KEIGHTY: Special thanks to Gofa for the ko-fi! ( ˘ ³˘)♥ (Extra Chapter 3/3)
The author has something to say:
I won’t post the previously serialized parts of the extra chapter, so as not to waste everyone’s money and traffic. However, I did some statistics and found that the previous chapters of the extra chapter are distributed at 42, 45, 47, 50, 53, 57, 58, and 60 of the author has something to say, if you have forgotten something, you can go back and review it.
That night, Hong Minhang spent the night at Li Tang’s house.
Li Tang had Hong Minhang’s change of clothes and a set of pajamas at home, but as Hong Minhang grew older, the clothes gradually became smaller. After taking a shower, he came out and put on his pajamas, leaving his ankles exposed.
Li Tang’s household only had one bedroom and one large bed. Hong Minhang used to sleep on the same bed as Li Tang whenever he came here, but tonight, he insisted on sleeping on the sofa.
“What’s wrong?” Li Tang squatted in front of the sofa and asked him.
Hong Minhang said nothing, closed his eyes, and curled up into a ball.
Li Tang had no choice but to take out the quilt from the room and cover Hong Minhang with it.
The next night, Li Tang drove Hong Minhang to school.
At the school gate, Li Tang said to Hong Minhang, “Study hard.”
Hong Minhang looked at the ground and said nothing.
Li Tang couldn’t help but raise his hand to touch the top of Hong Minhang’s head. “Study hard and show it to your dad. Don’t let him look down on you.”
Hong Minhang also knew that his father had always looked down on him, but Hong Minhang thought it didn’t matter. He didn’t need Hong Xiangfeng to think highly of him. He just needed Li Tang to treat him well. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be achieved now.
Hong Minhang walked to school. It was time for students to return to school. Some of his classmates had just been sent to school by their parents. A beautiful girl called out his name, “Hong Minhang.”
Hong Minhang glanced at her and, without saying a word, quickly ran inside after entering the school gate.
Soon, Li Tang couldn’t even see his back. Li Tang leaned against the car door, lit a cigarette, and smoked it silently before getting in the car and leaving.
From that day on, Hong Minhang rarely went home.
He seemed to have really listened to Li Tang’s words and began to immerse himself in studying seriously. On weekends, he either stayed in school to participate in grade activities and sometimes went to self-study, or he would go out to find a job outside the school. Nevertheless, he just didn’t want to go home.
At that time, Hong Xiangfeng had already bought a big house in the city and moved out with Hong Minhang. Only the old man, Uncle Wang, was left on Xiangzhu Street to guard the shop, as well as Hong Minhang’s beloved big cat. From time to time, Hong Minhang would still go back to Xiangzhu Street. His room on the second floor was still there. The big cat would lie on the window sill for a while every day, squinting lazily and shaking its whiskers slightly.
During the winter and summer vacations, Hong Minhang would go back to the Hong family’s villa in the west of the city. It was the earliest villa area in Chongfeng City. When it was built, it was outside the Second Ring Road. The environment was desolate and close to the suburbs. After just a few years, the surrounding area developed rapidly, and the government was already planning to build a Third Ring Road.
Hong Xiangfeng rarely stayed at home. There was only a nanny who cooked and cleaned every day. Hong Minhang would read and do homework in his room. After dinner in the evening, he would walk around the community. Yet he rarely saw Hong Xiangfeng.
Hong Xiangfeng left home every morning, and if he came back in the evening, it would be after dawn. He would always bring different women with him, and they would get drunk and start talking and joking while going up the stairs.
Hong Minhang would cover his ears, not listening to anything.
Li Tang rarely came here. Every year, he would only appear at the Hong family’s mansion on Hong Xiangfeng’s birthday and Chinese New Year. At other times, he was always busy with things. During the two or three times he met Hong Minhang in the past three years, Li Tang would always smile and say to Hong Minhang, “You’ve grown taller again.” Then he would be called away by Hong Xiangfeng, and he would no longer care about Hong Minhang.
In his senior year of high school, Hong Xiangfeng celebrated his birthday.
Hong Minhang was in class that day. After the second class in the afternoon, he received a call from Hong Xiangfeng, saying that Li Tang would come to pick him up for his birthday party later.
