After Awakening, The Vicious Male Supporting Character Refuses the 'Bad Ending' Script - Chapter 5

Pei Weixue used to think he didn’t need any external emotional support to survive. But after meeting Su Yin, it was Su Yin who showed him through action that he had someone to lean on. If a design wasn’t going well, it didn’t matter—he had a professional “color palette” to help him. If he was in a bad mood, someone was there to coax him. Their cold wars never lasted longer than half an hour.

Su Yin cared more about Pei Weixue’s meals, health, and mood than Pei Weixue did himself.

Later, it was also Su Yin who personally shattered the dreamscape he had built.

But now, Su Yin was holding a medicine bottle and asking him, in that familiar tone, if he was taking his meds again.

Those sleepless nights and the heart-wrenching arguments had left Pei Weixue exhausted. He had only one thought left:

Don’t look back.

“Just go,” Pei Weixue said, suppressing his emotions, without answering the question.

“Go where?” Su Yin stood up, pacing in a frantic circle. “You can’t take these anymore. It’s okay if you relapse, I’ll be here with you.” He tried to approach Pei Weixue as gently as possible. “I have no memory of doing those things. You can treat it as amnesia if you want, but I won’t accept you just kicking me out like this.”

Pei Weixue glanced at him. “Then what do you want?”

Su Yin replied instantly, “At least let me stay until your condition is under control. Xue’er, don’t give up on yourself. You’re meant to be an IT elite. You won web design awards; you have to keep designing.”

“I have my own studio now.” In other words, he no longer needed to do the basic design work himself; his employees handled it, and he just reviewed it. Pei Weixue wanted to tell Su Yin that his condition didn’t affect his work anymore, but Su Yin’s eyes lit up upon hearing about the studio. “Wow, Xue’er, you’re amazing! I knew you’d be successful.”

These words sounded flamboyant and complimentary, the kind Pei Weixue had heard often six years ago. Coming from Su Yin’s mouth, they never felt perfunctory; he genuinely seemed happy for him.

The nickname ‘Xue’er’—he hadn’t heard it in six years either. How ironic. Back then, no matter how he tried, he couldn’t keep Su Yin’s heart; now that he had given up, Su Yin wanted to reconcile. He was even staging a cliché “amnesia” plot.

“Can you please get out?”

As the eviction order was issued again, Su Yin stared at the back of Pei Weixue’s head. He reached out, wanting to touch that fluffy hair, but pulled back. After much thought, he turned to leave. He couldn’t make Pei Weixue unhappy, or he’d end up taking more medicine.

The moment he turned, Pei Weixue glanced back at him.

Leaving the guest room, Su Yin rubbed his aching head. He didn’t understand what was happening. Could it be that the twenty-six-year-old Su Yin really stopped loving Pei Weixue?

The nerves in his skull throbbed with a tearing pain, spreading to his scalp. He frowned in agony as blurred images flashed by—too fast to catch.

If his twenty-six-year-old self didn’t love Pei Weixue anymore, did his mom know? His mom adored Pei Weixue, treating him like her own son. Given all the scumbag things he’d done, how did his mom view him now?

“Xue’er, I can’t get through to Mom. Could you ask her if she’s asleep?” Su Yin figured his mom wasn’t picking up because of his past behavior.

In the study, Pei Weixue said with his back turned, “You blacklisted all of us. How are you supposed to get through?”

Su Yin: “?” He stood at the door again. “How could I possibly blacklist Mom and you?” He was so filial; wouldn’t his late father crawl out of the grave to beat him?

Pei Weixue walked out, and before Su Yin could even smile, the door was slammed shut. A gust of wind swept over his bangs. Helplessly, he walked to the living room and looked around.

There was a fish tank on the balcony, but it had been dry for a long time. The two small koi he’d bought must have died years ago. He looked at the empty tank in despair. If…

If he wasn’t just suffering from amnesia—if he really did cheat, really didn’t love Pei Weixue, fought with his mom, and stole his friend’s partner—then how did he become like that? Feelings change, but surely his feelings for his mother wouldn’t.

His father died early, and his mother worked hard to raise him alone. He had never even raised his voice at her. Even during his rebellious phase, the worst he did was submit some weird, non-conforming fashion designs; the moment a teacher threatened to call his parents, he’d immediately surrender.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t accept that the things Pei Weixue described were his doing.

