E-Scum Gong Chapter 3
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 3
The name Gu Jinzhi sounded somewhat girlish. After all, how many men had the character Zhi in their names?
From the outset, he was born under the expectation of being a girl. His parents had hoped for one son and one daughter, but the second child turned out to be another boy.
They didn't change his name, though. Gu Jinzhi's name still carried his parents' singular expectation: a life of luxury and elegance, like precious jade and graceful orchids.
But this child grew up wayward. Whether he would amount to something or not was beside the point. After all, they still had the eldest son to rely on. Unfortunately, Gu Jinzhi seemed to be quite rebellious.
Apart from being handsome, he had no other merits. The only redeeming quality, which might not even count in such circles, was his pure and innocent heart.
Unlike Gu Qi, who was cunning and calculating, Gu Jinzhi remained childlike, with a simple mind, often opening his heart to others.
It wasn't until he faced many setbacks in his youth that he learned his lessons the hard way.
Now, he had grown extremely distrustful, often wearing a sour face and speaking with uncharacteristic venom. He rarely showed genuine kindness anymore. Fortunately, being born into the Gu family shielded him from much hardship, especially under the protection of his older brother, Gu Qi, who doted on him dearly.
Gu Jinzhi didn't have many friends, but those he had were true friends. Otherwise, how could they ever tolerate him?
He wasn't satisfied with his name, but it was chosen by his parents, so it couldn't easily be changed. At the same time, Gu Jinzhi was dissatisfied with all the feminine traits about himself.
For instance, his appearance was already somewhat androgynous, and he also had naturally fair skin.
It began in high school when Gu Jinzhi started attracting attention from boys due to his looks, which made his teeth itch in anger.
From then on, Gu Jinzhi seemed to revel in every brawl that involved delinquents. He eagerly joined in, always at the forefront, as if he were trying to meet a sales quota.
He happened to be gifted in fighting. His cold stare and fists were enough to shatter the stereotypical image boys had of him.
No one dared approach him again.
Later, Gu Jinzhi realized he was gay. He actually liked boys.
However, when he was younger, Gu Jinzhi had no romantic aspirations. He didn't care about love. Every day, his mind was only filled with nothing but causing trouble, getting into fights, and partying.
Every year, he made sure to spend time in the tropics sunbathing until his skin peeled off, euphemistically calling it tanning. He would get aluminum foil perm, and proudly proclaimed himself as a wild "Antelope Prince.”
But genetics prevailed. His tan never lasted long before he returned to his fair complexion, which his parents called "returning to being human," or else they wouldn't put up with his antics.
This year, as he grew older, Gu Jinzhi began to devote his thoughts to life's bigger questions, losing interest in other activities.
Lying in his bedroom, he was completely absorbed in contemplating how to shape the persona of a typical male college student.
Suddenly, a call came in — it was from his best friend, Xu Zhou.
Xu Zhou, as a staunch straight guy, was actually resistant to the idea of homosexuality. However, they had been childhood playmates, so after Gu Jinzhi confessed his sexual orientation, Xu Zhou struggled for a while but eventually accepted it. After all, they were brothers.
Besides, in Xu Zhou's eyes, Gu Jinzhi didn't look gay at all. He was nothing like the stereotypical gay men in Xu Zhou's mind. Gu Jinzhi was always using foul language and people would believe it if he said he changed girlfriends every month.
Gu Jinzhi hadn't even liked any guy romantically, but he had beaten up quite a few, which made Xu Zhou suspect if something was wrong with Gu Jinzhi's head.
"Why are you dragging your feet answering the phone? Are you going to Sanya next month?" Xu Zhou burst. He was a fellow second-generation idler with nothing better to do, so they got along well.
"Get lost, I'm not going," Gu Jinzhi replied curtly. He was engrossed in browsing forums to see what other male college students were like.
As he scrolled through, he secretly jotted down notes on a sticky note while fiddling with his phone like an old man on the subway.
"What are you so busy with? Is Second Young Master Gu getting impatient even with his own brother?" Xu Zhou taunted him.
"Don't you know my online alias is 'Zhizhi Mangmang'? So, I'm really busy, okay? Go away."
"F*ck, you're sick," Xu Zhou muttered under his breath.
Curious again, he asked, "Speaking of which, how's your undercover mission in that gay group going? Did you figure out you're actually straight?"
Xu Zhou had heard Gu Jinzhi complain about the men in that group before, all of whom he had disparaged as worthless. He showed no signs of being attracted to men.
That was more like it! Good brothers should go out and pick up girls together.
"No, this lord is no longer single," Gu Jinzhi casually dropped the bombshell.
"What? So fast. Who's the lucky guy? What's he like?" Xu Zhou was momentarily stunned, his mind a bit foggy.
"Just an ordinary guy, 26 years old," Gu Jinzhi replied nonchalantly, then added, "He has a nice voice," with a hint of satisfaction in his tone.
