Chenglei didn't look at Yihao's face, because the best thing he could do was not show that he cared, so he stuck with mostly bored, kind of tired. It worked for him, Meng Yao had told him that. Still, he had to at least show his interest, so he looked at his body instead, rolling his eyes when Xue Yang lifted his shirt up a little. "That's all right, Xue Yang. I can imagine."
And he wanted Yihao safe and not undressed in front of all of these creeps. "You want that warehouse? I guess he'd be worth that much. He's cute enough."
Why was he being so cruel? What was wrong with him? Was it actually Chenglei he was seeing, he sounded like him and looked like him but he wasn't acting like him. He felt Xue Yang yank up his shirt and squeaked in alarm, trying to wriggle free from his hold because it was pretty embarrassing to be spoken about like this. He never actually felt like a pig before but he kind of did now.
"He's good stock. Once you're done, you can sell him onto the black market - you'll double your profit. It's a good deal, young master Zhao."
Why were they talking like he couldn't hear them? Would Chenglei really sell him on like that?! Oh God!
"I'll see what he's good for." Chenglei wondered how much it would hurt to punch himself in the face for this. And this was what he was supposed to be showing the outside world, at least within certain circles, going forward? This was going to get rough. Still not as bad as any of this actually happening to Yihao though, which was what he had to keep in mind.
So he shrugged and gestured to Xue Yang. "Just take him to the car. What do you think, trunk or backseat?"
He did manage to sound uncaring, so that was a plus. "Maybe backseat, so I can see the goods."
Was his old friend really doing this to him? His old friend, his only friend - no, he wouldn't. Yes, he'd changed and he had always been a bit of a bad boy but he wasn't a monster. Gangster or not, he was still Chenglei. He made him a panda out of wood, he protected him from bullies, he won him that panda he wanted from the claw machine. Chenglei was a good person.
So whatever this was, he was sure he could talk him down. Or, at least, he hoped he could. He would have liked to be braver but he just wasn't - his legs were shaking so hard, they nearly gave out under him.
Damn useless noodle legs. He felt Xue Yang start to move and tried to follow, staring at Chenglei with confusion and fear. This wasn't real - no way.
Xue Yang simply dragged, half-carried Yihao, who honestly wasn't very heavy anyway, heading towards the car. The driver was already holding the door open for Chenglei and he got in, with Xue Yang following behind, pulling Yihao inside. Then the door closed and Chenglei exhaled audibly, leaning back in his seat and making sure the screen between them and the driver was down.
Then he turned to Xue Yang. "Let go of him, come on."
Xue Yang did as much and Chenglei was at a loss for words, so he just kind of stared dumbly. Ah, he sucked.
Perhaps his reaction should have been different towards the man who just brought him from his parents ... employers? Whatever. The guy who purchased him like a pet and sold him off for a warehouse. The guy who talked about him like he wasn't a person. And maybe it was just all the emotions that got to him, he wasn't sure but he didn't react by hitting Chenglei or begging for his life. He just acted on instinct.
He threw himself at Chenglei and tightly wrapped his arms around him, desperately clinging to him like he used to do when they were at school.
"Chenglei! Please, I don't know what's happening." His breath hitched and he fought tears. He was always so prone to crying. "Please help me."
Yeah, Chenglei had expected to be hit, more than anything, but maybe this shouldn't have surprised him. He had always been soft and, damn, had he ever been clingy. For a moment, he just sat there. Then he lifted his hand and started to gently stroke Yihao's back, hoping that would help him calm down. "It's fine, Yihao. It's going to be fine. I promise."
He really couldn't keep up any tough act around him, not really. Not that he was trying. "I'm helping."
"I promise that I didn't know about the drugs! I had no idea, no one told me! We definitely harvest bananas, I didn't know the bananas were used like that." Every shipping crate they went was half bananas, half drugs and how the hell was he supposed to know that? He whined miserably as he pulled back and looked at his old friend, looking pretty dejected by how all of this had turned out. Things were bad enough for him, never mind this.
"Did my parents... they let them take me?" Yihao looked hurt and confused, just trying to process all of this cause it was a lot. A bit too much. And nothing was sinking in.
