Don’t Be a Kept Man

Chapter 3: A Date

Lu Qi did not respond to his invitation.
He took his jacket back, and from the pockets, pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
A lighter lit up in the dark night, and as his eyes are consumed by the fire, he puffed out smoke.
Looking like a hooligan,

“The university gates are going to close.”

Huo Ming Chen did not think much of it.

“What are you afraid of? If anything comes out of it, I’ll take the blame.”

He suddenly looked a bit down to Lu Qi.
Huo Ming Chen took out his wallet and threw a card onto the passenger seat, hinting at what he wanted,

“Hop in.”

Huo Ming Chen didn’t even finish speaking before Lu Qi quickly opened the door and picked up the card.
In one smooth motion, he was already seated and plastered a perfect 45 degree smile.

“Thanks, I remember there is a Hunan restaurant nearby, and they taste pretty decent.”

“……”

Huo Ming Chen started the car without speaking and throughout the entire ride did not give Lu Qi a glance.

[ Warning! Warning! ]

It started to ring inside Lu Qi’s head.

[Detected behavior from the host that breaks the system’s rules.
Please return all items that do not belong to you.
If it is not returned within the next ten minutes, there will be a severe electrical shock punishment and life points will be deducted.
]

Lu Qi’s smile froze as he heard the warning: ……

Shit, how did he forget about this fucking system.

[ Countdown has begun, 10, 9, 8, 7 –]

His fingertip began to twitch.
A silver bank card began its reluctant way back to Huo Ming Chen’s jacket pocket in the dark.
Lu Qi’s face turned emotionless, and he suddenly realized that as long as the system was here, he was going to remain poor for his entire life.

The restaurant that they were heading to was quite faithful to Hunan cuisine, and the price was very acceptable.
The place was surrounded by schools, so this place was always full.
It was a coincidence that as the two went inside, a table had opened up.

“Steamed fish head with diced peppers, sautéd beef, sweet and sour pork, beef with coriander, as well as a bowl of tomato egg soup without green onions, a piece of pumpkin pie and 2 bottles of orangeade, thanks.”

Lu Qi seemed to have eaten here many times, as he recited what he wanted without even looking at the menu.
Huo Ming Chen crossed his legs as he stared at Lu Qi.
Lu Qi could not tell whether Huo Ming Chen was happy or not.

“You’re not going to even ask me what I want to eat?”

“Mhmm?”

Lu Qi raised his head, confused.
He can confidently say that what he just ordered was Huo Ming Chen’s favorite dishes.
Did his tastes change?

“Whatever.
It doesn’t matter.”

Huo Ming Chen turned his head, feeling a bit helpless.
This person across from him seemed to know his tastes well.
No offense to them, but his parents might not even know his tastes that well.

The dishes were quickly brought to the table.
Lu Qi used the tea to wash two sets of utensils.
He was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, wondering when was the last time Huo Ming Chen and he could sit this peacefully at a table to eat dinner.

“Their fish is pretty good, try a little.”

Lu Qi first removed the bones from a piece of fish, and dipped it in the sauce.
He gave it to Huo Ming Chen before slowly starting to eat his own share.
His solemn demeanor felt out of place with the cluttered and noisy background of the restaurant.
Huo Ming Chen couldn’t help but stare, feeling that the person in front of him only cares for himself, and at the same time felt pity.

For what he felt pity for, he couldn’t really say.

“Lu Qi, there are some things I did not say at the beginning, so I want to give you some expectations and rules.”

Huo Ming Chen crossed his legs the other way, and tapped his fingers on his knee.
He remembered that Lu Qi had a lot of pursuers, according to Fang Qi, and he felt irritated.
His voice was soft, but what he said did not lose its ruthlessness,

“I don’t have a good temper.
Don’t let me find out that you are in other relationships behind my back.
You don’t want to know what will happen.
Having your leg broken is a light punishment compared to that.”

It felt like they were in a legal relationship when he spoke those words.

“As long as you are obedient, you will be compensated very well.”

The system does not allow me to be a kept man, so being with you doesn’t seem that useful.

“From now on, if I give you a call, you must pick up.
Every weekend, you have to come out and eat a meal with me.
If you encounter anything that you cannot solve, come to me and I will be your solution.
But this entire relationship, you must keep a secret.
Do you understand?”

Lu Qi touched his chin, thinking that in his previous life Huo Ming Chen did not have so many rules.
Why is he turning this into such a hassle now?

Lu Qi wanted to break up then, but he did not have the courage.

Huo Ming Chen can break up with you, but you cannot break up with him.
If Lu Qi said he wanted to break up, he’s going to get beaten up until even his mother won’t recognize him.

