After Transmigrating as the Northeast CEO's Pampered Little Husband - Chapter 4

While Gu Jiaoyang was luxuriating in the grand villa, sipping fish soup served by a handsome man, two yobs were huddled together in the back alley behind a bar, nattering away.

“Hiss, tell me, Scabby, reckon that student we grabbed last night fits the boss’s requirements?” The leader of the pair held a cigarette a legitimate Chunghwa between his bony knuckles. It was a rare treat bought with fresh funds, and he inhaled every wisp of smoke deep into his lungs, holding it there for an age before reluctantly letting it drift from his nostrils.

The other man was smoking too. In the dimly lit alley, the rising smoke caught the single ray of sunlight piercing the gloom, drifting aimlessly much like the philosophy of these lowlifes: float wherever the wind takes you.

“Yeah, I clocked the V.C. on his wrist. That watch costs over thirty grand; how many ordinary adults can afford that? He’s got the background, and the age is right. That surname Dai will be sick as a parrot, guaranteed!” The man, whose thick lips spat out a dialect that definitely wasn’t local to Changjing, tapped the ash from his cigarette with a rough thumb.

“So, we just wait for the boss to wire the money, then maybe head to the next province to scout around?” The skinny man was clearly anxious about securing the second half of their payment. Despite upgrading his outfit, he couldn’t hide the inherent sleaze in his mannerisms.

“Pah! Beanpole, why is your brain always stuck on one-off jobs? Are you thick? Think about it before we sent him over, we took a photo and sent it to the boss. If that student cares even a little bit about his reputation, once we confront him… Money! Hush money, get it?” The older man, Scabby, was clearly the schemer. His triangular eyes glinted with greed; he wasn’t just thinking about good cigarettes, he was dreaming of a bank balance in the millions.

“Just with that photo? He’d give us money for nothing?” The man called Beanpole clearly hadn’t caught on, pinching his cigarette hard as he looked at Scabby’s confident expression.

Scabby glanced at Beanpole, unbothered by the doubt. “I call you stupid because you don’t use your brain. Sure, we only took a photo of his face, but we tell him we took photos of him starkers! It was pitch black, and we knocked him out cold with a stick how would he know what we did? Think about it: he’s been slept with by Dai. Either Dai beat him up and kicked him out, or Dai thinks he’s alright and kept him.”

“Scenario one: we threaten to post the photos on his school forum if he doesn’t pay. Scenario two: we threaten to send the photos to Dai’s phone if he doesn’t pay.”

Hiss… that makes sense, eh? Big Brother really is clever. If I’d known, we really should have stripped him and taken a few real snaps. Beanpole slapped his thigh in realisation, regretting that they hadn’t actually gone through with it.

“Tch, who knew that rubbish boss would be so slow with the payment! We agreed on cash on delivery, but here we are. If anyone’s to blame, it’s that boss for dragging his feet. Right, enough hindsight. Start thinking about how we contact the student.” Scabby finished his cigarette and tossed the butt into the corner, not bothering to stub it out, before draping his arm around Beanpole’s shoulder and heading back.

The Dai Residence

“It’s hot!”

Gu Jiaoyang’s lips barely brushed the spoon Dai Gucan offered before he looked up, eyes wide, accusing his feeder of carelessness.

In reality, a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage could withstand temperatures far beyond what a normal human could handle. The soup Dai Gucan offered wasn’t even scalding; it was merely hot, perfectly edible.

Dai Gucan paused, his hand holding the spoon freezing in mid-air. He frowned, pulled the spoon back, and chanted I must take responsibility, I must take responsibility internally. Eventually, he blew on it symbolically a few times before offering it to the boy’s lips again.

Seeing the boy finally take small sips without making any further bizarre demands, Dai Gucan let out a sigh of relief. He hurriedly scooped another spoonful, blew on it, and fed it to him, terrified the boy might start being difficult again.

This was the first time in his life Dai Gucan had ever served anyone! And the person being served couldn’t be beaten or scolded. If it were anyone else, he’d have slapped them aside, do you want me to chew it for you too? Hmm?

Of course, these complaints remained internal. Dai Gucan maintained the stoic face he usually reserved for his employees, his hands moving rhythmically as he watched the boy obediently finish the entire large bowl of fish soup.

That’s more like it. Although the boy was a bit delicate, his appetite was decent. Seeing the empty bowl gave Dai Gucan a strange sense of accomplishment in the feeding process.

Dai Gucan remained silent throughout the feeding, and Gu Jiaoyang was happy to eat in peace.

In the past, whenever he ate too much, his Master would start wailing about costs, his shrivelled mouth effectively killing Gu Jiaoyang’s appetite. Now, with a new body and the chance to eat his fill after so long, Gu Jiaoyang’s opinion of the man in front of him rose another notch.

