Assistant Lin Has Something To SayChapter 20

After dinner, He Jianshan poured a simple cup of tea for Lin Hui. He actually drank more coffee than he did tea in his day to day life. While he did have high-quality tea at home, he didn’t have any professional tea equipment. Fortunately, Lin Hui wasn’t that finicky a person. At the moment, he was standing on the balcony, basking in the evening breeze, trying to dissipate some of the heat from his face. The cool autumn wind was crisp. The breeze was pleasant. When He Jianshan handed him the tea, he almost didn’t want to reach out for it. He Jianshan seemed to pick up on his laziness and placed the cup on the small balcony table along with his own.

The heat in his cheeks slowly rose up before being swept away by the wind. For a moment, neither of them spoke. j2ehRx

“Summer’s over,” Lin Hui said in a low voice. It may have been because his back was facing He Jianshan. His voice sounded a little muffled.

He Jianshan looked at the night sky. He then turned his gaze towards Lin Hui’s back. “Do you like summertime?”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Lin Hui turned around. He tilted his head slightly towards He Jianshan. He seemed to be looking at him, but he also seemed to be caught up in a distant memory.

“My hometown’s … a small, rural village. My childhood home was located right by a river. In the summers, I would go to the river and catch lobsters. I’d spend all afternoon there. Once evening fell, my grandma would cook them all up. It was super fragrant and super delicious.” bqsf80

“In the yard of our house, there was this huge peach tree, and, every year, it would produce tons and tons of peaches. I never had the patience to wait for them to ripen. Once the peaches started turning even the slightest bit red, I wouldn’t be able to help myself and start eating, and I just couldn’t stop once I started. Naturally, I’d then end up with a horrible case of diarrhea.”

“In the summer, we’d cool off at night. Have you ever done it? It was common for every family to move a table outside for dinner. It’d be dark by the time dinner was over. Once my grandma had cleared off the table, I would lie on it and watch the stars. She’d help me drive away mosquitoes by waving a fan as she chatted with the neighbors. Back then, I used to think the stars were the most beautiful things in the world.”

Lin Hui spoke very slowly, his voice softer and lighter than it was when they were eating dinner. He Jianshan suspected that he might be drunk, but, every now and then, their eyes would meet. Lin Hui’s eyes were clear. Maybe he simply didn’t want to disturb this quiet night.

“Later, I came to Beijing for university. One time, I went to the supermarket to buy some stuff and ended up running a little late. I missed the bus, so I went to catch another one at the plaza by Mingyue Lake. You know the one, right? It’s huge, and it’s got all these little lights installed in the ground. It was very dark that night. I stood at the edge of the plaza with this huge expanse of starlight under my feet. It was mesmerizing.”

“Oh, I just remembered. I was just talking about how we used to cool off in the summer, right? One of my neighbors had this huge, super old-fashioned tape recorder, and, every time we were cooling off at night, he’d pull it out and start playing songs. I still remember how he’d play Han Baoyi’s ‘Pink Memories’. I actually sang this song during a karaoke with my college roommates, and they almost died laughing.” Lin Hui couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke.

He Jianshan also laughed.

He had never felt this way before. Lin Hui’s voice was like a willowy thread, tugging at his heart. When he talked about the little river and the peach tree, he was catching lobsters and picking peaches alongside him. When he talked about the stars and the plaza, he also felt as though they’d become the most beautiful scenery in the world. When he talked about singing and being heckled by his roommates, he could completely imagine how his friends would’ve teased him and how brightly he would’ve smiled. He Jianshan felt an inexplicable surge of emotions in his heart. He regretted that he had never known the other as a student. Lin Hui must have been the brightest star on campus, attracting the attention of all the boys and girls. No doubt about it.

“It was very memorable.” Lin Hui picked up his tea, which had now cooled, and clinked it gently against He Jianshan’s. “Now it’s your turn to talk.” adiMEA

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.

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He Jianshan was starting to suspect that he’d had a little too much to drink. Otherwise, why would he feel that the way the other spoke was actually kind of cute? He coughed lightly and said, “How about this? Is there anything you want to know? If possible, I’ll talk a bit about it.”

“I don’t know either … ” Lin Hui was tired from standing. He sat down and began to think in earnest. “How about the ‘Honey Pot Project’? Is it okay to talk about that?” 3buT o

He Jianshan looked at Lin Hui in surprise. It seemed that he didn’t expect him to mention this. He didn’t say whether it was okay or not. Instead, he asked a question, “Do you know what this project is for?”

Lin Hui gently shut his eyes. “Of course. I know it very well. ‘In order to commemorate his mother, Mr. He Jianshan, the chairman and CEO of Wanzhu, launched a public welfare fund called the Honey Pot Project. He hopes to help students in Beijing who have also lost their mothers by providing a long-overdue gift of love. Students who meet the requirements and are attending a major university within Beijing are eligible to apply. Once approved, you will be able to receive a fixed amount of money or a gift package provided by Wanzhu Corporation.'”

He Jianshan was taken aback, and a thought flashed through his mind. However, before he could grasp what it was, Lin Hui proudly opened his eyes. He smiled and said, “That’s from an article posted online a long time ago. See? I know everything there is to know about Wanzhu!”

