WCHM Chapter 6

Some people were just like that, completely unreasonable existences. The moment they showed up, all eyes turned to them and nowhere else.

 

Gu Yanyan thought of something, and a note of bitterness crept into his voice: “If Liang Zhiyu weren’t rich, would he even be worthy of talking to someone like that? Disgusting rich people…”

 

But before he could finish, Gu Jie shoved him hard, his expression twisted in disgust. “The hell is wrong with you?!” he asked. “I told you to seduce a man, not to go and fall in love!” In his rage, he kicked over a cracked ceramic pot by the wall with a loud crash, drawing curses from his neighbor’s house. As if on cue, Gu Jie immediately roared back: “Shut up! F* off, you filthy degenerate! Keep flapping your mouth and I’ll call the cops and have you dragged out naked, you damn, diseased-filled whoremonger!”

 

Oh well, even scum had their own food chain.

 

Sure, Gu Jie was a gambling addict, but so what? At the very least, he still looked down on those who spent their hard-earned money on women.

 

Gu Yanyan looked at him coldly and unfazed, while he dusted off his pants and stood up. As he passed by the designer backpack Gu Jie had bought him, he didn’t even glance at it, going straight to wash up.

 

All gambling addicts were the same.

 

When they were in a good mood, they’d treat you like their own flesh and blood, throw money around like it was confetti, and buy you whatever you wanted. But once the mood soured, it was all punches and kicks, to the point where if they could chop you up and sell the parts for gambling money, they would.

 

The Gu family was truly, utterly poor.

 

Grandma Gu only had two children. Her youngest, Gu Hong, never finished school. Instead, she married young and gave birth to Gu Yanyan. As for her eldest, Gu Jie, he dropped out of high school and left home to work. In all the years since, he’d only come back a handful of times.

 

However, Gu Hong and her husband died young. When Gu Yanyan finally got into university, he came to rely on the so-called “well-off” Uncle Gu Jie, only to find the man already ruined by gambling. His wife had left, his life was in shambles, and even half of his pinky finger was gone.

 

Gu Jie had racked up hundreds of thousands in debt and tried to run. The loan sharks caught him and hacked off his finger as a warning, with all of that happening the day Gu Yanyan arrived.

 

However, not long after the debt collectors left, a few men in suits came knocking. They offered 100,000 in cash upfront, on the condition that Gu Jie would use Gu Yanyan as bait. Before the semester began, they wanted him to provoke the Liang family’s Second Young Master into hitting him, with the worse the injuries sustained, the better. To make matters even harder to refuse, they even offered an additional 500,000 after the fact.

 

But before Gu Jie could even respond, Gu Yanyan had already agreed. Of course, he knew it was a setup since he wasn’t blind. However, he also needed money.

 

At A University, surrounded by the rich and powerful, that money would be enough for him to dress the part, blend in, and maybe even get close to a few of them.

 

And if he could hook one, even casually, he’d never have to worry about survival again.

 

After all, Gu Yanyan had been poor for too long. He hated the stench of poverty on his grandparents and the backward mountain village that raised him.

 

But more than that, he hated those young heirs who could waste money in nightclubs like it was air. In his eyes, he wasn’t any worse than Liang Zhiyu. He just wasn’t born with the same luck.

 

So he would climb up.

 

Step on them all and climb up.

 

Outside the bathroom, Gu Jie was done throwing his tantrum and was now on the phone, tone fawning and full of flattery as he explained the situation to the people from the Lin family.

 

Gu Yanyan ignored him. He finished washing his face, sighed with faint irritation, then carefully applied a face mask. While he waited, his fingers moved on their own, opening a shopping app and searching for “pink hair dye.”

 

He stared at the results, dazed.

 

No matter how resentful or cynical he felt, when standing in front of the truly wealthy, Gu Yanyan couldn’t help but feel small and insignificant.

 

But that man, Lu Chi, was different.

 

When Liang Zhiyu insulted him, he dared to hit back without hesitation, even doing so with full confidence, without fear, and definitely… Without shame.

 

Gu Yanyan admired that.

 

Envied it even.

 

If he could get close to someone like that… Would he, too, learn to be that bold?

 

If he could become like Lu Chi… Maybe even those arrogant heirs would willingly fall at his feet.

 

 

After staring at his phone screen for a long time, he remembered he had already passed the FOM interview earlier that morning… So after a moment of hesitation, he lowered his eyes and placed an order.

 

The same dusty pink hair dye.

