Strategy to Capture That Scum Gong

Chapter 194 - The Ex-Boyfriend that Died and Came Back to Life

Translated by Eve

Edited by Serefina

2. The Ex-Boyfriend that Died and Came Back to Life

【Xie He：Baby, do you see that man up ahead? That was one of my ex-boyfriends who had tried to capture me. He already died once. Seeing how he’s back, he must be the capturing host this time. Smile.JPG】

【444：Yi, so it’s like that…?_(:зゝ∠)_Isn’t that too obvious? You won’t trust him at all!】Although he was just a system, if he knew that the other party had come with a hidden motive, he wouldn’t fall in love with them either….He had thought that the capturing host would be a stranger….

【Xie He：You don’t understand. Sometimes, a scheme out in the open is more frightening than a hidden one. 🙂 】

【Xie He：Anyway, did you think a newcomer would be able to deceive me? It doesn’t matter whether the host is being open about their intention or not.】

【444：……】That made sense. He couldn’t refute that….

In a short amount of time, Xie He found himself standing before Lu Ting.

Although they hadn’t seen each other in thirteen years, Lu Ting hadn’t changed much. He was handsome, but hard-to-read. He was a tall man that stood with his back straight. He attracted everyone’s attention wherever he went.

Xie He lifted his glass up slightly and smiled. “Long time no see.”

Lu Ting stared at Xie He, his expression distant and indifferent. “It’s been a while.”

Xie He looked at him thoughtfully. He slowly said, “Is that how you act towards an old lover? Can’t you act like you missed me with a bit more enthusiasm?”

Lu Ting was about to turn around and leave. When he heard this, the corner of his lips rose and he smiled. “How can I act like I’ve missed you when I haven’t?”

His words were ruthless and cold but Xie He didn’t care. He stopped Lu Ting in his tracks, his smile teasing. “Oh, then why did you come back? You coming back makes me think you missed me too much.”

Lu Ting scoffed. At this moment, he saw someone walk in. Therefore, he directly walked passed Xie He and grabbed that person’s hand. He then turned around and said, “I came back for him.”

Xie He: “….” I kind of want to laugh.

Xie Xi had just come back from the washroom when his hand was grabbed by Lu Ting while in front of Xie He. He started shivering in fear. He was plagued by a very serious psychological shadow when it came to Xie He. If Lu Ting hadn’t come back…he would never have dared to appear before Xie He!

Xie He also noticed Xie Xi. His gaze grew unfocussed for a moment. This was his unpleasant half-brother with whom he shared a father. Back then, he had seduced his boyfriend, Lu Ting, and had even flaunted it in front of him….But who would have expected that in a blink of an eye, Lu Ting’s plane would crash and the person would disappear. Xie Xi had also been beaten by Xie He until he was reduced to a sorry figure—he had been chased out with nothing to his name.

If they hadn’t met today, Xie He would have forgotten that such a person existed.

Xie Xi had clear, fair skin. He had a delicate appearance. You could tell that he had been a beautiful youth when he had been younger. But now, he was over thirty years old and had suffered through poverty. He was no longer as good-looking as he had been back then.

After all these years, Lu Ting had finally appeared again. He had also brought the person Xie He loathed the most with him.

Xie He watched as Xie Xi hid behind Lu Ting, cowering. Lu Ting looked exactly as he had back then. He stood next to Xie Xi with a blank expression and a hand on his waist. Xie He finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.

The past repeated itself, but he felt completely different this time around.

Really…even if he didn’t want to raise his Favourability Value and wanted to disgust him instead, couldn’t he use a new trick?

Xie He used to hate Xie Xi. But after expelling Xie Xi from the family all those years ago, he had stopped paying attention to this dancing clown….Now that he saw his pitiful, ignorant little brother being used as a pretense again, he actually felt a bit bad for him.

He was kind of an innocent person who had gotten dragged into this mess.

Lu Ting cocked a brow. His voice was low. “What are you laughing at?”

Xie He pursed his lips but he couldn’t suppress his smile. There was ridicule in his eyes. His expression seemed to say: “Why don’t you give me a show?”

Lu Ting felt the vein in his forehead throb. He said coldly, “If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving.”

“No, there’s something I wanted to ask.” There was a hint of a smile in Xie He’s voice. “Have you not realized that I came over to pick a fight?”

As he said this, he walked over to Xie Xi.

Xie Xi couldn’t help himself from taking a step back. His expression was stiff. “Ge….”

