The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

The room fell into a silence, broken only by the sound of sobbing. Nian Zhenzhen’s eyes reddened as she tearfully said, “I’m sorry, Uncle, Aunt. I was so happy to see you that I forgot to mention the baby…”

Everyone stared at her, expressionless. How could she forget to mention something as important as who the father of the child was?

However, Nian Zhenzhen hadn’t explicitly claimed that the baby was He Dongchen’s.

After all the confusion, it seemed the only one to blame was herself for the misunderstanding. Mother He looked at the tearful Nian Zhenzhen, who was still pregnant, and found it hard to say anything more.

“I’ll check on my soup,” Father He broke the silence with his spoon in hand, then quietly turned and returned to the kitchen, his footsteps visibly heavier.

“Oh dear, I need some peace and quiet,” Mother He clutched her chest, slowly sitting down on the sofa for support. Her excitement had been for nothing, and her heart couldn’t take it.

He Dongchen shrugged, sitting down next to his mother and gently helping her calm down. He explained, “2 months ago, after you went on your trip, I ran into Nian Zhenzhen at the entrance of the community. She had nowhere to go, so I took her in. She’s just been helping with cooking and such. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. I never expected her to be pregnant.”

Mother He’s eyes widened slightly. 8 years without a word, and suddenly she reappears at the community entrance, pregnant? Goodness, was this Nian Zhenzhen planning to make my son take responsibility?

Reflecting on the recent misunderstanding, Mother He became alert, eyeing the lone figure of Nian Zhenzhen standing in the living room, and kept pressing, “Where have you been all these years? Who’s the father of the baby? Tell Aunt, and Aunt will stand up for you. Don’t be afraid.”

As long as she doesn’t pin it on my son, everything would be fine!

Mother He admitted she was being selfish; she didn’t want her son to be saddled with someone else’s child, not even if it was Nian Zhenzhen’s.

Her son was a young, talented man; why should he suddenly have to become a father and raise someone else’s child?

Nian Zhenzhen was overwhelmed, unable to cope, and kept crying, “Aunt, please don’t ask. I don’t want to say. Just consider the child fatherless.”

Mother He’s blood pressure soared, “You say that like it’s nothing! This is a child, not some stray cat or dog. How can you, a single girl, have and raise a child on your own?”

If she had the capability and a strong personality, that would be one thing. But Nian Zhenzhen wasn’t good in her studies, and after the college entrance exams, she went off on a trip and never got a degree. It’s hard for her to even find a decent job. And with this fragile, crying nature, how would she raise a child? Is she expecting our family to help?

Mother He suddenly felt like her son had brought home a troublesome burden. If she had known, she wouldn’t have been so kind back then, taking on the role of guardian and bringing herself a headache that she couldn’t scold or discipline. If it had been her own daughter coming back pregnant and crying without a word, she’d have surely scolded her to death and dragged her to the hospital for a procedure.

***

Nian Zhenzhen kept crying, endlessly crying, until the three people in the room were left expressionless. Eventually, Mother He couldn’t bear it anymore and sighed, stepping forward to console her.

After coaxing her back to her room to rest, the three of them looked at the table full of dishes; pickled fish, spicy stir-fried beef, sour radish, spicy cabbage, all sour and spicy, with aromas that stung their noses.

In an instant, things became even more troubling.

“Sit down and eat,” Father He said, having worked all afternoon. They couldn’t waste their meal over troubles.

The old couple ate without much appetite, while He Dongchen ate relatively calmly. The system, observing from above, could only shake its head in exasperation at how smoothly the boss handled the situation.

Mother He wore a worried expression and finally decided, “Tomorrow, I’ll take Nian Zhenzhen back to her place. I’ve kept the Nian family house clean all these years. She should go back to her own home. Otherwise, this isn’t right. By the way, son, for the past 2 months, if she hasn’t been working, all her expenses; food, drink, have been covered by you?”

“Hmm.” He Dongchen nodded. “When she arrived, she only had a phone and no money. All her clothes and other things, I bought for her.”

Mother He became even more distressed upon hearing that. How had the seemingly normal girl from 8 years ago become like this?

2 months without working, either she was lazy or knew she was pregnant. Regardless of the reason, it was now their son’s responsibility! If they hadn’t suddenly returned, would Nian Zhenzhen have continued to live off him until the baby was born and needed to be sent to preschool?

Mother He grew more anxious, believing that Nian Zhenzhen’s mindset was dangerous and needed to be cut off immediately.

“We’re going back tomorrow! Not a day’s delay!”

Father He had no objections; it was indeed inappropriate for a young girl, especially pregnant, to be living with a single man.

He Dongchen said, “I won’t see you off. Let Xiao Chen handle it.”

“No need for you to see us off. Stay away from home more often in the future,” Mother He said curtly, still fuming. With Nian Zhenzhen pregnant and unwilling to disclose who the father was, their son might be misunderstood if he got too close.

It would ruin his reputation and affect his future prospects.

He Dongchen rubbed his nose and continued eating.

After dinner, He Dongchen lingered for a while before picking up his coat and returning to the office.

