After Amnesia, I Learn I'm a Scumbag Top?! - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Cars roared past on the wide avenue as Pei Ji stood at the roadside, deep in thought. After agonizing over it for a long time, he finally made up his mind and asked, “Chu…”
Remembering the unspoken, complicated relationship between them, the name felt almost scalding on his tongue.
Aunt Zhang shot him a puzzled look.
Taking a leap of faith, Pei Ji asked, “Where is Chu Tinghan right now? I want to see him.”
Aunt Zhang’s expression froze. “You want to see Director Chu?”
“Yes,” Pei Ji replied, scrambling for a plausible excuse. He felt a pang of guilt as he said, “I just want to… say goodbye.”
Aunt Zhang’s eyebrows furrowed, as if surprised. “Well…”
Seeing her hesitation, Pei Ji’s heart sank. It seemed seeing Chu Tinghan in person wouldn’t be so easy.
Sure enough, Aunt Zhang smiled apologetically a moment later and said, “Director Chu has been very busy with work lately. He probably won’t have time.”
Faced with her polite refusal, Pei Ji couldn’t press further. “Alright then, I’ll try another time.”
“It’s windy by the road. You just got out of the hospital—don’t catch a cold. Get in the car quickly,” Aunt Zhang urged, opening the car door and gesturing for him to get in.
The black car was empty save for the driver.
Since crossing over, Pei Ji still hadn’t adjusted to his life seven years in the future. His mind was foggy, and before he could react, Aunt Zhang had clumsily pushed him into the car.
Only after the car had driven ten meters did Pei Ji belatedly ask, “Where are we going?”
Aunt Zhang and the driver were both servants hired by Chu Tinghan.
Chu Tinghan had broken up with him, so logically, these people shouldn’t care whether he lived or died.
Pei Ji was utterly puzzled.
During his hospitalization, Aunt Zhang’s visits to care for him could be rationalized as Chu Tinghan’s indifference—too lazy to deal with him personally but fearing something might actually happen. Thus, adhering to humanitarian principles, he had hired someone to attend to his needs.
But now that he was fully recovered, there was no reason for Chu Tinghan to care about the fate of an ex who had wronged him.
Why would he send someone specifically to pick him up? Could he be planning to take Pei Ji to some remote place and dispose of the body?
Pei Ji couldn’t bear to dwell on the thought. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he tentatively asked, “Are you taking me home, or…?”
Aunt Zhang slowly explained, “We’re taking you back to where you were staying before. Even if you’re leaving, you need to pack your belongings, right?”
Hearing this, Pei Ji immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
So, they were just taking him back to pack his things—to kick him out.
Pei Ji nodded, agreeing.
Half an hour later, the car arrived at its destination.
Pei Ji stepped out of the car and was immediately stunned by the sight before him.
An elegant three-story villa stood before him, every detail inside and out exuding the immense wealth of its owner.
So, he really did latch onto a sugar daddy…
Pei Ji stood rooted to the spot outside the gate for a long time, only snapping out of his daze when Aunt Zhang called him in.
He slowly walked inside, glancing around, and asked, “Aunt Zhang, what is this place?”
Aunt Zhang hurried to pour him a glass of water. “Oh, this is Director Chu’s home. You’ve been living here with him for the past two years.”
From the moment he entered, everything—the slippers by the door, the water glasses on the table, and the throw pillows on the sofa—was a matching couple’s set. It certainly looked like the place where he and Chu Tinghan had lived together before.
Pei Ji, who had never been in a romantic relationship before, suddenly felt awkward at the sight of these unmistakably intimate items. He quickly averted his gaze and sat stiffly in the living room.
He looked less like a twenty-five-year-old man and more like a naive young student.
Aunt Zhang chuckled. “Little Pei, your room is just to the left. Why don’t you go settle in first?” She gestured in that direction.
Her reminder finally jolted Pei Ji back to reality. He scrambled to his feet and hurried toward his room in a panic.
As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, his hand gripping the handle clammy with nervous sweat.
He and Chu Tinghan had been in a passionate, secret relationship for two years. Surely they must have shared a room at some point during that time, right?
What do couples do when they share a room?