"I don't know everything with your parents, Yihao. But I think so. They needed a way to repay their debts." Chenglei could imagine what it felt like to be betrayed like that by his parents, but he supposed Yihao might have had more trust in his parents to begin with. Yihao had more trust in everything than Chenglei had ever had. He ran a hand through Yihao's hair now, then handed him a tissue. "I know you didn't know. And sorry for-- I had to do that. To keep you safe."
"I didn't want to think you were like that so I didn't believed it. You're not like that." Yihao looked him in the eyes, determined and undeterred as he took the tissue and cleaned off his eyes. He turned his head and looked at Xue Yang, remembering he was right there and looking at him a little less sure than he did Chenglei. Well, he was a gangster who once flashed a knife at him - it was hard to be comfortable.
Turning back to Chenglei, he swallowed hard. "What do I do now?"
Xue Yang just grinned and waved, then leaned back in the seat and got his phone out, so he could check in on his mobile games. His part in this had been played, at least for now.
"You'll have to stay with me." Chenglei so wished he didn't have to explain this, he already felt his face heat up. "It's-- The best way to keep you safe is for people to think that I actually bought you. To-- To use you." This was the worst.
"Like as a maid or -- oh. Ohhhh. Oh. Okay. Oh." Yihao went bright red as well and lowered his head, not sure what to say or to feel. It was strange to want the world to think he was being fucked by a guy, given he had been bullied for that his whole time at school. He nodded his head regardless and settled back in his seat, nervously filling with the sleeves of his shirt so he didn't have to look at Chenglei. "Okay. We--We can do... that."
Whatever that was, they could do it. "I'm sorry if I caused you any fuss with this, I didn't mean to."
"No, it's fine. It wasn't that difficult and all of my guys are too lazy to walk to the further off warehouse anyway." What was that all about? He really should look into that, come to think of it. Chenglei cleared his throat, then just shrugged. "Relax. It's gonna be fine. I have a big place. It's nice."
"He has a lot of video games." Xue Yang did think that was a point in favour, honestly. "You should get him to buy you stuff, piggy, he has money."
"You have a lot of money?" Woah. He guessed he really was a gangster son. He never was sure how to feel about that, Chenglei always felt like a weird fantasy he had once to pretend like he had friends. If he didn't have pictures of him, he wouldn't have believed it. And then he left with gangsters to join the mafia. "It must pay a lot to be a...a -- Mafia." Was that the right word? He'd seen it around, it sounded right.
"I don't want to use your money, it's all cool. I can live with you until it's safe and then I'll -- I'll ... do something." He wasn't sure yet but he was sure it'd be great. He just didn't think he was going home any time soon.
"It's fine. I never spend enough money anyway. Meng Yao keeps saying that I need to spend more, to show off or something. I guess I can show off with you. Do you want diamonds?" What did people get? He honestly still had little reference for that. Maybe he should be spending more time with Huaisang and Tian, they were better at this kind of stuff. Wangji was different and Tao-- Well, Tao just got romantic things. He was different too. He was planning a ridiculously expensive wedding though, so there was that. "You can just say 'gangster', I don't have anything to do with the mafia."
"Get him cute clothes, boss, he'll look adorable." There, Xue Yang was repping for his tiny friend.
"I don't think I need anything... if you want to spend money on me, I guess you could go and get my stuff from my old home. My panda is there." He knew Chenglei knew which one and he didn't have the guys to say it aloud himself but he missed him and the panda was all that got him through it. He just wished Chenglei had never left. Everything got worse when he left.
"I missed you at school." He got his ass kicked pretty hard after Chenglei left, eventually it levelled out but it never got much better.
"Your panda... Yeah, of course, I'll make sure they get all your stuff." Chenglei looked at Xue Yang, who just nodded and moved his hand in a way that signalled that he was taking care of it.
Good. Chenglei smiled a little, for a moment or two, then he looked at Yihao. "I missed you too. I wanted to-- It's just that they told me you'd be safer if I didn't contact you. But my new school sucked. I'm at uni now. Still weird. Lots of fancy people."
"Lots of dates," Xue Yang mentioned helpfully. He wanted to nudge them together.
