The Backup Lover Has Seen the Light

Content warning: Shen genuinely loved someone else, so this story will probably be pretty infuriating until the groveling begins (hopefully it won't last too long, just saying).

Also, the protagonist doesn't feel wronged. He just likes having fun.

The so-called spare is actually the protagonist gong.

On the day Xu Zhi officially started dating Shen Xu, he suddenly realized he was in a book.

A harem novel with a shou protagonist, except he wasn't the protagonist.

Xu Zhi's name never appeared in the book.

But his boyfriend, Shen Xu, was the childhood-friend gong, number four, who was madly in love with the protagonist shou, Bai Qingruo, but couldn't have him, and eventually went berserk.

Shen Xu treated Xu Zhi as a harbor where he could rest when he was disillusioned, a peaceful shelter after fighting with his rivals, and a remedy to numb the pain after Bai Qingruo abandoned him.

He wanted Xu Zhi to save him from this endless sea of jealousy and self-torment, yet kept reaching for the flames again and again.

Bai Qingruo would always come first in Shen Xu's heart.

Whenever Bai Qingruo broke up with one of his men, Shen Xu would immediately break up with Xu Zhi, only to slink back after being firmly rejected.

Xu Zhi accepted it calmly.

Shen Xu used to think Xu Zhi would wait for him forever.

But when he left Xu Zhi for the third time to steal Bai Qingruo away at his wedding, he realized his true feelings. Yet when he called Xu Zhi, all he heard was:

"Huh? Didn't we already break up? Three days ago."

"Don't contact me again. I don't want my boyfriend to get the wrong idea."

Hearing Xu Zhi's cold voice, Shen Xu lost the ability to think.

For the first time, he felt a fear of imminent death, far heavier than the so-called jealousy and pain of unrequited love.

Unfortunately, nobody came to save him this time.

The man wanted nothing more than to return to that night.

The night Xu Zhi was harassed by a thug.

If he had been the one to save Xu Zhi, they would already have booked dozens of tables for their wedding banquet.

Instead, Shen was now moping around as if he wanted to die every day. He could starve himself, swallow pills, and threaten suicide, and still not get Xu Zhi to visit him in the hospital.

Xu Zhi doesn't love Shen Xu. He doesn't even like him, and there are plenty of rivals around, all waiting to make a move.

But that's fine. Xu Zhi is his boyfriend now, after all. (Smug)

Theme: Know when to cut your losses, and stand on your own two feet.