The yandere playboy's introduction to being a scumbag (7)

"What the fuck is the meaning of this?" Gu Jing laughed coldly. His fingers twitched as if itching to bash something into the wall, and in a matter of a few seconds, he was pretty sure it was going to be Lai Wenxing's.

Lai Wenxing finally released Kuanlin's head with a 'fwah' and he tilted his head up at the fuming blond, only an eyebrow raised in response to Gu Jing's question. Kuanlin propelled Lai Wenxing off him, and he twirled back to Gu Jing's direction, a look filled with deep guilt.

"Gu Jing..." he trailed off, trying to grasp an inkling of the situation before he squeezed his eyes shut, and exhaled slowly, "I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. I..."

"That's all?" Gu Jing's face was unreadable. Even the neutrality of his tone was starting to get intimidating, more so than usual. It could be said that he was deeply enraged this time to the point no clear emotions could be extracted from his body language, nor eyes.

Kuanlin bowed his head, making it harder for Gu Jing to survey the other's expression. Gu Jing had wondered what kind of expression Kuanlin could form right now. Would it be of relief, or hurt? Perhaps, regret? The stimuli of obtaining what he had been wanting from the very beginning went straight to Gu Jing's head. He was almost light-headed from the felicity that bursted inside of him and punctured his lungs, making his breathing stagnant, but in other people's eyes, he might have seemed hurt so badly he was hyperventilating.

'Ding! +3 points.'

'HAAAA? Only three? What the fuck? This is rigged!'

'No reason. I just wanted to be petty and deducted some points. If you're that omniscient, then you should be able to regain back those measly points easily, right?' The system deduced calmly. Even if its robotic voice was monotonous and neutral, Gu Jing could sense that it was, in fact, dissatisfied with his performance. Well, Gu Jing couldn't say anything in his defense. Sure, it was his fault he had lost his marbles for a moment and punched Lai Wenxing, but look at that little vixen, he was seducing Kuanlin properly now!

Perhaps, you really did need to beat some sense into stubborn mules. A feeling of guilt wracked Gu Jing's chest. Yes... this time, it was actually his fault. He acted on his emotions, and lashed out unfairly, thus jeopardizing his chance at reincarnation and risk the system from losing its job. He didn't know whether systems lost their jobs at all, but superiors at work were a real pain in the ass. Gu Jing was sure it also applied to machines like system 3435.

"Are you sure you're not going to regret it?" Gu Jing snapped back into his professional mode, and he widened his eyes slightly as if taken aback by Kuanlin's sudden apology.

Kuanlin's head only lowered even further. He was like a man kneeling for repentance, like a man wracked with sins. Perhaps, his only sin must have been being born too pretty—Gu Jing remarked snobbishly inside of his head. Ah, he was really jealous of the other's smooth, jade-like skin, so white, so pale like a blank sheet of paper. Other people might not understand his obsession, but as an aspiring actor back in his old world, the first and foremost requirement of all rookie actors were to have clear skin! Gu Jing literally had to go as far as to drink snake sake to obtain his unblemished skin, and even that was hard, considering he ate a lot of spicy meals.

"I... Gu Jing," Kuanlin rose his head abruptly. Gu Jing's eyes were limpid and clear like day. He wasn't smiling at Kuanlin warmly like he used to do. Kuanlin felt as though a million ants were crawling over his skin. The urge to scratch his skin lingered on his pores. No, he couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear being the person Gu Jing hated most!

So, he raised his voice higher, "Gu Jing... I...!"

"You're not dumb, Gu Jing," Kuanlin's own best friend, Lai Wenxing, interrupted him, voice piercingly cold as if he couldn't make his hostility more obvious. "I'm sure you know what's going on."

Gu Jing's teeth sank into his bottom lip, and the surge of displeasure he had previously felt died down at Lai Wenxing's words. The blond only pursed his lips, unable to clap back with a response. Really, wasn't Lai Wenxing to ruthless? I mean—weren't they just friends a few moments ago? Lai Wenxing should cut him some slack. As talented as Gu Jing was at writing dog-blood drama, he was still quite embarrassed to yell out lines like, 'No, I love him! He will be mine! You're a bottom-feeder. Get away from my man!'

He did not know how actors could yell out such lines like these with realistic anger without bursting out laughing. But, it was certainly exciting to watch how such ludicrous miscommunications could start and end, but when it came down to acting them out, Gu Jing was afraid he'd end up howling with laughter the moment he opened his mouth.

