Chapter 1: Dog-Blood High Society
“The sparse winter rain was bone-chillingly cold, falling into the bleak night.”
“Gu Xiu waited bitterly at the hotel entrance, waiting to apologize and explain things to Jiang Yuan Yao. But in the end, all he could do was watch as Jiang Yuan Yao arrived in the company of a man in a sharp suit, a smile like a spring breeze on his face, his flushed cheeks radiating a sweetness and bliss Gu Xiu had never seen before.”
“The man was tall and handsome, with a refined demeanor. He wore a pair of elegant, silver-rimmed glasses, and his gaze was full of tenderness as he looked at Jiang Yuan Yao.”
“Ninth Uncle? Gu Xiu murmured as if in a dream, staring at that familiar face—his Ninth Uncle, the man he had trusted and relied on the most. In that instant, he seemed to be spellbound, frozen to the spot.”
“In his field of vision, the loving couple chatted and laughed as they walked away. Gu Xiu remained waiting in the rain. He held no umbrella. The once high-spirited and arrogant Young Master Gu had been reduced to such a pathetic state, his black hair stuck to his face in wet strands, his complexion as pale as paper.”
“But what right did he have to be dissatisfied, resentful, or indignant? This neglect and coldness were merely what he had once done to Jiang Yuan Yao. Now, it had finally come back to haunt him, doubly so.”
…
There are always scum gongs like “Gu Xiu.” They don’t cherish what they have, and only after losing it do they have an epiphany and try to win back the protagonist they once scorned. The crematorium burns bright and fierce, providing a satisfying and cathartic experience for all!
These scum gongs are tortured both physically and mentally, chasing miserably until the very end… only to be replaced by the legitimate gong, a man who crushes them in every conceivable way.
This was a thankless, miserable job, yet System 007 had somehow hit the jackpot, binding itself to a high-quality host who had retired from a Qidian-style novel world! …Even if he was just a professional cannon fodder.
But what great storms had this new host not weathered? A small matter of love and feelings like a crematorium plot would surely be a piece of cake!
However, the mini-world had already finished loading, and 007 still hadn’t managed to speak with its host.
The host had preemptively closed the channel for mental communication and was currently sprawled across an office desk, dead to the world.
A circle of people in suits surrounded the mahogany desk, some reporting, others taking notes. The atmosphere was solemn.
In the deathly silent sea of its host’s mind, 007 shrieked: 【Gu Xiu! Gu Xiu! The mission is starting! Wake up!!】
Things like systems were always chirping away in one’s head, which was incredibly annoying. Aside from issuing missions and acting cute, they were utterly useless.
Gu Xiu figured a crematorium world couldn’t be that dangerous. It was a rare opportunity to be in a modern world with advanced technology and no demons or monsters, so he wasn’t in a hurry to communicate with the system. Instead, he took the chance to sleep comfortably and peacefully.
That is, until a strong vibration came from beside his hand.
Bzz— Bzz—
The phone’s vibration traveled through the solid wood desk, spreading to every person seated around it.
The elite-looking crowd was accustomed to this. They restrained their gazes, only occasionally glancing at the man sitting ramrod straight at the head of the table.
The man was reviewing a report submitted by an employee. His black hair was slicked back immaculately, and his custom-tailored suit was without a single wrinkle. A pair of silver-framed, half-rim glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, lending him a noble yet stern air.
The disruptive buzzing was already affecting the meeting. An already nervous employee fumbled, hastily adjusting the PowerPoint. “My apologies, Chairman Lu, I missed a page…”
The man didn’t look at him. He lifted his eyes and swept his gaze across the long table. Even that faint glance was heavy with pressure.
“Gu Xiu.”
The young man’s hand, resting on the table, was long-fingered and fair—clearly the hand of someone who had been pampered and had never worked a day in his life.
Only when the low voice uttered the name “Gu Xiu” did that hand grope blindly across the desk. After finally catching the vibrating phone, the back that had been hunched over for so long finally straightened.
The young man was awake, but his expression was still weary and languid. His thin eyelids drooped, and his messy golden hair fell over his prominent brow bone.