He Jianshan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “How can you be so talented? I can’t believe you can remember an article from so long ago. Do you remember the comments?” WJk5Yd

“Yeah. They were all praising you for being a caring and socially responsible person. They also said your love for your mother was very touching.”

He Jianshan’s smile slowly disappeared. He lowered his eyes and stared at the tea leaves bobbing up and down in his cup. After a while, he said, “That’s the statement we gave the public. To tell the truth, it was a publicity move done to stabilize the company.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Lin Hui looked at He Jianshan in shock.

“Do you feel disappointed? Our public welfare fund isn’t as warm as you imagined, and I’m not as kind as they described either.” N1dohb

“It’s fine to just look at the results. I’ve seen how the fund’s operated over the years. I know better than anyone else what kind of existence it is.” Lin Hui quickly regained his composure.

He Jianshan paused for a moment. “Do you want to know why it’s named the Honey Pot Project?”

The evening wind scattered He Jianshan’s voice into all directions. Lin Hui looked at him earnestly.

“One time, I’d been playing with my friends. One of them mentioned that his grandmother’s house had this white porcelain jar that was always filled with rock sugar, and, every time he visited his grandmother’s house, he’d open it up and eat the sugar inside. It was very sweet, sweeter than anything else he’d ever had. I don’t know why, but I’ve always remembered this. When the staff asked me what the name of the fund was going to be, I immediately thought of this and named it the Honey Pot Project. I imagine being loved by a mother would probably be like a jar of rock sugar, sweeter than anything else in the world.” BLWZFX

He Jianshan’s tone carried a subtle sense of detachment and mockery. Lin Hui was starting to regret bringing it up. He suddenly realized that this topic might not be as happy or nostalgic for He Jianshan as he’d thought. He had no intention of prying into He Jianshan’s privacy. If it wasn’t a pleasant memory, Lin Hui would rather he not go think about it.

“It was ‘set up for my mother’, but, from beginning to end, the only part of the project that was actually related to me might be the money — no, that’s not quite right, the money was paid by the company.” He Jianshan’s lips curved up into a smile, but it was such a faint smile that it could have been blown away by the wind. “It is a product meant to safeguard our interests.”

“No, it’s not,” Lin Hui, who’d been sitting quietly all this time, suddenly spoke up. He furrowed his brow at He Jianshan. He seemed a little angry, enough so to reemphasize, “It’s not.”

He Jianshan didn’t explain. Lin Hui seemed unwilling to say anything more either. The two of them simultaneously fell silent. wsRjFH

Only the rustling wind remained in the world.

Lin Hui couldn’t see He Jianshan’s expression clearly, nor could he guess what He Jianshan was thinking at the moment. They were so close, yet they seemed to be separated by a great many things. That’s right. That was exactly it. He should’ve understood it sooner. He Jianshan had always been like this, like an isolated island. He was never leaving yet impossible to get close to.

Lin Hui hated this kind of feeling.

At this point, the aftereffects of the red wine he’d had that evening surged up within him. Lin Hui’s emotions were fermenting at an accelerated rate under the influence of alcohol and the evening breeze. The complicated feelings of this secret love jumbled up in his heart, fervent and painful at the same time. The love that had been buried deep inside finally found the opportunity to burst forth and hijack his heart. He forgot everything. He just wanted to find an exit, wanted to escape this predicament, wanted to be saved — ErAHUu

Lin Hui’s breathing became rapid. He couldn’t help but reach out and grab He Jianshan’s wrist. He uttered, “President He — ”

One breath and it’d all come spilling out.

The words were right on the tip of his tongue. So long as he said them, he’d get an answer, no matter how good or how bad. Lin Hui wondered if he should give it a shot. He and He Jianshan always seemed to have a connection with each other at night. They used to stay up all night for work. They walked among the dim city lights in a moment of rest. They shared the night views of different cities. They also bathed in the same moonlight. In that case, could he tell the person in front of him about his surging love on such a night?

He Jianshan patiently looked at him and softly inquired, “What’s the matter?” He leaned in a bit closer. Lin Hui saw that his eyes were very bright. When bathed in light, his eyes looked like amber. HNLe6x

Lin Hui’s grip tightened and tightened again. His palms were hot, maybe from the alcohol, maybe from fear. He was always being tormented by this thing called “love”.

Everything about this night was just too perfect, the delicious food, the indulgent conversation, the autumn wind, the fragrance of the tea, and He Jianshan. Everything was just right. He was reluctant to ruin it all. He hoped that, when they thought back to this night someday, only the most beautiful memories would come to mind.

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

The corners of Lin Hui’s eyes turned red. He tried his best to restrain himself and slowly let go of the other’s hand. ” … The flowers are blooming.”

It was better to let this moment crystallize in each other’s eyes. qdV1cW

He Jianshan froze for a moment. He then looked towards the sunflowers that were not too far away. Compared to the lazy appearance from before, the bouquet was much more unfurled and much more expressive, its bright yellow instantly lighting up the night.

He Jianshan suddenly laughed. He looked at Lin Hui, his eyes filled with a tenderness that not even he himself had noticed.

“Yes. The flowers are blooming.”

The Author Has Something To Say: dRUl3f

Night of possibilities.

The Translator Has Something To Say:

Let me know if there’s anything I should fix! Losing my mind the more I translate …