Lai Wenxing managed a wry smile, well, as smiley as he could get after beaten black and blue by Gu Jing. A speck of blood stained the corners of his lips which made his handsome face look so pitiful it could break a mother's heart. But, Gu Jing's heart was immovable.

"What? I thought you wanted it," Lai Wenxing raised both of his eyes, reiterating in a deep tone, "From the very beginning, you didn't want Kuanlin. You... you just wanted to provoke me, didn't you? But look, I'm not bothered by you at all."

'Wow, look at this himbo. He really thinks I'm doing all this for him,' Gu Jing couldn't help but gape in incredulity. Just how colorful was Lai Wenxing's imagination? He could only bow down in defeat to Lai Wenxing's creative mind. Even he couldn't come up with something as ridiculous as that. And, really, he wasn't being sarcastic when he said Lai Wenxing's imagination was really one to behold. The said teenager's face was smug as if he had hit right on the nail.

"What the hell are you talking about, Lai Wenxing?" Kuanlin said aloud what Gu Jing couldn't. His fair face contorted uglily. Even he thought what Lai Wenxing was insinuating was quite far-fetched. "Gu Jing wouldn't.."

"He would," Lai Wenxing declared solemnly. "I'll tell you everything."

'Oh ho, do I have to just stand still and listen to the male lead's backstory? Sure, I'll play along with him,' Gu Jing stood behind the two-man show like a strong pole. Because of his silence, he seemed to have blended in with the ambience of the scenario and became one with the concrete wall. The passersby who happened to walk past them looked at them weirdly, but the three of them were immersed in their own world.

'Ding! +1 misery point.'

"Lai Wenxing, you dog!" Gu Jing's voice sounded behind the two, "Aren't you misunderstanding something? Nothing I have done is for you. Don't mention the past anymore. One little word about it, and I'll end you with my bare hands. Don't you fucking dare."

But, of course, Gu Jing's brash words had little to no impact on Lai Wenxing. Gu Jing wasn't even intending for Lai Wenxing to stop. However, on the outer, Gu Jing's lips were worried, his nails that were digging into his palm formed crescents. If one looked close enough, you could even see a trail of ichor flowing down from where the imprints were. His sapphire irises burned, intent to hack down Lai Wenxing. If Kuanlin hadn't been in the way, Lai Wenxing was sure Gu Jing would have lunged for him.

Sorrow peaked in Lai Wenxing's chest, then swirled anger. Why? Why did Gu Jing look at him with such hatred filled eyes? He didn't remember Gu Jing's cerulean eyes holding such animosity for him. He had done nothing to be abhorred for. In the first place, wasn't it Gu Jing's fault? His only ever sin was treating Gu Jing too well.

"Ha," Lai Wenxing laughed out coldly, still cradled in Kuanlin's embrace. "You, ever since we were young, you always followed him around like a little pet, calling me 'Ge this, Ge that.' We were childhood friends, but by the time we reached middle-school, we got involved into different friend groups. It created a rift between us, and we gradually drifted away. Be honest, Gu Jing, you're jealous of Kuanlin because we're close, right? You miss our friendship."

'System... what the fuck is he talking about?' Gu Jing was frantic. Did he somehow stumble onto a hidden storyline, or something? That couldn't be. He thought that the systems were hundred percent fool-proof. Shit. Wasn't this messing up his chance at reincarnation? If Gu Jing wasn't so quick on his feet, the capture targets would have already figured out that he wasn't the real Gu Jing. 'This wasn't mentioned in the script! Is the scum second male lead... the childhood friend of the male lead?'

'That can't be,' even the system seemed taken aback. It hurriedly spoke, 'I.. I wasn't notified of that as well. This.. I think I'll have to contact the main system again. For now, Host, can you try to improvise?'

'Don't tell me you're leaving me again.'

'Host... you're not a child. Please don't throwing a tantrum inside of your head, and instead, focus on delivering your correct lines and improvising. While I'm gone, I hope you don't do something irrational,' the system's voice soon faded away with a light warning. Static, similar to that of a broken radio, rang in his ears. Wincing, Gu Jing reached up to cover them.

'System...?' Gu Jing called out tentatively. But, as expected, there was no reply. Gu Jing did not know why he felt the need to have a presence lingering by his side, but it was probably because he felt as though he needed someone to keep him in check.

"Gu Jing..." Kuanlin craned his head towards the blond and was met with the sight of a miserable face. Dark eyebrows were furrowed together. The pleasantly beguiling features that Kuanlin had remembered being so enthralling were contorted to form an expression of great ire. The beautiful blue eyes had been closed, thus obscuring anyone from viewing its alluring appeal.

