E-Scum Gong Chapter 54 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 54 (1/2)
Ever since it came to light that Zhizhi’s young boyfriend was none other than Lin Xu, the group’s atmosphere had taken a strangely harmonious turn.
Those who used to hurl curses around had suddenly cleaned up their act. Others, who had once expressed an overwhelming longing for Lin Xu, a boy they viewed as no more than a paper man, scrambled to change their usernames overnight, trying to hide their tracks. Then there were those who subtly dropped information about the group admin’s ex-boyfriend, clearly with no good intentions.
After all, didi was so young, so he must have been tricked by the group admin. In that case, breaking up would be a matter of time.
Gu Jinzhi was absolutely dumbfounded.
But, to his relief, fortune still seemed to favor him. Who would have thought that Amour, the scammer they were still complaining about, was actually Lin Xu? Gu Jinzhi was not the kind of person who would be fickle! His boyfriend knew him best~
Early that morning, Gu Qi had already noticed his younger brother staring at his phone and occasionally smiling mysteriously, so he became cautious. He still remembered how his younger brother had acted the same way back when he had been in an online relationship.
So, Gu Jinzhi was caught off guard when Gu Qi had quietly stood behind him.
Luckily for Gu Jinzhi, his boyfriend was tied up with military training until late that night. Except during meal times, they had no chance to communicate. This small blessing spared him from getting caught red-handed.
“What are you looking at?” Gu Qi asked, his eyes catching the words “Q University Forum” at the top of the screen. The sight left him feeling incredulous.
“You still remember that your ge graduated from Q University?” Gu Qi felt an unexpected warmth in his chest. He assumed Gu Jinzhi’s sudden interest must have something to do with the upcoming alumni event, which he himself planned to attend.
"Ah?" Gu Jinzhi was startled by his older brother’s sudden appearance behind him, and even more confused by what he said.
He didn't even know his older brother had attended Q University. But then again, they were years apart, practically two generations. He had only been in middle school back then, so it wasn’t really his fault for not noticing!
“I guess ge did pretty well in school back then,” Gu Jinzhi offered a half-hearted compliment, all while sneakily putting his phone away. The last thing he needed was for his older brother to catch him browsing through the military training photos on the forum.
During the days he’d been out of contact with his boyfriend, he couldn’t help but worry about him. How was Lin Xu holding up? Had he suffered under the brutal sun? Did his skin get darker? The heat had been unbearable lately — would his skin get sunburned? The mere thought made Gu Jinzhi’s heart ache. Lin Xu had always been the model student, completely focused on his studies, but Q University’s military training was notoriously tough. Gu Jinzhi couldn’t imagine how Lin Xu would handle it.
He was so worried, it clouded his judgment.
After 10 pm, Lin Xu would have to return to the dorm for a shower and some rest, so Gu Jinzhi didn’t dare take up too much of his time. Asking him to send a photo or video was completely out of the question.
Even though he just wanted to see his boyfriend, he didn’t want to seem like he only cared about Lin Xu’s looks. Gu Jinzhi wasn't like that!
So instead, he quietly browsed through the forum, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lin Xu in the photos posted by the student council seniors. Sure enough, he found a group shot full of tanned figures, though he hadn’t managed to spot a close-up of Lin Xu yet. Still, he figured his boyfriend looked about the same as the others.
But even if Lin Xu had gotten darker, he was still the best-looking guy around. The only problem was that standing under the blazing sun for so long must’ve been unbearable. Lin Xu wasn’t as tough as Gu Jinzhi, whose skin was naturally tough from all his years of outdoor tanning.
“Well, I scored over 680 on the college entrance exams,” Gu Qi replied, maintaining a blank expression as he basked in his younger brother’s rare admiration. He couldn’t resist the opportunity to show off just a little.
“Oh,” Gu Jinzhi replied with a nod, showing little reaction.
After discovering that his boyfriend was a top scorer, the significance of that score didn’t hit Gu Jinzhi as hard. After all, his own boyfriend had scored over 720!
“Let’s change the subject. I want you to come with me this weekend to meet someone,” Gu Qi said when he saw his younger brother's indifferent reaction.
“Another blind date?” Gu Jinzhi’s head was starting to ache from the thought.
“Come on, ge! Look at our generation gap. Don’t worry about me — I’m still young and can find someone on my own. Besides, I’m going out with Xu Zhou this weekend.”
He only had time to visit his boyfriend’s military training on the weekend, so had no time for anything else.