Xie He pressed a hand on his shoulder and lowered his head. He whispered a single word into his ears. “Scram.”

Bitter resentment filled Xie Xi’s eyes. Back then, Xie He had also said this one word before he had expelled him from high society. He had stolen everything from Xie Xi and had made his life so hard. Because of Xie He, he had tasted the vicissitudes of life.

If it wasn’t because something had happened to Lu Ting back then…he would have already turned the situation on Xie He!

He would definitely make Xie He get a taste of the misery he had gone through!

“Your gaze isn’t very respectful.” A cold light glinted through Xie He’s eyes as he raised his voice, “Waiter, this person badmouthed me. He’s extremely rude. Please escort him out.”

Xie Xi was in disbelief. Although he had cursed the other thousands of times in his mind, he would never dare to utter a single word out loud, okay?!

He saw that the waiter had already started to walk over. It had been so difficult for him to get back here. It would be so embarrassing to be thrown out like this! Xie Xi immediately looked at Lu Ting, seeking help with his gaze.

Lu Ting shifted slightly, wanting to intervene, but Xie He grabbed his wrist and tugged hard. He said with a smile, “Your taste is terrible, to even be able to fancy trash like this. I’ll introduce you to some pretty boys. I promise you they’ll be better-looking than Xie Xi back then.”

Xie Xi’s face turned deathly pale. His eyes were filled with a look of self-consciousness and hatred. He was held back by two waiters. One of them spoke with a polite but unquestionable tone. “Sir, please come with us.”

Xie He said in a leisurely tone, “Oh, I forgot to tell you guys that I’m a shareholder of this hotel. Also…I’m not the same as I was back then.”

Lu Ting gave Xie He a cold look. His tone was insipid. “There’s no need for you to meddle in my affairs.”

In any case, his goal was to just take Xie Xi back now. After saying this, he threw off Xie He’s hand and left.

Xie He didn’t stop him. He watched as Lu Ting took Xie Xi away. He smiled and was about to follow when he suddenly thought of something. He turned around.

What he saw was all the Presidents, CEOs, rich young masters and ladies all looking at him with glittering, gossipy eyes. When they were caught by Xie He, a look of embarrassment appeared on all their faces and they immediately dispersed, pretending that nothing had happened…. Ah…the gossip today was too exciting! President Xie’s two-timing boyfriend that had disappeared thirteen years ago had mysteriously appeared. It was time for another passionate melodramatic romance about brothers fighting over love to begin!

Xie He was indifferent. He placed his glass down and left at an easy pace.

【444：Host dada, are you sure he came to capture you? Why doesn’t he try to win you over? _(:зゝ∠)_】Didn’t he once say that hosts would use any means necessary to get Host dada’s love? No matter how he looked at it, this person was looking for death….

【Xie He：Baby, who says that you have to gain my favour to capture me? It’s also fun to ‘loosen the reins only to grasp them better’. I’m really interested in him right now. 🙂 】

【444：……】

When Xie He left, he saw Lu Ting about to get into his car. He didn’t head over right away. Instead, he stood a distance away, gazing at the other with a penetrating stare. He said, “Are you really in such a hurry to leave?”

Lu Ting looked at Xie He. His hand, which pressed down against the car door, exerted a bit more force. There was a suppressed emotion that flashed through his eyes. Finally he said, “Yes.”

As soon as he said this, he heard the system notification sound in his head. His expression stiffened at once.

【Ding, the target Xie He’s Favourability Value +20. The current Favourability Value is 20.】

【666：…That wasn’t supposed to happen, ah.】

A sliver of a smile appeared on Xie He’s face. When he saw Lu Ting pause, his smile widened. “As a reward for your diligence in acting, I’ll give you 20 Favourability points. It’s to let you know that you’ve got my attention.”

Lu Ting: “….”

【Lu Ting：Are you sure he can’t hear our conversations or the system notifications?】

【666：I’m a hundred percent sure! But that’s why I’m really curious about how he knew it was 20 Favourability points! Can he control his Favourability Value? That’s unbelievable! This is an extremely important discovery. Give me a second to record this information. It’s definitely worth researching. 】

【Lu Ting：That’s not important. What’s important is that he had clearly been so cute back then. So why does he have such a venomous tongue now? Did you hear what he said?! What “the reward for attracting my interest in 20 Favourability points”???】

【666：……】He felt like his host was angry.