Hong Minhang hung up the phone, went to ask for leave from his homeroom teacher, then went back to the dormitory to change clothes, and then stood at the school gate waiting for Li Tang.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
When Li Tang arrived, he saw Hong Minhang standing on the roadside wearing a black coat and black trousers. The boy’s immature facial features in the past had become more mature, and he had grown a lot taller in the past three years, almost as tall as Li Tang. His expression was also somewhat cold and stern for his age.
Ol Kjcu vlvc’a ufa bea bo atf mjg. Lf qgfrrfv vbkc atf klcvbk jcv rjlv ab Lbcu Zlctjcu, “Xfa lc atf mjg.”
Lbcu Zlctjcu kjixfv ab atf qjrrfcufg rfja, bqfcfv atf vbbg, jcv uba lc.
Ol Kjcu ibbxfv ja tlw. Lf rwlifv jcv mbwwfcafv, “Tbe ibbx ilxf jc jveia cbk.”
Hong Minhang smiled, a little estranged, and then turned to look out the window.
Li Tang turned on the radio and adjusted the music down. While driving the car forward, he asked him, “Are you busy studying?”
“Not busy,” Hong Minhang answered.
Li Tang asked, “Is it your senior year of high school this year? Are you going to prepare for the college entrance examination next semester?”
Hong Minhang responded, “Yes.”
Li Tang smiled and inquired again, “Which university do you plan to enter?”
Hong Minhang turned his head and looked at Li Tang. “What university do you think is suitable?”
Li Tang replied, “Don’t ask me, I’ve only heard of Tsinghua University and Peking University. I don’t know anything else. I left my hometown right after I graduated from junior high school. Not to mention university, I didn’t even go to senior high school.”
Hong Minhang asked softly, “So, do you like people with good grades?”
Li Tang answered, “Everyone likes children with good grades.”
Hong Minhang then fell silent again.
Hong Xiangfeng booked a high-end Chinese restaurant in the city and set up dozens of tables to celebrate his forty-fifth birthday. He invited a lot of business partners, and even more of them were brothers who worked hard with him, such as fellow villagers like Li Tang who had left his hometown to work with him.
When Li Tang arrived, the banquet had already begun. The entire restaurant hall was filled with a foul atmosphere. Everyone was smoking cigarettes and drinking heavily. As for Hong Xiangfeng, he and his two younger brothers were toasting with others, one table at a time.
Li Tang put his arm around Hong Minhang’s back and led him inside. He walked behind Hong Xiangfeng and called out softly, “Gandie!”
Hong Xiangfeng was drinking with an older brother for many years. When he heard Li Tang calling him, he immediately turned around with a big smile. “My son is finally here! Come on, quick. Help dad have a few drinks with him!”
Li Tang smiled and did not refuse. However, he still reminded Hong Xiangfeng, “I picked up Minhang.”
After speaking, Li Tang took the wine glass, raised it to the man in front of him, and said, “Uncle Liu, I will drink this first on behalf of my father as a token of my respect for him!” Then he drank the white wine in the glass in one gulp.
Hong Xiangfeng took out the empty glass, looked at Hong Minhang, and nodded at him. “Hmm, you’re back, la?”
Hong Minhang said, “Yes,” and then added, “Happy birthday, dad.”
Hong Xiangfeng smiled and finally patted Hong Minhang’s back with a hint of satisfaction. “Let’s go. Follow dad and toast with your uncles.”
In this round of dozens of tables, not only Li Tang, but also Hong Minhang, was poured seven or eight glasses of white wine. His fair cheeks began to turn red.
Hong Xiangfeng was very happy, thinking that Hong Minhang looked more like a man this way. Whether it was his facial expression or the words he spoke, all of which were unclear. In front of many old brothers, he put his hand on Hong Minhang’s shoulder and asked him, “How’s your studies, ah?”
Hong Minhang lowered his eyes and said, “I ranked first in the half-term exam in our grade.”
When Hong Xiangfeng heard this, he burst out laughing and instantly showed off, “Did you hear that? My son said he came first in the exam! Damn it. I, his dad, don’t even know a few English letters, but he actually ranked first in his grade in the exam!”
