The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

“How could I possibly do something like that?” Zhuoye Xingchen looked shocked. “Before my Mom passed away, she never even lifted a finger for housework. She always taught me that when I get married, I should spoil my wife. Because once she marries into our family, she becomes one of us. If I don’t treat her well, she might end up leaving for someone else.”

Whether he was telling the truth or not, Hai Ku still put on an expression of deep emotion. His reaction wasn’t exaggerated, but it was enough to make Xiao Li, who stood beside them, feel a bit jealous.

“Men are all liars…” Hai Ku pouted, looking distrustful. “You’re saying all these sweet words now, but once we get married and I have kids, I’ll turn into a worn-out housewife, and you’ll definitely go looking for someone else. I know what you men are like! Humph, I won’t be fooled by your honeyed words.”

“Silly, I knew you’d think that way.” Zhuoye Xingchen affectionately tapped Hai Ku’s forehead and smiled gently. “I’ll give you my entire salary card in the future. The house title will have only your name on it. If you’re still worried, I’ll transfer all my salary to your account first, and then you can use your own money to buy the house. If we get married and have kids, we’ll only have one, because childbirth is too exhausting. And if you don’t want kids, that’s fine too; we can just enjoy our life together as a couple.”

His face was filled with tenderness, and it was clear that Zhuoye Xingchen had done his homework. The lies he spun now came smoothly and effortlessly.

“But what if I turn into a worn-out housewife?” Hai Ku blinked and touched his face. His words sounded troubled, but his expression was sweet.

“Silly, we’ll use the best skincare and makeup products. If anyone has to age first, it’ll be me. Just don’t abandon me for some pretty boy when that happens…” He played along with a teasing smile, the honeyed atmosphere between them completely treating Han Yucheng’s girlfriend as if she were invisible.

Seeing how awkwardly she stood there, Hai Ku finally stepped back a little. “You’re so bad~ So shameless, saying such mushy things when other people are here. I’m going out with Xiao Li for a bit. Call me when dinner’s ready.”

“This is my credit card,” Zhuoye Xingchen nodded and took out a bank card from his pocket. “The password is the date of our first day together. Didn’t you say you liked that new lipstick that just came out? Go take a look and buy whatever you want.”

Hai Ku looked touched as he took the card. “I’ve been eyeing that for days now! I’ll head over to the department store then~”

He had wanted to buy new lipstick and clothes anyway, so he had come up with this little scheme.

What could be a better way to show off than lavish spending?

“Go ahead. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” Zhuoye Xingchen pressed his thumb against Hai Ku’s forehead and gave a quick peck on his own thumb. From Xiao Li’s perspective, it looked like he had just kissed Hai Ku on the forehead.

As Hai Ku pulled Xiao Li outside, her face was still sour with jealousy.

***

“I want to check out some clothes and lipsticks~” As soon as they stepped out of the living room, Hai Ku flashed a sweet smile before turning to Mother Han with a slightly troubled expression. “I feel bad making Xiao Chen cook. Why don’t we eat out instead? We can shop at the mall while we’re at it.”

“Let’s go shopping…” Xiao Li was tempted. As a girl, shopping and buying makeup were almost second nature, and she was itching to go.

Han Yucheng originally wanted to refuse, but seeing his girlfriend losing the upper hand, he felt he had to step up and show off in front of Hai Ku. He immediately stood up.

“Sure, we’ve got time anyway. Let’s go out for a bit.” He then called out to the kitchen, eager to prove himself. “Han Yuchen, stop cooking. We’re eating out!”

“Alright…” Zhuoye Xingchen hadn’t wanted to cook for them in the first place, so as soon as he heard that, he stopped. Luckily, he had only been washing vegetables to stall for time and hadn’t even started cooking yet.

Walking out of the kitchen with a smile, Zhuoye Xingchen gazed at Hai Ku with warm eyes, playing his role perfectly. He strode over and pinched Hai Ku’s cheek, flaunting their relationship shamelessly. “Are you feeling bad for me?”

“Of course~ I only want you to cook for me, so let’s eat out today instead. Otherwise, it’d be too tiring for you.” Hai Ku immediately snuggled up to him and dragged him toward the bedroom. “If we’re going out, we have to pick out a good outfit~ You guys wait here, okay?”

Mother Han’s face darkened. But since this wasn’t her biological son, no matter how displeased she was, she didn’t dare cause trouble in someone else’s home.

“Mom, look at them…” Han Yucheng scowled. “When we go to the mall later, I’ll buy you guys whatever you want. I want to see just how much of an act Han Yuchen can put on.”

