Everyone Loves the Villainous Scumbag [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6
After hearing that Yu Wuyang would have a miserable end to his year, Luo Jianghe first felt a flash of sympathy, wanting to reach out and help him immediately. However, remembering his mission, he suppressed that rising urge for kindness. He offered no response to the System’s suggestion.
Even System 017 could not hide its curiosity.
【Host, if you help Yu Wuyang now, there is a high probability that his favorability rating will increase.】
Luo Jianghe nodded, not denying the point.
“Providing help in an hour of need naturally earns gratitude, but now is not the time. The most heartwarming help must be delivered when a person is at their lowest point; only then does the gesture feel truly precious.”
As soon as those thoughts crossed Luo Jianghe’s mind, 017 fell silent. As expected of the host it had chosen, he was maturing fast!
Winter break assignments were numerous. Even with the System to help him “cheat,” Luo Jianghe still had to manually copy the answers. After an afternoon of scribbling through a stack of test papers, his hand was sore, and he had only finished half.
After completing a math paper, his eyes felt strained and his wrist ached, so he stood up to stretch his muscles. He checked the time on his phone; it was already 4:00 PM. Feeling thirsty, he headed downstairs to the kitchen to grab a drink.
When he reached the ground floor, he saw his mother at the entryway putting on a coat and holding a small handbag, clearly preparing to head out.
“Mom, it is almost dinner time. Where are you going?” Luo Jianghe asked from the living room, looking at her with confusion.
Mrs. Luo draped the chain of her small bag over her shoulder while instructing him, “I have some errands to run. I will be back soon and we will have dinner together. If your father comes home, let him know.”
“What kind of errands?” Luo Jianghe could not help but ask.
“Just picking someone up, nothing major.”
Though Luo Jianghe was curious, his mother’s expression did not suggest anything serious, so he simply nodded and did not pry further. Not long after Mrs. Luo left, Mr. Luo returned home. He often had to go back out for work in the evenings, but he made every effort to come home for dinner.
Since Luo Jianghe had transmigrated, he occasionally chatted in the family group chat. From the group named “Happy Family,” he learned that Mr. Luo’s commitment to dining at home was a promise to his wife; since they married, as long as he was physically able, he would always return to have dinner with his family regardless of how busy he was.
Mrs. Luo was intellectual and elegant, while Mr. Luo was quite handsome in a formal way. However, being in his forties and burdened by a heavy workload, he was starting to show signs of weight gain, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes. He had a prominent “vertical” frown line between his brows. When he was not smiling or when he looked serious, he appeared somewhat fierce. He did not look like a businessman so much as a stern government official.
Despite his appearance, he was quite kind to his wife and children. However, because he was always busy working, he did not share many common interests with the two kids. When Luo Jianghe was alone with him, the father and son were often silent. If Mrs. Luo was present, the atmosphere would soften, and if Luo Xi joined in, the whole family would become lively and bustling.
Luo Jianghe told his father about his mother going out, then sat on the sofa and turned on the news channel. Their family, including Luo Xi, had a habit of watching the news since they were young. Before the news segment ended, Mrs. Luo returned home with a young man in tow.
Luo Jianghe looked closely and realized it was a classmate he knew.
“Fu Chen?” he blurted out the name.
Today, Fu Chen was dressed entirely in black, a black turtleneck sweater paired with a matching coat. With his broad shoulders, long legs, and excellent physique, he pulled off the look perfectly. His cool, pale skin contrasted with the all-black outfit, and combined with his handsome features, he looked like a refined young nobleman.
Compared to Luo Jianghe’s surprise, Fu Chen appeared much more composed. He looked at Luo Jianghe and gave a polite nod, “Luo Jianghe.”
This time was different from before. Not only did Fu Chen not ignore Luo Jianghe’s greeting, but he also accurately called him by his name.
“I heard you two were classmates, but I did not expect you to know each other personally. That is wonderful,” Mrs. Luo said. “Jianghe, take Xiao Chen upstairs to the guest room to drop off his luggage, then come back down for dinner.”
“Mom, what is going on?” Luo Jianghe was completely bewildered. Was Fu Chen here for an early New Year’s visit? And more importantly, how did his mother know Fu Chen? And were they so close that she would bring him home right before the Spring Festival?
Mrs. Luo smiled and ushered Fu Chen upstairs, while she stayed down to change into her slippers and head toward the kitchen.
“Xiao Chen is the son of an old classmate of mine. His family was supposed to go to Kyoto for the New Year, but there is a blizzard there and flights have been temporarily canceled. His mother did not feel comfortable with him staying in a hotel alone, so it just so happened he will stay with us. Alright, hurry up now. Get settled so we can eat.”
“System, isn’t my role the scumbag male supporting character? If I get on good terms with Fu Chen now, will it affect the development of the story later?” Luo Jianghe could not help but think worriedly.
017 was much more relaxed.
