After Awakening, The Vicious Male Supporting Character Refuses the 'Bad Ending' Script - Chapter 4

“Hiss—” Su Yin touched the corner of his mouth and sucked in a breath of cold air. He turned his head to look in the mirror; his left cheek was still slightly swollen, as if he’d been slapped.

Who had the audacity to hit him?! From childhood until now, his mom had never laid a finger on him. He’d successfully confessed his love, gone home to sleep, and woke up having been beaten? He didn’t have a shred of memory of it.

Could he have drunk too much last night? No, that wasn’t right. He rarely drank.

But the face in the mirror looked haggard. His stomach growled twice; he touched his belly, and his eyes instantly went dull.

He lifted his shirt and let out a shriek. “Where are my abs?!” Not only were his abdominal muscles gone, but he had a soft paunch that looked bigger than his pecs. “I’ve… I’ve let myself go?!”

No, no, no!

He hurried out, calling, “Xue’er!” But as he took in the bedroom decor, he froze again. Many of the ornaments had changed; the patterns on the desk, chairs, and bed were all different. The most glaring change—where was the photo on the wall?!

Before the confession, he had developed a photo of him and Pei Weixue skiing and hung it in the bedroom, intending to give Pei Weixue a surprise.

The two of them had spent three days at an overseas ski resort. Pei Weixue couldn’t ski and kept falling, his face face-planting directly into the snow. Su Yin had found it hilarious and laughed until his stomach hurt. In a fit of mock rage, Pei Weixue had grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it into Su Yin’s face. Shivering from the cold, Su Yin tackled him, and they rolled in the snow for ages. After leaving the resort, he’d pulled Pei Weixue in for their first-ever photo together.

They had promised to return; he was going to teach Pei Weixue how to ski properly.

Something was wrong. Everything felt bizarre. The room held none of the familiarity he expected; it was a total mess. Pei Weixue had mild OCD, and after living together for so long, Su Yin had picked up the habit of keeping things tidy.

But now, a pile of clothes was strewn across the floor, the ornaments on the desk were in total disarray, and the cotton inside the duvet was bunched up in some forgotten corner. The entire room looked like a landfill, with empty soda bottles toppled by the bed.

What kind of slob lived here?

He walked out. The suite was empty. He knocked on Pei Weixue’s door. “Xue’er, are you awake?” Yesterday was Friday, today was Saturday; Pei Weixue was a little sleepyhead who loved to sleep in, so there was no way he’d be up early.

After knocking for ages with no response, he rubbed his chin in thought. Did Xue’er go out for groceries? He trudged back to the room to find his phone, eventually discovering a strange device under the bed. It unlocked with a face scan. “Since when did I change my phone?” He felt a secret thrill. “Did Xue’er give it to me?”

But that didn’t make sense either. The phone looked well-used, and he didn’t even recognize the man on the wallpaper.

Forget it, he’d check Xue’er’s room.

He opened the door to find a clean, organized room. A snowman plushie sat at the head of the bed. He walked in; a computer and teacup were on the desk, and the wardrobe was full of clothes.

They had agreed yesterday to move in together. They had co-paid the down payment on this apartment and had been roommates for a long time, but they had lived as “friends” before the confession. Now that they were dating, they couldn’t just be roommates. He wanted to wait for Pei Weixue to return to ask which room they should sleep in.

Suddenly, his eyes caught two white medicine bottles in the trash can. He picked them up, and his face instantly darkened. Why was Xue’er still taking these? Hadn’t he recovered already?

Then, his gaze fell on the calendar. It clearly displayed the date, including the year and the word “Monday.”

It was six years later than the time he remembered.

!!!!

Two hours later.

Su Yin, his hair now a literal bird’s nest from clutching it, finally grasped the situation. He, Su Yin, had traveled through time. He had jumped six years into the future.

He tried to call Pei Weixue, entering the 11-digit number. The screen didn’t pop up with a contact name like “Xue’er,” but rather a note that said: “Clown.” What did that mean?! Who would label Xue’er as a “Clown” on his phone?! It certainly wasn’t him!

But the face ID worked. He brushed it aside for now; maybe he’d just changed the contact name recently.

