Translator: System Yaoi
Chapter 5: Incandescent Glow
Kindly read all the translations at https://chrysanthemumgarden.com/novel-tl/ees/
Gu Yuqing observed as Lin Tang entered the elevator, and then noticed the person waving at him from the sixteenth-floor window. Gu Yuqing remained on the stone edge of the flowerbed, a note tucked into his pocket.
However, this time he did not take out the note.
The sixteenth floor stood high, obscuring Lin Tang’s face from view, yet Gu Yuqing could sense the warmth of Lin Tang’s smile. On two separate occasions, Lin Tang had smiled at him, etching that beautiful visage deep into Gu Yuqing’s heart.
It was still early, not even seven o’clock in the morning. The Lin family’s husband and wife were still asleep. Lin Tang noiselessly entered the house and gently closed the door behind him.
With curtains drawn shut, the dim light outside from the morning sky was shut out, casting a gloomy atmosphere within the house, morning and evening became indistinct. Despite the warm floor heating beneath his feet, the early spring chill permeated the air.
In the kitchen, Lin Tang prepared breakfast. Even though he had already eaten, his stomach still held a sense of emptiness, he could join his parents to eat some later.
The cool morning breeze soothed him quite a bit, dispelling the lingering effects of alcohol that had weighed on his chest.
Having set the breakfast on the table, Lin Tang suddenly recalled the unattended potted plants outside. He changed his shoes, positioned a chair against the door, and allowed the breeze to sweep through the hallway, blowing away the warmth in the house.
The flower pots were relatively heavy, but luckily they were on wheeled cart. With minimal effort, Lin Tang moved the flower pots inside, not wasting much strength.
Footsteps echoed from the first floor, the sound of slippers shuffling against the floor, in the overly silent early morning, this soft noise seemed remarkably clear.
Zhuo Qingmai, waering a long-sleeved robe, gently descended the stairs. In her hand, she held two pill bottles, their contents rattling softly towards Lin Tang as she descended to the last step.
The pills in Zhuo Qingmai’s hands clinked against each other. Lin Tang turned his attention to the sound. After shutting his room’s door and shifting the flower pot onto a tray, he looked at the pill bottles in Zhuo Qingmai’s grasp, his brows slightly furrowing.
“I’ve counted the pills,” Zhuo Qingmai’s smile was faint, walking up and extending the bottle toward him. “You forgot to take your pills last night.”
Lin Tang, in momentary confusion, somewhat woodenly accepted the pill bottle. Abruptly, his brows furrowed deeper, and an empty expression clouded his face. He gazed at the bold black words on the pill bottle, contemplating. Yet, whether it was due to the alcohol or not, there seemed to be a gap in his memory from the previous night.
“I can’t recall,” Lin Tang raised his eyes, “I believe I took them, but I don’t remember.”
Listening to this, Zhuo Qingmai’s heart clenched slightly. She brushed a hand against Lin Tang’s face, suppressing the sourness welling up within her. A fleeting redness flickered in her eyes, she blinked, not allowing Lin Tang to notice.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember,” Zhuo Qingmai’s fingertips brushed against Lin Tang’s slightly long hair. Her hand traced along the strands of hair to the back of his head, gently rubbing it. “I’ll remember for you, or should I set an alarm?”
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.
Given that Lin Tang stood almost a head taller than her, this gesture was more or less awkward.
“P vbc’a kjca jc jijgw,” Olc Kjcu gfqilfv, ybklcu tlr tfjv. Lf vfmilcfv klat mfgajlcas, “Ljnlcu sbe tfiq wf xffq agjmx lr fcbeut.”
Iteb Hlcuwjl rwlifv, jcv rtf gfrqbcvfv, “Yxjs.”
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Lin Tang’s hair was loosely tied back, held in a loose loop. With headphones on, he remained oblivious to Zhuo Qingmai’s attempts to get his attention.
He moved a ladder, returning to the bedroom to organise the bookshelves. Due to not paying attention, he knocked over a cardboard box. The box, perched at the highest shelf, dispersing dirt upon impact, probably as in a long time no one has touched it.
The cardboard box fell to the ground, its lid flying a long way away. The items inside scattered into a pile, the plastic cover reflecting light and casting a gleam on the legs of the bed. Lin Tang gazed downward for a long while, the light akin to a dusty switch, clicking with a sound, pulling him back to the past.
That was a poster, with traces of transparent tape stuck on its four corners. The person beneath the plastic cover was radiantly beautiful, beyond Lin Tang’s reach.
