E-Scum Gong Chapter 52
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 52
Q University's South Campus, located in the heart of the capital, was the largest campus of Q University and the one where Lin Xu would spend the next four years of his life.
The capital in the book world was not much different from reality. At least, when Lin Xu stepped onto the campus, a sense of familiarity washed over him. He had spent a lot of time here before.
Previously, whenever he entered the campus, students from his department would always greet him warmly. This time, however, he walked in with a youthful face, surrounded by peers his own age and parents sporting proud smiles.
He had been allowed to report in either today or tomorrow, and his older brother had suggested taking him home to rest for a day before returning to school.
However, during dinner, several phone calls came in. Although Lin Shen hung up on them all, Lin Xu knew his older brother was quite busy. Besides, he wasn't really a child anymore, and he really wanted to go to school first, so he decided to head to the campus on his own, without his older brother's company.
At first, Lin Shen was hesitant since their parents were away on a business trip and wouldn’t be back for a while. Given that Lin Xu had already endured some hardship, it seemed unreasonable to let his younger brother handle things alone. But Lin Xu was firm, and in the end, Lin Shen had no choice but to give in.
Lin Xu genuinely did not want to be a burden to his family. He had always been quite independent.
Over the summer break, the school had arranged for him to connect with the dean, and they had already exchanged several emails. With their research interests closely aligned and the dean being a highly respected academic figure, Lin Xu was eager to meet him as soon as possible.
As he approached the edge of the square in front of the library, he saw the welcome tents for the various colleges. The student leaders from each department had arrived even earlier than Lin Xu.
It was only when Lin Xu reached the final step of adding himself to the freshman group and connecting with the student councilors on QQ and WeChat that the senior sister beside him, with a keen eye, noticed that Lin Xu's friend requests were all red dots, countless in number, but none of them had been processed.
In contrast, Lin Xu's WeChat chat list was remarkably clean, with only a few lines, indicating that these were his only regular contacts.
It seemed Lin Xu was a popular but aloof junior. In the future, she would probably have to rely on her official position to connect with him.
These friend requests had been pending for quite some time. When the group members suspected that the young fresh meat the group admin had hooked up with was Lin Xu, coupled with the fact that Lin Xu's display name was simply the character "Lin," it all began to make more sense.
But Gu Jinzhi didn't reply to their sour remarks and let them speculate. Lin Xu had also been quiet in the group, so the members decided to add Lin Xu on WeChat instead.
If it was indeed Lin Xu-didi, they felt lucky to have the chance to know him. Who knows, they might be able to steal him away in the future.
Then… there was no further response.
Lin Xu had never addressed the friend requests. He should have been a little annoyed at Zhizhi's willful behavior, but he found it hard to blame him.
After all, Zhizhi was always like that — somewhat troublesome by nature.
So, for many days in a row, the group members' first morning question became: “Come out and clarify! Tell us you haven’t kidnapped didi! @Zhizhi Mangmang.”
Today marked the fiftieth day, and people were inevitably ready to give Gu Jinzhi another round of scolding.
For the time being, Lin Xu had not yet drawn any trouble upon himself. But if it were discovered that he wasn't the real Lin Xu, the fire would likely spread to him. Some even jokingly mentioned that they might go to Q University to corner Lin Xu-didi and get to the bottom of it all.
Most people still believed that Gu Jinzhi was deliberately misleading them. After all, the two were from completely different circles. Many students from Lin Xu’s high school forums had commented that Lin Xu had a cold personality. It didn't sound like he would be interested in someone like the group admin.
That annoying weirdo, Zhizhi Mangmang, was always trying to be the center of attention.Maybe he was just intentionally trying to make them jealous.
After Lin Xu completed his registration, he followed a senior to find his dormitory.
It was only after he left that the other seniors and juniors dared to discuss him.
“Lin Xu is the only top scorer in our department.”
