Male Sing and His Pet Owner: Chapter 35

“That part isn’t simple either. They were an entire fraud syndicate.” Zhao Kaiming said, “The police said it’s hard to handle, can’t get the money back anytime soon, so there was nothing I could do. Then my group of buddies found out about this too, and one of them wanted to introduce me to a job, said the benefits were great and the pay was high. I figured I’m so broke at this point nobody could squeeze anything more out of me, so I might as well go…….”

Zhao Kaile looked worried, “It wasn’t another scammer??”

Zhao Kaiming said, “That wasn’t. Sounds nice calling it customer service, but really it was helping them scam people.”

“……..What kind of buddies do you have! You actually went into online fraud!” Zhao Kaile looked shocked, “Why didn’t you run!”

Zhao Kaiming sighed, “Bro wanted to run too, couldn’t run, that’s all. Phones and computers were all monitored…… Good thing the policy came down and swept that area. People like me who got tricked in were all planning to get out, so bro had a chance to come back.”

Zhao Kaile stared at him blankly and noticed his eyes did have some red veins in them. He looked much more haggard than before. He never shaved much to begin with, and now he looked even more miserable.

“Still blaming bro?” Zhao Kaiming smiled at him, “Not blaming anymore, right?”

Zhao Kaile choked up, stammering, “That wasn’t…… you really might not have come back.”

“Exactly.” Zhao Kaiming said, “Those guys had real weapons in their hands. My three-legged cat kung fu, at best I can beat up some street punks. Against real knives and guns I’m not worth looking at. Came back yesterday and sat at the police station for half a day, considered it doing my bit for the motherland.”

Zhao Kaile finally felt the fear catching up and quickly hugged him again.

“Bro’s story is all told. What about you?” Zhao Kaiming reached behind his head and stroked it a couple times, asking, “Why didn’t you keep studying? Didn’t you say you wanted to take the grad school exam?”

Zhao Kaile let go of him and said speechlessly, “Where would I get the money to keep studying…….”

“Oh……” Zhao Kaiming laughed self mockingly, “Right. We’re both penniless.”

Zhao Kaile asked, “What about the place you rented?”

“Gone long ago.” Zhao Kaiming said indifferently, “I disappeared without a trace like this. That old landlady probably went crazy with anger. It’s good enough she didn’t throw all my stuff out.”

Zhao Kaile, “Then where are you staying next? Do you still have money?”

“Go back to our hometown.” Zhao Kaiming said, “Still have a bit. Who are you working for now? Coming back with bro?”

Zhao Kaile made a vague noncommittal sound, took out his phone and transferred five thousand yuan to him.

A notification sounded.

Zhao Kaiming looked down at the transfer notification on his phone, felt a bit sour, turned off the screen and looked away.

“It’s a pretty decent job anyway, ten thousand a month.” Zhao Kaile volunteered, “That one million plus you owed, my bo…… my boss paid it upfront first. I have to work out the full contract term with him, at least have to pay back the money, right……. Can’t go back with you for now.”

Zhao Kaiming nodded, didn’t say anything else, fell silent for a while, then fished out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

“Didn’t you quit smoking?” Zhao Kaile’s eyes widened slightly, his tone a bit unhappy.

“I’m just troubled.” Zhao Kaiming blew smoke rings, smiled at him, “Real men don’t shed tears easily. Bro doesn’t want to cry, just wants to smoke.”

Zhao Kaile: “…….”

Zhao Kaiming realized he said the wrong thing, flicked the ash, and added, “You don’t count. You can cry. You’re still a kid.”

Zhao Kaile propped his chin on his hand and sat there unhappily waiting for him to finish the cigarette, thinking back and forth, mentally planning countless life paths for Zhao Kaiming after returning to their hometown, then rejecting them one by one, still feeling very uneasy.

“Don’t go back. What if you get tricked again!” Zhao Kaile frowned, “Our hometown has plenty of deadbeat debtors too. No no no.”

“Then bro can’t make it here either.” Zhao Kaiming casually tossed the cigarette butt into the trash can, “Province A’s cost of living is too high. No car, no house, let alone marrying a wife. Better to honestly go back to our hometown……..”

“No, listen to me.” Zhao Kaile said unhappily, “If you go back to our hometown you’ll definitely be the same as you are now, muddling through every day in a daze. I need to keep an eye on you. Today we’ll go look at small ads all over the streets, then interview, start work tomorrow, rent a place nearby, then you quit games, quit smoking, quit women…… well quitting women is temporary. Just do this honestly for a while, and if you’re tight on money call me.”

Zhao Kaiming found his serious expression quite amusing, and asked with interest, “Wait…….. Zhao Kaile, which of us is whose older brother?”

Zhao Kaile pulled him up and said fiercely, “I’m your older brother! Do you even act like an older brother? Hurry up, let’s go!”

“……..” Zhao Kaiming resigned himself and nodded, “Fine, let’s go.”

The two of them wandered until dark. Zhao Kaiming was still his old self, not wanting to do this or that. Finally they went into an internet cafe, chatted casually with the boss for a few minutes, and decided to work as a net cafe attendant for a while.