 

And a skimpy clubwear outfit.

 

He hadn’t been born lucky. But if given the chance, he could learn anything.

 

………………..

 

By nearly 2 p.m., the sun over A City was blazing hot, hot enough to roast someone alive. Lu Chi slept in until he woke naturally, but when he opened his eyes, he was still a little out of it.

 

Fortunately, it was Sunday, so that meant no work.

 

After sitting in bed in a daze for a while, Lu Chi finally reached for his frog-shaped water bottle and started chugging. In his mind, the system greeted him brightly:

 

[Good afternoon, Host!]

 

Lu Chi: [Same to you.]

 

The system prompted: [Host, you’ve got tons of messages on your phone. Want to check them?]

 

Lu Chi said it could wait. Still rocking a head of fluffy, messy pink hair, he rolled out of bed to wash up. The AC was blowing hard. Holding up his hair, he stared into the mirror and applied some cheap moisturizer all over his face.

 

The system couldn’t help but gush: [Baby, you’re so easy on the eyes! I’m so lucky to have you as my host!]

 

Lu Chi raised an eyebrow, eyes still on the mirror, slowly finishing his skincare. [You sound just like my fans. Always full of compliments.] He said casually.

 

Before his death, Lu Chi had a lot of fans.

 

Most of them were lively young women, extremely fierce online. If anyone dared to insult him, they’d rush in to fight tooth and nail. In person, though, they were quiet. They’d book out entire theaters to support his films, then post thousand-word heartfelt reviews afterward.

 

Really adorable.

 

The system shamelessly admitted: [I am your fan! So please, Host Baby, hurry up and seduce the protagonist! The world of moral degeneracy needs a superstar like you!]

 

Lu Chi let out a lazy snort through his nose but didn’t reply. When he finally checked his phone, he found dozens of missed calls and unread messages, all from Manager Zhao.

 

And yet, he didn’t respond.

 

After throwing on a blue sleeveless tracksuit, he headed downstairs to grab food.

 

The sky was clear and the air dry, with rows of flowers lining the streets outside his apartment complex. Just looking at them lifted his mood.

 

After eating, Lu Chi wandered into a random salon. The moment he walked in, he told the stylist: “Dye it black. Cut it short. Thanks.”

 

The system was confused: [Baby?]

 

Lu Chi didn’t explain, only sitting there quietly, waiting for the dye to be applied. Only then did he finally call Manager Zhao back.

 

Ring—

 

Barely half a second passed before the line connected, with the voice on the other end sounding particularly urgent, just like he’d been waiting for Buddha himself.  

 

“Lu Chi, you finally picked up!”

 

“Sorry, Manager. I was sleeping. What’s up?” Lu Chi chuckled.

 

……………….

 

Inside the Shuiyun Garden apartment complex, harsh sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

 

Manager Zhao sat rigidly under Liang Jiashu’s icy black stare, with cold sweat soaking his back despite the warmth outside.

 

From eight in the morning until now, Young Master Liang had kept him there… The moment he found out Lu Chi had quit his job, he’d ordered Manager Zhao to call every thirty minutes and text twice in between.

 

And of course, he wasn’t allowed to leave until Lu Chi replied!

 

For half the day, Manager Zhao hadn’t even had a sip of water, staring at his phone until his eyes went blurry.

 

And Liang Jiashu… Hadn’t said a word the entire time, only sitting there like a ghost haunting a couch, still and silent enough to make your skin crawl.

 

Manager Zhao steadied himself, turned on speakerphone, and forced a smile: “Oh, nothing urgent,” he said. “I just wanted to ask if you were unhappy with the club? Is that why you resigned? FOM really needs people like you. If you’re dissatisfied with anything, we can work something out, I promise!”

 

The apartment remained silent.

 

Then, over the phone, came a soft, cheerful voice, tinged with static and just the right amount of flirtation: “Manager, you’re great but… It’s not you, it’s me.” Lu Chi then sighed, casually quoting the same MLM script Manager Zhao had used on him a week ago: “You were right, Manager. I really don’t know how to do anything except dance. If it weren’t for your keen eye, I wouldn’t have made all that money…”

 

“…So, I’ve decided to quit. Thank you for the wake-up call! You’re my benefactor!”

 

Manager Zhao well… Manager Zhao felt like dropping to his knees!

 

He didn’t dare look at Liang Jiashu, face crumpling as he stammered: “Xiao Chi, I-I was just talking nonsense! Please don’t take it seriously… Please… Oh, right, you still have debts, don’t you? You’ll need money to pay them back!”

