Scum A with a Sweet Black Lotus O – Chapter 81
by Little Panda“It’s only been a short while since you abandoned your wife and child, and you’re already raising a second child!?”1
Let us turn back time to a few hours earlier.
Evening, 9:00 PM sharp.
《Heartbeat》2 had finished airing all of its content, concluding to the audience’s slight air of regret.
Next, the guests would move out of the villa, ending this 33-day romantic journey, and return to their respective normal lives.
Among them.
Those who had successfully paired up today were naturally coupled up and sweet, not needing any disturbance from outsiders; while the single individuals3 were arranged by the program team to be sent back to their respective residences.
As two of the single dogs, Qin Zhenyan and Xia Shiyi were in good circumstances and both had their own cars, politely declining the program team’s offer. Thus, only Pei Xuezhi remained.
At the door, Fu Chaoyun walked up to Pei Xuezhi, as if nothing had ever happened, and spoke normally.
“Shall I give you a ride?”
The guests’ luggage had been packed last night, so they could just grab their bags and leave. Pei Xuezhi was the same.
It’s just that when she came, she had very few things, only packing a medium-sized suitcase, but when she left, it was replaced with a large one.
Pei Xuezhi turned her head to look at her.
“No need.”
“The show is over.”
Without waiting for Fu Chaoyun to speak, she got into the vehicle arranged by the program team. The vehicle started, the lighting in the villa area was dim, and in a short while, it disappeared into the night, no longer visible.
The guests left one after another. Fu Chaoyun, as a semi-staff member, stayed a little longer, unexpectedly becoming the last one.
The originally romantic night scene was dismantled bit by bit; it couldn’t be left until tomorrow because it would disturb other residents in the area.
A staff member ran over and whispered, “Director Fu, what should we do with the flowers you and… you and Teacher Pei have?”
The flowers from the program team had all served as messengers of love. The two couples had, more or less, taken some, especially the ones given to them by their partner, as tokens of their confirmed relationship. Perhaps they would later be made into dried flowers and preserved, for good luck.
As for the unsuccessful ones, Qin Zhenyan and Xia Shiyi didn’t look back, and Pei Xuezhi hadn’t taken any either.
That left Fu Chaoyun…
Fu Chaoyun leaned slightly, her eyes half-closed, appearing languid. “Throw away mine. As for Teacher Pei’s… keep them. Never mind, bring them over.”
“Okay.”
Afterward, Fu Chaoyun also returned to the room to enjoy the air conditioning.
The system, which hadn’t been seen for a long time, also appeared.
On tonight’s confession night, it originally thought everything was over and was prepared to play dead to the end. Unexpectedly, there was a dramatic turn of events!
Unlike the wailing and crying netizens and fans online now, the system was in an excellent mood. It wished it could set off firecrackers inside Fu Chaoyun’s head!
But these things couldn’t be known by Fu Chaoyun.
Now, seeing the “dejected” Fu Chaoyun, it even said something nice, a rare occurrence, 【You don’t have to be too sad.】
“…Huh?”
【Pei Xuezhi is the female lead, the woman chosen by destiny. Of course, she wouldn’t be that easy to win over~ It’s not your fault, really…】
Before the system could finish speaking, the staff member brought in Pei Xuezhi’s “kitty.” At the same time, Fu Chaoyun received a call from her good friend, Zhao Yujun.
“Has your lousy variety show finished airing? Want to hang out?”
The other person didn’t ask anything, didn’t say anything.
Fu Chaoyun smiled slightly. “So urgent?” There was no sadness discernible in her tone. “I just finished here.”
Zhao Yujun, upon hearing this, also laughed. “Aren’t I providing you with a seamless transition?”
“Then I have to consider it…”
As she spoke, Fu Chaoyun’s hand landed on the “kitty.”
A cat made of flowers naturally wouldn’t have a fluffy touch, and it was even more delicate; a slight touch made one worry it might fall apart.
Baby’s breath4 flowers are very small and sparse. Logically, a kitty made like this should be empty, but unexpectedly, Pei Xuezhi first used branches to build the frame of the kitty, and then cut the small flowers along with their stems and skillfully inserted them into the kitty’s body, making its fur look not so sparse, and even giving it a somewhat fluffy, airy feel.
Her Zhizhi was indeed clever.
How much time and effort had been put into this? But it was precisely this person who rejected her on the final night…
Fu Chaoyun’s hand stroked the kitty’s ear tips, which were made of lavender. She suddenly said.
