Becoming the Scumbag Gong’s Father in a “Switching the Male Lead” Novel [Transmigration] - Chapter 1

As the undisputed top entrepreneur of the 1990s, Xu Qingfeng had not only created immense economic value for the country but had also generously donated 2 billion to charity. Whenever his name was mentioned, everyone spoke of him with admiration and praise.

But now…

In the time it took to have a single nap, Xu Qingfeng had unexpectedly transmigrated into a novel.

In the era he lived in, novels were dominated by themes of martial arts and history, rather than the “same-sex marriage” and “bottoms everywhere” setting of this book.

Although he was initially hit by a massive wave of shock from the information flooding his mind, as a month passed, he gradually came to accept it internally and showed his respect for this new reality.

At this very moment, he had to use his new identity to face a “son” he had gained for free. To be honest if he truly had a child, he would never have allowed them to grow up into such a “crooked tree”!

It was just a pity that there were no “ifs.”

As a local prominent family, the Gu family enjoyed affluent economic conditions.

Maids, drivers, chefs not a single one was missing. In the era Xu Qingfeng came from, even someone of his status would not have accepted such extravagant and wasteful behavior.

The Gu family’s dining room naturally followed this luxurious style: hand-painted European oil painting wallpaper, high ceilings that made the space feel even more vast, and an expensive crystal chandelier casting shimmering golden light…

This light enveloped his handsome face, coating it in a soft glow. A few strands of silver hair, barely noticeable at his temples, added to the charm of a mature man, while his excellent shoulder-to-head ratio allowed his custom-tailored suit to achieve its best possible display.

Standing at approximately 180 cm, his crossed legs appeared even more slender.

Xu Qingfeng held a gold-plated knife and fork, elegantly cutting his steak. Clearly, as the master of the house, he had already merged seamlessly with the Gu family.

Seated across the long dining table was someone dressed much more casually. A T-shirt and gym shorts wrapped around a well-proportioned, vigorous body. His skin was a sexy honey-tan bronzed by the sun; despite his status as a student, he already looked entirely like a mature man.

This person was Gu Tianze, the son from the original story with whom Xu Qingfeng shared no blood relation.

In the book, Gu Tianze served as the “scumbag ex-boyfriend” of the original protagonist. He was the type of character readers felt would only bring satisfaction if he were ground into dust. However, the reason such a scumbag could be loved so desperately by the original protagonist was, naturally, due to his strengths.

For instance: an excellent physical appearance, outstanding academic performance, and immense popularity among his peers not to mention having the wealthiest man in the city as his father.

Gu Tianze’s existence was the most unbearable shame in the life of the “original” Xu Qingfeng, yet he had to accept him because of his own vain heart.

When the younger Xu Qingfeng walked out of the mountains, he had nothing but a high-IQ brain and extraordinary looks.

He never had any social life and was a laughingstock among the wealthy children. His peers from the same social class distanced themselves out of jealousy; everyone loved to see him in a state of misfortune.

Fortunate yet unfortunate, among those classmates, Gu Tianze’s mother made a different move. She chose to stretch out a warm hand to Xu Qingfeng, pulling him into what appeared to be a happy bottomless abyss.

Marrying into a wealthy family to achieve class mobility was like a shiny candy wrapper, but inside was a pile of dog s***. However, just this beautiful wrapper was enough to make the original host who had “flown to the branch to become a phoenix” content.

What did a green hat (infidelity) matter? What did being a “placeholder” matter? What did it matter if his wife cheated and ran away with an old flame?!

A man needs to have a “big picture” perspective! In short having money was enough.

The Xu Qingfeng who had inherited this identity could not agree with that sentiment. However, since they now shared the same name and the same face, the other man’s past had logically become his own, and he couldn’t just shake it off.

Gu Tianze, still in university, was young and aggressive. He rarely came home, but during these last few meetings with Xu Qingfeng, he always felt something had changed, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.

If he had to say what was different…

For example: in the past, the father-son dynamic was to treat each other like air and never ask questions. Recently, however, he could occasionally feel a sense of gentle “paternal love” from the other man.

It was truly nauseating. One must know that Xu Qingfeng had loathed him since he was a child; if it weren’t for his mother protecting him, Xu Qingfeng would have wanted nothing more than to kick him out. Although he didn’t know why Xu Qingfeng was suddenly acting this way, no matter what, the man wouldn’t just mysteriously turn into a different person and show him kindness.

Xu Qingfeng used the corner of his eye to observe this son who was destined for a tragic ending, feeling a sense of sympathy in his heart.

Actually, he should also sympathize with himself or more accurately, the tragic end the son would bring upon the whole family.

His mind began working on plans for the future.

Hmm… if I want to change the ending, it seems better to solve it from the root.

This subtle observation was caught by Gu Tianze, who immediately frowned in displeasure. He pushed back with a sharp, piercing gaze. “Xu Qingfeng, what the f*** are you looking at? Exactly how long are you going to stare?”

What kind of man was Xu Qingfeng? He calmly met the gaze, his well-shaped lips curling into a beautiful arc as he asked airily, “You are my son, and I am your father. What’s the problem with me looking at you?”

Xu Qingfeng’s skin had been forged into copper and iron in the business world, so he could naturally accept “becoming a father” without feeling that having a son call him “Dad” was a bad thing.