From now on, he was also someone who had been in a relationship. And he didn't even have to meet him in person. Otherwise, he couldn't stand the greasy guy. Most importantly, he couldn't deceive him either.
Xu Zhou still felt it was weird. It didn't sound like this was worthy of Gu Jinzhi's attention. He was probably just playing around.
"So, your relationship status won't clash with our outings, right? No tanning this year, Antelope Prince?" Xu Zhou teased him.
Gu Jinzhi paused for a moment, then replied seriously, "My current persona is that of a male college student. Where are there any swarthy male college students? I'm not going."
He looked at those photos on the forums, supposedly of beautiful 0s, all airbrushed to be whiter than walls, painfully thin, nothing like him with his eight-pack abs. They didn't even have body hair... well, Gu Jinzhi couldn't mock that, since he didn't have any body hair either.
Xu Zhou just felt like everything was bizarre.
"What kind of male college student are you? Are you possessed or something..."
Gu Jinzhi explained, "What do you know? Male college students are very popular nowadays. Actually, male high school students are even more popular, but that's a bit too much." He was too far removed from being a male high school student. He couldn't fake it.
"Just be careful you don't get deceived, emotionally or financially," Xu Zhou warned, feeling skeptical. He had witnessed Gu Jinzhi being duped from childhood to adulthood. Only recently did he become tough and unyielding, but now he was falling into the same trap again.
Gu Jinzhi was left speechless, unable to admit he had already spent tens of thousands on his boyfriend.
But he didn't think he would be deceived. He knew what kind of person his boyfriend was. Right now, it was just an entertaining game.
"Don't worry, I don't even like him. I'm just messing around with him," Gu Jinzhi declared confidently.
"Have you ever been in a relationship? Ever eaten pork? I bet you're likely to get scammed!"
Gu Jinzhi felt embarrassed and angry, as if he was being treated like a fool. "Go to hell, you know nothing! I'm hanging up!"
Xu Zhou quickly said, "Don't hang up! My girlfriend is a college student. Should I introduce her to you for some advice?"
That might actually be helpful.
Gu Jinzhi nodded heavily and then saved another photo of a handsome 0's legs from the forum.
Even though he didn't quite understand what was so special about wearing white socks, he figured he should just follow the trend, including mimicking their catchphrases.
Xu Zhou thought to himself, "Well, the Gu family is wealthy anyway. Getting deceived isn't a big deal."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Xu quietly finished dinner and completed his homework before staring blankly at his phone.
His grandparents went square dancing, leaving him alone at home.
After experiencing a very real day as a high school student, Lin Xu began to ponder how he suddenly found himself in this high schooler's body — there must be some reason behind it.
What kind of world was this? It seemed almost indistinguishable from the real world.
He stared at the username "Zhizhi Mangmang" and fell into deep thought. It felt like he was connecting the dots.
In his previous life, when he was still alive, there seemed to be a very popular book. However, because it was a danmei novel, it was relatively niche. Lin Xu had only heard passersby mention it, so he didn't know much about the content of the book.
All he knew was that the story was about a scumbag gong turning over a new leaf. The scumbug gong was an eighteenth-tier celebrity who hooked up with many men, including a rich second-generation cannon fodder who was the most significant victim he met online.
However, the real shou was a movie emperor, someone cunning and resourceful, who managed to reform the scumbag.
Meanwhile, the cannon fodder shou was deceived into providing resources and helping the scumbug gong rise to fame, only to be dumped in the end, becoming the laughingstock of the entire circle. Everyone would mock him a bit.
"What's the use of having money if you can't think straight?"
The showdown between the main cp in the book sparked intense fireworks, akin to a match between sea kings. That was the theme of the book — those with cunning minds wouldn't be mocked, only fools would.
Zhizhi Mangmang... cannon fodder shou... Lin Xu suddenly realized something.
He had transmigrated into a book, where his character might be even more of a cannon fodder than the cannon fodder shou. After all, he was the first online boyfriend of the cannon fodder shou.
Logically speaking, his character might serve as a foil to highlight the contrast.
The male lead was a skilled phoenix man who knew how to play the role, while he was just an immature high school student pretending to be a mature person for pocket money.
Lin Xu realized he had little connection with this book and would fade out of the main leads’ circle afterwards. But Zhizhi Mangmang... this male college student who liked to skip classes, would his life always be marked by deception and pain?
Lin Xu's urgency to sever ties with the other party faded a bit. Now he seemed to have the spare capacity to help the cannon fodder shou escape the plot. He didn't want Zhizhi Mangmang to feel deceived so soon.
This would make it easier for the male lead to swoop in.
The original Lin Xu must have scammed Gu Jinzhi out of money. Lin Xu planned to clarify things and repay it all.
As for their relationship, he recalled they had only participated in a cp event, which was more of a game. While many couples who got along well in previous cp events naturally ended up together, those who felt nothing during the event naturally drifted apart.
