I Really Am a Scumbag Bottom [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

The next morning, Chi Zhao crawled out of bed and let out a blissful stretch. The beds in the Li residence were infinitely more comfortable than the hard wooden bunks back at his dorm. This deal was worth it; even in death, he got to enjoy a taste of luxury.

【If it’s worth it, then get to work! Li Yihan is already eating breakfast. If you dawdle any longer, he’ll be gone!】

Hearing this, Chi Zhao scrambled out of bed instantly.

After a quick wash and changing into clean clothes, he jogged downstairs. Hearing the commotion, Li Yihan lifted his gaze. He saw Qi Yuan scanning the room with wide eyes until their eyes met; only then did the boy’s expression gradually soften and relax.

Li Yihan said nothing, lowering his eyes again to mask his thoughts.

Chi Zhao came to a halt at the foot of the stairs. He pursed his lips and, feigning composure, walked over to offer a polite greeting: “Good morning, Mr. Li.”

Li Yihan gave a curt “mhm.” Uncle Zhang brought out the prepared breakfast. While most of the food was identical to Li Yihan’s, Qi Yuan was served milk, whereas Li Yihan was drinking black coffee.

Qi Yuan had to leave for school in thirty minutes. The drive took half an hour, meaning he’d arrive on campus in an hour. Li Yihan, heading to his office, was not going the same way.

For the rest of the day, these few minutes at breakfast were the only time Chi Zhao would see Li Yihan. Given how busy the man was, once he left today, he might not return for another week or two.

Chi Zhao realized he probably couldn’t fulfill the System’s “First Principle” (Always be in his line of sight.) in the short term, but he could certainly put effort into the second and third.

Wasn’t it just about being good to people? That was his specialty! Chi Zhao had been an Early Childhood Education major. In a class of thirty girls, there were only two boys—and the other one had buckled under the pressure and changed majors by sophomore year.

As the lone survivor, he had been the “little angel” of the class. If there was work to be done, he did it; if there wasn’t, he was the designated chat partner. Everyone adored him.

However, for some reason, the girls all viewed Chi Zhao as a cute “neighborhood little brother.” They’d pat his head or pinch his cheeks, but not a single one showed romantic interest.

Ah, such a tragic tale, best not to dwell on it.

In any case, after two years with thirty girls, Chi Zhao was an expert at taking care of people. While men and girls were different, at the end of the day, people were people.

With this thought in mind, Chi Zhao noticed Li Yihan putting down his butter knife. He was finished. Li Yihan picked up his phone with his left hand, glancing at it absentmindedly, while his right hand drifted toward his coffee cup.

Chi Zhao blinked and stealthily reached out, nudging the coffee cup a few centimeters away.

Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Li Yihan looked up, confused. Chi Zhao met his gaze for two seconds and then said with a straight face: “You shouldn’t drink fluids immediately after eating. It causes indigestion.”

Uncle Zhang, standing nearby, felt the urge to facepalm. He used to think Qi Yuan was just a night owl who loved to party; he hadn’t realized the boy was also such a busybody. Li Yihan detested people telling him what to do. They had barely met a handful of times—who was Qi Yuan to lecture him?

Uncle Zhang sighed inwardly. Having worked for the Li family for over a decade, he was well-prepared to deal with all sorts of flashy, self-righteous “vixens” trying to snatch the master’s attention. He just never expected the first person to fit that role would be the master’s nominal foster son.

For three long seconds, Li Yihan said nothing. Uncle Zhang stepped forward, about to break the awkward silence, when he saw Li Yihan shift his gaze from Qi Yuan’s face to the coffee cup that was now just out of reach.

“Is that so?” Li Yihan’s voice was low. “Then when can I drink it?”

“In five minutes.” Originally, Chi Zhao had raised the point for the sake of Li Yihan’s health, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he had inadvertently bought five more minutes of Li Yihan’s time. He couldn’t help but smile.

Qi Yuan was naturally clean-cut and handsome, but his usual negativity made him look gloomy, sensitive, and unapproachable. Now that Chi Zhao was inhabiting the body, his smile revealed two small canine teeth, making him look bright and adorable.

Infected by the smile, Li Yihan’s mood lifted a notch. He nodded. “Fine. I’ll remember that.”

Li Yihan’s father had died when he was sixteen. The family assets he was supposed to inherit were devoured by greedy relatives, nearly leaving him and his mother with nothing. From that moment on, he had ceased to be an ordinary teenager. Over six years, he grew, fought back, and reclaimed what was his, piece by piece, reuniting the Li family.

