Became the Terminally Ill Supporting Male Lead’s Rabbit Spirit - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rainwater continuously splashed onto the desk from outside the window, wetting the cardboard box placed over it.

A tiny snowball-like figure struggled to climb out of the box, yet trying too hard, it lost control and was sent hurtling off the desk, plummeting to the ground.

Su Ci panicked and shut her eyes tightly, her whole body tensing.

The next second, instead of feeling pain, she was enveloped in coldness.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the face of a young man up close.

He wore an expressionless face, his hair wet from the rain. Water droplets trailed down his fringe, gliding across his cold cheek, and dripping from his chin. His deep, black eyes were emotionless and unfathomable, making it hard to maintain eye contact.

Su Ci blinked, realizing he had returned.

Lu Zhe glanced at the white ball of fur in his hand – the rabbit – and then gently placed it on his bed.

The room was rather small with a single bed, covered with a grayish sheet. Su Ci obediently lay on the bed, afraid to move lest she be confined to the small cardboard box again.

It had been three days since her transmigration. She had to accept that she had become a rabbit, and not just any rabbit, but a tiny one that could fit in the palm of a hand. The day she transmigeated, she was found by the young man before her, Lu Zhe.

Lifting her rabbit head, Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe with complex emotions.

She remembered, in the book, Lu Zhe was the female lead’s older brother¹, a minor character who only appeared a few times. One instance in the book detailed how the female lead in her past life acted viciously and was abandoned by everyone, yet Lu Zhe, the male supporting character, always protected her, sacrificing everything, even his life.

Another time was after the female lead regressed and began to see her brother whom she had always looked down upon in a new light, and the last time Lu Zhe was mentioned in the plot was when the female lead paid her respects at his grave.

Before Su Ci had the chance to gather her thoughts, she saw Lu Zhe closing the window and beginning to take off his wet clothes.

The tall young man had a slender figure, broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

As he moved to change his clothes, Su Ci clearly saw the thin layer of muscles on his chest, even and powerful, with smooth and attractive muscle lines, completely different from his lean appearance when dressed.

Even though she had seen the figures of many male celebrities and models before, Su Ci had to admit that Lu Zhe’s physique was impressive.

Lu Zhe casually changed into a black shirt, making his already expressionless face appear even more stiff and cold. His gaze shifted to the rabbit. Lu Zhe picked up a towel next to him, wrapped the rabbit, and began to dry the rainwater off it.

The towel wasn’t soft, and the young man’s strength was considerable. Feeling the rough towel rubbing against her head, Su Ci was quite uncomfortable.

The rabbit’s snow-white fur was ruffled until it looked even more like a fluffy snowball, very adorable. Su Ci glared with her little short legs. Just as she was trying to wriggle free out of the young man’s cold grasp, the doorbell outside rang.

The door opened.

“Bro … brother.”

The girl standing at the door looked excited yet a bit timid. She hesitated as she called out Lu Zhe, but her tone became much firmer when she spoke again, “Big brother.”

Zhao Youyou struggled to contain her excitement as her heart trembled.

Recalling how in her past life she behaved so recklessly and was abandoned by everyone, and only Lu Zhe, the brother she had always despised for his cold and desolate personality, came to her rescue. Tears welled up in Zhao Youyou’s eyes.

She looked at the young man in front of her with sincere gratitude. The current Lu Zhe hadn’t died to save her, and he was standing right in front of her, alive and well.

It felt wonderful.

Lu Zhe looked at Zhao Youyou with a calm gaze and asked, “What’s the matter?”

At this moment, Su Ci, who had been obediently nestled in Lu Zhe’s hands, take a close look at the excited Zhao Youyou. She realized that this girl was the female lead.

Hearing the female lead call Lu Zhe “brother,” Su Ci confirmed that Zhao Youyou must had been reborn. According to the book, after the female lead’s regression, out of gratitude for alu Zhe, she willingly started addressing him as “big brother.”

Zhao Youyou looked at Lu Zhe with tearful eyes.

She had gone to sleep and woke up three years in the past. Thinking of Lu Zhe who died for her, she rushed over to see him, wanting to confirm that this wasn’t a dream.

Meeting Lu Zhe’s cold gaze, she wanted to say something but realized she couldn’t reveal such an astonishing fact as regression.

Zhao Youyou sniffled, “Brother, have you been well recently?” If it had been her former self, she would never said such a thing. She would have preferred Lu Zhe to stay far away.

