It's a Freebie with a Phone Bill Payment!

Back in his own bedroom, Bai Yang scrambled to change out of his outdoor clothes and hide them, then pulled out his phone, which had reconnected to the signal. He waited and waited, left and right, for ages, then sighed and decisively gave up.

His worry was completely unnecessary—not a single text or missed call...

"Sure enough, I'm their own flesh and blood. They know that in this heat, I won't go anywhere except stay holed up at home, so there's no need to worry about me. But why does it feel so weird that I've been gallivanting around another world for so long and no one's even asked?"

Bai Yang mused to himself.

The guy was just being melodramatic—a mindset where he had a huge secret he couldn't tell, yet wanted others to dig and pry so he could dodge and weave, playing mysterious...

He tossed the phone aside and walked out of the bedroom with a listless expression. The house was dead quiet; needless to say, his parents had gone to work. At least they had the conscience to leave him breakfast.

Over there, he hadn't eaten a thing before passing out, and now his stomach was growling. He sat down at the table and wolfed everything down.

"This can't go on. I'll definitely be going over there a lot from now on. At first, Mom and Dad won't know a thing, which is fine, but if I keep disappearing repeatedly, it'll cause trouble—especially if something delays me over there and I can't get back on time..."

Multitasking by thinking while eating was a skill Bai Yang had honed during class in school, zoning out. Being prepared for danger in times of safety was a necessary mindset, and he started planning his next moves.

The problem was actually easy to solve: he'd move out and not live with his parents.

But then came another problem: he was their only precious child, and they'd never been apart for more than three days since he was little. If he suddenly brought up moving out, it probably wouldn't fly.

The main issue was that he had no money in his pocket...

S City was near Taihu Lake, where land was as precious as gold. Even renting a halfway decent apartment cost one or two thousand a month, and Bai Yang couldn't afford the deposit or three months' rent upfront. Plus, moving out meant he'd have to cook for himself—a death sentence for someone who hated hassle like him.

But not going "over there" was impossible, and he had to avoid trouble here.

After agonizing for a while, Bai Yang figured he should test his parents' attitude. He grabbed his phone and called his mom first.

"You lazy brat, what time is it and you're just getting up? Laze yourself to death! I left you food today, right? Spit it out! What's up?"

Before Bai Yang could say a word, his mom launched into her usual scolding.

He'd already rehearsed his lines in his head, and with a tone of utmost reluctance, he said, "Mom, it's like this: I found a job. To make commuting easier, I might need to move out..."

"My little Yang's all grown up, knows how to work now! What kind of job is it? Is it tiring? Where is it? How's the company..."

Bai Yang was dumbfounded. This wasn't going right—wasn't the point that he wanted to move out?

"Mom, I mean, for work convenience, I might need to move out."

"That's only right—work comes first. You still haven't told me what the job is!"

Bai Yang realized his worry was totally unnecessary. His mom didn't show a shred of reluctance. This eagerness for him to start earning and supporting the family was definitely a sign he was her own flesh and blood...

"It's just trading—buying and selling random stuff. I haven't started yet, so I'll tell you the details later. I'll look for a place near the company online first. Okay, Mom, I'll hang up now..."

He brushed her off, hung up, and sighed to the heavens. His mom was way too unreliable. Couldn't she show a little reluctance about her son leaving for a long time? Not even teary-eyed, but at least a mother's worry for her child traveling far away...

Then he scratched his head, picked up the phone again, and decided to seek comfort from his dad.

"Hey, Dad."

"You little brat, I just gave you ten thousand bucks two days ago—don't tell me you're broke again. Even if I'm an ATM, I can't keep up with you like this."

His dad's first words nearly choked Bai Yang. Why was it always the same line every time they talked?

Taking a deep breath, Bai Yang figured he'd get to the point.

"Dad, it's like this: I found a job, a bit far from home, so commuting's a pain. I was thinking about finding a place near the company to move to..."

He paused there, waiting to hear his dad's take.

"Ah..."

A heavy sigh came from the other end. Bai Yang felt touched—sure enough, his dad's reluctant tone made him not want to move out anymore.

"You little brat, you've finally grown up. After you move out, remember to take care of yourself. Don't worry about your mom and me. Get along with your coworkers. Oh, and you'll need money for rent outside—I'll send some over in a bit. Even though you're just starting work, don't be too hard on yourself. Live well, eat well."

His dad's words sent Bai Yang straight to the eighteenth level of hell, a chill running through him!

