It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead

Chapter 8.9

Translated by Eve

Edited by Juurensha

Lin Zhan was in a rare, absent-minded mood during training. He thought furiously about how he should act when he met General Adonis—respectful, but distant.

Later, when he had actually met the general, Lin Zhan’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch. Indeed, he had been thinking too much.

Even if the giant chasm that was the difference in rank made it hard for people to get close, you didn’t have to completely ignore me! I’m not invisible, ok?! If you’re talking to me, then please look at me! Lin Zhan stood next to Sui Yuan, listening attentively to Adonis’ explanation of their training regimen and began to doubt his own existence.

After Adonis finished explaining and he gestured to the two people to begin training, Lin Zhan discovered that being ignored wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.

Although he was naturally gentle, he could not bear to be looked at with that relentless being-fed-up-with-this-third-wheel kind of gaze that seemed to say ’you’re unnecessary and so annoying’. Furthermore, since he and Sui Yuan shared a sense of camaraderie during training, they would habitually share a smile after cooperating well.

Lin Zhan felt that his head would soon explode due to Adonis’ resentful stare!

Of course, to suffer a glare that made him feel like he was being given a death of a thousand cuts was only the first level. After their cooperative training ended, it was time for their 1vs1 combative training. Lin Zhan, who had just been chosen to be personally trained by Adonis, found out what a fate worse than death truly meant.

He was ruthlessly beat down over and over again by his opponent mercilessly. Lin Zhan endured the pain that was transmitted to his brain via the psycho-sensor. He felt as if he was continuously being beaten to the brink of death.

The virtual reality machine that Adonis used provided a much more realistic experience than the ones that the trainees had at the training camp. It made people feel as if they were actually on the battleground.

The attacks that rained down on him like a squall and the bleak, solemn surroundings gave Lin Zhan a fully immersive experience, to the point that he even forgot that he was in the middle of training. The enemy’s black, monster-like Mecha looked like it came out of his nightmares. No matter how he fought and resisted, he was easily strangled to death. This feeling of deep despair made Lin Zhan almost fall apart, right until he disconnected. After disconnecting, he sat in the training capsule for a long time with a deathly pale face, in a cold sweat..

"...Is...he ok?" Sui Yuan looked at Lin Zhan worriedly, after crawling out of his own training capsule, He couldn’t help but feel that Adonis had gone too far.

"It’s nothing. He’s a ’protagonist’ after all. If he’s defeated this easily, then he doesn’t deserve to exist," Adonis rubbed Sui Yuan’s hair. He wiped the sweat on the other’s forehead gently and considerately. His tone while speaking was cold to the point of near cruelty.

"....I guess so," Sui Yuan nodded. Although he agreed, he was still worried. He bluntly pushed Adonis away and walked to Lin Zhan’s side. He helped his fellow trainee, who was still weak, out of the capsule, "I’ll take him to the Body Restoration Capsule so he can recover. His first training was too difficult; it’d be bad if there were any hidden problems."

"...As you wish," Adonis was a bit unwilling as he nodded his head. His brows furrowed as he sniffed the faint scent in the air, "Remember to open the door. He exerted too much mental power, so his pheromones are out of control. Even if he’s using an Omega inhibitor, it might not be able to suppress them."

Sui Yuan paused his steps for a moment and swept a glance at Adonis. He discovered that the Alpha’s face was not red, and his heart was not beating any faster either. His gaze was calm, and his rationality was still intact, as if he wasn’t affected at all. At this, Sui Yuan let out a faint sigh of relief.

—-Although he believed in Adonis’ self control, Sui Yuan also did not want to see him lose himself.

When he saw Sui Yuan disappear out the door while supporting Lin Zhan, after making sure the other could no longer see him, Adonis knitted his brows as he leaned against the wall. He steadied himself, who had been aroused by the sweet scent. His breathing was a bit quick.

"If he were to go into heat, how much more intense would it be compared to now?" Adonis closed his eyes. His great self-control and adaptability let him quickly return to normal. Very quickly, he was able to defy the pheromones invasion.

Adonis’ original body had probably undergone Omega pheromone resistance training–all soldiers would have been required to do this kind of training, in order to ensure that they would not crumble against the enemy’s pheromone bombs. In addition, Zhao Xihe himself possessed great willpower. To endure this level of Omega pheromones wasn’t that difficult a task.

"If he were to go into heat, then the intensity would increase by at least tenfold," 0007 replied in a robotic voice.