He nodded,

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

He thought about it more and decided that if he really cannot stand it, he’ll just work harder to make Huo Ming Chen break up with him within a month.

Lu Qi was surprisingly compliant, and there was no shouting or fighting like he predicted.
This took Huo Ming Chen aback, and he wanted to say something, but he heard Lu Qi say,

“Let’s eat quickly.
The gates are going to close soon.”

Then Lu Qi passed him some more food until his bowl was filled to the brim.
This made him close his mouth.
He glanced over at Lu Qi, but did not say anything else and ate everything that was in the bowl.
Anything Lu Qi passed to him, he ate.
As they were both growing men, their appetite was quite big, so in a few moments, the plates were emptied.

After Lu Qi was full and content, he leaned back and stood up, facing Huo Ming Chen,

 

“Sit for a little bit, I’m going to the washroom.”

#A hundred reasons a scum can give in order to escape paying the bill#1

As always, with punctual timing, the system popped up into his head,

[ You spend your own money to eat your own food.
You are not a good man if you rely on your lover! Every man has a desire to become a kept man, but we must persevere to become self-reliant! My dear host, don’t try to cover this up! We cannot leech off other people! ]

Lu Qi hesitated in his steps then as he heard the system say

[ Split the bill! ]

“I cannot be that shameful.”

Lu Qi has no money, that is for sure, but when he needs to spend, he will never hold back.
For his type of personality, his outer appearance as a gentleman has always been upheld very well.
When Lu Qi left for the washroom, Huo Ming Chen called the waiter for the bill.
However, he was told that his bill has already been paid.

“Sir, your bill has been paid by the handsome fellow you were with.”

Huo Ming Chen stopped for a second, with his heart feeling a bit fluttery.
Even though their relationship was unbalanced, the actions of Lu Qi did not give him the feeling that it was bought with money.
It felt like…… they were really a couple……

In the next second however, Huo Ming Chen snuffed those budding thoughts with force along with his cigarette.
Lu Qi did not take long to come back, and Lu Qi took a glance at the time, and said to Huo Ming Chen,

“Let’s go now.
We can make it back just before the gates close.”

A face that feels like he has all his emotions hidden behind his cold demeanor, yet it was paired with sloe-eyes that made him seem like he was smiling even when he was not.
Even though he was poor, he dresses very well, and Huo Ming Chen would not be embarrassed to be with him in his circle of friends or with other people.
Huo Ming Chen took a deep look at Lu Qi and walked towards the exit with his hands in his pockets.

“I didn’t take you for a good student.”

The words seem like a joke, but from Huo Ming Chen’s mouth, it felt like those words were dripping with cynicism.

Lu Qi did not mind his words, and pulled ahead of him a half step to open the door.

“The definition of a good student can mean many things.
It just depends on how you define it.”

Not all second generation rich young men are good students.
But if you are only talking about test results, Huo Ming Chen can be considered a good student.
However in comparison to Lu Qi who came from a small town and made his way to the capital, he can be considered nothing.

Huo Ming Chen walked towards the parking lot, when his shoulder was suddenly pulled back away from the street.
Right beside his ear, he heard Lu Qi say,

“There’s a lot of cars on the street.
Walk on the inside.”

Before Lu Qi finished his words, Huo Ming Chen felt his hands grasp at air.
Turns out, Lu Qi had just taken away his car keys,

“Since you ate well, take a good rest.
I’ll drive.”

Lu Qi has this charisma that can make someone kill for him.
This kind of man, when he is good to you, it can feel like heaven.
But when he is bad, you can fall down, and fall down hard.
Huo Ming Chen in his past life was driven to madness by him.
And in the end, Huo Ming Chen would not let him go and they both died young in an explosion from a car crash.

The both of them were too ruthless.
One schemed too much, and the other was too headstrong.
It felt like their destiny would never have been a happy ending.

Lu Qi was actually feeling a bit guilty, but to a scum like him, that guilt is not bigger than a sesame seed.
He saw that Huo Ming Chen was not moving into the car, and his eyes gently cast over,

“Why aren’t you going in the car?”

Huo Ming Chen was actually stunned by the actions of Lu Qi.
When he snapped back to reality, he awkwardly placed his hands in his pocket, as if it still had some of the warmth that man just gave him.

“You’re blocking the door.
How can I go in?”

Huo Ming Chen’s personality has always been surly, and not a lot of people can stand it.
Lu Qi did not mind his personality at all – he’s already used to it.

“Did you have anything you needed to buy?”

