After Transmigrating as the Northeast CEO's Pampered Little Husband - Chapter 36

“Hello, Mr Zhou. Is there any truth to the allegations online regarding your malicious use of paid trolls to stifle competition? Please give us a direct response!”

“Hello, Mr Zhou. Do you have anything to say about the malicious rumours you spread concerning your fellow streamer, Gu Yangyang?”

“Hello, Mr Zhou! Regarding…”

Zhou Cheng hadn’t expected that merely stepping out to buy groceries would result in him being blocked at his own door by tabloid reporters.

“Piss off! You’re invading my privacy! Get lost! All of you! I have no obligation to answer you!”

Zhou Cheng hurled the vegetables in his hands at the entertainment reporters. The weight of fresh produce was significant grocery portions in the North were large to begin with and the ferocity of his assault momentarily scared them off. However, the moment Zhou Cheng had thrown everything he bought, they swarmed back like flies sensing rotten eggs, lingering persistently.

“Go away! Get lost!”

Zhou Cheng covered his face with his clothes, but his unkempt, pockmarked complexion void of its usual foundation coverage was captured directly by the lenses. This face, so different from his appearance in videos, provided the reporters with exactly the kind of explosive material they needed, even if he kept his mouth shut. They had done their homework.

By the time Zhou Cheng managed to shake off the inexplicable mob of reporters and return home, his anger and guilt had reached their peak. Following that came an uncontrollably racing heart and the sensation that his home was enveloped in an eerie gloom.

Zhou Cheng didn’t know what was happening lately. His home had become exceptionally cold and damp. Despite being a property in a prime location, water stains had recently begun to appear on the ceiling one after another. He had gone upstairs to ask the neighbours, but they insisted they had no leaks and had even good-naturedly allowed him inside to check.

There were indeed no leaks. Yet, the increasing chill in his own home and the mould appearing in the corners were proof that his environment had changed.

However, when he asked the property management to fix the roof, they insisted they couldn’t see any water stains, claiming it was all a hallucination.

It was truly bizarre. Zhou Cheng thought the stress from the internet scandal caused an endocrine imbalance, making him see things, so he went to a doctor for medication. The doctor, however, simply suggested he see a psychiatrist.

He wasn’t mentally ill!!!

Zhou Cheng sat on the floor, gasping for air as his vision darkened. The gradual, seeping dampness beneath his buttocks made him undeniably aware that his mental state was deteriorating. It was clearly a dry floor, yet no matter where he sat, he felt a wet chill beneath him.

The sensation was incredibly strange. If Zhou Cheng allowed his mind to wander, the only adjective he could find to describe it brought him back to the memory of a cold operating table.

“Damn it… they all deserve to die…”

Unable to bear the situation any longer, Zhou Cheng pulled out his phone and dialled the Master. Since fainting for no reason last time, he had become increasingly strange. He didn’t dare think too deeply about it; he could only beg the Master who had helped him harm people in the past.

“Master… please save me! Is it her? Has she come to find me?! Did your spell fail!!! Master!!!”

Zhou Cheng clutched his hair, huddled in the corner as he made the call, the sinister look in his eyes refusing to dissipate.

“Hmm? Little Zhou? What is it? The spell failed? Impossible. Are you doubting me?” The Master on the other end seemed occupied; his voice was lazy, punctuated by a few subtle pants.

“Master!!! Something has really happened! She’s come for me!!! Aren’t you powerful? Hurry up and get rid of her for me!! How much do you want? I’ll give it to you! I have plenty of money, just help me!!”

“Oh, alright, I got it. You young people just can’t keep your cool. How about this: I’ll come over tomorrow and reinforce the spell. Hmm? Alright, I’m hanging up, I’m busy here.” The Master replied with a hint of annoyance and hung up without another word.

“She’s back, she’s back…” Zhou Cheng curled up in the corner, clutching his phone. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about staying in a hotel, but every time he went to sleep in a hotel, he would wake up the next day back in his own home. This left him no room to deceive himself.