"Dates? Oh. Woah. You sound like you're having a really good time." Why did his heart sink so hard? He just hated the idea of Chenglei dating. Even if it was the most logical conclusion to have, he was getting to be older and he was very handsome, of course he'd date. "I haven't done that. Dating, I mean. Or the uni stuff, I sort of -- botched my exams."
Yihao blushed hard and looked away, clearly embarrassed. He'd never been the smartest but the day of his exam, he totally blanked. He had no idea what happened - one moment he was doing a test, the next he was done and he hadn't written anything. "I'm going to retake the tests and go next year."
Maybe that was why his parents gave up on him. He laughed, feeling a bit dumb. "I'm kind of useless."
"I don't really date, I just date so they can't make me marry someone." This made more sense when Meng Yao explained it, damn it. Chenglei cleared his throat and then listened to Yihao, not even surprised. "Don't worry, I can pay to have your tests retaken. I can even pay for you to pass them, but I can help you study and you won't need it."
Whatever. Yihao deserved good things. He was the purest person he'd ever met. Admittedly, lately he had mostly met gangsters. "You aren't useless. Look how much money you are worth."
Too soon to joke about it? Probably. "...I've got a hottub."
"I'll pass this time, I've very determined. I brought highlighters!" So that would make all the difference. He beamed eagerly at his friend and then shuffled a little closer to him as he right himself in the car, doing up his seatbelt and just enjoying being close to him. He smelled so good - how did he always smell so good. He smelled of the right amount of aftershave. "I don't know how much money I'm worth to anyone but you. I'm surprised you paid it. Or had that money!"
It was amazing, he was so rich. And he had a hottub.
"You are worth a lot," Chenglei said, rubbing at his face absently. It was too hot in this car, probably because he had to wear the stupid suit jacket to look properly impressive for this stunt. "I get it from business."
"He kills a lot of people all the time," Xue Yang chimed in helpfully, because this all kind of entertained him.
"Shut up, Xue Yang. I don't. It's just selling goods, really. Boring stuff." He shrugged, figuring that Yihau didn't need to know the details. "I have a room just for manga. I have all of Fruits Basket now."
"So you do gangster stuff. Like... like my parents apparently did." And the Jin family did, whoever they were. He didn't know, they were just mean and talked about him like he was some animal - it was kind of creepy and he still felt all gross inside. He wondered if Xue Yang was telling the truth when he said that a lot of people died, they were very willing to kill him... was the Zhao family any different? "I'm glad you found me. I think it's safer with you."
Most likely, at least.
"... Oh." Wait. He read Fruits basket? His eyes widened a little before he grinned. "Who's your favourite?"
"Tohru. She's cute. Very sweet and very-- I don't know. Reminded me of you." Maybe just because he associated the whole series with Yihao and she was the main character, but whatever. He looked out the window, but moved his arm to sling it across Yihao's shoulder, holding him a little. He had had a tough day. "You are always safe with me. And you'll stay with me now."
"Aww." Xue Yang's commentary was so not wanted, yet here he went anyway.
"I hope I won't cause you too much fuss. I was hoping we'd meet again some day but I was hoping it'd be when I was a bit more successful, not when my parents tried to sell me over drug debt." He wondered if his uncle knew about what the banana farm was doing ... then again, now he realised it, they probably all knew. Oh God, was this the big surprise they were going to tell him about when he graduated? Well, he was glad he hadn't graduated.
"I missed you at school, people still wrote our names together for ages afterwards. It was nice, I could always think of you." He smiled at Chenglei, more optimistic than he had to be about these things.
"I missed you too. School was way too stressful without you." And with Meng Yao there, using all the weapons in his considerable manipulation arsenal to actually make him attend school and even do his school work. Really hadn't been much fun at all. Well. Admittedly, some of his friends could make it fun at times.
"I ready Fruits Basket because it made me think of you. But, yeah, don't worry. You can help me spend money, Yao-ge's always on my case about not spending enough."
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And he wanted Yihao safe and not undressed in front of all of these creeps. "You want that warehouse? I guess he'd be worth that much. He's cute enough."
Wait. Dehumanising. "For what he is."
