Chapter 6: Dog-Blood High Society
Inside the river-view penthouse, shadows the color of midnight blue stretched out, and the furniture of varying heights blended into a hazy whole. The brightly lit nightscape and towering buildings outside the window were half-concealed by a layer of sheer curtains.
Lu Shichen pressed the master switch for the smart lights. Soft, bright light came from all directions, dispelling the darkness in every corner. The furnishings were high-end and stylish, with a cool color palette, devoid of any human touch.
The house was so quiet that Gu Xiu could hear his own breathing. He glanced a few times at the stern-faced man, ignoring the now-dry stain on his collar, and asked with feigned flippancy, “Ninth Uncle, you’re almost thirty. How come there’s no one at home?”
The protagonist gongs produced by Jinjiang were, without exception, all outstanding graduates of the School of Male Virtue. Their private lives were as bland as an ascetic’s—tasteless and unremarkable.
Faced with his nephew’s frivolous provocation, Lu Shichen didn’t even deign to look at him. He walked straight into the house, first taking off his jacket and carefully smoothing out the wrinkles before hanging it on the coat rack.
Gu Xiu guessed that the master bedroom was in the more private corridor, so he went to the TV wall. “This is a spare room, right? I’ll stay here, then.”
The prideful, daddy-type gong was easy to understand. His silence was tantamount to permission. Even if he regretted it later, he wouldn’t easily go back on his tacit approval.
Gu Xiu casually chose a room. However, this guest room didn’t have an en-suite bathroom. He looked around and poked his head out from the doorway.
“Um, Ninth Uncle…”
Gu Xiu estimated that the original owner had probably never been to Lu Shichen’s private residence, but he still left some room for doubt in his words, asking flawlessly, “Hey, where was the bathroom again?”
Coupled with the fact that he hadn’t completely sobered up, his slurred speech made it even less likely to arouse suspicion.
As expected, Lu Shichen didn’t suspect a thing.
However, his action of taking off his shirt paused noticeably, as if he had just remembered there was someone else in the house.
All seven buttons of his shirt were already undone. Hearing the question, he promptly pulled the shirt, which had been pushed down to his elbows, back up and settled it on his shoulders.
He wasn’t so coy as to cover his open shirt, but he did turn sideways to avoid Gu Xiu’s gaze and said curtly, “Over here.”
In front of him was an open frosted glass door, which should be the bathroom in the living room.
Before Gu Xiu could come over, he turned and went the other way, back to the master bedroom to take a shower, leaving only the back of his cool, white-shirted figure.
Temporarily staying at Lu Shichen’s house, Gu Xiu hadn’t brought a change of clothes. Fortunately, he had always been a simple sleeper. He found a spare pair of disposable underwear in the cabinet, put them on, and became one with the soft quilt, stark naked.
When he woke up naturally, the sky was already bright. Gu Xiu glanced at the screen full of unread messages but wasn’t in a hurry to reply. He first sought praise from 007: 【I should have over-fulfilled the mission, right? I feel like I’ll be in the crematorium in a few days.】
007: 【Um… really?】
Gu Xiu: 【If you doubt me, you can do it yourself. By the way, are there any other crematorium systems that need to be bound to a system?】
007 behaved itself and changed the subject, urging him: 【Hurry up and check the unread messages on your phone!】
The unread messages were from three people.
The most talkative was Jiang Yuan Yao. There were sad questions, and there were warm greetings. Even after learning Lu Shichen’s identity, his words were still tinged with a faint jealousy. Finally, he told Gu Xiu to call him back as soon as he woke up.
Gu Xiu had no intention of calling back.
Gu Chun had also sent a message, asking if he was with Chairman Lu, asking in disbelief when their relationship had gotten so good. He also hypocritically told him not to wrong himself and to contact him anytime if he needed anything, that the Gu family would always be his home.
Tsk.
The morning mist outside the floor-to-ceiling windows had long since dispersed. The early morning sun in late autumn wasn’t harsh. Like a soft paintbrush, it spread a milky white sheen on the corners of the bedroom.
Gu Xiu hugged a pillow, his prostrate upper body slightly propped up. His smooth, beautiful back was bathed in the soft sunlight, his muscles lazily stretching.
The two latest messages were from Lu Shichen, sent at six in the morning, before the sun had even woken up.
【Starting tomorrow, you will come to work with me at the Huanya headquarters as my assistant. Make sure you are well-groomed. No makeup. Five days a week, nine to five. Clock in and out on time. Any leave or early departure must be requested from me in advance. No unexcused absences.】
【Reply when you’ve received this.】
Whoosh. Gu Xiu threw off the covers and got out of bed, his good mood instantly turning into thick resentment.
He picked up his clothes and put them on, buttoning them up as he walked out. Lu Shichen was long gone from the empty penthouse.
He took out his phone and reluctantly typed a “1.”