He had been the head of the house since he was twenty-two. It had been ten years now. No one had ever stayed by his side; first, because he didn’t trust outsiders, and second, because he preferred the quiet. At least, that was how he used to think.

Being alone for so long, he had forgotten what companionship felt like. Today, Qi Yuan had given him a refresher.

Despite the flicker of warmth, Li Yihan remained analytical toward Qi Yuan. He hadn’t forgotten the background reports his men had provided. A person might change, or they might not. He and Qi Yuan were bound by a contract—they weren’t supposed to have any real intersection.

Chi Zhao was oblivious to Li Yihan’s complex internal monologue. He was already happily on his way to school. Having died once, he realized what a blessing it was to simply attend class. Qi Yuan was only a freshman, so the material was new; even if Chi Zhao didn’t know something, he could easily fake his way through.

Walking into the lecture hall, half the room consisted of his classmates, yet not one person greeted him. Chi Zhao paused for a moment, found an empty seat, and sat down.

The System had stated that the primary goal of this world was to teach Chi Zhao how to roleplay. It had taught him the basics; the rest was up to his own practice. As long as he didn’t make any major blunders, the System wouldn’t interfere.

It was only October. They had started in August, followed by a month of military training and a month of classes. It was normal not to recognize everyone. Chi Zhao felt perfectly calm, not at all worried about being “outed” as an imposter.

He pulled out his textbook and took a sip of water. Suddenly, someone sat down next to him, slinging an arm over the back of Chi Zhao’s chair and looking at him provocatively. “Qi Yuan, you were a blast the other night. Senior really likes you. He asked me to check if you’re coming to the Dragon Pearl Club tonight. I already told him yes for you.”

This was Zhou Hetian, a classmate who had introduced Qi Yuan to various entertainment venues. The “Dragon Pearl” was a notorious gay club—the name alone hinted at its lack of moral boundaries.

People went there to play, mostly with men. If Qi Yuan went, he’d definitely be the one being “played.”

Chi Zhao frowned at Zhou Hetian. “I’m not going. Tell him I’m busy.”

Zhou Hetian hadn’t expected this. His expression soured instantly. “Qi Yuan, are you messing with me? I already gave him my word. If you bail now and Senior comes looking for me, what am I supposed to do?”

“I didn’t ask you to say yes. I’m done going to those places. You don’t need to look for me anymore.”

The System, residing in Chi Zhao’s mind, was watching this like a spectator at a play—it was practically ready to grab a chair and a slice of watermelon. Hearing Chi Zhao’s rejection, it immediately panicked.

【You can’t say that! You have to go. Otherwise, how are you going to ‘green-cap’ Li Yihan? This Zhou Hetian is destined to be one of your future flings. He’s got some money, and you’re supposed to use his connections to meet your future ‘partners.’】

But I don’t want to go, those places are a mess. It feels so wrong!

System: “…”

After a long hesitation, the System compromised.

【Fine, you don’t have to go now, but you will have to eventually. You must maintain a friendly relationship with Zhou Hetian.】

Chi Zhao agreed. He turned back to the cloud-faced Zhou Hetian. “How about this: give me Senior’s contact info, and I’ll turn him down myself?”

Zhou Hetian’s brow furrowed, but he sneered inwardly. So that’s your game. He knew it; how could someone like Qi Yuan actually want to stop going? All this high-and-mighty talk was just a ploy to get Senior’s personal number so he could cozy up to him directly.

Despite the sneer in his heart, his expression relaxed. “Fine. Tell him yourself.”

He rattled off the phone number. Chi Zhao typed it into his keypad. Before dialing, he asked, “By the way, what was Senior’s name again?”

Zhou Hetian: “…”

Upon hearing the name, Chi Zhao repeated it to himself and then made the call. It was picked up almost immediately. The moment he heard a “Hello,” Chi Zhao spoke rapidly: “Hi, Senior Duan. This is Qi Yuan. Just calling to let you know I won’t be coming tonight. Please don’t invite me again in the future. Bye-bye.”

Chi Zhao spoke like a machine gun, giving the other person zero chance to interject. As soon as he finished, he hung up.

Putting his phone down, Chi Zhao calmly opened his book to browse the upcoming lesson. Beside him, Zhou Hetian sat dumbfounded.

It took a moment for Zhou Hetian to process what had happened. He suddenly slapped the book out of Chi Zhao’s hand and glared at him in a rage: “Qi Yuan, are you out of your mind?”

Chi Zhao froze, genuinely confused by the reaction.

Zhou Hetian stood up abruptly, pointing a finger at Chi Zhao’s forehead in utter frustration. “Just you wait—you’re dead meat!”