E-Scum Gong Chapter 34
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 34
Time seemed to speed up after the third mock exam.
When the results came out, Lin Xu still sat firmly at the top of the rankings. The photos on the honor roll changed constantly, but he remained an unmovable fixture.
This time, there was far less surprise among the students. No longer did they stand beneath the rankings board, wondering who the top scorer was.
After all, in every exam, whether major or minor, he always delivered outstanding results.
The fact that a former underachiever had climbed to the top of the high school's rankings within just three months was nothing short of astonishing. Yet, it was undeniably happening, forcing even the skeptics to believe it.
Some still suspected that Lin Xu might have access to some secret source of answers. They thought that he might be exposed during the final exams. But at least within Class 9, his classmates had come to revere their new academic god.
Since their school was one of the exam centers for the college entrance exams, students from other year level were given a week's vacation to allow the exam rooms to be prepared in advance.
To prevent any unexpected issues during the exams — such as traffic delays or oversleeping — that could affect their scores, all seniors were required to move into the school dormitories for their final review. This included both boarding and commuting students.
Grandma Lin, who usually enjoyed her time at the public square dance, had lost interest in such activities. Instead, she busied herself at home, packing his luggage while muttering to herself. Though she had never taken a college entrance exam herself, nor did the family ever push any of their grandchildren to attend a top university, she understood how important this was to Lin Xu after seeing his newfound dedication to his studies. She couldn’t offer much help with his academics, but she was determined to ensure he was well taken care of in every other way.
“Xiao Xu, do you think these clothes will be enough?” she asked, her hands never stopping as she fretted. The thought of her grandson being away from home for several days naturally made her anxious.
Lin Xu sighed in resignation and said, "Grandma, just two sets of uniforms will be enough." He took out many unnecessary items she had packed. After all, this wasn’t his first time in high school, and he wasn’t a real high school student — he didn’t need to be pampered.
Ever since he transmigrated in this world, Lin Xu had tried to minimize the trouble he caused his family. He rarely asked for anything and often had to convince them not to worry too much about him.
Now, as he packed his things, he glanced at his phone and hesitated for a moment.
Once he moved into the dormitory, he would have to adhere to stricter rules. Teachers from each class would patrol the hallways until ten at night, so he wouldn’t have much opportunity to use his phone.
But thinking of Gu Jinzhi, Lin Xu decided to bring it anyway. He sent a message in advance: "Zhizhi, I’ll be busy for the next week, so I might not be able to reply quickly."
When he didn’t get an immediate response, Lin Xu shouldered his backpack and left the house.
After getting off the bus near the school, Lin Xu instinctively glanced towards the entrance of the hotel nearby. The next time he could come out would be after the college entrance examination. By then, he figured he wouldn’t need to come up with an excuse — he would just tell the truth.
Zhizhi was twenty and in college, so by the time Lin Xu started university, their age difference wouldn’t be significant. According to his original plan, he had intended to apply to a school in the capital.
However, the thought of explaining to his family that he would be dating a boyfriend, revealing his orientation right after the college entrance exams, left Lin Xu feeling a bit troubled. He genuinely worried about how his grandparents would react. While the younger generation had grown accustomed to such things, the older generation might find it hard to accept.
He would need to have a serious conversation with Zhizhi about it. Lin Xu doubted he could be as open with his family as Zhizhi had been with his.
Of course, all of the above were scenarios that Lin Xu had mustered up the courage to imagine. When the day came to actually confess, he might find himself so nervous that it would be difficult to truly see himself as Zhizhi’s boyfriend.
For now, Zhizhi didn’t know his real identity, which made Lin Xu feel less anxious around him. They hadn’t spent much time together, and Gu Jinzhi only saw him as an acquaintance. But what about the day when Zhizhi found out the truth?
Just as he was thinking this, Lin Xu noticed a Maserati parked not far away. It wasn’t until half of the driver's face was revealed that Lin Xu remembered — it was the same car Gu Jinzhi had driven when they first met.
Seeing it again now made the fact that Gu Jinzhi came from a wealthy family, something Lin Xu had largely ignored, suddenly more real.
In the novel, the fact that Gu Jinzhi was able to help Zoe get established in the entertainment industry didn't seem like something a rich male college student could do.
Lin Xu’s steps faltered as he instinctively looked in that direction.
He watched as Gu Jinzhi and a few others got out of the car, all dressed in suits. Among them were two middle-aged men, likely in their forties or fifties, who were showing Gu Jinzhi an almost exaggerated amount of respect, their faces full of ingratiating smiles.
Gone was the youthful air that had surrounded Gu Jinzhi yesterday and even the days before. He was once again the distant and imposing figure Lin Xu had first encountered.
Previously, Lin Xu had thought maybe Gu Jinzhi was just cosplaying or attending some formal event when he dressed like that. He had made excuses in his mind because of the initial impression he had formed of Zhizhi.
But now, seeing Gu Jinzhi exuding the aura of a shrewd businessman, looking mature and composed, he suddenly didn’t seem twenty years old at all.
Lin Xu could even hear them discussing terms like "project planning" as they spoke.
Gu Jinzhi noticed him and gave a slight nod, the kind of acknowledgment reserved for acquaintances, before turning back to focus on his business and walking into the hotel. After all, there was nothing to hide from this student — Lin Xu had already seen many of his less flattering moments.
To Gu Jinzhi, this male student existed somewhere between a stranger and an acquaintance, occupying a unique space of his own.
The sound of Gu Jinzhi’s leather shoes echoed in Lin Xu’s ears.
Lin Xu stood frozen for a moment, then slowly turned and walked away, his expression difficult to describe.
