Outrun The World

Chapter 20

"What are you doing here?" He Tian asked when he's face to face with his brother who was eating pork n beans straight from the can. He's wearing house clothes and he even brought his own slippers, looking like he just got out of bed.

"I'm in town," He Cheng answered, licking the red sauce from his lips.

"So? You could've just checked in at a hotel back in the city. You didn't even tell me you were coming and you just barged in here like you own my place."

"The door's unlocked. And you're not answering your phone."

He Tian glared at the big guy right in front of him. He indeed hid his phone to avoid disturbances from everybody else but it's still kept on to receive his agent's messages and order details. And the unlocked door was his fault. He didn't expect that they'd be staying over at Rica's parents' house and he's confident about the safety of this place. Families had survived for generations with nothing but wooden locks or a huge nail used for a deadbolt.

"Now that you know I'm doing fine, please leave."

"Where is your. . .ward? I want to meet him before I go."

"He's none of your business," He Tian stated grimly.

"That's where you're wrong. If any of this blows up, I'm going to be the one with the shit on his face."

"Then just pretend that he doesn't exist."

"He wouldn't, if you're not cooped up in the middle of nowhere with him. Once you're out of here, then people will start forgetting about the rumor."

"What rumor?" He Tian asked through clenched teeth, but he already knew about it. He'd been expecting things to go haywire once people stopped seeing him around all of a sudden. But he already told his agent that if anyone asked, just supply them with lies, like him being stuck in a rut or something. Artists will always get away with the use of weird and eccentric lifestyles as an excuse.

"You know, that you're obsessed with a. . .porn star."

"He is not a porn star. He's a victim."

He Cheng crushed the empty can with his bare hand and turned his back on him so he could wash his spoon in the sink.

"One more thing."

"What?"

"A virus broke out in China for several months now. Other countries immediately halted in-bound flights, but Philippines was stupid enough to believe it's a serious threat."

He Tian's heart sank, waiting for the news that he surely wouldn't like.

"Just before they decided to finally close the country, we managed to transfer our center of operations here in Cebu. The family's all here."

Fuck it. One nuisance after the other. Just when Mo Guan Shan has finally shown progress and slowly opens up to him. If his family started pestering them with unwanted visits, Mo Guan Shan might clam up again, out of his reach.

"Are you sure you're not carrying that virus with you?" He Tian finally asked while watching He Cheng drink from the tap. "And stop touching my stuff."

"I don't have a virus."

He Tian groaned and started kicking the armrest of his sofa. Discontented, he nimbly crossed the room and closed the gap between them with one clenched fist aimed at the other's jaw. He Cheng blew air and slapped away his fist like it meant nothing and landed a clean punch on He Tian's gut. The smaller guy folded and fell on the floor, groaning in pain and irritation.

"Just. Fucking. Leave!"

"You know your tantrums won't work on me," He Cheng said with a fleeting glint in his eyes that might have been a smile. But after a split-second, no trace of it remained on his stoic mask.