Don’t Be a Kept Man

Chapter 7: A House Gift

The literary arts club would publish articles on the school website every once in a while.
The mandatory freshman military training had just finished, and it was already requested that they publish a new article.
Lu Qi and the other members in the club finally finished writing by the deadline after many sleepless nights.
Seeing that, the club president graciously allowed a 3 day holiday.

Lu Qi, on a normal day, would not have time to brave the masses in the school cafeteria.
He’d rather eat a cup of noodles in his dorm to solve his meals.
Today, since he was given some rare time off, he decided to get a meal there and eat leisurely on the first floor.

Huo Ming Chen was also in the cafeteria, but he was on the second floor.
His seat was right next to the balcony railing, and the moment he looked down, he could see Lu Qi.
Maybe this was fate, for two people who usually do not enter the cafeteria to be meeting like this.

Huo Ming Chen had gathered with a group of friends to eat together, so it wouldn’t be right for him to just leave.
He opened his phone, preparing to send a text to Lu Qi.
Fang Qi the idiot then laughed smugly and said,

“You wouldn’t believe who I just saw.”

Huo Ming Chen said,

“I’m not blind.
Go and eat your lunch.”

Fang Qi almost bit off his chopsticks.
He placed his hand over his heart, and with a sad face,

“You sex brained person who forgets your friend for your lover.
Do you even remember who covered for you when you did not return to the dorms?”

Those who were in the same dorm room who heard the last bit also chimed in,

“Ack, Ming Chen, you haven’t been returning to the dorm room for a few nights now.
You wouldn’t be dating, would you? When are you gonna introduce her to us, so we don’t offend her down the road?”

The university could only be so big.
There were only a handful of girls that stood above the rest.
These rich young men have their eyes set pretty high, so whoever starts to date, they usually let the others know so that they won’t be chasing after a girl that was already taken.

“Not dating.”

Huo Ming Chen said as he put a cigarette in his mouth, but did not light it up as he just felt like he needed to chew on something.
He kept his eyes on his phone.

“My uncle is returning to the country, so I’ve been busy these past couple days.
My grandfather’s health isn’t that good, so there are a few things I need to take care of.”

As he said that, his fingers were flying across the phone keyboard, sending multiple texts in a few seconds.
Lo and behold, he could see Lu Qi suddenly jerk up from his plate of food to grab his phone from his pocket and take a look.

Huo Ming Chen bit his lip, and smiled, feeling like he just played a prank and someone fell for it.

>> What are you doing.
Come out and play.

Lu Qi leaned back on his chair and did not waste time to take a look upwards.
He wrinkled his eyebrows, feeling a bit helpless, and used one hand to type a reply back,

>> I’m going to pimp myself out, you want in?

Huo Ming Chen swore in his heart, Fuck.

>> Is my body not good enough? I’m giving it up to you for free, and you still want to go out to pimp?

If you only looked at Prince Huo’s face and body, he could be considered premium goods.

The topic was getting out of hand, and Lu Qi did not know how to respond back.
He took a bite out of his food, and changed the topic,

>> It’s lunch.
Eat your food properly and stop playing with your phone.

Huo Ming Chen realized then that Lu Qi must have seen him.
He could not resist anymore and patted Fang Qi’s shoulder, saying to everyone at the table,

“You guys eat first.
I saw someone I know, so I’m going to go greet them.”

He then left quickly, striding across the cafeteria in a quick fashion towards Lu Qi.
Once he got close behind Lu Qi, he deliberately slowed down his footsteps, and coughed into his fist.
He sat next to Lu Qi, in a casual manner.

“There’s no one here, right?”

Lu Qi said,

“Aren’t you someone?”

“……”

It was the first time that Huo Ming Chen discovered that this guy’s mouth was so poisonous, but he was not angry at all by the quip.
He was actually a little happy.
Was this what it meant to be a masochist?

Lu Qi looked at Huo Ming Chen who was acting like an idiot, half smiling, half frowning, and ducked his head down to take another bite.
A flash of laughter crossed his eyes, and then he asked,

“I thought you didn’t like the cafeteria.
Why did you come today?”

Huo Ming Chen did not know whether the world would have another person that can offhandedly toss out his preferences without him even saying anything.

“You ……”

He hesitated before he opened his mouth, his heart beating extremely fast.

“Could you have… could you…” have liked me since a long time ago……

Lu Qi looked up at him and asked,

“I what now?”

No offense, but Huo Ming Chen looked like he was a timid poor man trying to ask for money.

Huo Ming Chen felt like he was on the edge of a cliff.
The words tried to leave his mouth, but they wouldn’t come out.
He hurriedly took a glass of water that was on the table and took a swig to hide his indecision.
In the end, he didn’t say it, and shook his head,

“Never mind, it’s nothing.”

Even if he asked, what good would come out of it? As long as they kept their relationship just as it was now, everything was fine.

Lu Qi stared at him with a complicated expression on his face.
Just as Huo Ming Chen could not stand it anymore and was about to knock over the glass of water to disperse this weird atmosphere, he heard,

“That glass of water was mine.”

