E-Scum Gong Chapter 11
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 11
After a few days at work, Gu Jinzhi finally couldn't resist slacking off. Confirming there was nothing major going on, he rewarded himself by getting off work two hours early. Tonight, the company was hosting a team-building event to celebrate the upcoming debut of their new boy group. As the general manager, he naturally had to attend.
To avoid working a full day in a row, he decided to take his beloved car out for a spin in the afternoon.
In the underground parking lot, Gu Jinzhi's yellow sports car was particularly eye-catching, not only because of its flashy color but also because of its exorbitant price.
Everyone in the entertainment company was savvy. After all, working in this industry exposed one to many facets of the world. Each time someone came to fetch their car, they couldn't help but marvel at it.
Their general manager was not only handsome and wealthy but also had a weird temper that was hard to figure out.
Humming a slightly off-key tune, Gu Jinzhi lazily jingled his keys as he walked to get his car. As soon as he entered the underground garage, he heard the sounds of an argument, though he couldn’t make out the details.
“Song-ge, you know how long I’ve waited for this opportunity. You also know what my life was like before. I’m tired of living in a rundown apartment and being called a street punk. I have to seize this chance. I’m sorry.”
“Yan Yang, what is your heart made of? Does a year-long relationship mean nothing to you? You ate my food, lived in my place, and if it weren't for me finding a way to get you into the company, you'd still be handing out flyers somewhere. Are you really going to break up with me like this?”
“It’s not a breakup, Song-ge, don’t cry... Now that we’re in the same company, it’s too risky. You should understand that I can't make our relationship public. Can’t we just live our lives quietly?”
The man held lightly by Yan Yang gradually calmed down. “So you're blaming me for going to the practice room to find you today…”
“You know someone on our team is jealous of me. If he found out about our relationship, I’d be done for. You don’t want that either, right? I know how much Song-ge loves me,” Yan Yang continued to soothe him.
“I understand. I’ll think it over. Are you coming home for dinner tonight? You’ve been staying in the dorms. I want to cook for you.” The man hugged him tightly in return.
“Sorry, there’s a company event tonight. How about I come back tomorrow?”
The man finally quieted down, and Yan Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, he heard the crisp sound of jingling keys. Yan Yang became alert, his heart sinking. He quickly turned and hid behind the car, leaving only Yu Song exposed to Gu Jinzhi’s line of sight.
Yu Song hurriedly wiped his face and respectfully greeted, “Hello, General Manager.”
Gu Jinzhi merely nodded and glanced at him. He vaguely remembered that this employee was from the management department. His assistant had mentioned that he was quite capable. He had been with the company for several years and had risen to a minor management position.
He knew there was someone else behind the car, but he had no idea what they had been arguing about.
However, he had no interest in prying into others’ privacy. He nonchalantly opened his car door, started the engine, and drove off.
The two men hadn’t expected to run into Gu Jinzhi during work hours. Hastily, they tidied themselves up and went their separate ways.
Gu Jinzhi picked up Xu Zhou and went for a drive, relieving some of his work stress.
Next to him was a newly arrived tie, packaged in an exquisite box. Gu Jinzhi had forgotten all about it until Xu Zhou, sitting in the passenger seat, curiously opened it. He abruptly stopped and slapped his forehead in regret.
"What's this?" Xu Zhou asked.
"Give it back," Gu Jinzhi demanded, trying to grab it. But Xu Zhou held it high, sensing there was more to the story.
"A tie? Who's it for?" Xu Zhou asked, clearly amused.
"None of your f*cking business." Gu Jinzhi refused to answer, afraid of being mocked.
Why spend money on a scheming pauper? It would have been understandable if it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, but in reality, Gu Jinzhi didn't even care for handsome men and beautiful women.
His online relationship, which had not even begun to take shape, offered no tangible benefits. It made him look so stupid.
"Why are you so anxious?" Xu Zhou, being his long-time friend, understood him well and guessed it in a second.