At the same time, he complained in his mind: 【I hate daddy-type gongs.】
007: 【As far as I know, you’re a straight man, host. You don’t like men in the first place, do you?】
【…】 Gu Xiu was speechless, so stunned he lost the energy to curse. He could only complain, 【I’m not saying this to be mean, but in your Jinjiang world, even the system is a huge shipping-addled brain. Is that the only thing on your mind?】
007 thought about it seriously: 【Hm? I should be a data-brain.】
Gu Xiu: “…”
Lu Shichen was merciful enough to give Gu Xiu a day off. He could go home and catch up on sleep before officially starting his life as a corporate slave tomorrow.
The next morning, after setting eight alarms, Gu Xiu got up with sleepy eyes, sighing as he washed his face.
【The novel didn’t say that this second-generation heir had to clock in for work. At most, he would occasionally go to meetings with Lu Shichen to embarrass him.】
【It’s all because you messed up!】 007 said indignantly. 【You threw up all over the protagonist gong in the bar. You’re lucky he didn’t make you pay for it!】
“Fine.”
Gu Xiu’s golden hair was a mess, like a forcibly twisted golden melon. He pursed his lips and reluctantly accepted reality.
He opened the original owner’s closet and saw a riot of colors that hurt his eyes. At the sight, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. It would be a miracle if that old-fashioned man could tolerate him for a day.
Gu Xiu excitedly began to dress himself up.
His goal wasn’t high: get fired within two days.
What Gu Xiu hated even more than being told what to do was doing things. Sigh. Why should a living person have to work? He already had a job with the Quick Transmigration Bureau. Wasn’t working two jobs a bit too exploitative?
Lu Shichen, who had now acquired the hat of a black-hearted capitalist, was in the chairman’s office of the Huanya Group.
He glanced at his watch for the third time. 8:55. As expected, he shouldn’t have had any expectations for this nephew.
Just then.
There was a commotion outside the office. Then, the ajar door was knocked on. Before he could give permission, a long, pink leg stepped in brazenly.
Lu Shichen frowned.
Next came a well-proportioned hand, an exaggerated orchid finger pushing up a pair of exaggerated cat-eye sunglasses, a charming and flippant curve on his lips.
A pink peony shirt, pale pink trousers, and golden hair slicked back with wax into a greasy style.
After showing off his look for the day, Gu Xiu lowered his head to look at the person in the boss’s chair. The sunglasses slid down, revealing a pair of dark, moist eyes. He smiled and greeted, “Morning, Ninth Uncle. I’m not late, am I?”
He had indeed followed Lu Shichen’s request and not worn any makeup.
But his attire had nothing to do with the identity of an assistant.
Lu Shichen couldn’t help but think that he was actually even more of a beautiful vase than Jiang Yuan Yao. He was even more of a beautiful vase than the little celebrity he was keeping.
The beautiful vase named Gu Xiu was not only not inferior in appearance, but he also handed over all sorts of resources and wealth to others.
…Now that he thought about it, it was hard to say who was taking advantage of whom.
No matter how useless this beautiful piece of pastry was, he was, at the very least, the orphan of his maternal cousin who had shown him great kindness.
Lu Shichen took a deep breath, suppressing the nameless anger, and said in a serious tone, “Do you even know you’re here to work?”
Gu Xiu plopped down on the sofa, crossing his long pink legs, looking more like the boss than the boss himself. “Didn’t I come as you requested?”
“Now, you go out for a bit.” Lu Shichen remained unsmiling, issuing a stern and cold command. “I’ll give you three hours. Dye your hair back. Black.”
Gu Xiu accidentally let out a “tsk.” He was pierced by the other’s sharp gaze and quickly changed his expression, putting on a placating smile. “Hey, I just got here. My butt hasn’t even warmed the seat yet.”
“Three hours.” There was no room for negotiation with Chairman Lu. “Before twelve o’clock, I want this golden hair gone. Here’s your work for today. You can leave when you’re done. In short, you figure it out.”
Gu Xiu propped his chin on one hand, avoiding eye contact, and let out a long, lazy “Oh—.”
The second-generation heir was incorrigible. Lu Shichen had another trick up his sleeve. He continued, “Otherwise, I will freeze all your bank cards. If you still want to keep a little celebrity, you can go work and earn the money yourself.”
The genuine laziness on Gu Xiu’s face instantly vanished.
007 promptly relayed the plot details to him: 【Um, the original owner’s father knew what a scoundrel his son was, so when he was seriously ill, he drew up a trust agreement for the inheritance. Although it’s all left to you, you must get the protagonist gong’s consent to use the inheritance before you turn 30…】
【In other words, the mansion you’re living in now, you can only live in it, you can’t sell it.】
“…” Fuck.