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"He's good stock. Once you're done, you can sell him onto the black market - you'll double your profit. It's a good deal, young master Zhao."
Why were they talking like he couldn't hear them? Would Chenglei really sell him on like that?! Oh God!
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So he shrugged and gestured to Xue Yang. "Just take him to the car. What do you think, trunk or backseat?"
He did manage to sound uncaring, so that was a plus. "Maybe backseat, so I can see the goods."
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So whatever this was, he was sure he could talk him down. Or, at least, he hoped he could. He would have liked to be braver but he just wasn't - his legs were shaking so hard, they nearly gave out under him.
Damn useless noodle legs. He felt Xue Yang start to move and tried to follow, staring at Chenglei with confusion and fear. This wasn't real - no way.
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Then he turned to Xue Yang. "Let go of him, come on."
Xue Yang did as much and Chenglei was at a loss for words, so he just kind of stared dumbly. Ah, he sucked.
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He threw himself at Chenglei and tightly wrapped his arms around him, desperately clinging to him like he used to do when they were at school.
"Chenglei! Please, I don't know what's happening." His breath hitched and he fought tears. He was always so prone to crying. "Please help me."
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He really couldn't keep up any tough act around him, not really. Not that he was trying. "I'm helping."
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"Did my parents... they let them take me?" Yihao looked hurt and confused, just trying to process all of this cause it was a lot. A bit too much. And nothing was sinking in.
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Turning back to Chenglei, he swallowed hard. "What do I do now?"
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"You'll have to stay with me." Chenglei so wished he didn't have to explain this, he already felt his face heat up. "It's-- The best way to keep you safe is for people to think that I actually bought you. To-- To use you." This was the worst.
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Whatever that was, they could do it. "I'm sorry if I caused you any fuss with this, I didn't mean to."
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"He has a lot of video games." Xue Yang did think that was a point in favour, honestly. "You should get him to buy you stuff, piggy, he has money."
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"I don't want to use your money, it's all cool. I can live with you until it's safe and then I'll -- I'll ... do something." He wasn't sure yet but he was sure it'd be great. He just didn't think he was going home any time soon.
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"Get him cute clothes, boss, he'll look adorable." There, Xue Yang was repping for his tiny friend.
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"I missed you at school." He got his ass kicked pretty hard after Chenglei left, eventually it levelled out but it never got much better.
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Good. Chenglei smiled a little, for a moment or two, then he looked at Yihao. "I missed you too. I wanted to-- It's just that they told me you'd be safer if I didn't contact you. But my new school sucked. I'm at uni now. Still weird. Lots of fancy people."
"Lots of dates," Xue Yang mentioned helpfully. He wanted to nudge them together.
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Yihao blushed hard and looked away, clearly embarrassed. He'd never been the smartest but the day of his exam, he totally blanked. He had no idea what happened - one moment he was doing a test, the next he was done and he hadn't written anything. "I'm going to retake the tests and go next year."
Maybe that was why his parents gave up on him. He laughed, feeling a bit dumb. "I'm kind of useless."
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Whatever. Yihao deserved good things. He was the purest person he'd ever met. Admittedly, lately he had mostly met gangsters. "You aren't useless. Look how much money you are worth."
Too soon to joke about it? Probably. "...I've got a hottub."
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It was amazing, he was so rich. And he had a hottub.
"... Where do you get the money?"
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"He kills a lot of people all the time," Xue Yang chimed in helpfully, because this all kind of entertained him.
"Shut up, Xue Yang. I don't. It's just selling goods, really. Boring stuff." He shrugged, figuring that Yihau didn't need to know the details. "I have a room just for manga. I have all of Fruits Basket now."
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Most likely, at least.
"... Oh." Wait. He read Fruits basket? His eyes widened a little before he grinned. "Who's your favourite?"
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"Aww." Xue Yang's commentary was so not wanted, yet here he went anyway.
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"I missed you at school, people still wrote our names together for ages afterwards. It was nice, I could always think of you." He smiled at Chenglei, more optimistic than he had to be about these things.
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"I ready Fruits Basket because it made me think of you. But, yeah, don't worry. You can help me spend money, Yao-ge's always on my case about not spending enough."
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