Why had it come to this…

“If what you say is true, then Zhou Cheng will definitely seek out that Master again. The diversion spell on Zhu Zhengwen has been broken, and with my talisman protecting his life, the vengeful spirit no matter how unwilling will have to return to the original debtor. A returning spirit becomes even more vicious. If he wants to live, he’ll inevitably force that old scoundrel to cast the spell again.”

“But if he succeeds in casting it again, it will be ferocious. Zhu Zhengwen might not survive to see the next day.”

Gu Jiaoyang was walking Nuomi in the garden, pondering the matter of the vengeful spirit.

Mr Dai hadn’t said much about the arrival of the new family member, Nuomi. He seemed quite pleased that Gu Jiaoyang had a new little companion. However, due to a heavy workload recently, Mr Dai had been incredibly busy these past two days. Aside from working overtime at the company, the two of them who had only recently defined their relationship had abruptly entered an awkward phase where they barely had time to exchange a few words.

Mr Dai felt guilty, so he left two bank cards for Gu Jiaoyang. Although Gu Jiaoyang felt it was a pity, he was a practical person. The money was his now, and if the man was busy, let him be busy. Gu Jiaoyang knew nothing about finance, so why go over and cause trouble?

However, money given by a boyfriend felt different from money earned by oneself. So, after casually livestreaming for a few days, Gu Jiaoyang decided to take the initiative to go out and earn some cash.

Right now, he needed to find Zhu Zhengwen and ensure his wealthy scapegoat was still alive.

…

The traffic in front of Changjing was heavy, so the air quality wasn’t great. Even with the extensive rooftop greenery, the environment while improved for ordinary people was somewhat uncomfortable for Gu Jiaoyang, who spent all his time in the pristine environment behind Changjing.

It wasn’t unbearable, just like an ordinary person moving from a scenic reserve to a bustling market; not life-threatening, just a matter of maladjustment.

Because Nuomi knew a lot of the inside details, Gu Jiaoyang brought him along. Carrying a pet cage was too much hassle, so Gu Jiaoyang simply put Nuomi in the front pocket of his hoodie.

Perhaps because he was young, his face was exceptionally good-looking and deceptive. Even with a large bulge in the front of his hoodie, no one found it strange; everyone was too busy staring at Gu Jiaoyang’s explosively cute, boyish face.

“Hello? I’ve arrived. Where are you?” Since this might take a long time, the driver parked in the designated bay at Central Plaza to wait. The Central Mall was nearby, so the driver could wander around freely until the agreed time.

“Over here! Master! I’m over here!”

Just as Gu Jiaoyang got out of the car and made the call, a voice echoed the response from behind him.

Zhu Zhengwen’s complexion looked much better, though he was still just as fat.

Gu Jiaoyang turned back to wave goodbye to the driver and walked with Zhu Zhengwen towards his home.

“Master, oh my, you really weren’t kidding. Ever since you called me, I really started feeling like something was off recently. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I just had this ominous premonition. Master, you’re truly divine!”

“Here, Master, have an ice cream. It’s the latest flavour from Annie Genmo. It’s bomb. A tribute to your esteemed self!”

Since being saved by the Master last time, Zhu Zhengwen had abandoned his past and become a loyal fan. Even though he had made mistakes before, Zhu Zhengwen believed that as long as his flattery was loud enough and his actions were on point, the Master wouldn’t hold those small matters against him.

“That’s just psychological, you idiot.”

Gu Jiaoyang took the ice cream from Zhu Zhengwen. He had to admit, the man lived up to his reputation as a big-time food streamer; his taste in ice cream was excellent.

Central Plaza was packed with people. Even though it wasn’t a holiday, tourists from all over the country flocked to the luxury malls and the allure of the Central business district. It was noisy and full of life.

“This way, Master.”

