E-Scum Gong Chapter 76
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 76
If Lin Xu weren't feeling weak, he would have carried Gu Jinzhi himself.
So, under Lin Xu's watchful gaze, Gu Qi could only try to carry his younger brother, though he couldn't shake off the bad feeling lingering in his chest.
Gu Jinzhi was sleeping very soundly, but when his body left the bedside, he opened his eyes as if by magic, startling Gu Qi so much that he quickly let go, allowing Gu Jinzhi to sit back down on the bed securely.
Anyway, everyone here had already seen what Gu Jinzhi was like last night.
It was only later that Lin Xu realized who was really to blame.
Gu Jinzhi looked at him, his eyes turning red again as he clung tightly to Lin Xu's arm. No matter how Lin Xu tried, he couldn’t shake him off. In the end, he had no choice but to give up.
“Zhizhi, go rest. I’m fine now,” Lin Xu said gently.
But Gu Jinzhi shook his head fiercely. “No.” After what had happened the previous night, there was no way Gu Jinzhi would allow Lin Xu out of his sight again.
With so many people watching, Lin Xu didn’t have the heart to keep persuading him. He was never one to go against Gu Jinzhi's wishes anyway.
So he turned to his parents and said, “Mom, Dad, I’m really fine now. You two should go back and rest. Zhizhi can stay here with me.”
Lin Xu thought that perhaps his parents had noticed the unusual dynamics between him and Gu Jinzhi. He hadn’t tried to hide it, but he didn’t want to delve into it at that moment. He planned to explain everything clearly once he was discharged.
Little did he know, Lin Shen had finally shown some cleverness, making their mother to dazedly accept the situation. As for their father, Lin Shen knew their mother would handle that side of things.
At this point, the couple definitely didn't want to argue with their son, nor did they feel comfortable opposing Gu Jinzhi.
“Huh?” Daddy Lin looked momentarily puzzled.
“Alright, then we’ll head back for now. You two get some rest,” Mommy Lin quickly responded, her tone softening as her concern for her son’s injury surfaced.
She then pulled Daddy Lin away, needing to discuss the matter thoroughly.
Not far from the ward’s door stood a few bodyguards, who had been called in by the couple recently out of fear.
“Shall we head out too?” Gu Qi asked, placing the breakfast he had bought earlier aside.
Gu Jinzhi finally looked up at him and nodded obediently.
Gu Qi felt an overwhelming sense of relief, thinking that his night of vigil had not been in vain. He realized, however, that Gu Jinzhi had yet to get checked out. Knowing his persuasion might not be effective, he said, “Jinzhi, remember to get checked out later. Otherwise, Xiao Xu will definitely worry.” Sure enough, Lin Xu glanced at Gu Jinzhi once more.
Gu Qi then left with Lin Shen.
Outside the ward, Lin Shen also sighed. He hadn't expected such an unexpected turn of events. But on the other hand, it was indeed a good opportunity to come clean. With this life-saving grace, their parents would likely be more accepting of their son's sexual orientation.
However, over time, Lin Shen’s prejudice against Gu Jinzhi had nearly dissipated. Despite Gu Jinzhi's bad reputation, Lin Shen found him to be a sincere person. He believed that his family would eventually come to like Gu Jinzhi, and that their families could celebrate festivals and New Year’s together in the future.
“Have you found out who was behind this?” Unlike Gu Jinzhi who was only worried about his boyfriend and would get overwhelmed and cry easily, the two older brothers were vengeful and wouldn't let their younger brothers suffer without retribution.
Although the attack had been aimed at Lin Xu, Gu Qi had long since accepted the reality of Lin Xu and Gu Jinzhi as a unit. Naturally, he would help out, especially since Gu Jinzhi had suffered a great deal.
“We captured one of the kidnappers at the scene, and he revealed the identities of the other two. We managed to apprehend them before they boarded their flight,” Lin Shen briefly outlined the progress of the case.
It turned out that these guys were just ordinary people — at best they'd done some physically demanding work in the past. Two were bodyguards, and one used to be a black market boxer.
It was also discovered that all of them were facing some level of financial hardship and were in urgent need of money. Unfortunately, there were no bank records of transactions, suggesting that the payments were made in cash, leaving no traceable evidence.
It was clear that these were hired hands. The mastermind behind it had deliberately chosen these three individuals to avoid leaving any evidence that could lead back to them.
“But I have a pretty good idea of who’s behind this,” Lin Shen said darkly.
Of course, this couldn't just be left unresolved. To avenge his younger brother, Lin Shen had his own methods.
Gu Qi, with his years of experience in the business world, was no stranger to such matters. He immediately offered, “If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know.” With the combined power of their families, he didn't believe they couldn't do anything about it.
Lin Shen patted his shoulder and gave a rare smile, thinking that having such an in-law was not so bad after all.
Inside the ward.
Once Lin Xu had sent everyone else away, he propped himself up and shifted to make room for Gu Jinzhi to lie down. He felt a pang of sympathy for Gu Jinzhi, who had not rested well the previous night. Then, he remembered Gu Qi’s advice. As Gu Jinzhi carefully climbed onto the bed, Lin Xu suddenly said, “After you rest for a while, you should go get checked out.”
Gu Jinzhi, not daring to leave his side, frowned and unhappily replied, “I’m fine.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” Lin Xu said immediately.
Gu Jinzhi’s already tear-streaked face crumpled further in distress. “I’ll go by myself,” he said. The doctor had instructed Ah Xu to rest, so it was certainly not the time for unnecessary movement.
For example, even though Gu Jinzhi wanted to cuddle up to him now, he was being very careful, afraid of touching Lin Xu's wound. So he just leaned on his shoulder and held Lin Xu's hand.