Everyone repeatedly praised and complimented him.
Hong Xiangfeng said, “Okay, study hard. I will pay you to study as much as you can!”
Someone next to him inquired, “Brother Hong, are you trying to cultivate a rising college student, ah?”
Hong Xiangfeng replied, “Just a college student is nothing! If he wants to take masters and doctorates, then he can go and study. I will provide for him! Just don’t become a nerd after studying, that even when beaten with a stick, you still can't fart!”
Everyone burst into laughter, which was incomparably jarring to Hong Minhang’s ears.
Finally, Li Tang came over and said, “Gandie, you’re drunk.”
Hong Xiangfeng retorted, “Can I get drunk with just this amount of wine?”
Li Tang smiled and replied, “It doesn’t matter if you’re not drunk either. We’ve all eaten, so it’s just right for us to change places. If you want to play mahjong, or if you want to sing, or if you haven’t drunk enough, Gandie, maybe we can change places and continue drinking there?”
Hong Xiangfeng raised his hand and put it on Li Tang’s shoulder. He was shorter than Li Tang, so Li Tang had to lower his head. Hong Xiangfeng hugged him tightly, making Li Tang’s face rest on his shoulder. Hong Xiangfeng said loudly, “This is my good son! He’s even better than my other son. He understands his father best and loves his father the most!” After saying that, he kissed Li Tang’s face.
A group of people laughed. Li Tang also laughed and said, “Gandie, you said you weren’t drunk.”
Only Hong Minhang stood nearby, clenching his fists.
After dinner, they moved to a private club nearby. Hong Xiangfeng was rich, so he had the entire club booked for everyone to play at their own leisure. He was in a good mood, so he locked himself in a private room with a few old friends and continued drinking.
Li Tang arranged all the guests and saw Hong Minhang sitting alone on the sofa in the lobby on the first floor, so he walked over and asked, “Do you want me to take you home?”
Hong Minhang shook his head.
Li Tang lit a cigarette and said, “The environment here is too chaotic, you should go back.”
Hong Minhang looked up at him and answered, “No need.”
Li Tang sat down next to him, raised his hand, and rubbed the top of his head. Then he removed it to take out the cigarette from his mouth and said, “Don’t you want to go back to read and do your homework?”
Hong Minhang repeated his answer, “No need.”
Li Tang smiled and commented, “You have indeed grown up. When you were still a child, you would always agree to whatever I told you. But now, you refuse to listen to anything that I say.”
Hong Minhang remained silent.
Li Tang asked him, “Do you want to go sing? There is a private room upstairs. You just can’t sit here all night, right?”
Hong Minhang turned to look at him. “Will you sing with me?”
Li Tang nodded. “Of course. Otherwise, how can I let you sing alone? Come on, I’ll ask the waiter to open a private room.”
Li Tang stood up with Hong Minhang in his arms. He had just walked a few steps to talk to the waiter when a boy from upstairs hurriedly ran down and said, “Brother Li, why are you here? Boss Hong is looking for you everywhere. He wants you to go and toast with the others.”
Li Tang had no choice but to say, “Wait a minute,” then he turned back to Hong Minhang and said, “You go up with the waiter first, I will come find you later.” Then, Li Tang hurriedly left with the boy.
Hong Minhang was left standing alone in the same place.
The waiter came over and asked him, “What can I do for you?”
Hong Minhang raised his head and looked at him. “Open a private KTV room for me.”
The waiter took Hong Minhang up to the third floor. Seeing that he was alone, he opened a packet. Just as the waiter was about to leave, Hong Minhang suddenly said, “Bring me a bottle of wine.”
The waiter asked politely, “What kind of wine do you want?”
Hong Minhang was stunned for a moment when asked, but he still replied, “Anything that can get me drunk.”
The waiter said, “Okay, please wait a moment.”
