Don’t Be a Kept Man

Chapter 165: Who’s Seducing Who

The moment he said this, silence descended upon the room. Half of the people here thought he was joking, as even though Gu Lai had originally put all his effort into relationships and thus causing his grades to be very average, he was still a graduate of Z University; it was enough to find a good and presentable job.

That man wasn’t surprised, however, as if he already knew. He had a string of dark red sandalwood prayer beads around his wrist1 which when paired with his pale white skin looked very delectable, but his sharp, eagle eyes and eyebrows made it feel as if he would not be easy to be around. He casually asked, 

“Why a construction worker?”

Gu Lai said, 

“The work is quite straightforward and the salary’s quite high.”

The most important thing was that this type of work didn’t require much skill, just strength.

Hearing this, Nie Sui Chuan reached out to grab a glass of wine from the table as he said,

“I’ve heard that you cracked your head when you fell down the stairs, but I hadn’t thought it would actually be real.”

Gu Lai remembered Yu Xi’s advice and obediently kept his quiet, not trying to start anything. Seeing how he was ignored, the expression on Nie Sui Chuan’s face immediately darkened and he emotionlessly chugged down the high alcohol content wine. The spiciness of the wine burned his throat, enough to almost explode his lungs and liver.

Everyone had their own thoughts here, and more or less felt a bit awkward. But those who created this awkward situation were actually the most comfortable. Gu Lai discretely polished off a fruit platter and another glass of wine before rising up to head to the washroom.

The man who had asked the question just now also rose up to leave. Their eyes crossed each other and the prayer beads on his wrist lightly knocked against each other. Away from the shadows of the hidden corner, his face could clearly be seen and it was strong, confident, and unyielding, even more so than Nie Sui Chuan.

The door to the private room closed and blocked off all sounds from outside. Someone finally came to their senses and raised their concern,

“……Who was that person just now, he looked a bit familiar?”

“No idea. Never seen him before.”

“Szzt…..isn’t he…… Shen You? But I remember that he dropped out of school in his second year and never came back.”

The moment his name was dropped, silence fell upon the room for a short moment, but only this time, there was a feeling of sympathy.

Shen You….. was also an ex of Gu Lai, but he was way worse off than any of the others. 

In his second year, there was a fire in the boys dormitory and he had risked his life to go in and save Gu Lai. In the end, he was heavily injured and had to stay in the hospital for a long time before being forced to drop out of school.

It had been rumored that Gu Lai had gone to check up on him twice in the hospital: once to relay his gratitude and the other to break up.

Truly one of the most tragic moments on Earth.

When Nie Sui Chuan and Gu Lai were together, they had been quite high profile, always skipping class everyday to go on a date. It was so severe that the academic advisors had to go talk to them. When Yang Mian and Gu Lai were together, they were so lovey-dovey, sticking together at any and every moment, always holding hands and strolling under the trees.

Only with Shen You, he was as invisible as the slight breeze at the height of summer; no shape or shadow of it remained after it blew once. At the best moment of his youth, he retired with a body full of injuries and an ending of tragedy. Since then he had disappeared like the wind, forgotten by everyone.

Gu Lai very quickly left the washroom once he finished washing his hands. But then he saw someone standing in the hall and it turned out to be Yang Mian. After his initial moment of surprise, he politely nodded his head in greeting.

Yang Mian’s eyes were always slightly red, and seeing Gu Lai’s cold attitude towards him, acting like distant strangers, he couldn’t help himself and reached out to grab onto him. With a shaking tremor in his voice, he sounded a bit helpless as he said, 

“Ah-Lai, must you treat me like this? We were once so good together……”

Gu Lai didn’t have the memories of the original Gu Lai, so he didn’t really understand why Yang Mian felt so terrible. He lowered his eyes in contemplation; he shouldn’t say anything like ‘oh what a coincidence you want to go to the washroom too’ at this time, right?

Human socialization was so difficult. Humans were truly a complex mammal, much harder than being a system.

“Apologies.”

Gu Lai backed up a step and brushed off his hand. But then upon seeing Yang Mian crying so pitifully, he didn’t immediately leave and instead searched his pockets. He found an orange flavored candy and a napkin from his pockets to give to Yang Mian before saying in all seriousness, 

“Eat something sweet. You will feel better soon.”

And then he dug through his pockets for two hundred yuan, 

“This is my portion for the gathering. I’ll trouble you to help me give it to the organizers.”

Yang Mian paused for a brief moment in shock at this, but by the time he lifted up his head, Gu Lai had already left.

It was summer and it was as hot as a basket steamer outside, which was a direct contrast to the private room’s AC in the bar. A breeze blew by which brought some cool relief but Gu Lai didn’t have any feeling of discomfort. He looked around for a bit to find his own car when he suddenly heard the sound of metal hitting the railing in a continuous, rhythmic sound.

