The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

One round.

He Dongchen had a complete victory, with “troublemaker” clearly written on his face.

Seeing the once arrogant Guan Xianshi suffer a crushing defeat, the other mediators immediately became wary. They began to think twice before speaking, lest they be caught and criticized.

The director, backstage, cursed and urged the host to quickly move on to the next segment.

The host, internally groaning, glanced at the cue cards in his hand and threw out the next topic, “You two have swapped lives, but by another twist of fate, ended up in the same class. I’ve heard that He Sijia took great care of He Dongchen while at school?”

He Sijia, blushing, replied, “It wasn’t so much taking care of him; it was just mutual help among classmates.”

The host didn’t let He Dongchen speak but instead handed the microphone to a few audience members below.

He Dongchen glanced around and understood immediately; they had come prepared.

One of the boys stood up and said, “I’m a classmate of He Sijia’s. I can testify that He Dongchen wasn’t well-integrated in school and often couldn’t pay his class fees. It was always He Sijia who quietly covered for him.”

The boy continued earnestly, “You should have a sense of gratitude. Sijia has been so good to you. A man should be more magnanimous.”

The host smiled and tried to embellish the situation, but He Dongchen suddenly interrupted, “I have a few questions for you.”

The boy puffed out his chest, looking confident, “Go ahead and ask.”

The host thought this was going poorly and tried to regain control of the conversation, but He Dongchen’s strong voice left no room for her to interject.

“First question; Why couldn’t I pay the class fees?”

The boy answered easily, “Because you didn’t have any money. If you had money, you wouldn’t have delayed paying the class fees. It’s such an embarrassing thing. At 17 or 18, face is the most important thing.”

The host was anxious, “We…”

“Second question!” He Dongchen cut in, “Where did the money He Sijia used to pay my class fees come from?”

The boy answered as if it were obvious, “From her family.”

The host’s heart sank. She had fully understood He Dongchen’s intentions.

He Dongchen slightly curled the corners of his mouth, “Last question. You said the class fees were paid secretly for me, right? How come everyone knows about it, but no one knew when I secretly paid it back?”

The original owner, who was both self-conscious and stubborn, had never owed anyone a single penny. When the unexpected class fees came up, he couldn’t immediately come up with the money and didn’t want to ask He Juan for it, so he started delivering water. In an old apartment building without an elevator, he carried up bucket after bucket, each bucket earning him 1 yuan. After carrying hundreds of buckets, his shoulders were swollen.

He had never owed anyone a dime.

The boy didn’t believe it, “You’re so poor, how could you afford to pay it back?”

He Dongchen shrugged, “Yes, I’m so poor that I couldn’t pay the class fees. That’s why I needed He Sijia to be the good person. But clearly, the money He Sijia used to help me should have been mine. Yet, fate played tricks on me, with He Sijia using my money to help me, while I had to carry hundreds of buckets of water to repay her. And then, I’m questioned by you, ‘Oh, you’re so poor, how could you pay it back?’”

“He Sijia, tell him, did I pay back the money? Did I?”

He Sijia was startled and nodded repeatedly, “Yes, you paid it all back.”

He Dongchen smiled and told the boy, “Did you hear that? I paid it back.”

The boy’s face turned red, and he was pulled down by his classmates.

Everyone looked at He Dongchen. Although his face showed no sadness, he seemed to radiate a sense of bitterness.

Lin Xiumei’s eyes turned red. Her attempt to gloss over the situation only revealed the underlying sadness. She thought of the 15 million and the 1,000 yuan and closed her eyes.

As the room fell silent, Guan Xianshi suddenly jumped in, thinking he had found a flaw in He Dongchen, and said triumphantly, “You remember all this so clearly and still say you don’t resent it?”

He Dongchen glanced at him and replied calmly, “I don’t resent it. I have a good memory. Mr. Guan Xianshi, you might want to adjust your wig before speaking again, or it might dazzle the cameraman’s eyes.”

Guan Xianshi suddenly touched the top of his head and felt an icy chill!

Who moved my wig? Who?!

The system retracted its foot, concealing its achievements and fame.

The audience laughed uncontrollably, rolling with laughter. It was hilarious!

“What are you standing there for?” The director’s angry reprimand came through the host’s earpiece. The host quickly refocused and frantically flipped to the next cue card.

***

“Although He Dongchen came from a difficult family, he managed to get into a prestigious university. Let’s interview Mrs. He Juan.”

The host dared not pass the microphone to He Dongchen now. It was a nightmare!

With so many eyes on her, He Juan felt uncomfortable. She grasped the microphone with her rough hands and forced a flattering smile, “It’s all thanks to the child’s intelligence. I didn’t contribute much.”

“Not at all! It’s said that your recently deceased husband drank heavily, was unproductive, and had severe violent tendencies. You endured years of domestic violence for He Dongchen, shouldering the family responsibilities and raising such an outstanding son. That’s truly admirable!” The host spoke with dramatic inflection, clearly trying to evoke as much emotion as possible.

The audience, upon hearing this, felt it was indeed no easy feat.

He Juan wiped her tears and waved her hands, “It was nothing, really. It was my duty.”

As the atmosphere grew emotional, He Dongchen raised the microphone.

The host, catching this out of the corner of her eye, was suddenly jolted by the director’s roar. She quickly moved on, “Let’s interview He Sijia now. Sijia, do you look down on He Juan?”

