TLLKTBD CH 9

Chapter 9: This Will Be My Cage for the Next Year

“You’re giving me so much money all at once. Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?” Jin Lang hesitated as he asked.

“Would you?” Lu Qian actually wouldn’t mind if he did. After all, he had only acted on impulse, softened by Jin Dabai’s words, and decided to help this young man pay off his gambling debts. As for the whole ‘sponsorship’ thing—he really had no clue how that was supposed to work.

“I won’t.” Jin Lang answered with certainty.

“Oh! Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Lu Qian sounded disappointed, his enthusiasm fading.

Jin Lang found it odd. Why did the other man suddenly seem deflated? What was going on? He remembered that he hadn’t eaten dinner yet and wondered if Lu Qian was also hungry, which was why he seemed to lack energy.

“Mister, have you had dinner yet?” Jin Lang asked cautiously.

“Oh! Right, I was just about to cook some noodles. You probably haven’t eaten either, so wait a moment—I’ll have it ready soon.” Lu Qian suddenly perked up and ran to the kitchen. Jin Lang followed him and was surprised to see him cheerfully taking the last four eggs from the fridge.

“Tonight, we’re having tomato and egg noodles.”

Jin Lang frowned at the nearly empty fridge, which contained nothing but beer. “Is this how you usually get by with dinner?”

Lu Qian, busy handling the tomatoes, responded without much thought. “Yeah. After work, it’s just me, so I don’t put much effort into it.”

Jin Lang suddenly recalled something Jin Xiaomi had mentioned before—one of the things he had been told to watch out for:

‘This guy doesn’t eat properly when he’s alone. Keep an eye on him.’

At the time, Jin Lang had been annoyed, thinking, If he starves, that’s his problem. What does it have to do with me?

But now, seeing this man—the same man who had so generously handed him a two-million-yuan check just moments ago—he felt a sense of professional responsibility and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the market and buy some groceries. From now on, I’ll take care of dinner.”

“Really? You can cook?” Lu Qian looked delighted. “That’s great! I’m usually too tired after work to even think about cooking.”

When Lu Qian smiled, a deep dimple appeared on his right cheek, complementing his childlike expression. His entire face seemed to glow with genuine joy.

Jin Lang was once again surprised. Is he really this happy over something so small?

Is this sponsor of mine just pretending? Is he actually playing the innocent act?

They sat at the dining table and began eating. After finishing most of his bowl, Jin Lang finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Mister, how exactly do you expect me to… cooperate with you for the next year?”

He tried to sound calm, but the tips of his ears quietly turned red.

Lu Qian swallowed his noodles and looked at Jin Lang seriously. Seeing this, Jin Lang quickly put down his chopsticks and sat up straight, preparing to listen to whatever Lu Qian had to say.

“During the day, I’ll be at work. You’re still working too, right? The jazz café job?”

“I already quit.” Jin Lang was surprised. “You remember I worked at a café?”

“Your hot apple tea was really good.” Lu Qian blinked at him and smiled.

“Really? You liked it?”

“Yeah. I’ve had your coffee before too, and it was great. Why did you quit?” Lu Qian looked regretful.

“You liked my coffee?” Jin Lang’s eyes brightened slightly. His guard toward Lu Qian loosened just a little. “If you like it, I can make some for you. But Sister Jin said your stomach isn’t great, so you shouldn’t drink too much, right? What about milk foam? Do you like milk foam? I can do 3D latte art—cats, dogs, paw prints, bear paws, I can do them all. Recently, I even learned how to make a fox. You know, couples really love the fox design because its big fluffy tail can extend onto another cup, making a perfect pair for couple mugs…”

Jin Lang got carried away, completely forgetting his usual cold demeanor. He excitedly rambled on, only to realize that Lu Qian had gone quiet and was simply smiling at him.

He quickly snapped back to reality. “Ah—sorry, I think I interrupted you. You were talking about what I should do next… Please continue.” He gave an embarrassed smile, hurriedly trying to restore his indifferent persona.

“No worries. We can talk more casually.” Lu Qian chuckled warmly.

Ever since Jin Lang had stepped into the house, he had been carrying himself with the air of a well-trained young master—polite yet distant, keeping a professional boundary. It was hard to believe that he was the same person who had once handed Lu Qian a warm cup of fruit tea on a cold night.

But just now, the young man had let his tail slip out for a moment, wagging it twice. Lu Qian could see that the real Jin Lang was still there—just hiding.

To ease the tension, Lu Qian continued, “Anyway, I won’t be home during the day, so you’re free to do whatever you want. I won’t restrict you. In the evenings, if I don’t have overtime, I usually get home around seven. If you’re also home by then, we can have dinner together, watch some TV or something—only if you want to, of course.”

He paused for a moment before adding somewhat awkwardly, “Also, I have a bit of a cleanliness habit, so I’d like the house to stay tidy. Please don’t leave things lying around. Even though a housekeeper comes once a week, we should still keep things in order ourselves. So I’d appreciate it if you could follow some basic rules: put things back where they belong, take a shower when you get home, keep your own room clean, and don’t bring random people over…”

Lu Qian suddenly felt like he was nagging like an old housewife and grew increasingly self-conscious. Sneaking a glance at Jin Lang, he found the young man looking utterly bewildered.

“I won’t bring anyone back here.”