Handsome, good-tempered, knows how to feed people, and doesn’t mind that he eats a lot.

Definitely his type! He needed to cling onto this rice bowl and make sure no other pretentious tart stole him away!

“Thank you, sir. I’m full. The fish soup was delicious”

Having eaten and drunk his fill, it was only natural to offer some praise. When Gu Jiaoyang smiled, he truly resembled a little sun; anyone would be infected by his warmth and feel their mood lift.

Dai Gucan was no exception. Dazzled by Gu Jiaoyang’s brilliant smile, he took the empty bowl and gave a faint hum of acknowledgement, his expression softening from its previous rigidity.

He said my cooking was delicious.

Dai Gucan’s earlier annoyance at the boy’s delicateness faded significantly. Seeing that silly, satisfied smile just because of a fish, he thought the boy really was an easily contented little lazy cat.

“Now that you’re full, let’s discuss serious matters.” Dai Gucan handed the boy a glass of water to rinse his mouth, then pulled a chair over to sit by the bedside.

“What serious matters?” Gu Jiaoyang hugged the water glass. A tiny thread of spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips into the cup, causing the water level which had dropped after a sip to rise back up.

This small detail went unnoticed by Dai Gucan.

Dai Gucan had intended to discuss the previous night, but considering the other party was just a child, speaking too bluntly like an adult seemed inappropriate. Instead, he took a business card from the bedside drawer and handed it to the boy.

“This is my card. You can call me…”

“Mr Dai?” Gu Jiaoyang took the black card with silver lettering. Seeing the Song-typeface ‘Dai Gucan’ and the words ‘Dai Corporation’ underneath, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Dai Gucan? Dai Corporation?

“…Is Mr Dai the boss of Changbai Pharmaceutical?” Gu Jiaoyang pinched the card, asking uncertainly.

Dai Gucan, having been interrupted, felt his heart sink. Usually, any employee who interrupted him like this would be ‘put on ice’, never to appear in a core team meeting again.

But he was at home, and in front of him was a boy he had been intimate with.

Correct. The pharmaceutical company is just one part of the group. Dai Gucan considered his tone, trying to make it sound less like a formal business introduction.

Now it was Gu Jiaoyang’s turn to feel a blockage in his chest. To confirm his suspicion, he searched his memory and asked:

“Forgive me for asking, but does your group also own a venture capital firm called ‘Beautiful Girl’?”

“Yes.”

Hearing the boy ask about the VC firm, alarm bells rang in Dai Gucan’s mind.

‘Beautiful Girl’ was a springboard for capital accumulation he had set up with alumni while studying abroad. Aside from a few people he knew in his youth, no one on the mainland knew he was the actual boss of ‘Beautiful Girl’.

Or rather, because of the joke-like name, major media outlets and industry insiders had failed to guess that the famous miracle VC firm that dominated the charts eight years ago was founded by a national.

The boy knew too much.

Dai Gucan didn’t deny the fact, but he mentally shifted the boy from ‘innocent victim’ to ‘pawn on a competitor’s chessboard’. The responsibility plan he had originally drafted was slashed by more than half in his mind, leaving only the basic assurances owed to a competitor who still had a bottom line.

Since the boy could ask this without batting an eyelid, he must already be certain of the answer. So, which competitor had found the clues and passed the information to this boy?

And what was the purpose of passing on this information?

The truth about the VC firm wasn’t a shameful secret, merely a hidden card in his business hand. But having this card exposed to a competitor made Dai Gucan uncomfortable. Consequently, his favourability towards the boy plummeted as he began to weigh him on the scales of interest.

This boy wasn’t innocent. He might have made some deal with a competitor, giving up his university entrance exams and his future to participate in the filthy competitions of adults.

Perhaps it was coercion, or perhaps bribery; boys of this age were the most unstable, and adult traps were sufficient to turn them into willing, self-sacrificing pawns.

But ultimately, this competition originated from him. Whether the boy participated willingly or not, he would take care of what he was responsible for, but the extent of that care would be significantly reduced compared to when he thought the boy was innocent.

Unaware of the shift in Dai Gucan’s posture and the scrutinising look in his eyes, Gu Jiaoyang was currently choking on the shock of Dai Gucan’s immediate confirmation.

Argh!!! It’s a melodramatic, Mary Sue tycoon saga!

Rich Family Second Son, Forced Love! I love you, you don’t love me, but I insist on loving you, then I run away, become better, come back to slap you in the face, and love you again…

Gu Jiaoyang had once skimmed through this book. He had been thoroughly burnt to a crisp by the multi-layered ‘White Lotus’ protagonist shou receiver, and the ‘Scum Gong’ attacker touted as Changjing’s number one rich and handsome catch whose trashy behaviour had truly reset his understanding of romantic values. No matter how much of a disaster they made of things, the ending was still a Happy Ending (HE). He deeply suspected the author had never been in a relationship, or perhaps their writing was good but their romantic maturity was at a primary school level.

