E-Scum Gong Chapter 36
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 36
On June 7th, a heavy rain poured down over Jiang City, as if the rain on the day of the college entrance exams had become a tradition.
On such an important day, the entire city made way for the students, with free bottled water available outside the examination halls. Though countless accidents could happen, there were even more acts of kindness.
With the teachers' careful arrangements, the students from the affiliated high school were unlikely to face any mishaps such as arriving late or forgetting their admission tickets. On this day, all that mattered was how each student would showcase their abilities.
Before entering the exam hall, Lin Xu and his classmates received numerous reminders from their homeroom teacher, who even took Lin Xu aside for a private chat. The teacher had noticed Lin Xu's slightly haggard appearance, marked by faint dark circles under his eyes.
“Lin Xu, are you feeling a bit nervous?” the homeroom teacher asked with concern.
Lin Xu shook his head. Seeing the worry in Mr. Wang’s eyes, he offered reassurance, “Teacher, I’m not nervous. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Exams were as common as daily meals for him. He had developed a habit of being hardly affected by external influences.
“Alright, good luck, Lin Xu!”
The homeroom teacher had closely observed Lin Xu’s performance in several mock exams and other tests, finding him to be outstanding. In previous years, Jiang City’s top science student often came from their school, and this time, he hoped it would be one of his own students. In fact, he was even more nervous than Lin Xu about this exam.
The upcoming graduation ceremony would also serve as a teacher-student banquet. Among the students, there was a saying that the “purple battle robe” was the ceremonial attire of their school’s honor teachers.
The purple battle robe was also a special outfit issued by the school. The female teachers wore dignified and elegant qipaos, while the male teachers donned perfectly tailored suits. Although the school provided robes to all the teachers, only a select few top-tier teachers wore the purple ones. To the students, it symbolized admiration and recognition for the esteemed teachers of the experimental classes.
Among the teachers, who didn’t wish to be admired and recognized by their students?
Mr. Wang had been teaching for over twenty years. It wasn't until he was in his thirties that he finally managed to secure a teaching position at the affiliated high school. He taught regular classes for several years before he finally became a homeroom teacher in recent years.
If one of his students achieved the top score this time, it would be his honor and a testament to his abilities. He would stand taller in front of his colleagues. As he exchanged pleasantries with the other teachers, he hoped fervently for that achievement.
The first exam was Chinese, a hundred and fifty minutes that condensed years of hard work for the students. Outside, discussions about the exam ran high. The only thing left was to wait for the exam to end and for the Chinese test papers to be released.
Lin Xu sat in the exam hall, quickly shedding all distractions once he was in the zone. After writing down his name and other information, he skimmed through the paper, gauged the content, and began answering the questions with ease.
In the exam hall, the only sounds were the scratching of pens on paper.
The hundred and fifty minutes passed quickly, and soon it was time to submit the papers. Lin Xu finished about ten minutes early but used the remaining time to review his answers before joining the crowd to exit the exam hall.
The rain had stopped. Many of the other examinees were complaining about their wet shoes, while others began discussing the test questions.
Perhaps due to other underlying emotions, Lin Xu didn’t find the college entrance exam particularly impactful. It felt much like any other ordinary test to him.
Outside the exam hall, many journalists were already waiting. After all, the affiliated high school’s examination center was the largest and most central. Interviews with examinees during this time always garnered significant attention.
Lin Xu wasn’t among the earliest to leave. In fact, he was part of a crowd of students exiting at the same time. Yet, somehow, a reporter managed to pull him aside.
“Hello, student. May I ask you a few questions?” A gentle female reporter approached him.
Lin Xu pressed his lips together and glanced around.
The reporter continued in a soothing tone, “It will be quick, and I won’t disturb your rest.”
With the reporter’s reassurances, Lin Xu nodded reluctantly. He appeared calm.
“Did you find the Chinese test difficult?” she asked.
Lin Xu responded, “It was manageable.”
“So, does that mean you’re confident about it?”
“Mm,” Lin Xu answered briefly.
“Good luck with the rest of the exams!” Seeing that Lin Xu was not particularly enthusiastic, the reporter wisely decided not to ask more questions.
Before Lin Xu left, the reporter added, “Make sure to rest well at noon!” She noticed that he seemed a bit out of sorts, possibly due to a restless night’s sleep.