How absurd would it be for a kept man to bring others to his benefactor’s house? What kind of nonsense is that? Had this man been hurt before? Had he really supported someone so lacking in professional ethics before?

Jin Lang noticed that he had spaced out and quickly continued, “I can do all of that. Anything else?”

“Hmm… what else…? Oh! Right, about dinner—if you’re willing, you can cook. If you’re busy, that’s fine too. Just give me a call, and I’ll handle it myself, or you can buy something on the way back. I did consider hiring someone to prepare meals, but since my work hours are unpredictable, it felt like a hassle. Now that you’re here…”

“No need to hire anyone, not even a cleaning lady. I can cook and clean the house, really,” Jin Lang assured him.

“Alright, then. Let’s go with this for now. We’ll adjust as needed. Oh, here’s my phone number, take note…”

Lu Qian recited a number, and Jin Lang entered it into his phone before immediately calling back. Lu Qian’s phone rang at once. Jin Lang held up his phone. “Now you have my number too. Feel free to contact me anytime. Oh, let’s add each other on Line as well?”

Lu Qian nodded. After adding each other, he lowered his head and continued eating his noodles.

“And what else?”

Seeing that Lu Qian looked like he was done instructing him and had nothing more to say, Jin Lang was at a loss. He still didn’t know how to proceed with his “duties” for the night, so he had no choice but to press on.

“Anything else? No, that’s all for now. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.” Lu Qian kept eating.

Jin Lang realized that Lu Qian truly had no further instructions. It was odd. He thought for a moment and suddenly understood—he had forgotten something important.

He got up and went to his room. A few minutes later, he returned, his face slightly flushed, holding a kraft paper envelope. He handed it over with embarrassment.

Lu Qian looked at Jin Lang’s awkward expression and curiously pulled out the document. It was a medical examination report.

Puzzled, he asked, “Why are you giving me this?”

But as he looked at the young man’s increasingly embarrassed smile and the deepening red of his ears, it suddenly dawned on him—the document and the earlier conversation both pointed directly to that aspect of their arrangement.

Lu Qian hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and stared at his noodles. Forcing himself to stay composed, he said, “Well… Simba, there’s no rush. Let’s wait until we get to know each other better. For now… let’s just be… roommates?! Yes, roommates. Relax, we’ll take it slow…”

As soon as he finished speaking, he abruptly got up and started clearing the table, hurriedly grabbing the report as well. He quickly walked back to his room, and before stepping inside, he turned back to say, “By the way, our rooms are private spaces. Don’t enter mine, and I won’t enter yours either.”

Then, with a loud thud, he shut the door and immediately locked it with a sharp click.

Jin Lang stood frozen by the dining table, utterly dumbfounded.

This man paid to keep him, and now he was running away like a frightened rabbit? And calling them roommates?

What kind of roommate pays three million a year?

Oh right, since there’s money involved, they can’t exactly be called friends. It’s more of a buyer and seller relationship.

He felt a sense of self-mockery creeping in.

Lu Qian said not to enter his room, and he wouldn’t enter the guest room either. So… was it supposed to happen in the living room? Or the kitchen?

What a pervert!

Subconsciously, he glanced at the living room and kitchen. Hmm… the space was big enough. If it had to happen in the living room or kitchen, it wouldn’t be impossible…

Wait! What the hell was he thinking?!

He had been worried about this before, but now that Lu Qian had “temporarily” dismissed the idea, his mind was running wild instead? He must have been watching too much GV lately.

Shaking his head, Jin Lang brushed away those ridiculous thoughts. He got up and cleaned the table and kitchen before heading back to his room.

Once inside, he rubbed his stiff cheeks, trying to shake off his Simba persona and take a break.

He pulled out his work journal and used a black pen to record today’s date, along with notes about Lu Qian’s instructions and behavior. He also made a special note: today, he received a two-million-dollar check and a card from his patron.

After finishing his notes, he stared blankly at the journal.

From today until April 30th of next year—exactly one year—he would live a life of forced smiles and servitude.

Ha, using my body to serve someone…

He touched his face.

Should he start using face masks? His benefactor’s skin seemed smoother and more delicate than his own.

Jin Lang thought inappropriately.

His feelings toward Lu Qian were complicated.

He was grateful for his generosity.

But he couldn’t bring himself to feel any genuine gratitude toward him.

Deep down, he harbored resentment—toward Su Lin, toward the host-club, toward Wang Shiqiang.

And somehow, that resentment extended to Lu Qian as well.

He knew he was projecting his anger onto the wrong person.

He also knew that if it weren’t Lu Qian, it would’ve been someone else. After all, he was the one who had offered himself up for sale.

Still, how could he possibly have any goodwill toward the man who had purchased him and would eventually use him?

He lowered his gaze and glared at the black ink marking May 1st in his journal. Beside it, he signed J.L.—

Like two black ribbons, mourning the disgrace of his existence.

In the end, the one he should resent the most… was himself.

He took a deep breath to steady his emotions and began unpacking his belongings. He placed his clothes in the wardrobe and arranged a few books on the desk. There wasn’t much luggage, so it didn’t take long to put everything in order.

Looking around, he took in his surroundings.

This was his prison for the next year.

After freshening up, Jin Lang relaxed and collapsed onto the bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, exhaustion overtook him, and he instantly fell into a deep sleep.

That night, for the first time in a long while, his tense nerves finally relaxed—

And he slept dreamlessly until morning.

(To be continued…)