The Scum Shou's Survival GuideChapter 54

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[Ye Ming: Wow! My family’s baby really knows how to play! So exciting!]

[888: You can shut up thank you.] tZscro

Ye Ming was so excited he trembled all over. He loved developments that were tumultuous and filled with ups and downs. His melodramatic spirit was already taking over his body now, and he was imagining all sorts of scenarios that might happen next. Just then, the door opened with a creak.

Jiang Ci walked inside and saw the man sprawled across the floor, body trembling slightly. He raised his head and looked at him with a frightened, complicated gaze. He didn’t seem to understand why Jiang Ci would appear here, and it seemed difficult for him to take in.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Jiang Ci walked over and gently picked Ye Ming up, placing him onto the bed, expression tender. “You’re awake.”

Ye Ming finally seemed to recover from his previous shock. Yesterday, he had been knocked unconscious and taken away. It turned out Jiang Ci had recaptured him. In the end, he couldn’t free himself from all of this…He had run away again; Jiang Ci must be very angry. Qz3ddM

But right now, Jiang Ci was acting completely normal. He didn’t seem like he was going to get angry at all. But this instead made Ye Ming unable to understand his thoughts. This child’s thoughts were already completely indecipherable to him now, but sometimes, the unknown was even more frightening…

He thought of the chain on his ankle. He didn’t think in the slightest that Jiang Ci really wasn’t angry.

Jiang Ci looped his arm around Ye Ming’s shoulder, leaning him against his chest. His fingertips brushed past his chin. He lowered his head to kiss him.

Ye Ming suddenly twisted his head away, avoiding Jiang Ci’s kiss. His eyes were incomparably indignant.

PgJ cK

Jiang Ci started for a moment, but then laughed lowly. Lightly, he said, “You finally came home; why aren’t you happy? Is it because you don’t want to see me? Dad.”

Ye Ming’s pupils constricted. He hadn’t heard Jiang Ci address him that way for many years now. Even after they met again, Jiang Ci had never addressed him like that, and just treated him like an enemy, calling him by name or calling him Doctor Chen.

This “Dad” finally made him unable to keep his calm any longer. His lips quivered.

Jiang Ci’s eyes were sad. His voice was low and hoarse, and it carried an indescribable heaviness. “Did you know? This whole time, I’ve kept this place for you…just hoping that when you came back one day in the future, you wouldn’t be without a home…You’ll know that I was waiting for you. Every so often, I would return here to see if you came back. I waited here for eight years, keeping everything from before…” Vpjisq

“But you didn’t come back. You never thought about coming back at all.”

Ye Ming was very angry and disappointed with Jiang Ci’s recent behavior, but this child had suddenly revealed such a fragile side of himself, and as he listened to him personally talk about his despair and sorrow, sadness and pain suddenly arose from the depths of his heart.

In fact, he did know back then…He knew how much it would hurt Jiang Ci for him to leave without saying goodbye, but he still did it. He just wanted to make up for some of his past mistakes, as best as he could, and let Jiang Ci return to the place he ought to return to. He had biological parents who loved him, and one day, his wounds would heal, and he’d forget him.

He did his best to make himself forget all of this, but only when he saw it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears did he finally understand just how cruel his own actions were. This was also the real reason he was willing to endure Jiang Ci’s revenge all this time. PKrp2I

Jiang Ci paused. He was distracted for a short moment, then an icy coldness gathered in his eyes. His voice was quiet, and it carried a trace of an odd meaningfulness, “Dad…you promised me you wouldn’t escape and would stay with me obediently, but you still left…”

He pinched Ye Ming’s chin. His eyes were wild and indescribable. His voice was frosty. “You want to abandon me again.”

[Ding, Jiang Ci’s blackening value +20, current blackening value 80]

Ye Ming seemed to be in a painful struggle. He looked at Jiang Ci’s dark eyes, black as the ocean depths. It felt like he could personally feel his past despair. But that wasn’t grounds for him to have to endure all of this right now, and they also shouldn’t have such a relationship. DwujIo

All of this was sinful and wrong.

Jiang Ci pinched Ye Ming chin hard, not letting him escape. He fiercely bit down on his lip. The kiss was very rough, and it carried a kind of bloodthirst, as if he wanted to peel off his skin and take out his bones and devour him into his stomach.

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Gnaw him to pieces, swallow down his flesh, and allow them to become one!