"That’s really a bit troublesome...." Adonis’s eyebrows furrowed, but he wasn’t too worried. With the plot in hand, he could make sure to completely avoid Lin Zhan during his heat. Furthermore, even if he couldn’t avoid it, his willpower was strong enough for him to find a way to resist it–for example, he could use a filter cover to isolate the pheromones in the air.

If he were to be disconnected from the system after their departure from the plot from faking their deaths, then at that time, he and Lin Zhan would already have nothing to do with one another. Aside from Lin Zhan, whose pheromones had a 95% compatibility level with him, Adonis was confident that he could remain calm amidst any other Omega’s heat.

So, all in all, things looked good.

—-95%, hehe, indeed only the protagonist CP would be qualified to have this kind of compatibility that appeared only once a millenium. This was simply fraud.

While Adonis silently cursed this fraudulent 95%, Lin Zhan who was placed into the Body Restoration Capsule by Sui Yuan quickly recovered.

After all, he had only consumed too much mental power. Lin Zhan quickly regained his regular calm upon awakening.

"How do you feel?" Sui Yuan felt that Adonis who had been disturbed by the pheromones probably needed some time alone to calm down (Adonis: I don’t need that at all!), so he simply didn’t return and stayed to keep Lin Zhan company, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

"I’m feeling great," Lin Zhan smiled slightly and touched the Body Restoration capsule, deeply moved, "I never thought that one day I would be able to use this. Isn’t this too much of a waste? I had only exhausted my mental power."

"It’s fine. Anyways, Adonis has a lot of money," Sui Yuan’s mouth twitched, complaining, "From now on, you’re like me. You’ll be a frequent visitor here–Although the reason is a bit different."

"What do you mean?" Lin Zhan tilted his head, doubtfully.

"What I mean is that Adonis’ training is really severe. You have to be prepared to be injured at any time," Sui Yuan patted the Body Restoration Capsule at a distance. His voice held a consoling tone.

"...Previously, General Adonis also trained you like this?" Lin Zhan’s expression twisted. He really didn’t know how to feel about this training he just experienced.

"...To tell you the truth, he treats you worse," Sui Yuan said frankly.

"I also think so," Lin Zhan nodded, understanding things clearly, "If he had treated you this way during training, and you still developed feelings for him, then I think I would feel the need to recommend that you go seek treatment at a mental institution."

Sui Yuan: ".................."

Sui Yuan, who was nearly mistaken to be an M, accompanied Lin Zhan through all of the Body Restoration procedures. When Lin Zhan exited the Body Restoration Capsule, Sui Yuan immediately discovered that Lin Zhan had already changed drastically.

After only one virtual battlefield session, Lin Zhan’s whole person seemed to actually have been baptized by the flames of war. He was more tenacious and mature. Compared to the young and inexperienced trainees, he was much more like a true soldier.

He had simply turned over a new leaf.

Faced with Sui Yuan’s admiring and moved gaze, Lin Zhan smiled slightly. No one understood what benefits he had received more clearly than himself. So, for the sake of his dream, he needed to continue to let himself be subjected to General Adonis’ disdainful gaze towards him. He definitely had to persevere!

After Lin Zhan and Sui Yuan left the Restoration Room, when they once again stood before Adonis, Lin Zhan was gratified to find that his own performance seemed to have satisfied the General. Finally, the other gave him an approving look, "You can return now. Tomorrow, come again after training."

"Yes, General," Lin Zhan shouted in reply, saluting.

Adonis nodded. Then, he turned to look at Sui Yuan. The gaze and expression that had just been as cold as the North Pole instantaneously turned as warm as the tropics, "What do you want to eat for dinner today?"

Sui Yuan did not hesitate in the least to tell him what he wanted to eat. He even turned his head cheerfully to ask Lin Zhan, "The food here is really not bad. Do you want to stay and eat with us?"

Lin Zhan hesitated for a moment, To tell the truth, he was a bit tempted. However, in order to avoid having the current, vicious superior make his training worse tomorrow, Lin Zhan firmly refused, "I won’t disturb you any longer. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll just casually go have some nourishment fluid at the cafeteria before resting ."

"Ok," Sui Yuan had naturally seen the menacing look Adonis sent at Lin Zhan and couldn’t help but feel rather helpless.

With regards to Lin Zhan, clearly, it should have been Sui Yuan who should feel worried that Adonis would be disturbed by his Omega pheromones, ok? So why was it that Adonis always seemed to think that Sui Yuan would be the one to cheat on him with Lin Zhan? He was always on guard, defending Sui Yuan from the other to the point of seeming deranged. Besides, he had only accompanied Lin Zhan to the Restoration Room for just a moment, yet it was as if Sui Yuan was a fickle man. This was just unbearable!

