What to Do if You Transmigrate Into the Body of the Number One Scumbag? - Chapter 5

Gu Shiyan had lived for over twenty years, but this was the first time he truly understood what it felt like to have his heart pierced by a smile. In this moment, the boy’s every expression and gesture swirled through his mind in a continuous loop. Innocence and loveliness had finally taken a concrete form. In his past life, many had approached him with ulterior motives, and he had always been able to see through them instantly, dismissing them with a single glance.

“Are you hot?” Gu Shiyan asked instead.

Luo Mu was taken aback, then quickly shook his head.

“Is that so? But you’re sweating.”

“I… I’m fine.”

Gu Shiyan sighed. He never expected that one day he would feel so powerless against a young boy, completely unsure of how to handle him.

“Take off the scarf,” he commanded directly, having realized that trying to reason with the youth was a lost cause.

“Then… could you help me take it off, Husband? My hands are all sweaty…”

Luo Mu was truly a walking contradiction.

Gu Shiyan looked at him from the side. Luo Mu blinked, his eyes clear and translucent as they met the man’s gaze. After a second or two, the light in the boy’s eyes began to dim, and he slowly raised his hands as if preparing to untie the scarf himself. Gu Shiyan finally moved. He discovered that he simply could not stand by and watch the boy suffer even a hint of a negative emotion.

His fingers worked quickly to undo the scarf, revealing the boy’s slender neck. Gu Shiyan mentally noted that the column of the boy’s throat looked as if he could wrap his entire hand around it. Recognizing the stray thought for what it was, the man immediately suppressed it. He closed his eyes for a split second to clear his mind, the scarf still in his hand, retaining the lingering warmth of the boy’s body.

His heart gave a violent thud. He quickly sat up straight and resumed his usual expressionless mask just as the car pulled up to the gates of the old residence.

He had gathered some information about the family situation beforehand, so he planned to play it by ear. As soon as he stepped out of the car, the butler led him away to see the elder Master Gu. Luo Mu didn’t dare to look around, sticking close to the man’s heels like a shadow.

Their rhythmic footsteps were soon intercepted. The butler offered Luo Mu a polite smile. “Young Madam, Master Gu has some matters to discuss with the Young Master. You may go to see the Madam now; she is waiting for you in the living room.”

Luo Mu’s large eyes looked at the butler with unease before turning toward Gu Shiyan. His face was a clear map of tension and helplessness, and his hands instinctively began to pick at his palms. Gu Shiyan walked back to him and patted his shoulder to offer some comfort.

“It’s alright. I’ll be back in a moment. Go on.”

Luo Mu gazed at him with eyes full of reluctance. Though he desperately didn’t want to part from the man, he had no choice. He pursed his lips and eventually nodded, forcing a look of ease.

“Okay, Husband. I’ll head over first.” He followed the butler, looking back over his shoulder with every step. Gu Shiyan nearly turned around to follow him, only reigning himself in through sheer willpower.

The old residence was designed in a traditional Chinese courtyard style. Gu Shiyan walked through a long corridor to the study door. The butler opened it, ushered him in, and then quietly withdrew to avoid disturbing them. His father, the elder Gu, was bent over a desk practicing calligraphy, his expression hidden.

Gu Shiyan stood still, waiting. His father showed no reaction until he finished the final character on the rice paper. Only then did he set down the brush and look up at the person across the desk.

“Tell me. The things reported in the media, are they true? Do you have an explanation?”

Gu Shiyan thought for a second. He knew his father was referring to the news report from this morning regarding the original owner running off to a bar on his wedding night. His brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Realizing there was no way to defend the indefensible, he admitted it with a sigh of resignation.

“It’s true. I have nothing to say in my defense.”

“You!” Master Gu was instantly incensed, pointing a finger at the man’s nose and glaring.

Gu Shiyan felt truly wronged. Had he arrived just a bit earlier, he wouldn’t have had to shoulder such a heavy burden. Since the truth was unbelievable, he could only accept his bad luck. Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to fix things.

