E-Scum Gong Chapter 56
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 56
Gu Jinzhi originally thought the story about a trainee having lice was just a joke. But to his bewilderment, when he entered the company that afternoon and took the elevator, he passed by a group of trainees who had all shaved their heads to the bone. The sight was quite intimidating.
As he entered his office, Gu Jinzhi glanced at his assistant, who was surreptitiously eating snacks. He coughed lightly and watched as the assistant skillfully hid the snacks and returned to work mode.
He lazily settled back into his chair and curiously asked, “Is there some event going on with these trainees? Why do they all have buzz cuts?” He counted at least five or six people of them.
The assistant, who was well-versed in the company's gossip, couldn't help but laugh. Covering her mouth, she said, “General Manager Gu, you remember that trainee who supposedly had lice on his head? Everyone in their dorm got infected, and the medicine couldn't kill the lice all at once, so shaving their heads was the quickest solution.”
She had never seen anything like this in her life.
At first, Gu Jinzhi found it amusing, but then he realized, “It's contagious?” He was a bit surprised.
“Absolutely. They live and eat together, their heads touch all the time…”
Gu Jinzhi, learning something new, nodded in understanding.
However, whether it was a psychological effect or not, he found himself scratching his head throughout the afternoon. It felt oddly uncomfortable, and his scalp seemed to tingle nonstop.
This made him uneasy. Then, he started to remember that he had visited the trainees for a dance inspection a couple of days ago. He might have accidentally...
The thought sent a shiver down Gu Jinzhi's spine. Recalling the buzz cuts of those trainees, he checked his reflection against the smooth screen of his phone.
What if he got infected too? Would he have to shave his head as well? He had just gotten his hair styled!
No!
Because of this, Gu Jinzhi couldn't focus on work the entire afternoon. All he could think about was his hair, leaving him in a daze.
He needed to complain about this troubling matter to his boyfriend first.
“Ah Xu! Can you believe someone in my company had lice on their head? I’m afraid I might have caught them too. My scalp feels so uncomfortable.”
On the other end, his boyfriend was busy with military training and couldn’t respond immediately. After a while, he hurriedly texted back, “It’s unlikely. It’s not easy to get infected if you just come into occasional contact.” Lin Xu tried to comfort him, suspecting Zhizhi was just being paranoid.
“But I've been scratching my head a lot lately. I feel like there's definitely one of those disgusting things on my head!”
Lin Xu was silent for a moment, thinking that Zhizhi had a habit of scratching his head anyway...
But since his boyfriend was so worried, he suggested, “Zhizhi, have someone close to you check for white eggs in your hair. If there aren’t any, you're probably just scaring yourself.”
Gu Jinzhi glanced at his assistant, who wore glasses, and shook his head instinctively. “Her eyesight isn’t great, and I’d feel embarrassed…”
“How about I’ll come out during dinner time to check for you and pick up some medicine,” Lin Xu reassured him.
They had an hour and a half break in the afternoon, so he should be able to manage it with a little haste.
With Lin Xu’s reassurance, Gu Jinzhi felt at ease. He didn't feel embarrassed about his boyfriend seeing him at his worst, so he happily replied, “Great! I’ll book a hotel near your school and head over as soon as I finish work.”
Lin Xu’s reply was simply an acknowledgment, and then he went silent again, likely returning to his military training.
Coincidentally, near the end of work, his older brother sent him a message saying he wanted him to attend an important dinner party tonight.
Without hesitation, Gu Jinzhi replied out of habit, “Ge, I’ve made plans with Xu Zhou after work. You go by yourself.”
Xu Zhou again. Gu Qi was almost sick of hearing that name! It seemed he’d heard it more in the past few days than in the previous twenty years combined.
But since he really didn’t want to go, he could only comply. Gu Qi had to go there himself after work.
As soon as he got off work, Gu Jinzhi quickly changed into a hoodie and rushed out of the office, pulling the hood tightly over his head.
He considered this a mortifying situation and was determined not to be seen. He had to keep his hair at all costs.
When he arrived at the hotel, he found Lin Xu waiting outside with the medicine. Lin Xu had likely just run over because a few beads of sweat were visible on his forehead.
“What should I do? Everyone at my company who got infected has shaved their heads, but I really don’t want to do that...” Gu Jinzhi complained with a pained expression. He didn’t want to end up looking like a bumpkin.
Lin Xu looked at Zhizhi, who was fully armed on such a hot day, and found it incredibly cute.
“It’s okay. If you are infected, we can kill the lice first and then pick them out one by one. You don't have to shave your head,” Lin Xu said as they walked into the hotel together.
“That sounds like a big task...” Gu Jinzhi furrowed his brow, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“Don’t worry, let me take a look first,” Lin Xu reassured him, giving his back a comforting pat.
Once inside the hotel, they got straight to work.
To make things easier, Gu Jinzhi took off his shirt and bent over the bathroom sink. Lin Xu placed the medicine aside and set up a chair for Gu Jinzhi to sit on, so he wouldn’t have to bend over for too long.
“Let me check. Don’t move around, Zhizhi.” Lin Xu gently cradled Gu Jinzhi’s head in his hands and peered through his hair, his fingers combing through the strands.
“This is so embarrassing,” Gu Jinzhi muttered, never imagining he would need his boyfriend to help him with lice, especially during what was supposed to be his boyfriend’s downtime.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Lin Xu said, focusing intently on examining the hair.
Because Gu Jinzhi had recently dyed his hair a light chestnut color, the lice weren’t immediately visible.
“There should be none. I didn't see any. Let me check again.”
Gu Jinzhi found sitting uncomfortable without a proper support, so he wrapped his arms around Lin Xu’s waist and rested his head against his chest to make it easier for Lin Xu to look.