Lu Zhe remained expressionless, his pitch-black eyes showing no emotion. “En.”²

Zhao Youyou used to hate this version of Lu Zhe, but not anymore.

For the first time, Zhao Youyou smiled genuinely at Lu Zhe and found that he was holding a snow-white little rabbit in his hand.

“So cute. Brother, when did you start keeping a rabbit?”

Zhao Youyou eagerly reached out and scooped the bunny into her arms, “Brother, is this a birthday gift you prepared for me?”

Upon checking the calendar earlier, she realized her birthday was just a few days away, and the rabbit must be a birthday present for her. Otherwise, given Lu Zhe’s usually detached demeanor, why else would he suddenly adopt a pet?

Upon being suddenly embraced by the female lead Zhao Youyou and hearing her words, Su Ci was stunned.

Was she gifted to Zhao Youyou?

Before she could react, the next second, intense pain washed over her body, interrupting all of Su Ci’s thoughts.

Zhao Youyou was actually plucking her fur!

Su Ci was most afraid of pain. Now that she had become a rabbit, having her fur ruthlessly plucked hurt so much that her red eyes welled up with tears.

With one hand holding the rabbit and the other gently stroking it, Zhao Youyou joyfully said to Lu Zhe, “The rabbit is really adorable.” As she spoke, her hand unconsciously grabbed a tuft of the rabbit’s fur and plucked it out.

Zhao Youyou had a little habit, whenever she touched anything fluffy, she would unconsciously pluck its fur.

More strands of fur were pulled out by Zhao Youyou, causing Su Ci to tremble all over in pain.

It hurt so much.

No, she couldn’t go with Zhao Youyou, she’d end up bald!

Su Ci struggled, kicking her four short legs wildly. She looked at Lu Zhe, preferring to stay by his side and munch on carrots every day rather than become a bald rabbit.

“Brother, thank you for the birthday gift. Ah, is it trying to bite me?” Zhao Youyou held down the restless rabbit in her hand. “The rabbit seems a bit fierce. I’ll have to train it once I get home.”

Lu Zhe lowered his gaze and saw the rabbit in Zhao Youyou’s hand struggling restlessly. Its pair of red eyes seemed teary, pleadingly looking at him.

Meeting Lu Zhe’s gaze, Su Ci struggled even harder, don’t give her to Zhao Youyou!

Lu Zhe’s expression remained indifferent.

Since she had just regressed, Zhao Youyou’s emotions were still unstable. Confirming that Lu Zhe was still alive, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Brother, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I won’t disturb you any longer.” She needs to go home and think carefully about what might happen in the future. She can’t repeat the same mistakes again.

A few more strands of fur on her back were plucked by Zhao Youyou. Seeing that Zhao Youyou was about to take her away, Su Ci’s struggle intensified.

“Ah.”

Zhao Youyou’s hand was scratched by the rabbit’s paw. She was so frightened that she instinctively let go of her hand, and the rabbit fell straight to the ground.

Su Ci felt pain throughout her body from the fall.

In her daze, she found herself caught in a cold hand.

Looking at Lu Zhe who picked her up, Su Ci didn’t mind at all that his big hands were cold. She lightly licked his fingertips, and then affectionately rubbed her aching head against the palm of his hand.

Look at her being so sweet and cute, don’t send her away!

“Did the rabbit get hurt?” The little rabbit’s claws weren’t sharp, and Zhao Youyou saw that her hand wasn’t scratched, so she reached out again to take the rabbit back.

Su Ci curled up into a ball, wishing she could shrink into Lu Zhe’s arms.

The snowball in his hand felt soft and fluffy. Lu Zhe lowered his eyes, looking at the moistened fingertip that had been licked.

He blocked Zhao Youyou’s reaching hand.

“Big brother?” Zhao Youyou looked at him, puzzled.

“The rabbit was something I picked up, not a gift for you.” As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhe felt the rabbit in his palm rub against his hand even more endearingly.

Only then did Zhao Youyou realize that she had misunderstood, and without any embarrassment, she said, “Ah, it turns out you picked it up.”

That’s fine, it’s better not to accept Lu Zhe’s gifts, so as to reduce the involvement between them. In her past life, Lu Zhe died saving her. In this life, while she was grateful to Lu Zhe, considering his cold and desolate nature and his terminal illness, she knew she wouldn’t fall for him.

Zhao Youyou left.

Su Ci lay on the gray bed, her heart calming down.

She almost became a bald bunny!

Su Ci snorted angrily. Given how Zhao Youyou had plucked her fur three times despite her being such an adorable rabbit, no matter how the book portrayed the regressed female lead as gentler and smarter, Su Ci now had no fond feelings for her.

