The Crematorium’s Scum Gong Gets to Clock Off After Being Replaced 5

Chapter 5: Dog-Blood High Society

Two messy strands of hair had fallen from the man’s perfectly styled hair, and his elegant glasses were slightly askew.
—All because his reckless nephew had crashed into him.

As for the fact that he had subconsciously caught him, this reflexive act of protection was more surprising and shocking to him than it was to the passing Jiang Yuan Yao.

It was as if he had been bewitched by that hand in the car, by that scent, and its effect had lasted until tonight.

He lowered his head slightly. A few strands of golden hair were almost touching his nose. The sweet, nutty aroma had been replaced by the strong smell of alcohol.

He frowned.

Gu Xiu was drunk.

It was bad enough that he was messing around outside at night, but he was so drunk he was unsteady on his feet and weak all over. Not to mention how easily his designer clothes and accessories could attract thieves, his personal safety wasn’t even guaranteed.

The collision sobered Gu Xiu up a little. He pushed himself up, steadying himself on the man’s shoulders.

Fortunately, with the messy makeup on his face, most people wouldn’t dare to approach him.

“Gu Xiu,” Lu Shichen called out.

“Mm…” Gu Xiu squinted, still trying to get his bearings.

Lu Shichen glanced at the stunned Jiang Yuan Yao not far away. With a grim face, he grabbed Gu Xiu by the collar and dragged him towards the bathroom.

On the way, he ran into a waiter and had him send over some makeup remover.

By the time Gu Xiu realized what was happening, a strong force was pressing the back of his neck, pushing his head under the faucet. At the same time, a splash of cold water was thrown in his face, forcing him to wake up.

“It won’t wash off, it won’t wash off, Ninth Uncle,” Gu Xiu quickly begged for mercy, his voice a little hoarse from the alcohol. “I can do it myself…”

Lu Shichen let go, but the pressure in his low voice was even stronger. “Get that filth off your face.”

Gu Xiu obediently complied. His eyes caught sight of the makeup remover wipes on the sink, and he quickly grabbed a few and started wiping his face.

He wiped left and right, then scooped up a few handfuls of water, thoroughly washing away the sticky foreign substance from his face.

“How much did you drink?”

Lu Shichen’s icy interrogation fell upon him just as Gu Xiu finished washing his face and looked up. His face was covered in water droplets that he hadn’t had time to wipe away. Under the overhead lights, they refracted the light like prisms, creating a brilliant sparkle.

Lu Shichen froze.

Those distinct black and white eyes were tinged with drunkenness, hazy and moist, glistening with water.

So, this is what he looks like?

And that fair, smooth neck, where thread-like water droplets meandered down, following the rise and fall of his Adam’s apple, washing over that small, light brown mole again and again.

The impact of that moment felt as if his soul had been knocked out of his body. Lu Shichen stared blankly, his mind a complete void, only his Adam’s apple bobbing again and again.

“Uh… I drank…” Gu Xiu blinked, mumbling incoherently, clearly very drunk.

“Just…” He slowly raised two fingers, hesitating.

Two shots of baijiu.

But Gu Xiu couldn’t finish his sentence.

A strong wave of nausea surged up from his stomach, flowing back up his throat and straight to his head.

“Blargh!”

He bent over at the waist, and the half-digested food and alcohol mixed together, gushing out of his mouth.

His body was weak, and the urge to vomit came so suddenly that even though he tried to cover his mouth and turn his head, he still accidentally soiled the collar of Lu Shichen’s expensive shirt.

“Ninth… Blargh.”

He hadn’t eaten much, so the second time he threw up it was just stomach acid. Finally, after a few dry heaves, he recovered, his face pale.

“Ninth Uncle…”

Gu Xiu wiped his mouth, his eyes flickering as he cautiously glanced over.

Lu Shichen was still dressed like a perfect gentleman. Today’s tie was so neat it was almost rigid. It was made of a smooth satin material, and the vomit clung to it, slowly sliding down.

Gu Xiu sobered up instantly. He asked the system in his mind: 【…Did I throw that up?】

007 was already scared speechless: 【…】

It was like waking up from a sensual yet terrifying dream.

Lu Shichen forced out two low, hoarse words: “…Gu Xiu.”

It was his usual warning tone, but because his voice was hoarse, it took on a different flavor.

Unfortunately, the drunken Gu Xiu couldn’t tell the difference.

Gu Xiu swallowed, his eyelashes trembling. His messy golden hair framed his dark, moist eyes, which looked like they had been painted in an ink wash painting, every stroke perfect.