"Is it for that online boyfriend of yours?"
Annoyed, Gu Jinzhi snatched it back, ruffling his hair in frustration. "Mind your own business," he snapped, placing the box on his lap to keep it away from Xu Zhou.
"Seriously, Second Young Master Gu, are you out of your mind? It's obvious that he's a scammer. Why are you sending him money?"
While outsiders saw Gu Jinzhi as quirky and difficult, Xu Zhou knew that deep down, he was a bit too naive.
"I have money, I can spend it however I want!" Gu Jinzhi retorted.
He was vaguely annoyed by others labeling Amour like that, even though he initially had the same thoughts. But perhaps because the other person had provided him with some emotional value, some strange feelings unexpectedly arose.
Gu Jinzhi believed that as long as his decisions were made with a clear mind, it couldn't be said that he was being deceived by the other person.
Besides, was it really necessary to worry? It was just a gift, not his entire fortune. If he found joy in helping someone out, what was the harm?
"Whatever. At least you didn't get conned by those flashy vixens in your company. They're the truly greedy ones. If they were good-looking, it might be worth some fun, but unfortunately, Second Young Master Gu can’t enjoy beauties." Xu Zhou, understanding it wasn't a big deal, sighed.
People in their circle tended to be a bit scummy. Xu Zhou, though sincere as a friend, pursued fun and excitement in relationships.
He was always generous with his girlfriends, so there were no hard feelings on either side.
"A man who doesn’t love himself is no different from a rotten cabbage," Gu Jinzhi mocked, glancing at him.
For Gu Jinzhi, a relationship based solely on physical attraction was nothing to pursue and nothing to be happy about. Rather than feeling like he was using others, the narcissistic Gu Jinzhi actually felt like he was the one being taken advantage of, given how good-looking he was.
After driving around for a bit and grabbing a meal, Gu Jinzhi headed, still somewhat irritated, to the venue of the team-building event. It was at a nice bar where they had booked a private room.
When his car pulled up, many eyes immediately focused on him.
People who didn't know Gu Jinzhi would be completely intimidated by him. After all, he carried himself with an air of arrogance, dressed fashionably, and never lingered his gaze on anyone. His naturally upturned peach blossom eyes that seemed to smile and not smile at the same time gave off an impression that he could see into people's minds.
He was unmistakably a young master from a prominent family — picky and arrogant. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to approach him.
To Gu Jinzhi, the fashionable men and women at the entrance were like cabbages straight from the field, still covered in dirt.
He was the last to arrive, but no one dared to say anything. Or rather, if Gu Jinzhi hadn’t shown up, the event would have lost its significance. Everyone had ulterior motives. After all, nobody wanted to mingle with ordinary folks. They all hoped to catch the eye of Second Young Master Gu and soar to new heights.
Surrounded by admirers, Gu Jinzhi took the central seat. Looking around, he saw that aside from a few managers, the rest were attractive young people, trainees, and artists from their company.
“Let’s get started,” Gu Jinzhi said casually to someone nearby.
The person caught in his peripheral vision felt their heart race, wondering if the general manager was sizing them up.
Everyone, dressed to highlight their assets, struck their best pose. Those with long legs wore tank tops and jeans, those with slim waists tucked their shirts in, and the more refined ones even donned blazers.
Every time the waitstaff entered their private room, they were momentarily blinded, not realizing they were in the presence of potential future stars.
Gu Jinzhi lounged lazily on the sofa, feeling utterly indifferent and even a bit sleepy, with the full mindset of an employee who was forced to be there.
He enjoyed having fun, but without any close friends around, he couldn’t get into it.
Besides, Gu Jinzhi wasn’t fond of karaoke because he was tone-deaf and couldn’t follow melodies. So when the company’s trainees started singing passionately, he merely stifled a yawn, unable to discern any difference.
If he were in a private room with a few friends, Gu Jinzhi would probably liven up. He’d blast a song like "Sun Will Never Set" that he could somewhat manage and then smugly force everyone else to listen to him hum it.
