Don’t Be a Kept Man

Chapter 123: A World Far Away

Their apartment was actually pretty empty, with no valuable possessions, as most of what they had were only waste materials Bai Yang collected.
So by the time San-shen came around, most of them had already been sold off, and it was completely bare except for the suitcases and travel bags all put together in a corner. 

Wen Chuo was calculating the final rent along with the water and electricity bill while Bai Yang continued to be busy packing the last few miscellaneous items.
For whatever reason, San-shen suddenly sighed, 

“Is it not better to say here? Why are you running so far away from your town, where no one can take care of you?”

To be honest, she was more worried about Bai Yang as what will happen when they arrive at an unknown city.
What if Wen Chuo suddenly got tired and didn’t want to care anymore? How would Bai Yang live as someone who was mentally challenged and couldn’t fend for himself?

Wen Chuo had only mentioned to their neighbours that he would be venturing out to earn money with Bai Yang and nothing else, so he only smiled and said, 

“Sooner or later, men will have to venture out to see the world.
I’ve contacted an old relative and they’ve said that they could help arrange some jobs for us.
We’ll try it out first, and if nothing comes of it, we’ll be back.”

San-shen didn’t say anything more, only reducing the water and electricity bill before leaving with the key.

The elders in the family had pretty much set everything for Liu Meng Meng’s marriage.
Apparently it was to that Qian Zhi Guo from last time, but as Wen Chuo already bought his bus tickets, it was unlikely for them to make it to their wedding.

“Don’t leave so quickly! I’ll pay for dinner as a farewell gift.” 

Liu Meng Meng felt a bit sad about their parting.
Combined with her anxious feelings about being a newly wedded wife, her heart felt like it was tangled up like a bunch of wires.

Wen Chuo shook his head and said, 

“I’ve already bought the bus tickets, can’t change the time.”

After Bai Yang resigned, the restaurant hired a new helper, but he was not as hard working and as detailed of a worker as Bai Yang.
Just the first day at work and he already broke two serving plates.
When there was nothing to do, he’d also hide by the tables to take a nap; all of which has made Liu Meng Meng’s face in a perpetual frown.

Looking through the glass door, Liu Meng Meng could faintly see Qian Zhi Guo’s shadow, and she sighed quietly, 

“Alright, remember to come back often to see us.”

“We will, but we probably won’t make it for your wedding.” 

Wen Chuo put a red pocket on the counter and as they were parting ways, he had a rare, true smile on his face, 

“A little wish from the both of us.
Don’t reject it.
After all, we have to thank you for looking out for us for so many years.
Take it as a gift.”

Feng-shu had always been generous to the both of them.
He had the heart to care for Bai Yang, as otherwise why would he hire someone that was “dumb” and “mentally challenged” to the public’s eyes? When Wen Chuo had no money to eat, he had also allowed him to put up a tab, and he has never actually even asked for any of it back.

There weren’t many options for transportation out of Lin Xian, so Wen Chuo called a ride to drive them to the nearest bus station.
Their luggage had been packed and they were ready to head out at any time, waiting right in front of the restaurant.

Liu Meng Meng had originally thought there wouldn’t be much money, but when she was curious and took a peek in the red pocket, she found at least seven to eight hundred inside.
In this kind of place, this amount was a very hefty gift, and she quickly went outside to chase after them. 

But the car had already started, and the window rolled down as Wen Chuo waved and smiled at her.
Bai Yang was sitting beside him and he popped up, revealing a small section of his face, and also looked at her.

Liu Meng Meng’s eyes began to feel watery, and she mustered up a smile to see them off.
Qian Zhi Guo had just rushed here from home, and when he saw her leaning by the door, looking depressed and like her soul was flying away, he panicked and asked, 

“Meng Meng, you……why are your eyes so red? Did someone bully you?”

His hands and feet suddenly didn’t know what to do, unsure of what was the best action, looking quite like a deer in headlights.

Liu Meng Meng suddenly smiled, as if she wanted to get mad, but then she shook her head, 

“Nothing.”

