I Can’t Keep Being a Scumbag Anymore—What Should I Do? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 16

Ran Muqiu emerged from Lu Min’s office, still feeling a bit wilted.

As the resident school bully, he had reigned supreme at Nancheng High for a long time. Backed by his “nouveau riche” father’s influence, no one had ever dared to cross him; he was, quite literally, the one who called the shots.

But he was a “Cannon Fodder Gong” after all, so his moments in the spotlight ground to a screeching halt the moment two specific people entered the scene.

Those two people were Feng Qin and Lu Min.

The Protagonist Gong went without saying, but Lu Min was the “High-Quality Male Guest No. 2” used in the original script to slap the Scum Bully’s face from an entirely different dimension.

Come to think of it, when the Transmigration Bureau lowered the difficulty and allowed him to pick any important male character to farm Heartbreak Value, Ran Muqiu once assumed Lu Min would be on the list of targets.

After all, Lu Min had a significant role in the original script.

He was the Protagonist Shou’s guardian.

To put it more colloquially: he was the “Loyal Dog Knight.”

An incredibly handsome male teacher who captured the hearts of a thousand schoolgirls the moment he arrived, yet he showed a peculiar favoritism toward an unpopular, cowardly, and gloomy boy, looking after him at every turn and treating him with nothing but gentleness.

Even though he was hopelessly smitten, he suppressed his feelings due to his status as a teacher, content to be a silent protector.

What better way to highlight the Protagonist Shou’s “delicate white lotus” charm than that?

In the latter half of the story, when the Scum Bully’s reputation lay in ruins and he was forced to flee the country to study, Lu Min played a major part in that downfall alongside the Protagonist Gong.

None of that mattered to Ran Muqiu, though.

The only thing he needed to know was that Lu Min would eventually become one of Li Zhu’s “simps”—making him a character to be avoided at all costs.

After all, if Lu Min ever discovered that Ran Muqiu was “sponsoring” Li Zhu and looking for ways to break his heart, Ran Muqiu would definitely meet a miserable end.

Feng Qin was one thing—he was a target, so making Li Zhu suffer in front of him might actually speed up the mission progress. But Lu Min?

He wasn’t even on the target list.

If he sensed something was wrong, not only would it yield no mission benefits, but it might provoke him into kicking Ran Muqiu out of the game early.

Thus, Ran Muqiu decided that, at the very least, he would pay attention in physics class from now on and stop giving Lu Min reasons to single him out.

The moment school let out, Ran Muqiu bolted.

With Feng Qin absent and no desire to face Li Zhu, he vanished faster than anyone else the second the bell rang.

However, half an hour later, Ran Muqiu stealthily circled back to the school entrance, crouching by the iron gate to keep a silent watch.

He was stalking Li Zhu.

Li Zhu’s sudden decision to work had been weighing on his mind. After discussing it with the system on the way, they both agreed the Protagonist Shou was likely up to some secret scheme.

The weather was getting colder, and darkness fell early. Ran Muqiu waited for quite a while, his stomach growling with hunger, before a tall, lean silhouette finally emerged from the gates.

The figure calmly exited the school, stood by the roadside, and hopped onto a bicycle.

Once the bike had receded into the distance, Ran Muqiu hurriedly scanned another rental bike to follow.

After several turns, the trail ended at the entrance of a bar.

Seeing the sign, Ran Muqiu dazed for a good while.

This was City C’s trendiest bar, named “Twilight.” It had a great atmosphere, plenty of private booths, high-end drinks, and a price tag to match. In the original script, it was a regular haunt for the Scum Bully and his circle of “foul-weather friends.”

The reason it was only a haunt in the original script was that the current Qin Wei refused to take him there, claiming the place was “unclean.”

Ran Muqiu had been curious about this “den of luxury and gold” so frequently described in the script, but with Qin Wei refusing to lead the way, he’d felt too embarrassed to go alone.

【System, why would the Protagonist Shou come here to work?】 Ran Muqiu mused. 【I’m the Scum Bully and even I haven’t been here yet.】

And yet, the Protagonist Shou seemed more familiar with the place than he was.

233: 【Let’s go inside and see.】

While he was spacing out, Li Zhu had already disappeared. Ran Muqiu hurried to follow.

He ran into a slight obstacle at the door: the bouncer didn’t think Ran Muqiu looked eighteen.

The bouncer sized him up with a conflicted expression. “Minors aren’t allowed in the bar. Do you have your ID with you?”

Ran Muqiu obviously didn’t have his ID, and he was indeed a few days shy of his eighteenth birthday. However, seeing that the Protagonist Shou had just walked in, he felt a flicker of indignation. “The person who just went in is the same age as me; he’s not eighteen either.”

