After Being Forced to Take the Role of the Scumbag Protagonist - Chapter 2

It had been two full years since Wu Yunzhi arrived in this world.

Strictly speaking, it hadn’t been a continuous two years. In the beginning, he was frequently kicked out of the “small world” because he failed to play the “scumbag” convincingly enough.

Every time he was ejected, Wu Yunzhi would open his eyes in the real world to see the peaceful, unconscious face of his wife, Xu Ying, sleeping beside him.

In reality, Xu Ying was in a vegetative state.

Their relationship wasn’t the tragic, unrequited mess it was here. In the real world, they had been a devoted couple for three years, the kind who were just one day away from officially registering their marriage.

But the day before they were to sign the papers, Xu Ying was involved in a car accident that left him in a coma.

To bring him back, Wu Yunzhi followed the advice of Xu Ying’s primary physician: he had to enter the subconscious “landscape” of Xu Ying’s mind. By interacting with him within these mental constructs, he could stimulate Xu Ying’s nerves and, hopefully, wake him up.

The difficulty lay in the constraints. Wu Yunzhi had to interact with Xu Ying while strictly adhering to the “persona” Xu Ying’s subconscious had assigned to him. Any deviation would cause a violent shock to Xu Ying’s fragile mental state, potentially destroying his subconscious world forever and ensuring he never woke up.

To keep Wu Yunzhi from overcorrecting, the doctor had implanted a virtual “System.” It acted as a stabilizer, forcing Wu Yunzhi back onto the pre-set path whenever his true feelings leaked through. If the System failed to restrain him, he would be forcibly ejected.

After a few such failures, the doctor warned him: if he were ejected again, the probability of Xu Ying’s mental space collapsing would skyrocket. The chance of him waking up would become near zero.

So, this time, failure was not an option. Wu Yunzhi had to commit to being the “scumbag” of Xu Ying’s subconscious. If he didn’t, not only would Xu Ying stay asleep, but Wu Yunzhi himself might be trapped in this dreamscape forever.

*****

Lost in thought, Wu Yunzhi lay back on his bed and scrolled through the engagement plans Xu Congrong had sent.

He had no desire to get engaged to Xu Congrong. Their relationship had been established in a rush. They hadn’t even “dated” before jumping straight to an engagement. No one knew why Xu Congrong was in such a hurry, not even Wu Yunzhi. But to maintain the scumbag persona, he had followed the script: climbing the social ladder by seducing the elder brother while still dating the younger one, then dumping Xu Ying via text the moment the new deal was sealed.

Xu Ying had thought it was a joke. He had insisted on hearing it in person, which led to the confrontation that morning.

Remembering the bloodshot eyes Xu Ying had turned on him, Wu Yunzhi closed his eyes.

The Xu Ying he knew was soft, gentle, and even a bit cute. He was obedient and had never shown such twisted, obsessive despair. Wu Yunzhi didn’t understand why, in Xu Ying’s subconscious, the man was so different, and he certainly didn’t understand why Xu Ying viewed him as a scumbag.

Did I ever do anything to hurt him in the real world?

I don’t think so.

His train of thought was broken by his phone ringing. Thinking it was Xu Ying, he reached for it, ready to hang up, but the name on the screen was Xu Congrong.

Wu Yunzhi’s finger hovered over the screen. He hesitated, but the ringing was as overbearing as the man himself; if Wu Yunzhi didn’t answer, he knew it would never stop. He picked up.

“…Hello.”

“Come to my house for dinner tonight,” Xu Congrong’s voice barked through the line, filtered by the digital signal but still heavy with command. “My grandfather wants to see you.”

Wu Yunzhi frowned, his finger already drifting toward the red ‘end call’ button. “Fine. What time?”

“Six-thirty. I’ll send a driver. Stay home and don’t wander off. That’s all. Bye.”

The moment the word “bye” left Congrong’s mouth, Wu Yunzhi hit the button. To prevent any further pestering, he set an alarm, silenced his phone, and went to take a nap. In this world, he didn’t have a real job; as a “kept man” for a wealthy socialite, he had the luxury of doing absolutely nothing. Thus, he missed the final, desperate calls from Xu Ying.

*****

By the time he woke up at six, he was nearly out of time.

Still, he didn’t rush. He took a slow shower, changed into expensive but comfortable loungewear, and headed down to the parking lot. Xu Congrong’s cars were usually like the man himself—loud, bright, and attention-seeking.

However, waiting for him today was a somber black Maybach. Wu Yunzhi didn’t think twice; seeing the prestigious “Beijing A” license plate, he opened the back door, only to find Xu Ying sitting in the back seat.

“…”

Xu Ying must have known they were picking up Wu Yunzhi, as he didn’t look surprised. Wu Yunzhi, however, was startled. He instinctively took a step back and slammed the door shut.

He walked around and sat in the front passenger seat instead.

