The Crematorium’s Scum Gong Gets to Clock Off After Being Replaced 41

Chapter 41: Roommate

“Ji Ning, that customer has been looking at you. Do you want to go over and say hello?” The manager smiled and patted Ji Ning. “He’s been sitting there ever since he asked for your name, and he ordered the most expensive drinks and pastries. Is he a suitor of yours?”

Business at the shop had not been good lately, and it was a weekday afternoon. It was rare to get a big order.

Ji Ning wiped his hands, glanced at the slightly chubby strange man, and shook his head at the manager. “I don’t know him.”

The manager: “Then go and say hello anyway.”

Ji Ning was not good at refusing people. He pursed his lips in a troubled manner, took off the black-framed glasses on his face, and wiped them with a soft cloth for a long time, procrastinating. Finally, he took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to walk over.

He forced a professional smile. “Hello… I’m Ji Ning. Do you know me?”

The man suppressed his excitement. “You’re a student at A University, in the art department, a sophomore, right?”

Ji Ning’s face was not good. He was so stared at by the other’s piercing gaze that he kept backing away. “Yes… how do you…”

“It really is you!” The man interrupted him. After his excitement, he began to stutter. “I’m a fan of yours… Don’t worry, I’m a daddy fan. You’re much, much cuter than in the book…”

As soon as the other party opened his mouth, he said such strange and confusing things.

What was even more incredible was that the man knew his life story and was familiar with his interpersonal relationships. He said he had read it all in a book, and that he was the protagonist shou in that book!

His sexual orientation was a secret that no one else knew. As soon as these words were spoken, he believed half of it.

His expectant heart was pounding. He was about to ask if the other protagonist in the book was his childhood friend Gu Xiu.

However, the man’s next words were like a splash of cold water. “Gu Xiu is a scum man! A steel-straight man! He’s not worthy! Your real husband is the top student, campus prince, rich second-generation, and male god of A University—his roommate, Chen Beichuan!”

Ji Ning had heard this name before, but he had no interaction with him. Gu Xiu and this roommate’s relationship was also not good.

Besides the difference in their backgrounds, their schedules were also completely opposite. Gu Xiu was a night owl, while Chen Beichuan was healthy and self-disciplined. The two lived under the same roof but could go completely without seeing each other.

Seeing Ji Ning’s resistance, the man went on a long tirade, listing all the gifts he had secretly given to Gu Xiu, including the birthday gift he had just given him a few days ago…

The man earnestly advised him, “You worked for two months to buy this pair of sneakers that Gu Xiu likes, but he turned around and sold them second-hand to buy a gift for a girl he met in a game!”

Ji Ning’s heart instantly turned cold.

Of course, he couldn’t just doubt the person he had liked for many years. He forced a smile and said, “The gift was something I gave him of my own accord. It’s his business how he wants to deal with it…”

Although he said that, on the way back to school, he couldn’t help but open the Xianyu app, switch to the local page, and search for keywords. Sure enough, he found the new sneakers he had given away, within a thousand meters.

Gu Xiu’s dormitory building was already in sight.

He lowered his head, pursed his lips, and hesitated for a while. He took a deep breath before sending a private message to the new account with the default ID and profile picture.

A Lemon: 【Hello, is it brand new? Is there a purchase record? Can we meet in person?】

Afraid that he would regret and hesitate, he asked three questions in one breath and clicked send.

The other party slowly replied with three sentences.

【Uh, wait, let me see…】

【Oh, it was a gift from someone, no record. Wait a minute】

【I’m not selling it, sorry】

Ji Ning was stunned. He clicked on the sneaker’s product page again and got a “product has been taken down” prompt.

At the same time, the small silver ball of light, emitting a cold silver light, looked down at the disobedient host.

007 had no emotional fluctuations, and the ball of light was also suspended in the air, motionless, speaking in a monotonous mechanical voice: 【Host, please do not deviate from the plot and violate the vain phoenix man persona!】

Ten minutes ago, Gu Xiu had opened his eyes. On his left was a wall, and on his right was a guardrail. The bed board underneath was hard and uncomfortable. Then he sat up and looked around at his surroundings. It looked like a university dormitory that he had only seen in videos before.

The protagonist shou of this small world was called Ji Ning. He was an art student who was talented and had a slender and beautiful figure.

But Ji Ning’s personality was introverted and self-abased. He always wore a pair of black-framed glasses and was oblivious to his own beauty. When he was a child, he was bullied and ostracized by his classmates, and his childhood friend Gu Xiu descended from the heavens like a god and stood up for him.

