After Being Forced to Take the Role of the Scumbag Protagonist - Chapter 12

Xu Congrong’s slap came too fast. Even Wu Yunzhi, who was standing closest to Xu Ying, couldn’t react in time, leaving Xu Ying to take the blow full-force.

The crisp crack of the slap echoed through the soundproofed restroom. Everyone froze, watching as the dazed Xu Ying staggered and collapsed.

It was a dangerous fall. The sharp edge of the restroom step scraped across the Omega’s arm, drawing blood instantly.

“…”

Wu Yunzhi’s expression darkened immediately.

He lunged forward, shoving aside the hysterical Xu Congrong to shield Xu Ying behind him. “What the hell are you doing?!” he barked.

Xu Congrong had completely lost his mind. The shame and fury of having his dignity trampled by Xu Ying were eroding his last bits of reason. Seeing Wu Yunzhi protecting Xu Ying, he began to lash out blindly, striking at Wu Yunzhi instead.

However, Wu Yunzhi was taller and possessed the natural physical advantage of an Alpha. Without much effort, he pushed Xu Congrong away.

Xu Congrong staggered and fell to the floor, stunned. His meticulously styled hair was a mess, and his exquisite makeup was beginning to smudge. He sat there, staring blankly at Wu Yunzhi.

After a long pause, he raised a trembling finger, pointing at Wu Yunzhi in disbelief. “Wu Yunzhi, you actually dare…”

Wu Yunzhi ignored him, turning immediately to check on Xu Ying.

Having taken a slap and then hitting his head against the wall, Xu Ying was drifting in and out of consciousness. When Wu Yunzhi lifted him, his eyes were half-lidded, his dark pupils slightly dilated. It was unclear if he had been concussed.

Knowing he couldn’t delay any longer, Wu Yunzhi scooped Xu Ying up in a bridal carry and prepared to bolt.

The onlookers were paralyzed, caught in the crossfire of this messy, complicated triangle. Seeing Wu Yunzhi carry Xu Ying off while pushing his own fiancé to the floor was a sight so bizarre that shock and bewilderment rippled through the crowd.

In the confusion, no one moved to stop him until Xu Congrong screamed at his retreating back, his voice ragged with desperation.

“Wu Yunzhi!” he shrieked. “If you dare walk out that door today, I swear, without me, you will die a miserable death!”

The threat was brutal. To the guests, it sounded like the hollow venting of a jilted lover, but only the Xu family knew the weight behind those words. Wu Yunzhi’s father was a degenerate gambler who owed millions; if Wu Yunzhi broke ties with the Xu family, he would be utterly ruined.

Wu Yunzhi’s footsteps faltered. For a second, everyone thought he would turn back. But then, for reasons known only to him, he picked up his pace and vanished, leaving behind a crowd of gossiping guests and the impotent rage of the Xu family.

It was a total disaster.

Wu Yunzhi knew exactly what kind of chaos he was leaving in his wake, but he didn’t care. Xu Ying was in the throes of a heat cycle, and the suppressant had been shattered during Congrong’s outburst. In his urgency, he couldn’t find another dose.

An Omega’s heat is relentless. If not managed quickly, the high fever could literally fry their brain.

Wu Yunzhi carried Xu Ying to the nearest hotel. Before he could even finish checking in and locking the door, Xu Ying was all over him, tilting his head up and begging for a kiss.

Lost in the haze of his heat, the Omega had no idea what he was doing; he was simply following the primal instinct to seek protection and intimacy from his Alpha. Wu Yunzhi kicked the door shut and gripped Xu Ying’s waist, and the two of them tumbled onto the bed mid-kiss.

*****

By the time Xu Ying’s heat finally subsided, three days had passed.

During those three days, Wu Yunzhi had done almost nothing else. He hadn’t even had time to swap out for fresh supplies; simply handling the clingy, desperate Xu Ying had drained every ounce of his energy.

Calculated that Xu Ying would wake up soon, Wu Yunzhi climbed out of bed, got dressed, and walked to the window to light a cigarette.

