E-Scum Gong Chapter 46
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 46
After that social death, Lin Xu thought it was finally over. The two of them wandered around the city again, and as usual, Lin Xu showed no signs of pride about becoming the top scorer in Jiang City. To him, it seemed like a perfectly ordinary thing.
“Should we go back and tell your family?” Gu Jinzhi felt a bit guilty for hogging Lin Xu’s time, even though Lin Xu had been making a conscious effort to make up for leaving him earlier.
However, Gu Jinzhi was not one to be petty, especially at his age.
Having spent so much time with Lin Xu, Gu Jinzhi knew that Lin Xu's family only consisted of his grandparents who lived locally while his parents worked elsewhere. Thus, he had no doubts about Lin Xu's modest family background and often felt sorry for him.
If Gu Jinzhi had topped the exam himself, he would have rushed home to boast about it. After all, it was truly a thrilling achievement.
“They probably already know, but I still want to go back and check,” Lin Xu agreed, feeling it was best to return first.
Gu Jinzhi decided to accompany him. He had initially planned to just drop Lin Xu off downstairs and leave, as he was still too shy to meet Lin Xu’s grandparents. He felt that claiming to be just a friend would be deceptive at this stage.
As soon as they entered the community, a friendly neighbor saw Lin Xu and immediately approached him. “Xiao Xu, you’re finally back! Several groups of people have come to your house today. Your grandparents are still entertaining guests. I heard that teachers from universities in the capital came by. You should hurry home.”
Face filled with envy, the enthusiastic neighbor urged him. They had never paid much attention to this young man before but was now astonished at how remarkable he had become.
“Huh?” Lin Xu was momentarily stunned.
Gu Jinzhi was also stunned. Still entertaining guests? He thought the morning's events were already rare enough, after all, he couldn't believe it at first.
Gu Jinzhi was now reluctant to go home immediately. He was curious to see what was going on.
So, Gu Jinzhi decided to follow Lin Xu upstairs. He leaned in and whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t make my presence known.” He then made a shushing gesture, hoping Lin Xu wouldn’t mind him being there.
He knew this wasn’t the right time. Lin Xu hadn’t even started college yet, and their sexual orientation was something that might not be easily accepted by his parents.
Gu Jinzhi himself wasn’t worried. He had long come out to his family and felt no pressure. But he understood that Lin Xu, being so young, might not be ready to be open about it.
It was similar to how Gu Jinzhi, after discovering that his boyfriend was still in high school, finally understood why Lin Xu deleted his contact.
Lin Xu had indeed worried about the issue of dating too early. But as he looked into Gu Jinzhi's dark eyes in the hallway, he thought that ever since they had met, he had done so many things that were out of line. Was he still that model child others always praised? Lin Xu felt he had long ceased to be, and he no longer lived for that title.
He had lived a long, disciplined life, always abiding by the rules. But if faced with a difficult problem — if his family knew about their relationship and strongly disapproved, what would he do?
He thought that, unless it was due to issues in their relationship, he would never break up.
As a child in his family, Lin Xu considered himself quite competent. He never caused his grandparents any worry, took care of himself, and would never be a burden on his family in the future. He also planned to support his family in return. Thus, he felt he had the freedom to be an independent person, and his family should respect his freedom to love and marry.
“Zhizhi, I’m not the obedient student you might think I am. It’s okay,” Lin Xu said softly, gently holding Gu Jinzhi’s hand.
He was quite perceptive and could sense what Gu Jinzhi was thinking.
Gu Jinzhi seemed to feel that Lin Xu was not yet capable of taking responsibility, believing that Lin Xu’s previous decision to delete his contact was due to cowardice. He might think that Lin Xu, as a very studious student, would be unable to stand up to his parents.
While Zhizhi was close to him, he didn’t fully trust him. Lin Xu understood this impression Gu Jinzhi had of him.
Lin Xu’s cowardice had indeed played a part before, but it was because he was afraid that their three-month relationship couldn’t withstand their objective differences, not because he was afraid to commit.
Seeing Lin Xu’s intense gaze, Gu Jinzhi felt as if he had been seen through. His heart shrank with the realization. He was willing to make some compromises to protect their relationship, understanding that Lin Xu needed his concessions as well. Lin Xu noticed this, and though he didn't offer a lengthy explanation, Gu Jinzhi understood his brief remark.
He would not become a victim of such trivial excuses.
“Just be natural,” Lin Xu said, leading Gu Jinzhi away from the hallway.
There was no need to make a deliberate show of their relationship, but there was also no need to hurt Zhizhi's feelings just to avoid being discovered by his grandparents. If Zhizhi cared about this, then there was no need to hide like before. There was no need for Gu Jinzhi to feel he had to explain himself whenever he visited Lin Xu’s home.
As Lin Xu and Gu Jinzhi appeared, they found the house bustling with activity. The front door was wide open, and Mrs. Wang from next door was standing by the entrance chatting with the people inside, along with several neighbors Lin Xu didn’t know well.
As soon as they saw Lin Xu, their eyes lit up with excitement. “Aiyo! Our top scorer has returned!”
They rushed over to greet him, so Lin Xu had to awkwardly tug on Gu Jinzhi’s hand to help him loosen his grip.
Lin Xu was clearly uncomfortable with such a warm welcome. In his previous life, his family lived in a detached villa. Even when relatives came by, his mother handled all the interactions.
Gu Jinzhi stood beside him, curiously observing the commotion. In front of the much older relatives, even Gu Jinzhi’s usual imposing aura didn’t have much effect. After all, he was here for his boyfriend, and as a somewhat underachieving student, he was merely enjoying the celebratory atmosphere.
