E-Scum Gong Chapter 45
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 45
Lin Xu was guided into the car in a daze. The abruptness of the situation left him a bit confused. In the blink of an eye, he found himself inside.
The teacher in the car was incredibly kind and enthusiastic, as if the burly man from earlier was a completely different person.
Once they were in the car and safely away, the teacher explained to Lin Xu, “Don’t be nervous or afraid of me. I’m really from the admissions office of Q University.” He then showed his work ID, which clearly displayed his details and the Q University emblem.
Lin Xu had no doubt about the teacher’s authenticity. He was just taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
“I just visited your grandparents and learned that you were at the sports center playing basketball. Exercise is indeed excellent. A healthy body is the foundation of everything!” Instead of jumping straight into the main topic, the admissions officer engaged in casual conversation to make Lin Xu feel more comfortable.
Unfortunately, Lin Xu was not particularly good at small talk, so the conversation soon fell flat. He could only respond with awkward monosyllables like, “Yes.”
After a bit of small talk and inquiries about Lin Xu’s knowledge of Q University, the teacher began discussing how he could help Lin Xu understand more about the university’s programs and future prospects.
Lin Xu was quite familiar with Q University for some time, having worked there as a lecturer after returning to China from his studies abroad in his previous life.
As they chatted, they arrived at their destination. It was a five-star hotel booked by the teacher. This was likely to prevent others, who were waiting at Lin Xu's home, from snatching people away.
While Lin Xu was comfortably settling into the hotel and discussing matters with the admissions officer, Gu Jinzhi stood by the roadside, momentarily unsure whether to follow or not, feeling utterly confused.
He was so stunned that he accidentally let his boyfriend get taken away. Now, he was both shocked that his boyfriend was so sought after and a bit worried that something might happen to him.
He couldn't discuss the situation with his older brother, so he turned to an old friend for advice.
Gu Jinzhi, still dumbfounded, accidentally brushed against the scalding hot surface of the car and winced. Frowning, he dialed Xu Zhou’s number.
Xu Zhou, a fellow second-rich generation idler, was always online, so the call was almost answered immediately.
“What’s up now?” Xu Zhou asked, feeling like an emotional guru, always there to solve his friend's relationship problems.
Gu Jinzhi, still staring in the direction the car had disappeared, asked hesitantly, “I need to ask you something. I was just leaving the basketball court with my boyfriend when…”
“Tsk, you've got yourself a boyfriend so quickly. Looks like things are going well,” Xu Zhou teased.
“Shut up and let me finish!” Gu Jinzhi snapped. “He was just taken away by someone in a car…”
The story was starting to sound more and more sinister, especially knowing that Gu Jinzhi's boyfriend was just an 18-year-old high school student. It felt like something out of a crime drama.
“Are you out of your mind? You just stood there and watched your boyfriend get taken away?” Xu Zhou scolded him harshly.
Gu Jinzhi, fuming, retorted, “I told you to let me finish! The person claimed to be from the Q University's admissions office. He said he wanted to discuss college applications with my boyfriend. Since it’s the college entrance exam season, I was shocked when I heard ‘Q University’ and didn’t think much of it at the time. Now I’m starting to think something might be wrong.” He hurriedly explained, even struggling to catch his breath.
Xu Zhou was unfamiliar with this kind of situation. He had never taken the college entrance exams and had spent a few years abroad, ending up with a rather unimpressive foreign degree.
“What? A Q University teacher dragged your boyfriend away? What a joke! Those teachers from Q University definitely think they're better than everyone else. Only students would beg to get into Q University. How could the university be desperate for students?” Xu Zhou dismissed the story outright.
He added gravely, “I suspect this is some new human trafficking scheme — stunning you to let your guard down and then taking people away. The excuse is too flimsy!”
Gu Jinzhi, influenced by Xu Zhou’s words, frowned. “Yeah, I’ve never heard of such a thing. For a moment, I thought my boyfriend was actually some kind of genius.” He felt foolish for believing it so quickly.
“This isn’t right! I need to go after them immediately. I’m hanging up!” He had heard rumors of human traffickers abducting men to harvest their kidneys. Breaking out in cold sweat, he was furious that anyone would dare harm his boyfriend right under his nose.
Gu Jinzhi, thinking clearly for once, realized he couldn’t chase after them and headed to the nearby police station to review the surveillance footage. The area was quite central, so the cameras had only few blind spots.
When Gu Jinzhi reported that his friend had been taken away, the police were initially skeptical, as abductions typically involved women or children. However, they quickly began reviewing the footage.