【666：Boss, forgive me for my frankness, but with Xie He’s coldhearted, cunning, and sinister character settings, even when he had been young, he and the word ‘cute’ never belonged together! Right now, he’s even more hateful! If you think he’s cute, then based on what I know of human emotions, it’s only because you’ve been blinded by love.】

【Lu Ting：I didn’t need to hear that, thank you very much.】

Xie Xi sat in the passenger seat. He looked confused by their conversation. But when he thought that Xie He probably still liked Lu Ting but Lu Ting currently liked himself, he suddenly felt like blowing off steam. He gathered the courage to say to Lu Ting, “Lu dage, let’s go back.”

When Lu Ting heard Xie Xi speak, his expression turned back to normal. He didn’t look at Xie He again and drove away.

He couldn’t stay here.

…………………………

Xie He returned home, a pensive expression on his face.

【444：Host dada…what did you mean when you said that today? Rewarding him with 20 Favourability points?】

【Xie He：I meant just that. It was a reward for his earnest acting. Judging by the twitching of his expression, he heard the same thing from his system. Even if there was a difference, it wouldn’t be more than a 10% difference. Smile.JPG】

【444：Σ( °△°|||)︴You can control your Favourability Value for hosts?!】Oh my gosh, how was that possible? Dumbfounded!

【Xie He：Baby, is it really all that surprising? Love is just an emotion. Don’t you systems also have a criteria for judging Favourability Values? Anything that can be measured can be controlled. After spending all that time giving those one hundred hosts my emotions and taking them back, I’ve already gotten very good at controlling my emotions. To put it simply, the Favourability Value is just split into the following categories: interested, like, a strong like, love, strong love…. Moreover, after experiencing those twelve worlds and understanding the capture targets’ Favourability Values, my mastery over my Favourability Value has become even more precise. I can control my Favourability Value as long as it’s below a hundred.】

【Xie He：I’ve played this game ninety-nine times. When I’m happy, I’ll give them Favourability points. When I’m not, I’ll take them back. 🙂 】

【444：……】This was too frightening. The hosts died without knowing the truth….Shiver.JPG

【444：Wait…doesn’t this host feel like he’s slacking off? Is he really loosening the reins only to get a better grasp on you?】It feels like he doesn’t want Host dada’s Favourability Value to rise at all…._(:зゝ∠)_

【Xie He：Maybe. He probably doesn’t want to part with me forever. 🙂 】

【444：@[email protected]】I don’t understand….

The next morning, Xie He arrived at the office and said to Fang Nan, “Find the best private investigator you can for me. I want to know everything about Lu Ting’s whereabouts and actions every single day.”

Fang Nan said, “Okay, I’ll get on it!”

【444：Host dada…you can use me for surveillance. Why are you getting a private investigator?_(:зゝ∠)_】

【Xie He：Baby, I don’t mean to insult you, but his system is definitely of a higher level than you. At a time like this, going the traditional route is the better choice. Smile.JPG】

【444：……】How terrible! He didn’t even think of that QAQ. He feels like he is completely useless in this world.

Xie He wasn’t worried. Shortly after, Fang Nan brought background information on Lu Ting over. But Xie He knew that this was just information Lu Ting had purposely leaked.

The information said that Lu Ting hadn’t died back then after the plane crash. Instead, he had recuperated from his injuries overseas. He only woke up six months ago. After waking up, he had come back to the country and had taken back his companies both abroad and domestically. The first thing he had done after coming back was find Xie Xi. Right now, Xie Xi lived in a place Lu Ting had arranged.

If you were to play a game, you obviously had to know yourself and your enemy first and foremost.

Xie He finished reading the documents and chuckled. “Ah, so boring. Except for Xie Xi, isn’t there anyone else he could find to disgust me? He really hasn’t improved at all.”

【444：Hm?】

Xie He threw the documents randomly into a drawer. There was an interested glint in his eyes. “How interesting…I feel like life won’t be so boring from now on. I’ve decided to cooperate with him on this charade.”

【444：……】

…………………………

Xie He began to go to work as if nothing happened. As the President of a large company, he was very busy. It was as if he hadn’t taken the matter regarding Lu Ting to heart. Lu Ting also didn’t appear before him. A few days passed and Xie He pulled out a card from a pile of invitations. He then leisurely went to participate in the event.

This time, it was a celebration banquet hosted by a small company related to Xie He’s business for going public. Although the company wasn’t big, their prospects weren’t bad.

According to the information Xie He had received, Lu Ting had told the people in charge of this company that he would come today. Xie He looked at the time. He had come a bit early.

Shortly after, he saw Lu Ting appear at the entrance. This time, he came on his own. He hadn’t brought Xie Xi.

