E-Scum Gong Chapter 12
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 12
A man, clad in black top tank, entered the restroom. He stood by the sink, his chiseled profile and muscular arms on full display as he took his time washing his hands.
Gu Jinzhi frowned. He turned off his phone and glanced over. It was that trainee. Gu Jinzhi had a slight impression of him.
Since someone had come in, Gu Jinzhi felt a bit embarrassed to continue chatting secretly in the restroom. After all, it didn't fit his carefully crafted public persona. He did care about his image to some extent.
Putting away his phone, Gu Jinzhi also went to another sink, washed his hands, and splashed some water on his face. The alcohol was getting to him, making him look less composed.
Just as he finished drying his hands and was about to leave, the other person spoke, “General Manager, I apologize for not recognizing you last time.” His voice was low, likely made a bit more sensual by the alcohol.
Gu Jinzhi had almost forgotten the incident where he had been bumped into last time. He couldn’t understand why this was being brought up now — did this person want to offend him?
“Mm,” he responded lazily, with no interest in continuing the conversation. All he could think about was getting off work soon.
He was f*cking sick of socializing.
Upon returning to the private room, he found the gathering was drawing to a close, with everyone urging him to speak. Yan Yang also followed him in and stood behind Gu Jinzhi.
“Then, shall we all head home?” Gu Jinzhi asked forcefully, looking around and planting his hands on the table.
No one dared to disobey. In no time, a rowdy crowd spilled out of the bar, with some of the more image-conscious trainees even donning masks.
Figuring out how to get home was a problem. Everyone had had a drink or two, and driving under the influence was out of the question.
Of course, these were the concerns of the subordinates for Gu Jinzhi. The other trainees could easily call a few cabs to get back to their dorms.
A few junior executives, eager not to upset Gu Jinzhi, hovered around him, chiming in with suggestions. "Why not call a designated driver? We’d just have to wait a bit."
At this moment, Yan Yang stepped forward from the shadows and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I haven't been drinking. If needed, I can give the General Manager a ride."
Given the situation, his offer was reasonable. The other trainees secretly admired his cleverness in waiting for such an opportunity.
Gu Jinzhi shook his phone, looking at them with an amused expression. "No need to worry about me. I've already called my family driver to come pick me up."
He shrugged nonchalantly, adding, "I can't trust others. I don't want them to scratch my car."
His words weren't mean to target Yan Yang. It was simply Gu Jinzhi’s nature to speak his mind. He genuinely cared about his car.
This straightforwardness contributed to his not-so-great reputation in the social circle.
Many people called him an idiot behind his back but didn't dare to say it out loud. If it got back to the Gu family, they wouldn't even know how they died.
They hated him, yet they feared him.
Yan Yang's expression stiffened slightly, but since he rarely showed much emotion, it went unnoticed. He did, however, give Gu Jinzhi a couple of deeper glances.
"Alright, I'm off then." Gu Jinzhi waved his hand dismissively. He had no intention of going home tonight. He planned to check into a nearby five-star hotel and get a massage from a blind masseuse to ease his exhaustion.
In short, he couldn't understand why they were all fussing over him. With his wealth, there was nothing he couldn't handle.
Gu Jinzhi was gay, and naturally, he didn’t like men touching him. So he had called for a female masseuse who had years of experience and great strength.
He lay comfortably on the bed, thinking about how his conversation had been interrupted earlier. He wanted to chat with Amour again, but before he could reach for his phone, a call came in.
It was from his older brother.
"Ge? What's up?" Gu Jinzhi asked, eyes comfortably closed. He had been working so hard like a dead ox. Surely his older brother wouldn't have anything to criticize now.
"Aren’t you coming home tonight?" Gu Qi asked.
"No, I'm too tired. I'm going to get a massage and then sleep somewhere nearby." His house was quite a commute from the office, and he didn't want to drag himself out of bed early again tomorrow.
"Hmm, how's it going?" Gu Qi asked, still working in his study, his eyes never leaving the computer screen.
