GUL Chapter 2: The Bitter Supporting Male Rewrites the Script Online

ARC 1: The Bitter Supporting Male Rewrites the Script Online

The man and the cat strolled through the dark tunnel. Above their heads, countless shooting stars dragged long, bright tails, shooting past like arrows. Qin Qing looked up at the countless shooting stars, his dark eyes filled with fragmented light. 996 turned its head to glance at him, momentarily mistaking the light for tears.

“Once you save up enough points to repair your body and soul, you can stay and become a divine envoy. Divine envoys have eternal life, you know?” 996 tested the waters.

“No, I want to go back.” Qin Qing looked down at the boundless, dark path beneath his feet.

“Why must you go back? Staying is the better choice.”

“Because I need to go back to see someone and ask one question.” Qin Qing blinked. A faint, damp glimmer appeared on his long eyelashes.

“See whom? Ask what?” 996 asked curiously.

But Qin Qing merely curved his lips into a smile, unwilling to answer.

“Even if you don’t tell me, I know! The person you want to see must be someone you love, and the question is just that one – ‘Do you love me or not?’ I guessed right, didn’t I?” 996 swished its tail triumphantly.

The damp glimmer on his eyelashes evaporated. Qin Qing looked down at the chubby little cat, his voice slightly hoarse: “Right, and not right.”

“What do you mean by ‘right and not right’? If you guess right, you guess right! Don’t be shy!” 996 teased even more triumphantly, then warned him: “I’m telling you in advance, doing missions is very hard work. You might experience death countless times, but you won’t truly die – just the body in the small world dies.”

Qin Qing nodded calmly: “I know. I’m not afraid of death.”

996 looked at his scar-covered body and felt that this assurance was quite convincing.

“Besides death, you might also be tortured, humiliated, trampled upon, used, deceived… In short, all kinds of bad things could happen to you, and you absolutely cannot resist. Whatever role the script gives you, you have to play it exactly as written.” 996 further warned.

“Script?” Qin Qing frowned.

“Oh, in your cultivation world’s terms, it’s the ‘thread of fate.’ The thread of fate arranged by the Heavenly Dao.”

“I understand.” Qin Qing frowned and nodded slightly. “The arrangements of the Heavenly Dao, the destined fate. I suppose facing such immense power, anyone would be powerless to resist.”

996 snorted, “Just make sure you understand. So, once you get to the small world, you have to listen to me! Oh dear, we’re almost there!”

No sooner had it spoken than a burst of white light suddenly erupted within the pitch-black tunnel, swallowing the man and the cat without warning. After tumbling chaotically in the turbulence for a while, Qin Qing knelt on the ground, dizzy. 996 lay on top of his head, forcing itself to ignore the nausea and look around, then let out a desperate shriek!

“Meow! Qin Qing, we’re done for! We’ve entered the world of the Heartless Monster! This world is stuck in an infinite loop! We can’t get out!”

Qin Qing had no time to pay attention to the utterly panicked 996. Clutching his burning stomach, kneeling on the filthy, stinking floor of a restroom, he leaned over the toilet and vomited violently. It was the height of summer, and the high heat fermented within this cramped space. The sticky sweat, the strong smell of alcohol, and the sour, foul stench of vomit made Qin Qing feel even more nauseous and dizzy. However, an even more uncomfortable headache surged in.

Many fragments of memories flooded into Qin Qing’s mind, allowing him to quickly understand his situation. He was currently promoting and selling liquor at the largest night market stall in Haishi City. To please customers, he was often forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, so being dead drunk was the norm. The burning sensation in his stomach was a sign of a gastric ulcer acting up.

“I think I need to go to the hospital right now.” Qin Qing spat out some bile, his voice faint.

“No! There’s an important plot point here that you need to complete!” 996 jumped from Qin Qing’s head onto the nearby sink and said authoritatively, “You can only go to the hospital after finishing the plot. If you don’t complete the plot, we won’t be able to break the loop and leave this place.”

“What loop?” Qin Qing vomited a few more times, his voice growing even fainter.

“There’s a problem with this world. The destined couple can never seem to get together, and one of them always ends up dying of a terminal illness. As soon as he dies, the whole world restarts, and then everything begins again, like an abyss you can never escape from!

“If you can successfully advance the plot, everyone’s fate will return to the right track, and the world won’t restart. Only then can we leave; otherwise, we will die. Because every restart consumes our soul power, and our souls will eventually be depleted one day.”

996 said worriedly.

