I Can’t Keep Being a Scumbag Anymore—What Should I Do? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

The bell for class rang.

Ran Muqiu walked quickly to the back corner of the classroom and sat in Li Zhuo’s seat, his face flushed a deep crimson, still fuming with rage.

What kind of person says things like that?

It turned out the Protagonist Gong had such a foul mouth! No wonder in the original script, it took him a tremendous amount of effort to truly win the Protagonist Shou’s heart after they started their relationship through physical intimacy.

However, what angered Muqiu the most wasn’t even the comment itself.

Earlier, the classroom had been so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Consequently, when Feng Qin delivered that line, several people in the class couldn’t help but let out a “pfft” of laughter.

Already dying of embarrassment, Muqiu immediately fixed them with his coldest glare. To his surprise, Feng Qin beat him to the punch, scanning the room with a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Those who had laughed instantly shut their mouths and shrank back like startled chicks.

It only served to make Ran Muqiu look like he was “borrowing a tiger’s prestige.”

Muqiu was the School Bully; technically, all the boys in the class were his lackeys. But while they were usually obedient, their relationship was casual and rowdy—they weren’t actually afraid of him. Yet just now, they were clearly far more intimidated by Feng Qin than they had ever been by Muqiu.

An outsider would have thought Feng Qin was the one in charge!

The more Muqiu thought about it, the angrier he got. Even after the teacher walked in, he hadn’t even opened his textbook.

The first period was a sleep-inducing history class. While the little old man with glasses droned on at the podium, a slightly chubby boy sitting next to Muqiu leaned over.

“Brother Qiu, take it easy, take it easy,” the boy whispered, nodding his chin toward Feng Qin. “That guy who took your seat is from the East District High School. He showed up this morning with two Rolls-Royces following him. Talk about a show-off. He looks like trouble. Let’s figure out his background first, then we’ll find a way to mess him up.”

Ran Muqiu glanced at Fatty and gave a dry “Oh.”

By the time you guys figure out his ‘background,’ you’ll probably all be bought off by him.

Furthermore, Ran Muqiu knew exactly how “troublesome” this person was—he had read the script.

The Protagonist Gong’s name was Feng Qin.

Feng Qin was originally a student at East District High School and was supposed to transfer to Nancheng High during the second semester of senior year. The School Bully, accustomed to being the alpha, knew the moment he locked eyes with Feng Qin that the newcomer was no pushover and would likely threaten his status.

Thus, as soon as Feng Qin entered the school in the original plot, the Bully gave him a “warm welcome” by sending lackeys to slash his mountain bike tires. He tried to squeeze him out several times afterward but never gained the upper hand—he even got “blocked” during a basketball game. For the first time in his life, the Bully lost face so badly that he slammed the ball down and nearly started a fistfight on the court. A crowd of lackeys had to pull them apart.

From then on, the Bully’s authority dwindled daily. He was naturally violent and prone to kicking or hitting people—a deeply unpopular leader whom people only tolerated out of fear. Feng Qin, though arrogant, came from a strict family and disdained bullying the weak. He was a much higher-tier “leader.”

Moreover, there was a gap in their family backgrounds. If the Bully’s family were “New Money” parvenus, then Feng Qin’s family was a true “Old Money” aristocracy. Brutal and hot-tempered versus arrogant and unyielding. The comparison was instantaneous and decisive.

One could only say the author was biased toward the protagonist; even in a smutty novel, they made sure the Main Gong was far more charismatic than the cannon fodder.

Ran Muqiu was utterly dejected. Moreover, he finally realized where his sense of “missing information” from the BBQ stall had come from.

In the original script, the Protagonist Gong did start out with blonde hair. But while Nancheng High was a dump, they were stricter than the East District schools about appearance—no dyed hair or makeup allowed. On his first day, the Dean had forced Feng Qin into a five-dollar barber shop outside the school to dye his hair back to black.

Feng Qin hadn’t cared, sitting in the barber’s chair with a nonchalant air; even with a botched dye job, he remained devastatingly handsome. That scene was a throwaway line in the script meant to show off his cynical personality, so Muqiu hadn’t remembered it clearly.

“By the way,” Muqiu remembered something and asked Fatty, “Why hasn’t Li Zhuo come in today?”