“There’s really nothing here. It might just be discomfort from frequent dyeing and perming,” Lin Xu concluded after gently running his fingers through Gu Jinzhi’s hair.
“Really?” Gu Jinzhi was relieved. No need to shave his head!
“Why don’t we just wash your hair?” Lin Xu suggested. After all, his hands had been rubbing through Zhizhi's hair for so long. It wasn't very hygienic.
So Gu Jinzhi leaned over the sink while Lin Xu wetted his hair and lathered it up.
“Ah Xu, when does your military training end?” Gu Jinzhi sighed. Even if he had weekends off, it didn’t help much, as they only got to see each other for a little over an hour at a time.
“It’ll be over soon, in about ten days,” Lin Xu replied, his attention focused on making sure every strand of Gu Jinzhi’s hair was covered with bubbles.
Though Gu Jinzhi often commented on his own fair skin, Lin Xu’s complexion was also quite pale. His skin was smooth and beautiful, extending to his butterfly bones. Gu Jinzhi found himself reluctant to look too long.
“Then, after dinner, I’ll take you back to your school,” Gu Jinzhi murmured, enjoying the gentle sensation of Lin Xu’s fingers and closing his eyes.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Who could it be? I didn’t order anything...” Gu Jinzhi furrowed his brow and said.
“Maybe they knocked the wrong door.”
However, the knocking did not stop. It only grew louder.
Lin Xu began to worry. “Zhizhi, could it be your big brother?”
Gu Jinzhi, still unaware, replied while moving to open the door, “Impossible. I told him I was out with Xu Zhou…”
When he opened the door, he was met with two familiar faces: his older brother’s stern and brooding one, and Xu Zhou’s awkward and evasive expression.
Gu Qi hadn’t expected to run into Xu Zhou on his way to the dinner party. Xu Zhou even greeted him with undue enthusiasm.
Realizing he’d been deceived by Gu Jinzhi, Gu Qi quickly deduced that something shady was going on. Without hesitation, he grabbed Xu Zhou and went to Gu Jinzhi’s company. There, from Gu Jinzhi’s assistant, he learned that his younger brother had left for a hotel around five in the afternoon.
Xu Zhou was now aware that he had inadvertently screwed his childhood friend... but he was too intimidated by Gu Qi to explain the situation.
Arriving at the hotel, they were shocked to find Gu Jinzhi was so lustful that he had come out to a hotel room with his little boyfriend before it even got dark.
The sight of Gu Jinzhi with his bare torso and head covered in bubbles made it hard to ignore what might be going on.
Sensing that something was amiss, Lin Xu also emerged from the bathroom and, upon meeting Gu Qi’s gaze, felt a mix of confusion and surprise.
Gu Qi’s brother instantly recognized the student in military training attire as the same victim he had seen before.
“What did you do to him?” he asked sternly, unable to mask his anger at his irresponsible younger brother.
Gu Jinzhi was momentarily at a loss for words and felt confused. Was this really his older brother?
“I was just checking if Zhizhi had any lice on his head.” Lin Xu, now fully aware of the gravity of the situation, identified the stern man as Zhizhi’s older brother and was overwhelmed by the moment.
But no matter what, since he had been discovered, he had to face reality, whether Gu Qi agreed to their relationship or not.
This explanation sounded far-fetched to everyone. It was clearly a poor attempt at covering up the truth!
At least Lin Xu was dressed neatly, which prevented the situation from becoming too embarrassing.
Seeing his older brother’s expression, Gu Jinzhi stealthily moved behind Lin Xu, quickly put on a shirt in the bathroom, and emerged awkwardly. Even then, he stayed behind Lin Xu, clutching his arm.
“Gu Jinzhi, are you not ashamed of yourself?” Seeing his younger brother’s behavior, Gu Qi was furious, momentarily picturing his younger brother as a sleazy middle-aged man.
Did he dare to indulge and yet not take responsibility?
Gu Jinzhi was infuriated by his older brother’s words. He felt that keeping his relationship a secret was already showing respect. If not, he might as well be open about it!
“What’s there to be ashamed of! He’s my boyfriend!” Gu Jinzhi yelled at his older brother, clearly agitated.
The scene of sibling conflict made Xu Zhou glance away awkwardly.
“Do you know how old he is compared to you? Do you know if he’s an adult?” Gu Qi said with a pained expression.
Lin Xu, standing nearby, felt awkward. It was uncomfortable being judged for his age, especially with his youthful appearance.
“I’m only twenty-four!”
“Forget it, you’re coming with me,” Gu Qi said, firmly pulling him along.
“Ge! I haven’t even finished washing my hair...” Gu Jinzhi protested, frowning and reluctant to leave.
“You need to go back to school and focus on your military training. I’ll sort out your situation later,” Gu Qi said, addressing Lin Xu.
Unsure of Gu Qi’s intentions, Lin Xu didn’t let go immediately. Only when Gu Jinzhi gave him a discreet signal to let him handle things did Lin Xu release his grip.
“Um, hello,” Xu Zhou said awkwardly to Lin Xu as the two brothers left.
Lin Xu, who was experiencing the bitterness of being persuaded to break up for the first time, was also in a low mood and replied with a subdued, “Hello.”
Xu Zhou observed Lin Xu discreetly. Once Lin Xu had finished washing his hands and left, he thought to himself that Gu Jinzhi’s choice in partners seemed quite impressive.
Xu Zhou had always thought that same-sex relationships were unremarkable, but seeing the two of them together made him reconsider. They looked good together — young and fit, a far better match than the men who had previously pursued Gu Jinzhi.