There was a smile on Xie He’s lips. He didn’t go over. He didn’t even talk to Lu Ting all night. Lu Ting had obviously seen him, but he seemed to have no intentions of coming over. He just chatted with the others, composed and assured. His expression was amiable and he was both gentle and polite. One couldn’t tell he had such a cold side to him at all.

Heh…even when acting, he could make him really unhappy.

Xie He raised a brow. He walked over and stood to the right side of Lu Ting, at an angle the other could see. He revealed a heartbroken, dejected expression. He stood there for a few moments before leaving. He looked very lonely.

Lu Ting acted like he didn’t care, but he had been paying attention to Xie He’s expression the whole time. When he saw Xie He look upset and disappointed, he suddenly lost all desire to chat. He blamed himself. Had he made it too obvious that he was treating Xie He differently? Had he gone overboard? He really couldn’t bear to see Xie He upset. It was just….

Lu Ting paused. He then said farewell to the other guests and secretly followed.

666 wanted to remind his host that when Xie He had first come over, he had still been wearing a cunning, sinister smile on his face. No…forget it…. This wasn’t a matter of intelligence. His wise host was perfectly happy to fall head first for that human scum. This was an example of how ‘we cannot escape the evil we bring unto ourselves.’ He wouldn’t listen to anyone else.

Xie He didn’t leave immediately after exiting. If he really left, how would he ‘accidentally’ bump into Lu Ting? He leaned against the wall.

When Lu Ting came out and turned around, he saw Xie He leaning against the wall, brows slightly furrowed.

He regretted coming out a bit. He should persevere with his plans. But…this was Xie He’s world. The person standing in front of him was the real Xie He through and through. It was the real face of the person he thought of constantly. When he finally got to see him again, he realized that maintaining his self-control wasn’t that easy.

He had experienced so much, paid so much…all for the sake of being allowed to return here one last time. He had given everything for the chance to see the person he loved once more, to help free him of his fate.

Therefore…he had to steel his heart.

He had to let Xie He win this game.

Lu Ting turned around and prepared to leave. However, Xie He had already caught sight of him. He called out his name, the tone of his voice complex. “Lu Ting.”

Xie He stared at Lu Ting’s back. Seeing that the other had no intention of turning around, the hurt in his eyes intensified. “If you didn’t want to see me, why’d you come back?”

Lu Ting knew that he should leave. Hesitation flashed through his eyes. In the end, he slowly turned around and looked at Xie He with an ice-cold gaze. “I told you, I didn’t come back for you.”

Xie He’s face paled slightly. A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. “Oh. You came back for Xie Xi….You of all people should know how much I hate him.”

Lu Ting’s expression froze. His body felt stiff. That’s right…he knew it well. No one knew better than he did.

He had been with Xie He for seven years. He had watched as that child had grown up into an adult man. He had taken care of Xie He and had kept him company. He had watched as the other had slowly opened his heart to him. He had watched as the other had gradually fallen in love with him and given him his trust…. But in the end, Lu Ting had chosen…

…He had chosen to betray Xie He before leaving this world.

Lu Ting slowly raised the corner of his lips up into a cold smile. He lied. “Yes. He’s a lot more likeable than you are. You don’t still like me, do you? I remember making it very clear to you back then that I had just been playing with you, that’s a—”

When Lu Ting said this, he suddenly paused before continuing, “As for right now…you should have already realized that I’ve never liked you. Right?”

I was just a host that had come to deceive you.

Xie He’s eyes dimmed. A long time later, he said. “I understand. I won’t bother you again.” After saying that, he turned around without any hesitation and walked towards the elevator.

Lu Ting stood in place. His fingers felt stiff.

He stared at Xie He as the other left. He kept telling himself, don’t go over there, don’t go over there….He watched as the elevator doors started to close. A moment before the elevator doors shut, Lu Ting noticed a pained expression appear on Xie He’s face before the other slid down flush against the elevator wall.

Lu Ting felt his heart seize with panic. His body acted faster than his brain could think and he rushed over, prying the elevator doors apart to pull Xie He out of the elevator! He felt Xie He’s body trembling. The other was slumped over weakly. His eyes were shut and there was a pained expression on his face.

This was impossible. How could this be?

He recalled everything he had done in the previous worlds. His heart filled with anguish and regret….The hands that held Xie He were shaking.