Gu Xiu’s mind raced: 【We haven’t reached the part of the plot where he steals my love yet. I still have to keep Jiang Yuan Yao for a while… I can’t let him freeze my cards.】
【It’s fine. A change of hairstyle won’t affect your persona. Your own looks are already very playboy-ish.】 007’s praise sounded more like instigation. Then it poured a basin of useless chicken blood. 【Changing your hairstyle and going to work is easy～ Jiujiu is amazing! Go, Jiujiu, go!】
Gu Xiu: “…”
In any case, dyeing his hair was easier than working.
He just didn’t expect that his indifferent attitude would make Jiang Yuan Yao not sad and dejected, but relentless. He called him from Assistant Wang’s phone, and he only realized it when he heard his voice.
“Don’t hang up!” Jiang Yuan Yao’s voice was sweet and soft, and even his threats were full of coquettishness, a world away from Lu Shichen’s stern commands.
Unfortunately, the unromantic straight man didn’t fall for it. Gu Xiu rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and replied with some annoyance, “What is it now, my dear ancestor?”
Who knew that these words would make the arrogant person fall silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his tone had completely changed, as sweet and soft as a marshmallow. “Gu Xiu～”
“What are you doing? Are you at home? I don’t have much to do today. Perfect. I just waited in line for half an hour and bought the signature dessert from the new internet-famous shop. I’ll bring it over to you.”
007 had been silent for a long time. It was an insignificant side plot, so Gu Xiu could decide for himself.
The words “signature dessert” were quite tempting.
Gu Xiu licked his lips. Thinking that there was still plenty of time, he said, “Sure, I’m at XX Hair Salon…”
It took some time for Jiang Yuan Yao to arrive. Gu Xiu waited until his stomach was growling before the young man, wearing a mask and sunglasses, finally arrived.
Gu Xiu, playing the role of a scum man, immediately shot him a sideways glance and said in an annoyed tone, “You really have some nerve, making me wait so long.”
But Jiang Yuan Yao seemed not to have heard him. His eyes reflected the brand-new sugar daddy, and he was completely stunned.
He came from a poor background and was used to reading people’s expressions. Putting on a front was a skill he had developed to adapt to society and protect himself.
He was very lucky. Apart from love and gentle care, Gu Xiu gave him almost everything he asked for. This had spoiled him and given him a considerable temper, making him arrogant, domineering, and increasingly greedy.
Although Gu Xiu always dressed horribly, his tolerance was quite good. Most importantly, it was hard to find a simple-minded, straightforward, rich second-generation idiot like him even with a lantern. If he missed Gu Xiu, there wouldn’t be a second one.
Sometimes he couldn’t help but think that it would be nice if Gu Xiu really liked him, but this desire wasn’t born out of love. To be precise, what he wanted was exclusive possession. He wanted Gu Xiu to only have eyes for him, and for all resources and benefits to be given only to him.
The chance encounter at the KTV had given him a strong sense of crisis, which was why he had taken the initiative to curry favor today, lowering himself.
And it was limited to currying favor.
But the Gu Xiu in front of him…
So handsome. That was his first reaction.
Second reaction, so fucking handsome.
The day before yesterday at the KTV, Gu Xiu had been forced to wash his face and remove his makeup by Lu Shichen. He had been so consumed with jealousy that he had only focused on his rival and hadn’t taken a closer look. Now, Gu Xiu was standing in front of him, the sunlight just right. That young face was clean and fresh, his features exquisite. His hair had also been dyed back to its natural black, smooth and soft.
It was just that the flamboyant pink suit was a bit out of place, but fortunately, that handsome and striking face could pull it off.
Even though he was used to seeing him, Jiang Yuan Yao was so nervous he swallowed. When the other person clicked his tongue impatiently, he was actually overjoyed and smiled.
At the same time, he was a little shy, his eyes darting around as he asked, “Why are you… today… is it because I always say you dress too flashy?”
Gu Xiu was completely out of the loop and let out a confused “Huh?”
“I knew it. You look better with black hair,” Jiang Yuan Yao was still excited and said to himself, “Now if we walk out together, people who don’t know would think we’re a college couple…”
Gu Xiu didn’t care at all and shooed him away with a cold face. “Is there anything else? If not, you can get lost.”
Jiang Yuan Yao immediately pouted aggrievedly, puffed out his cheeks, and said sullenly, “You don’t reply to my texts, you don’t answer my calls, and you don’t even come to see me when I’m injured and in the hospital…”
He knew Gu Xiu had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. It was just that he had been so disgusted by his vulgar makeup before that he had the intention to act spoiled but couldn’t bring himself to do it. But facing the current Gu Xiu, acting spoiled came naturally. “It’s almost twelve o’clock, I’m so hungry, Gu Xiu. Take me to eat French food. Okay?”
“No, I have to work now, nine to five, and I have to clock in. Ninth Uncle is watching me,” Gu Xiu said with a cold attitude. “I have to go back.”
“It’s okay, I can wait for you to get off work.” Jiang Yuan Yao was quite considerate, his eyes curving into a smile. “Then let’s have dinner together tomorrow at 6:30. It’s a date.”