He also chased the stars in the not so distant past. This box is full of the merchandise he bought when he chased those stars. Not a large collection, but they were rare and out of print. He used to delight in putting up posters around the house. However, when the initial excitement dwindled into a lull, he let Zhuo Qingmai put those posters away, carefully stowing them in this box.
Squatting on the ground, Lin Tang gently held a poster in one hand while the other rested on the box. His fingertips toyed with a brooch.
The floodgates of the past abruptly swung open, submerging his thoughts in memories from which he couldn’t escape. Even as Zhuo Qingmai entered the room, Lin Tang remained oblivious. Her shadow blocked the light at his side, and the poster was drawn out from his grasp.
“I called out to you, but you didn’t hear. I even knocked on your room door, but no response. So, I just came in myself,” Zhuo Qingmai’s gaze strayed to the poster, her expression as usual. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen these things. What made you think of bringing them out?” Seating herself on the floor with her legs crossed, she gently rubbed the back of Lin Tang’s head, as though he were still a child who had not grown up. “What is this child’s name? Fang Zhi? I haven’t seen him in the circle for years, he retired from the industry, right?”
“Yes, it’s been many years, so long that I don’t have any dramas to pass the time,” Lin Tang followed suit and sat down, half leaning against Zhuo Qingmai, a childlike smile on his face. “You still pay quite a bit of attention to the entertainment industry, huh?”
“Not really concerned,” Zhuo Qingmai touched Lin Tang’s face once more. “I’m only concerned when you’re concerned. Have you forgotten how fervently you chased after stars when you first started university?”
The sudden pressure in her touch, combined with Zhuo Qingmai’s mildly annoyed tone, prompted Lin Tang to burst into laughter. He didn’t get up, instead, he continued leaning against her and began tidying up the scattered items on the ground, arranging them meticulously with a touch of obsessive compulsiveness. Then, he hugged the box, seemingly showing off to Zhuo Qingmai, while playfully raising an eyebrow.
“This box might be worth a lot of money,” Lin Tang patted the lid of the cardboard box, “but it’s all my treasures.”
With that said, he climbed back up the ladder and returned those treasures to their place. His mind finally shook off the past, returning to the slightly chilly early spring.
Jumping down from the ladder, Lin Tang saw Zhuo Qingmai getting up and extended a helping hand. “You called me for something?”
Zhuo Qingmai dusted off her non-existent dirt, explaining, “Oh, I wanted to ask if you’d accompany me to the storeroom to pick out some wine. It’s your third aunt’s husband’s 60th birthday tonight. They’ve invited us to join the celebration, and we’ll head there together when your father finishes work.”
Zhuo Qingmai’s family ranks sixth, with four elder sisters and one elder brother above. There is also a younger brother below. With many siblings, they often gather together, especially in recent years, where one after another has crossed the threshold of sixty. Lin Tang looked at Zhuo Qingmai’s hair and couldn’t help but notice more white strands.
“Is sister-in-law going too?” Lin Tang asked.
“Definitely going ah” Zhuo Qingmai replied, lowering her eyes to the folds on the quilt and casually smoothing them out. “We’ll just ignore her, and I’ll be there.”
Lin Tang smiled and nodded.
The day was gradually getting longer, but the night was still approaching quickly. Today, the sun hadn’t been visible, nor had it rained. Puddles on the side of the road reflected the street lamps, creating a rippled effect as the wind blew.
Looking out of the window, Lin Tang’s mind felt like it was rolling through layers of waves. He thought about the subway station and traffic safety laws from the day before yesterday, and then he thought about the heavy rain last night and teaching in the city centre this weekend.
The scenery outside the window gradually receded, and in an instant, Lin Tang’s gaze fell upon the entrance of University D. His tumultuous thoughts abruptly focused, and Gu Yuqing’s face gradually became clear.
He suddenly pulled out his phone, a red dot catching his eye. He tapped on the red dot and found a friend request from someone named “Grain Milk” with the note “Gu Yuqing,” timestamped just before eight o’clock this morning.
Lin Tang felt a pang of regret. He had forgotten about it. If it weren’t for spotting the entrance of University D, he wouldn’t have remembered this at all. Orange streetlights passed one after another, leaving fleeting traces of light on the screen. A message popped up in the light, containing just two brief words.
Grain Milk: Lin Tang?