The bouncer paused, looked Ran Muqiu over again, and his expression turned even stranger. “You know Li Zhu?”

Ran Muqiu nodded.

Perhaps fearing he would report the bar for hiring a minor, the bouncer stopped questioning him and let him in.

Passing through the already lavish lobby, he reached an even more magnificent dance floor. Men and women swayed to the music in the center—a true scene of hedonistic excess.

Wearing his school uniform and carrying his backpack, Ran Muqiu was dazzled by the sight. For a moment, he forgot his purpose, failing to notice the countless gazes—some blatant, some subtle that fell upon him the moment he entered.

The music was far too loud. After watching the spectacle for a short while, Ran Muqiu’s ears began to throb. He bypassed several corridors, heading toward the booth area where it was slightly quieter.

Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Ran Muqiu froze instantly, his eyes widening in shock.

Perhaps it was the dim lighting or the deafening, melancholy rock music, but the man looked quite different from his daytime persona.

His tie was loosened, the top few buttons of his shirt were undone, and his usually meticulous hair was slightly tousled. With lowered eyelids and a slim cigarette between two fingers, he looked lazily casual amidst the swirling smoke.

Beside him was another young man in a business suit. Lu Min was leaning over to speak to him, his thin lips pulled into a faint, shallow curve.

Suddenly, as if seeing something, the other man paused. He tapped Lu Min on the shoulder with his index finger, which also held a cigarette.

Lu Min flicked his ash into the tray, picked the cigarette back up, and followed his friend’s gaze with a nonchalant look.

It was a boy in a Nancheng High uniform. He was slender and fair-skinned, looking as bewildered as a lost animal—an aura completely at odds with the neon-and-liquor environment.

As if terrified of being caught, the boy had already turned his head away, leaving Lu Min with only a partial view of his profile.

He had cheeks with a hint of baby fat but a pointed chin. When he was nervous or guilty, his eyelashes blinked particularly fast, like a pair of tiny, fuzzy fans.

He looked exactly as he had in the office.

“A student boy?” The friend was still whispering in Lu Min’s ear, his voice laced with an obvious excitement. “I’ve seen plenty of these ‘young masters’ in bars abroad, but they’re always faking it, and foreigners look so mature anyway. It’s rare to see one this pure Min?”

Lu Min’s brow furrowed slightly.

Sensing Lu Min’s mood, the friend fell silent.

Lu Min crushed out his cigarette and straightened his tie. “Wait here.”

Then, under his friend’s shocked gaze, he walked straight toward the boy.

“Damn.” The friend hurriedly pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of their retreating backs, and sent it to their group chat. As his fingers flew to gossip with other friends, he let out a chuckle. “The iron tree is finally blooming.”

Ran Muqiu bolted the second he saw Lu Min stand up.

The bar was crowded; waiters with trays and men and women in skimpy, daring outfits were everywhere. Panicked and choosing paths at random, Ran Muqiu bumped into several people and was even steadied by a woman’s hand.

She gave his cheek a pinch—a playful, non-sexual tease—remarking on how good his skin was.

Flushing deep red, Ran Muqiu pushed past her and scrambled toward the second floor. He finally found a deserted corner and leaned against the wall, panting softly.

【What on earth is this?】 Ran Muqiu complained to the system.

His first time in a bar, and he gets caught red-handed by his teacher.

Then again, he hadn’t known Lu Min frequented places like this in his private time. It seemed the comments section of the original script was right: the man was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Not nearly as refined and upright as he appeared on the surface.

While venting to the system, Ran Muqiu rubbed his elbow, which he’d bumped against a tray, failing to notice the connecting corridor to his right.

When a pair of leather shoes stopped in front of him, Ran Muqiu froze.

He slowly lifted his head and crashed into Lu Min’s dark tea-colored eyes.

Ran Muqiu’s brain stalled for several seconds before he stammered, “Teacher Lu.”

Lu Min looked him over expressionlessly. He let out a long breath, rubbed his brow, and didn’t ask what he was doing there. Instead, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling, seemingly looking for a phone number.

Likely due to the alcohol, Lu Min’s eyes were darker than usual, and he was radiating a much heavier pressure. After searching to no avail, he frowned, looked up, and asked Ran Muqiu: “Your father’s contact information?”

Ran Muqiu: “…”

Only then did Ran Muqiu realize what was happening.

He was calling his parents!

