TLLKTBD CH 8

Chapter 8: Is Mr. Ban Home?

On May 1st, at 7:30 in the evening, the doorbell rang at Lu Qian’s house.

He was in the kitchen washing tomatoes, planning to make a simple bowl of noodles for dinner. Turning off the faucet, he shook off the water droplets from his hands and pressed the intercom button, puzzled. “Who are you looking for?” Who would come at this hour? Did someone press the wrong doorbell?

Silence. The person on the screen had their head lowered, making it impossible to see who they were.

“Excuse me…” Lu Qian was about to ask again when the man in the video moved slightly and spoke. “Is Mr. Ban home?”

Phew! So it really was the wrong doorbell.

“You’ve got the wrong place. No one here has the surname Ban.” Lu Qian was about to return to washing his tomatoes.

“Wait! I was sent by Sister Jin Xiaomi.” The man in the video looked around to make sure no one was nearby before leaning closer to the intercom. “She told me to look for a ‘Little Bambi’.”

“….” Lu Qian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then, with a sigh, unlocked the door, allowing the visitor to come up.

Jin Lang carried a small bag of belongings as he climbed the stairs to the third floor with heavy steps. He glanced at the apartment number—this was the one. While he was thinking about how this ordinary living environment didn’t seem like a rich person’s home at all, the door opened.

Jin Lang immediately put on his professional smile. “Good evening, sir—” He looked up and froze. To his shock, the person standing in the doorway was the same man who had walked into “Jazz Cafe” that night after closing and ordered a hot apple tea. That sophisticated, elegant man, with his refined and somewhat ascetic demeanor, was actually someone who kept boys as playthings?

Jin Lang regretted his actions from that night. If he had known, he would have kicked him out instead of serving him tea.

Lu Qian was also taken aback. So the person Jin Xiaomi sent over was the café boy?! Though his thoughts were in turmoil, his face remained calm as he gave a slight nod and stepped aside to let him in.

“Hello, please come in. My surname is Lu—Lu Qian. You must be Simba?” Lu Qian handed Jin Lang a pair of new indoor slippers while greeting him. He recalled that when Jin Xiaomi had mentioned the young man in need of financial support, she had called him ‘Simba.’

Oh! So this was the “Qian-ge” that Sam kept mentioning.

Wait—what did he just call me? Something ‘ba’?

“Good evening, sir. I’m… Lion.” Jin Lang maintained his smile and bowed slightly to his financial backer.

“….” Lu Qian finally realized—this boy’s name had never been ‘Simba’ in the first place.

Damn it, Jin Xiaomi!

“So, I’m Bambi, and you’re Simba. Are we supposed to be the cast of Disney’s Animal Kingdom?” Lu Qian figured that ‘Simba’ wasn’t the café boy’s real name either.

“Um… Sister Jin told me that when meeting you, I should ask for ‘Little Bambi.’ She said that way, you’d understand.” Jin Lang wasn’t sure about Lu Qian’s temperament yet—whether he was the type to explode at the slightest provocation. So, he carefully toned down his smile and explained nervously.

“She’s insane.” Lu Qian was nearly fuming. Did she think this was some underground espionage operation?

“…” Figures. She said you were crazy, too. Jin Lang thought to himself.

Now, the two of them stood awkwardly in the living room, neither knowing what to do, their gazes never meeting.

In the end, Lu Qian broke the silence. “The guest room is at the end of the hallway, on the right. You can put your things there first.” Since he didn’t know what else to do, he might as well send the man to his room.

“Yes, sir.” Jin Lang bowed again and carried his belongings into the guest room.

Once inside, Jin Lang stalled for time, pretending to organize his things even though he had nothing much to arrange. He was restless, anxious about what might happen next. To calm his nerves, he decided to take in his new surroundings.

The guest room was tidy, with a faint woody fragrance that smelled pleasant. The décor was simple—blue and white tones—with a large bookshelf filled with books. In the corner, there was even an easel. He glanced around and concluded that this room had probably been a study in the past.

His eyes landed on the bed. How many ‘kept boys’ have slept here before?

That thought made him uncomfortable.

What made him feel even worse was the sudden realization—I’m the current ‘kept boy.’

His shoulders slumped, and his mood hit rock bottom.

Meanwhile, Lu Qian sat in the living room, feeling just as uneasy. Ever since leaving the steakhouse that day, he had been regretting agreeing to Jin Xiaomi’s ridiculous suggestion. He had meant to call her and tell her it was just a joke and to forget about it. But before he could do so, she had already called him first—saying she had found someone for him.

“A clean and beautiful young man,” she had said enthusiastically.

At first, he had planned to reject it outright. But after hearing Jin Xiaomi dramatically describe the young man’s current hardships, his heart softened. After all, he had the means to help.

She had even excitedly assured him, “Simba is straight, completely inexperienced—absolutely clean. You don’t have to worry.”

Lu Qian frowned. “Straight? Isn’t this just asking for trouble?”

Jin Xiaomi scoffed dismissively. “Finding someone just like you—does that mean you’re not committing a sin? That only makes emotional entanglements more likely, you idiot. What if he falls for you and you can’t shake him off?”

She paused for a moment, putting on a serious expression. “Let me tell you, if you really want to keep someone, it’s best to go for an inexperienced straight guy. A clean transaction—he takes the money and does his job, no strings attached. No need to worry about him clinging to you in the end. These fresh ones are rare and highly sought after. I’m only saving one for you because you’re my little brother.”