Ye Ming whimpered. He desperately wanted to break away from Jiang Ci’s constraint, but it was no use at all. This person’s strength was so great, whereas his resistance seemed so feeble. Jb9BOs

Jiang Ci caressed his neck. His long, slender, piercing eyes met his. His lips curved up. Tenderness and ferocity coalesced in his eyes. “Dad…we’ll never be apart again. Don’t think you can abandon me and leave again.”

We’ll be together forever and ever, I promise.

Ye Ming looked into his eyes. In this familiar room, the person he thought of as his son now seemed just like a demon, ruthlessly tearing his entire world to shreds.

……………… d4btp0

This room wasn’t very big, and the bed wasn’t very big either. It was a somewhat old-fashioned wooden board bed, and although it was covered in thick bedding, it still felt so bit uncomfortable that Ye Ming felt like every bone in his body was going to shatter.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Dazed, he lifted his head and gazed at the ceiling; the familiar ceiling was a bit dilapidated at the corners. He had once lived in this home for nearly ten years.

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Jiang Sheng had hurt him, so he wanted to retaliate against Jiang Sheng at all costs. Thus, he stole his child out of desperation and vented his hatred toward Jiang Sheng onto him. Finally, this child had come to retaliate against him.

It was him that had turned this innocent child into the continuation of his and Jiang Sheng’s enmity.

If revenge breeds revenge, there will never be an end to it. Now, he finally understood this, but it was already too late.

Ye Ming lay weakly on the bed. His tears dampened the bedsheets. The torment he was currently enduring was the retribution for his wrongdoings. But he originally hadn’t wanted it to be this way; he’d also wanted to be a good person who could look into his own heart and feel no shame, who didn’t need to hurt anyone, who could live well, and be together with his wife and child… hopm3L

He only made one single mistake, and he needed to pay the price for the rest of his life.

But what about Jiang Sheng? Why hadn’t he paid the price yet? It was truly too unfair.

………………

From that day onward, Jiang Ci had Ye Ming live there with him. Only when eating or showering did the chain come off. At all other times, he kept Ye Ming locked in the bedroom. The chain was only long enough for him to move about the room; he needed Jiang Ci’s help even to relieve himself. All of it made him horribly embarrassed. IcLhgt

Jiang Ci, however, happily attended to Ye Ming personally, without getting tired of it. He really enjoyed any time they spent together. He never felt it was too dirty or too tiring; he just really liked calling him Dad in bed. It was as if he wholeheartedly wanted to return to the past.

Every day, Ye Ming didn’t even go out the door. He just stayed at home, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, and every night, he had a lively nightlife. His belly was even growing pudgy. He didn’t need to do anything besides act like he was suffering terribly whenever he and Jiang Ci were intimate. At first, he desperately resisted, but later he seemed to finally give up and let Jiang Ci do whatever he pleased.

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It was like his heart was cooled ash.

[Ye Ming: Yingyingying, yingyingying, I’m really so pitiable…My son actually did these kinds of things to his elderly father; has his morality withered away or is his human nature warped?] qxs39n

[888: …] mmp

[Ye Ming: Yingyingying, yingyingying, I like him so much, yet he hurts me like this…why don’t you feel bad for me?]

[888: Apologies, I can’t join your act. Also, don’t disrespect the word “like.” Indifferent.jpg]

[Ye Ming: …How can you be like this QAQ] CX2irg

[888: Why are you like this? If you just directly gave little Jiang Ci back to his parents back then, he never would have treated you this way. He might not have even remembered you. If he ran into you, at most, he’d just call the police. This time, if you’d just properly talked with him earlier, he wouldn’t treat you this way either. Do you not play a part in luring him into making his current mistakes, step by step? Ultimately, back then, you only kept him for the sake of experience points, and not because you genuinely wanted to care for him. And now, for the sake of convenience, you chose to take a shortcut, hurting others as well as yourself. So I don’t think you deserve any sympathy for this. This is called karma, retribution, and counterbalance.] What’s more, this spicy chicken wasn’t distressed at all!

Ye Ming didn’t like such a calm and rational system with no sense of humor, get out!

[Ye Ming: You’re cold, you’re heartless, you’re deliberately provoking me! You frigid string of data that lacks any human warmth!]

