E-Scum Gong Chapter 41
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 41
If being outside was tolerable, with pedestrians and the sea breeze, the moment Lin Xu and Gu Jinzhi stepped into the private elevator, the awkwardness crept back in.
Despite the air conditioning, Lin Xu felt a growing heat spreading from his back.
He maintained a calm exterior, but his nervousness caused him to mistakenly lead Gu Jinzhi past his room. Only when he saw the room numbers did he realize his error. He tightened his grip on Gu Jinzhi’s hand, cleared his throat, and led him back.
Gu Jinzhi watched Lin Xu’s slender, upright back and couldn't help but smile. After his earlier social blunder, he found Lin Xu’s nervousness amusing. With a raised eyebrow, he teased, “You’re not great with directions, are you? How could you miss your own room?”
Lin Xu remained composed and replied, “Yes, the layout here is a bit confusing.” He revealed nothing of his inner tension.
With a "ding," Lin Xu swiped the room card, and the lights in the room flickered on.
As Gu Jinzhi followed him in and closed the door behind them, Lin Xu’s ears twitched slightly.
The invitation was simply for the other person to have a place to stay for the night.
Lin Xu looked down at him and asked, “Which bed would you prefer? The one by the window has a better view.” He had a habit of keeping things tidy, so the room was in order with fresh linens replaced by the hotel staff earlier in the day.
Gu Jinzhi glanced around and accepted without hesitation, “I’ll take that one.”
“Go ahead and wash up first,” Lin Xu said, then, unsure of what to do next, he pretended to rummage through his backpack as if he actually had something to organize.
His overly serious expression made Gu Jinzhi believe he was genuinely busy, so he nodded and headed to the bathroom.
Once inside, Gu Jinzhi couldn't help but sit on the toilet seat and boast to Xu Zhou, “This young master has never had a slip-up!”
“What, are you two together now? Did you kiss or sleep together?” Xu Zhou was genuinely surprised. Gu Jinzhi’s efficiency had reached new heights in just one day.
Gu Jinzhi pondered for a moment before replying, “Not quite, I’m not that casual. How could we define our relationship just after meeting in person? I need to take my time to assess things.”
“Tsk,” Xu Zhou said, knowing that Gu Jinzhi was probably exaggerating. He suspected that if the high school student actually proposed being together, Gu Jinzhi would hesitate for at least three seconds.
“So, what did you say?”
“We’re in the same room now~ we’ll be sleeping together tonight.” Gu Jinzhi was very happy. So far, their meeting had been great.
“Will you be sleeping in the same bed?”
“Forget it, I don’t want to discuss it anymore. I need to wash up now and head out later.” Gu Jinzhi felt like he couldn’t answer any more questions and found the conversation somewhat off-putting. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't have any other good friends, and he didn't dare tell his older brother, he would have bothered talking to this idiot.
Gu Jinzhi took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, and started to feel a bit nervous.
He appeared to be a bit older than Lin Xu, but wasn’t that more appropriate? Lin Xu had just turned eighteen. Finding someone younger would be illegal.
Gu Jinzhi didn’t bring anything with him. After washing up, he emerged wrapped in the hotel bathrobe, pretending to dry his hair with a towel to mask his inner unease, as though he was completely indifferent.
Lin Xu sat in the chair, playing with his phone, with nothing much to do. Highly alert to any sounds, he turned to see Gu Jinzhi.
Gu Jinzhi’s calves were fully exposed, their pale, smooth skin gleaming with a graceful muscle tone.
They had only known each other for a little over three months, and most of their understanding came from online. Lin Xu was reminded of the early days when Gu Jinzhi had been pretending to be a college student and sent him pictures of his legs.
Lin Xu quickly turned his head, looking away.
Gu Jinzhi, on the other hand, seemed to realize that the photos he had posed for in the past didn’t quite match the reality. He wasn’t as delicate or slender as he had portrayed. Feeling embarrassed, he touched his cheek and said to Lin Xu, “I’m done washing up. You should go too.”
Anyway, they both knew what was going on.