After two rings, the line went busy. He tried twice more, then wailed as he sank to his knees on the carpet. “Why did Xue’er blacklist me? That’s too much!” He tried calling his mom and Jiang Zhi next, but no one picked up.

His expression completely fractured.

Just then, he heard noise at the entryway. He scrambled up, his legs so numb he nearly fell, and limped over. He saw Pei Weixue carrying a briefcase. Unlike the thin, sickly version in his memory, this man looked like an elite—mature and steady. Su Yin blurted out in delight, “Wow, Xue’er, you’re still so handsome even when you’re old!”

He didn’t notice Pei Weixue’s icy gaze. He stepped forward to pinch his cheek, but Pei Weixue dodged. Confused, Su Yin assumed he’d made him angry. “Xue’er, don’t be mad, okay? You can punish me however you want.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a hand grabbed his throat and shoved him against the shoe cabinet. His waist hit the corner of the table. He hissed in pain, clawing at Pei Weixue’s hand, looking into the other’s dark, brooding face with total confusion. What happened?

“I—”

“Su Yin, you want a divorce? I’ll grant it. Mom’s health is poor—how dare you provoke her again and again!” Pei Weixue slammed his briefcase onto the floor with a heavy thud. Seeing Su Yin’s shocked and suffocating expression, he let go. While Su Yin clutched his throat and coughed, Pei Weixue pulled a document from the bag and threw it in his face. “Sign it!”

“What? Cough cough…” Su Yin was bewildered. He picked up the document, saw the large characters on the cover, and screamed: “DIVORCE AGREEMENT! We’re married?!”

He turned around. Pei Weixue had already walked inside. Su Yin followed. They were married in the future?

But why was there a divorce?

“Wait… I…” Su Yin wasn’t fully awake to the reality yet. He didn’t know why he’d suddenly jumped six years, found out he was married, and was now being divorced. And what was this about provoking his mom? His mom was in great shape—she could carry a water jug up six flights of stairs without breaking a sweat! “Xue’er?”

Pei Weixue ignored him, heading straight into the study to set up his laptop.

“Xue’er, there must be a misunderstanding. Don’t be impulsive about breaking up.” Su Yin did what he always did—pouted and leaned into Pei Weixue’s space. This was how he always coaxed him when he was unhappy.

Pei Weixue shifted his gaze away with a dark expression, but his eyes couldn’t help but steal a glance at the divorce agreement in Su Yin’s hand. He remained silent.

“Xue’er, I have something to tell you. Actually, I—” I traveled here. Su Yin thought he should come clean; he never kept secrets from Pei Weixue. But he found he couldn’t say the words. He opened his mouth twice, but he literally couldn’t explain that he was a time-traveler.

Pei Weixue didn’t even spare him a look.

“I am… forget it. Xue’er, I don’t want a divorce. You said I made Mom mad, but I have no idea what that means. I…” Who could understand the pain of waking up married to the love of your life, only to face an immediate divorce? The most ridiculous part was that he had no idea what had happened. Su Yin explained frantically. Usually, Pei Weixue trusted him implicitly.

In their senior year, Su Yin had gone abroad for a design competition. One night, he made an overseas call to Pei Weixue. He’d pinched himself a few times to sound tearful and told Pei Weixue he might not win an award, acting heartbroken to get some comfort. At the time, they were in that “more than friends” stage; he just wanted to see Pei Weixue worry about him and say something sweet. A blowing-a-kiss over video would have been even better.

To his shock, Pei Weixue had just hung up. Su Yin had been baffled. Xue’er is quiet, but he’s not usually this petty. But the next afternoon, the doorbell rang. There stood Pei Weixue, his cheeks red from the cold. The moment they met, Pei Weixue hugged him and patted his back, saying, “You’re already great. You’ll win next time.”

One joke had made Pei Weixue take a ten-hour flight to find him. Their relationship hadn’t even been official then, but every one of Pei Weixue’s actions shouted that he loved him.

“Xue’er?” Su Yin saw him typing away. “Let’s not divorce, okay? Do you want some kiwi juice? I’ll squeeze some for you.” He didn’t understand the situation, but he wasn’t going to be kicked out like a fool. He had to know what he’d done, and he had to do something to fix it.

