Green Plum IslandCh35 - 24 Hours

My answer seems to surprise Yan Kongshan; he blinks at me blankly, then removes his hand from my chin.

“That wasn’t what I meant.” A touch of irritability gathers between his brows. “It’s just, I hope that you think about your decisions carefully before you make them, rather than acting on impulse. Who you want to have relations with is your freedom, I have no right to be angry about it.” A4B9Wg

You sure looked angry just now…

But I don’t have the courage right now to snap at him, so I let my tone go slack. “Yes, I know. You’re just thinking of me.” I raise three fingers on my right hand and swear, “I promise that in the future, I won’t make those kinds of jokes with people.” My voice is deliberately enunciated in an attempt to sound sincere.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Maybe my sincerity goes through to him, because his brows relax, although a trace of chilliness still lingers about him.

He lets out a simple, low sound of acknowledgement and doesn’t say anything more. QwZGVK

When the tension between us evaporates, other things — more beautiful things — that had previously gone unnoticed make their presence known. They wind themselves in and around me and Yan Kongshan’s bodies, enveloping us in a web that seems to connect the two of us so that every miniscule change between us is shared.

Dust particles and smoke, intermingling in air thick with summer humidity, fuse together and form a mystical, seductive atmosphere. It drowns me, makes it so that each breath I take is burns with heat.

The silence surrounding us is so prevalent, it puts me on edge.

I feel like I need to say something.

B7evZ2

“Can I go to your house tonight?”

Yan Kongshan’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down. He maintains his oppressive position, not showing any indications of moving.

“Didn’t you already promise Qiuqiu?”

I wring my hands, picking at the hard edges of my nails, my heart somehow getting more flustered. Ceq7dk

It’s hard to pinpoint whether my unease comes from not being able to see Yan Kongshan’s mood index, or whether it’s a result of the amorous atmosphere between us. I even have a hard time determining whether the pounding of my heart should be described as “palpitations” or “fluttering.”

“Yeah,” I manage. I can’t resist lowering my head, unable to look in his face.

A few more moments of silence go by, and then the hand next to me retreats and Yan Kongshan steps aside. “I’m heading out.” His voice is silky and hoarse.

His footsteps gradually go off into the distance. The warehouse door opens, and he walks out. JhS7tH

I glide down against the wall until I’m on the floor and put the back of my hand against my burning face; even my eyes seem to be on fire. I don’t leave the warehouse until I’ve calmed down for a few minutes and the heat in my face dissipates.

***

Over dinner, Grandpa suddenly informs me that Dad is coming on the weekend.

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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I shove the last bit of rice and vegetables into my mouth, all the while thinking that it’s a good thing Grandpa told me at the end of dinner, otherwise I wouldn’t have the appetite to eat at all.

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My relationship with Dad is… complicated. If Fu Wei and his dad are what you’d called a weird father-son pair, well, my dad and I are another kind of weird.

We never interacted much as I was growing up, and there was certainly a lack of warmth between us. He used to inquire routinely about my grades to show concern about me, but he never had any idea what school I went to or what class I was in. kiZ2zU

He was always buried in his job; all of us — his wife, his son, his parents, all had to make way for it. The average person’s ideal life is to have a happy family, but I suspect my dad’s end goal has always been to climb as high as possible.

He never cared much for family. When Mum meant to divorce him, he didn’t appear all that upset over it. I often think that he probably considers this outcome what’s best for him. Without the burden of family, he can throw all he has into his work.

After my parents divorced, I rarely ever saw him. In fact, I haven’t seen him about about two years. The news of his impending arrival has come completely out of the blue.

Not everyone knows how to interact with their own parents. quXjwQ

I put my chopsticks down. “Grandpa, how come Grandma fought with Dad so much back then?”

“What do you mean?” Grandpa stops chewing on the chicken.

“You guys and Dad. You guys were already estranged from each other when I was young, Mum told me.”

Grandpa continues eating his chicken leg, pretending not to hear me. Although to be fair, he could actually have not heard me. Before I can repeat myself however, he finishes his chicken, spits out the bones, and gets up to clean the table. baqKHL

“The island can’t keep those who are flighty at heart. Ah Zhen’s heart was never here. Your grandma wouldn’t hear of it, and demanded he stay. The two of them started fighting over it. One thought the other wasn’t filial. And the other thought they were being emotionally manipulative. And in her anger, your grandmother decided to cut off ties with her son.”

“Then Dad must have inherited Grandma’s temper.” I help Grandpa clear the table, pouring the food droppings into the rubbish. “I don’t think it would’ve ended so badly if they had your temperament. I’m a lot more like you.”

Grandpa starts chuckling, then cuts himself off abruptly. “Hey, how can you speak of your grandmother like that?” he admonishes me. “She’s just fine the way she is, hurry and apologise to her.”

“Hmm.” I let the plates soak in the water and put my hands together, sending a prayer up to the sky. “Grandma, don’t be mad, I was just speaking nonsense.” qy5 JB

After the dishes are done, Grandpa cuts open the huge watermelon we got from Sun Rui, then wraps up one half of it, telling me to bring it next door.

Black seeds dot the scrumptious flesh of the fruit, emitting a freshly sweet scent. After sending Grandpa a bright and clear affirmation, I grab the watermelon half and head out.

The watermelon, fresh out of the fridge, is ice cold in my hands, numbing my fingers. When Yan Kongshan opens his door, I immediately shove the watermelon his in face. “Hurry, it’s cold!”

He stops for a minute, then takes it from me. “Thanks.” aWKh4E

I throw him a smile and walk in the door.