Inside the house was even more chaotic, with two people speaking over each other.
A young man was having a “friendly” dispute with another man wearing a work badge.
“We arrived this morning. Student Lin Xu has already committed to attending our Q University. Your school should look for other outstanding students,” the young man said, looking quite inexperienced. He was a student left behind by the Q University's admission officer to accompany the elderly.
As expected, the neighboring school came over in the afternoon, but unfortunately, they were still a step behind.
As an education hub with a strong academic atmosphere, Jiang City attracted fierce competition for its top scorer each year. Jiang City's exam papers were self-produced and had always been notoriously difficult. The grading process was very strict, giving the scores a high level of credibility.
The top score was 722, but the next highest was only 702. The 20-point gap in the college entrance exam was a huge chasm.
It was worth noting that in recent years, Jiang City’s top scorers rarely scored above 710, and there had even been instances when the score was as low as 690+. This made Lin Xu particularly coveted.
Moreover, students from this region generally performed exceptionally well in higher education. Many had become renowned scholars and achieved significant accomplishments in research. Both Q University and J University were keen not to lose Lin Xu to the other.
“The application hasn't been filled out yet, so it's still possible for Student Lin Xu to change his mind,” the teacher from J University retorted stubbornly.
The young man, still somewhat inexperienced, made a call to his professor to rush over while trying to get closer to Lin Xu at the door. “Junior Lin Xu, I’m also an alumnus of the affiliated high school. I’m quite familiar with your class’ homeroom teacher. You can ask him about our Q University. If you choose Q University, you can always ask me for help.”
Mrs. Wang was glowing with pride. Although she felt envious, she was still pleased that her neighbor’s son had become the top scorer. She would also have face when she talked about it to others.
She continued advising Grandma Lin, “Big Sis, you can’t go wrong listening to me. Just let Xiao Xu choose finance. I'll tell you, finance is a major that can make you a lot of money. I have a distant relative whose child is studying finance at J University, and their starting annual salary after graduation is 1 million.”
“Yes, yes, or maybe he could become a doctor. It’s a high-status profession and also lucrative,” the neighbors chimed in.
Grandma Lin was still a bit dazed, unable to fully grasp that her grandson had achieved such an impressive feat.
Seeing that Grandma Lin couldn't say anything, Mrs. Wang turned to Lin Xu directly. “Xiao Xu, your grandmother might not understand, but you do. Just go for finance. If my son had scored this high, I’d definitely push him towards finance.”
She was almost spraying saliva on Lin Xu's face.
Gu Jinzhi stood by, suppressing a laugh. Was this how top scorers were treated? But his boyfriend looked so stiff. Hahahahaha!
“Xiao Xu, is this your friend?”
Gu Jinzhi quickly greeted her, “Hello, Grandma.” His presence was rather inconspicuous at this critical moment, as all the attention was on Lin Xu.
“Xiao Xu, you should choose whatever you want. Talk it over with your big brother tonight. Grandpa and Grandma don’t understand any of this, so don't let us influence you,” Grandma Lin said, directly ignoring Mrs. Wang and the others. She had grown up poor and hadn’t received much education, so she didn’t feel she had the right to make decisions for Lin Xu at such a critical time.
It was through Lin Xu’s own hard work that he had achieved such results. They had no right to interfere.
Although Gu Jinzhi also thought finance was a decent option, he leaned in and whispered to Lin Xu, “Don’t listen to them. Just do what you want to do. I’ll always be here for you, and you know I’ve got quite a bit of money.” No matter what field Lin Xu chose, Gu Jinzhi could help arrange a job for him. Otherwise, what was his use as a boyfriend?
Given Lin Xu’s modest family background, Gu Jinzhi worried that Lin Xu might overthink things and end up unhappy in college.
At that moment, Gu Jinzhi threw his older brother's teachings out of the window. He was more than willing to let his boyfriend be a kept man. Who said all poor men were cunning? His boyfriend was so good.
Because of Gu Jinzhi’s whispered reassurances, Lin Xu’s social phobia eased considerably, as if the noisy chatter around him faded away. Though Gu Jinzhi’s straightforward words left Lin Xu a bit helpless, he knew that a healthy relationship couldn’t be built this way.
Lin Xu was rational and determined. He would never abandon his goals because of external factors.
Although his family was far less wealthy than Gu Jinzhi's, Lin Xu knew that obsessing over ways to earn more money wouldn’t solve anything. In fact, it would only cause him to lose himself.
A clear direction and diligent effort would eventually lead to fame, wealth, and other material things.
In his previous life, Lin Xu had been a rising star in the research institute and was highly valued. He was a top talent who was willing to return from abroad. Although he modestly claimed not to make much money, this was only in comparison to the massive wealth of his family’s business. In reality, the institute had offered him an extremely high salary to keep him, with an annual income in the eight-figure range.
There were also additional benefits, such as school admission for children and allocated housing. However, given that Lin Xu’s family was already wealthy, and due to his social phobia, he didn’t dare to live in bustling neighborhoods. Being single, he had no need for such perks.
Fate had played its hand, and now Lin Xu had gradually overcome these obstacles, embracing an ordinary and grounded life with remarkable ease.
“I know,” he replied calmly. However, he secretly brushed his hand against Gu Jinzhi’s, privately amused at how he was beginning to believe that even a domineering CEO like Gu Jinzhi could be fooled. Who would constantly talk about how rich they were? It was almost as if he was a fresh, innocent lamb waiting to be fleeced.
Gu Jinzhi squeezed his hand in return, smugly thinking that it was his own ability that had reassured his boyfriend. He was very happy. He was indeed a useful boyfriend!
