E-Scum Gong Chapter 55 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 55 (1/2)
On Friday evening at eight, a new episode of the online variety show Youth Sports Meet aired. This episode featured Mheart, the hottest boy group at the moment.
From the moment it aired, it achieved relatively high viewership for an online variety show.
“In this episode, we will spend a pleasant sports meet with the members of Mheart on the Q University campus.”
After the host finished speaking, the scene switched to the grand and atmospheric campus environment, with Q University students hurrying past.
Viewers in the comments section expressed their longing for such a top-tier university, but they were quickly drowned by Mheart’s fans, who flooded the screen with xx gege.
“Can we ask on behalf of our viewers and fans? What is the meaning behind the name of Mheart?”
The camera then focused on Yan Yang, the leader of Mheart. Dressed in a black, rugged motorcycle outfit, his look perfectly matched his persona.
“Mheart stands for ‘my heart,’” Yan Yang said with a a low chuckle, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him. He then instinctively glanced at his more delicate-looking teammate beside him.
At that moment, both his personal fans and cp fans were thrilled, with the screen overflowing with declarations of love for Yan Yang.
In this episode, the most screen time was devoted to Yan Yang. Naturally, his cp also had a significant amount of screen time, while the other members received only fleeting glimpses.
All of a sudden, an unmistakable background noise emerged from the show.
A fan asked, “What’s that sound? It’s a bit noisy.”
“It seems to be the freshmen at Q University undergoing military training.”
The casual viewers all commented amiably, “I’m so interested to see what military training is like for top students. They often sit at their desks studying, so I wonder if their physical fitness isn't very good?”
“Reporting as a senior sister from Q University, not at all! This year’s freshmen are like werewolves — skilled in both academics and athletics! A few days ago, some freshmen from a certain department were punished by doing push-ups, and they easily did over a hundred! If you're interested, you can check out the Q University forum or the official account.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
The discussion was brief but was soon drowned out by other comments.
“This is Mheart’s stage, so please refrain from discussing other topics here.”
The comments from the rational fans seemed insignificant in comparison.
At first, this minor discord was manageable and did not cause much trouble. However, as the show progressed, the camera shifted to the asphalt road near the sports field, flanked by lush trees. The scenery here was beautiful.
In the scattered pavilions nearby, a few couples could be seen. In one pavilion behind the Mheart members, a young man was leaning against the structure. Due to some blurring effects, his face was not clearly visible, only his profile was discernible. However, the casual viewers could still feel his impressive overall aura and could tell that he was a handsome guy.
A few seconds later, the young man left.
Some viewers sent a few comments.
“Wow! Captured a Q University freshman! He looks really refined!”
“I feel like his looks can match the passerby guy from the last episode. Where does the show find all these attractive extras, hahahahaha.”
However, the shift in the viewers' focus during Yan Yang's shot made his fans a bit unhappy, so they continued to spam the comments section.
This led to some dissatisfaction among casual viewers, who complained.
“Why do their fans always spam the screen? It really affects the viewing experience.”
“Isn’t there a way to turn off the comments?”
“I want to see other comments too, but some fans are quite aggressive.”
This kind of issue was common in many variety shows. After all, this was just the environment of the entertainment industry now. It was not a big deal.
Meanwhile, in Yan Yang’s super topic, Lin Xu, who had only appeared briefly as a background figure, had already been thoroughly investigated.
“Oh, so he’s just a small-town exam passer.”
“How oblivious can he be? Why didn't he just leave when he saw they were filming?”
“I was actually there. The production team wanted to give him a script, but he refused. Still, the guy is quite handsome.”
“So pretentious? Well, as long as he didn't interfere with my gege's shot, it's fine~”
Initially, the comments were just casual jabs among the fans. However, when someone leaked the group chat, it ignited a wave of outrage.
“? What’s going on? Was this guy also live-streaming on the day gege debuted?”
“Laughing to death. How come his fans are so delusional, even belittling my gege? It's obvious that gege has more charm. What's the point of just being good at studying? I'm top 5 in my class too, but I still find someone like gege who can sing and dance more attractive.”
“I just dug up his high school graduation live-stream. His speech was fine, but the smile seemed so fake.”
“Guys, call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think he’s trying to break into the entertainment industry. Otherwise, why would he seek so much attention? If he really loved studying, he should just study quietly. Instead, he made a super topic and even have fans.”
“LOL, a small-town exam passer can only go so far. He’ll probably end up as a high-level worker after graduation. He must want to enter the entertainment industry, trying to hype up his high education.”
Of course, there were also some reasonable fans who couldn't tolerate the negativity and argued back a few times, pointing out that the other person hadn't done anything wrong. But they were quickly chased out of the group.
However, all this was happening only within the fandom.
At that moment, Lin Xu was attending Q University’s 70th-anniversary celebration. Ever since the notice was given, his roommates had been grinning non-stop. Finally, they could openly skip military training. Standing at attention wasn’t a joke for them. Their feet were so sore they had secretly bought sanitary pads to use as insoles.
However, for Lin Xu, it wasn't such a simple matter.
While his roommates could barely stay awake in the auditorium, Lin Xu had been chosen to speak as a representative of the freshmen. Given his achievements and appearance, he was the best candidate. Not to mention, the school admin had discovered his past experience with speeches, which had gone viral, garnering attention and praises.
So, while Lu Zhe and the others in the back row cheered him on with encouraging gestures, Lin Xu reluctantly donned a suit and took his seat in the second row.
The first row was reserved for university leaders, the following rows for notable alumni, each with a nameplate. The students who would be taking the stage also sat in the front.
As a freshman opening the event, Lin Xu was seated near the aisle. Beside him was a senior executive from a corporation, probably in his thirties, a young and successful alumnus.
A seat away was someone of significant status, as even his assistant had a designated place. After settling in, the executive next to him greeted the distinguished guest with a notably obsequious attitude.
But none of this concerned Lin Xu. He was focused on his upcoming speech and spent his time chatting with Zhizhi to pass the minutes.
After many days of military training, Lin Xu hadn’t tanned much but had noticeably slimmed down. His jawline was more defined, and his face, while still retaining its cool and pure look, had taken on an additional hint of determination. Even a casual gesture revealed well-defined veins.
At first, the executive next to Lin Xu glanced at him a few times.
As the host finished the opening remarks, Lin Xu moved backstage to prepare for his turn.
When the spotlight illuminated his handsome face and upright posture, many in the audience, even those who were students of Q University themselves, seemed to finally grasp the essence of a true gentleman, the kind so often romanticized in literature.
Lin Xu was more than qualified to be Q University's image ambassador.