Including today, this was the second day of Li Zhuo’s leave. But when he visited his house last night, Li Zhuo seemed fine, aside from the small scratch on his chin.

“You don’t know, Brother Qiu?” Fatty glanced at him. “It’s the anniversary of his father’s death. He took leave to go back to his hometown.”

Ran Muqiu froze, then it clicked. This was another major plot point.

On the anniversary of his father’s death, the Protagonist Shou returns to his hometown for a week. Upon his return, the School Bully—who has missed him—drags him into the sports equipment room for this and that, only to be caught red-handed by the Protagonist Gong.

That was when the main story officially began.

Everything was aligning. It seemed that with Feng Qin’s early transfer, the entire timeline had shifted forward.

Muqiu tapped his head in frustration, calling out to his system: [233, what’s happening? The timeline is all messed up.]

233 finally got a chance to speak: [Host, hurry up and read the file. We can talk while you read.]

Muqiu slumped listlessly onto Li Zhuo’s desk. The desk was clean and lacked any unpleasant odors. As he lay there, the familiar scent vaguely reminded him of the dream he had in Li Zhuo’s bed last night, making his cheeks flush.

He sat up quickly and opened the downloaded file. As 233 had said, the Bureau took his application very seriously. What should have been a simple “plug-in” had been turned into a formal “Red-Head” document for detailed explanation.

Ran Muqiu read line by line. His eyes and mouth slowly drifted open. “Huh?”

As soon as the bell rang for the long break, Ran Muqiu bolted out of his seat. Unfortunately, sitting in the back corner meant he couldn’t outrun everyone. He ended up colliding with Feng Qin at the door.

At 188cm, Feng Qin had the perfect build for a “Gong.” His body completely blocked the narrow doorway. Worse, he showed no intention of moving, lazily chatting with a boy by the door.

Standing behind him, Muqiu was anxious and annoyed. He didn’t want to ask for permission to pass, so he summoned his “School Bully” energy and gave the man a hard shove, forcing his way out.

Feng Qin felt something soft bump into his back and was knocked forward two steps. He steadied himself with a hand on a desk and looked back. He only saw Ran Muqiu’s hurried retreat, a few strands of soft hair bouncing on top of his head.

Like a fluffy dandelion.

After a moment, Feng Qin withdrew his gaze with a snort, touching the shoulder that had been bumped. It didn’t hurt at all. This guy’s body is probably just like his face—soft as a ball of cotton.

After a moment’s thought, Feng Qin braced both hands on the desk of the boy by the door and asked, “That guy, he’s really your school’s boss?”

He nodded toward Muqiu’s disappearing figure. The boy was wary. “Y-Yeah, why?”

On Feng Qin’s first day, many still saw him as an outsider. He wasn’t just a figure at East High; he was famous throughout the city’s student circles. East High didn’t really have “bosses”—it was full of wealthy heirs, and such titles were seen as outdated. Even so, everyone knew Feng Qin was the spiritual leader of the school.

His family background was one thing, but he was also a bit of a loose cannon. He didn’t actively go looking for trouble, but if trouble found him, he wasn’t one to take a loss. Rumor had it that if you shouted Feng Qin’s name in any internet cafe in the East District, half the people there would stand up.

The boy did some mental gymnastics, thinking that if this guy wanted to use Brother Qiu as a stepping stone to establish dominance, he had to side with Muqiu. After all, with Brother Qiu’s build, he probably couldn’t take a single punch from this guy.

Just then, he heard the newcomer from East High speak in a lazy drawl.

“That’s the best you’ve got?” Feng Qin watched the distant silhouette and laughed. “Is your school picking a boss, or a school beauty?”

The boy: “?”

During the long break, Ran Muqiu headed to the rooftop. Every school bully has a private territory; at Nancheng High, it was the rooftop, where no one dared follow him.

When Muqiu spoke to the system, it looked like he was just daydreaming to an outsider. To avoid trouble during long conversations, he came here.

As soon as the iron gate closed, Muqiu cried out: [233!]

233: [Present.]

[What’s going on?] Muqiu’s head felt like it was exploding. [How is this a ‘Difficulty Downgrade’?!]

233 had promised a Dimensional Reduction plug-in. But the document didn’t mention that at all. Instead, the entire text implied that Muqiu’s target had changed from one person to multiple people.