The rain outside intensified, constantly pounding against the window.

Su Ci lay down, looking forlorn. The thought that she might remain a rabbit for her entire life drained her even of the energy to be angry.

After drinking water, Lu Zhe picked up the dumbbells from the corner of the room and started training.

Su Ci lay on the bed watching the young man do bicep curls, one after the other. The movements weren’t fast and even appeared somewhat stiff, but she could clearly see the muscles on Lu Zhe’s arms tense up, solid and seemingly holding immense explosive power.

Su Ci watched quietly, but when her gaze fell on Lu Zhe’s wrist, she noticed an icon there.

Blinking hard, Su Ci confirmed she wasn’t seeing things.

What was that?

She clearly saw an icon on the inner side of Lu Zhe’s wrist, which was a horizontal bar divided into ten small squares. Three of these squares were red, and beside it, the notation read: 3 years.

[ This is a life value. ]

Suddenly, a soft, childlike voice appeared in Su Ci’s mind.

She was so startled that she hugged her rabbit head with her two little paws. Was she experiencing auditory hallucinations?

The childlike voice, seemingly unconcerned about frightening Su Ci in her rabbit form, continued, [ Each square represents one year. Lu Zhe’s life value shows three squares, indicating he has a lifespan of up to three years left. ]

Su Ci lifted her rabbit head in surprise.

She looked at the stern-faced Lu Zhe in front of her, slowly and powerfully lifting dumbbells. He only had three years left to live?

Such a pitiful male side character.

Then, Su Ci heard the childlike voice say: [ For every kiss you give Lu Zhe, he gains one more day of life. ]

She understood every word, but when they were put together, she couldn’t grasp the meaning. If she kissed Lu Zhe once, he would live an additional day?

Childlike voice: [ That’s right. ]

Su Ci scoffed softly. On what basis? The matter of Lu Zhe’s life and death had nothing to do with her.

[ Because he picked you up. ]

Su Ci: …

Su Ci believed that she wasn’t a kind-hearted person. Currently, she was only a rabbit with no ability to control her own fate. How could she be responsible for someone else’s life and death? Perhaps she might die even before Lu Zhe.

Thinking like this, Su Ci felt even more miserable. She wasn’t afraid of anything, except for becoming ugly and dying.

Childlike voice: [ Additionally, your fate is bound with Lu Zhe’s. If he dies, you will die too. ]

Upon hearing this, Su Ci’s eyes reddened further in frustration. Wasn’t it tragic enough that she had turned into a rabbit? And now her life was bound to a man with a short lifespan?

What kind of tragic tale was this!

Childlike voice: [ Reward: Kissing Lu Zhe will restore your human form. ]

As soon as the childish voice in her mind stopped, Su Ci’s red eyes were astonishingly bright. Really? Don’t fool her!

If kissing Lu Zhe could turn her back into a human, she would be willing to swell his lips with kisses!

Childlike voice: [ Zhao Cai never lies. ]

Su Ci slowly digested the words of the childlike voice and quickly came to a realization.

So, she was the tool to save the male side character, and in return, Lu Zhe was also the tool to help her become human again. Moreover, their fates were intertwined.

Knowing that there was a way to become human again and that she didn’t have to remain a rabbit forever, Su Ci’s mood lifted instantly. She asked if Zhao Cai was the name of the childlike voice.

[ This is the name my previous master gave me. Now you’re my master. ]

Su Ci realized this must be the advantage she gained from her transmigration.

She squinted her eyes happily. She thought the name Zhao Cai was too vulgar and lacked taste, so she decided to give it a new name: Fu Gui.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Zhe put down the dumbbells in his hands.

Having just finished training, his arms were engorged and his muscles were tense to the max. He felt the rhythmic twitching of his muscles and, keeping a neutral expression, clenched his fist to ease some of the powerlessness he felt.

Even with daily exercise and training, its impact on his illness was minimal.

Lu Zhe placed the dumbbells back into the corner. As he turned around, he met the rabbit’s bright red eyes.

?? (Zhao Cai) means attract wealth and ?? (Fu Gui) means wealth and nobility. Correct me if I’m wrong though.

for those who are curious why ML save og!FL at the cost of his life, just in case you assumed that he love og!FL in the previous timeline and want to drop this story due to that reason, don’t worry, he never did like her at all. even the author said both of FL and ML need to be emotionally and physically clean (I was baffled when I saw this author note lol).