“So I’m a glimmer of hope for this world?” Qin Qing stopped vomiting and breathed with difficulty.

“Yes, you are the only variable, the only hope. You are very important.” 996 nodded firmly.

Qin Qing covered his increasingly cramping stomach with his cold hands, his breathing becoming rapid. 996 knew exactly what kind of torment he was suffering right now. A gastric ulcer acting up is truly agonizing, but this was how the plot was written. Qin Qing had to endure this suffering whether he wanted to or not, for who was he but a supporting male character? Especially since the upcoming plot would plunge Qin Qing into an even more tragic situation.

“Do you still want to go back and see that person? Do you still want to ask him that one question?” 996 deliberately poked at Qin Qing’s vulnerable spot.

Qin Qing, whose pupils were slowly losing focus as if he would faint any second, suddenly clenched his jaw.

“What’s my first plot point?” He wiped the bitter bile from the corner of his lips and asked in a hoarse voice.

“Your first plot point is selling alcohol. Get up quickly and finish selling all the liquor in the inventory. If you don’t sell it all, you won’t have the money for your sister’s tutoring fees.” 996 looked at its smart brain with feigned seriousness.

Actually, the first plot point wasn’t selling alcohol, but the series of disasters caused by selling alcohol. The reason 996 didn’t tell Qin Qing the truth was that after the disaster, he would become disabled. 996 was afraid Qin Qing would rebel. But Qin Qing probably wouldn’t rebel; he had an obsession in his heart. For people in the cultivation world, an obsession is a demon of the heart. And such a demon isn’t easily broken.

“If I gave you a chance to return alive to your original world, but there was a one percent chance it would cost you your body being shattered to pieces and your soul scattered, would you take it?” 996 tested again.

“Willing! I have long since been shattered to pieces and had my soul scattered for him.” Qin Qing brushed his sweat-dampened hair back behind his head and chuckled softly.

996 immediately thought of Qin Qing’s scar-covered body and his already broken heart. So, he truly was willing to give everything for the obsession in his heart.

996’s mind was completely put at ease. It urged, “Then what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go sell all the liquor in the inventory.”

Qin Qing, clutching his severely cramping stomach, stumbled as he tried to stand up, but the restroom door was kicked open by a middle-aged, burly man, who said in a harsh, angry voice, “Qin Qing, you fucking drunk bastard again! The amount of alcohol you’ve sold isn’t even as much as you’ve drunk. If you keep this up, you’ll fucking drive me bankrupt! Let me tell you, you have to sell all the liquor in the warehouse today, or you won’t see a single cent!”

“See, here comes the plot point. Go sell the alcohol quickly.” 996, perched on the sink, chimed in, then warned, “Just talk to me in your heart. I can hear you. These mortals can’t hear me when I speak, and if I don’t want them to, they can’t see me either.”

Qin Qing had just stood up when his legs gave way, and he knelt back down. Covering his severely cramping stomach with both hands, he turned his head to look at the middle-aged, burly man and said in a weak voice, “Sorry, Brother Jiang. It’s my lack of ability that’s hindering your business. I’ll go sell the alcohol right away.”

He was already dead drunk now. His misty eyes were filled with a moist sheen, the long ends of his narrow eyes tinged with a rosy flush. His smooth forehead and tall, straight nose bridge were covered in fine beads of sweat. His originally chapped lips were now suffused with a morbid, deep red.

He was weak and dejected, yet it was precisely this weakness and dejection that made him look even more eerily handsome, like a flower blooming to its fullest, about to wither at any moment, emitting a decaying yet intense fragrance. The middle-aged, burly man, who had been banging on the door with a fierce, malevolent look on his face, suddenly froze in place. Was… was Qin Qing always this good-looking? He thought, somewhat dazedly.

996, standing on the sink, saw Qin Qing’s appearance, and its tone suddenly became startled: “Qin Qing, what’s going on with your face?”

Qin Qing was a soul transmigrator, possessing the original body’s owner. He was supposed to be using the original owner’s plain, cool-looking face. But the Qin Qing before him now still had his own original appearance.

“This is my racial talent.” Qin Qing stood up shakily and walked to the sink to wash his face.

As he cupped water in his hands and splashed it onto his face, Qin Qing smiled extremely eerily, hidden from view. This outcome was clearly something he had anticipated.

“I’ve never heard of such a racial talent! Aren’t you a rosebush?” 996 pressed urgently.

But Qin Qing had already walked out of the restroom without a word and said leisurely to the burly man, “Brother Jiang, my clothes are too dirty. I’m going to go across the street to buy a new set, then I’ll come back to sell the alcohol.”