I need to find Mom first. Luckily, she lived right across the hall.

Standing at her door, he knocked hopefully, waiting for his mother to tell him this was all just an April Fool’s joke.

Knock, knock…

He knocked for a long time, but no one opened. He waited at the door and called her several times, but there was no answer.

Half an hour later, the elevator chimed. Su Qingyue walked out carrying a bag of vegetables. Seeing him, she went straight to her door to unlock it.

“Mom.”

Su Qingyue ignored him and went inside. Su Yin blocked the door with his hand, frantic. “Mom! Do you not want me anymore either?” Seeing the white hair at her temples, his eyes filled with grief and hurt. “I really… don’t know what I did. Xue’er doesn’t want me, and now you don’t either.”

He hurt everywhere, but the physical pain paled in comparison to the agony of being abandoned by his family and lover. “Mom.”

Su Qingyue stepped aside and carried the vegetables into the kitchen, silently putting them in the fridge. There was a small bag of kiwis. She took out the juicer and sat at the table to peel them, putting them in one by one.

“Mom.” Su Yin stood beside her with his head bowed. “Mom, let me do it.” He reached for the peeler, but Su Qingyue jerked her hand away. He retracted his hand.

“Weren’t you doing a great job of playing dead yesterday? Why come here and say this today?” Su Qingyue glanced at him and continued peeling. Yesterday, Su Yin had fainted in the hospital, but the doctor said he was just sleeping. She was beyond furious.

“I really wasn’t faking.” Su Yin dragged the trash can over to collect the peels and brought her a glass of water. “Mom, you might not believe it, but to me, yesterday I was twenty, and today I’m suddenly twenty-six.”

Su Qingyue glared at him. “These past few years, you’ve been lazy and gluttonous. First, you stayed holed up at home, refusing to work or go out. Then, for that He Nan, you worked as a free laborer drawing designs. Do you think you can just use ‘not remembering’ to gloss it all over?”

Thud.

Su Yin knelt down quickly. He pulled his ears in a gesture of apology, feeling wronged, but if his mother said he’d done those things, he must have. He had to apologize first and stop making her angry. “I…”

He struggled for a long while before painfully squeezing out two words: “I’ll change.” No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t have done such absurd things.

First, he had a good upbringing; he wasn’t the type to cheat, steal a friend’s partner, or disrespect his mother. Second, he’d always wanted his own studio; why would he work for free for someone else? Finally, he’d just confessed to Xue’er! They’d only shared one kiss—feelings don’t just vanish like that.

Logically, it made no sense. From their descriptions, it sounded more like he’d been cursed or possessed.

“I don’t believe for a second that you’ll change. Go get the ruler. I’m going to teach you a lesson today, you ‘licking dog’ (simp)!” Su Qingyue finished peeling the kiwis, turned on the juicer, and glared at Su Yin.

Su Yin shrunk his neck. He felt like a turtle—stretching his neck out meant a strike, but pulling it back meant a hundred more. The point was he didn’t want to be a coward. Before figuring things out, he had to make amends.

Amends for the mistakes he didn’t even remember.

He brought the ruler from the bedroom and knelt before his father’s memorial tablet in the living room.

Su Qingyue lit three sticks of incense and muttered: “Old Li, I’m going to break my vow and hit your son today. If your spirit can see this, close your eyes. Don’t look.”

She turned around, raised the ruler high, and the memory of all the outrageous things Su Yin had done over the last six years—and Pei Weixue’s selfless care—flashed before her eyes. She closed her eyes and struck hard.

“Ugh…” Su Yin let out a muffled groan of pain. He grit his teeth. “I was wrong!” With every strike, he apologized. His back felt like it was on fire.

“What were you wrong about?!” Su Qingyue demanded.

Su Yin wanted to say he didn’t know, he really didn’t, but at this moment, he could only say: “Cheating.”

The ruler fell. “What else!”

“Making you angry.”

It fell again. “What else!”

“Being unfaithful, unfilial, and disloyal.”