“Yeah, our department isn’t very popular, and in previous years, few top scorers chose it. I saw an interview with him, and he seemed like a person with a strong will. He must be truly passionate about it.”
“To be raised by his grandparents and still achieve such results is truly inspirational.”
In everyone’s eyes, Lin Xu was a prime example of a scholar from humble beginnings. In reality, most students at Q University came from well-off families. Many were local to the capital, and even those from ordinary families often had parents working in the academe.
Though they didn’t know much about Lin Xu, learning that he was raised by his grandparents inevitably led to assumptions. Nonetheless, getting into Q University was seen as a reward for his hard work. However, the fields of chemistry, biology, materials science, and environmental science were considered the four great heavenly pits. Even graduates of Q University, unless fully committed to their research, may find their salaries lower than those from the nearby finance college, except for those who inherit family businesses.
What they didn’t realize was that Lin Xu was one of the rare individuals who would become a research giant featured in magazines in the future.
Gu Qi seemed to scoff at his younger brother's heartbreak over the phone, dismissing it as childish drama. But in reality, he was extremely worried about Gu Jinzhi’s emotional state.
He was even willing to be late for work to accompany his younger brother for breakfast, giving him a little more companionship. In the past, Gu Jinzhi rarely woke up before he went to work.
After waiting nearly half an hour, Gu Qi, growing impatient, put down his newspaper with a frown and instructed the housekeeper, “Go check if Jinzhi is up yet. If not, wake him up.”
How could he still be so unchanged after a breakup? With the way he cried like the world was ending, Gu Qi had expected him to be depressed for a while, but instead, he was still having trouble waking up.
After a few knocks on the door and gentle urgings from the housekeeper, Gu Jinzhi finally dragged himself out of bed, more annoyed and frustrated upon learning that it was his older brother’s order.
Did his older brother eat sh*t?! Yesterday, he had forced him to break up with his boyfriend, and now his older brother was demanding he get up at nine in the morning!
But an elder brother was like a father, and Gu Jinzhi was still a little afraid of his older brother. He quickly got dressed and shuffled downstairs in his slippers, looking dejected.
Seeing his younger brother’s condition, Gu Qi’s heart softened even more. As he had suspected, Gu Jinzhi was indeed hurt by the breakup.
“You have been away for so long, do you miss the braised pig’s trotters made at home?” While having such a dish for breakfast was somewhat extravagant, he knew it would be just right for Gu Jinzhi.
As he had expected, Gu Jinzhi’s eyes lit up at the sight of the braised pig’s trotters. He quickly ran downstairs, sat at the dining table, and began eating with his ankle propped over his opposite thigh, displaying an utterly ungraceful manner.
Gu Qi still often found himself unable to tolerate his younger brother’s crude and unruly behavior.
“In a few days, I’ll help you set up a date to meet someone,” Gu Qi suggested, thinking that a new relationship would be the best remedy for Gu Jinzhi’s broken heart.
Previously, Gu Jinzhi had refused to meet anyone because he was in a relationship, but now he had no excuses left.
“But you’ll need to control your temper and not be too rough around the edges. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for me as your big brother,” Gu Qi added. For his younger brother’s future, he was willing to put himself out there and use his connections extensively.
There was a reason why Gu Jinzhi, at twenty-four, had never been in a serious relationship. Although Gu Qi knew his younger brother had a good heart, his temperament often made him difficult to tolerate. He really should change a bit for better chances in dating.
Hearing his older brother's words, Gu Jinzhi accidentally choked on a piece of pig’s trotter, causing Gu Qi’s expression to shift noticeably. He looked away, unable to bear the sight.
Even in the company of family, there was no need to be so unrestrained...
“You don’t need to worry about it, I’ll handle my own affairs,” Gu Jinzhi refused with a frown.
His older brother’s interference had already made it hard for him to have a private relationship, and now he wanted to set him up on a blind date? No way!