[It’s not ‘multiple’,] 233 explained patiently. [The Bureau considered your aptitude and relaxed the clearing requirements. You are no longer restricted to the Protagonist Shou. You can choose any major character in the world and fill their Heartbreak Value to the max. It’s an extra path to success.]

233 added: [However, since this world’s script is simple, there aren’t many candidates. Aside from Li Zhuo, there is only Feng Qin. Since he has appeared, please be prepared.]

Ran Muqiu: “…”

He wasn’t illiterate. But if even the Protagonist Shou was this hard to break, would the Main Gong be any easier?

[Why didn’t the Bureau just downgrade him?]

233 paused. [I’m not sure. HQ held several meetings regarding your application. The conclusion was that this world isn’t suited for traditional downgrade methods. This result was the best the leadership could secure.]

[Fine.]

After a moment, Muqiu couldn’t help but ask weakly, [But my role is a Scumbag Gong. Feng Qin is also a Gong. How am I supposed to ‘angst’ him?]

He had only ever seen angst between a Gong and a Shou. If the host and the target were the same “model,” how could it possibly work?

233 thought for a while before suggesting: [Maybe try following the original script first?]

Ran Muqiu: “…”

He didn’t recall much of the original script besides the “physical” scenes. And from the moment the Main Gong appeared, the Bully was completely overshadowed. If he went over there now, he’d probably just be giving the guy a “Pleasure Value” boost.

Whatever. There was no other way.

Muqiu recalled the first interaction between the Bully and the Main Gong. Sending lackeys to slash his tires?

Ran Muqiu: “…”

Seriously? Can this kind of idiot behavior actually break the Protagonist’s heart?

All afternoon, Ran Muqiu was like a wilted sprout, listless and dejected. To comfort him, 233 played an old cartoon in his head, but it didn’t help.

Many in the class kept looking back at him, assuming their “Boss” was fuming because the new kid took his seat. Several came over to pledge their loyalty, swearing they only recognized “Brother Qiu,” only to be chased away by a speechless Muqiu.

Finally, school ended. Fatty asked if he wanted to walk together, but Muqiu declined.

233 reminded him: [Regarding the tire incident, you can ask someone to do it for you.]

Muqiu refused instantly: [No. I can’t afford to lose that much face.]

Once the classroom was empty, Muqiu headed down to the bike shed. He immediately spotted Feng Qin’s mountain bike—a Pinarello with a loud color scheme that stood out in the dilapidated shed.

After checking that no one was around, he pulled his tools from his bag and crouched down. The tires were fully inflated and quite hard. Muqiu wasn’t very strong; using a small tack hammer he’d bought during lunch, he struggled for a long time before finally managing to puncture the rear tire.

He let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose, and began working earnestly on the front tire.

Halfway through, footsteps suddenly echoed from the other side of the wall.

Panicked, Muqiu gave the tire one last forceful jab. Without even checking if it had punctured, he scrambled to gather his things and bolted, hiding around the corner of the wall to observe from the shadows.

The person walking over was indeed Feng Qin.

The tall, broad-shouldered boy carried his backpack over one shoulder, one hand tucked into his pocket, walking with an unhurried stride.

Muqiu peeked out with half a face to steal a glance. He saw the other’s brow slightly furrowed, carrying a trace of poorly concealed irritability.

Stopping by the mountain bike, Feng Qin didn’t notice anything wrong with the rear tire. He leaned down to unlock it, hopped on, and rode away.

Muqiu immediately followed, trotting along behind him.

After all, this was the first plot point. Even if it was incredibly moronic, he wanted to see if the Protagonist Gong falling over would actually increase the Heartbreak Value.

I mean, what if?

A flat tire eventually feels wrong. By the time he reached the school gate, Feng Qin’s sharp instincts kicked in, and he braked abruptly.

He hopped off to perform a quick inspection and immediately discovered the foul play with the rear tire.

The boy’s expression soured instantly. He stood in silence for a few seconds before standing up and delivering a vicious kick to the bike’s frame. “Those Nancheng bastards.”

The exorbitantly expensive Pinarello couldn’t withstand his fury; it wobbled a few times before toppling into a flowerbed.

Being called a “bastard” for the first time in his life, Muqiu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt, his face flushing crimson.

Feng Qin let out a breath, the ferocity in his expression not yet dissipated, and looked up—locking eyes directly with him.

