Green Plum IslandCh34 - Weren’t You Satisfied?

The alarm rings. I accidentally kick the nearby swiveling office chair when I flip over, sending it gliding some distance, and it crashes into what I assume is my desk, sending something clattering onto the floor.

I jump up from bed, sleep instantly evaporated, and look over. The glass wind chime is lying in pieces on the ground, it’s an absolute scene of disaster. I get up and go to it, wanting to reach a hand out to touch it but then don’t, terror slowly creeping into my senses. nIboHy

It happened too suddenly, and it was so young… How in the world am I supposed to tell its dad?

I grab my phone from under my blankets, open up a shopping app, and type “wind chime” into the search bar. Immediately, I’m bombarded by a torrent of results, photos of all kinds of wind chimes parading before me and making my head spin.

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After two minutes of scrolling, it’s safe to say that not a single one of them is the exact replica of Yan Kongshan’s wind chime. I cry out internally in misery, on the verge of a breakdown.

This is bad, what am I supposed to do if I don’t even have a replacement to pay him back? ULIAh5

After breakfast, I stand outside Yan Kongshan’s yard waiting in trepidation. Five minutes later, he comes out with Yan Wanqiu in his arms. He doesn’t treat me with any special intimacy, but neither is he cold. His attitude is simply light and distant. Thankfully, he still lets me onto the car and doesn’t bring up the stolen wind chime.

“Mian Mian, I’m starting school again today. Since I can go to school now, it means I’m all better, so will you come play with me tonight?” Yan Wanqiu asks me tentatively from the back seat.

I dart a look over at Yan Kongshan. He doesn’t react, so I assume that to mean he doesn’t mind. Turning back towards the girl, I nod at her and promise, “Okay, I’ll see you tonight.”

Back at the bookstore, Wen Ying and Xiao Tian welcome me back with exuberance. Especially Xiao Tian, who claims he hasn’t had a break in a week and could fall asleep standing up. He decides to take the very next day off now that I’ve returned.

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Neither of them question why I disappeared for a few days — after all, I wasn’t a proper employee to begin with and don’t have a salary, so it’s not particularly abnormal behaviour to drop in and out at random.

However, as we’re organising the shelves, Xiao Tian casually asks me, “Did those two brats from the other go bother you again?”

It surprises me that he’s concerned about me, and I’m even more surprised he suddenly brought up Fu Wei and Chen Anna. After some pondering, I decide there’s nothing that can’t be said, so I reply, “The boy came to my house, but I chased him away.”

Xiao Tian’s mood index turns red. “He had the audacity to go to your house? What’s wrong with kids these days, acting like lunatics. Don’t his parents teach him anything?” OmBPuQ

I doubt it, considering they’re busy with their own matters. He turned out this way on his own.

“I was wondering why you suddenly stopped coming in to the store,” Xiao Tian continues. “I thought you got into a fight with the boss.”

If not for the fact that his expression is normal and his tone natural, I would think he’s trying to get me to spill my secrets. He really hit the nail on the head with that one.

To be honest, I’m a little nonplussed at why Xiao Tian is so mad about Fu Wei on my behalf. From my experience, most people only feel so strongly when it comes to their close friends and family; not to mention, the two of us are barely friends, just coworkers. gJl23X

The two of us work through the shelf efficiently, and when we’re just about done, I start moving to the next one, but then he suddenly speaks up.

“I used to be a teacher,” he says. “Among my students, there was someone like you, a boy.”

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.

Xiao Tian is sloppy and works in a leisurely sort of way most days, so I’d assumed he had been a societal freeloader or something, the type that lazily went from childhood to adulthood doing as little work as possible. I’m surprised to hear that in contrast, he was an educator; you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

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“Olxf sbe, tf kjr yeiilfv. Ktfc tf vlfv, tf pewqfv boo j yelivlcu.”

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“I didn’t fulfill my duty as a teacher.” With that, he turns around and walks off to another shelf.

As a teacher to whom? The student who killed himself, the ones who bullied him, or perhaps both?

Nevertheless, his unexpected concern makes sense now; I probably remind him of that student of his.

I feel bad and apologetic towards him for saying the wrong thing, so at noon, I order him a special iced green plum juice. WZNXuz

“I get one too? Thanks,” he says, smiling as he takes the drink from me.

“How come he gets one but we don’t?” Wen Ying asks, not understanding. “Yu Mian, why are you giving out preferential treatment?”

I hand him my own green plum juice. “Then take mine.”

I ordered the juice because I’d seen Xiao Tian drinking it before, and I got two because there happened to be a sale going on. Wen Ying doesn’t like sour drinks, Yan Kongshan only drinks carbonated beverages, so I didn’t end up ordering for either of them. GtK4v5

“Nah, it’s too sour for my teeth.” As expected, Wen Ying grimaces and hands the drink back to me.

