It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead

Translated by Eve

Edited by Wuxian

Although he wanted to question him, Yang Yue still forced himself to endure. He had already developed an unadulterated fear and vigilance against the spirits of this manor. Moreover, even if he spoke, the other would most likely not understand where he was coming from—humankind and ghosts, how could they understand each other? A mere ’prank’ had already created an insurmountable chasm between the two parties.

Composing himself, Yang Yue ignored the ghost’s long-winded criticism over Clown and deeply inhaled, "Right now, can you tell us about this manor?"

"Oh, of course. What do you want to ask?" The kitchen ghost did not go back on its word.

"We would like to know how we can leave this place?" Yang Yue asked the question he himself most wanted to know.

"If you want to leave, you must obtain the manor owner’s permission, ne! Without the owner’s permission, you cannot leave, hey!" The kitchen ghost’s answer was as expected.

"Then, where is the manor owner? How can you find him?" Yang Yue continued to ask.

The kitchen ghost happily responded, "The third floor. The owner has always stayed on the third floor. Although, if his mood is good, he’ll sometimes come down to take a stroll. However, who knows when his mood will be good, ne?"

"The third floor?" Yang Yue opened his eyes wide in surprise, "We’ve walked around here for so long but did not see any stairs leading to the third floor!"

"That’s to be expected," The kitchen ghost replied, not in the least concerned, "In the past, there were always new fellows who didn’t understand a thing. They would run up to the third floor and disrupt the owner’s peace. Thus, from henceforth, the owner sealed up the staircase leading to the third floor, la!"

"...Then, how do we find the staircase leading to the third floor?" Yang Yue felt rather despaired.

"That I do not know," The kitchen ghost laughed. Soon after, it gave Yang Yue a shred of hope, "However, the butler would definitely know. He would occasionally go report to the owner about the situation below, ne!"

"The butler?" Yang Yue’s eyes glimmered, "Then, where can we find this butler?"

"The butler is everywhere!" The kitchen ghost laughed heartily, "He has to help the owner manage the entire manor. He can exist anywhere. Who knows where he is specifically, ne?

Yang Yue shut his eyes firmly. Although they had not found a concrete clue, it was fortunate that at least they knew the next step to take—find that butler.

After conveying the kitchen ghost’s words to the others, everyone agreed to Yang Yue’s idea one after another. However, the most important thing right now was....

"When will we be able to find that butler?" The quiet and gentle girl asked, powerlessly. Her tone carried quite a bit of hysteria, "We can’t see it and the manor is so big. How can we find it?! If we’re lucky, we’ll find him by tomorrow. If we’re unlucky, we might end up searching for a long period of time. Will we live to see that day?!"

"It’s already been a whole day..." The bespectacled youth licked his dry lips, "We haven’t even eaten for a whole day or drank even a drop of water. We can’t continue on like this...."

"So...the stuff here...can we eat it?" The robust girl asked slowly.

Everyone instantly fell silent.

Yang Yue hesitated for a moment before asking the kitchen ghost a question, "We are really hungry and thirsty. Can we eat the stuff here? You know that we were taught a lesson: To not mess with the stuff here..."

"Oh! Of course!" The kitchen ghost’s reply was obviously rather high-spirited, "You cannot mess with the stuff here, but the food is specifically prepared for you all. Didn’t you guys see the ’welcome’ written down? It is truly regretful that you guys missed out on breakfast and lunch. They were both extremely delicious! Only, dinner has already been prepared for you, hey!"

Yang Yue: "........................"

——That bloody ’welcome’ was really only expressing that they were welcomed here?!

"What I’m saying is..." After all, this was a very important matter, so Yang Yue had no choice but to confirm again, "We can eat the foot here, right? There won’t be any side effects, ba? For example, after eating, we have to stay here, or...we’ll get food poisoning, etc.?"

Although he had not participated in the discussion over food at breakfast, Yang Yue still remembered what they had said,

"What are you saying?!" Unfortunately, Yang Yue’s words had evidently angered the kitchen ghost. It’s voice rose and the surrounding kitchen tools seemed to have perceived its anger. They all began to shake violently, and one knife after another floated up into the air, their sharp tips pointed at Yang Yue and co., seeming as if they would pierce them like a disturbed hornet’s nest upon receiving their command, "I am the chef here. You doubt my occupational integrity?! Simply unforgivable!"

