Translator: Mukyuu
Editor: Mikyuu
Wang Xiaoming’s father caught his breath after a while and slapped the table. Just as he was about to shout, he watched as Wang Xiaoming took out stacks and stacks of money from his bag. So the words he shouted changed and became, “What are you doing?”
Wang Xiaoming’s mom was also very confused.
Wang Xiaoming explained, “To treat my brother’s leg and for the wedding.”
His parents glanced at each other and they could both see the shock in the other person’s eyes.
They knew how much those five thick stacks of money were. Fifty thousand was not a small number, but it wasn’t enough to make their jaws drop. But when the money came from Wang Xiaoming, who hadn’t even graduated and was, at best, still an intern—that was worth investigating.
Wang Xiaoming’s father wore a dark expression as he interrogated, “Where did you get this money? Didn’t you leave to go study at university? How come you have so much money?”
Wang Xiaoming answered, “I earned it. It’s my salary.” Since the Kindred gave him money every month, it counted as a salary, right?”
His mother questioned, “What do you do? Didn’t your cousin say the last time that you were a waiter at an entertainment center? You haven’t worked there for long, have you? How can you earn such a high salary?”
His father said sternly, “Don’t tell me you went out and did those unclean things?!”
…
Wang Xiaoming had no reply to his parents’ questions. Naturally, he couldn’t tell them about the Kindred. He had assumed that as long as he gave them money, his parents would be happy. But things were not going as simply as he had imagined they would.
Baal’s fists tightened slowly and he forced down the impulse to throw them both out. He said calmly, “He asked for an advance from his boss.”
“An advance?” Wang Xiaoming’s mother was dubious. “Your boss would advance you such a sum? He isn’t afraid that you’d suddenly quit and run away?”
Wang Xiaoming’s father said, “I think your boss has issues too!”
At that, Wang Xiaoming finally said, “I promise, I haven’t done anything illegal. The money… is something I earned. I just wanted to help the family out.”
At the mention of helping the family out, his parents finally fell silent.
After a long time, Wang Xiaoming’s father said, “Then you tell me. What did you mean by ‘you’ll be with him for life’?”
Baal was also very interested in that topic and he was clearly more energized than he had been before.
Wang Xiaoming answered, “It means we’re going to be together for life.”
His mother hurried to speak when she noticed that his father was about to fly into rage. “No matter how attached you are to each other, you’ll each get a wife and have kids, right? You can’t spend the rest of your lives together as two men. Who’s going to wash your clothes for you? Who’s going to cook for you?”
Wang Xiaoming answered, “I can wash the clothes and I can cook.”
Baal nodded in agreement.
…
“Look at you!” Wang Xiaoming’s father finally found a reason to vent his anger and frustration. “I paid for your education and sent you to college just for you to cook and clean for another man? If I had known that would be the case, I should have strangled you. At least then we wouldn’t have wasted our money, brought misfortune to our family, and now brought shame to us!”
Baal’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
From before till now, he had been holding back so much that he was getting pissed off.
Wang Xiaoming hurriedly grabbed his hand and silently pleaded with him.
Baal turned his face aside.
Wang Xiaoming said, “Dad, we really plan on spending our lives together.”
“What did you say?!” Wang Xiaoming’s father’s face twisted.
Baal snorted.
Things would have been better if he hadn’t snorted. That snort acted like oil being poured on the flames in Wang Xiaoming’s father’s heart!
“You hadn’t come home all these years because you were involved in that kind of thing, right?” Wang Xiaoming’s father pointed a finger at Wang Xiaoming’s nose and his spittle spewed out like from a sprinkler. “I heard people talk about how it was outside and I thought you wouldn’t be like that! Who would have thought that you would shame yourself outside! If the neighbors find out, how am I supposed to face them? If your brother’s workplace finds out, what would they think! Your sister-in-law, your sister-in-law comes from a good family, if they find out… I knew all along that you never bring good things when you come back! You, get the damned hell out! Get out! I don’t want to see you!”
Baal stood up with a whoosh and flames of anger gathered in those pitch-black eyes.
“You…” Wang Xiaoming’s father uttered that one word before stopping. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it was that the pressure coming from the other person made it impossible for him to say anything. Like a mouse meeting a cat, like a sheep meeting a wolf… aside from his legs trembling, his mouth trembled, even his heart trembled.
“Baal.” Wang Xiaoming also stood up and pulled on the fallen angel’s sleeve.
Baal said in a cold voice, “Be careful of what you say!”
That was a pure threat.
No matter how afraid Wang Xiaoming’s father had been before, his fury still rose instantly when faced with that threat. He turned around, walked into his room, and slammed the door forcefully.
Wang Xiaoming’s mother was still caught up in the series of unexpected shocks and only managed to squeeze out a sentence just then, “Why don’t you guys…”
“Tell them to get out! Our family does not welcome such pervertedness! Tell them to get the hell out!”
Wang Xiaoming could practically hear Baal’s knuckles cracking.