The sweet and sour liquid seeps up through the straw into my mouth, all at once reminding of last night’s lime soda. I lick my lips and sneak a glance at Yan Kongshan. His takeout box is already completely empty save for half a bowl of soup, which he sips as he scrolls through his phone. He brings the bowl to his lips, then suddenly, without warning, he turns and looks directly in my eyes.

I freeze and turn back down to my own food.

Without his mood index guiding me, I have no idea how to interact with him. When I had it, I hated it and thought of it as completely useless, but now that I don’t have it and have no idea what Yan Kongshan is feeling, I feel like I’m stumbling around blinder than ever; it’s like going to take an exam but forgetting your textbook. YGpfM8

Even if I never liked it, I lived with my synesthesia for eight years and have grown to depend on it out of habit. Although, given enough time, I’m sure I can get used to this new normal too. I just don’t know whether Yan Kongshan’s mood index disappearing is temporary or permanent, or how it disappeared in the first place.

Is it seriously just a kiss that gets rid of it?

But if I want to know the answer to that question, I need to experiment another time, and it’s not exactly easy to find a second participant. It can’t be an elder, has to be someone who absolutely won’t mind, and it’s better that the person isn’t the opposite gender either. It’s not as if I have a huge social circle, there’s not really a whole lot of choices.

As I think, my eyes suddenly land on Wen Ying, who happens to be sitting across from me. 2EYV0d

He shudders, as if he feels something. “Weird, why did I suddenly feel this ominous wind blow past?” he asked, rubbing his arms and looking around.

I observe Wen Ying all afternoon, trying to determine if experimenting with him is a possibility.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“Xiao Tian, I’m going to the warehouse for a second, can you take over the register for me?”

Wen Ying makes his way to the warehouse, and I follow inconspicuously from behind. Just when the warehouse door is about to close, I slip silently through the crack. Wen Ying doesn’t suspect a thing and continues on, eventually stopping before a storage shelf. y9lF5q

I call out to him just as he’s reaching up to grab a cardboard box. “Wen Ying.”

“Jesus!” he screeches, yanking his hand back like it got electrified. He looks at me in shock, hand over his chest. “Y-Yu Mian? Why are you sneaking around like that?”

My eyes are on fire as I stare at him. I take a step closer and grab him by the shoulder, saying, “Wen Ying, Sun Rui is my best friend, and you’re her boyfriend, so that makes you my friend. So I have a favour to ask as a friend, I don’t know if you’ll agree to it.”

“I mean, go ahead and ask. I’ll definitely help if I’m able to.” Wen Ying is completely lost. 7PYfOu

I shift my gaze to his lips, struggling internally. Finally, I scrunch my face and blurt out with great difficulty, “Let me kiss you.”

My request has Wen Ying rooted to the spot, completely stiff, his eyes widening like moons. He looks like he just got struck by lightning. Fear makes his mood index black, then an awkward green, back to black, then green again… and on and on, flipping back and forth between these two colours.

We stare at each other in silence as an indescribable awkwardness descends upon us.

A moment later, he opens his mouth as if to say something, but I can’t handle it anymore. Shoving him aside, I say, “Sorry, pretend I didn’t say anything.” QdLNh9

Those few minutes of silence were enough for me to completely give up on any possibility of this experiment. I just can’t bring myself to do it. While this new occurrence should be investigated, I also think there’s no point. There’s no practicality to it, so it would be better not to.

“Um… I have nothing against gays, but-but I’m really straight, and I… I have a girlfriend.” Wen Ying appears to be shaking. “I understand your feelings, but I really can’t do this, s-sorry.”

Great, now he thinks I have a crush on him.

I wave a hand at him. “You’ve got it all wrong. Just now, that was just a truth or dare thing. I’m really not into you.” Ufk0Xg

“Truth… or dare?”

“Yeah,” I reply unblinkingly. “I was supposed to pick someone of the same gender and kiss them, so that’s why I wanted to ask you for help. But I can’t do it, so I guess I just have to deal with getting penalised.”

Looking like I’ve just lifted a huge burden off him, Wen Ying pats his chest while commenting, “I see, that scared me.”

He complains to me and says I should’ve told him earlier, them promise that if there’s other things he can help with, he’ll do everything he can. I nod, meanwhile making note to call Sun Rui later tonight just to prevent any possible misunderstanding. Plus I want her to tell Wen Ying I already have someone I like, just so he can make double sure that I’m not into him. pJ1 vP

The warehouse door opens and shuts, Wen Ying leaving with his cardboard box. I sigh heavily at the shelf in front of me. Life really makes me deal with so much at such a young age.

Unbeknownst to me and Wen Ying earlier, the back door of the warehouse that leads to the alley was open. I notice it now, wondering if someone forgot to shut it on their way out. I head over and mean to close it, but when I lift my head, I’m startled by the sight of Yan Kongshan standing behind the door.

