Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

TL: Moonlit

Both parties agreed to a peaceful divorce, and there was no need to divide their assets as there was only one shared property – the house, which was left to Qi Fenghua. Lin Hanchuan finally got his wish fulfilled and distanced himself from Qi Fenghua.

Walking out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Lin Hanchuan felt refreshed. He was wearing a bold and vibrant orange shirt, appearing rejuvenated, as if he had shed several years off his age. His fair skin emitted a coldness akin to jade.

“Yi…” Qi Fenghua’s expression was complicated. He wanted to say something to Lin Hanchuan, but before he could address him, he was interrupted.

Lin Hanchuan put on sunglasses. “Don’t call me that. It’s disgusting.”

Qi Fenghua’s face turned instantly pale.

Curving his lips, Lin Hanchuan turned around and left, walking away with an indifferent stride.

Even after Lin Hanchuan’s figure disappeared from view, Qi Fenghua still stared blankly in the direction he had left, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and grief, yet somehow relieved.

[Chuan Chuan.] 001 transformed into an orange-colored attire identical to Lin Hanchuan’s, floating in front of him. [You and the protagonist are divorced… How are you going to complete the mission?]

Lin Hanchuan picked up 001 and held its soft, jelly-like body in his hand. The frivolousness that belonged to Yi Qinglou faded from his face, revealing his inherent calm and composure. [Don’t worry.]

001 fell silent. Ever since Lin Hanchuan deviated from the norm in the previous world but still managed to successfully complete the mission, it secretly decided to latch onto this thigh.

But now that the thigh had other plans, 001 didn’t dare to push further and obediently allowed Lin Hanchuan to handle matters on his own. It even shrank its body to a size that Lin Hanchuan could easily hold in his palm.

Lin Hanchuan didn’t want to step foot in that ‘home’ with Qi Fenghua again. He sent Qi Fenghua a text message, asking him to dispose of all his belongings, and proceeded to block him directly.

He let out a sigh of relief as he looked at his phone. Lin Hanchuan cast Qi Fenghua aside, no longer pondering over the original storyline.

From this point onward, the events of the original story would never happen again. The plot disintegrated and veered towards a different perspective.

After handling everything, Lin Hanchuan returned to the Yi family.

Yi’s parents were already sitting in the living room, waiting for him. Upon seeing Lin Hanchuan, Mr. Yi spoke up first: “You have the audacity to come back.”

Lin Hanchuan paused for a moment, saying, “I’m just here to collect my things and then leave.”

Yi Qinglou had temporarily moved back home to take care of his parents, so his clothes and daily necessities were also brought back home.

Lin Hanchuan didn’t want the things that Qi Fenghua bought for him, the ‘Yi Wusheng series,’ so he decided to pack up at the Yi residence. Little did he know that Mr. and Mrs. Yi had already heard about his divorce and were waiting for him to arrive.

“There’s no need to escalate the situation to divorce when couples quarrel,” Mrs. Yi said calmly. “You should apologize to Fenghua and there might be a chance to salvage the situation.”

Her voice was gentle, but her tone carried a commanding air of entitlement.

Lin Hanchuan found it somewhat expected. He took off his sunglasses and asked, “You don’t even know what happened, yet you expect me to apologize?”

Mrs. Yi grew impatient. “Given your stubborn personality, you must have done something wrong…”

“If it were Yi Wusheng, would you be so quick to make him apologize?” Lin Hanchuan lowered his gaze, waiting for Mrs. Yi’s scolding to finish before speaking.

Those words silenced both Mr. and Mrs. Yi.

Time had passed, and they thought they had moved on and let go. But reality reminded them that they were still engulfed in pain.

Mrs. Yi murmured absentmindedly, “Wusheng was always obedient and well-behaved. How could he be like you?”

Mr. Yi remained silent, neither contradicting nor supporting Mrs. Yi’s words.

In their eyes, Yi Wusheng excelled in every aspect, both in his artwork and character.