Charles Dickens had once said, one always begins to forgive a place as soon as it’s left behind.

Wen Chuo had really hated from the bottom of his heart what a poor town Lin Xian was, and it caused him to be unable to see any good out of such a place.
But now that he was leaving, he suddenly began to reminisce about the past.

Faint billowing smoke would always rise up into the morning skies as the thick scent of soy milk would begin to waft from the breakfast stalls.
When the sun sets in the evening, beautiful colors would decorate the sky, along with the fluttering and unabashed bed sheets.
These were days that were quiet yet bustling at the same time, here in Lin Xian.

Following the sun slowly rising, the scenery outside the car began to blur into connected lines.
Lin Xian was getting farther and farther away from them, being left behind their backs until it was a black dot and then there was no trace of it.

Bai Yang kept looking out the car window at the far away buildings.
Leaving a place where he grew up in since he was born, there was an anxiety that could not be calmed in his heart.
To follow Wen Chuo to leave, in others’ eyes, was no doubt a gamble.
Just like San-shen had said, what if Wen Chuo didn’t want him anymore? In a place so foreign and strange, how could he keep on living?

The driver was concentrating on driving the car, but Wen Chuo still didn’t dare do anything too out of the line.
He only discretely held Bai Yang’s hand, and occasionally squeezed as if in comfort, saying quietly, 

“There will be chances later for us to come back.”

At this point, Lin Xian was already far, far away, and upon hearing his words, Bai Yang sat straight up, not daring to look back any further.
He lowered his head, intertwining his fingers with Wen Chuo, and slowly tightened his grasp.

Perhaps it was because he had never traveled so far away before, but after a while of the ride, Bai Yang leaned against the back of the seat and unknowingly fell asleep.
Only, that hand of his was still tightly grasping onto Wen Chuo’s hand, not letting loose by even one inch. 

With just his one hand, Wen Chuo took out his phone and continued to browse to the apartment he had been eyeing online.
Even with just that one hand, he was typing very fast with the customer service agent about the details of renting.

Right now, the current him was unable to buy a house or an apartment, but their future was heading in a good and new direction.
This time, he will depend on his own hands, and not on the hope he placed on the Wen family.

Bright and early in the morning, they had departed Lin Xian.
It was only by 9pm did they finally reach Z City, a place where high-rises were the normal landscape along the horizon, and rows and rows of cars filled the streets.
Numerous multicolored lights lit up the darkening sky, truly creating an unsleeping city.
Elegantly and lavishly decorated shopping malls were wide open and there was no end to the pedestrians, comparable to the crowds at day.
With just one glance, Wen Chuo and Bai Yang, as they stood by the alleyway with their suitcases, could be seen as countryside fellows.

 

Right by the bus station was a commercial shopping mall, and in the center of the plaza in front was a street musician strumming on her guitar.
The girl’s sweet voice was broadcasted very far through her speakers, and Wen Chuo turned to the side to listen more carefully before realizing that she was singing << First Dream >>1.

“If your pride and arrogance has not been coldly slapped down by the ocean of reality,

How could you ever understand how much effort it would take,

to go far away and beyond,

If your dream had not fallen down the cliff and to that point of desperation,

How could you know that those who persevere, would have an invisible pair of wings…..”

There were no street artists like her before in Lin Xian, so Bai Yang was entranced as he listened.
At the same time, he was tightly grabbing onto Wen Chuo’s elbow, not moving an inch away from him.
Wearing a fuzzy white sweater, with his undyed hair, in its most purest and natural black color, he looked quite a bit indifferent which seemed to be invisibly separating him from the midst of this crowd of humans on this bustling street.

Perhaps it was rare to see a young man looking so pure and clean that two cosplaying girls nearby were taking photos of him discreetly.
Bai Yang sensed something however and quickly turned his body sideways, hiding behind Wen Chuo.
Wen Chuo closed the map on his phone and reflexively looked over, 

“What’s wrong?”

The two girls taking photos of him suddenly found out that beside him was another handsome young man.
Tall with long legs, handsome face comparable to that of a celebrity’s, and they almost screamed out loud.

