Translator: MCF
Proofreader: Amy
When Liang Muqiu returned to the hotel, his temporary roommate was already sitting on the bed and was wearing a pair of black framed glasses while writing a manuscript on his laptop. The clicking sounds of fingers on the keyboard made Liang Muqiu feel more at ease.
He rinsed his arms and feet quietly, and sat on the bed while brushing his hair. Turning his head, he saw a book titled “Awakening Dream” laying on Hong Chao’s quilt. The author was Yan Wuhe. He couldn’t help but look at it more.
Hong Chao had just set aside his laptop and saw his eyes on the book. He smiled and asked, “Have you read this book?”
Liang Muqiu nodded and said, “The author of this book is my senior brother.”
Hong Chao didn’t expect that Liang Muqiu would go out of his way to mention it. It shouldn’t be just a casual senior that he passed by in school.
Sure enough, Liang Muqiu’s next sentence was, “At that time, in our club, senior brother was exceptional. Several books he wrote at that time were published and they were distributed to us as signed editions, saying that their value will appreciate in the future. When everyone went to party during the weekends, he and another senior brother would always drink together and get drunk. Others would have to carry him back home.”
He smiled gently as he spoke, recalling the carefree days in university.
“I only found out when I came out to work that it was still better at school. Our days were free and it was more fun to be with my friends.”
At work, although there were some joyful instances, it was often accompanied by guns and arrows. Peoples’ hearts were unpredictable.
Hong Chao laughed in agreement.
He was a few years older than Liang Muqiu and had graduated from university long ago. Listening to him, he also recalled his university days.
“I studied at Pingcheng Drama University and joined the Drama Club. I also met my ex-girlfriend in the club. At that time, she was playing Ophelia and I watched her from the side of the stage, thinking, she’s really beautiful, how nice it would be to have her as my girlfriend. As a result, she really became my girlfriend.”
Liang Muqiu was a little surprised.
When he first came into contact with Hong Chao, he felt that this person had the best of both worlds, intelligent and sly. There was nothing wrong with him, but it was difficult to confide in him. However, when Hong Chao said these words, his gentle smile washed away his worldly appearance.
Listening to stories was a screenwriter’s fundamental hobby. Liang Muqiu leaned against the head of the bed and asked subconsciously, “What happened later?”
Hong Chao didn’t conceal it. “There is no later, we broke up. She was my first love, but when I fell in love with her, I was poor. Her family’s economic status was much better than mine and her parents disagreed with our relationship. I fought for our relationship but what could I do? Let her suffer with me? We could only break up.”
Liang Muqiu didn’t speak for a while. It was an average story, one that occurred every other second in this world. Such a script was too cliché, but for the parties involved, it was difficult to come to terms with it.
He didn’t know how to comfort people and could only say, “Maybe it’s fate ba.”
Hong Chao smiled as his gaze fell on his half-written manuscript. He was writing a story about the separation and reunion of lovers, so he couldn’t help thinking of the past today.
He wasn’t familiar with scriptwriter Xiao Liang but sometimes, it was easier to talk to a stranger than to someone he knew.
He whispered, “It’s true that fate is not enough. I looked for her later. Although my status wasn’t that high, I didn’t have to worry about food and clothes, but when I found her, she was already married. Her husband treated her well and she continued working as a stage performer. She seemed to have a very fulfilling life. I figured she was better off living such a life instead of struggling. It was me who told her not to wait for me, so it’s fine now.”
Liang Muqiu looked at Hong Chao’s face carefully, which could be considered delicate and pretty. He was always full of enthusiasm during the day, which made it difficult to see his real character. Seeing him share his story feebly, Liang Muqiu could see his sincerity.
Liang Muqiu remembered that when they were chatting with each other today, Hong Chao introduced himself as a single man who had never been married.
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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His words were broad-minded and open. Liang Muqiu thought about it and found it quite reasonable..
He took out his laptop and continued to type from the previous line on the document. Only the sound of the keyboard clicking could be heard in the bedroom for a while.
After a stretch of writing, the phone beside him vibrated again. It was Cen Nan wishing good night to him.
He looked down at Cen Nan’s name. If he was as free and easy as Hong Chao’s first love, he would have seven or eight lovers by now and maybe he would grow old with one of them.
After a full night’s rest and breakfast the next day, the itinerary was arranged and the receptionist took them along the planned route, starting with a visit to the small local museum. In the afternoon, they boarded a bamboo raft and floated along the river leisurely while viewing the scenery.