He thought he might still salvage his dad's indifferent attitude, to remind him of their blood-thicker-than-water father-son bond.

"Dad, I've never been apart from you guys for so many years. Won't you miss me?"

"You little brat, I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Ever since you came along, I haven't had a proper couple's time with your mom. Go wherever you want, just remember to come back for holidays. Otherwise, I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and give you a beating. Alright, that's it. I'll send the money in a bit. I'm busy. Oh, and get some more of that 'wild boar' you brought back the other day—I've felt years younger these past few days..."

Click. The call ended.

Phone in hand, Bai Yang took a direct ten-thousand-point critical hit. He was definitely bought with a phone top-up card—yeah, that had to be it!

Ding-dong. His phone rang.

Bai Yang looked and grimaced. A text notification showed a deposit of one hundred thousand into his account.

How desperate were they to kick him out that they'd send his travel funds this eagerly?

"Hmph, fine, I'll go. When you miss me and want me back, that'll be up to my mood. You're heartless, so I'll be ruthless. Want good stuff later? Pay up. Aren't I in 'trading'? I'll get a pile of precious wood and bleed you dry. Want 'wild boar'? Money talks..."

Bai Yang muttered through gritted teeth, looking constipated, then rushed to his room, turned on the computer, and started looking for apartments online.

Simple enough. With ample funds from his dad, there was no need to rough it. He didn't even look at anything under two bedrooms—only two-bedroom-plus places with fine decoration and full appliances.

A lazy person's solution was to avoid trouble as much as possible. If money could solve a problem and he had it, then it wasn't a problem.

He filtered by: large units, fine decoration, full appliances. Hit enter. The page showed a solid list. He excluded anything within ten kilometers of home, picked a layout that looked good, called the number, asked a few questions, and confirmed he could view it right away.

Done. He grabbed his wallet, went downstairs, hailed a cab, and headed straight over. Whether it was an agent or not, Bai Yang just wanted to move out as fast as possible.

When he arrived at the spot, whoa, it turned out to be a lakeside villa. Bai Yang had absolutely no interest in whatever spiel about the landlord going abroad and wanting to rent the place out. He asked the price—five thousand a month, utilities on him, property management not his worry.

Nice environment, spacious room, fully equipped. Good enough. Signed the contract, transferred a full year's rent upfront. The hundred grand he'd just gotten his hands on was more than half gone!

Key and community access card in hand, Bai Yang hailed a taxi back home to pack his stuff, leaving the agent—dressed as formally as an insurance salesman—standing there dumbfounded, bewildered in the wind.

This was probably the most straightforward client he'd ever seen. Didn't even ask about the price, didn't even give him a chance to introduce himself...

Wastrel!

Back at his family's community, Bai Yang told the taxi to wait downstairs, went inside, and started packing.

One small suitcase with a few changes of clothes. Done. Computer and stuff—there was already one at the villa. Next, the box with his outdoor gear, then the jar of Tiger Penis Wine, and finally the jar and cloth bundle the white-bearded old man had given him when he came back. That was everything.

Stuck his head out the window, bribed the taxi driver with a hundred bucks to play porter for a trip. Done!

Arrived at the villa, had the driver help carry everything inside, paid the fare, and sent him off.

Lying on the soft big bed in the largest bedroom on the villa's second floor, Bai Yang pulled out his phone and typed a text message.

"Dad, Mom, I've found a place and already moved in." Attached the address and hit send. Done.

Even if his parents were a bit unreliable, as their son, he had to report where he was going. It was a matter of attitude—just in case something happened, at least they'd have an address to look for him.

"Freedom at last. But I'm going to get revenge, a serious revenge. I'll play The Porter, use those precious woods from over there to drain Dad's wallet. Let him know his own son has a temper too!"

His mom was a teacher. Bai Yang hadn't figured out how to 'get revenge' on her yet...

Lying in bed, Bai Yang let his mind wander.

He wasn't an idiot. He knew how rare those increasingly scarce precious woods were. His old man ran a solid wood furniture business—why should he let anyone else have them cheap?

A young man, first time living on his own, always wants to prove himself to his parents...

(To be honest, Stone is a bit nervous about this style. If you have any opinions or suggestions, be sure to leave them in the review section so Stone can figure out the direction. Finally, as usual, begging for recommendations and favorites. It's annoying for you and annoying for me, but there's no help for it—during the New Book period, recommendations and favorites are crucial. Please.)