Like a moth to a flame, being infatuated with Gu Xiu and showing him affection was a habit of his from his teenage years until now, until it became an instinct carved into his bones.

And after the novel was generated into a small world, the current Gu Xiu had a new task-taker’s core. He was not a great philanthropist, but the gifts Ji Ning gave him were not a matter of life and death, nor were they a necessary part of the key plot.

While receiving the plot, a new message came in on his phone, asking about his idle items.

Gu Xiu looked at the four-digit price of the shoes and guessed that it must have been a gift from Ji Ning. He refused the business that had come to his door without a second thought and even took down the product to avoid future trouble.

Bzz, bzz, bzz!

【…007!】 Gu Xiu was jolted by the electric shock and angrily went to grab the small silver ball of light. 【How dare you shock me! Are you a system trying to rebel!】

007: 【Host, please do not act on your own. You still need to constantly hint to the protagonist shou and ask for all kinds of brand-name gifts to package yourself and maintain your persona.】

Gu Xiu changed the subject: 【Hey, I’ll buy you a warmer skin when we get back.】

007 added to the plot in a rigid manner: 【You are the protagonist shou’s childhood friend. You grew up together in a small town. The protagonist shou is self-reliant and resilient, while you are a little clever. After you and the protagonist shou were admitted to a famous university in the capital, the protagonist shou became more and more hardworking, while you were dazzled by the glamorous world here and became superficial and vain.】

【You are a one-track-minded, slow-witted straight man. The protagonist shou dares not tell you his feelings, for fear of destroying your friendship. But for all your requests, he gives you whatever you ask for. Most of the money he earns from part-time jobs is used to buy you gifts, which greatly satisfies your vanity…】

Gu Xiu clicked his tongue and summarized it blandly.

So, he was not a bad person. To be honest, he was a little stupid. His only fault was his slowness, turning a blind eye to the protagonist shou’s devotion.

This was a heinous crime. He deserved the wife-chasing crematorium!

007 continued: 【Actually, you also have feelings for the protagonist shou, but you can never face your own sexual orientation. You even said harsh and hurtful things when the protagonist shou mustered up the courage to confess. The protagonist shou thus completely gave up on you and instead accepted the pursuit of your top student, campus prince, rich second-generation, and high-and-mighty male god roommate—the protagonist gong.】

…This protagonist gong’s title is really long. It’s like stacking buffs.

【At the beginning, the protagonist gong was a real straight man, but after he recognized his own heart, he bravely attacked, completely different from you, a cowardly and weak scum gong!】

【In short, this mission is divided by the protagonist shou’s confession. First is the part where the three of you are in a tug-of-war, then is your wife-chasing crematorium part. I will evaluate your behavior at any time. Please take your work seriously, act with caution, and do not violate the rules.】

【Hey, why are you so cold?】 Gu Xiu joked casually. 【I think you’d be good at playing this slow-witted straight man.】

【…】 007 did not respond to idle talk that was not related to work.

Knock, knock, knock.

The dormitory was a high-end two-person room, and the lock was opened by scanning a QR code with a phone. The dormitory door was knocked on from the outside. The person who came was not the top student, campus prince, rich second-generation, and high-and-mighty male god roommate.

It was not yet time for the key plot point to begin, so Gu Xiu went to open the door with an easy mind.

He was met with an overly handsome young face, with picturesque features, even to the point of being delicate. It was clearly the protagonist. A height of less than 1.8 meters and a slender waist that could be held with one hand, it was undoubtedly a Jinjiang-style protagonist shou.

007 also said: 【This is the protagonist shou Ji Ning… hey, but why did he suddenly come over?】

007’s unreliable and in need of the host’s help to answer questions, finally had a familiar feeling.

Gu Xiu was expressionless, yawning lazily, and casually observing Ji Ning in front of him.

Ji Ning awkwardly pushed up his black-framed glasses and asked Gu Xiu with concern, “You just woke up? Did you stay up late playing games again?”

Gu Xiu turned his face away, deliberately rubbed his head a few times to mess up his hair, and replied lazily, “Mm.”

The lights in the dormitory were not on, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and the curtains were also drawn. Gu Xiu’s tall figure was hidden in the shadows, his hair a mess.

Ji Ning looked at his childhood friend of more than ten years, still the same untidy person. But after looking for a long time, he suddenly found that the collar of his washed-out short-sleeved shirt revealed fair and clean skin. The shape of his wrist bones was also exquisite, and his nails were trimmed short and neat.

Ji Ning let out a soft “Huh?”