The police station had only a few officers on duty, as they usually dealt with lost phones or minor incidents. Hearing about a potential abduction was a serious matter.
“I saw your friend talking to the man before getting into the car. Do you remember what they said? Have you tried calling your friend? Was his phone taken away?” the officer asked sternly, looking for any clues.
Gu Jinzhi, panicked, replied rapidly, “He said he was from the Q University's admissions office, asking about my friend’s application. Who would believe that?” He then realized he hadn’t even tried to call Lin Xu yet.
Gu Jinzhi quickly picked up his phone and made a call.
When Lin Xu’s phone rang, the teacher initially grew nervous and asked, “Is this an unknown number?” If it was an unknown number, it was probably from someone suspicious and needed to be ignored.
“No, no, it’s just my friend,” Lin Xu, sensing the teacher’s anxiety, shook his head and answered the call.
“Zhizhi?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Gu Jinzhi’s heart calmed slightly. At least he knew his boyfriend was still conscious.
“Has he kidnapped you? Is he asking for ransom? Tell him I’ll pay whatever he demands. I have money. Just put him on the phone so I can negotiate,” Gu Jinzhi hurriedly demanded, still worried about his boyfriend’s safety.
Lin Xu was taken aback. The teacher on the other end was also stunned by such a dramatic response and grew fearful. “Student Lin Xu, please explain to your friend that I’m not a trafficker. I can send him my location if needed.”
The teacher realized he had been too hasty and hadn’t noticed there was another person with Lin Xu. Had he known, he might have taken both of them.
Lin Xu then tried to explain the situation to Gu Jinzhi.
Gu Jinzhi remained convinced that something was wrong and said to the nearby officer, “Officer, when can you dispatch more police? My friend must have been kidnapped.”
The officer listening to their conversation felt as if he were in a dream. His own child had taken the college entrance exams, and just days ago, parents had been joking on Moments, hoping their kids would be fiercely sought after by top universities.
He hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation in reality, especially with the friend of the person involved calling the police.
The officer remained cautious but asked, “How about having your friend send his location first?” Even if it were traffickers, they wouldn’t be so bold as to allow the victim to make a call.
“Oh.” Gu Jinzhi quickly instructed Lin Xu to send his location, which turned out to be a hotel.
“I’ll accompany you there. Young man, your vigilance is commendable,” the officer said. Seeing how things were developing, the police officer realized it was a false alarm. Still, he highly praised Gu Jinzhi for his alertness.
He also took the opportunity to see firsthand how the Q University's admissions office was recruiting students.
“Oh.” Gu Jinzhi scratched his head, feeling a bit dazed. The traffickers were indeed bold.
When he and the officer knocked on the room door and saw Lin Xu being treated to a feast, Gu Jinzhi felt a flush of embarrassment.
“Hello, officer. I didn’t expect such a misunderstanding. It was my fault for not having Lin Xu call to confirm his safety sooner.” The teacher, also facing such situation for the first time, smiled apologetically.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up. If I may ask, how many points did this student get?” The police officer looked at Lin Xu and sighed inwardly. He was really someone else's child. He looked so good and he got such a high score.
“I can’t disclose exact details, but this student is the top scorer from the entire Jiang City,” the teacher answered vaguely, leaving both Gu Jinzhi and the officer astonished.
“Very well, very well. Your family must be very happy. Congratulations. Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now,” the officer said, filled with envy before leaving, while Gu Jinzhi awkwardly stood to the side.
Under Lin Xu’s gaze, Gu Jinzhi awkwardly sat back down.
The teacher waved him over to join the meal, showing genuine warmth and apologizing for previously ignoring him. The teacher’s attitude was exceptionally gentle.
Gu Jinzhi, who loved food, was now restless and could only force a polite smile. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Please, don’t mind me, teacher. Just continue your conversation.”
As he listened, his ears filled with unfamiliar terminology. He noticed the teacher’s admiration for Lin Xu growing, almost as if he wished he could immediately flew Lin Xu back to the capital.
Gu Jinzhi sat there in complete silence.
During a brief moment, he took the chance to curse out Xu Zhou, calling him a stupid idiot and a complete failure of a student for misleading him.
“You idiot, you made me look like a complete fool!”
“What? Did you find him? Are you crazy, you stupid weirdo? Why are you cursing me?” Xu Zhou replied, sounding innocent.
Gu Jinzhi tapped the screen angrily, catching Lin Xu’s attention.
Lin Xu, noticing the commotion, gently asked, “Do you want me to lower the air conditioning?”