[888: Thank you for the compliment. I’ve always been extremely proud that I’m not human, especially after meeting a human like you.] dh1ETP

[Ye Ming: …]

[Ye Ming: You can not feel bad for me, but you should at least feel bad for Chen Zhao. He really is pretty tragic…]

[888: Alright, then I’ll do my best to feel bad for a bit.]

After a few days, Ye Ming still didn’t take any action. bLuWdt

[888 said impatiently: Do you even remember your proper business? Didn’t you say you want Jiang Ci to realize the truth? It’s already been nearly half a month; how come you’re still not doing anything?]

[Ye Ming: I’m letting feelings brew, ah. Emotions need to be allowed to flow naturally. Plus, you can’t get fat just by eating one bite ^_^]

[888: Hehe.] He really wasn’t slacking off because he’s been living too comfortably?

That day, Jiang Ci came back. He personally cooked a tableful of food, all home-style cooking. Then, he went to the bedroom and let Ye Ming out. JbLcDN

Day by day, Ye Ming’s expression became gloomier and gloomier, and he pretty much didn’t speak. It was like he was a walking corpse. He stared at the food on the table, stupefied. These were all the dishes he often used to cook for Jiang Ci. His cooking skills actually weren’t very good; after cooking for so many years, his food still wasn’t too tasty. Later, when Jiang Ci grew a bit older, he voluntarily took up the heavy responsibility of cooking. No matter what the task, his child was more talented than him in doing it—he even cooked better than him.

This scene was just like the past. It was just as if they hadn’t yet parted, and they were still in their home, and this child was still so lovely, calling him Dad…

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He was very good to him, loveable and obedient.

But no matter how much this resembled the past, his nightly torment would still ruthlessly tear apart this facade. wfAWtF

This was just endless torment, while their former home became a cage that imprisoned him. All of the wonderful memories were all shattered.

Ye Ming’s eyes were somewhat dazed, unable to focus. He reacted a bit sluggishly, picking up his chopsticks and stuffing food into his mouth, bite after bite, chewing for a long time before swallowing.

Jiang Ci could clearly sense that Ye Ming’s resistance was growing weaker and weaker. Recently, he had practically already stopped struggling. If it weren’t for the occasional, nearly imperceptible, feeble defiance and pain in his eyes, he would’ve even thought that Ye Ming had already become resigned.

This was what he wanted. He had finally obtained this person’s submission, thoroughly owning him, making him unable to escape from his side ever again. But the heaviness in the depths of his heart wouldn’t dissipate. xsvA T

And that hollow, empty space still hadn’t been filled. Instead, it became more and more desolate.

[Ding, Jiang Ci’s blackening value -20, current blackening value 60]

After eating dinner, Jiang Ci sat Ye Ming on the couch and turned on the TV. The TV was currently broadcasting the news. Next to Ye Ming, Jiang Ci looked at him with longing. He smiled reminiscently and said, “We used to be like this all the time. After eating, we would sit together and watch TV. Do you still remember?”

Ye Ming didn’t respond. He didn’t even look at Jiang Ci. He watched the TV as if he were empty inside. YG4DRF

Jiang Ci’s eyes dulled a bit, and he looked upset, his features taught. He took a deep breath and slowly said, “Talk to me for a bit and I won’t touch you today, okay?”

Ye Ming still didn’t respond. It didn’t seem as if he’d heard him at all.

Jiang Ci fists clenched tightly. His chest heaved. What in the world was he doing? What was he frivolously hoping for? Don’t mention that this person didn’t want him to begin with; even if he hadn’t abandoned him, he still wouldn’t forgive all of his current deeds, right?

But he kept hoping frivolously, uncontrollably, that this person could treat him like before. ugYIHA

But that wasn’t possible…there was no going back, not since a long time ago. A voice in his heart said to give up, while another voice said he couldn’t give up. The two voices tugged and pulled within him, and it felt like they were going to tear him into two.

Ye Ming’s indifference made the darkness in Jiang Ci’s heart grow incessantly. The resentment and ruthlessness he’d suppressed for many years once again began to become uncontrollable. He pressed Ye Ming against the couch and stared into his eyes. He coldly said, “Looks like you like it now when I treat you that way? Did you get used to it…?”

Ye Ming was already indifferent to humiliating language at this level. He turned his head away slightly and felt his lapels being torn open. A cold kiss fell onto his neck…

Only when he emptied his mind of all thought could he tell himself to keep holding on and treat everything as a trial that the heavens had given him… wde5Dh

Seal off his soul in the depths of his body and cut himself off from the rest of the world.