Everyone was scared stupid from the kitchen ghost’s sudden hostility. Only after Yang Yue, who had the misfortune to disturb the hornet’s nest, promptly apologized and placated the ghost with a bucket load of kind words, did the kitchen ghost barely suppress its anger.

However, the kitchen ghost, with its residual anger, refused to continue chatting with them. No matter what Yang Yue said, it did not reply.

Yang Yue turned around helplessly and spread out his hands before the panicked group who were still feeling doubtful. He passed on the kitchen ghost’s thoughts, "...Thus, it said these things. As for whether or not to eat...everyone decide for yourselves, ba...."

Everyone hesitated. The kitchen ghost’s words seemed to indicate that they could eat. Moreover, if they chose not to eat, they really didn’t know how long they would be able to continue on. However...to eat the things here...was there really no problem?

"...What are you planning to do, ne?" The robust girl looked towards Yang Yue, "You are the only one that has communicated with it before. What do you think?"

Yang Yue struggled for a long time. In the end, he hardened his heart and walked towards the sumptuous dinner arranged on the dining table, pulled a chair, and sat down, "I’ll eat."

Yang Yue’s decision immediately caused the others to waver. Everyone successively walked towards the table and sat down, picking up their utensils with hesitation.

Yang Yue took the lead to cut the steak on his plate. Conflicted, he raised his fork and placed it near his mouth. Only, before he could open his mouth, Ming Hai beside him stopped him, "I’ll go first."

"Ah Hai?!" Yang Yue stared at Ming Hai in shock. He subconsciously wanted to stop him, but Ming Hai’s actions were especially decisive as he quickly snatched away the fork in Yang Yue’s hand.

Ming Hai chewed the piece of steak, expressionless. Soon after, he began to leisurely settle the food on his own plate. Everyone watched him anxiously. After a long time, only after seeing that his complexion showed no abnormalities did they begin to place the food in front of them into their mouths.

The food was indeed delicious. It completely satisfied their rumbling stomachs. Only, no one was in the mood to enjoy such delicacies. Everyone looked as if they were eating some poisonous thing, expending great effort to have these things digested by their stomachs. From time to time, they had to resist their desire to throw up.

——These things made them think of the viscera that had leaked out of the bad boy. If it wasn’t because they could not endure their hunger, they would not want to eat dinner at all.

The one who ate the least was Sui Yuan. This was because Xiao Xiao’s character settings made it so he absolutely could not eat these kinds of things at such a time. He hastily ate a few bites before putting his utensils down, pushing his chair away speedily, before running to one side, far from the dining table, resisting the urge to retch.

Fortunately, although he had lived like a prince when he was with Zhao Xihe, Sui Yuan was not at all pampered. Even if he didn’t eat for two or three days, it had no serious effect on him, even if he was just a human right now.

As an Actor tailored by his Creator for the role of supporting lead, Sui Yuan’s desires were extremely low, while his ability to endure was extremely high. No matter what suffering he endured, he would not suffer from any negative emotions, nor would his rationality be swayed.

Seeing Sui Yuan leave, Yang Yue subconsciously wanted to follow, but Ming Hai pressed against his shoulder. As the first to eat, Ming Hai had already more or less finished. He stood up and headed towards the direction Sui Yuan headed in. Meanwhile, Yang Yue settled down upon seeing Ming Hai’s actions and continued to painstakingly shove the yet-to-be settled dinner into his mouth.

The dining hall was still. Only the sounds of the utensils colliding against the plate, and the fragmented whimpers of forced endurance could be heard.

Ming Hai was reticent by nature. He was never one to comfort other people. After finding Sui Yuan, he only confirmed that he was safe, before silently staying by his side, like a silent stack of wood.

Sui Yuan snuck a peek at Ming Hai, heart especially conflicted. If Xiao Xiao was alone with the person he secretly liked, how would he react? Would he try to get closer? However, he didn’t want to develop any kind of relationship with the protagonist gong, ah!

While repeatedly flip-flopping between his choices, Sui Yuan did not take the lead in acting. He only buried his head into his arms, appearing dazed and absent-minded. Ming Hai stared at him for a long time. Ultimately, his heart softened and he took the initiative to speak, "You should eat a bit more."

