Chapter 119: Since I'm Not the Gentle Supporting Male Character, Does My Wife Not Like Me Anymore

"Rumble—"

Thunder roared outside the window, and the rain grew heavier.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it?"

An Ling said with a lowered head and a faint smile. "When I transmigrated here, I also found it incredible. In the two years my body was taken away, so much has happened."

Even though they were all bad things.

"You might not know what it means to have a body taken away."

An Ling looked up. Her eyes were exceptionally bright under the light, yet devoid of any emotional warmth.

Looking at the man, she spoke slowly.

"Shen Linyan, for the past two years, my body was hijacked by a system. It used my body to play the vicious supporting role against the male and female leads. My only mission was to pursue the male lead and bully the female lead. As for who they are, you can probably guess—Lu Jingshen and Zhou Wen."

In the living room, the woman's voice was soft yet calm, as if narrating a trivial matter of no importance.

"I transmigrated over while in a bar. At that time, the novel had already reached its end. The very last plot point was smashing Lu Jingshen. You might not believe it, but this is..."

Before the word "truth" could be uttered, she was interrupted by the man's hoarse voice.

"I believe you."

"I know. My wife has face blindness..."

Even without the face blindness, he had long noticed how different An Ling was from before.

Hearing this, An Ling froze for a moment, then lowered her head and gave a small laugh. "Ah... yes, I almost forgot about that myself..."

After that, there was a long silence.

The air was heavy, weaving a dense web of silence.

It had never been this quiet between them.

So quiet that they could hear each other's breaths, so quiet that their heartbeats roared in their ears.

An Ling looked down, twirling the ring on her finger.

"Shen Linyan, do you want to know what your character is?"

Without waiting for the man to answer, she continued:

"I thought you were the gentle second male lead of the novel."

At those words, Shen Linyan stiffened.

His eyelids slowly lowered, casting a shadow, and his fingertips dug into his palms.

An Ling didn't notice the man's unusual reaction and kept her head down, continuing to speak:

"That's why An Zhou told me many times that you weren't a good person, but I never believed him. It seems that was all my illusion... Your true character settings aren't like that at all."

Whether it was about An Zhou, Wen Yuche, or Xu Huoqing, she had selectively ignored it all.

Thinking of the past, she lowered her eyes and let out a soft laugh. "I used to think you would get bullied and even said I'd teach you how to be a bad guy. No wonder you laughed at me..."

"So, are you disappointed in me, my wife?"

"What?" Interrupted out of nowhere, An Ling was taken aback and instinctively looked up.

The man's pitch-black eyes were locked tightly onto her, dark and unfathomable.

"Because I'm not the gentle supporting male character, do you no longer like me?"

"I know you like that kind of person, but the internet says ideal types can change. I thought... I thought you already liked me enough."

A barely perceptible pain hid in the depths of the man's dark eyes. The corners of his eyes were tinged with a faint red, making him look all the more fragile against his cold, pale skin.

He spoke hoarsely, his words wrapped in a heavy bitterness, every syllable uttered with extreme difficulty.

"An Ling, you promised me..."

"You said... you would always like me."

Hearing this, An Ling's expression blanked.

At this moment, she finally understood just how profound a meaning the man had attached to those perfunctory promises she had casually made over countless nights.

She gripped the blanket in her hands tightly and remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"Shen Linyan, do you remember the ending I told you about before? I said you eventually went bankrupt and I died out on the streets. But those were just the plot points before my death; I don't know what happened after."

"And before that, there was another ending I didn't tell you about."

She lifted her head, her eye sockets gradually turning red, and spoke softly:

"To be precise, after the An Corporation was swallowed up by the Shen family, I froze to death on the street."

With the corners of her eyes flushed red, she slowly curved her eyes into a smile.

"I always thought it was the male lead who targeted the An family after taking power. I never imagined that it would be you pulling the strings."

In an instant, Shen Linyan's gaze trembled violently.

In the quiet living room, the air seemed to freeze.

The only sound was the man's heavy breathing—rapid, panicked, and wrapped in unconcealable terror—striking against the air again and again.

"No..."

"I wouldn't... my wife."

Disregarding everything else, he reached out and grasped the woman's hand. His eyes were red, his voice trembling and hoarse. "My wife, I'm sorry. I would never do that to you... Please believe me, okay?"

His tone was almost pleading, yet Shen Linyan couldn't utter a single word of defense.

Because it was him. He was the one who caused An Ling's death.

He swallowed the An family, leaving An Ling with no way out, forcing her to her death.

An Ling silently let him hold her hand. After a moment, she said softly:

"Shen Linyan, I never intended to blame you for that ending. Besides, it wasn't something I experienced myself, so you don't need to feel so guilty. My body was hijacked by the system. It insisted on marrying you, insisted on doing foolish things to destroy the An family. It just wanted to push me toward a dead end. Even without you, it would have been the same. You just went along with the flow."

An Ling was very clear on who the real culprit was.

As for Shen Linyan...

She said softly, "I just don't know how to face you anymore."

What happened had happened. It was like a crack in a mirror that could never be healed.

She could no longer face Shen Linyan with her previous mindset.

"The reason I remarried you and told you these secrets was because I thought your identity as the gentle second male lead meant you would never betray me. But now... I can't see through your character anymore."

She didn't know when Shen Linyan might betray her, or even if this love was just an act.

"Your disguise is too good, Shen Linyan. I don't know which is the real you, and I don't know if I can truly accept your real side."

The man's movements instantly stiffened.

An Ling slowly pulled her hand back.

"But I won't divorce you..."

After a moment of silence, she raised her eyes to look at him and softly added:

"So, please don't tell anyone my secrets, don't take advantage of my face blindness, and don't target the An family, okay? If you want to back out of that agency contract we signed before, I'll agree to it anytime. If you have any other requests, you can bring them up."

In just a few short sentences, she had completely transactionalized their marriage.

Shen Linyan's pupils contracted sharply. His lips trembled slightly as he looked at her in panic and helplessness. His throat felt tight as he forced out a single word, his heart feeling as if it were being ruthlessly squeezed by a giant hand.

Don't be like this...

Don't treat him like this...

Don't draw a line between them like this.

"My wife..." he uttered, his voice trembling so much it was almost a whisper. "I really do love you..."

Hearing this, An Ling's movements paused. She kept her head down, pressing her lips tightly together. Her hair hid the expression on her face, and her fingertips twisted together tightly.

After a long while, the girl gave a soft "Mm." Her voice was light, carrying a hint of hoarseness.

"That's why... I haven't divorced you."

Because of his love, she wouldn't divorce him.

In that instant, Shen Linyan's breath hitched.

His gaze trembled lightly as something in the depths of his eyes slowly shattered and extinguished, turning into a bottomless, pitch-black void.

After a brief silence, he slowly reached out and cupped her face. Lowering his head, he pressed a gentle kiss to her skin, tasting the bitter salt of her tears. His voice was hoarse as he murmured softly,

"My wife, I am so sorry... Please do not be afraid of me, alright?"

An Ling looked up.

Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stared quietly at the man before her.

He had the same familiar face, the same familiar crisp scent, and the same familiar gentle voice. Yet, her rational mind kept screaming at her about how incredibly dangerous this man truly was.

He could destroy the An family on a whim. He could plunge her into absolute ruin at any given moment.

Large tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. She slowly parted her lips, her voice trembling with a choked sob.

"I hate you, Shen Linyan..."

Her wonderful husband was gone.

The Shen Linyan she could always trust and rely on, she just could not find him anymore.