Zhu Zhengwen had his own car, a 400,000 yuan compact ‘Jun’ model. It was round and chubby, much like himself. It was originally a favourite among female office workers, but his long-time fans had chosen it for him. having driven it for so many years, he had grown attached to it and never swapped it.

“Master, please take a look, is there a problem?”

Once inside the car, they were in a private space. The window tint provided excellent privacy. Zhu Zhengwen adjusted his seat to a comfortable angle, turned around, and placed his chubby hand on the seat like a pregnant woman anxious for an old Chinese medicine doctor to check her pulse.

“What problem could there be? Do you think it’s that easy for a vengeful spirit to return once it’s gone? Is the gold ingot still there?” Gu Jiaoyang licked his ice cream and leaned back, speaking casually.

“It is, it is! Here, Master!” Hearing this, Zhu Zhengwen fished out the gold ingot, which he had wrapped in several layers of waterproof bags, from his pocket.

“Who asked you to take it out? I was just asking. If you ever went to work for a big corporation, the boss would definitely love you.”

“As long as the gold ingot is there. If he recasts the spell, this gold ingot will shatter. It’s been a few days, so it should be today. Stay with me and keep a close eye on the ingot in your hand. If it cracks, call me immediately. I’ll destroy that old thing on the other side for you.” Gu Jiaoyang said as he crunched on the cone beneath the ice cream. The crunching sound, paired with Gu Jiaoyang’s smiling face as he talked about killing someone, made Zhu Zhengwen shut his mouth hurriedly. He put the gold ingot back and carefully shifted his large backside.

A bit scary.

Zhu Zhengwen was smart enough not to make a sound. Having seen the Master’s methods, he genuinely dared not offend him.

“Listening to your meaning, Master… do you know who wants my life? Uh, speaking of this, there’s actually a bit of a connection. The person who wants me dead is most likely Zhou Cheng, the one who’s been smearing you, Master.” Zhu Zhengwen wiped away non-existent sweat and nervously fiddled with the buttons on his chest.

“Zhou Cheng?”

“Yes, that’s him. Master, listen to me, blah blah blah…” realising the Master was interested, Zhu Zhengwen immediately switched on his chatterbox mode. utilising his skills as a streamer, he vividly described the grievances and history, adding colour and flavour to the tale.

“…Is he mental?” After hearing the cause and effect, Gu Jiaoyang stroked Nuomi through his pocket, feeling as if a herd of alpacas were stampeding through his heart.

What the hell???

Just because I looked at you one extra time in the crowd???

And he hated him for that? Enough to ruin his reputation?

Gu Jiaoyang was stunned by Zhou Cheng’s bizarre logic. It wasn’t that he hadn’t met pretentious people before, but he honestly hadn’t met someone so pretentious and malicious.

Fine. He didn’t understand the world of adult men. Who asked him to be a delicate little boy living in a wealthy household?

Gu Jiaoyang couldn’t resist patting Zhu Zhengwen’s fleshy shoulder. This Zhu Zhengwen was honest; he not only spilled the beans on Zhou Cheng’s entanglement with Gu Yangyang but also confessed about himself, Zhou Cheng, the vengeful spirit, and how he had aided the villain. He was quite truthful, neither embellishing the story nor deliberately excusing himself.

A sensible person.

“So, we both have a grudge against them.” Gu Jiaoyang rubbed his chin. Regarding the livestreaming incident, he didn’t feel too deeply about it yet. After all, he hadn’t fully developed a sense of belonging to this world, so he had maintained a wait-and-see attitude towards the online rumours. But now that he had taken in Nuomi as a spiritual pet, bullying Nuomi was equivalent to bullying him, the owner. Whether the bullying happened in the past or present, he had to settle the score.

“Alright. Looking at it this way, just letting them die is too easy on them.” Gu Jiaoyang smiled with his boyish face sunny and cute but the words that came out were not nearly as lovely.

“Yes, yes, yes…” Zhu Zhengwen continued to act like a timid quail, daring not to pick up on that comment.

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