He tilted his head. In the last second before he closed his eyes, his gaze swept past the TV, which was still on. A familiar, immaculately dressed figure appeared on the screen. The anchor’s voice fell upon his ears: This year, the charity fund founded by the well-known entrepreneur Jiang Sheng has helped…children unable to go to school. He has stated that he has added additional funds…helping even more people…making more contributions to society…

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

That man was more mature and handsome than ever. Without any qualms, he received everyone’s esteem and respect. No one knew what a filthy, repulsive person he really was.

Suddenly, Ye Ming’s eyes turned red. hPCdAb

What heaven’s trial? It was all bullshit! His torment was all given to him by that person. He was the evil source of all of his torment! And now, his son was also hurting him…He was locked up in this tiny, cramped place, living in endless darkness without daylight. Meanwhile, that person went on TV and used his fraudulent smile to deceive people, living an illustrious, bright, and glamorous life.

The hatred that filled his heart once again bubbled up.

What he had wanted to forget, what he had wanted to walk away from—he couldn’t accomplish any of it. He couldn’t get revenge, nor could he hurt that person. And the one time he did something wrong, in the end, he had hurt others as well as himself, so he had once truly thought about giving up…

But then how did the heavens treat him? They insisted on dragging him back into that nightmare! 0Fmqu

The person who had done evil things to him was Jiang Sheng’s son. He had also come to get his revenge and hurt him! How he hated, how he hated! Why did he have to go through all of this?! His vision began to spin. All of a sudden, he bit down hard on Jiang Ci’s shoulder! His mouth was immediately flooded with the taste of blood.

He suddenly began to struggle and resist wildly. He would rather die than keep living like this. He wanted revenge! Why did he have to be humiliated like this?

Jiang Ci felt a sharp pain and discovered that Ye Ming was looking at him with incomparable hatred in his eyes. From his expression, it seemed as if he really, really wanted to bite off his flesh. He had never seen such a hate-filled look in Ye Ming’s eyes ever before.

No matter how he had treated him before, no matter how disappointed or angry this person was, he had never revealed such a bone-deep hatred. It was as if he were his absolute worst enemy. 4ps1a8

Jiang Ci was a bit stunned. And because he was stunned, Ye Ming managed to break free from his grip and run out.

Ye Ming seemed a bit delirious. He wasn’t even aware enough to run outside; he just desperately wanted to hide from the person who was hurting him. Too panicked to pick a path to take, he rushed into a room and slammed the door shut, then locked it with a kacha sound!

It was only then that he felt relieved. Finally, he had hidden from that demon’s control for the time being.

Ye Ming looked up. He saw a small, cramped room. To the side was a narrow bed. Next to the window, there was a desk and bookshelf. On the bookshelf, there were some middle school textbooks. An organized pencil case and a dust-covered pencil were placed neatly on the desk. S5eYiG

Here was…his son’s room.

He stared fixedly at the desk, which wasn’t very big. He walked toward it somewhat apprehensively, coming to a stop a few steps away. He blinked, and a youth appeared there.

From the side, he looked very concentrated. Stroke by stroke, he wrote down his homework. When he saw him coming over, he turned and smiled at him. His eyes were kind and affectionate.

This was the child he loved the most. He had always accompanied him…It turned out he was here this whole time. zxM Ld

Ye Ming suddenly really, really missed him, but he didn’t dare to reach out a hand, afraid that once he touched it, the beautiful image before his eyes would disappear.

Forceful thumping sounds came from behind him. Each thump was like a death knell that wanted to snatch his soul and seize his life. Darkness was encroaching from behind him, about to drown both himself and his child and drag them into a bottomless abyss.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Ye Ming covered his ears. He didn’t want to hear that sound. But that sound penetrated his eardrums, striking his heart.

Finally, with a loud clamor, the flimsy wooden door was forced open. 4YTMRj

The illusion before him faded away instantly. The smiling youth disappeared, and so did the open textbook and notes on the desk. Everything reverted to its original appearance.

Ye Ming’s vision swam. Tears wouldn’t stop streamed down his face. Where did his child go? Where did the child he so deeply loved go?

He lost him.

