Don't be a Kept Man

Chapter 19: Anxiously and Restlessly

Lu Qi thought in his heart that Lu Yuan really did understand him. Tonight he was destined to not be able to sleep. There was no air conditioner for warmth, and the cold was slowly seeping into the room.

He did not feel the cold as he closed his eyes and rested on his pillow, trying to remember every little detail since he had been reborn. He didn't find any concrete evidence and could only think about his suspicions inside his heart.

Nine o'clock at night, Huo Ming Chen returned to his family home. The housekeeper saw that he looked a little drunk and brought a bowl of hangover soup upstairs to his room. When she entered his room, she could hear the phone on the desk vibrating nonstop and glanced at it a few times,

"Oh Ming Chen, it looks like someone's trying to give you a call."

Huo Ming Chen laid on the sofa, and his Adam's apple moved. He used the back of his hand to cover his eyes as if he was drunk to the point of unconsciousness. But maybe it was just her imagination, the housekeeper thought she saw his mouth twitching, making him that much creepier for some reason.

"Mhmm, it's nothing. I'll pick it up after a while."

The phone has been ringing for so long, why would he need to wait a while before picking it up? The housekeeper has been tending him since he was a baby, and could not help seeing him as her own nephew. She persuaded in a kind voice,

"Don't fool around, and pick it up quickly. If they don't call again after a while, what are you going to do? Letting someone wait like this is not good."

Huo Ming Chen nodded his head, but she couldn't tell if those words were taken seriously or not.

After she left, the phone was no longer ringing. The room was so silent one could hear the pitter patter of the rain outside, and the wind blowing the branches. After a few days, it would probably snow.

Huo Ming Chen sat up and tilted his head to listen, his eyes lowered, and his fingers tapping in the air. He did not look like he was anxious or in a rush and instead a bit pleased.

Fifteen minutes later, the phone started to ring again.

Lu Qi had a lot more patience than he imagined.

Huo Ming Chen pouted and extended his arm to finally pick up his phone and answer the call. The first sound was Lu Qi's deep and stable breathing. After a few seconds, Lu Qi finally said,

"Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

"Not allowing my phone to be on silent huh? What, thinking of me?"

Lu Qi did not respond.

Huo Ming Chen lit up a cigarette and then placed it on the ashtray. White smoke began to fill the room slowly, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Bringing a perverse sense of nostalgia, he touched his chin and contemplating, said,

"Letting you feel for yourself that roller coaster feeling I have always felt before. Who let you to never pick up my phone calls."

That was the truth. Whenever Lu Qi called Huo Ming Chen, every call would be accepted; Whenever Huo Ming Chen called Lu Qi, having 3 out of 10 phone calls accepted would be a very good battle record.

Lu Qi hearing this not-really-an-explanation explanation almost bit off his tongue. He emotionlessly licked the inside of his mouth and half joking, half seriously said,

"Can I understand this as a revenge tactic?"

Huo Ming Chen extended his hand and used his thumb and forefinger to measure out a small distance of space in the air. He squinted his eyes,