【Host, your arrival has already created a series of butterfly effects. The storyline is bound to be influenced to some extent, so whether you are close to Fu Chen or not does not matter much anymore. Your main goal is to complete your scumbag tasks and collect emotional value. Do not worry about the rest. Besides, Fu Chen is indifferent by nature; even the protagonist shou only developed feelings for him over a long period. Whether you can actually become friends with him is still uncertain, so do not worry about things that have not happened yet.】
Luo Jianghe thought, “Fine then.”
He shrugged and walked over to help Fu Chen with his luggage. However, just as Luo Jianghe’s hand touched the suitcase, Fu Chen grabbed his hand.
“No need, I can do it myself,” Fu Chen said, promptly releasing his grip.
In those two or three seconds, Luo Jianghe felt as if his hand had been gently squeezed before being let go. Fu Chen’s hands were not as delicate as his face; they were large with a strong bone structure and visible veins. True to his role as the second male lead in a “harem” novel, Fu Chen was the typical “buff under the clothes” type. Even without him stripping, Luo Jianghe could tell from the muscular lines of his forearms, revealed when his sleeves rode up slightly, that his physique was top tier.
Luo Jianghe awkwardly withdrew his hand and rubbed his nose. He thought to himself that if Fu Chen did not want him touching the luggage, he could have just said so. Why wait until he was right there and about to lift it before refusing? Was a genius’s brain really that slow to react?
The two went upstairs to drop off the luggage and quickly returned for dinner. Because Fu Chen was joining them, two extra stir-fry dishes were added, and the maid had been asked to cook extra rice in advance.
Mr. Luo was busy; after dinner, he went to his room to rest briefly before heading back out. Luo Xi was not studying that evening and sat in the living room playing games online with classmates. Mrs. Luo offered Fu Chen some fruit, but he politely declined and headed back upstairs. Since he was not a family member, Mrs. Luo simply assumed he was shy and instructed Luo Jianghe not to bully him during his stay.
Luo Jianghe was speechless. “Look at his build. Is he someone I even could bully? Besides, your son is not that kind of person.”
Seeing her son’s exasperation, Mrs. Luo figured he was right, but she still added, “It is never wrong to remind you. I heard he is ranked first in your entire school, is he not a recognized little genius? He is a person of national importance; of course we cannot let him feel mistreated.”
In the eyes of parents, other people’s children are always better. Although Mrs. Luo did not usually compare her kids to others, seeing a child like Fu Chen, who had great grades, a strong physique, and good looks, it was inevitable that she found him more and more pleasing to the eye. Fresh faces are always more appealing than the “old” ones at home.
Conversely, the more his mother liked Fu Chen, the more Luo Jianghe found him annoying. After all, Fu Chen’s previous attitude toward him could be described as having no manners at all; he would not even nod when greeted. Now that he was at the Luo house, he suddenly “recognized” him. This proved Fu Chen had always known who he was; he had just been pretending otherwise.
“Mom, when is he leaving?”
“It is hard to say. If the blizzard continues over there, the planes will not be able to fly, right?”
“What about trains or high-speed rail? Tell him to take a train back, or just call a taxi.”
“How is it that easy to get a ticket now? Even first-class seats are sold out. Besides, he is a young master; it would not be safe to let him go back alone like that. Even if he took a car, if there was another blizzard accident and the driver left him on the side of the road, how would I explain that to my old classmate?”
“But it is not right for him to stay with us through the New Year, is it?”
“Why not? It is not like we do not have a guest room. Alright, stop annoying me. If you want to keep chatting, you might as well go upstairs and read more books. Also, let me tell you, Xiao Chen’s grades are excellent. You should get along with him; if there is anything you do not understand in your studies, you can ask him right then and there. Is that not better than any tutor you could hire?”
“I know,” Luo Jianghe said.
His head was throbbing from his mother’s lecturing, so he stood up and headed upstairs. The sound of a door opening came from the upstairs bathroom. Just as Luo Jianghe reached his bedroom door, his attention was drawn by the noise.
Looking to the side, he saw Fu Chen standing at the bathroom entrance wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, with steam swirling behind him. The bathroom in their house had a dry-wet separation; the toilet and shower were inside, while the vanity was outside, leading directly to the hallway.
Fu Chen had just finished showering. His hair was dripping wet, and his eight-pack abs were perfectly defined. His forearms were lean, but his biceps were well-developed. It was the kind of physique that even another man like Luo Jianghe could appreciate. Whether it was admiration or envy, such a body was undeniably easy on the eyes. That athletic build paired with his snow-white skin created a striking sense of contrast.
Luo Jianghe swallowed shallowly, feeling his throat tighten. It was not because he was mesmerized by Fu Chen’s body, but because while he was looking at Fu Chen, Fu Chen’s cold eyes were also fixed on him. Those eyes did not hold the relaxation of someone who had just soaked in warm water; instead, they carried a distinct chill.
If Luo Jianghe had to describe the feeling Fu Chen gave him right now, it would be “inhuman.” Being stared at by Fu Chen made him feel like he was being watched by a snake. There was an inexplicable urge to flee.