The Scum Gong’s Redemption Manual (Quick Transmigration) 1

Chapter 1

Each autumn rain brings another wave of cold.

By the time Lin Zhiyan left the laboratory, it was already late, and the entire building was nearly empty.

The weather in City A was always fickle. Just two days ago, the sun had been shining brightly, but today a light rain had begun to drizzle. As it was the beginning of autumn, the air had also grown quite chilly.

Lin Zhiyan hadn’t checked the weather forecast when he left that morning. Now, he had no umbrella and no jacket. The laboratory was far from his dormitory, and his relationship with his roommates wasn’t close enough to ask one of them to bring him an umbrella.

He stood by the main entrance, watching the hazy mist of rain illuminated by the streetlights. Pursing his lips, he rubbed his arms. Just as he resigned himself to making a run for it, a clear and pleasant voice, mingled with the pitter-patter of rain, suddenly drifted over from a distance.

“Senior?”

Lin Zhiyan looked up in surprise to see a tall, slender man standing not far away. He held a black umbrella, his face obscured by the warm lamplight and the drizzling rain, making him hard to see clearly.

The soles of his shoes splashed ripples on the wet ground. In just two or three steps, the man was in front of him.

There were steps leading up to the laboratory’s main entrance. The man stood at the bottom, looking up at him, his handsome eyes and brows holding a smile. “I was just passing by and thought you looked like Senior, so I came over to check.”

He smiled and said, “Did you forget your umbrella, Senior? Would you like to walk with me?”

Lin Zhiyan’s eyelashes lowered slightly. “You know me?”

Lu Ze smiled. “Senior is outstanding. I’ve long heard of you at school.”

Lin Zhiyan pressed his lips together.

Although he rarely paid attention to the school forums, he couldn’t ignore the occasional gazes he received while walking on campus. Coupled with his roommates’ constant chatter, he was more or less aware of his reputation at school.

A fine rain was falling outside, and having an umbrella would indeed be for the best. Even for someone as typically aloof as Lin Zhiyan, the offer was tempting.

Lu Ze added, “It’s a ten-minute walk from the lab building to the dorms. Or is Senior planning to walk back like this?”

Lin Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, his eyelashes trembling, and asked softly, “I’m in the South District, Building Three. Is that convenient for you?”

Lu Ze smiled. “What a coincidence. I’m in the South District, Building Four, right next to Senior.”

Lin Zhiyan felt a sense of relief. He stepped down from the stairs and looked at him, speaking earnestly, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Lu Ze lowered his gaze. The young man had delicate features and fair skin. From a distance, he always seemed aloof and unapproachable, but looking up at him now with such a polite posture, he had an added touch of obedient charm.

He subtly shifted the umbrella towards him and said with a smile, “It’s on the way. Senior, there’s no need to be so polite.”

The two walked towards the dormitories together. Lin Zhiyan was reserved by nature and maintained a fist’s distance from Lu Ze.

But the night wind was cold and carried a damp mist, which felt unpleasant against his bare arms. Walking beside Lu Ze, one of his arms inevitably drew closer as they moved, and he could feel the scorching warmth radiating from the young man’s body.

His eyes blinked involuntarily.

Lu Ze merely glanced at him from the corner of his eye but said nothing.

System 777’s voice sounded in his mind: 【Host, why don’t you give him your jacket?】

The Host had deliberately worn a jacket when he went out. 777 had assumed it was for the mission target.

Lu Ze chuckled internally: 【Overdoing it would be as bad as not doing enough.】

Lin Zhiyan had an aloof personality. For this first meeting, his willingness to share an umbrella was already a rare concession. How could he possibly wear a stranger’s clothes?

The system thought for a moment and praised him without reservation: 【Host, you’re so smart.】

Lu Ze paused. 【Your personality is quite different from my previous system.】

His previous system had been taciturn and efficient, rarely making its presence known except to issue missions. After experiencing hundreds of worlds, Lu Ze had gotten used to it. Getting a new system this time was a bit of a novelty.

777 seemed a little apprehensive: 【Does the Host not like it?】

Lu Ze’s hand holding the umbrella twitched. 【No, it’s fine.】

It seems like a new system.