“Ah Yu, perhaps I really didn’t do a very good job.”
The other end was silent for a moment. “Tell me.”
Zhao Yujun not asking was a courtesy between friends, but if the other person wanted to talk, she would immediately become the best listener.
Fu Chaoyun thought for a moment, describing her current emotions with some difficulty.
“Sometimes I feel like I’ve done enough, and sometimes I feel like it’s far from enough…”
Zhao Yujun listened attentively.
Although her own relationship history wasn’t very smooth, the outsider always sees things more clearly. At this moment, she didn’t mind being a half-baked relationship advisor.
Fu Chaoyun’s narration was somewhat jumbled, clearly, some emotions were unfamiliar, and she herself couldn’t quite sort them out.
“So how did you feel when you were rejected tonight?” Zhao Yujun cut straight to the chase5.
“Of course, I wasn’t very happy.”
“What else?”
Fu Chaoyun hesitated slightly, and finally let out a sigh. The breath, transmitted through sound waves, seemed particularly long and drawn out.
“There’s a feeling of ‘as expected’.”
This surprised not only Zhao Yujun, but even the system. “You thought of this before?”
Fu Chaoyun rubbed her head, a little frustrated. Her actions of petting the kitty also became unintentionally forceful. “Mm, I could feel it, more or less.”
She couldn’t share more details with others, but several times Pei Xuezhi’s gaze was deep and reserved, and even when she was talking to her, she deliberately prevented her from hearing… these were all early signs.
Feeling restless, Fu Chaoyun poked the kitty’s face again as if to “vent.” The action was still gentle, though, because she was worried about damaging the thing.
“Then you—”
“Wait a minute!”
Zhao Yujun’s words had just left her mouth when she was suddenly stopped by Fu Chaoyun. She pushed the “kitty” a little further forward, examining it under the bright light of the room.
The tiny bit of black in the cat’s eyes was not an illusion.
Fu Chaoyun then grabbed the kitty with both hands, directly tilting her head to clamp the phone between her head and shoulder, and quickly said, “I have some things to take care of here, I’m hanging up.”
Without even waiting for Zhao Yujun’s reply, Fu Chaoyun directly looked up again, the phone sliding onto the sofa, unattended.
In the room, only the system was roaring in Fu Chaoyun’s head.
【What are you doing?!!!】
After an unknown amount of time.
Fu Chaoyun came out of the room and received another call from her elder sister, Fu Lingfeng. “The show is over. Tomorrow you should return to Xingdong and work properly.”
Fu Chaoyun chuckled, her expression light and unrestrained, brimming with confidence. “It’s still far too early!”
“What do you want?”
“Little Fu Zong6 didn’t watch the show today. Your younger sister was rejected, heartbroken, and unable to work. Since Little Fu Zong is so capable, naturally, the capable should do more.”
The other side was silent for a while, then Fu Lingfeng, as if helplessly compromising, said, “Be quick.”
“That’s hard to say.”
“Fu Chaoyun.”
Fu Lingfeng only slightly raised her voice, and the person on this end immediately softened. “Okay, okay, I’ll try my best.”
Not long after Fu Chaoyun left, a staff member went in to clean up and saw flower stems scattered all over the floor.
The original flower kitty was gone.
Hiss!
The staff member couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. Director Fu had ultimately… gone mad for love?!
Big news!!!
Since Pei Xuezhi had an unpleasant falling out with her roommate last time, she rented a house near the school.
She still kept her spot in the school dormitory and would stay at school if she had early classes. Luckily, it was university, so they didn’t check dorms much.
As an Omega, Pei Xuezhi had a strong sense of safety and had the program team’s car stop nearby.
Tonight, the moonlight was excellent, and the starry river was brilliant.
There was a small park near the apartment Pei Xuezhi rented, with complete streetlights. The pace of life in the big city was fast, and the nights were longer. Even after nine o’clock, there were still people jogging, strolling, or dating there.
Pei Xuezhi walked to a relatively empty bench and sat down, placing her suitcase to the side. Only at this moment did she look up and let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally… it’s over.
She looked at her phone again.
Sure enough, the news that she and Fu Chaoyun hadn’t ended up together had already exploded online. Everyone was puzzled; the two got along so well, why didn’t they get together?
Pei Xuezhi’s gaze fell on the screen.
How could they not be together?
How could they… possibly be together?
Indeed.