Seeing Wu Yunzhi treat him like a plague to be avoided at all costs, Xu Ying lowered his head. As the car pulled out, the streetlights swept past the pillars, casting a reflection on the window. Xu Ying looked dark and gloomy. Though his back was straight, he was trembling. He bit his lip so hard that the faint taste of blood filled his mouth, making him feel nauseous.

The driver was a long-time employee of the Xu family and quite talkative. Sensing the thick, awkward tension, he struck up a conversation with Wu Yunzhi to break the silence.

During the drive, Xu Ying looked as if he wanted to join in, but his lack of social grace held him back. He opened his mouth several times only to close it again, eventually giving up. He simply stared at the side of Wu Yunzhi’s face before looking down and picking at his cuticles.

An hour later, they arrived at the Xu estate. The grounds were so vast it took another five minutes just to reach the garage. Wu Yunzhi hopped out immediately. Xu Ying followed slowly—so slow that the driver nearly locked him in by accident.

The garage lights hummed. Xu Ying was clearly distracted; he nearly tripped over a bollard and was only saved from a face-plant by Wu Yunzhi’s quick reflexes.

The warmth of Wu Yunzhi’s hand on his arm sent a jolt through Xu Ying. He stood up awkwardly, but before he could even say thank you, Wu Yunzhi had already pulled his hand away and walked ahead.

“…”

Xu Ying stood there, staring at Wu Yunzhi’s retreating back. After a few seconds, he turned and gave the bollard a spiteful little kick before scurrying after him.

*****

The inner circle of the Xu family was relatively simple. The patriarch, Xu Jianghe, had one son, a Beta named Xu Tingshan. Tingshan, in turn, had three children: an Omega, Xu Congrong, and a Beta, Xu Congxing.

Because the family lacked an Alpha heir, Xu Tingshan had eventually succumbed to the pressure and had an affair. The result was another Omega: Xu Ying.

The mistress had been practical. She raised Xu Ying for six or seven years until the affair was exposed. After taking a few slaps from the legal wife, she sold the house and car Tingshan had bought her, took the ten million yuan “severance” offered by the family, and moved abroad without a word, never to return. She had never loved Tingshan; she wanted his money, and he wanted her beauty. It was a simple transaction.

The legal wife was formidable. She forbade Tingshan from bringing the “bastard” home. Knowing he was in the wrong, and having been beaten soundly by his wife’s brothers, Tingshan stayed quiet for years.

Xu Ying grew up “wild” until he was nearly an adult, which was when Tingshan finally brought him to meet his grandfather. But the patriarch, Xu Jianghe, had clawed his way to the top of the family through a sea of illegitimate siblings. He valued “clean” bloodlines and had no affection for his son’s illegitimate child, especially since Xu Ying was “just” an Omega.

In this house, nobody liked Xu Ying. To his father, he was just a reminder of a past mistake.

Consequently, compared to the cold shoulder Xu Ying received, Wu Yunzhi was treated like a guest of honor.

“Yunzhi, I heard you were a student at Fuyun High. Why didn’t you continue your studies?”

Xu Tingshan was a shallow man who valued appearances—it was why he’d cheated in the first place. He naturally admired the “Alpha” presence and handsome features of the young man before him. “How did you and my son meet?”

Wu Yunzhi put down his chopsticks and swallowed before answering politely. “…Some things happened, and I missed my graduate school entrance exams. I started working instead. I met Congrong through work…”

Before he could finish, Xu Congrong set his own chopsticks down with a sharp clack. He took a sip of water, his eyes fixed on Wu Yunzhi with a clear warning.

Under the pressure of Congrong’s gaze, Wu Yunzhi corrected himself. “I met… Congrong.”

The intimacy of the name made both men feel a simultaneous wave of internal disgust.

However, their subtle grimaces went unnoticed. Xu Tingshan was so enamored with his future son-in-law’s face that he turned toward Xu Ying, who had been silently stabbing at his food without eating a bite, and spoke up.

“In the future, this man will be your brother’s husband. That makes him your brother as well.”

Tingshan tapped the table, stopping Xu Ying’s neurotic fidgeting. “Come on. Quickly. Greet your brother.”

Xu Ying went still. After a moment, he looked up at Wu Yunzhi.

Wu Yunzhi stared back, expressionless.

“Well? Go on,” Tingshan urged. His status in the house wasn’t much higher than Xu Ying’s; ordering his illegitimate son around was one of the few ways he could assert his “manly” authority. When Xu Ying remained silent, Tingshan’s voice grew harsh. “Call him! Are you getting arrogant now? Disobeying your father?!”

Xu Ying gripped his chopsticks so hard his knuckles turned white. If one looked closely, his hands were shaking. He slowly lowered his head, hiding the storm in his eyes. Under the collective weight of their stares, he managed to force out two words, his voice barely a whisper:

“…Hello, Brother.”

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