The teacher on the other side of the table sincerely adjusted the air conditioning down a couple of degrees. Gu Jinzhi could only awkwardly shake his head and smile. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“You ignorant slacker, you really don’t know anything. That teacher really is from Q University. And now look at me — mooching off food and drinks.”
“What? No way! Is this really possible? University professors would actively seek out students? Don't students usually apply themselves?” Xu Zhou was equally baffled.
“You're surrounded by a bunch of losers, so how can you possibly understand the world of academic gods?”
Ever since he learned that Lin Xu was the top scorer in Jiang City, Gu Jinzhi had elevated Lin Xu’s status in his mind. Just calling him a top student didn’t suffice. He was practically an academic god!
“How dare you mock me? Aren't you one of those losers? You believed it too…” Xu Zhou was annoyed by the mockery.
Gu Jinzhi felt awkward for a moment but soon started boasting again. “But my boyfriend is an academic god. He’s the top scorer in Jiang City!”
“Wow! Impressive! Gu Jinzhi, your luck is unbelievable!” Who would have thought that in this online romance, one partner was a top-tier rich kid and the other a top-tier genius.
“It looks like they’re done talking. I won't talk to you anymore.” Gu Jinzhi glanced towards Lin Xu and the teacher before ending the conversation.
The teacher continued to extend the invitation. “Lin Xu, you should really consider my suggestion. You can come and experience our campus atmosphere, and even bring your grandparents. The university will cover all expenses.” He had already discussed the scholarship details with Lin Xu.
“Thank you, but I have some matters to handle over the summer,” Lin Xu politely declined.
It was essentially settled now. Lin Xu was familiar with Q University and had already decided on his major, so he had only agreed verbally for the time being.
However, since it wasn’t time to fill out applications yet, the admissions officer wasn’t entirely at ease. He wanted to take Lin Xu to his office to watch him complete his application properly.
Given that Lin Xu had other matters to attend to, the officer couldn’t press him. He could only keep a close eye on him these days, especially to prevent him from being snatched away when filling out the application.
“In that case, I’ll head out for now. You both should rest up, and I’ll be happy to take you back later,” the teacher said with great care.
“It’s alright, teacher, you go ahead. I have a car,” Gu Jinzhi replied. He held university teachers in high regard, partly because, as a struggling student, he was naturally inclined to fear teachers, regardless of his own background.
The teacher recalled Gu Jinzhi’s earlier remark about paying any amount for a ransom and smiled politely. “Alright then.”
Once they were alone in the room, Lin Xu sheepishly apologized to Gu Jinzhi. “Sorry, Zhizhi, I forgot to call you and let you know I was fine.” He hadn’t anticipated that Zhizhi would be so concerned.
Gu Jinzhi shook his head. Gazing adoringly at Lin Xu, he felt like his boyfriend had somehow become even more extraordinary, almost as if he had a halo around him.
Underachievers naturally admire and worship top students. The more Gu Jinzhi learned about Lin Xu, the more complete and perfect the image of him became in his mind.
“Did the teacher happen to mention your score?” Gu Jinzhi asked with curiosity. After all, Lin Xu was the top scorer.
Answering questions like this felt really pretentious to Lin Xu, who was awkward with such displays. In his past life, his excellence had always been conveyed through his family’s pride, while he simply focused on doing his own work.
Now, having to discuss it in front of his boyfriend made Lin Xu uncomfortable.
“Well... 722,” Lin Xu answered, trying to keep his response as nonchalant as possible.
Gu Jinzhi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Holy sh*t! Didn’t you say you did about the same as usual? How can it be so high? Can anyone really score that high?” Gu Jinzhi asked in bewilderment.
“Uh, yes,” Lin Xu replied, noting that Gu Jinzhi seemed to be waiting for an explanation, though Lin Xu wasn’t sure how to explain it.
“...You usually score over 700...?” Gu Jinzhi’s discomfort was palpable as he struggled to process the number.
“...Hm... Is there a problem?” The more surprised Gu Jinzhi appeared, the more awkward Lin Xu felt. Maybe he should have said a lesser number?
Gu Jinzhi opened his mouth, then closed it, and then opened it again with a hint of reluctance. “How can you possibly score that much?” He couldn't even imagine how many full marks one would need.
Lin Xu explained his scores in a halting manner, “Well, 136 in Chinese... full marks in Math, 146 in English, and 290 in Science.” Oddly, he seemed more confident when discussing his lower scores.
Otherwise, he felt like he was just bragging.
Gu Jinzhi sat up straight. He was more enthusiastic than a kindergartener listening to a teacher tell a fairy tale. Who knew what he was really thinking behind that cat-like face.
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T/N: ꉂ(≧▽≦) As silly as a kitten!