“Does it hurt?” Gu Jinzhi couldn't sleep at all. All he could think about was his boyfriend's wound. With his pitiful expression, people might think he was the one who was hurt.
Lin Xu patiently shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Zhizhi had asked countless times since last night, and Lin Xu patiently reassured him until he was finally convinced.
Slowly, Lin Xu reached for the wet wipes and gently cleaned Gu Jinzhi’s face, his expression both serious and tender.
However, seeing Lin Xu’s still-weak appearance, Gu Jinzhi’s eyes, which had just been wiped away, began to well up again.
In Gu Jinzhi’s memory, Lin Xu had always been a healthy, rosy-cheeked young man. How could he suffer such a thing? He felt really heartbroken.
“Don't cry, Zhizhi. Didn't you successfully save me? Because of you, I'm fine now.” Lin Xu anxiously wiped away the moisture at Gu Jinzhi’s eyes.
Hearing these words, Gu Jinzhi felt a little sense of accomplishment. He could still protect his boyfriend.
“So do you love me more now?” Gu Jinzhi asked with a peculiar expression.
Lin Xu paused for a moment before giving a helpless smile. “Yes!”
“I’ll make sure to protect you well in the future and won’t let you face any danger again, especially since you’re still young,” Gu Jinzhi promised, looking slightly pleased and exuding a reassuring presence.
Lin Xu scratched his head awkwardly, thinking that there was no need to be so dramatic. After all, he was a grown man, and he had indeed let his guard down this time. He promised himself that he wouldn't let something like this happen again. But he couldn't help but feel a bit shy at Gu Jinzhi's protective instinct towards him.
Yet, seeing that Zhizhi took this responsibility quite seriously and seemed happy to bear this burden, Lin Xu didn't say anything to discourage him.
However, Gu Jinzhi’s next words cleared up the confusion in Lin Xu’s mind.
“Ah Xu, I’ll make sure you never face something like this again. You mustn’t let it traumatized you,” Gu Jinzhi said, patting Lin Xu’s arm with the seriousness of an adult.
“It’s not that serious,” Lin Xu said, taken aback.
“I only just learned today that something similar happened to you when you were younger. Had I known earlier, I would have taken better care of you,” Gu Jinzhi said, feeling a pang of guilt.
Reflecting on their relationship, Gu Jinzhi realized that he had never fully embraced the role of the more mature partner. He had always been relying on Lin Xu to accommodate him. He vowed never to be like that again.
Lin Xu thought about this for a moment. He didn’t actually know much about the incident from his early childhood.
“Did my parents tell you? I don’t really remember it,” Lin Xu asked.
Gu Jinzhi nodded. “I heard them mention it last night. It seems they discovered it in time, so there wasn’t much danger. They said you didn’t even cry, probably because you didn't know what was happening at the time. But this time…” Gu Jinzhi’s voice trailed off, his mood darkening.
If Gu Qi had been there, he would have been surprised, as he had thought Gu Jinzhi was completely absorbed in his own world last night. He would be surprised to learn that Gu Jinzhi had been listening for any mention of Lin Xu, which was quite a skill in itself.
“Because you're by my side, everything turned out okay this time, didn't it? Don't feel bad anymore.” Lin Xu pulled Gu Jinzhi into a hug and gently patted his back. He had initially felt a bit reflective, but Gu Jinzhi quickly occupied his thoughts.
Strangely enough, it had turned into Lin Xu comforting Gu Jinzhi.
“Xiao Xu, how about we move in together once you’re discharged?” Gu Jinzhi suddenly suggested. He had been thinking about it all night, otherwise he wouldn't be able to shake off his worries.
Moreover, Gu Jinzhi didn’t believe anyone else could protect his boyfriend as well as he could. He only trusted himself.
Although Gu Jinzhi’s proposal might seem a bit extreme, living together wasn’t out of the question. Lin Xu had no reason to refuse. Besides, if he turned it down now, Gu Jinzhi’s reaction might be even more intense.
“Okay.”
Initially, Gu Jinzhi vowed with great confidence that he would take good care of Lin Xu.
However, he had a better appetite than Lin Xu and was hungrier, so in the end, Lin Xu coaxed him into eating about 70% of the breakfast himself.
Naturally, after eating a lot, one would want to use the restroom. Gu Jinzhi's original plan was to follow Ah Xu closely whenever he wanted to go to the bathroom. However, he ended up going to the bathroom even more frequently than Ah Xu, yet he didn't dare to leave Ah Xu's side. It would be ridiculous to ask Ah Xu to accompany him, so he kept a pale face and held it in.
Lin Xu, noticing this, decided to pretend he needed to go to the bathroom so that Gu Jinzhi could accompany him. Seeing Gu Jinzhi’s delighted reaction, Lin Xu couldn’t help but smile.
After they came out of the bathroom, it was clear that Gu Jinzhi looked much more relaxed, though there had been a few awkward moments in between. Lin Xu had little desire to engage, but Gu Jinzhi insisted on watching him finish, even fearing that Lin Xu might be too tired to handle it himself. Even though they had been through much together, Lin Xu still felt a bit embarrassed.
Zhizhi’s enthusiasm was almost overwhelming.
Eventually, after being well-fed and thoroughly exhausted, Gu Jinzhi muttered about staying with his boyfriend to rest. While Lin Xu was half-lying down reading a magazine, he soon heard a faint snoring. Turning his head, he found Gu Jinzhi sleeping soundly against him.
Lin Xu tried to adjust to give Gu Jinzhi more space, but every time he moved, Gu Jinzhi followed. To prevent Gu Jinzhi from falling, Lin Xu had no choice but to let him lean on him.
Zhizhi was really fulfilling his role as the older one today.