To be fair, the young man’s features were truly exceptional. A smooth bone structure, clean and delicate skin, and monolids that were the perfect finishing touch, adding a natural boyishness to his refined appearance.
Everyone at the meeting had long grown used to this profligate second-generation heir, but today, they strangely found themselves taking a second, and then a third look. Hey, was he always this handsome?
But in just a moment, their attention shifted—
From his defiant golden hair, to his rebellious earring, to the gaudy gold chain around his neck, and finally to the leopard-print shirt with two buttons undone.
Vulgar, crude, and thuggish.
Handsome, yes, but utterly devoid of class.
He was completely out of place in the quiet and serious conference room, a stark contrast to the impeccably dressed man at the head of the table.
Screech. The chair scraped harshly against the floor.
Under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen people, Gu Xiu didn’t even bother to lift his lazy eyelids. He stood up, phone in hand, and pushed the door open to leave as if no one else was there.
The conference room instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Um, Chairman Lu… what now…?”
Lu Shichen rubbed the space between his brows, which had furrowed in disgust. His cold gaze swept over the crowd. “Continue. Pay him no mind.”
In the empty corridor outside the conference room.
The moment Gu Xiu opened the mental link—
【Ahhhhhh you scared me to death!!】
The jumpy System 007 eagerly popped out, shouting in his sea of consciousness. It even transformed into a small silver orb, buzzing around him like a wild bee.
【You’re way too bold! I haven’t even transmitted the plot to you and you’re already acting on your own! What if you break character and the protagonist notices something is off!?】
【There were so many people! And it was a meeting! You were actually sound asleep! And you left without permission!!!】
007 was still shaken.
Gu Xiu, on the other hand, was calm.
He first went to the restroom to admire his new look: platinum blond hair that was even more ostentatious than in the supernatural world, and an earring that felt more uncomfortable than having a hole bitten through his ear by a zombie…
After reluctantly accepting his new image, he spoke unhurriedly, “My identity is definitely rich or noble. Have you ever seen a wage slave wear a leopard-print shirt to a meeting? Besides, that guy in charge is obviously some kind of CEO. He knows my name, and I was sitting directly opposite him. How could I not be a big shot?”
“I haven’t even done anything, and the look he gave me was already full of annoyance. He must have had a problem with me for a while now. If I had excused myself before leaving, that would have been breaking character.”
007 hurriedly checked the script. Every single detail aligned perfectly with what Gu Xiu had said. The more it listened, the more shocked it became, until it was prostrating itself in admiration.
【Host! As expected of you!!】007 shrieked with excitement, suddenly switching to a fawning attitude. The small ball of light circled his legs a few times. 【I told you we were fated! Your name is Gu Xiu. Xiuxiu sounds like Jiujiu, and you know 996? I’m 007!】
【Jiujiu… hey, how about Jiujiu? It’s cuter! Hehe, Jiujiu, see? We’re a match made in heaven!】
007 was truly noisy when it started praising someone.
Gu Xiu remained impassive, tidying his appearance in the mirror.
When he worked in the quick transmigration worlds, he used a body generated from his own data, with only minor adjustments made according to the world’s setting and the character’s needs. For instance, his hair color, or for another instance, the dark circles that made him look like he hadn’t slept in half a month, with a purplish tint beneath his eyes that suggested a life of debauchery.
He frowned and gently wiped a finger under his eye, surprisingly smudging some black eyeliner.
According to his distant memories of the modern world, this was the legendary “smoky eye” makeup. Paired with his leopard-print shirt and gold chain, he was the very picture of a hooligan.
Fortunately, there was nothing unusual about his body. The skin visible through his wide-open collar was flawless, a cool, fair, and lustrous white, with a small, light brown mole next to his Adam’s apple.
He was quite fond of this mole and couldn’t help but touch it.
For many years, he had drifted through quick transmigration worlds, with no fixed home, constantly getting injured or dying. His identities changed, his hair was sometimes long and sometimes short, and his clothes were a kaleidoscope of colors and styles. Only this mole had always been with him, like an anchor securing his wandering soul.
