Chapter 1#
The Male and Female Leads Go Public#
“Let me introduce you—this is my girlfriend, Ruan Mian.”
“Hello, I’m Ruan Mian.”
The girl wore a high ponytail and a long dress, pretty and poised. She had on only light makeup, and when she smiled, she radiated sincere warmth and brightness—a stark contrast to her soft, adorable name, her temperament instead bold and free-spirited.
Even while being introduced, the young couple stayed pressed close together, their clingy posture making it obvious to anyone that they were deep in the honeymoon phase.
“And this is my brother who I’ve grown up with since we were kids, He Xu. Just like his name suggests, he’s a particularly good-natured pushover.”
Yin Feiyang introduced him grandly, yet his eyes remained glued to the girl the entire time. Only after Ruan Mian had exchanged greetings with He Xu did his gaze finally drift back to his friend.
Yin Feiyang invited, “The play Mianmian likes has its premiere today, and we managed to grab last-minute tickets. Want to come along?”
He Xu looked at his beaming friend and shook his head. “I won’t be a third wheel. There are still some matters at the unit that need handling anyway, so I’ll head back first.”
“Aren’t you on leave? Why do you still have business to deal with? You’ve always been top-tier efficient… Did they dump all the troublesome miscellaneous work on you again?”
Yin Feiyang immediately looked over with concern, brows furrowing as his expression darkened, coldness settling across his handsome features—instantly reverting to the familiar look He Xu remembered.
The two had grown up together. Yin Feiyang had always been cold-faced and languid, and with his striking looks, he’d never shaken off the label of “cool guy” since childhood.
Countless people described him as aloof and hard to approach.
But now, the man in love seemed to have regressed to his teenage years.
He Xu even felt that the other had transformed into some sort of canine, able to vaguely see a tail wagging joyfully behind him.
To this, he wasn’t surprised in the least.
After all, Yin Feiyang was none other than the male lead of this novel, Summer Breeze. The girl beside him was precisely his destined true love—the novel’s legitimate female lead.
The feelings between the two would soften the emptiness and dullness that had always filled Yin Feiyang’s heart, allowing him to find true warmth.
And he, He Xu, was the villainous supporting character in the book who secretly pined for the second female lead. To help her get what she wanted, he would spare no effort in sabotaging the protagonists’ relationship, commit every evil deed imaginable, and ultimately end up completely estranged from the male lead.
He had always been aware of the plot, and aware of his own role. It was just that for so many years, the female lead had never appeared.
Now the plot was finally back on track, and he could almost foresee his increasingly difficult future.
From this moment on, his persona would shift from “the male lead’s good brother and trusted partner, the gentle and kind He Xu” to “the venomous supporting character who pines for the second female lead, despises the female lead, commits every evil, and meets a miserable end.”
Honestly… it made his vision go dark.
He Xu had always been gentle and amiable, habitually greeting others with a smile. Under the sudden impact of the plot development, he rarely lost control of his expression—and Yin Feiyang, who was always watching him, caught it precisely.
Yin Feiyang: “Did you take on all their work again in one go? Someone so shrewd and sharp when handling affairs—how do you not know how to tactfully refuse and think of yourself for once? I’ll message them right now and tell them to handle their own duties. And you—you need to learn to say no!”
Throughout their lives, Yin Feiyang had always defended He Xu like this.
The male lead’s high-end family background plus his famously tough temper—with his protection, He Xu had effectively latched onto the male lead’s golden thigh, developing smoothly all the way.
Knowing that the plot would soon push him to the opposite side of that golden thigh, He Xu sighed inwardly, but on the surface he quickly reined in his emotions and picked his smile back up.
“It’s fine, I know what I’m doing. You two enjoy yourselves.”
Yin Feiyang wanted to say more but was pulled back by Ruan Mian.
Perhaps women were more attuned to emotions. She tugged at her boyfriend, first thanking He Xu, then pressing an exquisite card into his hand.
“This shop’s desserts are absolutely delicious. Since Deputy General He is on leave, why not go give it a try? A change of scenery might do you good.”
With that, she glanced down at her watch and hooked her arm through Yin Feiyang’s. “We need to hurry—any later and we’ll be late!”
Yin Feiyang let himself be pulled along as she quickened her pace, looking back every few steps. “I’ll send them a message the moment I get the chance. Whatever work isn’t yours to handle, drop it all and just enjoy your leave!”
“We’ve been to that shop too—the food really is good. You should go relax a bit as well!”
He Xu smiled and nodded. “Alright, thank you. Go on, hurry.”
Watching the male and female leads walk off side by side, until their backs completely vanished from sight, only then did the smile on his face slowly fade.
He had transmigrated from the 21st century into this fictional alternate-world novel, and over twenty years had already passed in the blink of an eye.
Unlike its seemingly fresh and innocent title, Summer Breeze was actually an alternate-future interstellar novel. The male lead was a Star Alliance general who campaigned across the galaxy, while the female lead was an outstanding frontline medical officer.
Running parallel to their romantic storyline was the plotline of them fighting side by side to defend their homeland and conquer the stars.
Unlike the novel’s highly advanced mecha technology and rich variety of alien races, this novel had no ABO setting. Daily life was also similar to ordinary living in the 21st century, with only certain technological products hinting at a futuristic feel.
In He Xu’s words, the author probably took the easy way out when writing, reusing a large framework of modern life—not exactly a rigorously constructed interstellar novel.
After transmigrating, he was instead grateful for the author’s lack of rigor. It meant he didn’t stand out as a sore thumb, while still getting to personally experience futuristic creations like starships and mechs that had only ever existed in his imagination.