Could there be… intimate items in this room that shouldn’t be seen?
The thought made Pei Ji hesitant to enter.
He withdrew his hand from the handle, rubbed his nose, and turned to ask awkwardly, “Um… which room does Chu, I mean, Director Chu usually stay in?”
He silently prayed that Chu Tinghan lived upstairs.
“Director Chu always stays on the second floor,” Aunt Zhang replied, gesturing upward.
They don’t share a room?!
Pei Ji breathed a sigh of relief, finally gathering the courage to push open the door.
The room was simply furnished: a bed, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a computer desk.
But there were two pillows on the bed.
Pei Ji froze again, pondering this for a moment before deciding he was overthinking things. It’s just two pillows. Why would they have anything to do with Chu Tinghan? Who says one person can’t use two pillows?
I’ll use them both.
Thinking this, Pei Ji felt somewhat relieved and resumed examining the books on the shelf. Most were related to music composition, which suited his style perfectly.
Yet, after thoroughly searching the entire room, he found not the slightest trace of any affection for Chu Tinghan.
Pei Ji couldn’t help but sigh, What a complete scumbag I am…
After his moment of remorse, Pei Ji pulled his suitcase over to the wall, neatly folded the clothes from the wardrobe, and packed them inside. He also grabbed a few books from the shelf and tossed them in.
With his luggage ready, he left the room decisively, without a moment’s hesitation.
Seeing him move so quickly, Aunt Zhang, who was halfway through tying her apron, asked in surprise, “Little Pei… you’re leaving already?”
“Mhm,” Pei Ji replied.
“It’s almost noon,” Aunt Zhang continued. “Won’t you stay for lunch?”
Assuming it was just polite courtesy, Pei Ji waved his hand dismissively. “No, thank you, Aunt Zhang.”
Aunt Zhang tried to persuade him further, but before she could finish her sentence, he had already vanished.
Pei Ji slipped away with remarkable speed, as if fearing he might be detained.
In his mind, every extra second spent in that room increased the chances of running into Chu Tinghan.
While he did want to have a proper conversation with Chu Tinghan eventually, now wasn’t the time.
The perfect moment to confront Chu Tinghan would come only after he had prepared everything meticulously.
That afternoon, Pei Ji checked into a nearby hotel and bought a new phone along the way.
His old phone had apparently been smashed in the car accident, its screen shattered into shards and completely unusable. He had hoped to retrieve information from the phone to understand what had happened during the past seven years, but the phone’s destruction meant he would have to piece things together bit by bit.
Still, he didn’t give up on the phone’s data entirely. When buying the new phone, he left the old one for repair. The shop clerk said the chances of recovery were slim but worth trying.
Now, Pei Ji could only pray for a miracle to save his phone’s data. Once he accessed the information inside, everything would finally come to light.
That night, Pei Ji lay in bed, deep in thought, planning for the future.
Though he’d once relied on Chu Tinghan for support, those days were over. He refused to leave his fate in another’s hands, let alone live at someone else’s beck and call. The feeling was too stifling, too demeaning. He needed to forge his own path.
Two years ago, his reputation had crumbled, and he’d been forced to leave the entertainment industry. Making a comeback seemed impossible for the foreseeable future.
The thought gave Pei Ji a headache.
Making a comeback would be an uphill battle. Perhaps he should first sort out his ambiguous relationship with Chu Tinghan.
During the car ride earlier that morning, Pei Ji had already gotten Chu Tinghan’s company address from Aunt Zhang.
Now that he’d calmed down and could think clearly, he knew he couldn’t delay this any longer. He had to see Chu Tinghan immediately and get to the bottom of things.
He refused to let the labels “scumbag” and “gigolo” cling to him for life.
And he refused to be someone who treated relationships so carelessly.
The next morning, Pei Ji rummaged through his suitcase and pulled out a presentable outfit, intending to visit Chu Tinghan.
As he changed, he noticed something around his neck.
He’d been so preoccupied with other matters that he hadn’t realized he’d gained a personal ornament after transmigrating.
It was a silver necklace. Instead of a pendant, it featured two interlocking silver rings of nearly equal size at its center.
