E-Scum Gong Chapter 28
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 28
After the scouting mission failed, Gu Jinzhi reflected deeply and realized that searching blindly like this was not feasible. So, he decisively moved hotels again, directly booking one near the affiliated high school, planning to stay for a few more days to increase his chances.
His assistant naturally relocated with him. Her new room lacked a river view. Instead, it offered a constant view of the passing students, but nothing was amiss. The hotel manager even prepared a small cake and some red wine in her room. This excellent service, of course, was clearly made in consideration of their boss’ reputation.
That first night, Gu Jinzhi found himself under various interrogations about his trip to Jiang City.
First came his bad friend Xu Zhou.
“You really f*cking went there? Are you still drunk?” In a single night, the capital had lost sight of Second Young Master Gu.
Knowing the details, Xu Zhou immediately guessed that Gu Jinzhi was seriously planning to meet his online boyfriend.
“I’m here on business,” Gu Jinzhi declared with righteous indignation. He was currently lying on the hotel’s presidential suite bed. He took a small sip of the red wine, then wrinkled his brow. It wasn’t as refreshing as beer, but the sweetness was pleasant enough.
“Cut the act. Have you met him yet? What’s the situation?” Since he had already gone over, Xu Zhou was also quite curious about the online boyfriend that Gu Jinzhi had been dating for a few months. Did he want to buy a plane ticket back immediately after seeing him?
Given Gu Jinzhi’s aversion to losing face, Xu Zhou knew he’d probably refuse to admit anything outright.
At this question, Gu Jinzhi was at a loss for words. He awkwardly set down his wine glass and hesitated for a few seconds before mumbling, “I haven’t met him yet.”
“What’s the matter? Doesn’t he want to meet you?” Xu Zhou found it hard to believe. Meeting in person should be straightforward, just a matter of a few seconds to see if there was chemistry.
Gu Jinzhi felt a bit embarrassed. “I told him I was a college student, remember? How can I bring up meeting in person now?” Amour would be super disappointed. He was too scared to make that move.
“...Brother, didn’t you think about this when you lied to him?” Xu Zhou was exasperated. It wasn’t something that could be hidden forever. Wouldn't he find out upon meeting?
Gu Jinzhi frowned. “I didn’t think about meeting in person at that time.” He was just following the trend, feeling like male college students were quite popular, and since he'd never been in an online relationship before, it was new and exciting, so he just went along with it.
He regretted it a bit now, but he also thought that if he hadn’t lied in the first place, they might not have reached this point.
“So, what’s your plan now? Since you’re here, don’t come back without doing anything.”
Gu Jinzhi pressed his lips together, feeling shy. “Actually, I’ve already planned it. I’ll try to find him by gathering information, observe what he’s really like, and then confess.” He was very curious about his boyfriend and wanted to meet him, but he didn’t dare let the other person know.
“Hire a private investigator?” Xu Zhou suggested instinctively.
Gu Jinzhi spat at him, “Get lost. He’s my boyfriend. I need to find him myself.” Using such methods wasn’t his style.
“Fine, fine. I’m old and can't understand you 'college students'. Let me know if you make any progress.” Xu Zhou clicked his tongue.
“What about your big brother? He must know you’re in Jiang City.”
Gu Jinzhi wasn’t worried at all, and even smugly said, “He definitely doesn’t know why I’m here. He probably thinks I just ran away because I was mad at him. Besides, I actually have work to do.” It was all quite easy.
As if on cue, his older brother’s call came through.
“I need to hang up. My big brother is calling,” Gu Jinzhi said. After ending the call, he hesitated for a moment before answering his older brother’s call.
“Hello, ge.” He greeted, though he had already calmed down.
“You went to Jiang City?” his older brother asked.
Gu Jinzhi nodded. “Yeah, I...” He was about to explain that he was here on a business trip.
His older brother, as if reading his mind, said confidently, “Oh, so you went to find your online boyfriend.”
Gu Jinzhi silently swallowed his words, baffled at how both his older brother and Xu Zhou could be so smart.
Since his older brother had already guessed it, Gu Jinzhi decided not to lie. He resigned himself and admitted, “Yes.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve told your cousin to keep it a secret. The rest of the family won’t know. Who knew you’d be so stubborn?” His older brother said with a hint of amusement.
Gu Jinzhi felt a bit touched. He knew his older brother cared about him.
“I really didn’t expect that he’s not local,” his older brother continued. At least this meant that Gu Jinzhi’s identity was unknown to the other person. The worst-case scenario would be that he was just trying to hook up with a rich guy online.
If he got scammed out of some money, he'd just consider it a lesson for his younger brother. After all, other people in their circle who were in serious relationships were also spending a lot of money.
“I told you he wasn’t that kind of person,” Gu Jinzhi muttered quietly.
“That’s still in question, but since you’re there, take a good look. You never know if your online boyfriend might be involved with someone else in real life,” his older brother said, sounding less worried.
In fact, he was more concerned about another issue. He hoped that Gu Jinzhi’s boyfriend was truly after money. If he was as naive as Gu Jinzhi, the outcome might not be good.
He knew his younger brother well. Gu Jinzhi, who often had high standards, might find his online boyfriend less appealing once they met in person without filter.
Even Gu Jinzhi’s habit of criticizing things like perfume showed just how picky he could be.
“Don’t sweat about it, ge,” Gu Jinzhi said with confidence.