Meanwhile, 007 wasn’t idle. It quickly transmitted the script to its new host.
Gu Xiu gently closed his eyes, digesting the new plot information.
A novel world was just a string of text data; it only began to truly operate once a task-taker entered. The original text was ultimately simple and crude, insufficient to support a complete mini-world. The underdeveloped parts of the novel could lead to characters going off-script, causing irreversible bugs or even the collapse of the world.
Gu Xiu’s mission was to play important characters other than the protagonist, such as the scum gong who gets replaced in a “gong replacement” novel. Within the bounds of the script, he had to advance the main plot, complete side plots, and ensure the novel world developed along its predetermined track.
Before his arrival, the scum gong himself was nothing more than a string of words. Gu Xiu’s own data generated the physical model, and the character would also use his name. The characters in the novel wouldn’t notice these changes, as long as he maintained the persona and didn’t go OOC.
According to the setup, the wealthy Gu family was large and prosperous, with fierce internal struggles. However, Gu Xiu’s parents had only one child, and they had spoiled and indulged him since he was young, raising him into a typical profligate scion.
Unfortunately, Gu Xiu’s parents passed away one after another when he was in middle school. Afterward, he became even more rebellious—dyeing his hair, getting his ear pierced, skipping school, and living a life of debauchery. He was then sent abroad by his distant cousin-uncle to study at some diploma mill for a few years. Not only did he fail to learn anything, but he became even worse. The moment he returned to the country at twenty-two, he took a young starlet as his kept man.
And then came the dog-blood drama.
His distant cousin-uncle, the man he called Ninth Uncle—Lu Shichen—was the protagonist gong of this world. The steady and self-disciplined Ninth Uncle naturally looked down on Gu Xiu, this hopeless piece of mud, and only acted as his guardian out of respect for Gu Xiu’s father. Coincidentally, Ninth Uncle’s true love, the protagonist shou, was none other than the young starlet Gu Xiu was keeping, Jiang Yuan Yao.
Gu Xiu squandered his parents’ inheritance, protecting Jiang Yuan Yao’s career in the entertainment industry, but his heart had always belonged to a boy he’d fallen for at first sight in his childhood. He had chosen Jiang Yuan Yao because he had a similar pair of eyes to that boy. In short, a substitute.
Gu Xiu was cold-blooded and heartless, giving only money and no love, which broke Jiang Yuan Yao’s heart. Only after the latter left did he realize that Jiang Yuan Yao was, in fact, his white moonlight. From then on, Gu Xiu turned over a new leaf and entered his “wife-chasing crematorium” phase, but his Ninth Uncle, who outclassed him in every way, forcefully intervened. The more Gu Xiu pursued, the deeper the bond between Jiang Yuan Yao and Ninth Uncle became.
Not long after, Gu Xiu’s long-hidden parentage was exposed. It turned out he was a child swapped by a nanny! The real Young Master Gu had died in infancy. His downfall was as miserable as his previous life had been arrogant.
Only Ninth Uncle, for old times’ sake, gave him a sum of money to fend for himself abroad. However, he lacked self-control and couldn’t resist temptation. He got into gambling and drugs, and eventually died in some forgotten corner of the world.
All in all, this novel was what was commonly known as a “your wife is gone” story, also known as gong replacement literature. The former scum gong’s crematorium was one of its biggest selling points.
Incidentally, the protagonist gong was twenty-eight and the protagonist shou was nineteen. The nine-year age gap and the “daddy-type boyfriend” dynamic were also noteworthy attractions.
…
There was just one thing Gu Xiu found rather perplexing.
“I provide Jiang Yuan Yao with the best food and clothes, and in the end, I still have to go through the crematorium?”
007 declared righteously: 【Money is the one thing you don’t lack, but he had nothing and lost his love!】
Gu Xiu: “…”
In case the walls had ears, Gu Xiu switched to the mental channel and asked in his mind: 【If I get a rating of A-rank or higher, I’ll receive a reward of two hundred thousand points, right?】
The purchasing power of points in the main god space was roughly equivalent to the Chinese RMB in the 21st century.
