Chapter 8: Transmigrated as a Cheapskate Phoenix Man (8)
“By the way, how many people are actually coming to the dinner tonight?” Cen Yu hadn’t forgotten that he had an important plot point to execute tonight.
Specifically, getting drunk and having Lou Baichuan drive him home, which would lead to Lou Baichuan encountering Yu Xinyu, who was being put down and ordered around by the scumbag.
Seeing how Yu Xinyu still obediently hand-washed the scumbag’s clothes even under such conditions, Lou Baichuan’s heart would swell with pity. From then on, he would keep Yu Xinyu in his thoughts, eventually convincing him to bravely pursue a new life and break up with the scumbag.
—How touching, Cen Yu thought.
This segment in the original novel was crucial. Yu Xinyu, who had been constantly suppressed by the scumbag, would suddenly realize that in the eyes of outsiders, he was actually incredibly charming—not just someone destined to stay home washing laundry. Moreover, he had studied painting since childhood; had he not met a scumbag like Cen Yu, he likely would have become a painter by now.
He recalled that later in the original story, Yu Xinyu indeed picked his paintbrush back up…
At that thought, as soon as Sang Luo left, Cen Yu immediately called Yu Xinyu—
“Hello~ Hubby~ Why are you calling me during work hours?”
No matter how many times he heard it, Cen Yu still couldn’t quite stomach Yu Xinyu’s cloying tone. Taking a quick breath, he said, “Department dinner tonight.”
“I might end up drinking too much.”
“Remember to do the laundry!” He emphasized the main point, “No slacking off this time! Wash them by hand!”
“…You’re going to a department dinner?” Yu Xinyu’s voice suddenly deepened.
“?” Cen Yu took off his earbud in confusion. Had his earbud broken or something? Why did Yu Xinyu’s voice sound so somber just now?
“Yeah,” Cen Yu said, looking out at the glass curtain wall of the building. “With my colleagues.”
“Is it with that boss who was parachuted in?”
“Lou Baichuan?” Cen Yu was surprised. He hadn’t expected Yu Xinyu to already be paying attention to Lou Baichuan—the two of them definitely hadn’t interacted yet.
Could it be that he had complained about Lou Baichuan too much before, causing Yu Xinyu to remember the name?
Tsk, he couldn’t let him leave a bad impression.
I can’t make him sound like a total monster, Cen Yu thought. Standing downstairs while continuing the call, he stared at the glass curtain wall before him. Because his eyes weren’t focused, he failed to notice a familiar figure walking out from the building behind him.
“Yeah, Lou Baichuan is going too,” he said. He pondered for a moment, thinking that if he suddenly started singing Lou Baichuan’s praises, it might break his character.
Still, he couldn’t let Yu Xinyu view Lou Baichuan as a hideous villain either.
“Whatever, let’s not talk about him.” In the end, Cen Yu couldn’t bring himself to say anything good about Lou Baichuan.
After all, Cen Yu wasn’t the kind of person to say nice things about anyone!
“I’ll be home a bit late tonight,” he said. “Don’t bother making dinner for me.”
After finishing the call, he hung up and took off his earbud, only to see Lou Baichuan standing a meter behind him—
“?” When did he get here?
“I didn’t come down to catch you slacking,” Lou Baichuan checked his watch. “Though it is indeed work hours now.” Holding his car keys in hand, he added, “I’m heading out for a bit. Remember to send me the revised proposal on time before off-work.”
Cen Yu thought back quickly and figured he hadn’t said anything out of line just now.
So he nodded.
However, Lou Baichuan didn’t leave right away.
Cen Yu shot him a look that asked, Can I help you with something else?
Lou Baichuan asked, “Do you live with family?”
“Family?” Cen Yu thought for a second before finally saying, “A roommate.”
This was precisely why Cen Yu was considered a scumbag in the original novel! Because he had never come out at the company, he claimed to the outside world that Yu Xinyu was merely his cohabiting roommate.
“Is that so?” Lou Baichuan nodded. “Alright then, I’ll take off.”
Holding his car keys, Lou Baichuan watched Cen Yu’s figure walk into the building.
—He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop; he had simply overheard his own name and couldn’t help stopping in his tracks.
He then heard Cen Yu tell the person on the other end not to make dinner for him.
At first, he thought Cen Yu was speaking to family, but then remembered that Cen Yu wasn’t a local… That made him suspect: could that be Cen Yu’s partner?
The tone had been far too natural and intimate; Lou Baichuan couldn’t imagine any other relationship besides lovers who lived together day and night.
So he had deliberately tested him.
He saw Cen Yu’s gaze flicker for a moment before he claimed it was just a “roommate.”
Ha, roommate.
Lou Baichuan gripped his car keys tightly, his eyes growing somewhat cold—some people who were afraid to come out were like this, calling their daily, cohabiting partners mere “roommates” when asked.
And Lou Baichuan thoroughly despised that kind of behavior.
His impression of Cen Yu plummeted, viewing him as nothing more than an irresponsible scumbag.
Besides, if he already had a lover, why had he sent him such an ambiguous message earlier?
On the other side, Cen Yu had no idea he was already saddled with the reputation of “holding the bowl while eyeing the pot.”
Returning to his desk, he first opened a browser to slack off for a bit before groaning and sighing as he began revising the proposal—drawing the attention of Little Gao beside him.
“What’s wrong, Brother Cen? Is the King of Hell torturing you again?”
Cen Yu glanced at Gao Lanyuan sitting next to him, who had only started interning this month.
He genuinely couldn’t fathom how a small company like theirs hosted two big figures. Aside from Lou Baichuan, a formidable contender, in a novel about a universe’s beloved making a scumbag regret his life, Yu Xinyu naturally had other suitors besides the original rivals.
Take this Gao Lanyuan right in front of him, for instance.
He was Yu Xinyu’s university junior and admirer.
He deeply admired the genius that was Yu Xinyu, which made him hate Cen Yu—who suppressed Yu Xinyu—even more.
—Naturally, as one of Yu Xinyu’s admirers, Gao Lanyuan was hardly broke either.
Just like Lou Baichuan, he was a crown prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth, who happened to be interning at this company and would likely take over his family’s business after graduation.
“Yeah.” Cen Yu actually got along fairly well with Gao Lanyuan.
Of course, that was before Gao Lanyuan discovered that Cen Yu was the very scumbag who had let Yu Xinyu down.
Later in the plot, there was even a falling out where Gao Lanyuan chewed Cen Yu out… Thinking about that scene made Cen Yu feel weirdly refreshed. Looking at the refreshing college guy Gao Lanyuan beside him, he said, “He sent me a message at one in the morning.”
Gao Lanyuan frowned at this. “Sent a message at one in the morning? Isn’t he back from abroad? How can he lack boundaries like that—doesn’t he understand the concept of personal time?”
Cen Yu looked at Little Gao with deep appreciation!
Even if the two of them were destined to fall out later, when it came to slacking off at work, their minds were entirely synchronized.
“What did he send you?”
Cen Yu pointed at his computer. “Told me to finish revising this proposal before off-work today.” He leaned back in his office chair.
“I really don’t want to go to the team dinner.” But to carry out the plot, I have no choice!
“Then just don’t go~” Gao Lanyuan suddenly leaned in, staring at Cen Yu’s face and the beauty marks under his eye. “My friend’s band is performing tonight, it’s gonna be insane!”
“Wanna go check it out together?”