Swallowed up by the shadows of the night with a cigarette stick in between his fingers, Shen You was standing, not far, not near, by the bottom of the stairs. Shen You threw away the glass bottle in his hand and lazily lifted his eyes up. He jutted his chin up towards Gu Lai, as if he had been waiting for him, and said, 

“Let’s go. I’ll drive you.”

Without any inquiry to his tone, it clearly revealed his assertive attitude. 

Gu Lai walked down the steps, his originally carefully styled hair being blown into a mess by the night breeze, 

“Thank you, but I have my own car.”

There was no expression on Shen You’s face, but his eyebrows did furrow, feeling a bit annoyed with Gu Lai’s ungrateful attitude. He lowered his head and smoked his cigarette before extinguishing it on top of a garbage can. He headed towards a silver sports car parked not far away when he was suddenly blocked by a white car.

The car window slowly rolled down and revealed Gu Lai’s overly handsome face that also looked as if the passion inside him could not be suppressed. Yet his voice was very gentle and warm, 

“Hop in. I’ll drive you.”

Shen You slightly raised his eyebrows, 

”You remember who I am?”

Gu Lai: “No.”

Shen You kicked away the stone by his feet and smiled fakely, 

“Then why should I go in your car?”

Gu Lai: “Because drunk driving is a crime.”

Shen You: “……”

The car door was opened and suddenly there was the inextinguishable waft of alcohol. Shen You’s breathing was a bit labored, an evident sign that he had drunk quite a bit. Gu Lai faced the passenger seat and quietly reminded him, 

“Seatbelt.”

Shen You was a bit confused, “What?”

Gu Lai very patiently said, “Put it on.”

Shen You: “???”

Gu Lai could only turn over slightly and reach out to help Shen You put on his seatbelt. For a brief moment, their breaths mingled before they separated.

This action was so sudden that Shen You subconsciously held his breath. Only when he saw the other moving away did he slowly breathe out. With slightly narrowed eyes, he watched as Gu Lai drove in a very safe manner and the agitation in his heart began to grow even more.

Gu Lai drove onto the main road and asked, 

“Where do you live?”

Shen You fixed his sitting posture, displaying uncertainty and a bit of anger. He reported his address and then lowered his head to play with his phone where he found that his friend chat group suddenly had 99+ notifications, all @-ing him.

These wealthy second generations were always bored with nothing to do which meant they loved gossip the most.

Ke Jing: [ Ah ah ah, how was the class reunion today? Give some live reports for your fellow brothers.2 How’s that Casanova that used you up and threw you away? Is he so poor and more downtrodden than ever? ]

Shen You thought about it for a bit and then responded: [ He’s a construction worker. ]

The moment his message was sent, a reply instantly came back.

Ke Jing: [ No way. For real? ]

Shen You: [ Hmm. He broke his brain and got amnesia. ]

Ke Jing: [ How melodramatic (shock)3 ]

When Shen You saw that message, his expression suddenly sharpened, plagued by his thoughts. After a moment, someone joined in on the group chat.

Tang Yi Shan: [ Construction worker…… you should be driving your limited edition sports car to his face to show off. Let him cry from pain and regret. When he falls in love with you again, kick him aside ruthlessly. Believe me, it will be very satisfying ]

Shen You had thought about it at first, but as he quietly sat in Gu Lai’s broke ass car that’s only worth about ten thousand or so, he realized afterwards that there was something wrong with his plans.

Ke Jing: [ Don’t listen to Tang Yi Shan, that sb4. He’s already doing construction work, meaning he’ll be attacked by the wind and the sun will grace his face everyday. Who knows how unkempt and terrible his face will be now. Why should you sink down to his level and throw yourself away. You can love a few jackasses, but you can’t love one single jackass a few times. You were once blind to choose him, so you can’t be blind again ]

Shen You’s eyebrows slightly tilted up at that, evidently feeling a bit impatient and unwilling to let it go. He tried to endure those feelings, but he was unable to do so. He turned off the flash on his phone and took a picture of Gu Lai. Click, and a picture was taken, which he then sent to the chat with a tap.

Because it was within the car, the lighting was a bit dim, but the warm tones of the street lights just passing by the front window of the car created a glamorous glow. 

Only half of Gu Lai’s face was revealed, but even through the screen, one would be hard pressed to stomp down on that icy cold sexy aura of the man with his clear jawline, a face that was way above average, with seductive and flirtatious eyes that tilted up slightly at the ends.

The group chat was silent for about a minute or so before suddenly an influx of messages swarmed in.

Tang Yi Shan calmly evaluated: [ Not bad, got some good looking features. ]

Ke Jing was as jealous as a lemon could get with its sourness: [ To become an asshole Casanova, you must first have the real estate (lemon) (lemon). You can endure it quite right, Shen You. Don’t ever be fooled by beauty again. We can’t just be people who look on the outside ]

Shen You sneered, evidently quite disdainful. With the alcohol up in his head, he felt a bit stifled and rolled down the window in response. He let the wind quickly lick past his ears as he took off the prayer beads on his wrist. He started to roll them down one by one in a cycle. At first he was quite slow, but then he pushed them down faster and faster.

