E-Scum Gong Chapter 19
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 19
After a satisfying session, Yan Yang reached out to turn on the bedside lamp and lit a cigarette. Puffs of white smoke escaped from his mouth, lending his face an ethereal quality.
Years had passed, yet Yu Song still felt his heart moved. He wrapped his arms around Yan Yang's waist, his face slightly flushed. Tenderly, he said, "I really like this moment." Unfortunately, they hadn't done this often lately, only once or twice a month.
Last night, Yan Yang had been in the mood for some reason and had been a bit rough, but Yu Song was still happy.
Yu Song was a bit older than Yan Yang. When they first met, Yan Yang had just turned 22, looking more naive than he did now but still eye-catching. He should have been graduating from university at that age, but Yan Yang had been struggling to make a living in Beijing.
Due to his low education level and lack of connections, he usually handed out flyers one day and worked part-time at a haunted house the next. Despite his good looks, which earned him some gigs, he still had to hustle. After they got together, Yan Yang no longer needed to work so hard. Yu Song felt very sorry for him.
He only had one regret: this was his first love, and he had always remained chaste.
But Yan Yang hadn't.
Sometimes, Yu Song would complain, "I really wished I was your first."
In the past, Yan Yang would apologize to placate him. But today, when he started muttering this again, Yan Yang just lay in bed scrolling through his phone, not even looking up. "How can you still be so naive? Would you believe me if I said I was a v*rg*n back then?"
At 22, he was not that young, but somehow still naive.
But Yu Song also understood that high-quality 1s were rare. Someone with Yan Yang's level of looks was very popular, how could he possibly have a dry spell? He didn't dare ask in depth, fearing that he might ask something inappropriate. The circle had always been quite chaotic.
"I found a new job. The salary is 30% less, and the overtime is quite severe, but at least it's stable now," Yu Song changed the subject.
But Yan Yang seemed indifferent to his update. He only gave a perfunctory nod that inevitably disappointed Yu Song. After all, his current situation was all because of Yan Yang.
After a moment of silence, Yan Yang's expression grew impatient, but he soon patted Yu Song's waist. "Baby, let me check your phone."
Yu Song handed him his phone helplessly. He had no secrets, and even secretly rejoiced that Yan Yang still cared about his behavior.
Yan Yang flipped through the phone, and when he found no updates from a certain person's Moments, his face darkened further.
He glanced around the simple, modest room. This old, shabby two-bedroom apartment was something Yu Song had saved up to buy after working for several years. It had been renovated, but it was still ordinary.
The thought of spending the rest of his life like this filled Yan Yang with fear. He felt Yu Song's head resting on his abs, but he felt very disgusted. He no longer wanted the life Yu Song could give him.
Recently, there were other well-off men in the capital who had invited him out. After all, the life of a trainee was still a novelty. However, after meeting Gu Jinzhi, Yan Yang could no longer look at those other men with any interest.
Gu Jinzhi changed sports cars as easily as changing clothes, and his lifestyle was one that Yan Yang could only admire. Moreover, Gu Jinzhi was also openly gay and incredibly attractive and sexy. His odd temperament was nothing unbearable.
However, the whole night, the other person had not accepted his friend request.
Having stayed in the capital for so long, Yan Yang naturally knew many people in the circle. While he was still pondering how to find a breakthrough, he saw a familiar WeChat avatar in a screenshot of a chat between two acquaintances.
After confirming, Yan Yang was overjoyed, believing he had found another way in.
He just hadn't anticipated that the other person already had a boyfriend. What rankled him was that Gu Jinzhi’s so-called boyfriend was clearly not as good-looking as him. Possibly, it was just because that person was also a rich second generation, someone from the same circle as Gu Jinzhi.
Yan Yang did not give up on his plan to steal him away. He always found a way to break through.
Tossing the phone back to Yu Song, Yan Yang pushed him away and began to get dressed.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say your debut plans were postponed? Are you still busy?" It was barely dawn.
Yan Yang replied, "The manager plans to make another push. As the team leader, I should naturally step in." He felt pretty confident now, having always been careful not to save intimate photos of the two of them. With a future debut, he wasn’t worried about scandals — people rarely took rumors seriously.
Moreover, now that Yu Song had left the company, it was impossible for him to use his position to retaliate against him.
Yu Song watched his retreating figure, his lips pressed tightly together.
Standing in front of the general manager’s exclusive office, Yan Yang’s eyes lit up. Opportunities for closer contact was scarce, but everything depended on effort.
"Yan-ge, make sure to say some nice things later and see if there’s any room for negotiation." Their group's manager was a rather bold newcomer, or else he wouldn't have thought of coming directly to the general manager to seek opportunities.
He had brought Yan Yang along because he had learned that Gu Jinzhi was gay and hoped that having a handsome man might pique his interest. After all, pushing for a debut was just a matter of Gu Jinzhi saying a word.
Powerful people had such privileges. Seeking shortcuts wasn’t wrong, especially since the entire company belonged to the Gu family, and Gu Jinzhi had the final say.
