Chapter 1: The Scum Gong System

“Please!”

On a small hill, a pure black kitten clung tightly to the leg of a young man dressed in black pants and a white shirt, its voice a soft, milky mewl.

Ji Xiao’s body stiffened. He instinctively gave a hard shake.

The black cat, having been shaken off, let out a soft “Mew.”

Ji Xiao was speechless.

Seeing it totteringly prepare to run towards him again, he quickly retreated two steps, exclaiming irritably:

“I promise, I promise! Just stay away from me!”

Ji Xiao, twenty-six years old.

He should have already become a handful of yellow earth.

Yet, after his death, he inexplicably appeared on this barren little hill, only to be pestered by a cat.

Having lived for twenty-six years, he feared nothing and no one, living a free and uninhibited life.

But oddly enough, he was afraid of cats.

The black cat stood still, let out a hiccup, and then swiped a paw. A stream of blue data flashed, forming an electronic contract floating in the air.

“Then take a look at this contract. If there are no issues, just sign it, okay?”

Seeing it about to pad over again, Ji Xiao quickly said, “I’ll sign, I’ll sign! Just back up a bit!”

The black cat looked at his defensive posture with confusion, but obediently retreated several steps.

Ji Xiao rubbed his temple. “Where’s the pen?”

‘It’s a good thing this is a kitten.’

‘If it were a large cat, he feared he wouldn’t be able to control himself and would immediately bolt.’

The black cat said in its milky voice, “There’s no pen. If you’ve confirmed everything, just scroll to the very end and press your forehead against it.”

Annoyed, he scrolled down and immediately pressed his forehead to the screen.

It felt as if something had drilled out of his mind, and then brought something back with it.

It was also as if a new connection had been forged with something.

The contract vanished into thin air.

The black cat was visibly overjoyed: “Hello, Host. From now on, I am your—”

“I don’t want it.”

“Mew?”

Ji Xiao said irritably, “I already agreed to sign this absurd contract. Can you disappear now?”

The black cat looked utterly bewildered. “But we’re bound once you sign! I have to follow you until the contract ends.”

Ji Xiao was speechless.

He squatted down on the spot, clutching his head in agony:

“Why can’t I even find peace after death!”

The black cat finally understood that this Host, whom it had painstakingly found, seemed to dislike it.

It felt wronged, confused, and helpless.

****

After an unknown amount of time, Ji Xiao finally regained his senses and organized his thoughts.

“The ‘Scum Gong to the End’ System?”

The black cat nodded furiously. “Mm-hmm!”

“After leaving here, I won’t see you?”

“I will reside within the Host’s mental sea.”

“Let’s go.”

“…Alright.”

****

After vanishing from the small hill, Ji Xiao immediately appeared outside a room, a key card in his raised hand, mere millimeters from the door lock.

He calmly swiped the card and entered the room.

Ignoring the young man sitting on the bed, he walked directly into the bathroom and closed the door.

He took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and looked into the mirror. “Speak. What do you need me to do?”

Even though the face reflected in the mirror was entirely different from his own, he showed no trace of panic.

He calmly exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes carrying a faint chill.

He bore no resemblance to the irritable man on the hill just moments before.

“It’s like this: I am the ‘Scum Gong to the End’ System, a subclass of the Scum Gong System under the Jinjiang System.”

“Can you simplify that?”

“Scum Gong System?”

“Mm.”

“Do the mission details need to be simplified too?”

“Mm.”

“Embody the original owner’s ‘scumminess’ to the very end.”

“Alright.”

“Then shall I transmit the plot to you?”

“Transmit it.”

It was the first data transmission, so some discomfort was inevitable.

However, Ji Xiao merely frowned, took a deep drag from his cigarette, his expression unwavering.

The original owner, Xiao Chi, was the CEO of an entertainment company.

To outsiders, he was young, promising, came from a powerful family, and was a golden bachelor.

In reality, he was already married and quite promiscuous.

Five years ago, he had secretly married Pei Yu, a top star in his company.

He had an overbearing personality and forbade Pei Yu from having any scandals with anyone.

Should Pei Yu be involved in a scandal, Xiao Chi would severely ‘punish’ him.

Regardless of Pei Yu’s schedule, he would directly ‘handle’ him until he couldn’t get out of bed, covered in marks.

Pei Yu only thought Xiao Chi cared too much, becoming so jealous that he lost all sense of proportion.

He felt both distressed and sweet because of it.

Consequently, he often had to cancel many pre-arranged engagements at the last minute.

Xiao Chi’s punishments for scandals knew no time or place.

Because of this, Pei Yu gained a reputation for being a diva.

Fortunately, he later became much better at avoiding scandals. If there were baseless rumors or attempts to ‘milk’ him for publicity, he would directly and mercilessly expose them.

Although this led to him offending some people, at least Xiao Chi wouldn’t get so carried away anymore.

Pei Yu’s acting skills and good looks were impeccable.

He quickly became the new Film Emperor.

Offers for high-quality films also increased.

On the very night he became Film Emperor, at the celebration banquet, he quietly slipped away, intending to give his lover a surprise.

He wanted to celebrate with him alone.

Who knew there would be no surprise; instead, his lover gave him a shock.

At their home, Xiao Chi was ‘making love’ with someone else in their bed.

Pei Yu listened outside the door for a full hour, his face ashen, until they stopped. Only then did he push the door open.

Xiao Chi immediately sent his paramour away and desperately tried to explain.

He loved Pei Yu. They had been together for so long, and this was his first infidelity.

“You’re always so busy, filming for such a long time and not coming back, so busy you barely have time to call me…”

“I didn’t mean to. I was just too miserable. I couldn’t help myself…”

“There won’t be a next time, Pei Yu, believe me.”