On one hand, he trusted Amour. On the other, and he apologized to his boyfriend for saying this, Gu Jinzhi believed his boyfriend’s qualities wouldn’t stir up any emotional entanglements. But of course, he wasn’t feeling any dissatisfaction, at least not now.
“If anything happens, come to me,” his older brother said, still sounding like a concerned older sibling.
Gu Jinzhi was eager to end the call. He didn’t want to listen to his older brother’s nagging. He wanted to chat with his boyfriend.
After ending the call, Gu Jinzhi, wearing a silk pajamas, lay on his bed, opened the chat box, and playfully typed, “Gege~ Are you there?”
Lin Xu replied quickly, “Yes, I’m here.”
Without realizing it, Lin Xu had actually become very mindful of being in a relationship. Noting that the number on Gu Jinzhi’s WeChat step counter was high and that it was the weekend, he asked, “Did you go out today?”
Gu Jinzhi obliviously responded, “Yes, I went out for coffee with friends. My legs are so sore (feeling wronged).” After wearing leather shoes all day, he wanted some sympathy.
“Zhizhi, you should stretch and massage your legs to improve blood circulation,” Lin Xu advised.
Gu Jinzhi replied softly, “Okay, I’m doing that now.”
He was thinking about how to cleverly probe Lin Xu for clues, hoping to uncover any hints!
“Gege~ Do you like drinking coffee?” he asked.
Lin Xu shook his head. “Not really. I don’t need it to stay awake.”
Gu Jinzhi suddenly slapped his leg in realization. Of course, his boyfriend didn’t like coffee, so he wouldn’t go to a coffee shop. He had been searching in the wrong place. Lin Xu was really not like most young people.
It was likely that the coffee shop was just near where he lived.
“So, what does my gege usually do on weekends?” Gu Jinzhi asked with a hint of curiosity.
Tomorrow was Sunday.
Lin Xu thought about his recent schedule. “Lately, I’ve been going to the city library to browse through some books.”
Gu Jinzhi smiled triumphantly. He always knew he'd catch him.
“What time do you usually go?”
Lin Xu wondered why Zhizhi was asking such specific questions. He rarely used to ask such detailed things.
He answered, “Usually around eight.” He woke up at six to exercise a bit.
“Oh, that early? I can’t wake up at that time,” Gu Jinzhi said, feeling a bit hopeless. Couldn't he even have a good rest on weekends?
“It’s okay. You should rest well. Learning isn’t something you can rush,” Lin Xu comforted him, amused. He thought Gu Jinzhi was inspired by his routine and wanted to start studying.
Lin Xu was pleased, but he didn’t want his boyfriend to suppress himself too quickly.
“Oh, I get it. I’ll just rest early tonight,” Gu Jinzhi said, making a fist. He was determined to seize this opportunity, at least to hunt down the suspect.
Lin Xu thought it was nice that this night owl was finally considering an early bedtime. They chatted until after ten, then said goodnight.
Gu Jinzhi even sent a sweet voice message: “Gege~ Good night.”
Unfortunately, Lin Xu was still worried about his voice being exposed. Given that the situation was recent and could easily raise suspicion, he only typed, “Good night.”
The next morning at six o’clock, the sky was already fully bright. Lin Xu got up on time, did some exercise, and then began his morning routine.
His classmate, Yue Shan, also woke up early and sent him a message: “Shall we go to the library together?”
Yue Shan knew about Lin Xu’s habit.
Lin Xu thought for a moment and replied, “Sure, we should be able to study together at the library.”
The boundaries were clear.
Yue Shan was accustomed to this. Although she still had feelings for Lin Xu, her primary goal was to study. Having Lin Xu around meant she could occasionally ask him questions. As for other matters, they could wait until after the college entrance exam. After all, he didn't have a girlfriend, so there was no need to avoid him. She really did enjoy spending time with him.
“Okay, see you then.”
At seven o'clock, Lin Xu was too lazy to choose clothes, so he just wore one of his summer white short-sleeved school uniforms with a black collar. It looked very casual. He slung his backpack on and went out.
He bought breakfast downstairs and ate it before getting on the bus. Once on the bus, he put on his earphones and listened to an audio lesson.
At eight o'clock, the boy in his school uniform and the girl with a ponytail happened to meet in front of the city library, looking every bit the picture of youth. No one knew they hadn’t actually arranged a time to meet.
“Let’s go in together,” Yue Shan said, smoothing her hair and wearing a hopeful, determined expression, ready to dive into a sea of problems.
Lin Xu nodded. “Alright.”
At 8:30, Gu Jinzhi irritably turned off the alarm that had been ringing for several times. His pajamas had ridden up to his chest due to his poor sleeping posture, revealing a pale stomach with defined abs. His eyelashes looked especially long in sleep.
He woke up from the cold, sat up and rubbed his belly, staring into space, feeling like he had forgotten something.
Once he fully came to his senses, he suddenly remembered the importance of the day. It was their first in-person meeting!
Gu Jinzhi was extremely frustrated. He scrambled out of bed, hastily washed up, and took some time to carefully groom himself. Although Lin Xu might not recognize him today, first impressions were very crucial!
Looking at his refined reflection in the mirror, Gu Jinzhi styled his hair with a touch of vanity and chose a more casual sweatshirt. It made him look much younger. He could easily pass for a college student.
Excitedly, he drove his Maserati straight to the city library, forgetting to bring any paper, pens, or a laptop — just himself.
To be honest, Gu Jinzhi had only been to a library a handful of times in his life.