The current Fu Chaoyun was different from the one in her previous life. She was no longer obsessive, no longer gloomy, and no longer a dead-end, inflexible person7.
The incident with Fu Li last time was ultimately handled by her in such a gentle way…
Beneath the cynical exterior, she was sunny, warm, upright, kind, gentle… almost all words describing beautiful qualities could be piled onto that person. She deserved all the beautiful and pleasant words.
Similarly, such a person was completely different from herself.
Feel inferior?
How could that be!
This couldn’t possibly be the reason for the “proud” Pei Xuezhi to give up.
The environment of the dating show, although it later incorporated the daily lives of the guests, their social interactions were still simple. The whole thing was like a fantasy utopia. The guests were kept in this beautiful glass city, and all they had to do every day was to happily fall in love, without thinking too much.
But 33 days, Heartbeat only had 33 days.
This glass bottle would be broken one day, and that day was today. And from today onwards, they would both face more, more realistic, and more complex factors. This was the real test in a relationship.
So, was it these things that drove Pei Xuezhi away?
Not really, either.
She had the confidence and perseverance to face all future setbacks, and she didn’t need anyone to shelter her from the storm. The only thing… she couldn’t calculate was that person’s heart.
Or, rather, how much of a place she occupied in that person’s heart.
Frankly speaking.
She liked that person, and that person also liked her. This could be seen in some of their interactions on the show.
In this regard, they were equal.
But what if the degree of liking was gradually increased, bit by bit, until the accumulation underwent a qualitative change and became so-called “love”?
At that time, she could answer with a “yes,” but that person might not.
For example, in their interactions, that person seemed as if she would never get angry, always and only complying with her in everything, never throwing tantrums. Or rather, even if she did throw a tantrum, it was to continue teasing her.
Moreover, when faced with competition from others, Fu Chaoyun never showed obvious signs of jealousy, as if…
As if she was just a pet.
This was also abnormal.
Pei Xuezhi knew that she had always been a greedy person, but because of her cold, taciturn nature, and very few friends, this emotion was well-concealed in front of people who didn’t know her well. They didn’t know that the real Pei Xuezhi was actually like this.
But if it were someone familiar… spending day and night together, she would definitely reveal her true colors8. It wasn’t that she wasn’t smart or cautious enough; it was that emotions themselves were uncontrollable.
When the emotions invested by both parties are not equal, and one party has a strong desire for control and possessiveness, the result will be destructive.
In her previous life, “she” had already experienced this firsthand.
Pei Xuezhi didn’t want to become the person she hated most in the past, and she didn’t want to treat Fu Chaoyun like that—this life’s Fu Chaoyun was so dazzling and brilliant. If she were to imprison her and break all her wings, that picture would certainly be beautiful, but…
That person would go mad, wouldn’t she?
How pitiful.
This life’s Fu Chaoyun, being targeted by such a self, a paranoid and gloomy madman, was truly pitiful. It was like a dark snake coveting a beautiful fawn from the shadows. But unfortunately, even so, she still wouldn’t let go!
Absolutely! No! Way!
“Jiejie, Jiejie…”
Under the faint streetlight, Pei Xuezhi tilted her head back, her eyes darker than the night sky, and her red lips parted slightly, calling out in a blurred and thick voice.
You’re mine~
Who told you to provoke me first? Naturally, you also have to bear some responsibility, oh no, full responsibility.
If you can’t bear it… then give your whole self to me.
She would carefully devour and engulf it, bit by bit, making it her own flesh and blood, a part of her body.
This process was too terrifying, and appropriately loosening the rope was also a hunting technique.
She liked Jiejie so much, so Jiejie must like her equally. Perhaps that was a bit too much, so let’s lower it a bit, to one-half. As long as the other person could reach one-half of her liking, then they would be together, how about that?
In this process, Pei Xuezhi could no longer be completely passive9. The former prey would ultimately appear as the hunter.
It was the terrifying “Pei Xuezhi.”
That moment of extreme desire even made Pei Xuezhi’s beautiful face seem slightly distorted. But the fiercely rising and churning emotions of possessiveness were gradually suppressed. Pei Xuezhi’s expression returned to normal, aloof and proud, not to be profaned10.
She scrolled through her phone, casually browsing the internet again, and then clicked into the “Chaoyun Mu Xue” super topic — this was something Fu Chaoyun had shown her.
At this moment, it was filled with wailing and crying; crematorium literature11 was already being arranged. It was lively in a different sense, like celebrating the New Year.