Zhao Kaile watched from behind with a speechless expression. The middle aged boss with a beer belly and slight accent held his thermos and said to Zhao Kaiming, “Young man, you look pretty handsome, can serve as the face of the place. Base salary is three thousand five hundred a month, plus another two hundred, okay? Remember to go back and shave that beard.”

Zhao Kaiming asked in a carefree manner, “Sure, meals included?”

“Lunch and dinner included, breakfast is on you. Can stay here too, the place is a bit small.” The boss laughed, “Occasional overnight stays are fine.”

Zhao Kaiming went with him to look at the room behind the net cafe. Sure enough it was a very small partitioned space, only a bed and a cabinet, not an inch of extra space.

“Too small.” Zhao Kaile said, “Better rent a place outside.”

“No need, this is fine.” Zhao Kaiming sat on the bed and looked around, “Sleep is sleep no matter how you do it.”

The boss, being the familiar type, asked again, “Little brother still studying?”

Zhao Kaile said, “No no, graduated, working.”

“You brothers have a pretty good relationship.” The boss said to Zhao Kaiming, “ID card on you?”

“Got it.” Zhao Kaiming got up, followed him to sign the contract. Both sides were very straightforward, and he could officially start work tomorrow.

This net cafe was fairly legitimate, the boss was a decent person, social insurance started from day one of work, but no housing fund, salary held back one month.

Zhao Kaile still felt a bit uneasy. When they came out he asked incredulously, “Just like that? It’s done? No problems?”

“What problems could there be.” Zhao Kaiming said, “Net cafe attendant, it’s not like there are any requirements.”

Zhao Kaile thought that made sense, so the two brothers stood under the streetlight to say goodbye.

“Want me to send you back to the company?” Zhao Kaiming said, “I should at least know where your company is. Last time I called you, how come your boss answered? You live together?”

Zhao Kaile immediately tensed up, “We live next door! No no, I’ll go back myself.”

Zhao Kaiming looked puzzled, “Fine……. Then be careful yourself.”

“Yeah!” Zhao Kaile hurriedly said goodbye to him, turned around and flagged a cab to go back.

Night fell, and the entire Province A was submerged in a sea of romantic neon lights.

The moment Zhao Kaile was let into District A by the guard, Zhan Hang’s call came in.

A familiar roar pierced through the phone, “Zhao Kaile! Where the hell have you been wandering this late?! Why aren’t you home?!”

“I’m almost there! Almost there!” Zhao Kaile grabbed his phone and ran all the way back. When he arrived, the housekeeper opened the door for him and looked behind him in alarm, “What’s wrong, Xiao Le?? Who’s chasing you??”

Zhao Kaile was panting, caught between laughing and crying, “No…… not…….”

He went in and drank some water, then Zhan Hang came over with an angry face. Zhao Kaile spat out the water, covered his mouth and coughed for a long time.

Zhan Hang asked coldly, “Where did you go?”

Zhao Kaile hurriedly grabbed a tissue and squatted down to wipe the floor, saying, “Met someone.”

Zhan Hang pressed further, “Met who?”

“My older brother.” Zhao Kaile looked up, “Move your foot, Hang-ge.”

Zhan Hang: “……..”

He moved his foot as requested, still displeased with a stern face, criticizing, “From now on, report in advance for unexpected situations like this, or I’ll dock your salary!”

Zhao Kaile nodded along, looking like he was in a good mood, “Okay okay.”

Over there the housekeeper brought the food to the table, saw this and hurriedly came over, “Let me do that, you two go wash your hands and eat.”

That evening Zhan Hang took a bath, and Zhao Kaile worked hard scrubbing his back. For a moment the air was filled with bubbles everywhere.

“You’re pretty happy?” The corner of Zhan Hang’s mouth twitched, “How long since you last saw your brother?”

Zhao Kaile thought about it, didn’t calculate clearly, and just said offhandedly, “Several months anyway.”

“Real brother?” Zhan Hang asked, “How many years older?”

Zhao Kaile hmm’d, “Three years, about the same age as you.”

After saying that he felt a bit wistful.

Both twenty five years old. Zhao Kaiming had accomplished nothing, no car, no house, no wife, got scammed out of money, disappeared for months with no word, ended up in Northern M and almost didn’t come back. Zhan Hang’s career was booming, making money hand over fist, spending lavishly, living in a luxurious house, driving a luxurious car, with many people attending to him every day, and a single public appearance could make the front page of some small platform.

The gap between people really is enormous…….

Zhan Hang asked, “What about your parents?”

Zhao Kaile said, “Gone, just me and my brother.”

“……..” Zhan Hang was silent for a moment, his expression seeming to regret asking things he shouldn’t have.

Zhao Kaile took the initiative to ask, “Then Hang-ge, do you have siblings in your family?”

“No, just me.” Zhan Hang asked, “What’s your brother’s situation now? If you need help, just say the word.”

Zhao Kaile heard this and said moved, “No no, I’ve already arranged everything for him. Thanks, Hang-ge.”

“Mm.” Zhan Hang said, “It’s good that he came back. Things will get better.”

Zhao Kaile looked at the back of his head a bit surprised, and belatedly hmm’d.

He didn’t expect Zhan Hang would occasionally say this kind of comforting thing too. How rare.