He dashed out like a whirlwind. Behind him, Pei Weixue looked at the empty space on his screen where code should have been.

The divorce agreement had been tossed into the trash by Su Yin. Pei Weixue’s tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly. How did it come to this? For a moment just now, he seemed to see the old Su Yin—the one who always put him first.

He must be faking it to get more money out of me. Su Yin hadn’t worked since graduation, living off his old prize money. When that ran out, he asked Pei Weixue for more. At first, it was just for a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of water, but after meeting He Nan, he’d become a big spender. He insisted on the most expensive restaurants and gave the most expensive gifts.

Twice, when Pei Weixue hadn’t wanted to give him money, Su Yin had used this soft, coaxing tone. The moment the money was transferred, Su Yin would revert to his cold self.

But He Nan didn’t lack food or expensive gifts. Su Yin had been acting like a “clown” jumping between them from start to finish. Even if Jiang Zhi hadn’t reconciled with He Nan, He Nan never had any interest in Su Yin.

Su Yin had pestered He Nan like a fly. Many times, He Nan would call Pei Weixue to tell him where to pick up his husband. Every time Pei Weixue went, Su Yin would subject him to sarcasm and mockery. It wasn’t the first or second time Su Yin had demanded a divorce in public.

Since he’d finally agreed, Su Yin should be happy.

Soon, footsteps returned. The laptop screen went black. Su Yin ran in frantically. “Xue’er! Does our fridge really not have any kiwis?!”

Pei Weixue pushed the retrieved divorce agreement toward him. “Sign it. Let’s have a clean break.”

Su Yin felt like his head was about to explode. He plopped down on the floor. “I have no idea what’s going on. Even if you want a divorce, you have to let me know why, right? If there’s a problem, we can work on it!”

“Work on it?” Pei Weixue sneered.

In over two years of knowing him, Su Yin had never seen this cold side of Pei Weixue. He was like a glacier, pushing everyone away. That sneer chilled Su Yin to the bone. The veins on his forehead throbbed, as if some terrible truth were looming.

Pei Weixue’s expression was indifferent. “You cheated.”

Su Yin: “?”

Su Yin: “What the hell? Who did I cheat with? A man or a woman?” He stayed on the floor like a brat, scooting over until he was against Pei Weixue’s leg. He looked up at him. “If you’re saying I cheated, you have to give me a name!”

He started wailing. “You can’t slander me without evidence!” He was wearing white plush loungewear with dog ears on the hood; from a distance, he looked like a snowball huddled by Pei Weixue’s legs.

Pei Weixue looked down. “He Nan.”

Su Yin’s eyes went wide. “Who?”

“Stop playing dumb. Sign!” Pei Weixue threw the papers at him again.

Su Yin let out a loud howl and hugged Pei Weixue’s leg. “Xue’er! You can’t abandon me! Don’t you remember? At the ski resort, I said I’d be the dog that pulls your sled!”

No matter how he begged, Pei Weixue’s expression didn’t change. Su Yin couldn’t believe he would cheat with someone he didn’t even know.

Pei Weixue only insisted he sign.

In a fit of frustration, Su Yin shoved the agreement into the paper shredder. “Fine, then tell me—who is He Nan?”

“Jiang Zhi’s ex-boyfriend.”

Su Yin: “!” Wait, I cheated with my best friend’s ex?!

Pei Weixue added the final blow: “You’re the one who caused their breakup.”

Su Yin: “?” What! I sabotaged my best friend’s relationship?

The relationship he’d just confirmed in his head couldn’t take these consecutive hits. He Nan and Jiang Zhi had only been dating for half a month when they met; with Su Yin’s constant interference, a breakup was inevitable.

“Xue’er.” After hearing this, Su Yin’s head drooped. He sat cross-legged, a heavy sadness radiating from him. “Do you think… six years is really enough to turn a person into a beast?”

Perhaps it was the softness in his tone or the way he spoke, but Pei Weixue tilted his head to look down at him.

“Please give me a chance to find out the truth, okay?” Su Yin didn’t believe he could become such a person, but looking back at the signs, there were too many suspicious points.