【Lu Ting：Examine his body right now! Didn’t you tell me that nothing would happen to him if he had the system’s protection? Why are there residual effects?】

【666：Cough cough, Boss, if I may….】

【Lu Ting：Skip the nonsense. Can’t you see that he’s about to faint? Is there something wrong with the systems’ protection mechanisms? 】

【666：…No, he’s just….】

At this moment, Xie He grabbed Lu Ting’s arm tightly, a pained voice coming out of his throat. “Lu…Ting….”

Lu Ting’s face was filled with concern. He held Xie He tightly. “I’m here.”

Xie He slowly opened his eyes. There was a faint smile in those slender, pitch-black eyes. A sharp light flitted through and his thin lips rose into a smile. “Oh, I was just playing a trick on you.”

Lu Ting: “….”

【666：He’s tricking you—was what I was about to say. His body and mental condition are so healthy, he couldn’t be any healthier. Furthermore, he didn’t show any abnormalities when he first entered the elevator. It was obvious he was just putting on an act. Even this kind of low-level, half-assed acting can deceive you. If I analyze this based on human emotions, I believe that you humans have a saying to explain this. It’s ‘your emotions have clouded your judgement’.】

【Lu Ting：Thank you, you can shut up now.】

The author has something to say: (Long A/N ahead. Has to do with the ending she’s written though~ No major spoilers but it’s nice to hear her thoughts.)

The systems have a lot more scenes in this last world because there are many background settings and hidden details that need the systems to help reveal. Furthermore, they are also very important characters in bringing the whole story together.

And now, I will honestly tell you angels the problem between this couple. The story is about to end so this doesn’t count as a spoiler. O(∩_∩)O~

The synopsis said that this will be 1v1. I’ve written it that way from the beginning. It’s never changed. The ML was ‘split’ but not in the way you thought….Everyone can see that I love dogblood. (Beat). Even though the story was told in episodes, this silly author has always written happy endings. Life is already so hard. Reading a bad end will only make you depressed, heehee. This author never reads BE novels or novels without CPs. Therefore, President Xie has his gong and his gong has been decided since the very beginning.

This is the longest novel I’ve ever written. I’m really grateful that everyone likes it and have invested so much into it. In my heart, President Xie is still human. Although he’s never cried, it doesn’t mean that he’s never been hurt. He’s very good at strategizing, but that doesn’t mean he’s never felt helpless. After all, he’s only human. He’s not god. Actually, my heart really aches for him. That’s why I hope that he gets a good ending, that he gets someone who will love him and never leave him. Someone who he can rely on and trust, and who will rely on and trust him. Someone who will love him dearly and is also strong enough, capable enough to help him when he needs it. Someone who is willing to stay here with him. I want to give him a perfect life without regrets. I want to give him someone who genuinely loves him and who deserves him. President Xie doesn’t have it easy. Letting him live the rest of his life alone is the same as giving him a bad ending so I can’t write that. Furthermore, just because he’s taken, doesn’t mean he can’t continue to shine, ah…. President Xie is a very aware person. If he makes a choice, it’s because he truly wants it, not because someone made him choose it. Furthermore, the one who paid the most was also out little gong. If you have to compare the two on who’s the scummiest, President Xie still wins. 2333

This world is President Xie’s own story, so it won’t be as angsty as the other worlds. Actually, it’s not particularly angsty at all. It’s much more relaxed and reserved. Many of their emotions need to be considered seriously. Therefore, there won’t be a lot of satisfying scum abuse. The angels who just wanted to read dogblood for fun and don’t want to read the ending can stop reading here….

I know that some angels won’t be happy and will give up reading this story now that I’ve said this. Although I’m sad, I’m really sorry to say that this novel has always been 1v1….I want to give President Xie a perfect happy ending. This feeling has never changed.

Hahaha, actually, everyone in this novel has had difficulties and were forced into the choices they made. The only one who was sheltered and pampered all this time is the sweet, naive 444. ╰(*°▽°*)╯Hahahahaha.

Regardless, I thank everyone who’s read up to here. President Xie’s brilliant life is due to your support and companionship. To the darlings who are willing to read to the end, this silly author hopes to give you a satisfying answer~

Eve: I goddamn love this couple and their dynamic. And I do feel for both of them. I just want my babies to be happy. I feel the same as the author. Can’t wait to see more of XH toying with Lu Ting and Lu Ting gradually losing his self-control. (But Lu Ting is very very sweet and I do adore him too…I’m just partial to my President Xie.)

sere: AHHHH LT is so cute :’( our Pres Xie He is so scummy >:( (but also they are v cute together)