Seeing this, Wen Chuo pulled Bai Yang’s hand to go to the nearest motel.
He smiled as he explained, 

“Those two ladies found you good looking.”

Z City was too big, and with one look, you wouldn’t even be able to see the end of it.
Standing here, in this kind of environment, humans will suddenly feel how small they are.
Bai Yang glanced at the posters on the roadside detailing many stories of missing persons.
For whatever reason, he suddenly zoned in on those and didn’t even hear anything Wen Chuo said.

Using his phone, Wen Chuo booked a nearby hotel, and took Bai Yang and their luggage there.
He planned to take a look at the apartments tomorrow.
Having lived in Lin Xian’s old and cramped tenement buildings, to suddenly stay at an elaborately decorated hotel room, the two of them had a bit of time adjusting.

Wen Chuo lay on the soft king sized bed and he was so comfortable that he didn’t want to leave it.
After a long while, he finally and slowly moved his way to take a shower, but then he found that there were some free samples by the bedside tables and he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.

Bai Yang thought those things looked familiar and he dazedly blinked his eyes.
His dark black pupils seemed to have an unwaverable blank understanding.

Wen Chuo had booked a couple’s room, so on their white bedsheets, there was a big big heart made up of decorative rose petals.
He shook the sheets a few times and the petals all fell onto the ground, swirling and fluttering.

Wen Chuo tore open the package and then suddenly reached out with his hand to drag Bai Yang from the bedside to the wall.
He slightly tilted his head and the corners of his mouth slightly hooked up, tinted with a hidden seductive tone.
He raised his eyebrows and asked, 

“Let’s do it then shower?”

Upon hearing this, Bai Yang obediently took off his fuzzy sweater and then reached out to embrace Wen Chuo.
His thin legs automatically wrapped around his all too skinny waist, with his eyes and face trembling and his breathing all out of order.

Wen Chuo saw the corners of his eyes slightly tinged red yet his expression was still so calm.
He couldn’t help but lean down and leave a dark red, almost purple kiss mark on his pale white neck.
He hoarsely asked, 

“Does it hurt this time?”

Bai Yang couldn’t speak, only using all the effort he had to shake his head.

Wen Chuo asked again, 

“Comfortable?”

Bai Yang stared at him, still not speaking a word.
He only used his thighs to slowly rub against Wen Chuo’s back waist, which created a tickling sensation on his pelvis.
Wen Chuo’s breathing stuttered for a moment, and then the already thin control he had suddenly disappeared.

He used all he had to move closer to the closet and then Bai Yang’s very calm face suddenly had a slight crack in its expression.

The european style clock on the wall was slowly ticking away and the hour was turning late.
But the two had slept for so long on the bus that they didn’t feel tired at all.

Bai Yang lay on the bed and curled up into a ball.
The insides of his thighs were so overly stimulated that it was still trembling uncontrollably.
He was born with white skin and black pupils such that the blushing red at the edges of his eyes was the only color on his entire body.

Wen Chuo made the other cry before finally stopping.
He turned off the lights and lay right beside him, leaving only the bedside lamp on.
The warm tones shone on Bai Yang’s body and his overly white skin was finally layered in a gentle sheen.

Slightly lifting up his eyelids, Bai Yang lazily gave him a look, and somehow, Wen Chuo felt like his soul was being hooked away.
He leaned over, pressed up against Bai Yang’s forehead, and said quietly in a low tone, 

“I want to kiss you……”

Bai Yang lowered his eyes, but one could still faintly see the pamperance and allowance.
He reached out an arm covered in kiss marks, wrapping Wen Chuo into his embrace.
Feeling his warm tongue moving all over his body, Bai Yang’s legs, as if they were a snake, slowly tightened around Wen Chuo’s waist.

Wen Chuo found that Bai Yang’s body had no skin that was free from his kisses, so he turned to lick those blossoming lips.
His voice was very hoarse as he honestly stated, 

“Sometimes, I really, especially want to eat you up.”