Pei Xuezhi casually scrolled through a couple of pages, then exited, found the CP super topic section, and used an alternate account to create a new super topic called “Wan Xue Xiang Yun”12.
Chaoyun “admires” Xue?
Not so much “admires.”
Instead…
Then, she didn’t look at the responses and directly exited.
“Meow~ Meow~~”
The sound of a cat came from nearby.
Pei Xuezhi was indifferent, and she didn’t have much empathy for small animals. At most, she would step in to stop a brat13 from bullying them. As for raising them herself, that would be too troublesome.
Presently.
She followed the sound and walked over. The meow came from the bushes. Pei Xuezhi squatted down and saw a little kitty inside.
The park’s streetlights weren’t very bright, and the kitty’s figure was obscured by branches and leaves, making it hard to see clearly. Only a pair of vertical cat pupils were visible, shining and bright, with an amber color in the darkness.
This easily reminded her of a certain someone, and her expression became momentarily dazed.
And that kitty, even though it saw her, didn’t hide or dodge. It remained in a squatting position, its amber vertical pupils staring straight at her.
Pei Xuezhi usually wasn’t very well-liked by small animals, at least not like Fu Chaoyun’s cat affinity. But strangely, until she reached out to part the bushes and lift the little kitty out, this cat was well-behaved and docile, without the slightest resistance.
A little dazed, a little stupid, a little… gullible.
It was even more similar.
Pei Xuezhi flicked the kitty’s head with her finger. The kitty just stared at her blankly, so dazed.
She had clearly checked, and the kitty had no injuries.
She reached out and, like she was ruffling someone’s hair, ruffled the kitty’s head. The latter even let out a comfortable meow. And now, being held under the light, the kitty’s full appearance was revealed.
This should be a yellow and white cat, but the yellow seemed to be more prominent at the moment because it wasn’t very clean. It was summer, so it wouldn’t have gotten caught in dry grass or leaves, but some of its fur was matted and knotted.
It was a pitiful, not-very-pretty stray cat.
Pei Xuezhi didn’t mind. She paused for a moment, as if making an important decision, and finally picked up the stray cat and placed it on top of her suitcase. The latter was also well-behaved, not making any fuss.
Pei Xuezhi stroked its head again, and when she spoke, her voice was carried by the night wind, exceptionally gentle and lingering14.
“Little pity, come home with me.”
After dragging her suitcase for two steps, as if thinking of something, she took out her phone again, but this time opened the camera function and took a photo of the pitiful kitty.
Her fingertip paused.
Finally, she found a certain someone in her contacts, edited, and sent.
[Found a stray cat on the road.]
[Its eyes look a bit like yours.]
[What do you think it should be called?]
After typing the third line, the cursor moved to the beginning, deleting “you” and rewriting it as — “Jiejie.”
The message was sent successfully.
In an instant, Pei Xuezhi felt an uncontrollable acceleration of her heartbeat.
She wondered how that person would reply after tonight. But it didn’t matter. As long as that person replied, she could naturally continue the topic, and even extend an invitation.
If she liked, she could come to her place to see the cat.
This was the first step.
Maybe it could be called “fishing beauty”?15
But she waited and waited, and there was no news, nothing at all.
The plan had failed.
Instead, the kitty placed on top of the suitcase let out another pitiful “meow.”
There was a bit of disappointment, but not very much.
Pei Xuezhi knew this was a long battle, and she had already prepared herself mentally. Instead, turning her head to meet the cat’s amber vertical pupils, her heart ultimately softened. She picked up the poor little cat, not minding that it might dirty her clothes.
“I know, I’ll take you to the vet later, and then buy you some delicious dried fish, okay?”
She was an Omega, but her voice wasn’t that sweet. But at this moment, talking to a little cat, she always seemed somewhat gentle.
“Hmm, how are you so good at acting cute?”
Just like a certain someone.
Pei Xuezhi continued to walk forward, holding the cat in one arm and dragging the suitcase with the other. This time, after walking more than ten meters, another unexpected event occurred.
She saw the person who hadn’t replied to her message earlier.
How long had it been since the show ended?
An hour? Forty minutes?
It certainly wasn’t long.
But at this moment, Pei Xuezhi looked at the other person’s face again, looking at each other from afar, yet there was a feeling of being worlds apart16. Her heart felt like it had been struck heavily: excitement, joy, sourness, satisfaction…
Following that, a more urgent and insatiable craving surged.
Wait, wait a little longer…
It’s not… time yet.