“Xu Zhou again? You... aren’t dating him, are you? Gu Jinzhi! I won’t approve of that.” Gu Qi scowled, his tone growing stern. He was beginning to suspect that his younger brother might be falling for Xu Zhou over time.
The problem was that Xu Zhou was just as much of a wastrel as Gu Jinzhi was. Not only that, he also frequently switched girlfriends. If Gu Jinzhi had a one-sided crush on him, then he was going to suffer a great deal.
“What the fu...fart! Ge, stop playing matchmaker! It’s all nonsense,” Gu Jinzhi exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa in alarm.
Seeing his younger brother’s panicked reaction, Gu Qi realized he might have overreacted.
“Fine, if you want to handle things on your own, then do it. But don’t come crying to me next time,” Gu Qi huffed in resignation.
“Mm-hmm,” Gu Jinzhi replied with a smile, but he remained unsettled. Deciding to skip breakfast, he went to the office early and spent the time idly on his phone.
In the morning, Xiao Liu gave Gu Jinzhi a brief work report and shared some amusing anecdotes. Overall, the atmosphere in Gu Jinzhi’s office was light and cheerful.
“You’re telling me a trainee at the company had to take leave to get treated for fleas? Hahahahaha! How can someone so grown-up be so careless about hygiene?” Gu Jinzhi laughed heartily, propping his legs up on the desk.
Suddenly, the front desk called to say someone was asking for him. Shortly after, a familiar yet long-unseen figure appeared in the general manager’s office.
Seated dejectedly on the sofa was Yu Song.
Gu Jinzhi had tried to persuade him to stay before, but at the time, Yu Song had seemed resolute and still chose to leave. Gu Jinzhi had assured him that he could return anytime if he wished, considering his long history with the company.
Moreover, Gu Jinzhi later discovered that the company Yu Song had joined was a small startup, so it couldn't be considered a job-hopping. It also confirmed that Yu Song hadn’t left for better benefits elsewhere.
“Do you want to come back?” Gu Jinzhi asked.
Yu Song looked up at him. He appeared to have aged significantly, his once gentle demeanor now replaced by a hardened, discontented gaze. It was clear he had endured some major setbacks.
“General Manager Gu, is it possible?” Yu Song asked, his voice dry and uncertain.
“Mheart, the boy group launched by Chenhong Media, is gaining a lot of attention lately. Their leader is a former trainee from our company... I believe we can use this as a stepping stone to boost our own boy group,” Yu Song continued, his eyes reflecting a sharp, calculating glint.
Gu Jinzhi was taken aback by Yu Song’s apparent determination. The company had planned to hold off on debuting any new male idol group for the time being. After all, with Mheart carving out a niche for itself by creating buzz with their cheap cps, other boy groups had been cannon fodders in comparison.
However, this was just one of the many ventures Gu Jinzi’s company had undertaken. As one of the three major media conglomerates, Gu Media boasted numerous movie emperors and empresses as well as popular idols.
Chenhong Media was just a mid-sized company that had struck it lucky with Mheart’s success, gaining some resources along the way.
But seeing Yu Song so intent on returning piqued Gu Jinzhi’s interest.
“Welcome back,” Gu Jinzhi said, patting Yu Song on the shoulder. It was a harmless arrangement. With Yu Song's ability, he welcomed him back.
Yet, Gu Jinzhi couldn’t help but notice a hint of something unusual in Yu Song’s expression, particularly the anger that surfaced when he mentioned Mheart’s leader.
But whatever was behind it didn’t concern Gu Jinzhi too much. He was simply glad to see Yu Song picking himself up from his setbacks.
“General Manager Gu, did you know that Manager Yu and Yan Yang used to have a fling? I heard it from the trainees,” Xiao Liu, the assistant, gossiped after Yu Song had left.
Gu Jinzhi was taken aback. There was such a thing?
“And Yan Yang came to our company as a trainee on Manger Yu’s recommendation. Plus, Yan Yang did have some talent.”
Gu Jinzhi propped his chin on his hand, connecting the dots with his usual solitary logic. It all started to make sense.
So the trainee had dumped Yu Song after getting involved with Zhao Tao? Was Yu Song’s return to the company motivated by a desire for revenge?
The thought was rather intriguing.
“This industry is really something...” Gu Jinzhi shook his head.
Xiao Liu inwardly rolled her eyes at her boss’ act. Despite Gu Jinzhi’s pretense of naivety, he was clearly a person at the center of power.
Yet, it was indeed rare to see someone like Gu Jinzhi, so influential, casually gossiping and joking around with his assistant.