Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 481

“I want to leave this place. I want to have my own life.”
“Should we leave?”
“I… don’t know. The only option now is…”
Knock knock…
“Hi, are you there? I just wanted to ask... if we could, uh, go to the park later…?”
No response.
“Hello, Hong?”
Gong opened the door and it let out a faint creak.
“Hong? Maaauuuu? Where are you? This isn’t funny. Where are-”
Gong noticed the window was open and immediately rushed towards the window.
“HONG?! MAU?! MA MA! BA BA! HONG AND MAU AREN’T HERE! Why… why did they leave me
here?” Gong wailed miserably, shaking his head. Mr. Zhong appeared behind him and placed his weathered hand
on his son’s shoulder.
“Go back to sleep, Gong. We’ll take care of this in the morning.” Mr. Zhong replied firmly.
Hong and Mau disappeared into the night. The last anyone heard of them was the small creak that came from
opening the window before they fled into the darkness. They ran away from everyone: their neighbours, their
friends, their parents, and most importantly, their brother. Gong became miserable after the incident and refused
to talk to anyone other than his clients, family, or coworkers.
When Hong and Mau were proper adults with jobs, they decided to go their separate ways since they both had
very different interests. However, they promised to keep in touch.
As Hong ran away and gained independence, he became good with self-management and saving money, so he
grew up to be a rather wealthy man. He was talented in finance, which helped him amass his wealth. Other than
finance, he was also interested in gardening. He had a large garden and he was fond of growing bauhinia trees.
“I’m so proud of my garden. I hope everyone will see it soon! Jie Jie and Ge Ge- Oh… Ge Ge...”
Mau developed an interest in tourism. She owned a popular travel blog, which made her famous because
everyone would read her blog to see where to visit. Her blog in particular stood out the most because she was
consistent with her updates and each post was as good as the rest. Mau lived in Edo, which was the former name
of Tokyo.
“This place is really beautiful. I can’t wait to invite Di Di and-! Ge Ge… Right, he’s not with us...”
Since Hong and Mau’s disappearance, Father Zhong became very controlling over Gong.
“Please finish this paperwork. It is due soon, sir.”
“Can you take over for me in a meeting next week? I need to have a discussion with Mr. Tamako.”
As his father’s assistant, Gong was given many responsibilities, restrictions, and tasks, but as he had his parents, he
managed to keep up with all of the work. He had 9 children when he became an adult. His children inherited
their family’s land once they reached a certain age.