For so many years, Yi Wusheng had been immersed in painting, diligently practicing every day without slackening. Despite gaining fame at a young age, he remained humble, single-mindedly striving to win the gold prize at the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition.

In the year he left, at the age of only twenty-two, Yi Wusheng won the gold prize at the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition.

But on the same day he learned this news, he had an accident… Reminiscing about the past, Mr. Yi and Mrs. Yi were both filled with sorrow, to the extent that they couldn’t even scold Lin Hanchuan in front of them.

[“Why are their attitudes so different, even though they are both their sons?”] 001 was curious.

Human emotions are too complex, and 001 couldn’t understand.

Lin Hanchuan squeezed the soft body of 001 and remained calm and composed. [“Because the human heart is inherently biased.”]

Mr. Yi and Mrs. Yi were immersed in sadness. They took out the final artwork of Yi Wusheng kept in the safe, carefully admiring it. Their expressions were filled with grief and pride. The painting depicted the sunset dividing the twilight, exuding a heavy and melancholic atmosphere, which further dampened their emotions as they looked at it.

Lin Hanchuan slowly walked out, dragging his suitcase, and no one noticed his departure.

As he walked out of the Yi residence gate, a security guard noticed his suitcase. “Young Master Yi, are you going on a trip?”

“Yes.” Lin Hanchuan pushed his sunglasses.

Yi Qinglou’s artistic skills didn’t catch the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Yi, but to ordinary people, they were quite impressive. He had joined a local game company as an artist, earning a decent income. However… Lin Hanchuan felt that this job buried Yi Qinglou’s original talent.

Having declined the company’s attempt to retain him, Lin Hanchuan quit his job and rented a house to open an art gallery, where he could showcase Yi Qinglou’s talent in the right place.

Coincidentally, it was time for the triennial Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, where emerging artists in the art world could be discovered.

The full name of the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition was the National Spring Breeze Fine Arts Exhibition, the most prestigious painting competition in the country. It took place once every three years, and after the evaluation, the selected artworks would be exhibited domestically for three months before being sent abroad for further exhibitions. Therefore, the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition held a significant position both domestically and internationally.

Only by being shortlisted for the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition could one truly enter the domestic art circle.

Yi Wusheng had been famous since he was young, but he was still considered a junior in the art world. Only by receiving an award at the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition could he truly catch the attention of the influential figures in the art industry. Not only Yi Wusheng, but even Qi Fenghua also eagerly desired to win a gold prize at the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition.

It could be said that the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition was the dream of every professional in the industry.

Participants would directly send their artworks to a designated address, and the judges would select outstanding works for local exhibitions before the final evaluation in the capital city.

Well-informed industry insiders were already aware of the local art gallery where the exhibition would take place. Lin Hanchuan, who could be considered a half-insider, quickly found out the specific location through some inquiries. He arrived early at the art gallery to assess the situation.

The art gallery was still being set up. Apart from the workers responsible for decoration, there were also art dealers who had come to scout the place upon hearing the news. Lin Hanchuan recognized several familiar faces.

After walking around and getting a sense of the overall layout, Lin Hanchuan made some calculations in his mind. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Qi Yuyu, who was also familiar with the environment.

Both of them were slightly stunned, but they smiled simultaneously, surprised by each other’s presence.

“What are you doing here?” Qi Yuyu approached Lin Hanchuan and greeted him.

“Why can’t I come?” Lin Hanchuan smiled and countered.

Lin Hanchuan’s words could be provocative to strangers, but Qi Yuyu surprisingly didn’t find them offensive. Instead, he felt a sense of familiarity. “Are you submitting your work?”

“No,” Lin Hanchuan said calmly, “I plan to open an art gallery.”

“You want to become an art dealer?” Qi Yuyu exclaimed without thinking.

Upon receiving Lin Hanchuan’s affirmative answer, Qi Yuyu’s expression became complicated. His relationship with the Yi brothers was not close, at most a casual acquaintance. However, he had heard about the Yi brothers’ situation.