Gu Xiu looked like he hadn’t woken up yet. He covered his face and asked him, “Why did you suddenly come over?”

“…Oh,” Ji Ning woke up as if from a dream and asked nervously, rubbing his hands, “I wanted to ask you, the pair of shoes I gave you last time, do you still like them?”

Gu Xiu said “Wait,” turned around, and went into the room. He rummaged under his desk, compared it with the photo he had just seen on Xianyu, and found a brand new shoebox.

“Is it this one?” Gu Xiu held the shoebox and returned to the door. “Just right… you can take these shoes back. They’re too ugly. I don’t like them.”

Gu Xiu’s face was full of disgust, but Ji Ning was not angered. Instead, he was stunned for a moment.

“But…” he held the shoebox and said hesitantly, “Your shoe size is different from mine. I can’t wear them myself if I take them back.”

Gu Xiu’s face was full of annoyance. “Then you can return them. Don’t leave them here to be an eyesore.”

Ji Ning’s mood was complicated.

This pair of shoes cost more than two thousand yuan. They were brand new and unworn. Selling them second-hand would also be a large sum of money, enough to top up three 648s in a game.

But not only did Gu Xiu take down the resale on Xianyu, he was now directly returning the shoes to him.

After sending Ji Ning away, the small silver ball of light finally floated out, illuminating a corner of the now dim dormitory. The mechanical voice was cold and serious: 【Host, what are you doing?】

Gu Xiu had a reason and evidence: 【If the protagonist shou were a rich second-generation, it would be fine. But he still has to work part-time to save up for his living expenses. I just need to maintain my persona, which is simple. It’s fine not to take his gifts…】

007 was unmoved and went through the process coldly: 【Host, please respect the plot and do not tamper with it at will.】

【This is not a ‘key plot point.’ It’s a part where I can improvise—try shocking me again?】 Gu Xiu’s face was stern, and he reasoned with the now one-track-minded 007 with no good humor. 【And I have a better way to maintain the vain persona.】

007 stopped moving and listened seriously.

【Didn’t you say that my roommate is a top student, campus prince, rich second-generation, and male god? The protagonist gong from your Jinjiang has to be much richer than the protagonist shou, right? He’s also my roommate. I have the right time, the right place, and the right people…】

Gu Xiu quietly stretched out his hands, wanting to beat up this data-brain that didn’t know how to write the word “flexible.”

The small ball of light keenly sensed the danger and “whooshed!” away at high speed, its movements so skilled that it seemed to have done it thousands of times. Although it was more annoying, it looked a little more lively than before.

Forget it.

Gu Xiu bent down and supported his knees, panting for a few breaths, and temporarily called a truce.

The ball of light that had flown to the corner of the ceiling slowly floated back and stopped in front of him, gently swaying from side to side, like some kind of canine, tilting its head to observe the strange human.

【Huh…】

The ball of light’s confused voice was imperceptible, and Gu Xiu didn’t pay much attention. While it was off guard, he sent it flying with a slap.

【…Host!】 The small silver ball of light screamed in a very human-like way.

Gu Xiu was too lazy to bother with him and observed the current dormitory environment on his own.

This luxurious two-person room was a master’s and doctoral dormitory at A University. The protagonist gong, Chen Beichuan, was Gu Xiu’s direct senior, a second-year master’s student in artificial intelligence. He was 22 this year.

Gu Xiu was 19, a sophomore in his second year. Last semester, because he didn’t get along with his roommate, and because he had thrown a tantrum at the school leaders, he had successfully taken advantage of the protagonist gong and had been moved to this two-person dormitory.

However, Gu Xiu and Chen Beichuan’s relationship was hard to describe. Whether it was their schedule, style, ability, attitude, or family background, the two were not on the same level, and the gap was huge.

【Hehe, no matter how big the gap is, they still became roommates, right? Since they’re roommates, what’s wrong with secretly wearing his clothes?】

Gu Xiu was not polite at all and directly opened the protagonist gong’s closet, planning to add insult to injury to their already bad relationship.

He also took the opportunity to educate 007: 【The more the protagonist gong hates me and looks down on me, the more satisfying it will be to slap my face in the future, right? I know you Jinjiang readers love this kind of cheesy plot.】

He was shameless while picking and choosing in the protagonist gong’s closet: 【Vanity is a small thing. I’ll just secretly wear the protagonist gong’s luxury clothes. The effect will be much better.】

Click.

The sound of the dormitory door unlocking and opening was unexpected.

007 was shocked and reflexively reminded the thieving Gu Xiu: 【The protagonist gong is back… Jiujiu!】