained an overflowing bowl of rice. Madam Li's skills were very good. Although one didn't have to care about presentation when making food for servants, the taste still could not skimped on. This body had been hungry for so long. Sui Yuan said a word of thanks and then ate without any reservations. However, because he had been starved for so long, his stomach had shrivelled up. He couldn't eat large quantities at once.

"Even if you can't eat, you must still eat! Look how skinny your arms and legs are! Even my girls who like to look pretty clearly look much stronger than you!" Madam Li picked up a bunch of vegetables with her chopsticks for Sui Yuan, frowning. Sui Yuan could not refuse and could only force it all down. When he finished eating, he was already paralyzed and did not want to move at all.

Only then did Madam Li rub his head, satisfied. She magnanimously allowed him to return to his room to rest and tidy up his room. In any case, the kitchen was rather free now. It wouldn't be an issue to be down one person.

Even if Sui Yuan didn't want to slack off, he really had no more strength at the moment. He could only take his leave, embarrassed, and return to the room that he was assigned.

The rooms for servants were not single rooms. It was four people to one room. Although the servants would practically hit the hay as soon as they came back after toiling away all day, this was still something that restricted Sui Yuan.

There was an endless amount of work to do during the daytime. At night, he had to live with others. In addition, there were patrolling soldiers. Even if 0007 could report Zhao Xihe's location at any moment, Sui Yuan really had a hard time finding any free time to slip out for a "chance encounter."

——It seemed that…he could only use a prop, ba….

Sui Yuan gripped his hair, rather vexed. He turned to look at 5237. 5237 immediately opened up its exchange page in tacit understanding. He helped his miserly host, who rarely planned to spend his points, choose an appropriate prop.

Sui Yuan chose a calming incense and an invisibility talisman. The former was so that he could cause his roommates to fall into a deep slumber, unable to wake up and discover anything they should not discover in the middle of the night. The latter was to let him hide his body for one shichen and effectively bypass the patrolling guards.

Everything was ready. All that was needed was an opportunity. Sui Yuan tidied up his wooden bed and little cabinet. He then bid goodnight to the other servants, using the excuse that he was tired to nestle in bed as he quietly waited for night to fall.

——If only everything progressed without a hitch this time….

The author has something to say:

Perhaps some girls will feel that writing like this makes for quite the abrupt ending. However, I wrote halfway and then decided on this, la! As for whether there will be a follow-up…mn, like the supernatural world, I'll write extras depending on my mood.

I finally see the dawn of the end…so moved QAQ.

Kara: While I'm bummed that the previous world didn't have a real resolution, I'm glad that we can reunite with ZXH for a bit. I am also shook that ZXH will not really remember the LOHL, Sui Yuan. Can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans this restriction brings us!

Eve: The resolution to this arc will be in the extras 🙂