Lin Xu nodded and thanked the reporter before heading back to his designated spot in the classroom.
They could eat at the school cafeteria, which was conveniently close.
Though Mr. Wang was still concerned about Lin Xu, he refrained from asking immediately. Instead, he sat at Lin Xu’s table and joined him for lunch.
It wasn’t until Lin Xu had taken a few bites and noticed the teacher’s gaze that he looked up and said, “Teacher, I think I did well.”
With that reassurance, Mr. Wang finally relaxed and nodded with a smile. He thought to himself that Lin Xu was far more composed than he could ever be.
Once the official release of the Chinese test papers was announced, it sparked a heated debate online. What Lin Xu had found manageable was met with a flood of despair in the top comments.
“What kind of essay topic is this? I don’t understand what they want from us. Thankfully, I graduated years ago…”
“Thanks for the invitation. As a current examinee, I’m already preparing to repeat the year (crying).”
“Our teacher said that this year’s exam is far more difficult than last year’s.”
Several interview videos from various regions also made it to the hot search, each presenting differing opinions. Unsurprisingly, Lin Xu’s interview was among them, with a moderate amount of attention.
The headline featured phrases like “manhua character comes to life,” but the content of the interview itself was rather mundane. In comparison to the confidence or witty remarks of other students, it seemed like his only advantage was his good looks.
Because of this, the video garnered quite a bit of attention and generated numerous comments.
“I clicked in thinking it might be an exaggeration, but it turns out he really does look like a manhua character. This younger brother is seriously good-looking!”
“His expression seems a bit of. Maybe he didn’t do well? I feel sorry for him.”
“There are many handsome guys with average grades. After all, the heavens can't give them all.”
The video naturally made its way into that group chat, where many of the 0s expressed sympathy for this younger brother.
“Why does he look so unhappy? I won’t accept this!”
“Did he not perform well? I don’t think so. He seemed quite confident in his responses, and he’s a top student.”
“Something seems off. He looks a bit strange. I really feel for him!”
Amidst all these messages, one person abruptly commented, “What top student? A few days ago, I saw on their school forum that this guy was originally in the international class, had terrible grades, and even hung out with delinquents from a vocational school. I don’t know how he got labeled as a top student. Only you guys would put him on a pedestal and get tricked so often.”
The commenter was a young 1, who had long been annoyed by the 0s in the group fawning over an ordinary person.
“Are you freaking crazy? Just admit you’re jealous…”
“If you don’t believe it, I’ll make you believe.” The commenter then shared some old photos of Lin Xu, showing him looking like a gloomy thug, with a completely different aura from now.
“No way... really?”
“Hold on, did vocational schools offend you? I hate academic discrimination the most.”
“Do you even understand what I’m saying? The main point is about delinquents, not vocational schools. How can you be so clueless? Just wait and see. His true colors will definitely show during the college entrance exam. With his look, he clearly didn’t do well. How can he be called a top student…”
“Uh, I don’t believe it. Lin Xu-didi isn’t like that. I’ll look into it further…”
The conversation took a turn for the worse, so everyone started changing the subject.
Gu Jinzhi stared blankly at the group chat, seeing that they were discussing someone he knew, but he was too drained to lift a finger to join the conversation.
Soon, the screen went dark, reflecting his swollen, walnut-like eyes.
Gu Jinzhi hadn't eaten all morning, and hadn't slept at all last night. He had gone from shock and disbelief in the early hours to anger and sadness later on.
He had desperately tried to find out more about the situation, but after being blocked, he couldn’t find any information. The moment Amour left the group, he, as the group admin, had received the notification.
“Is he an idiot?!” Gu Jinzhi thought for a moment and cursed again, his voice a bit hoarse.
How could he just disappear like this…
Gu Jinzhi weakly turned on his phone again. He noticed that people in the group chat had already begun to react with surprise and started discussing what had happened.
“What the heck, I just saw that Amour left the group?”
“Seriously? What’s going on? Weren't people just saying that they were a perfect match a few days ago...”
“The admin hasn’t said anything. I guess… maybe the admin kicked him out. After all, Amour is a fraud.”
“Even though I liked Amour before, I think he didn’t deserve the admin. It’s good that he’s gone. The admin is a real wealthy person. Why would he even look at him?”