Pei Ji lifted it for a closer look. The rings were too large to be rings or earrings, and the silver chain was so long that only the chain itself was visible beneath his clothes; the two adjacent silver rings remained hidden.
After puzzling over it for quite some time, Pei Ji couldn’t discern any special significance. It was likely just a decorative accessory.
Perhaps he’d grown so accustomed to wearing it that he hadn’t taken it off.
Dismissing the matter, Pei Ji finished dressing and left. Following the address Aunt Zhang had given him, he easily reached Chu Tinghan’s company building.
Through online research, he’d learned that Chu Tinghan had completely severed ties with his former company a few months prior and established his own studio. The studio was located on the thirteenth floor of the office building before him.
The office building had strict security measures. Visitors needed to register to enter, and someone from the building had to come down to escort them upstairs.
Pei Ji had no choice but to ask the receptionist to call up and inquire.
While waiting, Pei Ji was incredibly anxious, fearing that Chu Tinghan wouldn’t even agree to see him.
Ten minutes later, someone finally came downstairs.
The man recognized him with just a glance from a distance.
“Pei Ji? What are you doing here?” The man’s expression was sour, his tone icy.
The person who came wasn’t Chu Tinghan. Pei Ji stepped forward and asked, “May I ask who you are?”
“I’m Chu Tinghan’s assistant, Guan Nan,” Guan Nan replied curtly.
Pei Ji’s lips curved into a smile, and he extended his hand. “Hello, Brother Guan.”
Guan Nan froze for a moment, glanced at Pei Ji’s outstretched hand, and ignored it. He said flatly, “Don’t try to cozy up to me. You want to see Director Chu, don’t you?”
Pei Ji awkwardly withdrew his hand, his voice sincere. “Yes, I’m here to apologize.”
Guan Nan raised an eyebrow, completely unconvinced. “Apologize?”
Pei Ji’s gaze flickered slightly, and he nodded.
“What good is an apology now?” Guan Nan’s tone grew even colder. “Things have already reached this point. It’s too late for that now!”
Pei Ji frowned. “What do you mean… ‘too late’?”
Had he done something earth-shattering?
Guan Nan scoffed coldly. “Don’t play dumb with me. If you didn’t want to take responsibility or have a proper relationship, why did you have a child?!”
What the hell?
There’s a child?!
Pei Ji’s mind exploded.
This is it. My future self is truly scum.
The mention of the child fueled Guan Nan’s anger. “Now that you’ve broken up, who will the child stay with? Little Bao is closest to you both—he loves you both dearly. How could he possibly cope with being separated from either of you?”
“If you didn’t want to take responsibility, you shouldn’t have raised him in the first place! What good is apologizing now? It’s far too late!”
Pei Ji was left speechless, utterly crushed by the barrage of accusations.
At that moment, he had only one thought: I’d rather have been killed by that car back then.
Is it too late to hang myself now?
He never could have imagined that seven years in the future, he’d not only become a mooching, deadbeat loser but also accidentally have a child with his wealthy benefactor. The revelation was utterly unbearable.
Pei Ji was utterly bewildered. How did I become this?
“One or two, none of them take responsibility,” Guan Nan grumbled, still complaining.
Pei Ji, overwhelmed with shame, made a desperate plea: “Could I at least see him… I really have something I need to tell him.”
Guan Nan crossed his arms and shot him a sidelong glance. “Forget it. Director Chu will never see you.”
With that, he turned to leave without looking back.
Pei Ji quickly grabbed his arm, blurting out, “I-I’ll take responsibility!”
Guan Nan whirled around, as if he’d just heard earth-shattering news. “What did you say?”
Pei Ji straightened his clothes to appear more formal, cleared his throat, and gradually blushed, the crimson flush creeping from his earlobes to his cheeks. He glanced away awkwardly, stammering, “I said… I’ll take responsibility.”
Though his voice was soft, Guan Nan heard him clearly.
Guan Nan’s expression was a complex mix of emotions.
After a moment, Pei Ji finally lifted his head, steeled his resolve, but the words still burned on his tongue: “Please… tell him… I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
The next sentence seemed to drain every ounce of courage he possessed.
“I want to… live a good life with him.”