His T-shirt was stained with a bit of blood, showing how hard Su Qingyue was hitting. She stopped after fifty strikes, her heart aching. She stood before Su Yin and pointed at his father’s tablet. “When your father died in the line of duty, what did you say to his body?”

Su Yin knelt with a straight back, ignoring the pain. He looked at the tablet and said, “I wanted to be someone who saves lives like Mom, and an upright person like Dad.” His mother had been a doctor who saved many people.

“Did you do it?!” Su Qingyue had prepared herself for the possibility that Su Yin would never get better, intending to disown him. But seeing him come to beg for forgiveness broke her resolve. “I named you ‘Yin’ after the phrase ‘Drawing water to irrigate the dry earth’ (yǐn quán gài qí kū), yet you did such heartless things—you became the ‘Yin’ that ‘leads a wolf into the house’ (yǐn láng rù shì)! You’ve shamed me completely. Now when I go buy groceries and meet acquaintances, they ask me, ‘How’s that simp son of yours?'”

“Tell me! Did you do it?!”

Su Yin looked at his mother, his nose stinging. His heart was full of a grievance he couldn’t release. “Mom. I’ll make it right.”

“Weixue. Do you still remember how you told me you liked Weixue?” Su Qingyue wiped the ruler with a towel and sighed deeply.

“I remember.” Those events and those words were vivid in Su Yin’s mind.

Before the confession, he had knelt like this before his father’s tablet and solemnly vowed to his mother that he was serious about Pei Weixue—serious enough to spend a lifetime together—and asked for her blessing.

Su Qingyue was not only a good doctor but also a good mother; she gave him all the love she could and never interfered too much in his choices.

Except for that one thing, which he had to earn with a serious vow.

“I won’t forgive you unless Weixue forgives you. If you ever dare spend his money again, don’t ever call me Mom!” Su Qingyue didn’t know if the threat would work. She looked at the tablet. Old Li, should I give him this chance?

Su Yin wiped his tears and looked closely at Su Qingyue’s face—the obvious crow’s feet, the deep nasolabial folds, and most painfully, the strands of white hair.

Yesterday, his mother had been healthy and robust. She loved her hair and kept it well-maintained, jet black and looking much younger than her peers. She always joked with him with a smile, and on weekends, he would go to the park to dance with her.

Whenever they had time, he’d drag Pei Weixue along too. He and his mother were more like best friends.

In the blink of an eye, her eyes were clouded with persistent fatigue, frost had climbed into her hair, and her spirit seemed withered.

He couldn’t accept that he was the culprit behind all of this. “Mom. I want to hug you.”

Su Qingyue’s eyes reddened. She turned away. “Hug me when you’ve truly changed. Now get out.”

Pei Weixue told him to get lost, and his mother told him to leave. Su Yin stood up unsteadily, looking back every step of the way as he walked out. “Mom, I’m sorry.” For making you worry about me.

Stepping outside, Su Yin wiped his eyes. He tried to check his back; the slightest movement pulled at the wounds. Hissing in pain, he slowly walked back to the opposite door but didn’t dare go in.

If he ever found out who had cursed him, he’d beat them into a pulp.

New wounds on top of old ones—he hurt everywhere. He hadn’t felt this wronged since he was a kid fighting with Jiang Zhi.

He touched his belly. His abs… With this ghost of a body, who could he win back? And he still didn’t even know who had beaten his face.

He pushed the door open, stepped in quietly, and got the first-aid kit from the living room. When he tried to take off his shirt, the dried blood had stuck to the fabric. One tug made him want to cry out for his mom, but he remembered he was twenty-six and grit his teeth, yanking it off like he was heading to the executioner’s block.

The snow-white T-shirt was now a tie-dye of blood.

What a bitter life. Who was messing with him?!

He went to the bathroom to wipe away the blood with a towel before coming out to apply disinfectant.

Click.

The bedroom door opened.

He looked up and met Pei Weixue’s eyes. “Xue’er—hiss~” In his excitement, he accidentally pressed on a wound and looked at Pei Weixue piteously.

Pei Weixue grabbed a bottle of juice and went back to his room, slamming the door without a second look.

Su Yin lowered his head to continue treating his wounds. Looking at the pile of bloody tissues in the trash, he felt a wave of self-pity and pouted.