Finally, Jin Xiaomi added that even if it wasn’t Lu Qian, she would still sell him to someone else. So, it was better for him to help the kid himself. “At least with you, he won’t end up in the hands of some pervert who’ll torment him.”

She struck right at Lu Qian’s soft spot—his compassion. A fatal blow.

That was how Lu Qian and Jin Xiaomi settled on the terms. Compared to the deal Jin Lang had proposed himself—two million—it was much better.

So now, the two people in the room had only one point of agreement: three million, for one year of sponsorship. But how to proceed from here? Neither had a clue.

No matter how much they delayed, the ugly bride still had to meet her in-laws—or rather, the goods had to meet the buyer?

Jin Lang steeled himself and reminded himself that, right now, his identity was Lion. Plastering an awkward smile on his face, he returned to the living room, faced Lu Qian, and struck what he thought was a charming but actually stiff pose. “Sir, please take care of me from now on.”

He placed a hand on Lu Qian’s shoulder, but Lu Qian was so startled that he instinctively swatted it away.

“…” Jin Lang withdrew his hand and rubbed the red spot where he’d been hit, feeling at a loss. He muttered, “Sorry, sir.”

“My bad, I spaced out. Please, have a seat.” Lu Qian had been caught off guard by Jin Lang’s sudden touch and reacted by reflex, accidentally hitting him. Steadying himself, he looked at Jin Lang—who was clearly startled—and then at the slightly reddened back of his hand. Feeling guilty, he scratched his head. “Just call me Qian-ge,” he said.

Jin Lang kept calling him “sir” left and right, which made him uncomfortable. “Is your hand okay?” Lu Qian gestured toward it.

“It’s fine.” Jin Lang put on his signature smile again. “I was being too forward.”

So the patron liked the innocent act? He made a mental note to write that down when he got back to his room.

The two sat on the sofa, staring at each other in silence. In this moment, silence spoke louder than words. Neither of them knew how to start the conversation, so they simply sat there, awkwardly locking eyes.

Jin Lang was nervous. How was he supposed to move forward? He had no experience. He seriously regretted not getting more advice from Sunny-ge before coming here.

He observed Lu Qian, who sat quietly and calmly on the sofa, and hesitated. Was he supposed to wait for the patron to make the first move since they were going for an “innocent” approach? But if he just sat there doing nothing, what was he supposed to do?

Just as Jin Lang was overthinking it, Lu Qian finally spoke.

“I think we should start with introductions. I’m Lu Qian—’Lu’ as in ‘land,’ ‘Qian’ as in ‘humble.’ I’m twenty-eight years old and currently working at an interior design company.”

“Oh! Sir, you look so young.” Jin Lang blurted out in surprise.

Lu Qian was slightly on the lean side, with fair skin and delicate features—almost doll-like. He looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four. And right now, with those round, sincere eyes staring back at him, Jin Lang finally understood why Jin-jie always called him “Bambi.”

Lu Qian chuckled. “Your turn now. Introduce yourself.”

“I’m… Simba.”

He noticed a flicker of doubt in Lu Qian’s eyes. It was clear he didn’t believe that was his real name, but compared to “Lion,” Jin Lang preferred “Simba.”

“I’m twenty years old and a high school graduate.” He kept smiling after that, unsure of what else to say. Deep down, he still wanted to keep some things private and avoid unnecessary entanglements with his patron.

Lu Qian understood his thoughts. He could see how much Jin Lang resented this situation but had no choice but to endure it, choosing to hide behind a pseudonym. Just like how he insisted on calling him “sir”—deliberately maintaining a sense of distance, silently declaring his unwillingness to get too close.

“Alright then, Simba.”

Lu Qian took out a check, a bank card, and a set of house keys, then said, “I know you need money urgently. Here’s a check for two million. The remaining one million will be paid at the end of the year. This card is for you—I set up an account for your expenses. The PIN is eight zeros. It should be enough to cover your monthly living costs. And these are the house keys. Keep them safe so you can come and go easily.”

He placed the items on the table and pushed them toward Jin Lang.

Jin Lang had been worrying about the two million he owed. His debt had already reached its deadline. Yesterday, Brother Qiang had called, saying they had Su Lin in their hands and would only wait another three days.

Jin Lang had no idea how to bring this up with Lu Qian. After all, they had just met, and he hadn’t even done anything for him yet. How could he ask for such a huge sum? Should he go back and try negotiating an installment plan with Brother Qiang?

As he was racking his brains for a solution, he hadn’t expected Lu Qian to hand over two million right on their first meeting—along with a card that wasn’t even part of their original deal.

It completely caught him off guard.

Jin Lang first pocketed the keys, then took the two-million check. “Thank you so much. I really do need this money right now. But the card… I don’t think I should take it. We agreed on three million, so I shouldn’t take anything extra from you.” He tried to push the card back toward Lu Qian.

“Keep it. I’ll be busy with work, and I might need you to help with grocery shopping or other errands. You’ll need money for that.” Lu Qian said casually.

He knew full well that Jin Lang would take the two million straight to pay off his debt. There was no way he’d have any money left for himself.

Jin Lang glanced at Lu Qian in surprise.

He had heard too many horror stories about terrible patrons at the club. Before coming here, he had mentally prepared himself to be humiliated. But now, faced with Lu Qian’s kindness, he felt… completely unprepared for it.

“You’re giving me so much money upfront—aren’t you afraid I’ll run off?” Jin Lang hesitated, asking cautiously.

(To be continued…)