If things were really like this… if Gu Jinzhi had been deceiving him too… Lin Xu suddenly realized just how out of place he felt in their relationship.
The idea that they could have a chance together might have held if they were both just college students. But if Gu Jinzhi was, in reality, a successful and established businessman, then the gap between them seemed insurmountable.
Even though Lin Xu’s mental age was older, his current life story was still lacking. He hadn’t even taken the college entrance exams yet — he was, in many ways, still immature.
But Gu Jinzhi’s preference seemed to lean toward older, more mature men.
Lin Xu, who had been pretending to be a mature man for so long, now found himself exposed for who he really was.
He began to think that maybe Gu Jinzhi wasn’t someone who could easily be deceived. After all, Lin Xu hadn’t read the original novel — he only vaguely remembered a promotional poster from the manhua adaptation and the general outline of the story. But what it actually entailed, he didn’t fully know. It seemed, in hindsight, that his initial concern and empathy might have been misplaced.
Lin Xu walked silently into the school, forcing himself to shake off these distracting thoughts and focus on the upcoming exams.
There were four people in their dorm room, all his classmates. After finding his bed, Lin Xu quickly unpacked and dove straight into his studies.
On the eve of the college entrance exams, the school was also planning to hold a graduation ceremony for the seniors. With such a tight schedule, there was no time for traditional classes.
Multiple rounds of review had already been completed, and now it was up to the students’ own efforts.
As the top student in Class 9, Lin Xu naturally received a lot of attention and care from the homeroom teacher and other staff. This meant he was often the subject of their frequent check-ins.
His roommates, seated at their desks, couldn’t help but complain, “Lin Xu, it’s all your fault — I’m too scared to even play on my phone now!”
“Mr. Wang is terrifying. He keeps popping his head in through the window and won't let us close the door.”
Lin Xu could only smile wryly. He was the type to focus well, even when his mind wasn’t at ease, he could still concentrate on his studies.
Time passed quickly when one was engrossed. It wasn’t until he felt the stiffness in his back that he checked his watch and realized it was already ten o’clock — time to rest.
He hadn’t touched his phone all day. Partly because the strict rules didn’t allow it, and partly because his own emotions were too tangled.
Still, Lin Xu decided to discreetly take his phone and head to the bathroom.
His dorm mates had already been sneaking off to the bathroom frequently, using it as an excuse to check their phones.
As expected, when he looked, there were a flurry of messages waiting for him, some of them sounding increasingly anxious due to his lack of response.
In the end, Gu Jinzhi once again pressed for a video call, this time with a sense of urgency that hadn’t been there before.
Lin Xu had other thoughts on his mind, but ignoring the request wasn’t his style. So, he dryly declined, “It’s not convenient.” This time, he didn’t even dare to use the affectionate nickname he usually did.
He was certain that revealing the truth now would only create awkwardness between them, especially for Gu Jinzhi.
He was convinced that if Gu Jinzhi found out he was a high school student with such a wide gap in both life experience and age, he would be disappointed.
So perhaps, Lin Xu thought, this online relationship ending with nothing might actually be the best outcome.
After a long, exhausting day of work, Gu Jinzhi had barely slipped back into his role as the company’s general manager, and it was only then that he truly felt like he wasn’t just some young kid anymore.
These past few days, running into that high schooler had often made him feel younger than he was.
When he read Amour’s message saying he was too busy to reply quickly, Gu Jinzhi felt a bit irritable. He was sure it wasn’t as simple as that. Normally, even when working overtime, Amour would never be out of touch for a whole day. What could possibly be keeping him so occupied?
Seeing that things were at a standstill, Gu Jinzhi thought that if they didn’t meet up soon, he’d be out of time. Unable to resist, he once again suggested a video call.
As expected, he was turned down again.
This wouldn’t do. What was the point of all those gym sessions if they couldn’t even video chat?
A video call was such a simple thing — just turn on the camera, no big deal. The only reason someone wouldn’t do it was because they didn’t want to. But if the other person wasn’t willing, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
His friend Xu Zhou, who never missed a chance to stir the pot, would check in every few days, asking about his progress. Gu Jinzhi felt embarrassed to admit that after all this time, he still hadn’t caught even a glimpse of the guy.
“You still haven’t found him? Tsk, tsk. I told you to do a background check,” Xu Zhou teased, clearly enjoying the situation.
“I’m not that kind of person,” Gu Jinzhi retorted, though even he didn’t sound so confident about it anymore.
“He won’t video chat, and he doesn’t send photos. I don’t get it.” Gu Jinzhi was still puzzled. It wasn’t like the guy could be so ugly that he was afraid to show his face.
“Has he been acting strange lately?” Xu Zhou’s interest was piqued now. The fact that Gu Jinzhi had been searching for so long without any success seemed absurd to him.
“Yeah, kind of. He’s starting to feel distant,” Gu Jinzhi mused. He wasn’t sure if it was because he had been so focused on finding him or if Amour was genuinely becoming distracted.
For some inexplicable reason, Amour had become more mysterious, as if his attention was divided elsewhere. Their conversations had grown disjointed, with topics sometimes trailing off, leaving Gu Jinzhi with an increasingly vague impression of his boyfriend.
“He really doesn’t want to see you?”
“He used to send pictures and make calls. He clearly cared about me. But now, it’s like he’s holding something back.” The more he spoke about it, the more Gu Jinzhi felt uneasy.
If it weren’t for this conversation with Xu Zhou, he might not have even noticed it.
“Every time I feel like I’m about to find him, it just slips away like a bubble.”
“Hmm… is it possible that he’s already found you?”
