Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

TL: Moonlit

Wan Li Shuang led Lin Hanchuan back to the dormitory, unable to contain his excitement. “The entire fifth floor, it’s just me living there… now there’s one more – you.”

Lin Hanchuan, carrying his own school bag, looked around the spacious and bright dorm room with a complete wardrobe and study desk. It was much better than Jiang Tian’s home, which he couldn’t even compare. “Not bad.”

Just as he was about to put his things in one of the closets, Wan Li Shuang’s ears turned red, and he stopped Lin Hanchuan. “I’ve already filled both closets, wait for me to tidy up, it’ll be ready soon!”

In a rush, Wan Li Shuang opened the closet, and it was filled with all kinds of clothes, which he randomly grabbed and tossed onto his own bed.

Lin Hanchuan watched him busily running around like a little ant, a faint smile of amusement in his eyes. He stopped Wan Li Shuang from making his closet messier. “I don’t need the closet, I can just put my clothes on the table.”

“Huh?” Wan Li Shuang looked puzzled, “But you have so many clothes, how are you going to fit them…”

As he witnessed Lin Hanchuan opening his bag and taking out a few old clothes, basic toiletries, a red envelope, and a worn-out phone, Wan Li Shuang blinked his eyes in surprise, then blinked again. “Is that all you brought with you today?”

For one or two nights, it might be enough, but it wouldn’t be sufficient for more than three days.

Lin Hanchuan casually placed the few thousand yuan he brought in a drawer, then tidied up his belongings. “These are all my possessions.”

“…,” Wan Li Shuang was speechless.

After finishing the tidying up, Lin Hanchuan didn’t hear a response from Wan Li Shuang. Curious, he turned around and burst into laughter. “What’s that expression on your face?”

Wan Li Shuang averted his gaze from Lin Hanchuan’s meager personal belongings.

Due to Zhou Yuntang’s influence, everyone in the class knew about Lin Hanchuan’s poor family background. However, Wan Li Shuang never expected it to be so difficult for him.

All his possessions could fit in a small school bag, in stark contrast to his two large closets. Wan Li Shuang felt mixed emotions.

Although Wan Li Shuang wasn’t as doted upon as Zhou Yuntang by his family, he was still the young master of the Wan family, enjoying a luxurious life.

It was well-known that the young master of the Wan family was possessive, disliking others touching his things. Wan Li Shuang pondered for a moment and finally made up his mind, “Jiang Tian, my clothes and belongings, we can use them together.”

After saying that, he added awkwardly, “I have too many clothes, and many of them are still new and pressed at the bottom of the suitcase, so it’s a waste of resources. You can help me organize the closet, and I’ll give you half of my things.”

Lin Hanchuan smiled, his eyes teasingly sweeping over the two messy closets and Wan Li Shuang’s bed full of clothes. “For such a task, you’ll have to pay me a salary.”

Wan Li Shuang’s originally slightly red ears instantly turned even redder, and his whole face started to blush. “N-no problem, how much do you want per day? Is five thousand enough?”

Originally, he just wanted to help his classmate. After being reminded by Lin Hanchuan, Wan Li Shuang suddenly realized that a high-level housekeeping service cost at least five hundred an hour. For all his belongings, it would probably take several hours…

Feeling annoyed at himself, he suddenly noticed a bony, distinct hand extending towards him, a hand calloused from long-term work, with deformed knuckles, destroying the elegance of the fingers. In the palm of that hand lay a small piece of candy.

“Was just joking with you, no need for a salary.” Lin Hanchuan said, “Have some candy, and please take care of me, roommate.”

This candy wasn’t a brand Wan Li Shuang was familiar with, and it looked somewhat cheap, but the milk flavor was strong, and even from a distance, there was a faint sweet smell.

Wan Li Shuang stared dumbfoundedly at Lin Hanchuan’s eyes filled with hidden amusement. Only when the other’s inquisitive gaze fell on him did he quickly lower his head, snatching the candy as if he were a monkey snatching corn from a bonfire, as fast as if his hands were on fire.

“Perhaps it doesn’t suit your taste…” Lin Hanchuan hesitated for a few seconds, about to continue speaking.

Wan Li Shuang, afraid of losing the candy again, quickly unwrapped the candy and threw it into his mouth in one go, wearing a proud smile. “I already ate it.”

Looking smug and somewhat crafty, Wan Li Shuang’s demeanor caught Lin Hanchuan’s attention, and the thoughts that he had suppressed earlier resurfaced involuntarily.

Various thoughts intertwined in his mind, leaving Lin Hanchuan feeling unsure of what to do. He opened Jiang Tian’s old phone and started searching, but after a while, the page was still stuck on a blank search page.

Sighing inwardly, Lin Hanchuan put down the phone, and all those thoughts in his mind seemed to vanish without a trace.

A brand new phone was handed to him. “What are you searching for? Use my phone.”

Staring quietly at Wan Li Shuang, Lin Hanchuan hesitated before making a move.

Thinking that Lin Hanchuan might feel reluctant to touch his personal belongings, Wan Li Shuang glanced at Lin Hanchuan’s search page and started typing on his phone. “Chinese painting? Do you understand Chinese painting?”

“A bit.” Lin Hanchuan realized that he felt a little uneasy, and he casually selected a painting and asked, “What do you think of this one?”

Wan Li Shuang took a look and casually remarked, “Not that great, the tones are uneven, and the distinction between light and shade is lacking. Probably the work of a beginner.”