'Gu Jing,' he thought, 'Why do you make such a face if you don't like me at all?'

Yet envy, bitterness, and cruel jealousy made words flow out of his mouth like a fusillade of bullets that pierced Gu Jing's barrier. "Gu Jing, all this time, were you using me as an excuse to get closer to Lai Wenxing?"

Lai Wenxing directed a pointed stare at him, but now, a hint of reluctance shone through his demeanor. At first, he had been so confident that Gu Jing, a man who could not handle rejection, would be hung up over what had used to be a friendship between them, but after seeing Gu Jing's face of profuse agony, he wasn't so sure anymore. Did Gu Jing... really like Kuanlin? Lai Wenxing was befuddled. What emotion should be appropriate for this — what could be considered normal? He shouldn't feel betrayed that Gu Jing liked Kuanlin, right?

Gu Jing didn't know of the imaginative scenarios the two had already thought of as he rubbed at his still ringing ears, an irritated frown hanging on his lips. Really, the system should just stop disappearing whenever it wanted to! Gu Jing couldn't function without his trusty ol' system. Anyways, he thought systems were supposed to be attached to their hosts at the hip like a conjoined twin. Why was it that his system sought to leave him at whatever given chance? Gu Jing didn't think he was that bad of a company.

After the static had faded away, Gu Jing's eyes finally cleared. When he lifted his head, he saw the weird expressions on the two boys' faces. He picked at his ears, pinky scratching the inner of the body part. After a beat of awkward, pindrop silence washed over the atmosphere, Gu Jing deemed that they were waiting for his response.

Gu Jing cried out. "That's bullshit, Kuanlin, that fucker doesn't know what he's talking about. We were never friends in the first place. Lai Wenxing—he's crazy. Ever since the beginning, I have never treated you wrongly."

He even went as far as to place a hand over his left breast. An imaginary light of halo warped around his body, surrounding the blond as though he were the gospel of God. Bells chimed in the background, the and marmots set up a musical orchestra where the angels harmoniously sang a in sync of chorus of innocence, purity and truth.

"Then, were the memories we made together just a hallucination?" Lai Wenxing snickered off-handedly. It was quite difficult to take him seriously when he was being cradled in Kuanlin's arms like a newborn baby. Gu Jing thought that the development was going just the way he wanted. The start was a little rocky, but the end results were the same.

"I can't tell the mind of a crazy bastard," Gu Jing sneered.

"Enough is enough!" Kuanlin raised his voice. The two who had been bickering like they would never be able to again stopped abruptly mid-way. The both of them had never heard Kuanlin use his voice to such a high degree that he was spitting out his words hoarsely, voice cracking at the every end of his sentences. All of a sudden, Gu Jing was a little embarrassed that he was led astray by his emotions again. Who told Lai Wenxing to be such an annoying piece of shit? He was that kind of shit stain that smelt like someone had taken a dumpster dive and ate all trashes that could only be left to humans' imagination.

"Gu Jing," at least Kuanlin turned to the co-star of the melodrama. The said man was wiping under his nose nervously, a clue of his anticipation could be seen from his antsy demeanor.

"Kuanlin, I..."

"No, please, let me speak first."

Gu Jing shrugged helplessly. There was nothing he could do. Besides, he was curious to what the protagonist 'shou' wanted to give light to so much. Perhaps, was this the time that the little flower casted him away to land in the safe, muscular arms of Lai Wenxing? No doubt, Lai Wenxing had good-looking muscular. They were tight, and hid a powerful strength. It was also... gah! What the hell was he thinking at this important occasion!? Muscles, muscles go away. Come again another day! Or maybe never!

Gu Jing sobbed inwardly, poking his fingers into his eyes. He almost doubled over from the pain that immediately graced his sensitive nerves in his eyes. 'I'm entering a dangerous door. I shall look at my pretty Kuanlin to cleanse my eyes!'

As a result of fearing the forbidden door, Gu Jing's gaze towards Kuanlin grew increasingly ardent. Sapphire-blue eyes gleamed like wet gemstones sparkling in the deepest and darkest pits of a hollow cave. It was that kind of light Kuanlin had always been following in the first place. The rims of those fulgent orbs were faintly red as if holding back the emotions that were trying to leak from them (but, then again, Gu Jing had poked his own eyes). The words he were going to say died down in his mouth. Against Gu Jing's beautiful and sincere blue eyes, he couldn't even raise a word of criticism.

Kuanlin thought, 'What a cruel man you are, Gu Jing. You broke my heart, demanded my soul, and yet when you look at me, I'm still willing to give up everything.'

"Gu Jing, when you first approached me, it all felt like a fever dream," the corners of his lips were upturned, yet it seemed like he was more in anguish than experiencing felicity. "I didn't dare do anything because I didn't want to wake up from this beautiful delusion. Even when you were labeled as a playboy by other people, I thought that there was a reason to it. I've always thought you were so charming that you just unanimously attracted other people."

'Ding! +1 misery point.'

He closed his eyes, lips pursed. Gu Jing felt weird. It was kinda freakish to hear someone describe in such a manner that it reminded him that he was actually in an unrealistic, virtual world.

Kuanlin continued. "I was willing to believe that you approached me without any ulterior motives... or rather, I was hoping you didn't. If Lai Wenxing hadn't pointed it out, I would be glad to be fooled by you and listen to your sweet nothings. However, when it... when this whole situation is clarified by a third party, I can't help but feel hurt and cheated. Tell me, when you were talking with me, did you think I was stupid pawn in your game to get closer to Lai Wenxing? You took advantage of my feelings just so you can reach out to someone else?"

'Ding! +3 misery points.'

"Was it always this painful to love someone else?" Kuanlin's voice pitched, cracking, and he couldn't contain the earth-shattering sob that wracked his body. He buried his face in both of his hands, muffling the sobs that seeped through the gaps of his long fingers.

'Ding! +1 misery point.'

'Shit, the system is going really crazy...!'

Gu Jing licked his lips. He had to remind himself that these weren't real people. He shouldn't feel bad at all. Everything was escalating the way he wanted, so just why did he feel guilty? Would a conscience help him in achieving his goals? No. So, there was no need to feel pity.

And, Gu Jing, oh beloved, stupid Gu Jing, wanted to fuel the fire and pour salt all over the wound.

"I'm telling you. I didn't do this for that despicable excuse of a human being. From the get-go, since the very moment my eyes have laid on you, it's always been you. My dear, my beloved..." Gu Jing approached the tear-stricken youth, hands visibly tense as they reached out to wipe away the crystalline teardrops.

Just as he had been anticipating, a rough hand grabbed his wrist and wrenched his hand away from caressing Kuanlin's face. A pretense look of irritation creeped onto Gu Jing's face, and he lifted his chin high in the air imperiously, soliciting Lai Wenxing.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing bastard?"

"You wanted this, didn't you?" Lai Wenxing's voice was dulcet, magnetic and husky, and tickled Gu Jing's ears. Gu Jing yanked his hand free from Lai Wenxing's grip easily. He was quite surprised to see how Lai Wenxing had gone easy on him.

"What the hell are you talking about? Stop speaking in fucking Morse code or something," Gu Jing was now fuming. What was with these cryptic messages like 'oh, you wanted this,' or, 'I did this for you.' Just speak. Spill. He rarely used his brain, so why should he now?

Mirth glimmered in Lai Wenxing's blood-red eyes. Gu Jing was flabbergasted on how the other was in the mood to be humored by something, especially after such an intense show-down.

In the deepest, darkest depths of Gu Jing's head laid haphazard thoughts such as...

'Let the protagonist shou talk, you fucking attention-seeker! Poor baby, ah ah, my poor baby, look at the snot flowing down his face! Admire the red corners of his beautiful black eyes! Can my love rival just shut their fucking mouth!?'

"Also, are you a masochist or something?"

Gu Jing squinted his eyes, hostility evident in his composition. He readied himself in a defensive stance, flaring his nostrils and questioned haughtily. "What do you mean by that? Rather than a masochist, I'd be more of a sadist. And, I like seeing pretty bottoms cry."

"Hm..." Lai Wenxing's ruby orbs held a keen look of doubt. One of his eyebrows were arched elegantly, and his eyes trailed down Gu Jing's lips, then lingered on the center of Gu Jing's slacks. Kuanlin followed suit, and the innocent youth couldn't help but gape, then flush, and stutter out a 'you... you...'

"Wh.. What's wrong?" Gu Jing was suddenly aware of the two pairs of judging eyes on him. He followed their gazes, and peered down at his lower part... which was standing up proudly, constraining within his pants! What! For the mildly conservative Gu Jing whose only sexual encounter was jerking off to a porn manga, popping a boner in the middle of the streets was something he was familiar with, yet unfamiliar. The stimulation was too much!