His phone chimed. He leaned over to see a notification reminding him he hadn’t “clocked in” for work today.

Clock in my ass. How could he have been so stupid as to work for free?!

He thought back to the photos of He Nan in the gallery. What on earth did he see in that guy?

Setting aside the fact that He Nan was Jiang Zhi’s partner, he wouldn’t steal a friend’s lover in a million, billion years.

His mom said he needed Xue’er’s forgiveness. Right now, Xue’er was dead set on divorcing him. Should he… go along with it first? And then win him back?

But no, what if Xue’er just ran away the moment he let go? Besides, he couldn’t just watch Xue’er keep taking that medicine.

He stared at Pei Weixue’s closed door, wondering if his vision had been affected again.

However, seeing that the colors of the clothes Pei Weixue was wearing were coordinated correctly, his vision seemed okay for now.

Knock, knock…

Huh? Who was it? Mom?

Su Yin hurried to open the door, but found a strange woman in a suit and tie standing there. “Who are you?”

“I’m Engineer Pei’s assistant. I’m here to deliver the bidding documents. Just call me Xiao He.” Xiao He maintained a standard polite smile, looking more like an emotionless work machine.

“Oh, give them to me, I’ll take them to him.” Su Yin thought, Xue’er’s studio must be quite big if he has an assistant.

“Xiao He.” At that moment, Pei Weixue walked out. “Give them to me.”

“Alright. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

After she left, Su Yin clutched his waist and followed Pei Weixue. “Xue’er, what are you bidding for? Is it an enterprise system management?” Bam! The door slammed in his face, nearly hitting his nose. He sighed and went back to the living room.

The lid of the open first-aid kit still had stickers of a chibi snowman and a dog pulling a sled. He touched them with his fingertips and looked at the empty top of the TV.

There used to be small plushies of a snowman and a dog there. They were gone now.

He sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table, resting his chin in his hands as he looked at the unrecognizable house. So many memories were missing.

In the kitchen, they’d cooked together; on the balcony, they’d hung laundry; on the sofa, they’d watched TV.

As he leaned forward, something felt wrong with his stomach. He looked down, infuriated by his own paunch. He slapped it hard, and it made a sound like a drum.

“Who told this piece of fat to grow on me!” Su Yin vented his frustration on his belly, wishing he could just cut it off. How long had it been since he exercised? Good god.

His mom didn’t love him, his husband didn’t love him, his best friend had blacklisted him, and even his physique was gone.

He felt like quoting Viego: “Pain. Excessive pain.”

“My love is lost forever, and all I see is ruin.”

Sigh.

Mentioning Viego reminded him of when he used to play games with Pei Weixue. It was his favorite character—one ult, one kill, legendary every game.

Because of his colorblindness, Pei Weixue couldn’t tell the Red and Blue buffs apart and had to memorize them by rote. He’d often hit the blue buff when he wanted the red one, and the mid-laner would flame him in chat.

So Su Yin started playing Jungler, giving all the buffs to Pei Weixue. He could carry the team, so the teammates wouldn’t complain.

It was all so vivid, yet it felt like it happened a lifetime ago.

He took out his phone and logged into the game app to see if his account had changed. He found that for the past six years, every single ranked match had a score of 0/8 or worse.

Six years ago, he’d ended the season as a Challenger; now, he’d dropped from Diamond all the way to Iron.

Another wave of darkness washed over him. He checked Pei Weixue’s account and saw they hadn’t played together in six years. Pei Weixue had only played a few matches at the same time Su Yin was online.

He was still playing Su Yin’s favorite hero—the first one Su Yin had taught him. But his stats were still terrible.

When he played alone, did he think about the times we played together? He must have been so sad.

What exactly caused him to change so much in these six years? He wasn’t himself at all. He’d hurt everyone around him. Was he even human?

Cursing, he kicked out, only to hit the table leg. His toenail nearly flipped. “Ouch~!” He clutched his foot with a miserable face and leaned back, only for his back wounds to hit the sofa. He couldn’t sit, stand, or lie down without pain.

Stupid brain, if you’re going to lose your memory, at least hurry up and remember something! Even if I have to die, I want to know why.

He looked at his injured toe with a slumped face, tilting his head in utter despair.