However, if it was a wicked son who would lead him to a miserable end, that was still a bit of a nuisance.

For Xu Qingfeng, what was scary was not difficulty, but bowing one’s head and admitting defeat to difficulty.

Endings are held in one’s own hands. As long as something hasn’t happened yet, there is a chance to change it.

The slightly greener Gu Tianze lost the confrontation. He was the first to look away, pulling back his chair to stand up.

In his usual commanding tone used toward Xu Qingfeng, who was still slowly chewing his steak, he said: “That new sports car from ES looks alright. Have Secretary Liu pick it up for me.”

This was not the attitude a son should have toward a “father” at all. In any case, regarding his “ATM,” there was at least no element of respect in their interaction.

True, the two had always loathed each other, but the former Xu Qingfeng had always given Gu Tianze the right to financial freedom and had never made things difficult for him economically.

This conversation had played out countless times in the past.

Furthermore, it was impossible to refuse. All of this belonged to the Gu family. To put it bluntly, Xu Qingfeng was just a son-in-law who had married into wealth. If he truly made Gu Tianze uncomfortable and the boy complained to his grandfather, the rest of the Gu family wouldn’t let him off the hook.

Gu Tianze expected Xu Qingfeng to nod as usual. Just as he was scoffing in his heart…

Xu Qingfeng set down his utensils and unhurriedly wiped the corners of his mouth. He had often eaten Western cuisine in his previous life, so he was quite familiar with the etiquette.

Xu Qingfeng’s tone was always steady and gentle, yet it made people instinctively trust him, carrying the aura of a high-ranking leader. “As long as you agree to one thing, that car is yours.”

These words left Gu Tianze unable to process the meaning for a moment; instead, his focus shifted as curiosity got the upper hand.

“What thing?”

“Call me ‘Dad’.” Although Xu Qingfeng was sitting, he didn’t feel inferior at all. Instead, as he looked up, his sharp jawline appeared slightly aggressive and strong. “Don’t address me by my full name anymore. It’s quite impolite, you know.”

Gu Tianze suddenly felt choked up. At first listen, didn’t this sound like someone talking to a child?

He hated it when people used that “elder” tone to lecture him, but no matter who heard it, this trade was definitely a win for him.

But who was Gu Tianze? Compared to the itching frustration of feeling “inferior,” missing out on a new toy car was nothing.

“Tch.” Gu Tianze directly amplified his disdain. “Xu Qingfeng, I advise you not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Let’s just keep staying out of each other’s way like before.”

Before leaving, he dropped a cold, hard warning: “Don’t try to control me, or you’ll only regret it!”

Xu Qingfeng’s gaze seemingly gentle but actually devoid of much emotion withdrew from where the boy had left. He only found it interesting.

Thinking back to how he had gone from a small city to the coast alone to do business, he had truly started from scratch. In less than fifteen years, he had reached the top of the pyramid. The word “regret” had never been entered into his dictionary.

How could his emotions be easily stirred by Gu Tianze?

From the moment he opened his eyes and had a whole novel’s worth of text stuffed into his brain, a new game had begun.

To use the context of this era, the game genre had probably switched from “Management Strategy” to “Role-Playing.”

In the past, the “Xu Qingfeng” played the role of a background cannon fodder character, without even his own lines or facial descriptions. He was entirely dragged down by Gu Tianze, resulting in bankruptcy and a life sentence, ending the latter half of his life in pain behind iron bars.

But now… he absolutely did not want to have a “Bad End” (BE) again.

The matter of the car was left unsettled as Xu Qingfeng recalled the plot’s direction.

He knew exactly where Gu Tianze was going now a nightclub.

The gears of fate had begun to turn, and now was likely the beginning of the plot.

His “scumbag son” was already dating someone behind his back, and this partner was, naturally, one of the original protagonists and the fuse that would lead to the destruction of the Gu family.

If it were just a simple trip to a nightclub, it wouldn’t be anything special. The problem was that it was not simple at all.

This beginning was something he had waited a month for, but this period had given him the chance to buffer and adapt. At least he wouldn’t be like a backwards “country bumpkin” who knew nothing.

Just as he fell into deep thought, his eyes darkening, the maid serving at his side accidentally spilled the dark red wine onto his expensive suit fabric while leaning over to pour.

The maid had served here for several years and knew Xu Qingfeng’s temperament well. She immediately fell to her knees, trembling, and began to apologize incessantly:

“I’m sorry, Mr. Xu! You can deduct whatever you want from my salary, just please don’t fire me… I’m sorry…”

Her voice was shaky.

It was hard to imagine that in this era, people would still kneel like they were in a feudal society. But for a maid, one month’s pay at the Gu house was worth half a year’s work outside. Tangible cash was much more practical than invisible dignity.

She didn’t hear Xu Qingfeng speak for a long time. Stopping her murmurs of “I’m sorry,” her heart sank, feeling like she was finished! Since she started serving Xu Qingfeng, she knew that this nominal head of the Gu Group was someone who valued “face” above all else. Whenever others were present, he was always polished and dignified.

He had never been in a disheveled state. And now, she had actually soiled that high-end suit. The light gray fabric was stained with a large, very prominent patch of wine.

How could I be so stupid?

She carefully looked up to gauge his expression, searching for a lifeline.

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