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He has his hand on the doorknob, apparently on his way back in — probably from smoking in the alley.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were out there.” I let go of the door and step aside, letting him in. 8tCx0p

He ignores me and turns around to shut the door behind him.

Without my synesthesia, his mind is a complete mystery to me. I have no idea what he’s thinking. Does he regret kissing me yesterday? Or is he already starting to hate me? Otherwise why is he acting so cold towards me?

He seems intent on ignoring me and I don’t want to keep getting snubbed, so I turn around in desolation and start heading out the warehouse, but before I can go anywhere, my wrist is grabbed from behind.

The force pulls me back, and before I know it, I’m pressed up against the wall. WCDwVf

Yan Kongshan’s tall frame looms before me. “Yu Mian,” he says, “you’re full of surprises. Here I was thinking you were a good little kid, but good little kids don’t act like you do. What were you talking about with Wen Ying again?”

At this point, I don’t really need a mood index to tell me that he’s extremely unhappy, given his snappy tone of voice. Evidently, his silence earlier was just the calm before the storm.

What kind of shit luck am I cursed with that Yan Kongshan manages to hear everything he’s not supposed to hear?

“You heard?” ZeRh9n

“I heard,” he says coldly. “Everything.”

I shut my eyes like someone about to die. “…I was just kidding around with him.”

It’s obvious Yan Kongshan doesn’t believe my ridiculous statement. He holds my chin between his fingers and forces me to look up at him. “When I was your age, I was filled with curiousity about sex and the like, but I never acted as brazenly as you do. What, was yesterday’s kiss not satisfying enough for you? You want to return and exchange for another person?”

He’s completely misunderstanding, but what’s worse is I can’t explain myself at all. Kissing isn’t even a sexy, intimate thing for me right now, it’s instead become a mysterious investigation that is of paramount importance to the human brain. 3ZUmYu

Honestly, if I were a medical student, this brain of mine would be enough for a lifetime of SCI investigation.

“Not at all,” I protest in a rush, “I’m not dissatisfied at all. Yesterday I was just rambling, you can kiss however you want. You can be as forceful as you want, I like it all. I really was just joking with Wen Ying, I’m not lying. Trust me.”

He stares at me for a long time without speaking, his expression as stiff as ever, although his grip on my chin relaxes.

But I still feel that his anger isn’t so easily tamed, so I continue, “I’ll be good. I’ve always been good. I’ll only experiment with you in the future, so don’t be mad, okay?” 6Vh3tM

Leave a Comment

44 comments

  1. hmmmm? what’s this smell? mom, why does the whole house suddenly smell like vinegar??

    mian mian has to learn to speak a bit less 🙈 so embarrassing, im about to d*e

    thank you for the chapter 💜

  2. Actually this sort of makes me mad? Yan Kongshan- you clearly rejected our MianMian, so what does it got to do with you? If you ‘don’t like him’ and didn’t accept his confession, you’re not his boyfriend! If you’re not his boyfriend, you have no right to forbid him from kissing anyone and doing whatever he wants~ he’s an adult hun~

    Thank you for the chapter💜💜💜

  3. I love it when they get jealous. It’s such great validation when you think back on how they denied everything.

  4. mianmian turns out to be the coaxer, and yks the petulant lover, in this relationship 😂… yks s1ut shaming our good boy yu mian, tsk tsk. why dont you ask him out then?

    thanks for the chapter! happy cny

  5. What kongshan said is true, mian mian really doesn’t stop to surprise me, where did he get the courage to ask for a kiss from wen ying ..I couldn’t continue reading for whole 5 minutes until I calmed down from second hand embarrassment

    Thanks for the chapter ❤❤

  6. I had to skim my eyes over this chapter a few hours after I first noticed it was up due to my anticipation of second-hand embarrassment. But Mian Mian did well. So, thanks for the chapter. ♡

  7. Thanks for your hard work!

    😆 I’ll only experiment with you… 😆

    TYPO – “Did those two brats from the other [day] go bother you again?”

  8. Mian Mian coaxing Yan Kongshan hhhhhhhh wHY ARE THEY SO FRUSTRATINGLY ADORABLE LMAO AH SHAN IS SO JEALOUS 😂

  9. “It happened too suddenly, and it was so young…how in the world am i supposed to tell its dad?” Lol mian mian why are you so cute

  10. The first two paragraphs only made me come here in the comment section due to second-hand embarrassment 😭😭😭😭😭

  11. awh it’s sweet that he’s getting along with his co-workers

    and of course he was behind the door 😭🤦

  12. NAUR mianmian i can’t defend u anymore… did the synesthesia also destroy your impulse control or smth bc isn’t Wen Ying literally ur bestie’s bf??