Although Liang Muqiu didn’t like travelling, he wasn’t tired from the journey and even found it interesting. The girls next to him asked him to help take a few photos and he agreed with a smile.
However, his photography skills were average at best. Several female scriptwriters smiled when they saw it and said, “Teacher Liang, just by looking at your pictures, we can tell that you’re a straight male photographer.”
Liang Muqiu protested, “I tried my best, okay?”
Fortunately, they didn’t really care. Anyways, there were plenty of retouching tools online, they could just adjust it.
They pulled Liang Muqiu to his feet and pushed him forward, “You stand over there, we’ll take a few pictures for you so you can see what real skill is.”
Liang Muqiu was weak when it came to persuasion and couldn’t refuse. He sighed and didn’t bother with a posture. He casually leaned against the railing and looked up at the acacia tree.
The valley was still foggy and it wasn’t bright but the sunlight was soft and hazy in the mist. Liang Muqiu’s side face was delicate but his features were clearly defined. When he raised his head, the afterglow of the setting sun seemed to be reflected in his eyes.
The acacia tree was over a hundred years old with lush foliage. An inclined branch was hanging above his head and the crimson flowers on the branches set him against the backdrop.
Zhuang Yue pressed the button.
After taking the picture, she took a closer look and was very satisfied as she boasted, “Teacher Liang, you’re very photogenic, no worse than celebrities.”
Liang Muqiu was aware of his own weight and refuted, “I don’t dare to compare, other peoples’ faces have insurance and my face, only I won’t get tired of looking at it.” He came over to take a look and also felt it was a good picture. “It’s better than the one I took, send it to me too.”
Zhuang Yue agreed.
When they went up the mountain, they didn’t have to stick together when touring. Some scriptwriters went to buy batik fabric while Liang Muqiu and his roommate Hong Chao, sat under the tree to rest. Next to them was a small stall selling wood carvings. There was a small lifelike carving of a dog and thinking of Edamame, he bought it.
Liang Muqiu took a photo of the wood carving and subconsciously sent it to Cen Nan asking him, “Does it look like Edamame?”
A moment later, Cen Nan’s reply arrived but it was very short. “Edamame is cuter.”
Below the message was a photo of Edamame. The chubby Corgi dozed on Cen Nan’s lap with his round puppy face looking so relaxed and naïve, looking like he didn’t want to kiss his father.
Liang Muqiu laughed dumbly.
After the afternoon trip, there was a campfire party at night where they sat with the locals and danced with them.
This was Liang Muqiu’s blind spot. Before anyone could catch him, he smeared oil on the soles of his feet and slipped away.
However, he didn’t go far and just walked to the Tuo bridge where he photographed the lively crowd singing and dancing around the bonfire.
While there was a lot of activity over there, the Tuo bridge was quiet and peaceful. There was only the turbulent water underneath which sounded a little bleak at night. It was as if you would be swept into the water, never to be seen again if you didn’t walk steadily.
But Liang Muqiu wasn’t afraid.
He lit a cigarette and leaned on the railing of the bridge, recalling the legend he heard during the day about a pair of brother and sister who got separated on the Tuo bridge, but reunited at the same bridge many years later. Henceforth, the legend that the Tuo bridge would protect all those who separated emerged.
Such legends were everywhere and Liang Muqiu wasn’t surprised when he heard it. He lowered his head and touched the mottled traces of the railings on the bridge. In his heart, he felt that there were probably quite a few people who did reunite here during these few hundred years.
He puffed out a smoke ring and listened to the laughter from afar. He selected a few pictures from the bunch he took today and posted them in his circle of friends. It was also considered the completion of his task. Anyway, it wouldn’t be worth it if he came out to gain inspiration and didn’t post anything.
Not long after he posted the pictures, Cen Nan’s call arrived as if he had been squatting beside the phone.
He picked it up lazily, “Hello?”
Cen Nan didn’t expect it to be so quiet there. He paused, “Why is there no noise there, aren’t you at the bonfire party?”
“I left after playing for a while,” said Liang Muqiu. “If I was still playing, do you think I would have time to pick up your call?”
“Then where are you? Did you go back to the hotel?” Cen Nan asked. “Did you have a good time today?”
Liang Muqiu removed the cigarette from his lips and looked at the stars. “It’s okay, the stars here are much brighter than in the city. I didn’t go back to the hotel. I’m walking by myself on the Tuo bridge.”
When he heard this, Cen Nan became nervous. He searched the terrain and pathway there and questioned, “Why are you going there at night? You can’t see anything and the bridge is slippery. Qiuqiu, go somewhere brighter.”
Liang Muqiu wanted to laugh a little.
For the past years, he had travelled to various unknown locations for inspiration. When there was bad weather, he even wondered if he would die.
Now it was only a bridge but Cen Nan was so tense.
As he walked under the bridge, he turned over old accounts with Cen Nan, “You’re telling me you haven’t played extreme sports yourself? You haven’t done motorcycle races with others? Now you’re trying to scold me.”
“That’s my fault,” Cen Nan admitted hurriedly. “I didn’t know how to cherish my life when I was young, but I know better now.”
How boring, Liang Muqiu pouted his lips.
But he heard Cen Nan say again, “If I don’t live up to my seventies and eighties, what will I do if you run away with other little old men?”
Liang Muqiu had already gotten off the bridge.
He looked at the faint street lights in the night and thought, if I wanted to run, I would have done it already.
But the corner of his mouth twitched slightly again.
The two chatted and when he almost reached the edge, he heard Cen Nan ask, “Qiuqiu, when you come back, can we go on a date?”
Liang Muqiu stood still.
“When I see you post pictures with others, I get bitter with jealousy. I know I’m not qualified to say this, but seeing them all standing next to you, watching the mountains, the moon and the stars with you, it makes me envious.”
The cigarette in Liang Muqiu’s hand had almost gone out but the orange-red end shone brightly in the night.
He could tell that Cen Nan was immensely jealous.
Cen Nan, who was the object of everyone’s admiration since his teenage years, who was always cold and arrogant, who held everything in his grasp, was jealous.
Actually, his first reaction was to refuse but he was silent for two seconds before he asked, “Where do you want to go?”
Cen Nan didn’t expect him to agree and his voice was pleasantly surprised, “We can go anywhere and do anything, as long as you’re willing.”
Liang Muqiu smiled silently.
“Then we can talk about it after I return and see if I’m free.”
He hung up the phone and walked out of the winding path into the light.
The campfire party was almost over and his fellow screenwriters were gathered by the river. When they saw him, they called him over.
Liang Muqiu walked over and his hand was stuffed with a lantern and a pen.
He didn’t understand and asked, “What’s this for?”
Hong Chao replied to him, “It’s a river lantern ah, you can write your wish on it. It’s just for luck.”
A young boy next to him giggled and added, “You can also write your sweetheart’s name.”
Liang Muqiu smiled and looked at what others had written but found that it was all about becoming rich, taking off the order and some well wishes.
He held the pen and found that he had nothing to write about. When it came to matters about gods, he could only pay respects but couldn’t say that he had strong beliefs.
However, he thought for a while and wrote two lines on the river lamp. Then he found a place and let the bright yellow river lamp drift away slowly.
Author’s words:
Explain the timeline. A lot of babies are mistaken. Cen Nan broke up with Qiuqiu a year after he went abroad. They broke up over the phone and they hadn’t broken up yet when he left the country, so Qiuqiu sent him off and waited for his return. Even Cen Nan didn’t know what will happen in the future. ( And, Comrade Xiao Cen, is a bit of a dog, but really not scum, smoking .jpg. The reason why he didn’t explain himself was because he had his own problems, and there were also the previous chapter, where Qiuqiu said – I don’t want to hear your explanation and your difficulties, Although it will be written later ~)
Everyone in my course jokes about signing the withdrawal form and the thing is, you need to get a teacher’s approval for your withdrawal to be accepted and I’m fairly loud so this was what happened:
Me: I’M GONNA GO SIGN WITHDRAWAL FORM NOW
Teacher: I won’t approve it.
Me:
👁👄👁
The funny part about this is that I always sit at the back of class and my teacher actually heard and responded lolol
I wonder what he wrote…..I quite liked the atmosphere in this chapter
Thank You for the new chapter (๑˙❥˙๑)
thanks for the chapter <3
lol. That was funny. Reminds me of the time when I was talking with my friend and cursing myself with ahem pretty bad words the teacher heard and looked at me. And men I was never thus embarrassed in my life. It felt like my polite girl persona fell off
Hahaha I’ve done this before too LMAO no regrets tho
Thnx for the translation~❤️
I am loving this story soooo much and also translator’s anecdotes.