As expected, 777 let out a sigh of relief, its voice cheerful: 【This is my first time leading a mission. I’ll be in your care from now on, Host.】

Just as I thought, Lu Ze mused, but he replied with a smile: 【Let’s look out for each other.】

The laboratory building was not close to the dormitories; it was usually a walk of ten minutes or so. By now, the sky was completely dark, and since the two were sharing an umbrella, their movements were somewhat restricted. It took them nearly twenty minutes to reach the South District apartments.

Lin Zhiyan had a reserved personality and rarely initiated conversations. Although he was grateful, he didn’t know how to express it. He just stared at the path ahead, his lips slightly pursed.

The journey was silent.

Their route passed Building Four first before reaching Building Three. Lin Zhiyan felt it would be an imposition to make the other person walk back and forth, and was about to suggest stopping there, but the person beside him seemed to read his mind. He lowered his head and smiled. “We’ve come all this way. It’s just a few more steps. Does Senior want to get soaked in the rain again?”

Lin Zhiyan was momentarily speechless. Lu Ze’s hand, holding the umbrella, gave his shoulder a gentle push. “Let’s go,” he said softly.

Lin Zhiyan usually disliked being touched, but he felt no aversion to the gesture this time. He only said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

A smile touched the corners of Lu Ze’s lips as he smoothly escorted the person to the entrance of his dormitory building.

Lin Zhiyan stepped onto the dormitory stairs and turned to look back at him, only to be startled. “You—”

The lighting on the way back had been dim, so Lin Zhiyan hadn’t noticed. But under the bright lights of the dormitory, he finally saw that the half of the man’s body outside the umbrella was mostly soaked.

He, on the other hand, while his clothes were inevitably a little damp, was still relatively fresh and clean.

He stammered, “How did you…” Only think about covering me?

Lu Ze smiled. “I’m wearing thick clothes, so it doesn’t matter. But Senior is in a thin short-sleeved shirt. You should be careful not to catch a cold.”

Lin Zhiyan looked down at him, his thoughts in a jumble. His lips moved again and again, but in the end, he only managed to mumble, “Thank you.”

Lu Ze took a step back. “It’s cold outside. Senior should go back in.”

Lin Zhiyan nodded. After a long silence, he finally squeezed out a sentence: “…Be careful on your way.”

Building Three was only a few steps from Building Four. As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Zhiyan felt how insincere they sounded, and the tips of his ears couldn’t help but flush red.

Lu Ze watched from a distance, a fleeting smile in his eyes.

This person is so clumsy when it comes to social interaction that it’s almost cute.

Lu Ze simply smiled without speaking. Lin Zhiyan was too embarrassed to say anything more, so he mumbled a farewell and turned to walk into the dormitory.

His retreating figure looked rather like he was fleeing.

The dormitory staircase was directly opposite the main entrance. After going up one flight, Lin Zhiyan paused as he turned, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the door.

The man was still standing outside, his handsome face haloed by a hazy glow. He was just standing there, watching him quietly.

Lin Zhiyan’s hand resting on the handrail moved slightly.

…

There were four people in the dorm room. Two of them were local students, so the only long-term residents were Lin Zhiyan and another roommate.

The sound of the door opening caught the roommate’s attention. He turned his head and greeted, “You’re back… Yo, it’s so cold and rainy outside, why are you wearing so little?”

Lin Zhiyan returned to his seat. “I forgot to check the weather forecast when I left.”

The roommate tutted twice. “Then you should hurry and take a shower. Don’t catch a cold.”

Lin Zhiyan hummed in agreement. After grabbing his clothes, he was about to head to the bathroom when a thought struck him, and he stopped in his tracks.

Just now… I think I forgot to ask that person’s name.

He called me Senior… is he a freshman?

…

South District, Building 17, Room 406. The moment Lu Ze entered, the dorm was buzzing with noise. His three roommates were huddled together playing a game, their voices rising and falling:

“Go, go, go! Third Bro, come save me!”

“I can’t even get myself out of this mess, can’t you save yourself?!”