When they knocked and entered, Gu Jinzhi was lazily reclining on his exclusive sofa, fiddling with his phone. This young general manager had always been like someone just going through the motions. He wouldn't dare to imagine this with another strict boss.
Seeing them, Gu Jinzhi slowly put away his phone, straightened up, and asked, "What’s up?"
"General Manager, I’m the manager of the MA boy group, and this is our team leader, Yan Yang. You might have met him before," the manager said with a flattering smile.
Gu Jinzhi stared at Yan Yang for a moment, not quite remembering him, but after being reminded, he had a faint recollection.
"Hmm." He nodded disinterestedly.
"Our MA boy group was supposed to debut by the end of the month. The trainees have been working hard on their debut single, but the company suddenly decided to cancel it. It’s quite unfair to the trainees," the manager continued.
Gu Jinzhi stretched and looked a bit drowsy.
"So?"
"General Manager, could the company reconsider?" Yan Yang spoke at the manager's signal, his voice low and his gaze intense. He even took a couple of steps closer.
He was wearing a tank top that accentuated his physique, his chest muscles bulging prominently.
Gu Jinzhi casually propped an ankle to his opposite knee and replied nonchalantly, "But one of your members has dropped out. Besides, the company’s main focus is profitability. Debuting now isn’t the best option."
Debut was crucial for Yan Yang too, and he was genuinely concerned. He asked, "So General Manager, don’t you care about us trainees?" His gaze lingered on Gu Jinzhi, with a hint of ambiguity.
Gu Jinzhi, who was already bored with his job and now faced with issues that bypassed procedure, snapped, "This was decided in a management meeting. I understand your difficulties, but everything must be done according to the rules! Continue practicing well. The company will come up with a plan." Gu Jinzhi waved them away.
Yan Yang watched as Gu Jinzhi instinctively reached for his phone again, his expression darkening. He clearly saw it, didn't he?
Once the office fell silent again, Gu Jinzhi waved to his assistant. "Xiao Liu, make a note. I need to take the afternoon off."
The assistant’s face fell. She knew that as long as she did her job well, the general manager wasn’t harsh, so she was used to his attitude.
"Ah, but General Manager, you just took a leave of absence two days ago, and your vacation days are already used up." Besides, the schedule was packed, and if the general manager took leave, she would have to rearrange everything and inform other partners.
Gu Jinzhi, smacking his lips in embarrassment, affected a serious tone as he said, "I have urgent matters to attend to. I must take the afternoon off. Xiao Liu, you’ve worked hard. I’ll make sure to give you a bonus at the end of the month!"
With Gu Jinzhi’s words, the assistant reluctantly turned a blind eye. After all, Gu Jinzhi made the decisions, and the management couldn’t afford to criticize him.
The assistant couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at Gu Jinzhi’s earlier insistence on following the rules with the MA boy group leader. The general manager played on his phone at work every day and frequently took leave for personal matters. He even wanted to give her a bonus. What following the rules?
If Gu Jinzhi chose to support them, no trainee would fail to make it big.
"Okay, I’ll go have lunch a bit early and won’t come back this afternoon!" Gu Jinzhi grabbed his coat and left.
As for the urgent matter he needed to attend, it was indeed personal.
Yesterday, Lin Xu casually asked why he had time to chat all day, wondering if he wasn’t attending classes seriously. Gu Jinzhi's heart skipped a beat. Thinking, if he didn't prove he was a college student, he might arouse suspicion.
So, he drove to his alma mater, changed into casual clothes, and blended in perfectly with the students.
Using his alumni card to enter the campus, Gu Jinzhi wandered around casually, taking several scenic photos. The flowers in the garden looked youthful, and he sent them all to Lin Xu.
"The flowers at the school are blooming!"
He took a few more photos for later use.
Then, during the first class of the afternoon, Gu Jinzhi sneaked into a public class in a general education classroom. With around a hundred people present, he managed to stay inconspicuous.
Gu Jinzhi happily sent Lin Xu photos of the backs of other students’ heads, captioning them, "In class! (fist pump)"
Lin Xu, who was on a break, smiled wryly when he saw the photos. He knew that Zhizhi was slacking off in class again.
"No chatting, pay attention to the class," Lin Xu replied, though it was rare for him to give such advice.
"Huh?" Gu Jinzhi just wanted to prove he was in clas. He really had no intention of listening.
"I won’t reply until after class," Lin Xu added.
"And no lurking in the group chat. Wait until after class," Lin Xu closed off Gu Jinzhi's escape route.
So he really took an entire afternoon off just to sit through an Economics Geography lecture, his eyes glazed over. He even borrowed paper and a pen from a student to take notes, his hand aching, all just to show Lin Xu after class.
Even after class ended, Gu Jinzhi’s mind was still bogged down with various terms, causing him a headache.
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“Zhizhi is so amazing~” Lin Xu complimented him.
Gu Jinzhi snorted with laughter, feeling extremely pleased with himself.