Lin Xu felt that such a breakup wouldn't constitute fraud. However, he still hesitated, unsure if it was fair to the relationship without genuine feelings.
Did Zhizhi Mangmang have feelings for the original Lin Xu? He couldn't pretend to be the original Lin Xu. If the other person discovered his lack of interest and was disappointed, it would be the best outcome to end things naturally.
Thinking this way, Lin Xu decided not to initiate contact with Zhizhi Mangmang. He scrolled through their chat history, noting that the original Lin Xu had been flirting persistently over the past few days.
He didn't intend to cheat anyone out of money, nor could he fabricate feelings.
At ten o'clock that night, Lin Xu was relieved that there were no further messages from the other side after the call ended. He finished washing up and prepared to sleep.
However, just before he could close his eyes, his phone screen lit up.
Lin Xu, huddled under his covers, reluctantly reached over to the desk for his phone — it was Zhizhi Mangmang.
Opening the message, Lin Xu felt his mind whirl. He was at a loss, unsure whether to look at it or not.
The message contained a photo of legs stretched out on the floor, wearing white socks and slippers, showing faint muscle lines — a healthy and attractive sight.
Zhizhi Mangmang wrote: "Had PE class today, just did some stretching. My calves feel a bit sore. Wanted to share with you and give you a new screensaver~ But will your colleagues think it's childish that your boyfriend is a college student? (crying.jpg)"
While suppressing the urge to gag, Gu Jinzhi typed out his reply with keen interest sparkling in his eyes. He had seen the OP on the forum shared this photo, and the reactions from the older man in the ambiguous stage were enthusiastic — the two of them chatted until the wee hours of the morning.
Though his legs had a hint of muscle, they seemed alright to look at. Gu Jinzhi couldn't wait to see how Amour would be enchanted by his "college student" persona.
Then the losers in the group would know that he, the second young master of the Gu family, wasn't without market! It was just that he was too lazy to put up a show~
Lin Xu replied succinctly, focusing on the key point: "What class requires so much physical activity?"
He was torn and dared not set the photo as his screensaver. Otherwise, everyone around him would know he was involved in an early romance. He couldn't bring himself to look at the picture a second time — it was a bit too provocative for a high school student and even for Lin Xu, whose emotional experience was no different from a high school student.
Nevertheless, he quite liked the other person's muscle lines. In his past life, his physical activity had been average, and now that he was back in high school, he had even less time for exercise.
Thus, Lin Xu found Zhizhi Mangmang to be a lively guy with plenty of energy. However, he observed that lively and active boys couldn't sit still during class.
"Huh?" Gu Jinzhi was taken aback, unable to say the words he had prepared beforehand.
Wasn't the other person supposed to engage in a deep conversation about his legs? Gu Jinzhi had no idea how to respond.
Gu Jinzhi stuttered out a reply: "Basketball class. Do you like playing basketball?"
Lin Xu paused for a moment, recalling that the original Lin Xu claimed to be a fitness enthusiast. He furrowed his brows and lied, "Yes, I like it. I think your muscle lines after exercising look good."
Gu Jinzhi was hit right where it counted. He also thought his muscular lines were very attractive and was quite pleased with himself.
Mumbling, he began to reveal his true nature: "I thought you liked the pale and slender type... But considering you also work out, our tastes should be similar."
Sensing something amiss, he quickly added, "Of course, I'm quite pale and slender myself." He almost forgot about his persona again.
Gu Jinzhi's impression of Amour improved significantly. This person didn't seem as greasy anymore. He didn't just talk about legs, and they agreed on a lot of things!
Lin Xu dryly smiled. "Hmm."
"In the future, show me your abs too," Gu Jinzhi expressed interest, curious to see who was in better shape.
Lin Xu tensed up. "Uh..."
"By the way, what should I call you in the future? Amour? Boyfie? Or..." Gu Jinzhi inquired.
"Any of them."
"Oh, oh, then can I call you gege then? After all, I'm so much younger than you~" Gu Jinzhi played his trump card, then sent a voice message calling out "gege."
Lin Xu replied, "Alright... but it's getting late, you should go to rest. You have class tomorrow." He really couldn't keep up the conversation anymore, fearing another voice call from the other side, his social anxiety kicking in.
Gu Jinzhi once again felt being a college student wasn't easy. Who sleeps at this hour? Such an old-fashioned guy... but he meant well.
"Okay, good night~" After sending the message, Gu Jinzhi felt bored and restless. He didn't feel like going out to cause trouble, so he lay there doing nothing and even thought about finding a book to read.
He grimaced as he listened to his own voice message again. "F*ck ah, I should just crush you to death!"
Just to charm the older man, he didn't even care about his face.
But this guy was surprisingly refreshing~ Making him sleep at ten, treating him like such a good boy.
Gu Jinzhi snickered mischievously. If Amour ever found out he wasn't much younger, it would be quite amusing.
Making him fall for an innocent college student, only to be deceived!