“The truth is in your phone. Open it and see for yourself.”

Su Yin opened his phone immediately. First, the gallery. The thousands of photos he remembered having of Pei Weixue were all gone. In their place were photos of another man in a suit. Was this “He Nan”?

He scrolled up, but he couldn’t even reach the top. Every photo was taken from an angle that made him look like a dark stalker.

His notes app was full of information about He Nan—his hobbies, daily routine, and schedule.

His chat apps were also full of He Nan.

But there was absolutely nothing regarding Pei Weixue. His phone didn’t just have Face ID; it had a passcode. He looked at Pei Weixue’s stiff back and took a gamble, entering the code.

#Incorrect Passcode.

From the moment he fell in love with Pei Weixue, his passcode had always been Pei Weixue’s birthday. It had never changed. Even Pei Weixue didn’t know it; they respected each other’s privacy and never checked each other’s phones.

All his beautiful memories shattered in that instant. Su Yin looked at Pei Weixue’s cold face, feeling like a giant stone was crushing his chest. From the day they met, Pei Weixue had never looked at him with such eyes.

Moreover, Pei Weixue had a soft heart. They had small arguments occasionally, but as long as Su Yin acted a bit pitiful, Pei Weixue would stop being angry. He was easy to coax. He carefully reached out to tug on Pei Weixue’s pant leg. “Can you… give me a chance to start over?”

Pei Weixue’s hands on the keyboard paused for a moment. He lowered his eyes to hide his complex emotions. “There’s no need.” The moment Su Yin had provoked Su Qingyue into fainting, this relationship was over.

“But this isn’t fair to me! I don’t have those memories. I literally just confessed to you, and I wake up six years later. The things you said—was it really me who did them?” Su Yin argued rapidly, frantic and agitated, clutching Pei Weixue’s pant leg like a stubborn child.

“You’re talking to me about fairness?” Pei Weixue tried to kick him away, but Su Yin held on tighter. For six years, Pei Weixue had done everything to please and endure him. Where was his fairness? Who was he supposed to ask for it? “Even if you’re faking amnesia, if you want to turn back, you have to see if I’m willing to ‘eat stale grass’ again.”

Pei Weixue pushed Su Yin away and stood up to glare at him. “Su Yin, don’t force me to sue you.” He pointed to the door. “Get out!”

Even if Su Yin truly wanted to repent now and play some “run and chase” game with him, he was done. He had repaid Su Yin’s past kindness with six years of endurance. It was enough. He’d even given Su Yin half of the assets; if Su Yin didn’t want to work for the rest of his life, he could live comfortably if he spent wisely.

Su Yin stood up, rubbing his butt. He didn’t want to keep fighting; he needed to figure things out first. But there was one thing he wanted to know more than anything. “Are you taking medicine again? Is it because of me?”

He cared about this more than the divorce. Pei Weixue had a poor appetite and was very thin when on medication. It had taken two years for him to stop taking it completely. Su Yin had spent half a year carefully cooking and researching recipes just to help him gain a little weight. Pei Weixue still wasn’t heavy, but his frame had broadened, making him look sturdier.

His mom had teased him that the hand meant for a paintbrush was now holding a spatula every day. He’d replied: I’m happy to do it.

Pei Weixue, back at his computer, slammed his hand onto the keyboard. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, forcing his emotions down. The old Su Yin was worth it. The current Su Yin was not.

He had only started taking the medicine again six months ago. He had been stupid then; after Su Yin had a change of heart, he kept trying to remind Su Yin of the past to win him back. Call him a fool or a masochist—Su Yin was too important to him. They had such beautiful memories.

He had even said to Su Yin’s face: “If you go to him, I’ll have to start taking the medicine again.”

But Su Yin hadn’t stopped. And Pei Weixue had indeed started taking it.

At first, he took it even when he didn’t need it. Eventually, his condition relapsed, and he had to take it. During several episodes, Su Yin had watched him with indifference, even mocking him, telling him that if he wanted to die, he should hurry up and do it so he wouldn’t be an “eyesore.”

Eyesore.

What a terrifying word. He had heard it countless times, and every time, it felt like a knife to the heart.