The older brother was a genius with exceptional talent, while the younger brother was considered mediocre. Yet, despite living in the shadow of his genius older brother, he never gave up on painting and even gained admission to the prestigious art academy in the capital city. In contrast, the older brother had stayed in the local area due to a slightly lower written exam score.

Now, Lin Hanchuan said he wanted to give up painting and become an art dealer.

Qi Yuyu didn’t know whether he should advise Lin Hanchuan not to give up his dream or praise him for facing reality. He wasn’t sure if he had the right to persuade him.

Lost in thought, Qi Yuyu heard Lin Hanchuan asking him a question.

“What about you?”

Qi Yuyu was a little bewildered, not knowing what Lin Hanchuan was referring to.

Lin Hanchuan looked at Qi Yuyu, and his expression even carried a hint of unsearchable gentleness. “Do you have any artwork to submit?”

Qi Yuyu was stunned. He awkwardly avoided Lin Hanchuan’s gaze and chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I just paint casually for fun. I don’t have the ability or qualification to submit anything.”

“But your painting is very good,” Lin Hanchuan said. “Don’t you want it to be displayed here?”

Qi Yuyu became speechless, his eyes dim and unclear.

This art gallery was the largest and best in Qingzhou City. It consisted of two entire buildings, spacious and bright, with an interior design that exuded artistic sensibility. When the blank walls were adorned with artworks, it brought vitality to this otherwise deserted space.

With a forced smile, Qi Yuyu said, “I don’t have time.”

During the time of the Spring Breeze Art Exhibition, art dealers were the busiest, and Qi Yuyu truly had no time.

“If a person has no dreams, what’s the difference between them and a salted fish? What’s even more terrifying than having no dreams is having the ability but giving up on them.” As he said this, someone called Lin Hanchuan, and he glanced at his phone. Then he looked up and smiled teasingly, saying, “I’m an art dealer now too. If you have a change of heart, you can come to me for a contract. I’ll definitely sell your paintings for a high price.”

Before leaving, Lin Hanchuan slipped a business card into the pocket on Qi Yuyu’s chest.

Looking at Lin Hanchuan’s back, Qi Yuyu took out the business card, which still had the title of Chief Designer at the game company. He hadn’t had the chance to get new ones made.

After Qi Yuyu finished laughing, the curve of his lips gradually disappeared.

Did he truly feel content when midnight arrived and he was alone with his thoughts?

Qi Yuyu’s parents were initially introduced through a blind date, and their marriage was arranged. They didn’t have deep feelings for each other. Shortly after they got married, they had Qi Yuyu, but they had no interest in raising a child and left him in the care of his grandparents.

Just three years later, Qi Yuyu’s parents gradually developed feelings for each other. They were deeply in love after their marriage, and their affection grew with time, but they pushed their son to the back of their minds – until Qi Fenghua was born.

Born amidst anticipation and love, Qi Fenghua and Qi Yuyu had essential differences.

Qi Fenghua was raised by his parents themselves. He received abundant love, and whatever he wanted, his parents would provide. In Qi Fenghua’s memory, his parents had always been a loving couple.

Qi Yuyu, on the other hand, still remembered when he was four or five years old, being raised by his grandparents. His only wish was to celebrate his birthday with his parents. However, this small wish was often brushed aside and neglected.

After his grandparents passed away, Qi Yuyu was taken back to his parents’ home. He saw his adorable younger brother and parents who were completely different from his memories.

At that time, Qi Yuyu suddenly realized that people were different from one another.

Later, when Qi Fenghua started painting, Qi Yuyu also developed an interest in art. However, the family business needed someone to take over, so he had no choice.

His birth was not eagerly anticipated, and his life seemed to be paving the way for Qi Fenghua. He only had the right to possess what Qi Fenghua didn’t want. Qi Yuyu had become accustomed to not getting many things he desired.

But when midnight arrived and he was alone with his thoughts, did he truly feel content?