The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

The slap was crisp and loud, making even Hai Ku feel a tingling sensation on his own cheek just from watching.

With a look of amused detachment, Hai Ku rubbed his chin and continued to watch the scene unfold.

“Why didn’t you tell me? What did I ever do wrong to you?” Lin Xiaomu’s voice was heart-wrenching, her reddened cheeks blazing with anger. Her swollen, tear-streaked eyes were undeniable proof that she had been crying.

The two of them were in Zhang Daniu’s dormitory at the ranch. On the bed lay a piece of lingerie, clearly not Lin Xiaomu’s size; it was far too large for her.

“Ha…” Zhang Daniu sneered. Blood was already at the corner of his lips, and his fair face bore visible bruises. He spat out some saliva and glared at her with disdain. “What’s the point of keeping someone who’s of no use to me?”

Lin Xiaomu froze. A moment ago, she was merely furious, but now, as his cruel words sank in, tears streamed down her face. Her heart felt numb, as though sharp thorns had pierced it deeply. Yet, oddly enough, she couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

Her voice was hoarse and weak, almost lifeless. “I gave you my heart, my everything…”

She had even contemplated using her body to win favor with his boss, thinking she could trade it for everything he desired. But this, this was what she received in return.

Lin Xiaomu felt utterly humiliated. She had already stooped so low, debasing herself for his sake, yet in the end, she caught the man she loved sharing a bed with another woman. How was she supposed to feel?

Her mind went blank. She couldn’t find the words to describe the nauseating sensation swirling in her chest.

“So what if you gave me your heart?” Zhang Daniu’s expression twisted into something grotesque as he finally tore away the pretense of gentleness, revealing the greed beneath. “What can you even offer me? Can you give me endless wealth and glory? Hah! If it weren’t for the fact that my boss took a liking to you, do you think I’d have spared you a second glance? And now look at you; so in love with me that you even turned him down outright?”

Zhang Daniu had had enough of this life where everything felt like begging. He was grateful for the chance to live again, though he despised his current impoverished state.

In his past life, he had been a Prince, poised to ascend the throne. But at the critical moment, his beloved woman betrayed him, and his sworn brothers killed him the night before his coronation.

Drifting as a wandering spirit, Zhang Daniu finally realized he had been nothing more than a pawn in his younger brother’s grand scheme.

Even as Crown Prince, he had faced endless opposition at every turn. And just when he had thought he’d made it, the people he trusted most had betrayed him.

When he woke up in this new world, he took it as a sign from the heavens, a second chance.

Using the same manipulative tactics his brother had used against him, Zhang Daniu discovered the thrill of exploiting women to get what he wanted.

Before he was taken in at this ranch, he had already manipulated several naive girls to further his goals. Though he had later been caught and beaten within an inch of his life, he didn’t regret it.

In fact, he believed he had found the shortcut to success. Since ancient times, even heroes had fallen for beautiful women. If he could use women to achieve his aims, why wouldn’t he?

“I thought you were clever, but it turns out you’re just another stupid girl.” Zhang Daniu sneered as he pinched Lin Xiaomu’s face, his words dripping with sarcasm. “Blame yourself for being foolish enough to trust me.”

At this point, Zhang Daniu didn’t care anymore. This woman was of no use to him now. Even if he discarded her, he wouldn’t feel a shred of guilt or remorse.

Dropping all pretense, Zhang Daniu lounged carelessly, his gaze filled with contempt as he looked at Lin Xiaomu.

To him, everything about her predicament was her own fault. If she hadn’t been attracted to his looks, none of this would have happened.

In his mind, such matters were consensual. He and Lin Xiaomu weren’t married, after all. Did she expect him to marry every woman he slept with, even if it were a prostitute from a brothel? Ridiculous.

“Your body was willingly given to me. I never begged for it.” Zhang Daniu’s expression grew increasingly malicious. Seeing the shocked look on Lin Xiaomu’s face filled him with a perverse sense of satisfaction.

“You… how could you… I was genuine in my feelings for you.” Lin Xiaomu’s heart shattered into pieces. Her body trembled violently as she crouched down, her face pale. She couldn’t fathom that the Prince she had longed for in her dreams could think this way.

With cautious eyes, Lin Xiaomu stared at Zhang Daniu, foolishly hoping to hear him say, ‘I was just kidding, silly.’

Even if it wasn’t sincere, she wanted to accept it. But as time passed, and even she could no longer deceive herself, the man before her showed no reaction at all.

Having pretended for far too long, Zhang Daniu now saw an opportunity to vent his true feelings, and he intended to do so fully.

“What does your sincerity matter?” Zhang Daniu found it utterly ridiculous. He lifted Lin Xiaomu’s chin, his tone sinister and discomforting. “You say you were sincere to me; could your sincerity grant me boundless wealth? Could it ensure I live a life served by others? Could it make me Emperor? I am the high and mighty Crown Prince! Do you really think I would care for a woman like you? Your so-called sincerity is worthless; you might as well feed it to a dog.”

Lin Xiaomu’s face was filled with shock. She began piecing things together, her voice trembling as her heart raced faster and faster. “C-Crown Prince? Are you the Crown Prince Hongyi, Hengxin Juluo?”

“You know who I am?” It had been a long time since anyone had called him by his former name. Zhang Daniu grabbed Lin Xiaomu by the shoulders, staring intently at her face in disbelief. “Who are you? Were you a concubine servant of mine, or a spy working under my imperial brother?”