“Miss Fu…?”
Pei Xuezhi suppressed the emotions in her eyes, only hearing her own restrained, cold voice. She politely addressed the person opposite her, as if greeting an ordinary stranger.
“Mm, it’s me.”
Fu Chaoyun also just gave a soft acknowledgment. She slowly walked out of the shadows, revealing that cold, white, and stunning face.
Her amber eyes seemed somewhat deep, and her gaze fell on Pei Xuezhi without revealing any emotion.
Then.
She looked at Pei Xuezhi, then at the cat held in Pei Xuezhi’s arms, and finally, the Alpha seemed unable to bear it any longer.
“Miss Pei!”
Elementary school student trying to get attention style · shouting loudly.jpg
Pei Xuezhi glanced over indifferently, as if provoking her. She even gently stroked the head of the cat in her arms.
“Does Miss Fu need something?”
Fu Chaoyun was utterly furious and, with great grievance, issued an accusation.
“It’s only been a short while since you abandoned your wife and child, and you’re already raising a second child!!!?”
The author has something to say:
Nameless Monster (not really): Let me down, meow meow meow! I shouldn’t be here, I’m just a little kitty!
The variety show has concluded, and we’ve officially transitioned to the real-world storyline. It’s not considered angst… right? My personal feeling is that it’s just changing modes to continue the romance. Now that it’s reality, it has to be a bit more in-depth/thorough. Everything is still under control, and I’ll smooth out the following content.
After reaching 300,000 [words/characters] in V chapters17 today, the system gave me back nearly 2,000 bottles of nutrient solution (a huge backstab). Now I’m still five chapters behind on added updates; I’ll take it slowly _(:з”∠)_
LP: This chapter ascended me to the heavens. Still waiting for more chapters like this!!!
Also, I’m using a new footnote system. Technically, I used these before, but they were a pain in the butt when I was still a bit too green with Wordpress. But now, I’ve found a very easy way to implement them :D
Footnotes
- 这才抛妻弃子多久，你就连二胎都养上了！| Zhè cái pāoqīqìzǐ duōjiǔ, nǐ jiù lián èrtāi dōu yǎng shàng le! | This is a sarcastic and accusatory statement, highlighting the perceived speed at which someone has moved on to a new family after leaving their previous one
- LP: Love at First Sight, Heartthrob… I’ll edit this later, I swear!
- 孤家寡人 | gūjiā guǎrén | Solitary individuals; idiomatically refers to emperors, but here used for single people in the dating show context
- 满天星 | mǎntiānxīng | Gypsophila; literally “stars filling the sky,” commonly known as baby’s breath flowers
- 单刀直入 | dāndāo zhírù | Literally, “single sword straight in.”
- 小傅总 | Xiǎo Fù Zǒng | Little President Fu
- 钻牛角尖 | zuān niújiǎojiān | Idiom: to get stuck in a dead end; literally, “to drill into a bull’s horn.”
- 露出马脚 | lù chū mǎjiǎo | Idiom: to reveal one’s true nature or intentions; literally, “to show the horse’s leg.”
- 守株待兔 | shǒu zhū dài tù | Idiom: to wait passively for an opportunity; literally, “to guard a tree stump, waiting for a rabbit.”
- 亵渎 | xièdú | To desecrate or profane; to treat something sacred with disrespect
- 火葬场文学 | huǒzàngchǎng wénxué | “Crematorium literature”; a type of online fiction where a character initially mistreats or neglects another, leading to regret and a painful pursuit of redemption
- 晚雪向云 | Wǎn Xuě Xiàng Yún | “Evening Xue Towards Yun”; a new super topic created by Pei Xuezhi, reordering the characters from their names and changing the central character. “Xiang” (向) means “towards” or “facing.”
- 熊孩子 | xióngháizi | Brat; literally “bear child,” referring to naughty or unruly children
- 缱绻 | qiǎnquǎn | (literary) deeply attached; lingering (of emotions)
- 钓系美人 | diào xì měirén | “Fishing beauty”; slang for someone who uses their attractiveness to lure and entice others, like “fishing” for attention or affection
- 恍若隔世 | huǎng ruò gé shì | idiom: feels like a lifetime ago, or a world of difference
- V章 | V zhāng | VIP chapters; refers to chapters of an online novel that require payment to access
cuuute
The right time is now Pei Xuezhi!! Take your wife before someone might steal her!😆
Man, I’m getting more greedy in reading this novel!! As always thank you for the chapter!