Wang Xiaoming’s mother could also tell that things were getting more and more out of hand, so she rushed to say, “You guys should leave first. We can talk about whatever it is later.”
Wang Xiaoming knew his father was at the height of his anger and there was nothing that he could say to make it better, so he asked instead, “Where’s my brother? I’d like to go see him.”
“He’s staying in the hospital. You know, hospitals burn through money…” Wang Xiaoming’s mother sighed.
Wang Xiaoming said, “I can take out another fifty thousand tomorrow.”
“That’s not what I meant…” Wang Xiaoming’s mother protested instinctively and then asked embarassedly, “Your money really didn’t come from… that?”
“Don’t worry, I really earned it,” Wang Xiaoming promised again and again.
His mother nodded. “Your brother’s wedding and hospital stay cost money, but now he’s broken his leg…”
His father roared again from his room, “Why isn’t he gone yet?!”
Baal suddenly released Wang Xiaoming’s hand and walked over to the room without warning.
Wang Xiaoming jumped in surprise and then practically leapt at him!
But he was still half a step behind Baal and Baal had already opened the door.
Wang Xiaoming’s father had just taken out alcohol from underneath the bed and had just unscrewed it. He instantly froze and looked at Baal blankly.
“Baal!” Wang Xiaoming grabbed Baal’s waist tightly.
Flames almost shot out from Wang Xiaoming’s father’s eyes! “You two perverts! If you’re going to be perverted, then get out and be perverted! You dare run inside and act perverted in front of me?! Do you think you’re in the right?!”
Wang Xiaoming instantly let go.
Baal looked down at Wang Xiaoming’s father arrogantly. “What are you doing?”
Wang Xiaoming’s father didn’t know why, but as soon as he looked into Baal’s eyes, he instinctively wanted to obey. He stammered out rigidly, “Drinking.”
Baal raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where’s the drink?”
“The alcohol is in…” Wang Xiaoming’s father stared wide-eyed at the empty beer bottle that had just been opened. “The alcohol is…” He suddenly couldn’t say anything more because he felt liquid trickling down his lower half.
So everyone followed his lead and looked down at his pants—
…
Wang Xiaoming knew that it was Baal and his tricks, so he pulled the fallen angel aside and said to his mother, “We’re going to leave first.”
His mother also felt extremely embarrassed and said hurriedly, “If there’s anything, call.”
“Alright,” Wang Xiaoming said and then pulled Baal out the door.
Downstairs, Wang Xiaoming kept his face tense as he said, “Baal, you went too far.”
Baal crossed his arms and glanced at him without remorse.
“He’s my father! And in these twenty-something years, he’s done his duty in raising me… He’s also provided for me to go to university. He has never done anything wrong to me. He’s been very good to me!” Wang Xiaoming put a hand up to his forehead and the tears almost poured out of his eyes. “When I lived at home, things would happen. They’d scold me and beat me… but if a relative said anything about sending me away, they’d chase the relative away…” The tears tumbled out and Wang Xiaoming turned his body, not wanting to expose his weak side to Baal.
Baal fell silent.
“Actually when I heard that they needed money, I was really happy because that meant I could pay them back.” Wang Xiaoming dried his tears on his sleeves. “Actually, they scold me because they care for me. If they didn’t care for me, they wouldn’t even bother yelling at me…”
Baal remarked, “Then you shouldn’t have told them about our relationship.” Then their relationship wouldn’t be this strained.
“But you deserve to be known,” Wang Xiaoming answered forlornly.
…
He deserved to be known?
Baal pressed his lips together. Why did he find that sentence so awkward?
“And, I hope they’d know that I found someone who’d be with me forever,” Wang Xiaoming said quietly. “No matter how long my life is, I will only have them as parents. I don’t want to keep this hidden from them. They have the right to know that I’m happy.”
Baal stroked Wang Xiaoming’s hair.
Wang Xiaoming raised his head and looked at Baal, still with faint traces of tears around his eyes but much calmer emotionally.
“Your mother didn’t seem too opposed.” Baal was already trying to come up with tactics to conquer them.
Wang Xiaoming said, “They’ve always been like that. Dad’s attitude is very forceful and mom will slowly and gently persuade you… My brother has always been able to tune in to their emotions, unlike me…”
“Then what do you plan on doing next?” Baal always thought human relationships were a pain.
“Look for a place to stay?” Wang Xiaoming thought for a moment and then suddenly cried out, “Shoot.”
“No money.” Baal acted like he had expected it.
Wang Xiaoming forced himself to answer, “I forgot to bring the bank card I had before.”
Baal asked, “Did you forget who you are?”
“Who?” Wang Xiaoming paused.
Baal revealed the answer. “You’re a second generation Kindred…”
“So?” Did the Kindred have an outpost in his hometown?
Baal answered, “So you can turn yourself into a bat and sleep in the trees for a night.”
…
Of course, Wang Xiaoming didn’t spend the night hanging in a tree. The truth was that he and Baal spent the night in the luxury penthouse of the county’s largest four-star hotel—for “free.”