***

The next day, Nian Zhenzhen, with swollen eyes, came out of her room. Seeing that He Dongchen was not around, she asked, “Did Dongchen go to work early? He’s working too hard.”

Mother He, who was packing things up, pursed her lips at this comment and bluntly said, “He left last night. After all, you’re a pregnant girl, and it wouldn’t be good if people misunderstood.”

Nian Zhenzhen, sensitive to the remark, turned pale immediately. She was at a loss for words, apologizing, “I’m sorry, Aunt. It was my fault for not clarifying things, which led to your misunderstanding.”

“Alright, enough crying. Hurry up and pack your things. We’ll take you home,” Mother He said, unable to bear Nian Zhenzhen’s tears and quickly cutting her off.

“Home?” Nian Zhenzhen was stunned, tears hanging on her face.

“Yeah, you’re going back to your own place. I live across the hall with my old husband. If you need anything, just call out. Dongchen has to work and is very busy, so he can’t keep an eye on you.”

Nian Zhenzhen suddenly remembered that she did have a home. When her parents from the Nian family died in a car accident years ago, she had no other relatives. Nian Zhenzhen inherited all the assets, including an old apartment and over 3 million in compensation.

She had spent the 3 million on gifts for Shang Nian, as she didn’t want to use Shang Nian’s money for that, feeling it would be insincere. However, the apartment was still safely kept.

Nian Zhenzhen felt a mix of emotions.

Under Mother He’s urging and assistance, she packed her luggage. Mother He looked at the two large suitcases filled with designer clothes and cosmetics, roughly estimating their worth to be over 100,000 yuan. She felt a pang of pain, gritting her teeth in frustration. Her son had spent all this money in just 2 months, while it had taken them a whole year of hard work to earn that much back when they ran their store!

Mother and Father He had privately discussed the situation the previous night. They had assumed that Nian Zhenzhen’s sudden return meant their son was rekindling an old flame and planning to confess. Instead, they found out Nian Zhenzhen was pregnant, and their son was unable to handle the situation, leaving them to clean up the mess.

This was quite the predicament.

The He parents sighed and delivered Nian Zhenzhen to her home. After a lot of fuss, she was finally settled.

During this time, neighbors who saw the Nian family’s door open came over to gossip and questioned Nian Zhenzhen with all sorts of chaotic remarks.

Nian Zhenzhen was overwhelmed, her stomach churning, and she ran to the bathroom to vomit.

The others exchanged glances, knowing from their own experiences that something was clearly off.

Someone asked Mother He, “What’s going on? Is this your son’s? I remember those two kids were close back in the day, going to and from school together.”

“Of course not!” Mother He snapped, quickly adding, “Nian Zhenzhen went traveling, didn’t she? She suddenly came back 2 months ago with a baby bump. It has nothing to do with my son, so don’t spread rumors and tarnish his reputation.”

“Okay, okay, no need to get worked up,” the others said with forced smiles, then turned their curiosity to asking about the father of Nian Zhenzhen’s baby, their eyes glinting with gossip.

Mother He, feeling a headache coming on, waved her hand dismissively. “She won’t say who the father is. Don’t ask anymore. She’s pregnant anyway. Just disperse.”

When Nian Zhenzhen finished throwing up and came out, the house was empty, with a faint musty smell lingering in the air. Mother He had already gone back home, Nian Zhenzhen had hoped she would stay and work, doing laundry, cooking, like a nanny.

***

After sending Nian Zhenzhen off, He Dongchen didn’t go home. He went directly to an agent to list the house for sale and started looking for a new place.

Staying at the company wasn’t a long-term solution. Knowing he was at the office, the staff’s overtime hours visibly increased. Even if they had no work, they would drag out their time until 7 or 8 in the evening. Although they appeared obedient, who knew what they were really thinking.

He Dongchen didn’t want to create a stressful atmosphere or disrupt the company’s environment, so he quickly sought a new place to move to.

Fortunately, the agent was efficient.

Within a week, the agent sold his house and found a new one for him; a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, stylishly decorated, and close to the company. It was ideal for a single person.

He Dongchen efficiently finalized the housing arrangements and focused his energy on work. The headhunting company he had contacted had poached a few experienced management talents, individuals with rich experience who had no prospects for advancement in large enterprises and were prepared to start in smaller companies.

He Dongchen took the time to meet with several of them but wasn’t satisfied. Each one had a high and mighty attitude, with strong control desires that his small company couldn’t accommodate.

After another unsatisfactory meeting, He Dongchen watched the person leave and took a sip of his coffee, leaning back on the sofa while contemplating whether to consider hiring a newcomer.

“Sorry to interrupt.” A voice came from the side, accompanied by the sound of high heels clicking on the tiles.

He Dongchen turned his head and followed the sound, seeing a young, beautiful woman dressed in a black blouse and long skirt, looking elegant and competent. She was slightly bowing her head, with a smile that was both appropriate and apologetic.

“What’s the matter?” He Dongchen asked.

Nan Shuang looked apologetic as she said, “I’m sorry. I overheard your conversation with that gentleman. If you have time, I would like to seize an opportunity for myself.” She pulled out a document from her bag and waved it slightly.