15: Trading fame for money

"Son, I want to talk to you about something."

Shen Qian was driving, and Old Shen, sitting in the back, spoke up with some hesitation.

"Why are you being so polite with your own son? Just say what's on your mind."

"Well, your Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle found out we're in Shanghai, and they want to get the whole family together for a meal."

Shen Qian's expression froze on his face, but then he nodded.

"Fine. When?"

"Tomorrow."

Shen Qian had no good feelings toward these two uncles. The main reason was that when his father was ill, he had asked them for help, but the result was predictable.

His father was their own younger brother, yet they could stand by and watch him die. What was the point of having such relatives?

But there was no helping it; the blood tie was there, and his father was a stubborn and traditional man. Since life was better now, it was just a meal. As long as his father was happy, it was fine.

This was just a minor interlude and didn't stop the family from enjoying their day out.

With registration approaching, the previously quiet freshman group chat had become lively over the past two days.

"I've already arrived in Shanghai. Anyone want to team up and wander around?"

"You're already there? Isn't registration still three days away?"

"Hehe, just getting familiar with the environment ahead of time and doing some sightseeing."

"We've got four years ahead of us. What's the rush?"

...The group chat was buzzing with conversation, and soon the message count was just a string of ellipses.

Shen Qian looked at the hundred or so people in the group, his eyes narrowing slightly.

[You have confessed your love to someone you don't like against your will. This behavior meets the criteria for a scumbag. Issuing reward...]

[You have confessed your love to someone you don't like against your will. This behavior meets the criteria for a scumbag. Issuing reward...]

...On this day, all the girls in the Human Resource Management Major at Hushi University received a similar friend request: "Beautiful, you're so pretty. Can I be in a relationship with you?"

There was only one sender. They didn't know his name, but his profile picture was a smiling puppy.

Shen Qian put down his phone and let out a long breath. He had to take advantage of the fact that no one knew each other yet to farm some rewards; it would be easier to get exposed once they became familiar.

In less than an hour, just by confessing, he had farmed over 3 million. Shen Qian even felt he was impressive.

But things didn't seem as perfect as imagined.

"Which class is this guy from? Is he an idiot? Confessing right off the bat?"

One girl posted a screenshot of Shen Qian's message in the freshman group.

"You got a confession too? I'm still confused."

Another girl also posted a screenshot of the confession.

Instantly, the group chat exploded.

Four or five girls posted screenshots at the same time, and then more and more followed.

Finally, it was confirmed: this guy had confessed to every single girl in the group.

Soon, Shen Qian's name and phone number were dug up.

"This is so repulsive. I'm going to post this on Pinkbook so everyone can avoid this landmine."

"This kind of person should be socially canceled; otherwise, who knows how many girls this scumbag will ruin."

Everyone chimed in, collectively condemning Shen Qian.

Unfortunately, Shen Qian didn't see it at all, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. Since he dared to confess, he was prepared to be found out. In the days to come, he intended to be a dedicated scumbag.

Reputation was something he could lose once, and he didn't mind losing it a second time.

The worse his reputation as a scumbag, the better. Because by then, the people attracted by the economic power he displayed certainly wouldn't be anything good either, so he could be a scumbag with a clear conscience.

Initially, Shen Qian's situation only spread within the Human Resource Management Major. However, there were upperclassmen in the freshman group, and they soon took the juicy gossip to other colleges.

Within a day, the name Shen Qian was remembered by many people.

Some suspected it was a prank by Shen Qian, but such voices were quickly drowned out.

When Liu Xinyao saw the screenshots in the group, she could hardly believe her eyes. The same profile picture, the same nickname—it was definitely Shen Qian.

But how was that possible?

Just last night, Shen Qian had shown his character; how could he be frantically confessing to others now?

She immediately dialed Shen Qian's number, but the line was busy.

"Oh no, he must be getting cyberbullied right now!"

And indeed, that was the case.

"Hello, who is this?"

"You just confessed to me and already forgot who I am? You dead scumbag, go to hell!"

"So, can I know your name? It would be a bit abrupt to confess without knowing your name."

"Go to hell, scumbag."

Every time a call came in, Shen Qian would patiently answer. No matter how nasty or vicious the insults were, as long as it was a girl, he would respond affectionately and confess once more.

His behavior left the callers speechless, and in the end, they could only curse once more and drop the matter.

The callers didn't know that every call they made allowed Shen Qian to farm scumbag points once again.

Shen Qian looked at the cold 8 million plus in his balance and curled his lips into a smile.

How much is dignity worth per pound?

With this 8 million, if spending ten or twenty thousand could make an adult work like a horse for him for a month or even two or three, Shen Qian had calculated the math clearly.

He was specifically earning money by losing face.

"Shen Qian, what on earth is going on?"

Seeing the message from Liu Xinyao, Shen Qian only replied with one sentence.

"What you see is the truth."

If he was going to be a scumbag, he wouldn't do it secretly; he would be one openly.

"Don't you want to explain anything?"

Shen Qian found this message hilarious.

Explain? What was there to explain? It was impossible to reveal the system, so the only explanation was that he was a scumbag.

But hadn't he made it obvious enough?

So, he simply responded to such questions with silence.

Seeing that Shen Qian didn't reply, Liu Xinyao's heart was in turmoil. She didn't know how to deal with this. Shen Qian was clearly such a good person, so how could he do something like this? The logic didn't hold up.

"Xinyao, I'm heading to school to register."

Wu Gao, looking as pale as death, said goodbye to Liu Xinyao.

Last night, he had guarded the door of the room where Xinyao was staying all night. The girl hadn't returned until noon today.

He wanted to ask, but didn't dare.

He was afraid that after asking, even his last shred of fantasy would be shattered.

He was still unwilling to believe that the pure and flawless Liu Xinyao would spend the night out with someone she had known for less than two days.

"Wait a moment, let me ask you something. Why would a boy suddenly confess to many girls at once?"

"Because he's a scumbag. What else could it be?"

"Impossible. Shen Qian isn't that kind of person."

Hearing this, Wu Gao's eyes lit up.

"You mean Shen Qian confessed to many girls at the same time?"

Liu Xinyao sighed and nodded.

"But he's not a scumbag. He didn't touch me last night."

"What do you mean? What do you mean he didn't touch you? Xinyao, are you saying you two didn't..."

The light returned to the boy's eyes. He knew that the heavens couldn't treat a devoted person like him so cruelly.