Since Hong Xiangfeng reserved the whole place today, the waiter brought Hong Minhang a bottle of valuable foreign wine. Hong Minhang randomly chose a song and let it play by itself. He picked up the wine glass, filled it with wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
Hong Minhang had never drank foreign wine before, so he thought it wouldn’t taste that strong. However, he didn’t know that the wine’s after-effects wouldn’t be so easy. On top of that, he had already drunk liquor beforehand, so after mixing them up like this, he immediately became completely drunk. He was in a complete mess, not even knowing where he was.
Hong Minhang drank so much that he apparently felt the urge to urinate, so he went out of the private room to find the bathroom. There was no one on both sides of the corridor.
Hong Minhang kept walking forward while holding on to the wall. Finally, he saw someone. He rushed over and grabbed the person’s arm. “Where is the bathroom?”
The person turned out to be a young girl who also drank a lot. When she saw Hong Minhang, she exclaimed, “Isn’t this Young Master Hong?”
Hong Minhang didn’t know what she was talking about, so he leaned on her weakly and asked in repeat, “Where is the bathroom?”
The girl offered, “It’s the bathroom, right? Let’s go, I’ll take you there.”
She did not take Hong Minhang to the public bathroom, but instead took Hong Minhang to a large private room where she came out just now, which had a small bathroom inside.
She helped Hong Minhang go in and then helped him close the bathroom door.
There were seven or eight young people in the room. There were many wine glasses and bottles scattered on the table, as well as K powder wrapped in small paper bags.
Someone asked her, “Who is he? Why did you bring him here?”
She laughed softly and answered, “He’s Hong Xiangfeng’s son, so I brought him over. It’s best to make friends with him so that we’ll have one more person who can pay for us in the future!”
A young man next to him said, “He seems to be a high school student, though?”
“What are you afraid of?” The girl said, “These rich people play much better than us. Let him try the K powder. Maybe he will thank us in the future.”
After saying that, Hong Minhang had already come out of the bathroom. He was really dizzy. The colored lights on top of the private room kept spinning, shining on his eyes. It made him feel very uncomfortable.
The girl simply came over, helped him sit down on the edge of the sofa, and said, “Master Hong, do you want to try something good?”
Hong Minhang had no idea who these people were. He just wanted to lie back in discomfort. He shook his head. “Where’s Brother Li?”
Regardless of what he said, the girl carefully picked up the paper with the white powder spread on it and brought it to Hong Minhang’s nose. “Inhale it and see for yourself.”
Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside.
Li Tang appeared at the door, frowning as he asked, “What are you trying to do?”
The girl was instantly startled, almost knocking the powder in her hand to the ground.
Several young men stood up and called out, “Brother Li.”
Li Tang walked towards the sofa with a sullen face. Seeing Hong Minhang, who was in a daze, he asked coldly, “Did you let him inhale the K powder?”
Someone quickly denied, “No, no! You came in before we could’ve done anything.”
Li Tang pulled the girl away, squatted down, and patted Hong Minhang’s face gently. “Minhang? How did you end up like this?”
The girl said, “He must’ve been drunk.”
Li Tang held Hong Minhang up and hugged him, saying to the young men and women, “Today is Mr. Hong’s birthday, so I won’t argue with you and I won’t let Mr. Hong know about this for now. But you better not let me know that there will be a next time. He’s the young master of the Hong family, and you still dared to act recklessly? Are you seeking death?!”
Those people were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They all looked at the girl complainingly.
Li Tang carried Hong Minhang out of the private room, asked the waiter to open a room for him upstairs, and then carried Hong Minhang up.
After putting Hong Minhang on the big bed in the room, Li Tang couldn’t help but sigh, realizing that Hong Minhang had really grown up. When he was a child, he could easily carry him from upstairs to downstairs. Now, even if he took the elevator, his arms were still slightly numb from fatigue.
He went to the bathroom and wet the towel with hot water. After wringing it, he wiped it on Hong Minhang’s face. Then he helped him take off his coat and trousers, pulled up the quilt to cover him, and whispered softly, “Have a good night’s sleep.”
Feeling sorry for Hong Minhang… they aren’t going to end up BE, are they? 😭
No BE for them (thank goodness)
Glad to hear it… 🙂
I feel bad for Hong Minhang… he doesn’t have a loving family life and the person he clings to doesn’t have the same feelings for him, as of now at least.
Thank you for the chapter!