Without the exaggerated makeup, his skin was so tender it looked like water could be squeezed out of it. He looked so obedient and beautiful it was almost unbelievable.

“I drank too much…” Gu Xiu honestly admitted his mistake, lowering his eyes obediently in front of his cheap Ninth Uncle, his future rival in love, and his meal ticket for retirement.

“…”

He heard Lu Shichen let out a heavy sigh. But when he turned his head, he saw the other man silently turn and go to the sink, using water and paper towels to clean the filth from his tie and collar.

It was a truly gruesome sight.

Gu Xiu closed his eyes in lingering fear, and even the incessant inner ranting in his mind temporarily ceased.

Lu Shichen frowned and washed for a long time before finally taking off the tie and throwing it into the trash without a second thought.

A patch of his white shirt collar was soaked with water, sticking uncomfortably to his chest. He undid two buttons, leaving his collar wide open like his worldly nephew.

The difference was, he still exuded an air of asceticism. His silver-rimmed glasses were scholarly and proper. The open collar looked slovenly on Gu Xiu, but on him… it just looked indecent no matter how you looked at it.

If the two of them walked out of the bathroom like this, it would be hard for people not to misunderstand.

As fate would have it, the person outside was none other than the long-awaiting protagonist shou, Jiang Yuan Yao. He had followed the two of them all the way here, his heart filled with unwillingness, anger, and jealousy.

Lu Shichen walked in front, while Gu Xiu bantered with the system: 【See, a happy accident. I’ve made the protagonist gong and shou meet again.】

007 was deeply skeptical: 【This… should be fine, right?】

Gu Xiu was full of confidence: 【Anyway, the jealousy in this plot point was fake to begin with. What’s the difference between being jealous of a random person and being jealous of the protagonist gong? And I even got them to meet. This is killing two birds with one stone!】

007 was easily convinced and quite optimistic: 【I see! Jiujiu, you’re amazing!】

The two of them hit it off, chatting happily in their minds.

The encounter at the hospital didn’t count. This was actually the first time Lu Shichen and Jiang Yuan Yao had met. Their four eyes met directly, and it was as if sparks flew between them.

Gu Xiu provided the narration: 【As expected of the official CP. So much sexual tension.】

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds.

Jiang Yuan Yao wavered first. His eyes trembled, and he bit his lip tightly, looking so wronged he was about to cry.

Gu Xiu sighed: 【Looks like my crematorium isn’t far off.】

007 was a little worried: 【…You should probably stop enjoying the drama for now.】

The next second, Lu Shichen suddenly grabbed Gu Xiu from behind, his five fingers tightening on his arm, creasing the flowery shirt into fine wrinkles.

Gu Xiu didn’t know what was going on, but he remembered his scum-gong persona. He put on a convincing act, saying to Jiang Yuan Yao in a flustered voice, “Yaoyao, listen to me, it’s not what it looks like…”

Jiang Yuan Yao shot him a resentful glare, then stared at the grim-faced man, unafraid even under the pressure of his powerful aura.

“I am the current chairman of the Huanya Group, Lu Shichen.”

Lu Shichen introduced himself first.

His next sentence directly cleared up Jiang Yuan Yao’s misunderstanding.

“I am also Gu Xiu’s cousin-uncle. Please step aside and don’t block the way.”

He spoke politely, but his tone was still unyieldingly firm.

“I’m Jiang Yuan Yao. You should know who I am, right?” Jiang Yuan Yao forced a smile, pointing to his own face, which often appeared on screen, then to Gu Xiu, who was acting like a turtle in its shell. He said to Lu Shichen, “Gu-ge is my sugar daddy. I see he seems to be drunk. I can take him home. No need to trouble you, Chairman Lu.”

Gu Xiu remained silent.

【Wait, although I’ve thrown a lot of resources his way, we’re not actually in a sugar daddy-kept man relationship…】

On second thought, what’s wrong with letting the protagonist gong misunderstand? Maybe it would even speed up his progress in stealing his love, and get his own crematorium fired up sooner.

Gu Xiu quickly relaxed, watching the drama unfold like an outsider, munching on non-existent melon seeds.

Jiang Yuan Yao’s words were quite blunt, the young man’s desire to assert his sovereignty written all over his face.

But who was Lu Shichen? The chairman of Huanya. It would be strange if he could be deterred by a few words.

