Sickly Bigshot CH 06 Cutting The Red Thread
Translated by The BL Muse (ko-fi)
"What the hell? Shi Zhou, what kind of act are you pulling?! You were just a stand-in from the start—don’t you fucking know your place?!"
In his rage, Zheng Qi blurted out the words "stand-in"—and immediately regretted it.
Shi Zhou grinned, mouthing "teehee" with a mocking eyebrow raise. Zheng Qi’s fury boiled over. He raised his hand, about to slap Shi Zhou across the face.
But Shi Zhou was ready.
He grabbed Zheng Qi’s arm, pivoted, and—
“THUD!”
A flawless shoulder throw sent Zheng Qi crashing onto his back!
Zheng Qi lay sprawled on the floor, his expression a masterpiece of shock, rage, and humiliation—like he’d been forced to swallow a live fish. "Shi Zhou, I’ll fucking kill you—"
Song Duannian, who had never seen anything like this, froze mid-sob, gaping at Shi Zhou.
Shi Zhou smirked, resisting the urge to bow and say "good match." This body might be smaller and weaker than his last, but muscle memory from his past life’s combat training remained.
Then, switching back to melodramatic despair, he wailed at Song Duannian. "He said I’m a stand-in! Oh god—am I your stand-in?! Waaaah, I can’t go on living!"
But it was obvious that the two looked nothing alike. Shi Zhou was a strikingly beautiful youth but with a hint of sharp aggression, while Song Duannian's looks were more gentle and scholarly.
Song Duannian, now hysterical, "Zheng Qi! Whose stand-in is he?!"
Zheng Qi scrambled up, murder in his eyes.
Shi Zhou’s throw had relied on surprise. In a real fight, the size difference meant he’d lose. His young master temper had gotten the better of him—now he was about to pay for it.
As Zheng Qi roared and lunged, Shi Zhou had an idea.
He yelled, "Zheng Qi! Touch me, and Qin Yancheng will end you!"
Zheng Qi stiffened. The name "Qin Yancheng" hit like a thunderclap.
Shi Zhou dodged back, pressing his advantage. "I slept at Mr. Qin's place last night! These are his clothes! Think very carefully about what that means!"
Zheng Qi frozen in place, eyes darting over Shi Zhou.
The silence was broken when Song Duannian spoke first, sobbing and questioning Zheng Qi, demanding why he had provoked him since he already had a lover and a secret obsession, and why he had to ruin him and his future.
The scene was chaos. Zheng Qi didn’t know who to address first.
"No, wait! Bullshit!" Zheng Qi finally gathered his wits. "Qin Yancheng doesn’t touch anyone, least of all—least of all you."
Shi Zhou sneered, "Why 'least of all me'? Because of how I look? Then tell me—whose stand-in am I?"
"Shi Zhou, you dare have the fucking nerve to make such a lie?”
Zheng Qi didn't know how Shi Zhou knew about Qin Yancheng, but he definitely had never told anyone about his hidden and dirty thoughts.
But based on his understanding of Qin Yancheng, he would definitely not bring anyone home. This must be Shi Zhou lying.
Shi Zhou pulled out his phone, flashing a photo. "Recognize who this is?"
The image showed Qin Yancheng in black loungewear, hair slightly messy, holding a cup of tea in his obscenely luxurious home.
Zheng Qi opened his mouth in surprise and remained speechless for a long time.
Shi Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. While having breakfast this morning, he was bewitched by Beauty Qin and took a few photos of him. They came in handy at this moment.
Song Duannian had no energy left to wonder who this "Qin" person was. Overwhelmed by grief and indignation, he turned and walked away.
Zheng Qi hurried after him, finally leaving Shi Zhou behind as he shouted, "Duan Nian! Ask Shi Zhou yourself—I never laid a hand on him!"
Qin Yancheng's Office.
Qin Yancheng signed documents while his secretary, Bai Ran, stood beside him, reporting dutifully, "President Qin, Shi Zhou is a minor celebrity signed under Qixing Entertainment."
Qin Yancheng gave a faint "Mm," signaling her to continue.
Bai Ran went on, "He comes from a poor background—no parents, raised his younger brother alone. Qixing initially marketed him with an 'against-all-odds' persona. According to industry rumors, he's... involved with Qixing's CEO, Zheng Qi. That's how a talentless D-list actor was forcibly promoted to C-list, earning himself countless enemies and scandals along the way."
Qin Yancheng’s pen paused. "Zheng Qi?"
Bai Ran, meticulous as always, immediately flipped through her notes to retrieve the prepared dossier on Zheng Qi.
Before she could begin reading, Qin Yancheng spoke again, "No need. I know him."
After a brief moment of contemplation, the sordid truth became clear to him. A trace of imperceptible ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as his lips curled slightly.
Bai Ran, keenly attuned to his displeasure, knew better than to linger. Having worked as his secretary for years, she understood that Qin Yancheng was far from the composed figure he appeared to be—his temper was, in fact, notoriously volatile.
Softly, she asked, "...Shall I leave you to your work?"
Qin Yancheng gave a slight nod, dismissing her.
He pulled out his phone, opened Shi Zhou’s contact, and typed:
[What’s your relationship with Zheng Qi?]
The moment he hit send, a red exclamation mark appeared.
For a second, he didn’t process what had happened—until he realized:
He’d been deleted.
Meanwhile, Shi Zhou.
Seizing the chance while Zheng Qi and Song Duannian were embroiled in their melodrama, Shi Zhou made a swift escape.
The only downside? His temper had cost him his chance to retrieve his ID and belongings.
With a sigh, he left the neighborhood, scrolling through rental listings on his phone.
Then, his phone rang—the caller ID read "Shi Qing." He blinked, thought for a few seconds, and answered.
As expected, Shi Qing’s wailing voice came through: "Bro! Bro! Save me! I need 100,000 right now!"
Shi Zhou smirked but feigned concern, "Oh no! Are they going to chop off your fingers if you don’t pay?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"100,000 per finger? Not bad! Might as well sell a few extras—maybe throw in some toes while you're at it."
"...Bro?!" Shi Qing’s voice was laced with disbelief.
"Dear brother, how could you use my hard-earned money to gamble?" Shi Zhou replied in an even more exaggerated tone of shock.
After a pause, the call ended with an angry click.
Shi Zhou shrugged. This gambling-addicted younger brother was nothing but a bloodsucking leech. The original host had even co-signed loans for him and taken out shady high-interest loans to cover his debts...
But that was the original host—not Shi Zhou.
Let them chop off his fingers for all he cared. He’d dug his own grave.
After some effort, Shi Zhou found a shabby hostel that didn’t require ID—so rundown it lacked an elevator, with actual keys instead of keycards.
The front desk, made of hollow particleboard, was chipped and warped. A listless middle-aged woman in a pilled green sweatshirt took his money with disinterest.
As he climbed the stairs to his room, his phone rang again—an unknown number.
"Hey! Your brother owes us three million. If you don’t pay today, it doubles tomorrow!"
Shi Zhou rolled his eyes. Again? "Who is this? Wrong number. I don’t have a brother."
"Cut the crap! You want us to chop him up and sell his organs?!"
"Then you really dialed wrong. You should call 110 and confess to the police. What’s the point of telling me? Want me to transfer you? Service fees apply."
With that, he hung up.
Thinking back to the novel, Shi Qing had been utterly despicable—so morally bankrupt that he’d pushed his own brother off the edge of the metaphorical cliff in the end.
The fact that Shi Zhou wasn’t cheering on the debt collectors was mercy enough.