The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

“Over 200 yuan for one?” Han Yucheng’s expression darkened even more. He picked up a lipstick from the display, examining it with a disdainful look. “You must’ve overpaid. Look at these; most of them cost 40 or 50 yuan at most, some even just a dozen yuan each. Spending over 200 yuan on a single lipstick is just too wasteful, don’t you think?”

Lipstick isn’t even a necessity, yet she was buying so many at such a high price. Han Yucheng became even more convinced that his brother’s girlfriend was far from sensible.

Not like his own girlfriend; she could be pleased with just a 40- or 50-yuan lipstick.

“Sweetheart…” Ignoring Han Yucheng completely, Hai Ku turned to Zhuoye Xingchen. “Do you think I’m being wasteful too?”

“Not at all. Just like how you don’t mind me collecting shoes, and those are way more expensive than lipstick. Being able to buy them for you makes me happy.” He picked up another lipstick from the display and smiled. “I actually wanted to do some research and pick the perfect shade for you, but honestly, I can’t tell the difference between these colors…”

“Handsome, the one you’re holding is this year’s trendy ‘Burnt Tomato’ shade. With your girlfriend’s fair complexion, she can pull off any lipstick color beautifully.”

The sales assistant had been listening for a while. She already found Han Yucheng unpleasant, but she was genuinely pleased by Zhuoye Xingchen’s words.

As a woman herself, she understood and couldn’t help but envy Hai Ku for having such a thoughtful boyfriend.

Xiao Li’s face turned a little awkward. If they were surrounded by strangers, she might not have felt so bad. But right now, the way Han Yucheng was treating his girlfriend made for a stark contrast; one that put her in a very uncomfortable position.

“Burnt Tomato is a nice shade, but I actually want the ‘Queen Red’ from XX brand; the matte version. Hmm… but I suddenly forgot the exact shade number.” Looking a bit troubled, Hai Ku turned to the sales assistant for help.

“I’ll check if we still have the ‘Queen Red’ from XX brand in stock. Please wait here for a moment.” Seeing that these customers were big spenders, the sales assistant smiled brightly and went to check the inventory.

“Xiao Li, is there a lipstick shade you like?” Hai Ku continued browsing the counter, shifting his focus entirely to Han Yucheng’s girlfriend; hoping she would realize just what kind of boyfriend she had chosen.

“No, I just bought one a couple of days ago…” Xiao Li no longer had any expectations that a certain someone would pay for her. She only regretted not bringing her own money.

Hai Ku nodded and didn’t say much more, only pretending to continue picking out lipsticks.

“Brother, aren’t you going to buy one for your girlfriend?” Just because Hai Ku remained silent didn’t mean Zhuoye Xingchen would. Holding the shopping basket, he asked the question in a deliberately insincere tone.

Han Yucheng glanced at the basket, seeing how much had already been spent just on a few lipsticks. “If you search online, you can find tons of lipsticks for much cheaper. You could buy so many more with this kind of money.”

Xiao Li’s face darkened even further, and even Mother Han looked uncomfortable. She quietly leaned in and whispered to her son, “Xiao Cheng, why don’t you at least buy Xiao Li a branded lipstick?”

“Mom, you know I just started working; not like I have that much money. Xiao Li is a sensible girl; she wouldn’t want to spend so much on a single lipstick.” Han Yucheng confidently patted his mother’s shoulder. “Right, Xiao Li?”

“Mm.” With a stiff expression, Xiao Li nodded without another word.

Mother Han felt a little relieved seeing Xiao Li agree, but something still felt off.

***

Once the sales assistant brought out the new lipstick, Hai Ku immediately checked out and paid for two lipsticks.

“Where to next? Do you need skincare products?” Han Yucheng, trying to regain some control, immediately walked over to a nearby skincare counter. “I’ve heard a lot of the girls at my company talking about this brand, so it must be good. Xiao Li, didn’t you say your skincare products were running out? Let’s check it out.”

The brand he pointed at was the well-known “White Rabbit” skincare line. He had overheard many female colleagues discussing it at work, saying it was a high-quality Japanese brand with great results.

Since so many women talked about it, and since several of his female colleagues had bought it, he assumed the price must be reasonable. At the very least, he couldn’t let his girlfriend leave empty-handed after coming all this way; it would be too embarrassing.

“Mm.” Xiao Li took one look at the brand and already knew she wouldn’t be getting anything. But since Han Yucheng insisted, she decided to go along; just to see how far he would disappoint her this time.

Hai Ku was thrilled. He leaned in close to Zhuoye Xingchen and whispered, “I researched this brand before; just 15ml of their serum costs over 2,000 yuan.”