 

However, Lu Chi softly replied: “Yeah, ah… Sigh. If only someone would just randomly transfer me a million bucks…So annoying, nee~”

 

Click.

 

The call ended.

 

Manager Zhao froze, holding his phone mid-air with no idea what to do next. Swallowing hard, he was just about to redial when, from the haunted sofa, Liang Jiashu finally spoke. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion: “Don’t bother.”

 

“Give me his contact info and bank account. Then leave.”

 

Manager Zhao froze again. However, life taught him not to ask too many questions. In the end, he stood, collected his phone, nodded, and slipped out as quietly as possible.

 

Running like King Yama himself came to collect his soul.

 

It wasn’t that Manager Zhao was scared of the Liang family. It was just that… Liang Jiashu’s personality was way too bizarre. In all his thirty-plus years, he’d never met someone like that kid. Not quite creepy, but still weird enough to keep your nerves taut and your skin crawling!

 

After exiting the elevator, Manager Zhao finally stepped into the bright sunlight. Only then did he feel the weight of late August’s heat pressing down on him, and the cold sweat on his back slowly started to evaporate.

 

He shook his head and turned to walk to his car. However, just as he was about to start the engine, his phone buzzed again. Manager Zhao looked at the caller ID and answered, totally confused:

 

“…Second Young Master Liang?”

 

On the other end, Liang Zhiyu’s voice was hoarse with both a hangover and his purely innate bad attitude. “That guy with the pink hair last night, give me his contact info! Also, until I say otherwise, don’t let him onstage again,” he barked into the phone.

 

“If I see him dancing again, you’re dead! Got it?”

 

Before Manager Zhao could respond, the call was already disconnected, in a textbook example of pure rudeness. After all, Second Young Master Liang was exactly that kind of arrogant heir.

 

Manager Zhao let out a dry chuckle and slammed his car’s door shut, muttering under his breath: “What the hell are you?! Think you’re Liang Jiashu or what?”

 

He fastened his seatbelt and reached for the ignition…

 

Buzz.

 

Another message.

 

This time around, it was from the brand-new employee he barely hired.

 

What was his name again? Gu something? Yanyan?

 

The tone of the message was timid but polite: [Manager Zhao, excuse me… Do you happen to have Senior Lu Chi’s contact info?]

 

Manager Zhao: “…”

 

He slowly lifted his head and glanced up at the sky, inexplicably struck by a ridiculous thought:

 

Wait a minute… Is this actually a novel world with Lu Chi as the protagonist?! Is that why everyone is in love with him?!

 

Then what the hell am I?!

 

Some minor NPC meant to inconvenience the lead?!

 

Manager Zhao sat in silence for a while, lost in thought. Eventually, still baffled, he stepped on the gas pedal and slowly drove away from the Shuiyun Garden apartment complex.

 

………………..

 

Hot water streamed over freshly dyed black hair as Lu Chi quickly towel-dried it, not bothering to style it at all.

 

The system was chattering nervously in his ear: [Host, what if they forget about you?! What if the male leads fall for each other instead?! What if they actually get together?!]

 

[That can’t happen! They’ll trigger an uncontrollable conflict! The whole world line will collapse! You’ll go back to being dead, and I’ll be recycled! Wuwuwuwu…]

 

Lu Chi raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask what all the fuss was about, his phone buzzed several times in a row.

 

He looked down and tapped open WeChat, as unhurried as always…

 

…And as expected, there it was. Three friend requests, all sent nearly at the same time, lined up in perfect, orderly succession:

 

LJS: [Is one million enough?]

 

Life Is Wild: [You give me a sense of alienation, too. Please accept.]

 

AAA VIP Booth Booking – Xiao Yan: [Hello Senior Lu Chi! I’m Gu Yanyan, the new hire from last night! ^^]

 

System: […]

 

System: [???]

 

Lu Chi didn’t look surprised at all. With a lazy tap of his finger, he accepted the requests from all three:

 

The default profile picture of Gong No.1.

 

The rock band avatar of Gong No.2.

 

And the prim and proper headshot of the novel’s Shou.  

 

And three seconds later, as if on cue…

 

Acting like three well-trained dogs, the trio sent the exact same message:

 

[You resigned?!]

 

………………………………..

Enjoyed this chapter? You can support me and read up to Chapter 12 here, with 5 new chapters coming next week, on the first of August! Happy Reading!