The restaurant was very close to a shopping strip.
Huo Ming Chen looked out the window for a bit, before deciding that he wanted to buy Lu Qi something.
This feeling came out of nowhere and was very persistent.

“A phone? A computer? Or a watch?”

“I want all of it.”

This sentence was forcibly swallowed back up by Lu Qi.
He still remembers the existence of the omnipresent system.
He shook his head,

“No, I don’t need them.
I already have these things.”

Huo Ming Chen raised his eyebrows, and didn’t speak.
Out of habit, he lit up a cigarette and started smoking.
Smoke filled up the car quickly, and unhappily, Huo Ming Chen said,

“If I buy it for you, take it.
Don’t make an issue out of it.
Drive over to the shopping mall right there.”

Lu Qi did not listen to him, and started to drive back towards the school.
He offhandedly took the cigarette Huo Ming Chen was smoking and swiped across Huo Ming Chen’s lips with his slightly cold finger.

“If you really want to give me something, give me something more substantial.
If you know any friends that need a part timer, let me know.”

“A part time job?”

Huo Ming Chen did not think Lu Qi would want this.
He scowled,

“There is enough money on the card for you to spend.
It’s only the first year of university.
It’s not the time for a part time job.”

“If you already knew that you gave me your card, why are you trying to buy me a phone or computer?”

Lu Qi was still holding on to Huo Ming Chen’s cigarette, which was still burning with half the stick left.
He snuffed it out.

“Smoke a bit less.
It’s not good for your body.”

Huo Ming Chen laughs, and the anger inside him miraculously disappears,

“I don’t see you smoking any less.”

He doesn’t mind that his cigarette was discarded.

“I’m not the same.
I’m not addicted.
I can quit anytime I want.
You have a smoking addiction.
The more you smoke, the harder it is to quit later on.”

If Lu Qi did not say that, Huo Ming Chen would have been fine.
Once he said that though, Huo Ming Chen challenged him right to his face by lighting up another cigarette.

“The more you smoke, even if you have no addiction, you will become addicted.”

Huo Ming Chen puffed out a breath of smoke, and pondered for a few seconds.
He then beckoned Lu Qi with his fingers, lighting a fire inside his eyes.
Lu Qi instantly understood what Huo Ming Chen wanted.
He one handedly parked the car by the roadside, and without hesitation, he hooks his arm behind Huo Ming Chen to push them closer for a kiss.

His kisses were very textbook, but it could make you feel his overwhelming presence.
Clouds of smoke were slowly leaving between their lips and losing color in the dark night.
Huo Ming Chen was pressed against the car window, being kissed dizzy by Lu Qi, until his tongue hurt.

“Shit!”

 

He did not think with the appearance of a gentleman, Lu Qi had so much sexual passion inside him.
Huo Ming Chen was out of breath when they separated, and could only feel a lack of oxygen inside his brain.
But his hand still tightly grasped Lu Qi’s collar.
The first time they kissed and Lu Qi felt so experienced.
He better not be a playboy.

“Fuck your cleanliness2.
Who did you kiss before me!”

“Dogs.”

“Fuck you!”

Lu Qi tried to loosen Huo Ming Chen’s grasp, but could not do so.
Seeing that Huo Ming Chen was really angry, he finally responded,

“I’ve never kissed anyone else.”

Also added,

“If I lie to you, I’ll die from a car crash.”

This made Huo Ming Chen swallow his words back.
He narrowed his eyes, glaring at Lu Qi,

“What kind of curse is getting hit by a car? If I find out that you are lying to me……”

He never finished his sentence but the threat was transmitted loud and clear.
Huo Ming Chen let go of his collar, and turned his head towards the window, with his entire body feeling very uncomfortable and boiling with anger.

“Sit upright.
I’ll start the car.”

Lu Qi leaned over to help him buckle up.
He turned his head to meet Huo Ming Chen’s eyes, and found that Huo Ming Chen had such a deathly scowl, he hesitated for a bit before —‘ Bo.’

A soft kiss was planted on Huo Ming Chen’s chin.

“！！”

Huo Ming Chen’s body stiffened, and a feeling of pins and needles crawled from his head to his toes, as if he will explode in the next few seconds.

The author has something to say:
Author: (Covers face) Pervert!
Lu Qi: …… 

Notes:
*1 This kind of way to say things (with the hashtags) is not just like a tag on Twitter or IG, but it also means a forum post.

*2 cleanliness as in for partners or humans; it’s kind of a stereotypical trope for a top/seme to not like anyone else other than the bottom/uke to touch them or their things, feeling everyone (before they met the bottom/uke) is dirty/gross/disgusting (also very common in hetero pairings too)