“I love you, only you.”

Pei Yu ultimately forgave him.

Having just become Film Emperor, his momentum was limitless.

Yet, he did not seize the opportunity to rise further.

He controlled the pace of his acting roles, taking on only one drama a year.

He loved Xiao Chi too.

He didn’t want their marriage to crumble because of his career.

But it was clearly useless.

As he had more free time, he gradually discovered that Xiao Chi was very fond of the good-looking young artists in the company.

Even after he had slowed down his career, Xiao Chi continued his philandering ways.

Every time he was caught, Xiao Chi had an excuse, still claiming to love him, saying those people were just temporary dalliances, just for fun.

Pei Yu grew tired.

He loved Xiao Chi. Before becoming Film Emperor, he didn’t hesitate to gain a reputation as a diva, didn’t mind offending people, and would get to the bottom of any scandal.

All to reassure Xiao Chi.

After becoming Film Emperor, to maintain their marriage and spend more time together, he took on only one drama a year.

But he realized his lover was no longer the person he had loved.

Xiao Chi was habitually promiscuous and full of lies.

Pei Yu resolutely chose to divorce him.

Xiao Chi was greatly shaken. Not long after the divorce, done in a fit of pique, he regretted it. He then exposed the news that Pei Yu had long been married but had deceived his fans.

He even threatened Pei Yu, saying that if he didn’t return to him, he would release his indecent photos, blacklist him, and more.

Pei Yu was unmoved, determined to break away from him completely.

Pei Yu’s past scandals, such as being a diva, were dug up again.

His indecent photos were also deliberately photoshopped to create a false narrative of him being with different people, fabricating a scandalous private life.

Xiao Chi was systematically destroying him.

He continued to entangle himself with artists in the company, all while thinking that Pei Yu would eventually give in and return to him.

Who knew, Pei Yu simply died.

Betrayed by his lover and then ruined by his fabricated accusations, Pei Yu couldn’t bear it and drove his car into a river, perishing.

This was the original plot.

One cigarette was already finished.

Ji Xiao ran water to wash his hands, saying coldly, “So, you want me to re-enact the plot?”

The black cat whispered, “No, that was too simplified earlier. I didn’t explain clearly.”

He turned off the water. “Hmm?”

“Embody the original owner’s ‘scumminess’ to the very end, and prevent divorcing the shou, living a long life together with him.”

Ji Xiao let out a scoff. “What’s the logic behind that?”

Black cat: “Huh?”

He wiped the mirror, looking at his stern face reflected there, and scoffed, “As expected, this isn’t a legitimate system, is it?”

The black cat exploded. “Nonsense! We are clearly a legitimate system!”

“Legitimate system?”

He clicked his tongue lightly, his cold eyes still full of mockery.

“Scumming someone for a while isn’t enough; you have to scum them for a lifetime? And you’re not allowed to leave the garbage dump, you have to stay with the garbage until old age?”

The black cat: “How can Host call himself garbage…”

“So, a legitimate system? Hmm?”

“It really is!” the black cat said, sounding wronged. “We not only sign contracts with Hosts, but also with the original owners.”

“So, this mission is the original owner’s request?”

“Mm! The gong regretted it. His regret value allowed us to capture his soul data and sign a contract with him, helping him fulfill his wish.”

“You pick up any trash?”

“Mew,” the black cat whimpered. “This person wasn’t chosen by me either; I was just assigned to this category.”

“Hmph.”

“The original owner regretted it. He loves the shou, and he wants to grow old with the shou, but he doesn’t admit his mistakes. So he wants us to continue his style, but also maintain the marriage with the shou and grow old together.”

“Is everyone like this?”

“There are people who aren’t like this, but they get assigned to the ‘Scum Gong Whitewashing System,’ ‘Scum Gong Reform System,’ and so on. The ones assigned to us are precisely these kinds of people.”

Ji Xiao stared at the mirror in silence for a moment, then said coldly, “Terminate the contract.”

“Waaah—”

A sudden wail echoed through his mind.

Ji Xiao’s temples throbbed.

He rubbed his forehead. “Shut up.”

Sensing the irritable Host was back, the black cat quieted down, sobbing aggrievedly:

“You’ve already signed the contract. You can’t terminate it until the requirements are met, hic.”

“What are the requirements?”

“Become an S-rank Host, or rank in the top fifty in performance, or complete two hundred missions.”

Ji Xiao wondered why he was afraid of cats.

Why had he signed this contract?

He might as well have just been scared to death on the hill.

“Thump, thump, thump,”

The bathroom door was knocked, and a clear yet nervous voice came through, “CEO Xiao, you’ve been in there for a long time. Are you alright?”

Outside was a young artist from Star Ocean Entertainment, Xiao Chi’s company.

This wasn’t Xiao Chi’s first tryst.

In fact, the original plot revealed that the night Pei Yu became Film Emperor was not Xiao Chi’s first infidelity. He had been quite promiscuous even before marrying Pei Yu.

However, he was very discreet, and no one knew. The artists he had dallied with dared not expose him.

After all, while Xiao Chi was promiscuous, he had no genuine feelings for them, and his longest affair never exceeded three encounters.

Moreover, they would receive excellent resources afterward.

They had no reason to ruin their own futures.

Thus, Xiao Chi’s philandering remained unknown.

It wasn’t until he met Pei Yu that Xiao Chi truly fell in love. His heart was stirred, so he didn’t pursue him like he did other young artists; instead, he slowly courted him.

He married him, binding him.

“CEO Xiao?”

The young artist outside gathered his courage.

Ji Xiao opened the door, looking at the young artist who was trying hard to maintain composure but was actually incredibly nervous, and asked, “Did you wash up?”

“Wa… washed up.”

“Then let’s go.”

“…Mm.”