Sui Yuan raised his head, as if overwhelmed with favour and quickly swept his eyes onto Ming Hai before lowering his head, "I...I also know that..but...I can’t eat...."

Ming Hai didn’t know what to say. He hesitated, before finally raising his hand to stroke Sui Yuan’s head in a comforting manner. Soon after, he wrapped an arm around Sui Yuan’s shoulder, like how he had when comforting Yang Yue, letting him lean against him.

Sui Yuan’s entire body stiffened. It was like he had been placed in a steamer basket: his entire body was suffused in a faint pink tint. Xiao Xiao could not refuse his secret crush taking the initiative to get closer...so...he’ll just stay leaning against him like this? However, it couldn’t be that Zhao Xihe was spectating on the side, ba?

Even if he couldn’t see anything, Sui Yuan felt greatly pressured. He simply felt as if he was cheating right before his lover’s eyes.

Fortunately, the other people were not slow in eating. Very soon, their romantic couple’s world was destroyed.

After everyone left the dining hall and saw Ming Hai and Xiao Xiao nestling against each other, they all look a bit astonished, and they subconsciously turned to look at Yang Yue.

Yang Yue felt baffled at their gazes and looked back innocently. He also ignored the slight abnormality within his heart upon seeing this scene.

The feelings between Yang Yue and Ming Hai had always been intimate to the point where they exceeded the scope of just friends. They had previously been teased by quite a few people of being a couple. However, they had yet to be enlightened and thus, only laughed at this teasing.

Even if it had not been acknowledged by the people involved, it was already the consensus of their friends that these two people would end up together in their end. Right now, the one who had stuck between this inseparable pair was the originally invisible Xiao Xiao, making everyone feel especially weird.

If this were during ordinary times, everyone would probably enquire into this matter in a joking manner. However, right now, they were obviously not interested in this at all. They only swept a glance and then dropped it off to the side, not paying any more attention to it.

——In all likelihood, in a life-or-death situation, no one would be in the mood to gossip about other people’s feelings.

It was already late. Their minds and bodies were weary, making everyone unable to continue with their search. Their bodies, from head to toe, were calling out for that soft mattress. They were all itching to sleep firmly and forget about their wretched experience today.

Very quickly, everyone climbed up onto the second floor. Afterwards, they hesitated before the rooms they had slept in last night.

——The rooms here...could they still use them? If they weren’t allowed...the bad boy’s death flashed before their eyes, making everyone subconsciously shudder.

"Wait a moment, these three rooms are marked," Ming Hai’s eyes were sharp. He immediately noticed the red and black marks on the door, illuminated by the dark corridor’s lights.

"Three rooms...two to a room. Just right," Yang Yue nodded.

"...I feel that we’re like livestock confined to this manor," The bespectacled youth smiled bitterly, "They let us eat and sleep, thereby providing us with the most basic necessities. Afterwards, they’ll kill us whenever they wish.

"Don’t say anymore!" The quiet and gentle girl interrupted sternly. Meanwhile, the robust girl stroked her shoulder, face full of silent sorrow.

"...Alright. Don’t think too much. Go to sleep, ba. We need energy to stay alert tomorrow so we’ll be able to do the things we need to do," Yang Yue sighed in a low voice.

The two girls took the lead in choosing a room and entered it. The remaining four boys faced off in the corridor, however.

Yang Yue looked at Sui Yuan uneasily. Meanwhile, Ming Hai’s gaze flickered between the two of them. The bespectacled youth pushed his glasses up and stammered, "That...Xiao Xiao? How about we share a room together tonight?"

Sui Yuan looked at Yang Yue and then quickly flitted his eyes towards Ming Hai before nodding with hesitance.

Yang Yue subconsciously furrowed his eyebrows.

Since they had arrived in this manor, Yang Yue had begun to trust that baffling premonition within his heart increasingly more.

First, he had perceived the queerness of the manor. Then, he had a premonition that the things here must not be casually touched and messed up. Afterwards, there was the odd feeling he had just before the bad boy’s death, a feeling that he had something guiding him in the dark. Although this guide always felt a bit baffling, in the end, it always proved to be accurate, and thus, he decided he ought to listen to this guide.

This time, his premonition told him that something would happen tonight and he needed to be with Xiao Xiao.

"...I think that I’ll be staying with Xiao Xiao tonight, ba," Yang Yue said slowly.

The bespectacled youth was surprised. Ming Hai also felt that this was unexpected. However, neither of them seemed against this idea. As for Xiao Xiao’s obvious reluctant expression, everyone ignored it.

"What, it seems like you don’t really want to room with me?" Yang Yue half-forced Xiao Xiao into the room, brows raised in question.

"N-no..." Xiao Xiao promptly shook his head. Soon after, he lowered his head, not uttering a sound as he tidied up the bed. No matter how Yang Yue provoked him, he did not say another word.

Compared to the dusty, old bed from yesterday, the beds tonight were soft and clean. The wifely-natured Yang Yue nimbly arranged his bed and then pensively stared at Xiao Xiao, who was engrossed in his work but seemed flustered. He suddenly opened his mouth, "Xiao Xiao, do you...like Ming Hai?"

——Although he had not seen the light, Yang Yue and Ming Hai were teased since young. His tolerance towards homosexual love was very high. Originally, Xiao Xiao’s presence was barely noticeable which made him unable to notice anything. However, his presence was much more prominent now, attracting Yang Yue’s attention. Thus, he had immediately noticed Xiao Xiao’s abnormality when faced with Ming Hai.

After all, this child was an open book. He was young and inexperienced—completely unable to conceal his emotions. It was probably only Ming Hai, that blockhead, who would not notice it.

When Xiao Xiao heard Yang Yue’s question, he trembled. The blanket in his hand fell down to the ground.

"No! I—no!" Xiao Xiao did not dare look at Yang Yue. He bent down to collect his blanket at once, mouth rushing to refute. He was completely unaware that his attempt at covering it up was only making it more evident.

Yang Yue sighed in his heart. As he stared at the anxious Xiao Xiao who was red to his ears, he did not have the heart to force him. He only nodded his head casually, "Oh, I guess I thought wrong. Don’t worry about it, I was just saying it casually, that’s all."

Xiao Xiao made a very obvious sigh of relief. His taut body relaxed and weakly, he crawled into bed in silence.

Yang Yue："........................"

——Truly a pitiful little lad. I don’t know why, but my heart always feels rather pained, ne....

Sui Yuan："........................"

——This protagonist shou that diverges from what the plot has arranged—simply scared me to death!

Sui Yuan laid on the bed, back facing Yang Yue. From his whole body emitted an aura of refusing to chat. Yang Yue turned off the light and also laid on the bed. He was clearly extremely tired, but he was not in the least sleepy.

One moment, it was the scene of the bad boy’s bloody death. In another, there was the matter regarding this manor and its ghosts. In yet another, there was the scene of Ming Hai and Xiao Xiao nestling against each other...Yang Yue tossed and turned restlessly. In the end, he couldn’t help but flip over to Xiao Xiao’s direction. He opened his eyes, and in the next second, he nearly cried out in alarm.

The hazy light that penetrated through the windows illuminated an ice-blue, transparent ghost that sat by Xiao Xiao’s side. The ghost wore a trim, swallow-tailed coat and wore slender-framed glasses. His features were handsome and refined. The expression on his slightly lowered head as he looked at Xiao Xiao was gentle and full of affection. One hand stroked the side of Xiao Xiao’s sleeping face.

Sensing Yang Yue’s gaze, the spirit raised his head and smiled gently. It raised a hand, resting its index finger over its mouth, making a ’quiet’ gesture.

Yang Yue sat up and exhaled shakily. He silently mouthed, "...Who are you?"

The ghost gave him a mysterious smile and a profound expression. It then bent down and kissed Xiao Xiao’s cheek, dissipating into thin air in the next second.

"Wait—!!" Yang Yue shouted at once, however, he was too late in detaining the ghost. Instead, he startled Sui Yuan awake.

"...What’s wrong?" Sui Yuan sat up in a daze, rubbing the sleepiness and haze out of his eyes. There was pure bewilderment in the gaze he used to look at Yang Yue.

Yang Yue looked at Sui Yuan, expression complicated.

Sui Yuan："............？？？"

——It definitely must be my way of waking up that is not right! The protagonist shou’s expression is really strange!

Eve: I love ghost x human love stories. There’s something that is just so sweet. Something about a ghost watching over their ignorant loved ones that they left behind...gets me right in the heart.

Wuxian: I want that scene with the nameless ghost by SY’s side painted and framed. There’s just a silent beauty and sweetness to it.