Lin Hanchuan’s heart skipped a beat. “How do you know?”

“I learned it when I was a child. Not just Chinese painting, I studied piano, dance, calligraphy, equestrian… I dabbled in a little bit of everything,” Wan Li Shuang said, blushing shyly. “But later, I lost interest in those things and stopped going to classes.”

In retrospect, Wan Li Shuang felt that his parents were really open-minded. His childhood hobbies were diverse and ever-changing. He wanted to learn everything and switched to a new interest every few days. If he were from an ordinary family, his parents would have started punishing him, but his family always allowed him to maintain his passion for new things without interference.

Lin Hanchuan silently made the bed and then went into the bathroom to freshen up.

Wan Li Shuang looked bewildered, “Did I say something wrong? Why are you not happy?”

Just a moment ago, Lin Hanchuan was smiling at him with a seductive look in his eyes, but now he had no expression at all, like a block of ice.

That night, to avoid disturbing Wan Li Shuang’s rest, Lin Hanchuan had 001 appear as a white light, using it as a small lamp while spending several hours reading all the course materials.

Fortunately, Lin Hanchuan had been a top student during his previous studies, and with Jiang Tian’s memories to assist him, even after ten years, he was able to recall all the knowledge from the course materials.

The next day, sitting in the examination hall, Lin Hanchuan calmly answered the questions. Meanwhile, 001 kept chattering in his mind, [“Chuan Chuan, you don’t need to work so hard. With me here, I can give you the answers to these simple exam questions in seconds.”]

Lin Hanchuan replied in his mind, [“It’s not fair to other students.”]

001 froze for a moment. These were just some small tasks to complete the mission; why did the host care so much about them? But somehow, 001 felt that this was its host, peculiar as he was, and 001 liked it.

After finishing the morning exam, the exam hall was filled with a dismal atmosphere. Wan Li Shuang quickly made his way through the crowd to Lin Hanchuan’s side, “Jiang Tian, how did you do in the exam?”

Lin Hanchuan thought for a few seconds and truthfully replied, “Chinese is not my strong suit, and there are a few questions where I’m not sure about the answers. I might lose seven to ten points.”

“Is that all?” Wan Li Shuang widened his eyes in astonishment.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Hanchuan added, “The composition might also lose one to four points.”

Is this the world of a top student? Not only can he score high marks, but he can also control how much he loses. It’s terrifying. Wan Li Shuang followed Lin Hanchuan with a dazed expression.

Other students who accidentally overheard their conversation had different expressions, feeling insulted.

“Brother Yuan, is this really necessary?” One of the students in the same exam hall as Lin Hanchuan lowered his head and hesitated as he spoke to his friend.

He was one of Zhou Yuntang’s friends and had vowed to teach Lin Hanchuan a lesson.

Li Yuan glanced at him condescendingly, “Escort once, two thousand.”

“It’s not about the money…”

“Three thousand.” Seeing that the guy was not saying anything, Li Yuan coldly hummed and directly transferred three thousand to him, “You take him to the rooftop, and don’t worry about the rest.”

“Remember, make sure he’s alone, got it?”

Three hours before the afternoon exam, Lin Hanchuan and Wan Li Shuang returned to the dormitory to take a short nap. As the afternoon exam was approaching, they prepared to go to the examination hall early.

As they walked to the dormitory door, someone called out to Lin Hanchuan, “Jiang Tian, there are a few questions I don’t know how to do. Can you help me?”

Lin Hanchuan paused his steps, and he remembered that this boy was also one of the financially disadvantaged students. Although he consistently ranked high academically, he was often bullied due to his timid personality, which made him even more socially anxious. Perhaps he sought help from Lin Hanchuan because they shared similar circumstances, and he saw some camaraderie.

Seeing the boy sneak glances at Wan Li Shuang from time to time, Lin Hanchuan thought for a moment and said to Wan Li Shuang, “You go ahead; I’ll join you later.”

Wan Li Shuang frowned in displeasure and complained, “It’s almost the exam time, what’s the use of last-minute cramming?”

The boy lowered his head, looking small and shrunken, “Maybe, maybe I should forget it.”

“It’s alright.” Lin Hanchuan reassured him with a pat on Wan Li Shuang’s back, as if calming him down and also teaching him not to speak like that, “It won’t affect me.”

Wan Li Shuang was taken aback, but then a slight smile curved his lips.

Clearly, Jiang Tiang was also one of those who had to rely on studying to escape from poverty, yet he still wanted to help others, even if it meant possibly affecting his own grades. In his heart, Wan Li Shuang complained but also felt a faint sense of excitement.

His thoughts were complicated and hard to understand even by himself, but someone else could see it clearly. It felt like enjoying a slice of cold watermelon in the summer or sipping a hot milk tea in the winter – a comforting feeling that reached deep into his heart.

“Well, don’t take too long. We have only twenty minutes left before we enter the exam hall,” Wan Li Shuang reminded.

Lin Hanchuan patiently nodded. After Wan Li Shuang left, the male student looked slightly relieved, but quickly tensed up again. “My roommate hasn’t left yet. Can we still go to the rooftop?”

He asked cautiously, his eyes showing obvious nervousness and fear. Lin Hanchuan patted the student’s shoulder, pretending not to notice the sudden tension in his muscles. “Sure.”

The student let out a sigh of relief and walked ahead, leading the way with restraint. Lin Hanchuan’s eyes, however, turned cold.

 

Author’s Note:

I’m planning to do a double update tomorrow. If I can, I will. If not, let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything…