A sudden gust of wind blew in the night.
The sounds of the opera still filled the village, while at the foot of the mountain outside the village, Wu Chun buried his entire face in Xu Shi Yao’s embrace and sobbed softly.
At first, Wu Chun only felt a little bit of resentment, but little did he know that this resentment would instantly turn into tears the moment he encountered Xu Shi Yao. Taking advantage of Wu Chun’s inattention, the tears quickly slid down from the corners of his eyes.
Once the tears started to flow, they could no longer be controlled.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Shi Yao furrowed his brows tightly, his tone filled with concern. One of his hands hung in the air behind Wu Chun’s waist, keeping a distance without making contact.
The person in his embrace continued to tremble slightly, and it was the first time Xu Shi Yao had encountered such a situation. He felt a bit lost and hated himself for being so clueless. Even at a moment like this, he still couldn’t find any comforting words to say.
“Wu Chun.” Xu Shi Yao’s hand, which had been hanging behind Wu Chun’s waist, finally made contact. He pulled Wu Chun out of his embrace, and seeing the watery eyes with a hint of red, Xu Shi Yao was momentarily stunned. Unconsciously, his right thumb gently brushed the bottom of Wu Chun’s eye.
Wu Chun stood stiffly, not daring to make any sudden movements or even take a deep breath.
Even though Wu Chun knew that Xu Shi Yao was trying to wipe away the tears, there was still a strange atmosphere surrounding this gesture—an indescribable atmosphere.
In addition, Xu Shi Yao’s cool body temperature combined with the icy touch of his fingertips colliding with the hot tears created a unique sensation in Wu Chun’s heart. With each stroke of Xu Shi Yao’s finger across the bottom of Wu Chun’s eye, it felt as if a gentle itch was being scratched, causing a tingling sensation.
“Um…” Wu Chun gently pushed away Xu Shi Yao’s hands, feeling a slight warmth in his earlobes. Wu Chun looked away, hesitant to meet Xu Shi Yao’s eyes. “I’m fine.”
After uttering these words, Wu Chun heard a faint sigh from above his head. When he looked up, he met Xu Shi Yao’s caring gaze.
“Let’s go upstairs first,” Xu Shi Yao said.
Wu Chun, like a child who had done something wrong, kept his head slightly lowered and followed behind Xu Shi Yao.
Lost in his thoughts, Wu Chun didn’t even notice when Xu Shi Yao stopped walking and turned around. By the time he realised, Wu Chun was already buried in Xu Shi Yao’s embrace.
Wu Chun sniffed hard, and the scent coming from the other person was just like their body temperature—a faint woody scent mixed with a coolness. The scent wasn’t strong; one could only smell it when one got close to Xu Shi Yao.
“Wu Chun,” Xu Shi Yao called out to him once again.
Wu Chun still kept his head down, unable to look at him. Even though Wu Chun hadn’t done anything wrong, the thought of how confidently he had told Xu Shi Yao earlier in the afternoon that he would bring good news tonight, only to return with a crying face, made him feel embarrassed.
When Wu Chun calmed down, all he wanted to do was find a crack in the ground to hide.
Wu Chun hadn’t cried for a long time. Little did he know that, in the presence of Xu Shi Yao, his fragile emotional barrier would be opened once again. Every time he felt wronged, he couldn’t help but think involuntarily of Xu Shi Yao.
“Wu Chun, look at me.”
Unable to avoid it any longer, Wu Chun reluctantly met Xu Shi Yao’s gaze.
“What happened after you returned?”
Wu Chun pursed his lips, indicating that he didn’t want to talk about it.
At that moment, Wu Chun heard a faint sigh from Xu Shi Yao.
“You don’t want to tell me either, huh?”
Was it Wu Chun’s imagination, or did he sense a hint of sorrow in Xu Shi Yao’s words?
Wu Chun pursed his lips and once again locked eyes with Xu Shi Yao. After hesitating for a while, he finally recounted in detail what had just happened.
To his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chun heard a low chuckle from Xu Shi Yao.
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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Wu Chun didn’t want to disappoint Xu Shi Yao.
He had suffered enough…
In the past five years, Xu Shi Yao had not kept any records other than reminding him to protect himself. It might not be that there were no notable things to record, but perhaps he was afraid that by documenting them, there would inevitably be disappointment one day.
“I’m sorry.” Wu Chun spoke softly, and as soon as the words had left his mouth, he felt a hand clasping his waist. The next second, Wu Chun’s feet left the ground, and in no time he was sitting on a pine tree.
“There’s nothing to apologise for. You did your best. Don’t blame yourself.”
Wu Chun watched Xu Shi Yao carefully and said worriedly, “Don’t be disappointed; I will find a way.”
“I’m not disappointed; I’m just worried.”
“Worry? Worry about me?”
The next second, Wu Chun felt a gentle tap on his head, and immediately after, Xu Shi Yao’s voice sounded above him: “Is there anyone else who can make me worry?”
Upon hearing his words, Wu Chun couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased. He was the only person Xu Shi Yao could interact with, making him the most special presence in Xu Shi Yao’s life.
The word ‘special’ couldn’t stop the excitement in Wu Chun’s heart. His feet swayed back and forth in the air, and the anxiety he had felt earlier gradually dissipated because of Xu Shi Yao’s words.
If it hadn’t been for Xu Shi Yao’s sudden rebuke, this feeling of happiness would have stayed with Wu Chun all night.
“Next time, don’t do it again.”
Wu Chun looked at Xu Shi Yao in confusion.
“No matter what happens, you must tell me immediately.”
Wu Chun tugged at the wide cuff of Xu Shi Yao’s sleeve and murmured softly, “I’m afraid to disappoint you.”
“I won’t be disappointed.”
Wu Chun lifted his head and saw Xu Shi Yao repeat every word: “No matter what you do, I won’t be disappointed.
…
The moonlight was bright, and Wu Chun stared at Xu Shi Yao’s beautiful face, lost in thought for a moment.
Wu Chun’s heart felt like it was being gently tapped with a small hammer. He immediately shook his head to snap out of it. How could he, a guy, fall in love with a handsome man?
“Um, someone hugged you this morning; did you feel it?” Wu Chun quickly changed the subject.
“No, but I could see it.”
“You couldn’t feel it?” Wu Chun asked again, not willing to give up.
Seeing Wu Chun’s expression, Xu Shi Yao remembered the sensation he felt at that moment. Through Wu Chun’s influence, Xu Shi Yao understood what it meant to be hugged. He could see that the woman was hugging him, but it was different from Wu Chun’s hug. Xu Shi Yao didn’t have that direct physical sensation, but there was an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Xu Shi Yao didn’t know how to describe this feeling. If ghosts had hearts, it was as if a missing piece of his heart had been filled and compensated for at that moment, bringing both happiness and a hint of pain.
“Who is she?” Xu Shi Yao didn’t answer Wu Chun’s question directly. Instead, he asked He had a feeling that the woman might be related to him, and Xu Shi Yao already had an answer in his heart.
“Why don’t you guess?” Wu Chun said.
“My mother?”
“That’s right!” Wu Chun exclaimed excitedly and clapped his hands. “She came to visit your grandmother today, and we ran into each other by chance. I invited her to come over for a while, but unfortunately…”
Wu Chun suddenly realised the situation. Xu Shi Yao, the only human he could interact with, turned out to be someone unrelated to him, an outsider.
He couldn’t feel any of his family’s interactions. Fate had been so cruel to him.
As Wu Chun felt indignant, Xu Shi Yao’s gaze drifted down the mountain to the small courtyard he watched over every night.
“How is she?” Xu Shi Yao asked.
“She’s fine. Don’t worry, I talked to Auntie for a long time today. She said that the family business has flourished in recent years, providing a good quality of life and extra money to help the needy. Auntie mentioned that they have even moved to a new house and that their living conditions have improved. Everything is getting better and better, but…” Wu Chun stopped and looked at Xu Shi Yao. His Adam’s apple trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with complex and intense emotions. His hands gradually clenched.
Wu Chun chuckled softly and reached out his hand, gently holding Xu Shi Yao’s hand.
“Auntie said that life is getting better and better, but she really misses you…”
Wu Chun could clearly feel that Xu Shi Yao’s hand trembled slightly after he said these words.
After a moment, Wu Chun heard him say, “As long as she’s okay, that’s good.”
This time, Wu Chun clearly felt the hidden restraint in his tone.
No matter how forgetful you are, the entanglement of this blood relationship is not easily severed. Perhaps this is something unique among family members.
At that moment, Wu Chun really wanted to hug Xu Shi Yao. He thought about it and did it. Wu Chun let go of Xu Shi Yao’s hand.
“Xu Shi Yao.”
When Xu Shi Yao turned his head, Wu Chun opened his arms.
“Embrace me.”
Seeing the confused look on Xu Shi Yao’s face, Wu Chun repeated once more, “I said hug me. Just do it.”
As soon as Xu Shi Yao raised his arm, Wu Chun eagerly grabbed it and pulled it with force, hugging Xu Shi Yao once again.
“Are you crying?” Wu Chun asked.
“No,” a deep voice echoed in his ear.
“Then how do you express feelings of sadness?” Wu Chun asked again.
“How should it be expressed to be considered correct?”
Upon hearing Xu Shi Yao’s answer, Wu Chun couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Asking if it’s right or wrong to express feelings of sadness? Maybe it’s necessary, but Wu Chun never really cared about such considerations.
“You can express yourself however you want; there’s no right or wrong.”
After Wu Chun finished speaking, it took a moment to hear Xu Shi Yao’s answer.
He simply said, “Okay. Immediately after that, Wu Chun felt the arms around his waist tighten even more. Due to the difference in their sizes, from a distance, it looked like Xu Shi Yao was hugging Wu Chun with his whole body.
And that was indeed the truth.
Feeling the other person’s actions, Wu Chun was stunned for a moment, but then a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he hugged Xu Shi Yao tightly in return.
……
That night, after re-introducing himself to Xu Shi Yao after his amnesia, Wu Chun went back home.
The next day, Wu Chun didn’t lounge around either. He got out of bed at six o’clock.
Wu Chun told his grandfather that he was going for a morning run, but in fact he was sneaking off to Shili Mountain again.
To his surprise, he ran into the creepy man again.
He had forgotten about this incident last night, and it wasn’t recorded in Xu Shi Yao’s memory either. It seemed as if the person had long since been erased from his mind.
“I’m telling you, buddy, we’ve already established that this tree can’t be moved. Just give up.”
Wu Chun said this impatiently and once again positioned himself between the tree and the man.
“Young man, look how beautiful this tree is. Wouldn’t it be a pity to leave it here?”
Wu Chun looked at him sceptically, only to see the man take a card out of his pocket and hand it to Wu Chun.
“I am an artist, and this tree has great potential for transformation. It should be placed in a larger space so that people can appreciate it.”
Wu Chun glanced at the card in his hand and caught sight of the name on it: Du Zhengde.
“What a load of nonsense, artist,” Wu Chun tore the card in half and handed it back to the man.
“No need. This tree is fine right here,” Wu Chun said, still feeling uneasy, and warned, “Besides, first come, first served. I saw this tree first.”
Yi Zhi Mao Dou :
I’m writing about his embarrassing stage right now, and the story is stuck. It’s making me so angry that I’m cursing my unreliable son as I write. To sum it up, he avoids and chases, but he can’t escape even if he sprouts wings. Hahaha!
Bro, as an artist myself I can say I am 100% sure that he could use dead tree for his art!
Or you know. Use another material to do a mock up of the tree. Each chapter breaks my heart a little more.
Thank you for translating!
Thanks for the translation ❤️
If you can’t even use dead trees or other elements to create something, don’t call yourself an artist.. spit !!!
You mean con artist
…
».. created a unique sensation in Wu Chun’s heart.« an unique
»Instead, he asked« . is missing at the end
»He simply said, “Okay.« ” is missing at the end
Is he also one of those who think that you have to catch wild animals to appreciate them in captivity? =___= You are destroying their lovey dovey time, you damn lightbulb.
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و