When Gu Lai was driving, he very rarely spoke. When he could only hear the sandalwood beads knocking on each other in quick succession, he sensed that something was wrong with Shen You. He slowed down the car before coming to a stop by the roadside and inquired in all seriousness, 

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Shen You didn’t even lift up his eyes, “No.”

The beads in his hand began to knock faster and faster against each other.

Gu Lai blinked, his attention being attracted by them, and asked with a bit of curiosity, 

“Doing that….. is there a purpose?”

Shen You stopped his hands, and the car was quiet once more. After a moment, he asked with a voice that was icy cold, 

“Have you ever hated a person?”

Gu Lai shook his head.

Shen You let out a breath and put the prayer beads back onto his wrist. As if he knew that Gu Lai had lost his memory, he suddenly said without anything held back, quietly with an indecipherable tone, 

“I have only hated one.”

He slowly recalled his memory.

“What can I say about that feeling, hmm. It’s like having a fire burning in your heart, one that’s burning all your organs until they are drenched in pain. I have been to many places, done a lot of things, to stop making myself feel that insufferable pain, but I found nothing to help……”

Gu Lai couldn’t understand such complicated emotions, 

“And then?”

Shen You closed his eyes and suddenly calmed down. He sat up straight and casually shrugged, 

“And then I went up to a Buddhist temple in the mountains and stayed there for a while. The monks that were there said to me, when I feel hate, press down these beads in a cycle, recite a few Buddhist prayers, and I can make myself calm down this way.”

Gu Lai nodded his head, but he still didn’t understand. Two girls suddenly passed by the car window, with bubble tea in their hands. There was the occasional sound of clinking ice, which sounded like……

They would be very good.

Gu Lai looked at Shen You, “Do you drink bubble tea?”

This sudden turn in conversation bombarded Shen You and he paused for a second before realizing what Gu Lai was saying. He didn’t know how he should answer and Gu Lai took his silence as agreement that he wanted a drink. He left the car, saying, 

“Wait for me.”

And then went towards a bubble tea shop nearby. His stable footsteps had the rare expression that he was quite giddy.

Shen You could only sit in the car and wait, quietly combing through his complicated emotions. But before he could figure out what he was feeling, Gu Lai had already come back, with ten cups of bubble tea in his hands……

Ten……

“I didn’t know what you like to drink, so I bought a few. There’s original bubble tea flavour, jasmine tea, chocolate, matcha panna cotta……”

Gu Lai always had a good memory and expertly reported all the items he saw on the menu. Then he looked at Shen You, with an expression that was so serious and honest, and asked,

“Which one do you want?”

After all, when Gu Lai went to buy some, he wanted to drink all of them.

Shen You’s eyes scanned the pile of bubble teas at his words and paused before randomly grabbing one. But then he found that it was hot……

In the middle of summer, why would you not add ice?

As if he could read Shen You’s question from his face, Gu Lai said, 

“As scientific studies have shown, humans are not suited to eat or drink anything cold after drinking alcohol. It will agitate your intestines and stomach.”

Shen You thought that Gu Lai’s brain must have been kicked by a donkey. When they had been in a relationship, he had never been so good to him before. At the same time, his emotional state couldn’t be controlled and worsened, to a state where he didn’t want to say a single word.

Gu Lai restarted the car, feeling a bit better. The remaining nine cups would be his, and he could slowly drink them when he got back.

Shen You emotionlessly took a sip of the tea and then continued to play with his phone. In the couple of minutes that had passed, Tang Yi Shan, that guy had already begun his shenanigans.

Tang Yi Shan: [ The scumbag Casanova has fallen out of grace to the point of being a construction worker. Thinking about it, there must be quite a lot of people who would be looking down on him. At this time, you could reach out with a helping hand, take care of him, and let him feel that you still have lingering feelings ]

Tang Yi Shan: [ You aren’t even lacking in money, so buy him material things. Take care of him in all sorts of ways and push him back up to the heavens. When he cannot leave you, you leave him then ]

Tang Yi Shan: [ This drastic change will make him feel pain, insufferable pain and can complete your revenge ]

When Shen You finished reading the messages, he realized again that things had completely diverted and gone astray and he paused for a moment. He couldn’t stomp down his urge to take a photo of the pile of bubble teas and send it to the chat, and so he did.

Tang Yi Shan: [ You bought it for him? This trick isn’t too good with men. It’s only suitable for women. ]

Shen You paused for a moment and then sent out a message: [ …… he bought it for me. ]

Notes:

*1 sandalwood prayer beads are kind of like this:

*2 brother- a bit of a note to recall from the first volume, but it doesn’t necessarily only mean to be blood-related brothers (being very close friends would work as well)

*3 (shock) / (lemon) – the author is writing this way to show something like emojis

*4 sb- recall the phrase from previous volumes