Over the past twenty-plus years, he had approached the male lead as his sidekick, step by step becoming Yin Feiyang’s most trusted brother. After Yin Feiyang earned military merit and became a general, He Xu naturally rose to become the top commander’s deputy, managing the unit’s various affairs.
Influenced by all sorts of modern mecha comics, films, and TV dramas, He Xu had always harbored a passion for mechs. He poured that passion entirely into his work and training, which inadvertently led Yin Feiyang and everyone around him to mistakenly believe that he was pushing himself so hard purely to keep pace with the general’s footsteps.
This misunderstanding actually helped with the future plot, so he naturally never bothered to correct it.
At this moment, He Xu held the card the female lead had given him, his emotions somewhat complicated.
In the book, the female lead was never a naive fool—she was instead clever and sharp, repeatedly helping the male lead defuse crises. But it wasn’t until meeting her face to face that He Xu realized how thin the words on the page truly were.
Far more than clever? From a single first meeting, she had keenly sensed that his mood was off and quietly offered comfort.
Meanwhile, his longtime friend had eyes only for his girlfriend.
He Xu: Hah, that traitorous, love-blinded bastard.
The dessert shop on the card had gained massive fame on the StarNet recently, appearing on multiple food programs, even rumored to have a healing effect on the soul.
He Xu didn’t have many hobbies, but sweets were one of them.
However, he had always maintained the persona of a “workaholic who doesn’t enjoy leisure” in front of the male lead, never revealing this preference, nor was it convenient to bring up now.
As a result, over all these years, he’d never had the chance to taste any desserts or pastries.
A shop recommended by the kind-hearted female lead naturally couldn’t be bad.
But he couldn’t go.
According to the original supporting character’s personality, even if he appeared warm and friendly to the female lead on the surface, deep down he had despised Yin Feiyang’s choice from the very first meeting.
He Xu could only grit his teeth, silently memorizing the shop’s address and contact information on the card, then tore it to shreds and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
Just this morning, when he’d received the male lead’s video call and headed out to the appointment, the system that had been silent for years suddenly surfaced.
A prickling numbness accompanied by an electric current washed over him—a punishment nearly suffocating in its intensity, making unmistakably clear the consequences of deviating from the plot.
He Xu didn’t dare gamble with his life. But on second thought, the villainous supporting character’s plans were riddled with holes. Even if he failed, at worst he’d just ruin his own reputation—it wouldn’t truly harm anyone else. So he accepted his new identity with equanimity.
Next, he was supposed to go tip off the second female lead.
“Deputy General He? Is the General with you right now?”
He Xu answered the video call, the screen immediately displaying the second female lead’s exquisite, stunning face—Song Yaya, the object of his “secret crush” for all these years in the script.
He gently shook his head.
“Then do you know where the General went? I have some work matters I need to report to him. It’s urgent, but I can’t get in touch with him.”
As the second female lead in the book, Song Yaya was also a favored daughter of heaven—noble birth, professionally trained in etiquette, bearing, and social grace, with no shortage of suitors.
Even with her heart full of adoration for Yin Feiyang, she had never resorted to underhanded tactics. She maintained her ladylike composure perfectly, never clinging or pestering. At most, she’d use work collaborations to showcase her personal charm and draw closer.
Just like now—she genuinely had official business for Yin Feiyang. With her personality, had it not been an absolute emergency, she would never have disturbed him during his leave.
Proper in approach, capable and beautiful—girls like this were naturally likable.
It wasn’t strange that the original supporting character had secretly loved her. But for the current He Xu, aside from the “secret crush” persona forcibly imposed by the plot, he truly felt nothing beyond friendship toward Song Yaya.
After all, when you’ve watched a snot-nosed little girl grow up into a graceful young woman with an adult’s mindset, what you feel deep down is more like a brother’s or father’s affection—nothing romantic blooms from that.
Thinking of how the little girl he’d watched grow up would soon be secretly heartbroken over the male and female lead’s relationship, He Xu groped his way toward something resembling the bitterness a villain should feel.
He Xu: “He’s not available right now. Tell me what it is first.”
In the end, like the original character, he couldn’t bear to look into those expectant eyes and tell her that the male and female leads had gone out on a date.
Song Yaya tactfully declined: “You already have so much work; you probably can’t spare the attention. It’s fine—when the General has time, please help me get in touch with him.”
Had this been the original He Xu, he’d have been deeply moved at this moment. In truth, the current He Xu did feel a warmth in his chest—until Song Yaya’s next words came out.
“Forget it, I’ll just go find him myself. Tell me where the General is right now? I’m only dropping off some documents. Oh, and that investigation and analysis report you were assigned before—you haven’t finished it yet, have you? When I get back, I’ll help you write it.”
He Xu’s smile froze. On the other side of the light screen, Song Yaya raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone carrying a hint of knowing exasperation: “I just returned to the unit today and saw everyone celebrating their time off. Their annual leave hasn’t even started yet, and when I asked, they said all the work was done. Sure enough, you took on everyone’s tasks again, didn’t you? You forgot the lesson from last time when you worked yourself into the medical pod? If you collapse again, the General will have a headache over it!”
“Anyway, I won’t keep you. I’ll go grab the documents first, then come find you. Sort through things and see what work you can hand off to me—I’ll come pick it up later.”
With that, she efficiently ended the video call.
When facing He Xu, this elegant noble lady was quite the queen—a temperament spoiled into existence by He Xu’s willingness to cater to her every need since childhood.
She chased after the male lead while still remembering her “older brother”—He Xu was genuinely touched.
But the problem remained: given the current situation, how exactly was he supposed to explain where the male lead had gone?