“I know, you’re an artist,” Lu Shichen said faintly. “Although you’re not famous yet, there’s no guarantee that paparazzi aren’t following you. I’m afraid Gu Xiu will be implicated by you and get his picture taken, damaging the family’s reputation and becoming a laughingstock.”

Jiang Yuan Yao, who had been smug just a second ago, his face changed drastically.

Lu Shichen’s contempt and disdain were invisible, yet they permeated every condescending word.
—A beautiful vase with a humble background and an empty interior.

Lu Shichen silently passed judgment on the young man in his heart. Without another word, he grabbed Gu Xiu and walked past Jiang Yuan Yao.

Gu Xiu didn’t forget to keep looking back to maintain his persona, looking reluctant and as if he wanted to explain, but he gave no concrete assurances.

Jiang Yuan Yao could only stand there and stomp his foot, watching helplessly as the two of them left.

The way out wasn’t peaceful either. As they passed by the brightly lit dance floor, in the dark crowd, Gu Xiu’s bright golden hair was particularly eye-catching. Three to five men and women came over, each one enchanting and charming, speaking in a coquettish tone.

“Mr. Gu, where are you going?”

Lu Shichen’s face darkened even more.

Gu Xiu, who had been called out, felt a jolt in his heart. His degenerate friends couldn’t stand the pathetic way he was devoted to the little celebrity and had said they would order him a few models with top-notch figures and looks…

He was completely innocent. In fact, this was the first time he had met these people. They must have recognized him by his hair.

But in Lu Shichen’s eyes, his chaotic private life was probably a confirmed fact.

The pincer-like hand on his arm tightened, and Lu Shichen, without a word, continued to drag him out.

From behind, he vaguely heard the uncertain voices of the men and women: “Hey? That was Mr. Gu, right? His male companion is so handsome. He probably looks down on us.”

“Mr. Gu is also much more handsome than I imagined. His face is so fair and tender, like a college student…”

“Whether he’s Mr. Gu or not, it’s no loss to let him have some fun for free. Who knows who’s playing who, hahaha.”

Gu Xiu: “…”

The silent man in the suit showed no avuncular affection. He pushed him hard, shoving him into the car.

Gu Xiu lost his balance and cried out, “Ouch!” He subconsciously grabbed Lu Shichen’s arm.

One above, one below, one standing, one sitting, their eyes met unexpectedly.

The eyes that looked up at the man had completely lost their drunken haze. In the night, under the starlight, they were black, bright, and clear.

Lu Shichen’s Adam’s apple moved. He quickly averted his eyes with restraint, his expression still cold and stern. He acted without any hesitation. With a loud thud, he slammed the car door shut and got in from the driver’s side.

At a very inopportune moment, Gu Xiu’s phone started vibrating again.

His mind was awake, but his hands were still weak. Just as Lu Shichen braked, the phone accidentally fell onto the thigh next to him.

Gu Xiu: “…”

One accident after another. The system in his mind had already crashed. Not only could it not provide any guidance, but it had also shrunk its head and played dead at the first sign of danger, abandoning its host in a trap.

Tsk.

“Ninth Uncle…” Gu Xiu called out again, but he didn’t dare to retrieve the phone from the man’s thigh.

The phone was still vibrating incessantly and was about to fall off. Lu Shichen, with one hand on the steering wheel, picked it up with the other and answered it for Gu Xiu.

The loud voice on the other end was as clear as if it were on speakerphone. It was Gu Chun: “Hey! Gu Xiu! Are you still out playing? Are you coming home tonight or not?”

According to the plot, Lu Shichen’s close maternal uncles and aunts had passed away. In the Gu family, Gu Xiu was his only real relative. He was only casually acquainted with the other members of the Gu family, and they probably only knew each other’s names.

Gu Xiu didn’t know if he recognized Gu Chun’s voice, but he saw his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, in more need of a streetlight than the dark street outside.

Lu Shichen spoke into the phone, his voice cold: “He’s staying at my place tonight.”

Gu Chun was stunned. He thought to himself that this low male voice wasn’t Jiang Yuan Yao’s. Could it be another new lover? But this voice sounded too mature…

“Who are you? Let Gu Xiu answer the phone. I’m warning you, even if you take advantage of his situation and take naked photos of him, I won’t pay to get them back.”

It sounded strange, like the tone of a legal wife.

A moment later, Gu Chun suddenly realized: “Huh? You couldn’t be… Chairman Lu? Is that you, Chairman Lu?”

Beep, beep, beep—

Lu Shichen had already hung up.