Chapter One – A Scum Top
When Zhuo Fan came out of the supermarket with big bags of fresh foods and vegetables, he saw a very familiar black private car parked at the door. The man in the car rolled down the window, cast a glimpse at him, and spat out two words: “Get in the car.”
Zhuo Fan sat in the car, two big bags in his arms. He looked at the other man through the rearview mirror, a touch of surprise in his gaze. “Why did you come and pick me up?”
The car was driving very fast. Xiao Han looked straight ahead at the road and said casually, “Chenli is coming home today on the 5 o'clock flight. I'll pick him up. Then, we'll have a meal together and welcome him back.”
At the sound of Chenli's name, Zhuo Fan became very nervous. His hands tightened around the plastic bags. Turning to look at Xiao Han's cold profile, he asked tentatively, “Shall I cook for both of you at home? I bought fresh spare ribs and…"
“No need. I've already booked a room at a French restaurant.” Xiao Han interrupted him, pulling at his tightly knotted tie, and flashed a rare helpless smile. “Chenli has stayed too long in France, and I think he may not be used to Chinese food anymore.”
Zhuo Fan froze a little when he saw that smile; Xiao Han had never spared him such a pampering, dazzling smile before.
“You seem to have mentioned before… that he looks a little like me?” Zhuo Fan asked tentatively.
“No,” Xiao Han corrected him. “You're the one who looks like him, but only just a little bit.”
“…”
The chill from the groceries spread to his hands; it seemed like he had bought them for nothing. Yet, Xiao Han would certainly not care about such trifles. In fact, ever since he called for Zhao Fan to get into the car, he had not looked at him again.
Zhao Fan's eyes gradually reddened. Why is Liang Chenli always the only one in your heart even though I am so nice to you?
Zhao Fan looked at his watch. It was now only 3:00 p.m. It would only take them about an hour to get to the airport. Driving so quickly… how eager he must be.
Xiao Han did not even bother to pay attention to the delicate girl-like mind of the man next to him. Speeding was just his attempt to vent his depressed mood today. Anxious to see Liang Chenli? Please, who was that?!
Just today, he had woken up to the shocking fact that he had transmigrated into a scum top in a modern scum/slag novel !
How did Xiao Han transmigrate? How would he know? Anyway, it happened.
Not only that, he also knew that the novel had the most cliched of plots about how a typical scum top, nursing an unrequited crush on his good friend, found a man who looked a little like his friend as a stand-in.
No questions, he just knew it.
The script first had him driving to the supermarket at 3:00 p.m. to pick Zhao Fan up, and then made him rush to the airport with his little lover to meet his crush. What fantastic writing — just how much worse could it get?!
Ah? Did you just ask what this 'script' was? What did you take me for, an encyclopedia?
From the rearview mirror, Xiao Han caught a glance of how sad his “little lover” looked while watching him. Immediately, he felt an ache in his balls.
Look here, little brother. We've only just met for the first time today. Don't be so bitter and hateful, will you? I don't even know you!
Even though he was crazily complaining in his heart, Xiao Han still maintained a cold and silent expression. He also remained indifferent towards Zhuo Fan's attempts at conversation, in accordance with the demands of the script.
Yet, who would have thought that they would run into a traffic jam on the way? What a great turn of events. He could not even speed now.
“Fuck!” Xiao Han scolded in his heart and smacked the steering wheel. Noticing the action, Zhao Fan naturally thought that he was upset by the possibility of being late to his meeting with Liang Chenli. This idea saddened Zhao Fan even more.
The jam lasted for nearly an hour before they reached the airport. After he parked the car, Xiao Han finally looked at Zhuo Fan: “Get off.”
The latter put his things down and closed the door. He went around the car to walk side by side with Xiao Han. Then, he reached out and held Xiao Han's arm.
Xiao Han stiffened, goose bumps instantly spreading across his left hand. Fortunately, he was wearing a suit so it was not discovered. However, the script wanted him to only pull away after seeing Liang Chenli. Hence, Xiao Han could only walk quickly to the arrival area with a cold face.
“Hey, Chenli, have you arrived yet?” Xiao Han held onto his phone, his eyes sweeping through the crowd. He had absolutely no idea how that fellow looked like.
“Ah-Han, I see you now! My wife and I are behind you.”
Liang Chenli's excited voice came from the phone. Xiao Han turned his head and saw a tall man in a windbreaker waving to him, his arm around a hot blonde girl. Mn, seems like this guy's the one.
Xiao Han resolutely shook away Zhuo Fan's arm, and studied the approaching figures as they came close. No point giving any description though; they're just a couple of calefares.
“Ah-Han, I haven't seen you for many years. You're still so handsome that my wife's eyes are about to fall out. I'm getting jealous!” Liang Chenli patted Xiao Han while keeping one arm around his own wife, and pretended to be angry.
That was not a bad compliment. Xiao Han nodded to the blonde girl with a smile and said, “You married such a beautiful wife. I should be the jealous one.”
He swore that he was being sincere, but in Zhuo Fan's ears it would no doubt be a thorn in his heart.
"Who's this? He looks a little familiar,” Liang Chenli teased with a look at Xiao Han, finally remembering that there was still another living object next to him.
Xiao Han answered slowly, “This is Zhuo Fan, a friend of mine.”
He did not need to look to know that the other man must be looking absolutely crestfallen now. Xiao Han silently cursed the script tens of millions of times, but politely invited Liang Chenli and his wife to dinner.
Xiao Han had booked a room at the best French restaurant in the city, and even hired a musician to play the violin outside their room.
The room was elegant and quiet. Every dish on the table was delicate and delicious. Xiao Han cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth.
It turned out that Liang Chenli was a huge talkaholic. He went back and forth with his wife, chatting incessantly. Both tried to tell this old friend of his all about their wonderful and interesting stories from abroad. Without showing much expression, Xiao Han cut the steak gracefully and quietly placed Chenli's favorite food onto his plate, listening with relish.
Zhuo Fan sat quietly by the side and watched. The table full of delicacies seemed to have lost its flavor. He ate a bit of ice-cream, only to feel that his stomach was frozen, and it quickly started cramping.
His forehead beaded with sweat, Zhuo Fan gently tugged at Xiao Han's clothes and whispered, “Xiao Han, I feel a little uncomfortable, I'm going to the washroom.”