There was an attractive, almost to the point of hooking your soul away, cold aura about Bai Yang, and paired with that pure yet unknowing seductiveness, it could take away lives.

Bai Yang silently lay on Wen Chuo’s body.
He reached up with his fingers at his words and swiped across the air in front of Wen Chuo’s brilliant eyes before snuggling back into his embrace.
He lazily nuzzled him and closed his eyes to quietly say, 

“……Only let you eat.”

Being their first time in a new environment, the both of them couldn’t really sleep.
Wen Chuo was used to staying up all night, so he especially didn’t feel one lick of desire to step into Morpheus’ arms.
At last, he decided to turn on the TV, playing a movie that had quite high ratings.

It was about a mother who was mentally challenged, searching for her kidnapped daughter by herself in a big city.
In the midst of her journey, she met a neighbour who had a right personality of her own right and a gambling mahjong addict who loved to cheat.
The three of them created drama and more drama, highlighting the sadness and happiness of average normal people.

For whatever reason, Wen Chuo watched it very seriously.
On the screen, the main female protagonist found a lady who looked very much like her daughter, and she dazedly followed behind her the entire time.
Like the mentally unsound, like an idiot, the protagonist pulled on the girl who looked so much like her daughter with force, 

“Let’s go, Mommy will bring you home, bring you home……”

“Are you insane! Who is your daughter! Ah ya someone help! There’s a crazy one here!”

The lady was freaked out of her mind and tried to bite her, push her away, but the main character would not let go.
Finally the police came and she realized that she recognized the wrong person.
With a totally messed up, crazed look, she slumped onto the ground, numb and in shock in the immediate moment of realization.

This movie was interspersed with joy and tears.
The main character had picked up garbage, slept under bridges, got deceived out of her money and was almost robbed, but in the end, with everyone’s help, she was able to find her lost daughter and settled in the city in the future.

That stubborn perseverance and seriousness of the main protagonist made Wen Chuo somehow sense a similarity to Bai Yang.
He was turning off the TV when he suddenly felt a coldness on his arms.
Looking down in his arms, he found that Bai Yang’s head was lowered, looking as if he was crying.

“What’s wrong?” 

Wen Chuo reached out to wipe away his tears and lightly asked, 

“Was it because the movie’s too sad that you’re crying?”

Bai Yang buried his face into his embrace, nodding his head.

Wen Chuo explained, 

 

“Don’t worry.
The mother finds the daughter back later.”

As long as they’re back, everything was worth it.2

 

 

Notes:

*1 This is a song by Christine Fan (范玮琪) or FanFan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGAmgmZg-48&t=149s to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGAmgmZg-48&t=173s – 2:29 to 2:53 is what the girl sings.
Technically these phrases also appear at the very beginning of the song (like most songs back then lol, they have very short unique lyrics, usually repeating a second time for the entire song), but given that Wen Chuo was listening for a bit, I assume it was in the middle) and apparently was a translation of Gin no Ryuu no Se ni Notte (銀の龍の背に乗って) by Miyuki Nakajima (中島 みゆき).
Her version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YARVIC5Lgk.

 

The title’s not exactly the same on google (there’s Original Dream which is the title of the album, but when you search it up, First Dream comes up instead so :|, and there’s also Initial Dream, etc.
etc.) and I can’t really find one with official records of the English title, so I took whatever seemed to be most common.
The title of the song is to say the first beginning of your dream, the one that would have propelled you to desire/dream of like a starting point for your dream/desire for your future.
I couldn’t find an exact English translation of the lyrics, so here’s another rough translation from yours truly that doesn’t really match the rhythm of the song.

*2  Chinese as language is very interesting and there’s a part of it where you don’t need to specify a subject and, depending on the sentence, it’s inferred or referenced.
Here this phrase doesn’t actually specify a pronoun (but most of the time, it can be inferred so I usually add a pronoun).
Here however, it’s very likely what’s inferred is not only “she” as in the daughter, so I’ve taken “they” mainly because Wen Chuo most likely didn’t mean only that the daughter was found, but talking about Bai Yang for him or him coming back to the past as well.