"It's just okay. But the work environment is pretty good. At least the beauties are pleasing to the eye."
Gu Qi paused for a moment before warning once again, "Don’t get involved with any of them. The family accepts your orientation, but they won’t accept you bringing just anyone home."
Gu Jinzhi had heard this so many times his ears were calloused. "Ge, do you really think I'm that unreliable? I'm not a horny goat."
Though he did look like a playboy.
It wasn't Gu Jinzhi's inability to control himself that worried Gu Qi, but rather his lack of judgment.
"You're not getting any younger. Ge will set up meetings for you to get to know more people." Gu Qi was still worried, so he simply decided to introduce people to Gu Jinzhi himself.
Anyone who could catch Gu Qi’s eye would have a good family background and looks, and he’d also consider their reputation. No playboys allowed.
Of course, finding someone who could match their family’s status was challenging, but if the goal was to keep his younger brother happy and carefree, the standards didn't have to be so high.
"No, no, no!" Gu Jinzhi wrinkled his face, not daring to mention he was no longer single. Gu Qi would definitely be even more displeased with all sorts of strange people online. Even Xu Zhou often made fun of him. But he was quite satisfied with this mysterious relationship status now.
"Ge, you know they don’t really accept me," Gu Jinzhi said slowly. He wasn't actually stupid, he just wasn't willing to change himself.
He was well aware that the so-called high-quality boys who had pursued him crazily in college talked behind his back about how difficult he was, calling his tastes vulgar and flashy. If he hadn’t been born into the Gu family, they would’ve treated him with disdain and toyed with him countless times.
They were infatuated with his looks, intimidated and tempted by his family background, and furious at their inability to dominate him. When they realized he didn’t fancy them, they were left embarrassed and enraged.
Gu Jinzhi particularly loathed those who threw themselves at him. He found it disgusting.
If he could meet someone with a soul that resonated with his, he would even be willing to have a platonic relationship. Gu Jinzhi wasn't the traditional, hedonistic type of gay.
Although, in his life, he was a hedonist.
Of course, Gu Jinzhi wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Later, in a fit of rage, he broke a guy’s nose. The injuries were so severe that he had to get plastic surgery. The guy hadn’t been attractive to Gu Jinzhi to begin with, and afterward, he looked even uglier.
Gu Qi was momentarily at a loss for words. As Gu Jinzhi’s older brother, he knew that his younger brother had good qualities. But he also understood that in romantic relationships, someone like Gu Jinzhi was a real handful. It was incredibly rare to find a good man who matched his preferences nowadays.
Even Gu Qi himself wasn’t sure if he would become the kind of scumbag his younger brother despised if he were to date someone. He was a workaholic and not very family-oriented.
"Alright, I’ll hang up then." Being single wasn’t such a bad thing. The Gu family could easily support him for life.
Gu Jinzhi breathed a sigh of relief, mentally grumbling about how long it took his older brother to finally hang up.
He sent several messages to Amour again but got no response.
Gu Jinzhi: ??? What are you doing, ge?
Previously, he would have frantically called multiple times, wondering if Amour was ignoring him on purpose, and starting to get angry. But he also knew Amour wouldn’t get mad about being disturbed. That was why he had never lashed out at Amour.
After all, there was absolutely no reason to.
But now, he had a rough idea of the other person’s schedule. It was almost midnight. His older boyfriend must be fast asleep!
Gu Jinzhi didn’t understand this. Among the adults he knew, few went to bed this early. Midnight wasn’t even considered late. The nightlife was just beginning! Amour was truly an odd ball.
A bit annoyed, Gu Jinzhi tipped the masseuse a few hundred and sent her away.
The previously quiet masseuse beamed as she received the money, and politely closed the door as she left.
Gu Jinzhi pouted and lay down, used to this kind of treatment. He wondered if Amour knew how wealthy he was. If he hinted at it tomorrow, would Amour stay up all night to chat with him?
