E-Scum Gong Chapter 35
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 35
“This is absolutely impossible!” was Gu Jinzhi’s immediate reaction.
“He doesn’t even know what I look like. I can’t even find him, so how could he possibly have discovered me? That would be an insult to my intelligence!”
Xu Zhou awkwardly cleared his throat, struggling to respond to the topic of Gu Jinzhi’s intelligence.
“You’ve tested him so many times. Maybe he caught on,” Xu Zhou suggested. This guy was never good at lying.
Gu Jinzhi still found it unlikely. He had never seen Amour in person, and besides, who would ever guess that he’d come all the way to Jiang City for such an absurd reason?
“Anyway, I’m just guessing. Believing it or not is up to you.” Xu Zhou didn’t want to get involved in their dramatic online relationship anymore. Sooner or later, the truth would come out.
But Gu Jinzhi couldn’t shake the seed of doubt that had been planted.
If the other party had indeed discovered him, then it would make a bit more sense. Suddenly avoiding him could mean he didn’t want to be found, and if he was deliberately hiding, it would explain why Gu Jinzhi could never locate him.
It wasn’t his fault after all!
But why would he avoid him? Gu Jinzhi pondered this for a moment before it hit him. Had Amour discovered that he wasn’t a young college student?! Had he lost interest after realizing Gu Jinzhi was no longer so young?
Although Gu Jinzhi had considered this possibility from the start — wondering how he would explain lying about his age — he was still furious when he realized Amour had grown distant because of it.
Sure, he wasn’t a college student, but he was good-looking! Wasn’t that enough? He hadn’t cared that Amour was average-looking or just a regular working guy. Amour should be grateful to have someone like him! Besides, he was older than Gu Jinzhi. Did Amour really have to find a college boy?
Now, as Gu Jinzhi stared at Lin Xu’s WeChat profile picture, his eyes were filled with resentment. Damn that man.
It had been a while since Gu Jinzhi had been active in the group chat, but now that he had sorted out his feelings about his boyfriend, he had the mental energy to check the messages.
The usual people were there, though their enthusiasm for Lin Xu, the high school student Gu Jinzhi had encountered before, seemed to have waned. After all, they couldn’t see or touch him. He might as well have been a paper doll. At least when people idolized celebrities, there were always new photos or videos. Following a regular guy took real dedication.
Thinking about that student, Gu Jinzhi sighed, unconsciously comparing him to his boyfriend. Just look at him, young, good-looking, with great grades, and always polite. Most importantly, he was loyal, barely talking to anyone else. It was rare to see a guy like that in high school.
Who wouldn’t like a boy like that?
And yet Amour had the nerve to complain about his age?
Sometimes, Gu Jinzhi wondered if his feelings were clouded by the fact that their relationship was online. But then he remembered those countless moments when his heart had genuinely skipped a beat.
Wasn’t that what people called falling in love? That rush of blood, the nervous excitement tingling through his veins — Gu Jinzhi had never felt that way before.
So, for the sake of those moments, even now, he still hoped they could meet, at least once. At least give it a chance.
There was some other gossip in the group chat as well. For instance, Zoe, who had been quite popular recently, seemed to have hooked up with one of the group members. They had even met up in person. According to his new boyfriend, Zoe was the epitome of perfection — looks, body, everything was top-notch.
The implication was clear: Zoe was also great in bed.
As the group buzzed with envious and regretful comments, Gu Jinzhi felt a wave of disgust. He vaguely remembered this guy. Zoe had tried to add him as a friend not long ago. Now, he’d already moved on to a new target, working his charm? That was classic gold-digger behavior.
What made it worse was that Zoe’s new boyfriend was usually quiet in the group and seemed to be older. He was actually some executive in an entertainment company. Being in the same industry, Gu Jinzhi had picked up on a few hints from the guy’s rare posts on Moments.
But all of this had nothing to do with him. He hadn’t even resolved his own relationship issues. He actually hoped that Amour would be more proactive once he realized he was wealthy.
The group chat was filled with bits and pieces of conversation. Gu Jinzhi didn’t have the patience to sift through it all. He was about to leave when a recent message caught his eye.
“Just checked the calendar and realized that our group’s three-month cp event ended today! Looking back, only the group admin and Amour are still together. Who would’ve thought?”
“Yeah, I always thought they’d be the first to break up. Guess it was meant to be.”
“But the twists and turns since then have been surprising… Anyway, I won’t say more. They’re still in the group. Let’s just hope the group admin wakes up soon.”