Ran Muqiu: “…”

Feng Qin stared at him, expressionless.

The boy before him was wearing a backpack, his large, round eyes wide, his cheeks slightly flushed. He was staring back with a dazed, inexplicably aggrieved look.

Seeing Feng Qin looking his way, Ran Muqiu glanced left and right, bit his lip, and then—in a move that screamed ‘I’m definitely hiding something’—stepped behind a tree, attempting to use the trunk to block Feng Qin’s line of sight.

Feng Qin: “?”

Is this boss of Nancheng actually a bit of an idiot?

His lips twitched. He leaned down to pull the bike out of the flowerbed and pushed it away.

Muqiu stood behind the tree for a long while before slowly trudging toward the school gate. From a distance, he could see Feng Qin’s silhouette by the roadside.

Nancheng High had only one main entrance. Although Muqiu didn’t want to run into the Protagonist Gong, he had no other choice. He dawdled along until he finally made it outside the school grounds.

Feng Qin didn’t even lift his eyelids. He was leaning against a tree, head down as he made a phone call, his foot carelessly kicking a pebble.

Muqiu observed him stealthily for a moment.

As expected of the Protagonist Gong; just by standing there, he radiated an aura that couldn’t be ignored. This must be what they call “good aptitude.” This role was clearly meant for someone with this kind of hardware and presence.

Muqiu stared at the mole under Feng Qin’s eye for a while, then his gaze drifted upward. He suddenly blinked.

For some reason, looking at Feng Qin’s profile, he felt for a split second that the Protagonist Gong and Shou actually had a lot of “couple energy.” Especially their eyes—both were exceptionally beautiful.

Muqiu intentionally paced back and forth by the road, observing Feng Qin’s reaction and waiting for the System’s notification. But after a long time, the System remained silent.

It seemed that the childish act of slashing tires really couldn’t increase the Heartbreak Value one bit.

Although he had expected it, Muqiu was still a bit depressed. He complained to the System in his head: [What kind of rotten idea was that?]

233: “…”

To carry out the tire-slashing, Muqiu had specifically told his family driver not to pick him up. Now, after all his dawdling, he couldn’t find a taxi. His only option was to ride a bike to the subway station.

The roads near Nancheng High were old and poorly maintained; buses rarely ventured this way. To facilitate the commute for day students, the school had arranged for a batch of shared bikes outside the gates.

Gloomily, Muqiu walked over to a shared bike, crouched down, and scanned the QR code to unlock it.

In the distance, Feng Qin finished his call and looked over.

The sun was setting, casting a warm, orange glow over the world. The boy was leaning his head slightly, his slender neck appearing pale and delicate, as if coated in a layer of sugar by the twilight.

He also looked quite unhappy. From a side profile, you could clearly see his lips pressed together, pouting in a soft, pink arc.

Feng Qin watched him for a while before also walking toward the shared bikes.

Muqiu heard the footsteps approaching. However, since the “angst” attempt had failed and this guy had such a sharp tongue, Muqiu didn’t really want to acknowledge him. Once the bike lock clicked open, he prepared to hop on.

But perhaps the previous rider had been very tall; the seat was adjusted to an awkward height. Muqiu bit his lip, stepped back down, and lowered the seat by quite a margin.

Finally, it was right.

Feng Qin watched the boy’s series of movements without blinking. When he saw him lowering the seat, he finally couldn’t hold it back and let out a sudden “pfft” of laughter.

Ran Muqiu froze entirely.

Feng Qin quickly lowered his eyes, pressing a fist against his lips to stifle the sound.

For some reason, the irritability and aggression he’d felt all day vanished the moment he saw this person. Why hadn’t anyone told him that the boss of Nancheng was this cute? Both in looks and personality.

Muqiu immediately realized the Protagonist Gong was mocking him. “…”

Three times.

This was the third time this person had messed with him! Even if they were destined to be love rivals, the Protagonist Shou hadn’t even appeared yet—did the Protagonist Gong have to get into character this early?

He kept his face stiff, trying his best not to get angry. Just as he was about to pedal away, that familiar voice rang out again.

The man spoke unhurriedly, his tone dripping with sheer amusement as he asked Muqiu:

“Sorry, can I ask exactly how tall are you?”

Ran Muqiu: “…”