“Of course not,” He Sijia shook her head and said earnestly, “Mom He is very good. She may not be wealthy or glamorous, but she makes me delicious food and knits me beautiful hats. She feels plain and genuine, and perhaps that’s the most fundamental form of motherly love.”

He Juan’s face was covered in tears, “My child.”

He Sijia went over and gave her a hug.

Applause erupted from the audience. Although a child doesn’t judge their mother’s appearance, many people in the world are ungrateful, rejecting and abandoning their elders. He Sijia’s genuine acceptance of her impoverished biological mother earned much admiration.

With the situation improving, the host pressed on, shifting the focus to He Zhenglan and Lin Xiumei, while He Dongchen gradually became a background figure.

He secretly laughed, sensing that he might be made to lose his composure.

Since there were no topics left, he decided to seize the initiative.

The host asked, “Mr. He, from what we understand, not only did you accept two children, but you also allowed He Juan to live with you. What motivated you? Have there been any adjustments in your daily life?”

He Zhenglan adjusted his glasses, preparing to give a formal response.

He Dongchen interrupted, “Of course it’s not easy. Mr. He once suggested that my Mom move out, but I firmly refused! If Mom is here, then I’m here!”

He Zhenglan gritted his teeth.

The host asked, “Mrs. Lin, what is your view on He Juan living in the house?”

Lin Xiumei showed an elegant smile.

He Dongchen interjected, “Mrs. Lin can’t stand the food Mom makes!”

Lin Xiumei’s expression faltered.

The host asked, “He Sijia, how do you feel about your adoptive mother and biological mother?”

He Sijia took a deep breath and raised the microphone.

He Dongchen interrupted, “Why differentiate? Both mothers are here. One takes her shopping and buys her clothes, and the other makes soup at home, and, by the way, knits hats.”

He Sijia: “…”

The audience laughed uncontrollably, while others internally seethed.

Damn! Where did this argumentative person come from!

The director backstage was furious, ordering to turn off He Dongchen’s microphone and silence him completely!

The staff fumbled around for a while, then, sweating profusely, said, “Director, we can’t turn it off!”

“How could this happen!” The director, enraged, pushed past the staff and tried to fix it himself. After struggling for a while, it became clear that the switch simply wouldn’t turn off. No matter how much he pulled, the switch remained stuck.

“Unbelievable!”

Behind the scenes, the system’s light orb extended a foot and jammed the switch.

The system laughed triumphantly, then had a sudden inspiration and played other sounds.

Onstage, He Dongchen was still arguing, the host was sweating profusely, and the four mediators sat silently, afraid to attract attention.

The audience watched with increasing excitement.

Suddenly, the audio became chaotic for a moment, and a conversation was broadcast.

“Director, He Dongchen’s microphone won’t turn off!”

“Damn, don’t let him speak anymore!”

“Oops, wrong switch.”

The room quieted after a flurry of chaos and confusion.

The once noisy hall fell silent for a moment before erupting into even louder voices.

“What do you mean? Why isn’t He Dongchen allowed to speak!?”

“Exactly, why isn’t he allowed to talk? We’re on a mediation show, and he’s not even allowed to speak. Is he just supposed to stand there and be passive while taking all the blame?”

The situation completely spiraled out of control, with five hundred spectators chattering and making a commotion.

In the audience, Sima Yongqing’s face darkened as he muttered a curse under his breath.

“Why isn’t He Dongchen allowed to speak?” Sima Peiting murmured beside him.

After a while, the assistant director came out and called for a break to resume recording later.

***

Once offstage, He Dongchen was summoned by He Zhenglan to a small, empty conference room.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” He Zhenglan was exasperated. He had been rendered speechless on stage, unable to counter He Dongchen’s every retort. His face had been thoroughly compromised!

He Dongchen pulled out a chair, sat down leisurely, and looked up at him. “This is the show you insisted on.”

“Shut up!” He Zhenglan slammed his hand on the table, pacing around the room to calm himself before coming over to pat He Dongchen’s shoulder. He spoke earnestly, “Dongchen, behave yourself, finish this show properly, then go study abroad for a few years. When you come back, no one will remember this ridiculous show.”

He Dongchen glanced at the hand on his shoulder, noticing its well-maintained skin and the expensive watch on his wrist.

He brushed the hand away, sneering. “I’m a person, not a dog. You want me to stand on stage and be pointed at, with no dignity whatsoever. Years from now, people might forget this show, but I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, remembering that my own biological father put me on this humiliating stage.”

“Mr. He, do you even deserve to be called a father?” He Dongchen stood up, pushed past the stunned He Zhenglan, and left the conference room.

The corridor was long, and He Dongchen walked calmly. The staff, with their complicated expressions, were all around. This troublemaker had caused them endless trouble, but at the same time, he was quite pitiable.

Zheng Dongdong approached and handed him a cup of warm water.

“Thank you.” He Dongchen took it, drank a sip to ease his dryness.

Zheng Dongdong quietly reminded him, “You performed well on stage, but what ends up being broadcast might be completely different.”

Someone was controlling the show.

Regardless of whether He Dongchen cooperated, they would find ways to achieve their intended effect.

He Dongchen said, “It’s alright. At least I got to vent on stage.”

Zheng Dongdong felt even more distressed, secretly squeezing the phone in her pocket. Maybe she should do something.

20 minutes later, recording resumed.

He Dongchen received a microphone that was completely nonfunctional; exaggerating, it was just a prop.

Undaunted, He Dongchen stepped back onto the stage.

Stopping him from speaking was impossible.