“That’s right. In the zombie world, you worked yourself to the bone and at most got a hundred thousand points per world. Take a stroll through a crematorium world, and you can easily get the down payment for a house. Such is the charm of a poignant love story!” 007 sounded like a pyramid scheme promoter, speaking with passion. “Looking at it this way, the scum gong crematorium mission is pretty worth it, right?”
“…”
Gu Xiu had no comment on that.
Just then, his phone rang again.
【It’s a call from Xiao Wang, you need to take it,】 007 reminded him based on the caller ID. 【This is the assistant you assigned to Jiang Yuan Yao’s side. He reports Jiang Yuan Yao’s every move to you.】
【This is also ‘Plot Point 1,’ and it’s very simple. Jiang Yuan Yao is injured and hopes you’ll visit him in the hospital, but you’re too busy living a decadent life to care about him. These trivial matters add up, and his disappointment in you deepens until his heart turns cold…】
Gu Xiu answered the phone.
“Mr. Gu, you finally answered!” The voice on the other end was quite urgent, likely the same one that had disturbed his sleep earlier. “Jiang-ge fell from the stage while filming a show and broke his leg. The doctor said it’s quite serious. You should come to the hospital and see him!”
Gu Xiu, however, sensed something was off.
From those few sentences, this assistant didn’t feel like his man. His loyalties had clearly already shifted to the protagonist shou’s side.
It was just a broken bone, not a life-threatening injury. And since he supposedly treated Jiang Yuan Yao as an insignificant substitute, if the assistant were truly loyal to him, he should have dutifully reported it via text message instead of bombarding him with calls.
With this in mind, Gu Xiu replied with four words, his tone unreadable: “I got it.”
“What about Gu Xiu! Is he coming or not!?”
A sharp voice came from the background.
“Mr. Gu, you should come quickly… Central Hospital,” the assistant said vaguely. “I’ll hang up now.”
Gu Xiu turned to leave the restroom, only to unexpectedly run into a familiar face.
007 quickly reminded him: 【That’s your Ninth Uncle! The protagonist gong, Lu Shichen! The current chairman of the Huanya Group!】
It was the same man who had been sitting directly opposite Gu Xiu at the long table during the meeting.
Lu Shichen’s posture was ramrod straight, his bearing noble and poised. The top button of his shirt was fastened, his tie was perfectly straight, and his refined, scholarly appearance was a world away from the leisurely, slovenly Gu Xiu.
His eyelids were slightly lowered, his gaze sharp and scrutinizing behind his glasses.
It was the same familiar face of his nephew.
Gaudy clothes, clanking accessories, dark circles under his eyes—every single strand of his golden hair screamed rebellion.
Gu Xiu, remembering his persona, didn’t dodge or avoid his gaze. He met those eyes directly and, after a moment, was surprised to discover a faint hint of gray in them. No wonder those eyes looked so deep.
Then, he curved his lips into a flippant smile and asked, “What’s wrong, Ninth Uncle? Want me to go to the bathroom with you?”
Lu Shichen’s brow twitched. He suppressed his disgust and asked in a questioning tone, “Where are you going now?”
Gu Xiu waved his phone. “Oh, I’m bored anyway. Just seeing if anyone’s got a party going. I’ll go join the fun.”
Gu Xiu was committed to his role.
The original owner’s greatest hobby was hanging out with his degenerate friends in places of vice like bars.
“Stop.”
“Central Hospital, right?” Lu Shichen said nonchalantly as he adjusted his cuffs. “I happen to be going that way. I can give you a ride. After all, he’s your person. You shouldn’t be so careless.”
Tsk, he’s not even thirty, but he’s already got the whole condescending elder act down pat.
Gu Xiu complained in his mind: 【Being careless is the whole point. Otherwise, how could he be replaced by you?】
007 gasped. 【…Host!】
Lu Shichen couldn’t hear Gu Xiu’s internal monologue, but as someone who had long been in a position of power, his intuition was incredibly sharp.
Gu Xiu had clawed his way through life-and-death situations. The moment the other man’s gaze swept over him, he smoothly returned a fake smile.
“How thoughtful of you. Thanks, Ninth Uncle.”