Zhuoye Xingchen immediately perked up, grinning as he pulled Hai Ku toward the counter. “Xiao Hai, you’re running low on skincare products too. Want to see if anything here suits you?”

“Humph.” Han Yucheng shot him a glare before striding into the store. As soon as he entered, he confidently told the sales assistant, “Wrap up a full set for me; the toner, lotion, serum, everything.”

The sales assistant was momentarily startled but quickly asked, “Sir, which set would you like? And who is it for?”

“There’s a difference between these?” Han Yucheng was genuinely confused.

“Of course,” the sales assistant smiled and then looked at Xiao Li. “For example, if it’s for this young lady, we would recommend the youthful and radiant set. If it’s for this… lovely lady here, there’s a different set. The prices vary, and each set is tailored for specific needs. Also, we need to see whether you want just the toner and lotion or a full set including serum. We also have a variety of facial masks in our store. You’re welcome to take a look.”

“I don’t need anything. Aunt, you should check it out,” Xiao Li smiled. She knew all about this brand’s skincare products, and judging from how Han Yucheng had reacted over the lipsticks earlier, she already knew what kind of person he was. She didn’t want to embarrass herself any further in this place, so she gently pushed Mother Han toward Han Yucheng. “I’ll sit here and wait for you.”

“You’re so considerate…” Han Yucheng whispered in Xiao Li’s ear, feeling pleased with himself. Buying skincare products for his mother would also make him look good.

“Would you like to do a skin analysis?” the sales assistant asked.

“I don’t need one,” Hai Ku shook his head. “I’ve had one done before. I just want to buy a bottle of toner. Could you wrap up the 230ml one for me? That’s the only thing I need.”

“Sure. Will you be paying with cash or card?” The sales assistant was delighted to deal with such a straightforward customer.

“Card.” Zhuoye Xingchen smiled and followed the sales assistant to the checkout. Seeing Han Yucheng trailing behind, Zhuoye Xingchen deliberately lowered his voice and said, “Add the serum to my purchase too, but don’t let my girlfriend find out…”

“Are you referring to the ‘Little Lightbulb’?” The sales assistant glanced at Hai Ku before asking softly.

“I’m not sure what it’s called, but my girlfriend mentioned a 15ml bottle that costs over 2,000 yuan…”

Han Yucheng’s heart skipped a beat, and his face darkened. “What kind of product costs that much? Is it made of gold? 15ml for over 2,000 yuan…”

But before he could say more, the sales assistant had already brought out the items. Zhuoye Xingchen swiped his card and then smiled smugly. “Don’t you know the price range of products here? It’s fine if you can’t afford anything and just want to browse, but coming into the store just to complain is a bit much, don’t you think?”

Han Yucheng’s face turned even darker. “What do you mean? It’s just some liquid; how expensive could it be?”

“Then why don’t you buy a set?” Zhuoye Xingchen, having learned a few tricks from Hai Ku, put on an innocent expression as he spoke.

He knew that Han Yucheng had just started working and was only making around 3,000 yuan a month. But he also knew that Han Yucheng was prideful and had always loved competing with him since childhood.

Although his stepmother hadn’t outright mistreated him when he was young, there was always a stark difference between a biological son and a stepchild.

Compared to himself, Han Yucheng had been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth. People like him were selfish and self-centered, always prioritizing their own benefit above all else.

Zhuoye Xingchen’s mother had passed away from illness when he was 6 years old, and Han Yucheng, his half-brother, was only 3 years younger than him. As a child, he hadn’t understood what that truly meant. But as he grew older, he found it disgusting.

He found his father disgusting.

He hadn’t understood back then why his mother, lying on her sickbed, had secretly given him certain valuables and warned him not to tell his father.

It wasn’t until he grew up that he realized his mother had been gradually transferring all her assets away, little by little, over 3 years…

From the moment he understood all of that, Zhuoye Xingchen never spent another cent from the family. Even the house he lived in had been left by his mother, later transferred to him by his grandfather when he turned 18.

Since Han Yucheng liked competing with him, he was going to make sure Han Yucheng understood just how vast the gap between them truly was.

***

“Sales assistant, wrap up the set you just mentioned; the one suitable for my mother. I’ll pay with WeChat.” With a cold expression, Han Yucheng was determined. Even if it meant spending his entire month’s salary, he wanted to outshine Han Yuchen.

“Which set would you like? Do you want to include the serum and face cream?”

“I already said I want the best. Obviously, I need the full set.” Han Yucheng walked up to the counter, pulling out his phone and opening his payment QR code. “Let’s pay first.”

“Alright…” The cashier, startled by his grim expression, processed the payment. Then, after a moment, she hesitated and said, “I’m sorry, but your balance is insufficient…”