Indeed, after he had sent Lin Zhan off, Sui Yuan bumped into a wall of flesh upon turning around. Afterwards, he was firmly trapped in the other’s arms.

"What were you doing just now with Lin Zhan in the Restoration Room? You didn’t even come back to be with me," Adonis buried his head into the crook of Sui Yuan’s neck, rubbing against his skin. His voice was sullen.

—–Sui Yuan was so used to this kind of tantrum that he just ignored him.

"Didn’t you scent Lin Zhan’s pheromones? I thought that I should give you some space," Sui Yuan patted Adonis’ back, indicating that he would soon be strangled to death, begging to be released.

"Don’t you trust me?" Adonis raised his eyebrows. He had an accusing expression that said ’you’re letting me down’.

"I’ve already said that if the other person isn’t you, then I will definitely not do something like that!"

"I know," Sui Yuan was unperturbed, "I was just worried that you’d use it as an excuse to drag me into doing some kind of unharmonious thing. Lin Zhan was still here. I couldn’t throw him away."

Adonis coughed lightly, as if he was feeling a bit embarrassed for having his thoughts exposed. However, very quickly, he unleashed his unrivaled shamelessness, "Since he’s gone now, we can do it now, right?"

"...Get out," Sui Yuan simply did not know what expression to present, "What about dinner?"

"Then how about after dinner?" Adonis persevered, vigorously pursuing and fiercely attacking.

Sui Yuan: ".................."

5237: "...This time, you just have to smile ?candle?"

0007: "I really don’t want to admit that I know him...Fortunately, I can get away from this fellow really soon. So shameful."

Paper can’t wrap fire. No matter if it was Adonis or Sui Yuan, Lin Zhan also did not plan to conceal this matter. Therefore, during the evening, all the trainees had found out that Lin Zhan had begun to receive General Adonis’ training alongside Sui Yuan, making everyone envious of his talent and jealous of his opportunity.

Once again, a "Beta" snatched the opportunity from them. Everyone was naturally extremely unhappy. Very quickly, the rumours like "he had gotten in through the back door", "he was a suck up" popped up once again, as it had in the past for Sui Yuan. Only, like Sui Yuan, Lin Zhan gave this kind of hearsay a ruthless slap with his own strength.

Under Adonis’ "special care" and Sui Yuan’s discrete interventions, Lin Zhan gradually became like Sui Yuan. He appeared to be an even bigger genius than Sui Yuan, coming in first in the next periodic assessment.

First it was Sui Yuan, then it was Lin Zhan. Adonis’ accurate eye for people and his ability to cultivate them was indisputable. Under the military instructors’ nagging, he even used some of his spare time to teach all the other trainees a little, although he wasn’t very happy about it since he had to waste a lot of his precious alone-time with Sui Yuan–only, although all the trainees had improved and grew more knowledgeable, none of them could be compared to Lin Zhan and Sui Yuan.

In this strange fashion, with two Betas ranked above all the Alphas, their lives at the training camp came to an end. They had formally become Mecha Fighters.

"I always feel that...this is a bit unreal..." Lin Zhan caressed the real military uniform that he had donned. He turned his head to look at his obviously exhausted good friend who was yawning repeatedly. He bumped shoulders with him, teasingly, "What, did General Adonis toss you around last night? Did you not sleep last night?"

After having interacted with them for awhile, Lin Zhan stopped worrying about the feelings between Sui Yuan and Adonis. After all, Adonis was able to deal with Lin Zhan’s sporadic heats during training where he lost all rationality and pounced on the other man. He could calmly give him three shots of the inhibitor and did not touch even a single hair on his head. It was like he wasn’t a sweet, beautiful, and pleasant Omega. Rather, he was treated like a toxin to be avoided.

Although this memory made Lin Zhan feel rather embarrassed and dispirited, he did tell everything to Sui Yuan, who had not been there at the time. He sincerely congratulated him for gaining this kind of outstanding Alpha’s entire affection.

Lin Zhan remembered that Sui Yuan’s smile at that time had been especially dazzling. It made him unable to look away, heart pounding wildly, as if he had fallen into the river of love.

—-Since then, his heart still races when he thinks of the emotion that had suddenly swelled up at that time. He had even fantasized about whether or not he could have gotten together with his dear friend if Adonis hadn’t been around.