How he regretted leaving him. O5Lqgk

Jiang Ci didn’t pay any mind to the wound on his shoulder. Ye Ming’s sudden reaction just now was extremely strange. Ye Ming’s recent obedience had caused him to let his guard down. He didn’t expect that he would suddenly explode…At this moment, he was extremely anxious.

He saw Ye Ming standing blankly in front of his desk. He was afraid to upset him too much. He slowly walked over.

Just then, Ye Ming turned around. His face was covered in tear stains. He looked wretched and panicked, like a stray dog.

Jiang Ci was terribly distressed. This was the first time he felt some regret toward his actions. He shouldn’t have forced him so much. He slowly said, “I won’t do anything anymore. Come over here first…” CMltsG

But Ye Ming took a step back. His gaze was a bit listless. This tall man was handsome, and he looked very similar to his child. Why did he look so much like his child? Who was he?

He thought and thought. He looked and looked. The face of the person in front of him began to slowly distort and transform, finally turning into Jiang Sheng’s appearance.

He was Jiang Sheng! Or perhaps a demon sent by Jiang Sheng! He had come to torment him! It wasn’t enough for Jiang Sheng to knock him into the dust, he also wanted to strike him down into hell, so that he couldn’t be reincarnated for all eternity!

He finally knew who he was! hWzwyQ

Jiang Ci walked over, step by step. Ye Ming’s current mental state was very abnormal, and he was afraid that Ye Ming might accidentally hurt himself. But just as he got close, he realized that Ye Ming wanted to escape again in a panic!

Without even thinking, Jiang Ci reached out and held Ye Ming tightly in his arms.

Ye Ming opened his mouth and bit him, eyes wide with anger. His eyes were filled with fear and deeply ingrained hatred.

Jiang Ci looked at his unfamiliar expression, and his heart wouldn’t stop sinking. Suddenly, he had an ominous premonition. Clenching his teeth, he said, “Do you still recognize me…? I’m Jiang Ci…” KbUCVc

When Ye Ming heard this name, he seemed to have received some kind of stimulation. He let out a mournful shriek and gazed at him with incomparable hatred. He shouted hoarsely, “You’re not! You’re not my son! My son is already dead; it was you that killed him!”


Fun fact! It looks like YM is pretending to have dissociative amnesia, which is characterized by the inability to recall important personal information! One’s episodic/autobiographical memory is impaired, though procedural and semantic memory remains intacti.e. you lose certain memories of life events or experiences, but you would still remember how to do things, how things work, what things are, etc. perfectly fine. This memory loss is usually reversible and typically only lasts for days or weeks, though it can, on rare occasions, last for years. It’s often set off because of a traumatic event or overwhelming stress, and you would lose the memory of that traumatic event or stressor. Idk if the author is intentionally representing dissociative amnesia or not, but either way, it’s pretty spot on!

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Translator's Note

Like this one:

Translator's Note

Idiom meaning indifferent, lacking willpower.

Translator's Note

This part is a little slew of idioms, which I decided to translate this way for the sake of flow and brevity. The full meaning of what I referred to as “karma” (天道好轮回) is that the heavens will not forget someone’s good deeds and bad deeds, and even if they don’t experience the rewards or consequences for their actions in life, they will find, as soon as they enter the reincarnation cycle, that the heavens will allot them what they deserve.

Translator's Note

自作孽不可活; full meaning is that one cannot escape one’s sins.

Translator's Note

有得就有失; meaning you win some, you lose some. The more you gain, the more you lose, and vice versa.

Translator's Note

Idiom meaning trying to achieve one’s goal in the shortest time possible.

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17 comments

  1. Wuu…what is this dog blood tears streaming down my face TT-TT tis is hurting my soul….I love it❤️

    Thanks for the chapter😭❤️

  2. Every chapter is a godamn rollercoaster ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ

    The blackening levels also fluctuate in really crazy levels. You can’t be sure when this Arc is ending or not

    Thank you for the chapter!

    • HAHA ikr! no idea how the author kept track of the blackening levels. if she were sometimes just making up the numbers we wouldn’t even notice honestly

  3. Wowww ye ming is really putting it all in… actually this chapt reminds me a tiny bit of the game devotion haha, esp with the tv

  4. finally jiang ci is given a clue to what really happen! Ooooooooo his regret and torment will come real sooooon heheheheheh

  5. JC is about to regret all his life decisions and i’m weirdly excited about that