There were many clothing wholesale stores right across the street. Buying a new set of clothes would only take ten minutes round trip. Brother Jiang looked at Qin Qing’s handsome, rosy-flushed face and nodded quite gently. Qin Qing tried his best to steady his steps and walked slowly across the street.

996 chased behind him, its tone very worried: “I have a feeling that face of yours is going to cause us big trouble!”

Qin Qing chuckled softly, as if the cramping pain in his stomach had even lessened somewhat.

“Yes, this face has always caused trouble.” He gently stroked his slightly flushed cheeks and said in a low, husky voice, “But there’s no way to hide it, so what do you suggest I do?”

“You’re a soul transmigrator, there’s no way you can’t hide it! Are you really a flower spirit? You’re not lying to me, are you?” 996 was starting to get suspicious.

It had originally thought Qin Qing had a very gentle personality and would be easy to fool, becoming the most useful tool in its paws. But the sudden change made it less certain.

Finally reaching the other side of the street, Qin Qing stopped by the roadside, looked down at the chubby little cat, and asked softly, “Do you know what a flower’s mission is?”

“To bear fruit?” 996 was utterly confused. It didn’t understand why the topic had jumped to this.

Qin Qing gently swayed his slender index finger, his voice low and slow: “No. It’s to bloom beautifully.” As he finished speaking, he curled his crimson thin lips into a slight smile, his handsome face radiating a fatal attraction.

996 stared, dumbfounded. After a long while, it muttered angrily under its breath: “Holy meow! So that’s it! Flower spirits are such a pain. Why do they care so much about being beautiful?”

While the chubby little cat was hopping around in anger, Qin Qing had already walked up to the only clothing store that was still open. It was now midnight, the night market stalls were at their busiest, but the other shops had already closed for the day. The owner of this clothing store had turned off the lights and was walking out with a large padlock in her hand.

Qin Qing leaned one hand on the glass door and said softly, “I’m sorry, could I buy a set of clothes from you? It will only take ten minutes of your time.”

The store owner, standing with her back to Qin Qing, replied impatiently as she hung the lock, “No! Can’t you see I’ve already locked the door?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Then I’ll try another store.”

The man’s disappointed voice was low and husky, like a cello being slowly played in the night. The store owner’s eardrums suddenly began to itch, and she turned her head sharply to look at Qin Qing. Their eyes met. A pair of drunken, misty, moist eyes, shimmering with tiny, gentle fragments of light. His eerie, handsome face, covered in a flush, was smiling bitterly, exuding a decadent and fragile aura…

Was this man real? The store owner was stunned. After a long moment, she also noticed that the man’s arm was propped on the glass door, and she was standing right next to it, as if she were half-embraced by him. The store owner felt a bit dizzy, and her chubby body began to slump uncontrollably towards Qin Qing.

But at that moment, Qin Qing withdrew his arm propped on the glass door, politely stepped back, and then gently supported the store owner. Once she was steady, he immediately let go and asked gently, “May I buy a set of clothes from you? I’m very sorry to bother you, but I’m truly in a terrible state right now.”

Qin Qing looked down bitterly at the T-shirt and jeans he was wearing, which were soaked with cold sweat. He looked very disheveled right now, yet this dishevelment was not at all unpleasant; instead, it evoked a strong sense of pity and affection.

The store owner’s cheeks flushed, and then she hurriedly and fumblingly opened the lock she had just hung, saying urgently, “Yes, yes! I’ll open the door for you right away!”

Ten minutes later, Qin Qing, wearing a crisp new white shirt and a pair of straight black suit trousers, slowly walked back across the street towards the night market stalls.

The store owner stood at her shop door, waving to him absentmindedly, her voice floating: “Qin Qing, I’ll be getting new styles tomorrow. You have to come! I’ll give you a few sets of new clothes! You look good in anything!”

Qin Qing turned and waved back at the store owner, a gentle, water-like smile on his face. The store owner covered her burning cheeks, completely infatuated. 996 walked along, eyeing Qin Qing worriedly. Being this handsome, could he really be a supporting male character? As if completely unaware of the little fat cat’s concern, Qin Qing looked ahead at the bustling, noisy night market stalls and smiled slightly. “See, this face isn’t always causing trouble.”

996 rubbed the concrete floor anxiously with its short, chubby little paws. With this unexpected change, wouldn’t the original script get thrown into chaos? Not causing trouble? How could that be! What it wanted was for Qin Qing to cause endless trouble!