“Mian Mian, hurry up!”

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Yan Wanqiu is already waiting for me in front of the television. When she sees me, she pats the seat next to her, motioning for me to sit down.

I sit with my legs crossed, and when she hands me the game controller, ask, “What are we playing today?” ejRPgd

“Car racing!”

The game opens, we choose our characters, and then the two of us start battling for the precious seat on the throne. After one round, Yan Kongshan brings a plate of freshly sliced watermelon, setting it down between us. The watermelon seeds have already been picked out, with toothpicks provided for ease of eating. Despite knowing that in all likelihood he did this for Yan Wanqiu’s sake, it still touches me. It just feels like… being doted on.

The sweetness of the watermelon reflects the feelings in my heart.

Because it’s been a while since Yan Wanqiu played with me, she goes a little overboard and by ten p.m., still has no intentions of stopping. She even ends up clinging onto my leg, asking me not to go back home and to sleep over instead, offering up one half of her bed to me. Oq2nhs

“…That’s not really necessary,” I tell her.

I’d rather sleep in Ah Shan’s bed, you know.

“If you continue refusing to go to bed, I’m going to take away your gaming privileges.” Yan Kongshan ignores the girl’s pleas and plucks her off the floor, carrying her upstairs.

“Then will you guys secretly play behind my back?” Q34KVd

“When have you ever seen us play behind your back?”

“Don’t you?” Yan Wanqiu asks dubiously. “So what do you guys do after I sleep then?”

Caught unawares, Yan Kongshan doesn’t respond immediately. Eventually, he says stiffly, “Read.”

“Sounds boring…” J KuH0

I watch their backs as they leave, munching on watermelon. “When you’re awake, I play with you,” I think to myself. “When you’re asleep, I play with Ah Shan.”

Then all at once, I freeze, watermelon still in my mouth. The familiar numbers over Yan Kongshan’s head are back. I straighten up and nearly charge over to him, but then get a hold of myself and pick up my phone to check the time.

Yesterday, the two of us kissed around this time. So… one kiss gets rid of the mood index for 24 hours?

Seriously, it’s that punctual? Ftxi45

I swallow the watermelon in my mouth and wipe my hands with a napkin.

Who controls such accurate timing? My own brain?

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Humans really are an enigmatic species. It feels like I’m the one in control of my body, and yet somehow, it could be that my body is the one in control of my thoughts, my words and actions…

Am I even myself? k3bRn2

A sudden chill brushes across my shoulders. I shake my head quickly, deciding I’d rather not contemplate such a profound subject.

Regret fills me, making me sigh. I should have chosen to be a doctor.

Suddenly, I feel the urge to pee — probably because of all the watermelon. By the time I’ve emptied my bladder, washed my hands, and come out of the bathroom, Yan Kongshan has already come back downstairs.

He bends down, picking up the empty plates from the ground and placing them onto the table, then going back down to pick up the game controllers. The white of his mood index hovers brightly over his head as if it never even disappeared in the first place. y7QTu

As I approach him, I start treading quietly. A short rug lays flat between the coffee table and the television; it’s where Yan Wanqiu and I always sit when we play games. Plush and soft, you can barely hear any footfalls when walking on it.

But no matter how silent I am, he’s still capable of sensing when someone approaches.

Yan Kongshan pauses in his tidying up and looks up in my direction. Just stares, and doesn’t speak. Neither his mood index nor his face show any indication of shock; it’s almost as if he already knows what I’m about to do.

Slowly, I kneel down until my knees are on the carpet. His eyes follow my movements down, until we’re both staring at each other at eye level. eh8pUZ

After a lengthy, prolonged amount of deliberation, I finally ask, “Um… can I kiss you?”

His gaze falls down to my lips, eyelashes curving downwards over his eyes, making it hard to tell what he’s thinking. All I know is that I’m pretty sure his pupils darken a few shades.

“I already told you, you can do whatever you–”

He’s cut off suddenly, words vanishing into the air mid-sentence. In my rush, I kiss him before he finishes speaking. o0gau7

Arms propped on the floor, I lean towards him and gently probe the tip of my tongue into his mouth, giving him a quick flick before retreating immediately.

That should be enough.

I’m about to check his mood index, but before I can straighten up, a large palm comes up behind my head and holds it firmly in place. Fingers plant themselves amongst the strands of my hair, massaging my scalp, and with one shove, my mouth is thrust back onto his.

U2zS6w

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22 comments

  1. Yayy another hot kiss… Will this be a doze… like once every night.. and am sure they are going to be addicted to it… anyway its good this way kongshan will easily slowly turn pink …

    Thanks for the chapter ❤❤

  2. Dang, what Yu Mian said is right. Sometimes I feel scared when I think that my brain is controlling who I am, although that makes no sense 😔. On the other hand, way to go Yan Kongshan, you’re making some progress.

    Thank you so much for your hard work <3

  3. Thanks for another sweet chapter. Green Plum Island is my favourite story and hoping for YKS to come clean about his feelings for Mian Mian!

  4. Thanks for your hard work!

    Mianmian is so cute and innocent! He wants both the kiss and the experiment while YKS is the one getting all lustful! 🤦🏻‍♀️

  5. Not sure if I want to meet his dad .__.

    But at least there seems to be some progress on the YKS & Mianmian front. Qiuqiu is funny too xDD

    Thx for the ch (ㅅ˘ㅂ˘)

  6. Lol their feelings is already out in the open yet what is is? 😂 Ah. I see two children playing crush.