It was a coincidence, yet not quite. He had once lost a bet with his Senior Sister, and she had frantically recommended this book to him, insisting he read it thoroughly. She even set up a perverse Q&A session, forcing him to practically memorise it so he could answer her questions about plot points clearly.

Since then, he hadn’t dared to bet with his Senior Sister, terrified she’d pull out another book that would destroy his worldview.

As for the supporting male character, Dai Gucan, his role was massive. As the runaway protagonist’s strong shield and backup tire in the middle of the story, this supporting male was not only handsome and wealthy but also loyal. He would drop ten million to invest in the protagonist’s company without blinking an eye. Blinded by his ‘simp’ nature, he would say things like, “Ah, I know you have no choice, you don’t need to hurt me like this, I’m doing this voluntarily, I don’t need an answer from you,” while smashing pots of money until he literally bankrupted his own company which was larger than the male lead’s for the protagonist’s sake.

What a supporting character!!! The simp ends up with nothing!!!

Gu Jiaoyang, who had practically memorised the original text, looked at Dai Gucan sitting beside himwho currently seemed like a normal human being and simply couldn’t imagine him later cupping the protagonist’s plastic surgery face and shouting, “It’s enough that I love you, I don’t need you to answer me!”

Of course, there was another problem. Gu Jiaoyang realised he might have transmigrated into the body of Dai Gucan’s original partner.

Yes, to highlight the protagonist’s perfection and create obstacles preventing the supporting male and the protagonist from being together, the supporting male had a “first wife”.

In the original text, this character was named Gu Mian, a thorough little villain.

Just like him now, Gu Mian had a twisted personality due to his family background. After a coincidental one-night stand with the supporting male, he used the man’s sympathy to secure a “marriage agreement” to be “Mrs Dai” for four years, during which he acted up constantly.

The key scene involved him trying to keep the title of “Mrs Dai” and drive away the protagonist. Gu Mian got an artificial womb implanted, schemed to sleep with the supporting male to get pregnant, then faked a miscarriage after an argument with the protagonist, crying down the phone with snot and tears… Of course, before that, he had done all sorts of petty things to trip up the protagonist, which naturally led to the protagonist looking good by comparison and slapping him down at every turn, resulting in a divorce and dying alone in a foreign land.

In short, a character with a tragic ending, existing solely to provide the face-slapping satisfaction in the middle of the novel.

And he, Gu Jiaoyang, was almost certainly that unlucky little soul who had the one-night stand with Dai Gucan.

Truly thrilling.

Gu Jiaoyang recalled the descriptions of Dai Gucan’s net worth and personality in the book. In web novels, the devoted, eternal backup male lead usually had better starting specs than the main lead whether in looks or wealth. To highlight the protagonist’s “money is dirt” attitude and ability to ignore handsome men, the author often wrote the supporting male to be leagues ahead of the main lead. If the male lead was a second-generation rich kid from Changjing, then the supporting male was a diamond bachelor managing a conglomerate at a young age, a high-spec version with supermodel looks and body.

So, why on earth did Gu Mian ruin things with such a solid “husband”? And how blind was the protagonist to end up happily ever after with the scum gong who imprisoned and beat him?

That was a question for the original author. Gu Jiaoyang roasted the plot fiercely in his mind.

Having reviewed the dogblood drama, Gu Jiaoyang’s gaze upon Dai Gucan shifted from simple appreciation to a naked, heroic ambition: “I am going to pursue this man.”

You must be joking. He wasn’t going to leave this top-tier husband to go spit and pull hair with the protagonist. Wouldn’t it be better to eat, drink, and be merry while looking at a handsome husband?

So, first things first, he had to get Dai Gucan to get through the “marriage agreement” plot point.

But if that really didn’t work, he’d pack himself up early and go live the life he ought to live. After the entrance exams, he’d find a handsome gong to date! He’d taste the flavour of kisses and hugs, and he definitely wouldn’t disturb the supporting male’s romance with the protagonist.

Given the nature of this book, no man who got involved with the protagonist except the scum gong had a good ending. If he couldn’t cling tightly to the big tree that was Dai Gucan, being a little blade of grass in a distant pasture would also be delightful.

A world without the constraints of cultivation! Eat freely! And handsome men!

No desperate competition to cultivate! No waking up early!

Is this the world inside the book?

It’s too wonderful! Sob sob!

Having sorted out his survival strategy, Gu Jiaoyang looked at Dai Gucan with increasing fondness. He felt like he was looking at a walking meal ticket the kind that offered unlimited, long-term supply from a high-end restaurant.

Support