Seeing their discussion, Gu Jinzhi’s nose twitched, and he almost cried. No one knew that it was him who was kicked away!
The worst part was that he didn’t even know what had triggered the other person. Could it be because he said he would investigate? Did Amour refuse to tolerate his controlling nature?
After his initial distress, Gu Jinzhi’s anger took over. He felt like a complete victim.
It wasn't until lunchtime that he finally perked up, but instead of ordering food, he made a video call to his older brother.
At this time, his older brother was surely off work.
Gu Qi was finally relieved to see his younger brother reach out to him, but before he could offer any comfort, he saw Gu Jinzhi's swollen eyes.
“...Did someone hit you?” Gu Qi’s brow were jumping.
In front of his family, Gu Jinzhi had no pretense. Overwhelmed by his emotions, he cried out, “What are you talking about, ge? Can’t you see I’m crying?”
Gu Qi hadn’t seen his younger brother in such a state for years. He crossed his arms and said, “Tell me what happened.”
“Ge! My boyfriend deleted me from his contacts! I’ve been so upset all night. We haven’t even met in person yet, boohoohoo.” Gu Jinzhi sobbed uncontrollably, his face contorted in anguish.
Gu Qi immediately guessed it had to do with his younger brother’s online boyfriend. He scoffed, “I told you to break up with him, yet you went all the way to Jiang City to see him. You brought this on yourself. Though, I’m surprised he didn’t scam you for money or anything. I thought you’d get a harsh lesson, but it seems you didn’t lose anything, so it’s not too bad.”
Gu Jinzhi wiped his tears and mumbled defensively, “I came here for work.” It sounded a bit less embarrassing that way.
“So, why did he delete you?” Gu Qi asked again. He thought if someone were going to scam, they’d at least get some money out of it, otherwise, what was the point? Or was it just that he couldn’t handle his younger brother’s personality?
Gu Jinzhi was momentarily at a loss for words. He stammered, “I wanted to meet him in person, but he wouldn’t agree…”
“And then he deleted you?”
“Then I threatened to investigate him…” Gu Jinzhi scratched the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a bit foolish. He was just joking, but who knew Amour would actually get angry? Anyway, what was wrong with wanting to meet?
He wanted to meet him, so Amour shouldn’t have just broken up!
Gu Qi was speechless. His foolish younger brother, as expected, was completely clueless when it came to matters of the heart.
“Does that even need to be said?” Gu Qi sighed wearily.
“Ge, you’re right. Online relationships are too unreliable! I shouldn’t have gotten involved. I’m really hurting now! Ge, I feel so pathetic!” Gu Jinzhi continued to cry out loudly, trying to shift the topic.
Though it was somewhat comical to see a twenty-four-year-old man crying to his older brother, Gu Qi knew that his younger brother had genuinely invested feelings in this relationship. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached out or cried so much.
“Then listen to me now. Go home and move on. There’s no real loss,” Gu Qi said, raising an eyebrow.
Gu Jinzhi pouted. “I’ll never trust any man again. I only trust you, ge.”
Gu Qi smiled with a hint of satisfaction after hearing his younger brother’s vow. “Experience is the best teacher.”
“But, ge, could you help me find someone like a hacker or someone skilled at digging up information? Don't you guys in the business world often use these kinds of people?” Gu Jinzhi asked, a bit awkwardly, rubbing his hands together.
“?” Gu Qi looked at him, puzzled. So, he dared to threaten his online boyfriend without even having anyone to help him?
“I... I’m just not willing to accept this. I want to find out who he really is. How dare he delete me!” Gu Jinzhi glared at him.
Gu Qi was speechless. “Aren’t you the one who regretted getting involved in an online relationship?”
Gu Jinzhi desperately tried to defend himself, “I’m really hurt! I hate him so much right now. You know my personality, ge. I just want to get revenge.”
Gu Qi: “Are you sure?”
Gu Jinzhi: “Of course!”
With a resigned sigh, Gu Qi looked at him with a touch of exasperation. “Alright, ask my assistant later. He’ll help you out. But I hope I won't see this 'ex-boyfriend' of yours again...”
“Got it, ge!” Gu Jinzhi said, quickly ending the call and immediately called his older brother’s assistant.