Was Lin Xu bothered by this? Gu Jinzhi didn’t think so.
With that, Gu Jinzhi lay down on the bed, nestled himself in the quilt, and became exceptionally quiet. His moist eyes followed Lin Xu’s movements. At this moment, he felt that playing games or anything else was boring.
The awkwardness of the situation turned out to be quite intriguing.
Lin Xu soon emerged as well. Hearing the door open, Gu Jinzhi looked up and saw that Lin Xu had put on the pair of pajamas he had brought from home. It was long sleeves and longs pants, leaving nothing visible.
Gu Jinzhi pouted. Although he was still a student, there was no need to be so reserved... He couldn’t see anything, and even if he could, it probably wouldn’t have been much better.
Lin Xu pressed his lips together and sat on the other bed, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t yet bedtime, but he wanted to turn off the lights and let the night pass quickly, hoping it would ease the awkwardness.
Meanwhile, Gu Jinzhi was still nestled in his bed, playing with his phone. Lin Xu chose not to disturb him.
Knowing that Gu Jinzhi was a night owl and wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon, Lin Xu pretended to browse through his phone, though his mind was elsewhere.
In the silence, Gu Jinzhi suddenly broke it with a lazy voice, “Lin Xu, add me back.” He looked at him as he spoke.
They hadn’t discussed this matter all evening, and neither had pursued it due to mutual embarrassment.
Now that Gu Jinzhi had taken this step, Lin Xu glanced at him and saw no reason to refuse. He nodded in agreement.
Both of them felt that they should get to know each other again, and they could feel that the other person was thinking the same way.
Past decisions might have been influenced by initial deceit, but now that the truth was clear, they could make new choices.
Lin Xu furrowed his brows, fiddling with his phone for a while, but there was still no response.
Gu Jinzhi, who had been pleased by Lin Xu's nod, couldn’t contain his impatience. He wondered what was taking so long and hoped Lin Xu wasn’t playing games with him. He wanted things to be clarified tonight.
Frowning, he got out of bed and plopped down beside Lin Xu, leaning in to peer at his phone screen. “Hey, why hasn’t the request gone through yet?” His voice was tinged with suppressed irritation.
Lin Xu knew that he often acted like this when he was angry, but this time it seemed especially harsh. He wondered if this new treatment was due to the change in his age.
The sudden movement caused Lin Xu’s pajama sleeve to catch, and a button popped off, leaving part of his abdomen exposed.
Gu Jinzhi’s anger shifted instantly, his gaze fixated on the exposed skin.
He had previously shamelessly requested photos, but the reality was far more striking. Though the age and face might have been fabricated, the abs were real — really real.
Gu Jinzhi's ears turned a little red. His young boyfriend's abs were well-sculpted, with clear lines and a fair, glossy appearance. It felt like they would be really nice to touch. Although he had quickly accepted the fact that his boyfriend was a high school student, he was only now slowly realizing the benefits of having a younger boyfriend.
Lin Xu also smelled good. As a young man just starting out, he hadn't been tainted by anything and was still obediently using the laundry detergent his family bought. Unlike the trainees in his company, who all smelled like street perfume.
Gu Jinzhi had once been vain about wearing perfume, making him one of the people he used to criticize as being vulgar! Utterly vulgar!
Lin Xu’s eyelashes fluttered as he quickly and awkwardly pulled his shirt from under Gu Jinzhi, rebuttoning it and smoothing out the wrinkles, trying to act as if nothing had happened.
“Ahem, why is it taking so long?” Gu Jinzhi asked with a note of feigned dignity, as though he hadn’t been the one causing the ruckus.
Lin Xu responded, “The previous account was deactivated. I had to create a new one.” Fortunately, he still had a SIM card in his phone, otherwise they would have been left staring at each other in silence. As the one at fault, Lin Xu felt even more embarrassed.
As Gu Jinzhi listened, he felt a sense of vindication and let out a couple of dismissive snorts, muttering quietly, “Deserved!”