The grip on her shoulders was so tight that it hurt. Lin Xiaomu found this version of the Prince unbearably rough. Unable to endure it, she wobbled as her head spun. “N-no, Your Highness. You’re hurting me! I’m Lin Xiaomu, a palace maid… I used to work in the back garden.”

Disappointment flickered in Zhang Daniu’s eyes, and he immediately pushed Lin Xiaomu away. “So, you’re just a maid. How annoying.”

Not wanting to waste more words on a mere maid, Zhang Daniu relied on his physical strength to shove her out the door.

***

Hai Ku, watching the video, was dumbfounded.

What kind of genius author could create such a cockroach-like scumbag character?

After being thrown out, Lin Xiaomu wandered aimlessly in a daze until she bumped into Hai Ku.

“What’s going on here? This doesn’t match the plot you told me about.” Lin Xiaomu was a transmigrator, and Zhang Daniu was too. But the story Hai Ku had read was clearly titled The Rebirth of the Ranch Queen.

[Ahem, actually, this is the prequel to The Rebirth of the Ranch Queen. I accidentally sent you the wrong link earlier.]

The system’s voice sounded sheepish and uncertain.

The book Hai Ku had previously read, The Rebirth of the Ranch Queen, had already been finished. However, due to the male lead’s overly soft-hearted nature, Hai Ku felt that the character left little impression, even by the end of the story.

Yet, at the time, such male leads were trending in the market. Riding on this momentum, the author wrote a prequel after concluding the original book.

This prequel explained why the male lead had such a soft-hearted personality and even patched some of the plot holes from the previous story.

For instance, the reason the reborn female lead fell for the soft-hearted male lead was that he bore an uncanny resemblance to the Crown Prince.

After suffering such betrayal and heartbreak, Lin Xiaomu experienced a ‘sense of liberation’.

Soon after, she was reborn to a time before she had rejected the ranch owner’s proposal.

The reborn Lin Xiaomu was no longer the naive, foolish girl she once was. This time, she didn’t outright reject the ranch owner’s confession. Instead, she kept him on a string.

After captivating the other party and leaving them utterly smitten, she made them sign a contract to transfer ownership of the ranch.

This was why, after the ranch fire later on, the female lead was able to inherit the property.

Additionally, after being reborn, the female lead had completely seen through the true nature of the Crown Prince. She even brought along a “golden finger”; a mystical spring in her personal space that could seep out through her fingertips.

Any plant touched by her would grow in ways no other farm could compare to.

She could have lived a great life, but she refused to accept that the person she loved had treated her so cruelly.

Thus, she also began carefully disguising herself. Since the Crown Prince admired her strength, she claimed ownership of the entire ranch, ensuring he couldn’t leave her; or the ranch.

Even though she knew his tenderness was fake, Lin Xiaomu found herself gradually falling for him. As long as she remained the ranch’s owner, the Crown Prince would never leave her.

Hai Ku: “…”

What did the second male lead ever do to deserve this?

Finding Lin Xiaomu’s mindset a bit twisted, Hai Ku, who had initially pitied her, now felt that the author of such a story likely had a screw loose.

With such a powerful “golden finger,” couldn’t she just quietly get rich? Why insist on taking someone else’s ranch?

[Reminder: The female lead is about to be reborn. Time will rewind.]

Hai Ku checked his phone. The date, originally April 27th, suddenly shifted back to March 20th.

The female lead was reborn to one month earlier.

Initially sitting in his room, Hai Ku suddenly found himself standing right in front of the female lead without any time to react.

“B-boss… why did you call me out here?” Now that she had lived another life and returned to a month earlier, Lin Xiaomu’s voice was soft and gentle.

Her heart was pounding with nerves. Lin Xiaomu knew her boss was about to propose to her.

Her hatred surged, spreading like wildfire. Lin Xiaomu clenched her fists tightly. She didn’t know what had happened to the Crown Prince to make him that way, but now that she had been given a second chance at life, she was determined to take full control of him.

Hai Ku was momentarily stunned before he gathered his thoughts.

“Xiaomu…” Looking at the unfolding scene, Hai Ku called out Lin Xiaomu’s name first.

“Yes, boss? What is it?” Lin Xiaomu grew increasingly tense.

Looking at Lin Xiaomu, whose ambitions were written all over her face, Hai Ku maintained a calm expression. “Actually, I called you out today to ask a very important favor.”

“Boss, just say the word.” Here it comes, here it comes… Lin Xiaomu couldn’t suppress the upward curve of her lips.

“I need you to go clean the pigsty…”

“I’m willing to…”

“…”

“…”

After saying that, Lin Xiaomu froze, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.

Just a month ago, the boss had said; “Xiaomu, would you please be my girlfriend?”

How did it turn into this now…?

“Oh, great! I was worried no one would want to do this task. I’m so glad you’re willing!” With his lips curling upward in a broad grin, Hai Ku stepped forward and patted her shoulder. “Good luck! Once you’ve finished cleaning up the pigsty, I’ll give you a pay raise. If you think it’s too much to handle alone, you can ask Zhang Daniu to help you. He seems to have been pretty idle these past few days.”

Hai Ku felt he had done a truly wonderful thing. Cleaning the pigsty while having the male lead help? What a perfect arrangement.

Lin Xiaomu: “…”