After Running Away from Our Arranged Marriage, the Scum Gong Actually Begged Me to Get Back Together - Chapter 1

Midnight had arrived, and the atmosphere in the bar was reaching its peak.

With flushed eyes and a glass in hand, a young man made his way through the dance floor, his steps slightly unsteady. His shirt had been carelessly tugged open, slipping down to expose his collarbones.

Catching sight of him, the hyped-up crowd of men and women swarmed over, shouting wild invitations to join them.

This was Shen Zhu, the unofficial mascot of Club JOY. Equipped with a face that could move gods to anger and men to tears, he had caused an absolute sensation the very first day he showed up. Countless admirers had flocked to the club, throwing around absurd amounts of cash just to make the beauty smile.

Over time, his reputation spread far and wide, earning him nicknames like “The Human Narcissus” and “The Pure Medusa.”

Yet, to this day, no one had managed to pluck this flower from its high ledge.

The reason was simple: the beauty was toxic. He was someone to be admired from afar, not played with.

Aside from those who pursued him sincerely, most of the people who tried to get close to Shen Zhu harbored dirty intentions. But not a single one succeeded.

Though only twenty, the boy was incredibly sharp. He could play experienced, forty-to-fifty-year-old players like a fiddle. He would happily accept their lavish gifts, yet always find an incredibly polite, airtight excuse to decline any further “requests.”

His excuses were always so reasonable and well-delivered that the marks he ran circles around never even held a grudge.

Kaka, the bartender, constantly teased him about making a fortune off of ill-gotten gains. Shen Zhu, however, remained unapologetic. He claimed he was merely robbing the rich to give to the poor—teaching those dirty-minded old perverts a lesson in justice while rescuing his own impoverished self.

With too many people trying to greet him in the crowd, Shen Zhu gave them brief nods, taking his sweet time to squeeze through to the booths by the bar.

Seeing his dazed eyes, Kaka—who was leaning against the cooler wiping glasses—lazily stood up, snatched the alcohol from Shen Zhu’s hand, and slid a bowl of hangover tea over instead.

“You actually have this stuff here?” Shen Zhu mumbled, propping his chin on his hand. He picked up the cat-shaped bowl—which looked hilariously out of place in a nightclub—and took small sips.

Kaka rolled his eyes. “You money-grubbing brat. Watch out, or you’ll end up making a fortune with no life left to spend it.”

“Well, you know how much I love money,” Shen Zhu chuckled. He let out a sigh as he mentally calculated his earnings for the night. “Today’s my last day. I won’t be coming back starting tomorrow.”

Kaka raised an eyebrow. “What, did you strike it rich?”

Shen Zhu wagged his index finger back and forth with a deeply mysterious smile. “Nope!”

“I’m getting married.”

Shatter!

A glass slipped from Kaka’s hand, instantly exploding into shards on the floor.

Ignoring the mess, Kaka hastily kicked the glass pieces aside and grabbed Shen Zhu’s hands across the bar. “Are you kidding me? Who is it? One of your pursuers? Keep your eyes open, don’t get scammed!”

The staff at the bar who knew about Shen Zhu’s past deeply pitied the kid. They watched over him constantly, terrified he would get hurt again.

“How could I get scammed? I’m the one who scams people.” Shen Zhu pulled out his phone, swiped a few times, and brought up a Baidu Baike wiki page. “Here. This is him.”

Kaka stared at the screen, his eyes widening before he slowly shook his head, clicking his tongue.

He knew it. The kid had definitely had one too many.

He was speaking in tongues now.

“You?” Kaka pointed at Shen Zhu, then shifted his finger to the phone screen. “Su Xingque?”

Shen Zhu nodded triumphantly, looking exactly like a cat that had caught a prize mouse.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Kaka muttered, genuinely considering forcing another bowl of hangover tea down the drunkard’s throat.

Su Xingque was a legend in S-City. In his early twenties, he had ruthlessly outmaneuvered his uncles and cousins, rising from Old Mr. Su’s least-favored grandson to become the sole heir of the family’s century-old empire.

The world described Su Xingque as cold, ruthless, and entirely detached—a corporate robbing machine who would do anything for profit.

Perhaps because he was so hyper-focused on business, the man lived like an ascetic monk. Aside from a boyfriend back in college, his love life had been a total blank slate since taking over the family business.

He didn’t have a partner, nor did he keep any playthings on the side.

Thinking of this, Kaka leaned his forearms on the bar, looking Shen Zhu in the eye with a wicked grin.

“Setting aside whether this marriage is actually happening, I’ve heard rumors that this brilliant young billionaire isn’t exactly functional in that department.”

“He’s twenty-seven and still living like a celibate monk.”

Shen Zhu let out a dismissive snort.

It was a business marriage anyway. What did it matter if he was functional or not?

Besides, his ultimate goal was to milk the Su family dry so he could live comfortably for the rest of his life without relying on his biological family. Being able to stare at Su Xingque’s gorgeous face for free was already a massive win. As for the physical stuff.

He’d leave that to fate. If it happened, great.

Though inwardly indifferent, Shen Zhu refused to back down. “So what if he isn’t functional? I am.”

“Are you serious?” Kaka knew that while Shen Zhu usually acted playful, he never made up such absurd lies. Seeing his deadpan determination, doubt started to creep in.

But Shen Zhu simply shut his mouth, resting his head on his left hand as a mocking smile slowly spread across his lips.

Two years earlier, when Shen Pengcheng had acknowledged him as his long-lost son and taken him back from a rundown construction site, he had asked the very same question.