“But…” Mother Han hesitated, looking like she had something to say.

“Mom, do you really believe what he said? As if anyone would just give away a house like that! There’s no way Han Yuchen could have such an amazing girlfriend. She’s obviously just pretending. If we refuse to go out, we’ll be playing right into his scheme.” Han Yucheng was full of confidence as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. “I brought you here to show off. When we go shopping later, whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you.”

“Really?” Xiao Li looked doubtful. After witnessing the interaction between Hai Ku and Zhuoye Xingchen in the kitchen, she had been somewhat moved. Compared to them, her own boyfriend seemed completely lacking.

Han Yucheng had overheard some of their conversation in the kitchen, and it made him uneasy. But now, he had no choice but to tough it out.

His girlfriend was beautiful, and he had only recently won her over. He had brought her here specifically so she could dress up and make an impression in front of his half-brother.

But if he failed to show off and ended up getting humiliated instead, he’d lose face in front of his girlfriend too.

“Of course it’s true!” He forced himself to sound confident and clutched his phone tightly, calculating how much money he had left in his bank account.

***

After spending a while in the bedroom, Hai Ku and Zhuoye Xingchen finally came out. Now dressed up, Zhuoye Xingchen looked absolutely stunning.

Even Xiao Li couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at him, making Han Yucheng visibly unhappy.

“We know this area well, so let us take you around. Let’s shop for a bit first, and then we can grab something to eat after.” With a bright smile, Hai Ku intertwined his fingers with Zhuoye Xingchen’s, looking every bit like the lady of the house.

While they were changing clothes in the bedroom earlier, they had already planned out exactly how they were going to turn the tables.

It was originally just about buying things; After all, spending money on things she didn’t need just to show off would be too much of a loss. For the first time, Hai Ku was actually grateful for his obsession with women’s fashion. He had already planned out exactly how to make the most of this opportunity.

The group appeared harmonious on the surface, but in reality, none of them could stand each other as they made their way to the department store.

Hai Ku maintained his usual bright smile. “Let’s go to the cosmetics section on the third floor first. My skincare products are almost finished, so I want to buy some before heading to the clothing stores on the fourth floor. After that, once we’re tired, we can go to the fifth floor to eat.”

“Sounds good, everything’s fine with me,” Han Yucheng responded, putting on an exaggerated display of attentiveness toward his girlfriend as he tried to turn the tide in his favor. “If you see anything you like, we’ll buy it. I noticed you don’t have a lot of makeup left. A woman should always take good care of herself and be willing to spend money on it.”

He actually had no idea how much women’s makeup and skincare products cost, but assuming they couldn’t be too expensive, Han Yucheng made bold claims, feeling quite proud of himself.

Hai Ku wanted exactly this kind of posturing from him, so he played along and praised him. “Xiao Li, your boyfriend is pretty nice! He’s absolutely right; women should take good care of themselves. The latest lipstick collection just came out; let’s go check it out!”

“That’s right,” Han Yucheng smirked, his gaze challenging as he looked at Zhuoye Xingchen. “A man should be willing to spend money on his girlfriend, don’t you think?”

Mother Han, sensing the underlying competition, didn’t know what to say. She could only follow along, hoping they wouldn’t start fighting inside the store.

“Sweetheart,” Hai Ku held Zhuoye Xingchen’s hand and walked straight to the lipstick display. “You said this shade looked great on me last time, but it was out of stock. Now they finally have it!”

“If they have it, then buy it. I remember how much you wanted it last time.” Without hesitation, Zhuoye Xingchen picked up a shopping basket and placed the lipstick inside. His casual attitude instantly irritated Han Yucheng.

Pulling his girlfriend along, Han Yucheng had initially planned to show off. But the moment he saw the price tag, he stopped dead in his tracks before reaching for a lipstick himself.

That tiny tube of lipstick actually cost that much?!

Han Yucheng felt like his understanding of the world had just been shattered.

Staring at Hai Ku with a strange expression, he spoke in a deliberately sarcastic tone, “Why does this lipstick cost over 500 yuan? Do you always use such expensive ones?”

“Not really. It’s just that these are limited edition and newly released, so they’re more expensive,” Hai Ku replied with a smile. “Normally, I use lipsticks that are only around 200 yuan each. Of course, there are some cheaper off-brand ones too. I just enjoy collecting lipsticks.”

Everything she said was pure nonsense. In reality, he only had two color-changing lip balms. But thanks to his thorough research, he spoke with such confidence that it sounded completely believable!