And then there were those who were egged on to dance. They were all tall, handsome guys, and their movements were indeed sensually captivating.
However, Gu Jinzhi’s sensitivity to this was like that of a grade-schooler, even finding it somewhat exaggerated. Watching them thrust their hips didn’t elicit any deep or wild thoughts. Occasionally, he’d glance at their abs, rating each “cabbage” on its quality.
Then he would gloat to himself that he was still better than them.
Half the time had passed, and Gu Jinzhi remained languid. Yan Yang, who had been watching him secretly, was growing impatient.
He had roughly figured out that Gu Jinzhi didn’t like being in the spotlight. Many rich second-generation kids were like that, so Yan Yang had kept a low profile from the beginning.
Now, at his manager’s suggestion, he picked a song and began to sing deeply into the microphone.
Yan Yang was the main vocalist of the group. Given his shorter training period, he couldn’t dance as well as those who had trained for years. But his voice was indeed good, fitting the current trend of deep, magnetic tones, like a mouthful of aged wine.
The moment he started singing, there was indeed a transcendent quality to his voice.
Gu Jinzhi preferred beer because it was straightforward, something that could be chugged in one go. He didn't like anything fancy. However, for the sake of appearances, everyone had ordered various colorful cocktails.
Yielding to the enthusiasm of those around him, he also drank a cocktail with a rather high alcohol content. He wasn't very drunk, but his face was a bit flushed.
Yan Yang sang a love song with great emotion, earning unanimous praise and cheers.
Gu Jinzhi, not much of a fan, propped his head up in boredom. When a guy nearby got a bit too close, he sarcastically asked, “What cologne are you wearing? It stinks.” This successfully cleared the seats around him.
Suddenly, a WeChat message popped up. Gu Jinzhi lazily opened it, straightening up slightly when he saw it was from Amour.
Amour rarely chatted and seldom initiated contact. He was really like an old-fashioned guy out of sync with the times, which piqued Gu Jinzhi’s curiosity.
He opened the message and saw a photo of the night sky. Gu Jinzhi bit his lip and let out a slight chuckle.
Here, people were stripping and dancing, sweat glistening on muscular bodies, while Amour was showing him stars. How quaintly refreshing.
With a sudden thought, he straightened his suit and headed to the restroom. It was getting a bit too loud in there.
Leaning lazily against the wall, he sent a message: “My class is having a team-building event at the sports field right now, and some guys are singing~ But I want to hear you sing~”
Gu Jinzhi knew that he might be making things difficult for the other person, yet he felt oddly excited. After all, Amour was older and seemed quite traditional. He wouldn't sing him some old sailor song, would he?
Hahahahahahaha!
Lin Xu just wanted to share something on a whim, but he hadn't anticipated how things would unfold or how he should respond.
Sing? He looked troubled. Unlike other teenage boys, Lin Xu had never fantasized about serenading a girl under her dormitory window. In fact, he rarely participated in such activities.
No songs came to mind. Looking at the vast expanse of stars, Lin Xu pressed the voice message button, opened his mouth, and shyly hummed “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
Unlike the soft and sweet voice of a child, his voice had a clear, almost porcelain-like quality, with a touch of tranquility.
Through the phone, Gu Jinzhi could even hear his initial hesitation and the embarrassed pauses in between.
“You should listen to your classmates sing. I can’t sing,” Lin Xu said awkwardly at the end.
He briefly imagined Gu Jinzhi’s university life, a scene entirely different from his own, filled with charming male classmates who could sing.
Lin Xu didn't mind at all. He hoped Gu Jinzhi could discover the beauty of reality. In that way, he would have witnessed a change in the cannon fodder's ending, which was quite reassuring.
“It’s fine, I can’t tell anyway…” Gu Jinzhi replied, lowering his eyes with a smile, patting his face flushed from drinking, completely forgetting about the fresh, stimulating bodies just beyond the wall.