Ever since people found out that Gu Jinzhi came from a wealthy family, they had been more tolerant of him. Discussions about his relationship with Amour would only subtly criticize Amour, since he rarely spoke in the group anyway.
Seeing these comments, Gu Jinzhi almost forgot that his initial reason for refusing Amour’s breakup suggestion was to avoid losing face in the group. It had been over three months now. If they broke up, he wouldn’t be the one embarrassed.
Since Amour’s fake background had been exposed in the group, people’s opinions of him had soured. Gu Jinzhi suddenly remembered that, back when Amour was at the height of his popularity, he had proposed leaving the group together to avoid hearing unpleasant remarks.
After the scandal broke, Amour never mentioned leaving the group and hadn’t quietly left either. It seemed he didn’t care much about the gossip.
Gu Jinzhi thought that if it were him, he would have left the group out of embarrassment.
Sometimes, he judged Amour as just a typical middle-aged man with a preference for younger guys — perhaps a bit vain — but more often, he felt that Amour wasn’t like that at all. It was a feeling that no one else could fully understand.
In any case, Gu Jinzhi certainly wasn’t considering a breakup now. He wanted to meet Amour.
Messages sent during the day continued to go unanswered, confirming what Amour had said about being busy. Gu Jinzhi tried not to think negatively about his boyfriend. He guessed that the other person would probably reply briefly after 10 pm, and the reply would be a bit cold.
Due to the school administration’s arrangements and the prediction that this year’s exam questions would be difficult, the school had decided to postpone the graduation ceremony until after the college entrance exams, leaving students with little free time.
During this period, Gu Jinzhi’s grandparents had called him several times. Since their grandson had never been away from them for more than a few days, they were so worried they had lost interest in their usual square dancing. They spent their days tidying up his room and buying gifts for after the exams.
This made Lin Xu feel warmly touched.
Gu Jinzhi didn’t send any more messages during the day, perhaps because he was busy with work.
Whenever Lin Xu thought about this, he couldn’t help but feel pressure. The switch between Gu Jinzhi's real identity and his online persona was bewildering.
He still hadn’t figured out how to handle the situation and couldn’t bring himself to say that maybe a breakup would be better, even though he knew the other person would likely find such an experience very disappointing.
He remembered how Gu Jinzhi had referred to him in the alley last time. Lin Xu wondered if he would feel embarrassed if he knew Amour’s true identity.
Another night came, the eve before the college entrance exams. Unlike many other students who stayed up late to cram, Lin Xu followed his routine and prepared for bed.
Before going to sleep, he checked his phone one last time in the bathroom. It seemed Gu Jinzhi had been waiting for him to come online. As soon as Lin Xu opened his phone, a message popped up.
Gu Jinzhi was a little angry because the other person might know about his identity but was remaining silent. Plus, Amour hadn't shown any signs of reflection in the past few days, so he decided not to sweetly call him “gege” anymore. It was clear that a gentle approach wasn’t working!
He directly said, “Amour, let’s meet in person.”
High school students would be taking the college entrance exam soon, and the company's scouts would start looking for suitable kids to be trainees. The business in the capital would become much busier. He couldn’t stay in Jiang City forever, and waiting for his boyfriend to take the initiative was unlikely to work.
The suddenness of the message caught Lin Xu off guard. Feeling a bit dazed, he glanced at the note on the bathroom door that said 'stay calm'.
“Huh? Why so sudden?” Lin Xu asked, pressing his lips together.
Gu Jinzhi snorted. “Hey, you know I came to Jiang City, right? You must have noticed me. You’re avoiding me.”
Lin Xu was even more shocked, both by the fact that Gu Jinzhi had discovered his secret and by his bluntness. Wasn’t there an unspoken rule in online relationships that if things didn’t seem right, you could just... disappear?
“Honestly, I’m not a college student. Are you disappointed?” Gu Jinzhi stopped playing games and spoke plainly. It seemed like he really didn't have the intelligence for it. It had been over a month, and he still hadn't figured anything out. He seemed to be genuinely trying to get to the bottom of it.
With the conversation reaching this point, Lin Xu realized that Gu Jinzhi had discovered the truth and wasn't just testing him.
Lin Xu didn’t know how to respond. Was he disappointed? Not really. But he realized the gap between them was significant, which could be disappointing for Gu Jinzhi.
Gu Jinzhi grew a bit frustrated and continued, trying to convince him, “I’m only twenty-four, still younger than you. There’s no reason to be disappointed.”