“……”

Huo Ming Chen paused in shock, and finally his face returned to normal from that awkward timidness and jutted out his chin, scowling,

“What, and I can’t drink from it?”

Speaking exactly like a thug.

Lu Qi did not argue with him.

“You can drink it.”

Lu Qi pushed the cup closer to him.

“If you want to drink it, then drink it.”

It didn’t cost any money after all.

Huo Ming Chen, as a person, has a terrible temper, but he also was easy to coax.
With those words, he was already happy and smirked,

“You have class in the afternoon?”

“No.”

Hearing that, Huo Ming Chen hurriedly said,

“Then eat quickly.
I want to take you somewhere after you eat.”

“Where to?”

Lu Qi had a feeling in his gut, but he was not quite sure.

“You’ll know once you get there.”

Huo Ming Chen had many properties that were known to his family, but there was one place that he had secretly bought without their knowledge.

In Lu Qi’s previous life, he let Lu Qi live there, as if he was a bird hidden away in a golden cage.
But that was only after they were in the 3rd year of their relationship.

Now though…… it seemed a little too early, so Lu Qi was not sure.

However when Huo Ming Chen drove him to an all too familiar neighborhood, he knew he was at least 80% correct.

“This place is not too far from the university.
From now on, live here on the weekends.”

Huo Ming Chen gave Lu Qi a set of keys, and pushed him into the new dwelling.
Pride filled his voice as he said,

“I designed this house myself.
Just recently finished.”

The interior design did fit Huo Ming Chen’s aesthetics.
Full of cool colors, not very extravagant or gaudy.
Lu Qi stroked across the grey toned wallpaper with his fingers, taking it all in one inch at a time.
The memories that were suppressed deep inside came surging out, and he couldn’t stop it.

He was walking in a place with history that only he knew.
He knew more about this house than Huo Ming Chen.

“It’s really beautiful.”

Lu Qi sincerely praised.

“Really?”

Huo Ming Chen looked at him, biting his lips in an attempt to stop the smile that automatically tried to show up.
He was thinking that Lu Qi’s tastes aligned with his so well, and so he said with ease,

“If you like it, then it’s yours.”

This kind of house is like a property of gold.
Commoners could save up for half a lifetime, and they still would not be able to buy it.
Of course, the price was not the main focus, instead the design was.
He could easily gift it, not because he was generous, but because he was starting to really value Lu Qi.

System: Cough cough cough.

Lu Qi could only forcefully muster a smile.

“I only need you.
What do I need a house for?”

#Please discuss all those years I missed the mountains of gold and silver presented to me#

Right after he said that, he was suddenly pinned against the wall by Huo Ming Chen.
Huo Ming Chen was at least half a head shorter than him, but his dominating presence could not be dismissed.

“So you are the suppressed type of guy that looks aloof and apathetic, but inside you can be wild, boiling with passion.
Letting out provocative or sweet words out like they are nothing, huh.”

Lu Qi was perplexed.
This was the first time anyone said that to him.
He ducked his head, and rested his arm around the back of Huo Ming Chen’s head.
Voice low and husky, with a possessive gaze,

“Only to you.
Isn’t that good?”

Good.
Of course it was good.
It was so good that it made Huo Ming Chen’s knees weak.
He grabbed onto Lu Qi’s shirt collar, practically hanging himself on Lu Qi.
He rasped out,

“Stay here tonight.”

The meaning was very clear.
They have already come this far out from the university, did he not plan to sleep with him before leaving???

Lu Qi: ……

This was the first time Lu Qi found that Huo Ming Chen was such a clingy lover.
He flipped them around, and pushed Huo Ming Chen up against the wall to kiss him.
Kissing him until Huo Ming Chen was dazed.
One button at a time was opened up, revealing an alluring Adam’s apple.
Lu Qi even took the time to leisurely ask,

“If I am the suppressed type, what are you?”

Huo Ming Chen bit Lu Qi’s neck, leaving a hickey behind, smiling savagely,

“I can be a seductive type…… only to you.”

The sea can be very calm, but once the wind starts to blow, it can be riled up and up.
Huo Ming Chen felt like he was a tiny boat in the water, sailing along the turbulent sea.
One wave knocking him back at a time.
His boat was about to capsize.

Because of their vigorous activity, Lu Qi was dripping with sweat.
He brushed aside his wet hair, showing off a gorgeous and stunning youthful face.
It was paired with a contrasting characteristic of solemnness that made Huo Ming Chen‘s legs quiver.
He couldn’t help himself and wrapped his arms around Lu Qi’s waist and said,

“Your physique’s not bad.
And here I thought you would have a hard time fighting someone.”

Lu Qi was muscular, but his body was not the type that showed it.
It was easy to miss, especially since his clothes make him look quite thin.

“I still have enough strength to take care of you.”

Lu Qi lifted Huo Ming Chen up and headed towards the shower.
Hot water blasted down their bodies, and the bathroom slowly fogged up.
He couldn’t see very well in the fog, but he could feel the presence of another human being in his embrace.

This was the first time in his life that he felt he was dreaming in reality.

The author has something to say:
Lu Qi: How much did I miss out on in my previous life?
System: I can’t hear you I can’t hear you I can’t hear you