Only, very quickly, Lin Zhan, who returned to rationality, shoved down this forbidden emotion into the depths of his heart. Now, what he felt for Sui Yuan was strictly friendship.

Upon hearing Lin Zhan’s teasing, Sui Yuan shot him a begrudging look, "I was tricked by him. He said that we had to celebrate...."

"Haha! This is definitely a very unique way to celebrate. It really suits the two of you," Lin Zhan smiled widely.

Although he was always tormented by Adonis until he was a nervous wreck, Lin Zhan’s personality was distinctly optimistic. He who touches rouge will be stained with red (?). As he grew closer to Sui Yuan who played the role of Zheng Yu, he had become much more candid and infectiously enthusiastic.

With regards to Lin Zhan’s words, Sui Yuan fell silent, unhappy.

"So, next you’ll be preparing to sign up as the General’s direct subordinate right?" Seeing that Sui Yuan was discontent, Lin Zhan tactfullly changed the subject.

"Should be," Sui Yuan nodded, without a choice, "We don’t want to be separated from one another and hope that we can be part of the same team, fighting shoulder to shoulder. Even if we were to die, we want to die together."

"Don’t speak such ominous words. The two of you will be fine. We’ll all retire from the frontlines with heaps of honours. Afterwards, we’ll find a peaceful and easygoing place to enjoy our retirement, " Lin Zhan raised his hand to rub Sui Yuan’s head, voice gentle.

"En," Sui Yuan smiled, eyes narrowed. His black eyes seemed to be full of starlight–that was the hope for the future–Although he himself had no future, "What about you? I remember what you said when we first met. You told me that your dream was to become Adonis’ warrant officer?"

"Not anymore! So this dream of mine has been handed to you to accomplish in my place," Lin Zhan shrugged his shoulders, "Everyone knows that one shouldn’t place all their eggs in one basket. You’ll be assigned to General Adonis’ team, and I will be assigned to another General. The data shows that the places where the two different teams are assigned will be far away from each other. I guess that it will be difficult to meet from now on."

"We still have the communication devices," Sui Yuan gave Lin Zhan a tight hug, "Keep in touch."

"En, let’s keep in touch," Lin Zhan smiled slightly, stroking the back of Sui Yuan’s head. He felt a piercing, terrifying glare from behind. He couldn’t help but turn towards that gaze and wiggle his eyebrows at Adonis in an unexpectedly provoking manner –He had been tormented by this man for so long, as if the man was guarding something from being stolen by him . Even he had a temper, ok?

Adonis who was watching his lover cheat on him: ".................."

"Right, remember to thank General Adonis for me. Thank him for the strict training–Although it always felt like a fate worse than death, he helped me conceal my Omega identity. Furthermore, he has given me a box of Omega inhibitors," Lin Zhan released Sui Yuan and smiled.

"Isn’t it more sincere to thank him directly?" Sui Yuan knitted his brows, "Isn’t he right here?"

"I think that the General doesn’t want to see me at all. It’d be better if I didn’t go annoy him, "Lin Zhan broke out into laughter.

Sui Yuan silently turned his head to glance at Adonis, whose whole body was enshrouded by a black aura—there were also Adonis’ subordinates who were as obedient as quails because of their boss’ bad mood.

"Alright. The teams have to gather. Get in touch with me when you have time," Lin Zhan patted Sui Yuan’s shoulder one last time, before walking towards his own assigned team with the other trainees. Sui Yuan also turned around and headed towards Adonis who had long since been pinning a yearning gaze on him. The other’s expression slackened, and then, Sui Yuan was pulled into his embrace.

Since he had been with Adonis for so long, and Adonis had also never hidden anything from him, Sui Yuan was already very familiar with Adonis’ subordinates.

Ignoring Adonis who ate vinegar day in and day out, Sui Yuan gave all of Adonis’ subordinates a familiar smile when greeting them. They managed to express their response with great difficulty through their eyes. All of their expressions expressed this message: Little ancestor, we’re begging you to keep a safe distance from members of both the same and different genders. Otherwise, even if you won’t die from courting death, we will, ah QAQ

Sui Yuan: ".................."

The trainees had graduated from the training camp. Each of them had to bid farewell to their good friends and rush to their respective battlefields.

What Lin Zhan, who was brimming with hope for the future, did not know, was that this was the last time he’d ever see Sui Yuan, his only true friend of his life, again. What awaited them next was only the cruelty of war, and permanent separation.

The author has something to say:

Eve: I ship Sui Yuan with Lin Zhan.

Juurensha: I have to say, Lin Zhan is pretty great, I really like him.