Thinking about this, Gu Jinzhi started to feel pleased. He imagined himself bossing around and Amour obediently kneeling by his feet like a little wife, no longer aloof. But that was just a fantasy. In reality, Gu Jinzhi, feeling ignored, could only sigh and play games on his phone.
Time was quite tight in the senior year of high school, with the first mock exam only a few days away.
He worked part-time in the evenings and studied during the day. Thankfully, he had a solid grasp of the high school curriculum, so reviewing was relatively easy for him. For any topics he had already covered, there was no such thing as a difficult question.
In the real world, Lin Xu had been revered as a genius by his entire school. He could have secured a direct admission to Peking University but he chose to take the college entrance exam, ultimately becoming the top scorer in the entire province.
He didn’t know that even later, the teachers continued to use him as an example for every subsequent senior class. The school forum even had a dedicated thread about him.
Loyal fans compiled his various awards and photos from elementary school onward. Besides his academic achievements, what they enjoyed talking about even more was that this genius was also a handsome guy.
Later, he went abroad and then to a research institute. That was the last anyone heard of him.
They speculated whether he had married an equally outstanding girl and and started a family. They imagined him living in a higher echelon of society, never dreaming that he'd remain single until his sudden death.
Now, in the book world, Lin Xu no longer had all those halos. In fact, he himself didn't know he had all these halos.
After school, a male classmate who was on cleaning duty with Lin Xu said enviously, "You're so lucky to sit next to Yue Shan. She can help you with any questions you have."
Lin Xu simply nodded. "Mm."
"Brother, let me tell you, our classmates don’t know this, but Yue Shan’s family is in politics. They’re really influential. I accidentally saw her dad once. He was featured on the local news," the boy said, leaning in closer.
Lin Xu continued to nod. "Mm."
"Aren’t you tempted? You’re so handsome, you should try to hit on her. If you end up with her, you’d have a great father-in-law and save yourself twenty years of hard work. If I didn’t look like a piece of coal, I would’ve tried already," the boy joked, then sighed wistfully.
The boys generally didn’t like pretty boys, but Lin Xu wasn’t the type to put on airs, so they had no issues with him.
Lin Xu couldn't listen to these words anymore. “That's a very irresponsible thing to say,” he replied coldly, unusually serious and not in the mood for jokes.
The boy didn't expect Lin Xu to be so upright. He couldn't keep up his playful attitude anymore.
At that moment, Yue Shan happened to come back to get something and overheard their conversation.
She looked at the boy disapprovingly. “I hope you don’t spread rumors like that in class.” Her background was kept secret to avoid affecting her father's career and linking her conduct to her family.
To Lin Xu, she merely pressed her lips together without saying anything, grabbed what she needed, and left.
Lin Xu didn’t mind.
He had saved enough money, and from now on, he wouldn’t have to stay up late. He quickly finished his chores and went to the mall to buy that pair of shoes.
He had already asked Gu Jinzhi for his shoe size. After all, Lin Xu wasn’t one to be subtle about giving surprises, so he asked directly. If the shoes fit well, that would be even better. He considered the possibility that Gu Jinzhi might not like the question, but it was up to him to decide how to handle it. His intention was what mattered.
He just wanted to show that he appreciated Gu Jinzhi’s willingness to unhesitatingly buy a watch for his online boyfriend, and he intended to reciprocate.
As he sent off the gift-wrapped package, Lin Xu felt inexplicably nervous, his palms even sweating a bit.
It was the first time he was sending a gift to someone he considered his romantic partner. He was also quite familiar with the address.
In the real world, his family also lived in that neighborhood. Surprisingly, the book kept most of the names of the places unchanged, making it feel more real. Maybe he had passed by the places Gu Jinzhi frequented and eaten the same food.
If their worlds overlapped, they might have even passed by each other. Lin Xu thought, in that case, he hoped Gu Jinzhi would walk by with a bright smile, rather than in a state of despair.
In the past, he might not have turned his head to take a look, but now, maybe he would.