In this world, the “Bully’s Dad” was a nouveau riche who spoiled his son to no end, but Ran Muqiu actually had zero plot interaction with the man. The descriptions of “Father settling Ran Muqiu’s school trouble” only existed in the timeline prior to his arrival. As of yet, Ran Muqiu hadn’t even met his “father.”

He absolutely did not want the man called right now.

Panic flared. Ran Muqiu instinctively reached for Lu Min’s phone.

The man was tall with long limbs, nearly half a head taller than Ran Muqiu. He easily raised his arm, keeping the phone out of reach.

“So young and already up to no good.” Lu Min pocketed the phone and took a step forward, pinning the boy against the wall. In the dim, yellowish light, he looked down at him and offered a ruthless assessment. “Sleeping in class, clubbing after school. Just calling your parents is letting you off easy.”

Ran Muqiu: “…”

Ran Muqiu stared at the man, his dark eyes darting around as his brain worked overtime, desperately searching for any excuse to talk his way out of this.

“M-my dad doesn’t care about me,” Ran Muqiu blurted out, grabbing the man’s hem just as he was about to pull out his phone again. “He’s very busy with work, and I, I’m usually home alone.”

As he spoke, he gave the man’s clothes a small tug, pleading in a pitifully small voice, “Teacher Lu, can you please not call my father? I, I promise I’ll be good from now on. I’ll pay attention in class and never come to a bar again, okay?”

In his urgency, he even used the word “good”—a far cry from his school bully persona.

The moment it left his mouth, Ran Muqiu realized he had exposed his true personality. He felt a flash of regret, but then remembered the man in front of him wasn’t a target, so he figured it was probably fine.

Lu Min was scrolling through the parent directory sent to the group chat. Hearing this, his fingers paused.

The boy’s voice was exceptionally soft, even more so when laced with a pleading tone. Those words—”be good”—sounded particularly pleasing to the ear.

He scanned the boy’s face for a moment before slowly putting his phone away with a quiet “Mm.”

Ran Muqiu let out a visible sigh of relief.

“Don’t let there be a next time.” Lu Min watched him for a while and then, unable to resist, reached out and gave Ran Muqiu’s head a gentle pat. “Go home, quickly.”

Ran Muqiu shrunk his neck slightly at the touch and nodded like a chick pecking at grain, his cheeks flushed from the lingering tension.

When Lu Min asked if he needed a taxi, Ran Muqiu hurriedly declined. Lu Min nodded, took a few more looks at him, and slowly turned to head down the stairs.

Ran Muqiu watched him leave and finally let out a long, shaky breath.

Lu Min was, after all, a man in his twenties. Even by Ran Muqiu’s age before he entered the transmigration world, the man was older—not to mention the added authority of being a teacher.

Ran Muqiu already felt intimidated by the Protagonist Shou, let alone Lu Min.

【It’s all because the Protagonist Shou scared me the other day,】 he complained to the system in a low voice. 【I can’t even hold the bully persona properly anymore.】

233: 【Mm, it’s not a big deal.】

After resting for a moment and barely pulling himself together, Ran Muqiu braced himself against the wall and headed down the corridor toward the other staircase.

The corridor was somewhat dim, and the path ahead looked eerie and indistinct. Ran Muqiu felt an inexplicable sense of unease. His pace quickened involuntarily, and with his head down, he failed to notice his surroundings.

Suddenly, a door to his side swung open. Ran Muqiu froze, but before he could react, an arm reached out from behind his right side, hooked around his waist, and yanked him inside.

Ran Muqiu instinctively tried to struggle, but the person’s arm was as hard as iron. Even with his back turned, he could sense the man’s tall, powerful build. Ran Muqiu’s eyes widened; he reached back to pound on the person twice, only to have his fist caught in a firm grip while a hand clamped over his mouth, rendering him completely immobile.

A—a kidnapping?

Ran Muqiu’s heart was racing frantically.

Then, a familiar voice whispered in his ear, cold and dark as still water. “Ran Muqiu, does your boyfriend know you’re fooling around with people in bars?”

Recognizing the voice, Ran Muqiu froze instantly, his panic shifting from one kind of fear to another.

Taking advantage of his daze, the other person released him, grabbed him by the collar of his school uniform, and shoved him into the corner.

In the dim, yellowish light of the corridor, Ran Muqiu crashed into the boy’s eyes.

The last time he had seen him was during the camping trip. After mocking him with several sarcastic remarks, the guy had run off to the foot of the mountain by himself. Who knows what he did, but by the next morning, his Heartbreak Value had skyrocketed to fifty.

And right now, the boy still looked absolutely livid.

Looking at him like this, Ran Muqiu felt certain that in the next second, that Heartbreak Value was going to jump again.