This effectively silenced Lin Xu’s intended response of, “So you’ve found out about me too.”
Gu Jinzhi still didn’t know that the Amour he had been interacting with online was the same person he had seen so many times — the one whom he called “student” and “kid.”
Lin Xu fell silent again.
“You know, we’ve been together for three months now. The original cp event period has passed. It’s really rare! Gege, don’t you want to keep going?” Gu Jinzhi appealed to reason and emotions, insisting that Lin Xu agree to meet in person.
The realization struck Lin Xu. The cp event had indeed ended. He had initially suggested getting to know each other first, and now he felt he had the right to withdraw.
He didn’t want to create an awkward situation between them or make Gu Jinzhi uncomfortable.
With a dry voice, Lin Xu said, “Zhizhi, maybe we should... break up. We’re not suited for each other, and the cp event is over. I believe you’ll find someone better in real life.”
He had also seen the announcement in the group that Zoe was in a relationship now, so his earlier concerns were laid to rest. Gu Jinzhi wouldn’t be deceived any longer.
Gu Jinzhi was so shocked that his phone fell from his hand. He had only wanted to meet in person, not expecting Amour to suddenly suggest breaking up.
Was he really that dissatisfied with him? Gu Jinzhi was wealthy and not bad-looking at all.
Feeling a pang of sadness, Gu Jinzhi’s nose felt a bit sore.
“I’ll tell you, I’ve already figured you out. Do you want me to come to your house and drag you out?” After taking a deep breath, Gu Jinzhi decided to play hardball.
Lin Xu, hearing this, could only smile wryly. Gu Jinzhi was truly clueless.
“You won’t. You have no idea who I am or how many times we’ve met.” Lin Xu shook his head, unafraid of Gu Jinzhi showing up.
The sense of defeat subdued his sadness. Gu Jinzhi, feeling confused, wondered how Lin Xu could be so certain.
Gu Jinzhi, feeling pushed to his limit, blurted out without thinking, “Gege, you know I’m rich. If I can’t find you myself, I can always hire someone to do it. Don’t push me!”
He couldn’t believe that Lin Xu had no feelings for him. Every word Lin Xu said carried an emotional weight that Gu Jinzhi could clearly sense.
Lin Xu was taken aback, not expecting Gu Jinzhi to be so straightforward.
He furrowed his brow and asked, “But we’ve never met in person. We’ve only talked online. How could you find me?”
Gu Jinzhi thought to himself that Amour was clearly afraid. Smugly, he replied, “Maybe through IP addresses or something…” After all, such matters were for professionals to handle, not his concern. He lowered his gaze, feeling embarrassed as he recalled his earlier promise not to treat his boyfriend this way. Yet now, he felt he had no choice. He wasn’t going to let Amour slip through his fingers.
Lin Xu fell silent again. He hadn’t decided what to do, but now his options seemed much clearer.
Their playful online romance needed to come to an end, or it would really become a joke. He hoped Gu Jinzhi wouldn’t investigate further and discover that he was that student.
Lin Xu felt a pang of discomfort. He suddenly understood why many people didn’t take online relationships seriously from the start. They often didn’t lead to anything meaningful.
“...Zhizhi, once you know who I really am, you’ll regret it. I’m not the mature man you think I am.” Lin Xu felt his age might come off as too juvenile, almost as absurdly as meeting an elementary school student.
He sent one final message to Gu Jinzhi, then mechanically left the group they were both in. After a last look at Gu Jinzhi’s profile picture, he shut his eyes and deleted him. This was their only contact method.
Lin Xu even went as far as to deactivate his account. He had no particularly important friends. The account had been almost exclusively for Gu Jinzhi.
If everything were gone, Gu Jinzhi wouldn’t be able to trace him.
Taking this step made Lin Xu’s hands tremble. He wasn’t sure how he ended up in bed. Unable to sleep, and with thoughts of the upcoming college entrance exams, he forced himself to rest.
Over the past few months, their interactions had been minimal. For someone with Gu Jinzhi's background, it probably didn't even feel like a relationship. Lin Xu wasn’t very good with words, nor was he one to cheer someone up. He didn't know how they had gotten to this point.
Gu Jinzhi called him... gege and acted coquettishly... it was all so ridiculous. Lin Xu could almost picture Gu Jinzhi’s reaction if he ever found out the truth.
But for Lin Xu, this was indeed his first love, in an informal sense.
And now, it had to be nipped in the bud before it could truly bloom.