“I know I was wrong. I promise it won’t happen again,” Gu Shiyan said softly. His calm, steady demeanor was a display of maturity Master Gu had never seen before. The older man was slightly stunned; he knew exactly how much of a mess his son usually was. He had even prepared the family disciplinary rod, yet here the boy was, admitting his mistake and giving a guarantee so easily. For the first time, Master Gu found himself at a loss for words.

In the past, every interaction ended in a shouting match. He had been prepared for the little brat to defy him again, but it felt like his punch had landed on a pile of cotton. His son had actually compromised for the first time.

“Cough… don’t just give me these superficial words every time. You have to mean what you say, do you understand?” Master Gu’s expression remained stern. “I know Mu-mu’s background; he is a kind, obedient child who is devoted to you. I don’t know what you could possibly be dissatisfied with. Now that you know you were wrong, give it some proper thought.”

Gu Shiyan gave a small sound of affirmation. “I understand.”

“You understand? If you understood, would you have pulled that nonsense?! Hmph!”

Gu Shiyan: “…”

“Since you’ve come to your senses, good. There’s a gathering in a few days. Take Mu-mu with you to have some fun. He’s still young and should enjoy those things. Spend more time with him and stop hanging around that foul crowd of yours. Do you hear me?!”

Gu Shiyan nodded obediently. “I hear you.”

“One more thing. Your younger brother starts his internship in a month. You know how he is, so just arrange a random job for him in the company. I don’t expect much from him, but you need to pull yourself together. When I retire, you’ll have to step up. If you let our family’s decades of industry fail, I’ll kick you out. Don’t even think of calling yourself my son!”

The original owner did indeed have a younger brother named Gu Yuxuan. He had suffered a high fever as a child that had affected his mental development; though he was functional now, his academic performance was abysmal. The family had no high expectations for him beyond living a good life, and they could certainly afford to support him. He had always been clingy toward his older brother, but the “scumbag” original owner had spent his days fooling around. Master Gu, frustrated with his eldest, eventually forbade the younger brother from following him, figuring one “ruined” son was enough.

Now that the eldest seemed to have turned a leaf, Master Gu felt it was time for the brothers to start spending time together again.

“Fine. I’ll see to it then,” Gu Shiyan replied.

“Good. If there’s nothing else—” Master Gu was cut off by a whirlwind of a voice.

Gu Yuxuan burst through the door and grew ecstatic the moment he saw Gu Shiyan. “Brother! Brother, you’re finally back! I missed you so much!”

“I haven’t been able to find you for days. You didn’t reply to my messages, and Dad wouldn’t let me look for you…” The boy wailed as he rushed over, looking as if he had suffered the world’s greatest grievance. Despite being over six feet tall, he acted like a toddler.

Gu Shiyan’s composed expression nearly shattered. What on earth is happening…

“What are you doing? You’re a grown man, stop howling and behave yourself!” Master Gu grabbed the boy by the scruff of the neck and pulled him back. “You’re in your twenties, can’t you be more mature?”

“Oh.” Rebuked, Gu Yuxuan immediately fell silent, lowering his head pitifully.

Gu Shiyan walked over and tilted his “cheap” younger brother’s chin up. Wait… The face was incredibly familiar. In his real life, he also had a brother; an adopted one his parents had taken in from an orphanage. That brother had also loved clinging to him since they were young, and his heart was in the right place, far removed from any “fighting over the family fortune” tropes.

He hadn’t expected that after transmigrating, his “cheap” brother would actually become his biological one.

Gu Yuxuan, this large young man, now had reddened eyes from being scolded. He blinked at his idolized older brother, tears pooling in his eyes but not quite falling. Gu Shiyan was amused by the pitiful sight.

“Brother?” Gu Yuxuan called out, his lips trembling.

Support What to Do if You Transmigrate Into the Body of the Number One Scumbag?