Gu Jing blubbered and his hands scrambled to cover his raging hard-on. A deep red color spanned all the way from his ears to the tip of his toes. He trembled like a twig in the midst of a windstorm, and his legs tightened.

"Gu Jing.. you.. you're hard...?" Kuanlin's eyes towards him were weird. He was so focused on what hid behind Gu Jing's quivering hands, abandoning all reserve and shamelessly leering at him. Lai Wenxing, similar to his best friend, stared ahead, though he looked more intrigued than anything. But, the gaze that Kuanlin was directing towards him was a little weird... it even seemed to contain a hint of excitement by the dilating of black eyes.

"Don't look!" Gu Jing spat out through gritted teeth. His shoulders were shaking. Fuck, this was so embarrassing! It didn't matter that they were a bunch of codes! They were still breathing and living as human beings. But.. why was it quite stimulating upon being looked at like that by other people... No! No! No! No! This was a danger zone! Absolutely not! Damnit, it was because the argument was so intense that he actually managed to develop a boner!

"Huh? You're actually quite big," Lai Wenxing recoiled back, rubbing the area below his neck as if he was solving the world's greatest mystery than reminiscing about the size of someone's nether regions. A smug grin pulled at the corners of his lips. "Hey, Gu Jing, it's not like you can go out in public looking like that right?"

He deliberately gestured towards the obscured private area. Gu Jing had a faint idea to what that sentence would lead to. And, in his imagination, it was definitely not a suitable scenario. The two boys resembled a pair of starving wolves ready to pounce on him at any given moment without prior notice. They bore that hungry look. And only now did Gu Jing understand why people drew comparisons to people having that predatory look during moments similar to this because.. they honestly look like they were going to devour him. The instincts belonging to that of a prey alerted him to make a run for it.

"Gu Jing... you're totally red," Kuanlin sounded like he was in a trance. He wondered if all the other body parts hidden beneath that outfit that hid his delicious body would be just as red as his ears and face. Enchanted by the sight of a heavily flushed Gu Jing, which was a rare sight, he couldn't refrain himself from taking one step forward. But, as soon as he did that, the usually assertive and composed blond backtracked. Kuanlin gaped, then took one more step forward. Gu Jing took a step backward.

Gu Jing was almost on the verge of tears. 'Please, just leave me alone!' He wailed inwardly. Yet, the two didn't seem to have intentions of complying that easily. Luckily, Gu Jing had been standing at the entrance of the alleyway, so he could always dash if he wanted to... but... running through the streets with a hard-on... didn't seem like a pleasant predicament Gu Jing was looking forward to putting himself in. But, then again, he didn't want to be stuck with the two male leads who were acting outlandish. For god sakes, the two looked like parched travelers who had at last found an oasis!

Gu Jing felt his junior nudge against the palm over his trousers. It certainly didn't seem like it would go away anytime soon. On the contrary, he hated to admit it, but the way the two were lecherously looking at him with depravity as though they would inhale him made him even harder.

Gu Jing squeezed his eyes shut, and he swore, a drop of tear had slipped down his cheek. Mustering up all his strength, he yelled, "We.. we have to eat chicken!"

Silence prevailed. Gu Jing counted two beats in his head before experimentally peeking through one eye. Just as he did that, he was met with the sight of two boys, one brown-haired and the other black-haired. They were closer than before, close enough for them to hear Gu Jing's erratic heartbeat, and Gu Jing could hear theirs thud equally as loud. Gu Jing lifted his head pathetically, knees going weak, and he flopped onto the floor. Fortunately, Lai Wenxing caught his forearm just before grime could taint his pants. Kuanlin caught Gu Jing's other arm, and Gu Jing was sandwiched between the hungry pair.

On Lai Wenxing's pallid face was a smile that carried all of the world's demonic energy. He leaned into Gu Jing's side profile, breath tickling the blond's red-tinged ear as he whispered in the lowest voice he could muster, "Hey, Gu Jing, you want to eat fried chicken, right? I'll feed it to you. It'll be salty, but since you want to eat it so much, I suppose I can only comply to your wishes, hm?"

Gu Jing's breath hitched, and he looked towards Kuanlin for help. Kuanlin's pretty, porcelain-white skin was stained with a bright pink color, the tips of his ears being redder than his cheeks which looked like ripe apricots.

"Gu.. Gu Jing," Kuanlin was breathing heavily through his mouth, actually now full-on panting. "You... you like to eat fried chicken.. ri.. right?"

'SYSTEMMMM! HELPPPP....!!'

Unfortunately, no one heard his inner voice cry out.