“If you can’t even stand me, others will definitely find me unbearable,” Gu Jinzhi retorted nonchalantly.
“I'm not asking you to change completely, just some bad habits,” Gu Qi said, rubbing his temples in frustration.
Gu Jinzhi thought of something and smiled smugly. His boyfriend could handle him just fine, and he didn't have any complaints about him at all.
“Ge, you’re a chairman, you don’t need to always play matchmaker, okay? I’ll handle my own affairs,” Gu Jinzhi said, rolling his eyes and grumbling.
Gu Qi was furious. Did he want to get involved with his affairs? It was only because his younger brother was troublesome!
“Fine, then stay single.” Anyway, not dating was perfectly acceptable.
Gu Jinzhi nodded dismissively, thinking to himself that he had no intention of staying single. He loved dating, even if it meant having a secret relationship!
“You woke up so late today, you're going to be late for work,” Gu Qi reminded him.
“Huh? I thought you said my position is already gone?” Gu Jinzhi’s face fell.
“I’m giving you a day off today. Report for work tomorrow.” Anyway, Gu Qi had already gone back on his word many times with his unreliable younger brother.
“Day off it is,” Gu Jinzhi sighed. The road ahead was long and arduous.
“I’ll also work from home with you today,” Gu Qi added, taking another sip of his porridge, determined to make a point.
Gu Jinzhi, however, couldn’t grasp his older brother’s concern at all. He felt like his older brother was blocking every possible path for him. He had considered confronting him several times. Why did he have to make everything so difficult?
“No, I’m going out,” Gu Jinzhi said, a bit nervously.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to see Xu Zhou. It’s been a while since we’ve met,” Gu Jinzhi said, coming up with a casual excuse.
Gu Qi looked at him with suspicion, thinking it was odd that his younger brother, who had never seemed particularly invested in that friendship, would choose now to reconnect instead of resting.
“You’re not involved in another online relationship, are you?” After all, his younger brother tended to forget past lessons.
“No! I’m really going to see Xu Zhou. If you don’t believe me, I’ll send you photos later,” Gu Jinzhi quickly clarified, like a guilty person giving himself away by protesting too much.
“Hmm.” Gu Qi still felt uneasy about it.
His younger brother’s behavior didn’t seem like the reaction of someone who was heartbroken. It felt more like a sign of someone who had gone crazy after a breakup. He was increasingly restless.
Finally free from his older brother’s interrogation, Gu Jinzhi took a deep breath of the outside air. But thinking of Xu Zhou made his head about to explode.
“Stay at home, I’ll come find you,” Gu Jinzhi said, putting on his sunglasses and calling Xu Zhou with a confident air.
Xu Zhou looked at the call that had ended in less than a second, his breath caught in his throat. In the end, he had to coax and persuade to cancel his date and waited at home for this idiot Gu Jinzhi.
After all, his childhood friend had just returned, and spending time together was only natural. Who told him to have a friend like this.
When he heard the roar of a sports car, Xu Zhou stepped out of his house, leaned against the door frame and watched as Gu Jinzhi got out of the car. “Where are we going? Racing? Bar? Or... you pick,” He was sacrificing himself to accompany a noble man.
Gu Jinzhi glanced at him, puzzled. “Go where? Where do I have time to fool around with you?”
He then stood next to Xu Zhou, took a few selfies, and muttered, “Check-in completed.”
“What check-in?” Xu Zhou was puzzled. So he was just a tool?
“My big brother doesn’t know that I’m with my boyfriend. I’ll go hang out with my boyfriend secretly. I’ll probably need your help again in the future,” Gu Jinzhi said, patting Xu Zhou’s shoulder with a serious expression before sighing over his bumpy love life and speeding off in his sports car like a whirlwind.
It took Xu Zhou a while to process what had happened. Xu Zhou was stunned for a moment. After cursing at Gu Jinzhi, he immediately softened his tone and acted all submissive, coaxing the girl to continue their date.