“Stop shouting, dead again, dead again!”

Even the sound of the door opening didn’t make them lift their heads in the slightest. Only Yang Cheng casually asked, “Who is it?”

Lu Ze didn’t answer, merely sweeping his gaze over the room. It wasn’t filthy, but it couldn’t be called tidy either—the typical state of a men’s university dorm. It was passable.

He bent down to change his shoes. Over there, his roommates’ game had ended. Yang Cheng casually looked up and was instantly shocked. “Well, damn, Young Master, what brings you back!”

The other two roommates also cried out in surprise and quickly gathered around. “What wind blew the Young Master back here today?”

Lu Ze couldn’t help but chuckle.

The original host was a rich heir. After the semester started, he found fault with everything in the dorm and simply bought an apartment near the school. He rarely came back, so it was no wonder they were making such a fuss.

He said, “I had something to do at school. It’s too late to go back, so I’ll just sleep here for the night.”

Although he didn’t live here, all his daily necessities had been prepared for him.

Though the group didn’t see each other often, friendships between guys formed quickly. After some more fooling around, Lu Ze finally had time to wash up.

When he came out, notifications from a group chat were popping up nonstop. Wiping his wet hair, Lu Ze glanced down and saw it was from the original host’s pack of cronies.

【Young Master Lu, how’s the pursuit going?】

【It’s been a few days. Have you got him yet?】

【What kind of question is that? Who do you think our Young Master Lu is? When he makes a move, the guy’s as good as caught!】

【Young Master, once you get him, tell us what he’s like. I’ve never had one of that type before!】

【The campus beau of A University, that face, that body… I heard he’s still a virgin. He’d be a real masterpiece once he’s trained!】

【Could anyone Young Master Lu sets his sights on be anything less than a masterpiece?】

The conversation in the group grew increasingly vulgar. Lu Ze read it and replied with a single word: 【Scram.】

【He’s mine. Stop your disgusting fantasies.】

The group fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, someone wrote: 【Right, right, Young Master Lu’s person. How would we dare to covet him?】

【Just kidding, just kidding.】

The group quickly changed the subject. Lu Ze glanced at it, his eyes darkening slightly, and continued to dry his hair.

The vast majority of Lin Zhiyan’s tragedy stemmed from the original host and this group of people.

Lin Zhiyan had an aloof personality and no interest in romance, pouring all his energy into his studies and research. He had rejected his fair share of men and women, but unfortunately, he ran into the original host in his sophomore year.

Lin Zhiyan was quiet and reserved, while the original host was wild and flamboyant, pursuing him so fervently that the entire school knew about it. Lin Zhiyan was initially resistant, but under the original host’s relentless chase, he was slowly moved by what he perceived as sincere and unabashed affection, and his heart gradually began to waver.

The original host naturally struck while the iron was hot, putting on a perfect act of deep affection, and finally staged a melodrama to win the beauty’s heart.

Once Lin Zhiyan fell, he fell hard, giving his entire body and soul without holding anything back.

It would have been perfect if their feelings had been mutual, but the relationship between the original host and Lin Zhiyan had started as nothing more than a bet with his friends.

A bet that he could win over the famously aloof beauty within three months.

The original host was a profligate playboy. The chase was thrilling, but once he actually got the person, the novelty lasted only so long before he lost interest. When the matter of the bet was exposed, Lin Zhiyan naturally couldn’t accept it. His personality prevented him from making a huge scene, but he still insisted on seeking an explanation from the original host. And so, in front of a large crowd, the original host, with a careless tone, used three simple words—”illegitimate son”—to demean Lin Zhiyan into the dust.

Homosexual, illegitimate son, clinging pathetically after a breakup—all sorts of rumors intertwined, and the once aloof campus idol became the subject of sordid gossip. Especially after the original host’s parents arranged a fiancée for him, the rumors evolved into Lin Zhiyan being a willing homewrecker, shameless, just like his mother…

Devastated by this blow, Lin Zhiyan’s mind became dazed and confused. Finally, on a cold, rainy night, his life was ended by a car.

And the point in time when Lu Ze transmigrated was right after he had made that bet with his cronies.