The white bubble encapsulated those two words, descending into the evening’s radiance. The reflection in the car window looked like a single veil, pulling his name into a dreamlike state, almost unreal.
LTing: Hmmm
The reply came swiftly from the other end, as if the person had been keeping their phone in hand all along.
Grain Milk: I thought I added the wrong person
Grain Milk: [Surprised.jpg]
Lin Tang initially wanted to explain that he had been busy cleaning all day and hadn’t had a chance to check his phone. However, before sending the message, he deleted it several times, feeling that no matter how he explained, it wouldn’t sound quite right.
Gu Yuqing had been staring at the “Typing…” sign at the top of the chat window, and was thinking if he should say something more. Suddenly, a message appeared on his end.
LTing: Sorry, I forgot!
For six simple words, it took Lin Tang nearly two minutes to type.
Gu Yuqing chuckled aloud, as if intentionally teasing. He followed Lin Tang’s example and also dawdled for two minutes, before sending over a reply that it did not matter.”
The private room was well-lit without any dead corners. The crystal chandelier exposed Gu Yuqing’s smile. Shang Zhou sat beside Gu Yuqing, listening to this person’s laughter resonate, he couldn’t help but lean closer, a pair of eyes darted toward Gu Yuqing’s screen.
“Are you in love?” Shang Zhou’s eyes nearly popped out.
A waiter entered carrying several small dishes. The white porcelain plates clinked against the rotating tray, the crisp sound fading into the midst of their conversation. No one paid much attention to these few meagre bowls of cold dishes.
Gu Yuqing glanced at Shang Zhou, swiftly locked his phone screen, and placed it face down on his lap. He said carelessly, “Are you asking me out?”
Shang Zhou raised an eyebrow, propped his chin with his hand, feigning a deep thinking look. Not long after, he suddenly burst into laughter, the action of raising his eyebrow taking on a slightly flirtatious air. “It’s not impossible…”
“No!” Gu Yuqing shoved Shang Zhou’s face away, keeping the man an arm’s length away. “Don’t forget, you’re a confirmed lifelong single gay.”
Shang Zhou grew anxious. He bit down hard on Gu Yuqing’s hand which was not too far away. He listened to Gu Yuqing stifling a gasp while pressing on his bitten hand. Shang Zhou looked at the obvious teeth marks and in a suppressed, yet tinged with an angry tone said indignantly, “What’s wrong with being a lifelong single? What’s wrong with being gay? You look down on the fact that I’m a lifelong single, or you look down on being a gay? Spit it out! You look down on gays?”
Gu Yuqing wiped the spit on his hand with great contempt, dragging his chair a foot away from Shang Zhou. “Everyone else can earn my respect, but I can’t afford you.”
As he spoke, Gu Yuqing even made a childish face, pulling down his eyelids, which annoyed Shang Zhou even more. While Shang Zhou was still recovering from the shock, Gu Yuqing’s phone rang. The light from the notification’s vibration cast its rhythm on Gu Yuqing’s leg, almost like the rising and falling rhythm of the person on the other end’s chest.
Shang Zhou watched as Gu Yuqing unlocked the screen, then witnessed the sudden transformation of that face which had been a bit smelly just a second ago. Shang Zhou couldn’t quite describe the current Gu Yuqing. It was as if a breeze of spring was locked within this small screen, with vines entangling Gu Yuqing, absorbing his nutrients, making the person lose their soul.
“You still claim you are not in love?” Shang Zhou looked sceptical, taking advantage of Gu Yuqing’s distraction to lean in suddenly.
LTing.
The name looked too familiar.
Shang Zhou pondered for a long time, only to pull out that person’s name from the remnants of his memory from last night. His eyes widened abruptly, and his fingertip tapped the screen vainly in the air. He glanced at Gu Yuqing, then cast another look at the bottom-most message. This further solidified his suspicions, and he couldn’t help but let out a low cry.
LTing: What do you like to eat? Any dietary taboos? Send it over.
“No wonder you asked me about Lin Tang,” Shang Zhou could barely hold on to not howl out loudly, “So, you’re actually dating him!?”
**
System: Sowwy for the slight delay, but here is this week’s chapter. System is keeping Gu Yuqing’s username 谷粒多 as Grain Milk. If chu hab a better suggestion, kindly suggest so >.<
PS: 谷粒 (Gu Li) meaning ‘grains’ while 多 (Duo) means ‘in excess’ ~
Also ‘Gu’ in both Gu Yuqing’s name (谷寓清) and username (谷粒多) is same.
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