Xu Ying disliked smoking, so Wu Yunzhi rarely did it, or didn’t do it at all. But right now, he was suffocating under the weight of his situation. Only the harsh sting of nicotine hitting his lungs allowed him to stay calm and think.

After such a public scandal, returning to the Xu family was impossible. But according to his “persona,” he was still drowning in debt. Without the Xu family to pay it off, he had to make money himself.

…Making money was the hard part.

Just as he was considering returning to his “old trade” from the real world, a soft moan came from the bed. Xu Ying slowly opened his eyes.

The heat was over.

Xu Ying sat up slowly, his hair a bird’s nest of tangles. He looked around the room with a dazed expression, frowning at the strange yet familiar environment. Like a startled small animal, he clutched the duvet to his chest, sitting there blankly until the sound of Wu Yunzhi tapping his cigarette caught his attention. He turned his gaze, watching Wu Yunzhi warily.

The room was lit only by a small lamp. In the shadows, Wu Yunzhi’s features were blurred, save for the orange glow at his fingertips illuminating the sharp lines of his jaw.

“Wu Yunzhi?” he whispered, his voice raspy and unrecognizable.

After a long silence, just as Xu Ying’s pheromones were about to turn restless again, Wu Yunzhi replied quietly, “Yeah.”

The tension in Xu Ying’s chest snapped. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, perhaps it was the sudden flood of memories, or the fear that Wu Yunzhi would blame him for the ruined engagement.

The more he thought about it, the more his head drooped. He looked like a guilty puppy, neurotically picking at his fingernails.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped.

“If apologies worked, we wouldn’t need the police,” Wu Yunzhi said. “You can’t go back to the Xu family.” He paused. “Neither can I.”

Xu Ying’s head sank lower. He wasn’t sad about losing the Xu family; he was a “shameful” illegitimate son anyway. Leaving was a mercy. But Wu Yunzhi…

“What about your debt?” Xu Ying’s first instinct, even now, was to worry about him. “Without the Xu family, you…”

“I’ll just return to my old trade,” Wu Yunzhi replied. He didn’t believe a grown man with two hands could starve to death. “There’s always a way.”

“Return to your old trade?”

Instead of relief, Xu Ying’s face twisted into a look of concern and bitterness. “Are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Before entering this world, Wu Yunzhi was a famous screenwriter. Every script he touched became a phenomenon. As long as his brain and hands worked, he wouldn’t starve.

What he didn’t say was that writing took time, and the debt collectors would be at his door in days. He needed cash, fast.

Xu Ying’s breathing grew heavy. He picked at his skin until it was nearly raw. Finally, he looked at Wu Yunzhi’s wrists and blurted out:

“I can work in a factory. The pay is high. I have twenty thousand saved up; that should handle things for a bit. If that’s not enough, I can borrow from Jiang Shuming. We’ll find a way.”

Wu Yunzhi: “…What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying… can you please not return to your old trade?” Xu Ying sniffled, looking defeated. “Being a ‘Duck’ (male escort) is a job for the young. You’re already twenty-six; you can’t keep doing that. It’s bad for your health.”

Wu Yunzhi: “………”

He couldn’t understand how he had gone from a screenwriter to a sex worker in this kid’s head. He was about to ask “What?”, but then he remembered: in this world’s setting, he was a ruthless social climber who started as an escort. And Xu Ying—

Apparently, Xu Ying had been his very first client.

While Wu Yunzhi was reeling from the realization, his phone buzzed. It was a message from the manager of the bar where he “worked.”

The manager had heard about the breakup with the Xus. Out of “friendship,” he was introducing a wealthy woman who had liked Wu Yunzhi for a long time. She was offering twenty thousand for a single night.

Wu Yunzhi stared at the text. Before he could reply, the manager sent one more piece of “heartfelt” advice:

“The flower language of a steel wool scrubbie is: ‘Wealth and Endurance.'”

(Note: A Chinese internet meme implying that some wealthy older women use painful objects during sex, requiring ‘endurance’ from the escort in exchange for ‘wealth’.)

Wu Yunzhi: “……….”

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