Feeling the warmth of Gu Jinzhi’s breath on his shoulder, Lin Xu felt as if he was being pushed. He shrugged it off. He was almost used to the reality of being the younger one who was being pushed around. Anyway, Gu Jinzhi would never be polite to him. He used to be so clingy online, but now he was completely different in person.
Once the new account was set up, Lin Xu added Gu Jinzhi back properly. Now, Gu Jinzhi was the only contact in his WeChat.
Gu Jinzhi sent Lin Xu a sticker of a little cat stamping its foot, expressing his annoyance.
Previously, Lin Xu had imagined such stickers representing a young boy’s frustration. Now, he couldn't help but think of Gu Jinzhi's expression, as if he wanted to push him to death.
Yet, it was still quite cute. Lin Xu looked at Gu Jinzhi’s face and smiled.
Making himself comfortable beside Lin Xu, Gu Jinzhi continued to play with his phone. Now that things were like this, he felt at ease, so Gu Jinzhi also let go of his recent frustration and started surfing the internet leisurely.
“Do you want to rejoin that group?” Gu Jinzhi asked.
Lin Xu shook his head. He was not fond of group chats and he saw no need to join. He thought that if he and Gu Jinzhi didn’t work out in the future, it would just complicate matters. With this in mind, he declined.
“No way! You’re joining,” Gu Jinzhi insisted. Lost in his own satisfaction and plotting a little revenge, he had a new scheme in mind.
Lin Xu reluctantly agreed, but this time he entered under a new identity. The group would only know a newcomer had arrived, without knowing his background.
As expected, Gu Jinzhi soon stirred things up. He posted in the group, “I’ve kicked that idiot Amour to the curb and found a young fresh meat. I’ll introduce him to you all soon.” He looked over at Lin Xu with a smug grin.
The kicked “idiot Amour” could only manage an awkward smile. He used his last name as nickname, then left the group without much fuss.
“Welcome, newcomer! Do you know our tradition of sharing photos?”
“Photos! Photos!”
Lin Xu rubbed his temples and quietly watched as Gu Jinzhi put on an air of arrogance. “No photos for now. I’m afraid it might scare you all to death.”
So this was what Zhizhi looked like behind the screen. It was amusing and a bit sleazy. His expressions were quite animated.
“You know, you’re really popular in the group,” Gu Jinzhi said proudly to Lin Xu, then belatedly realized that Lin Xu was already aware. Having been absent from the group for so long, he almost mistook Lin Xu for a newcomer.
“The group is now full of someone’s photos,” Gu Jinzhi added with a hint of displeasure.
Gu Jinzhi was busy thinking of ways to delete photos and videos from the group chat.
Lin Xu didn't expect so many troubles to follow. He pursed his lips and said, “I mentioned this before.” But Gu Jinzhi didn’t seem to care much.
Gu Jinzhi was momentarily at a loss for words. Didn't he believe his boyfriend was an ordinary guy who was completely unrelated to the high school student...
Since they were dredging up old issues, Gu Jinzhi persisted, “Who edited these photos so heavily? Did you pay for them?” His boyfriend was such a sucker.
Lin Xu: ......a bit insulted.
Seeing his new identity in the group, Lin Xu hesitated and asked, “So, are we... still in an online relationship?” Just with a different ID.
Gu Jinzhi nodded firmly. “Yes! Online dating is so fun.” He really enjoyed surfing the internet.
After saying this, he looked at Lin Xu and tentatively reached out, trying to hold his hand, his heart pounding.
At the moment their hands touched, both instinctively pulled away. Gu Jinzhi, though bold with his words, wasn’t very daring in practice and had never held someone’s hand before.
Their reactions were remarkably synchronized.
“Well... let’s just continue with this online relationship for now,” Gu Jinzhi said with a hearty laugh. Lin Xu also chuckled, pressing his forehead.
As for what to do next, it seemed like they would have to figure it out gradually. At least now they had the label of being in a relationship. For now, they wouldn’t look for anyone else. They both knew where they stood, and Gu Jinzhi’s fist could maintain the order in their relationship.
