The field gradually filled with people. Seriously, having such a big Christmas tree that lights up in the school is really cool, isn’t it? Many people came dressed neatly to take photos. Each person received a wish card and crowded around small tables to write their wishes.
After finishing, they hung their cards on the wish wall made of holey boards. Even after hanging their cards, they were reluctant to leave and began to look at the wishes written by others.
Mai Dong huddled at the hot mulled wine stall, steam rising from the pot with a “bubble, bubble” sound. Yan Xuming took off his coat, now wearing a gray fleece hoodie, standing beside Mai Dong cutting apples. He wore disposable gloves as he sliced three pieces of apple, threw two pieces into the pot, and quietly fed one piece to Mai Dong.
A pot of mulled wine simmered as Mai Dong chewed patiently with a mouthful of apples, occasionally standing up to check on how the mulled wine was brewing.
Another apple was offered to Mai Dong, whose mouth was already full, rendering him unable to speak. He expressed his refusal with a series of “Hmm, hmm, hmm.”
Yan Xuming raised an eyebrow with a smirk, pretending not to understand.
Mai Dong raised his hand and pushed the apple back towards Yan Xuming, indicating that he should eat it himself.
The two of them were engrossed in their little actions, seemingly oblivious to the presence of two girls standing in front of the stall. Well, at least Mai Dong didn’t seem to notice at all. It’s unclear how long the two had been standing there, but finally, one of the girls spoke up, “Um, how much is the mulled wine ya?”
Mai Dong was startled, his ears turning rapidly red. Trying to cover it up, he quickly took a big step to the side. “Uh… cough, it’s five yuan per cup, all hot. Would you like one?”
The girl seemed a little surprised, “Five yuan?”
Mai Dong thought he might have set the price too high and was momentarily unsure of how to explain. Yan Xuming jumped in to continue, “En, most of the costs are covered by a classmate who prefers to remain anonymous, consider it a Christmas surprise for everyone.”
The girl nodded happily, “We’ll take two cups. Can we swipe this to pay?”
Mai Dong quickly handed them the cups, saying, “Yes, you can.”
It wasn’t until after the two people left that Mai Dong breathed a sigh of relief, “I thought it was too expensive.”
Yan Xuming chuckled, “How is it possible? Even the cheapest ones outside go for at least nine yuan. The quality of the wine and fruit we use is much better than theirs.” He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice considerably, “It’s a waste of money, boyfriend.”
Mai Dong was startled by the term he used, stuttering for a moment before replying, “N-no, I… I just wanted to drink it myself and thought of preparing this. Besides, the wine was given to me by my dad. All of it was gifts from his friends, and nobody at home drinks it.”
Mulled red wine stalls were soon on fire, Mai Dong originally just wanted to do his best to add a little richness to Yan Xueming’s activities but didn’t expect that because of the cheap price and good taste, many people were willing to come and buy a cup.
The mulled wine stall quickly became a hit. Mai Dong had originally only intended to contribute a little variety to Yan Xuming’s event, but unexpectedly, due to the affordable price and great taste, many people were willing to buy a cup.
In just over half an hour, four bottles of wine had been sold out. Mai Dong was exhausted, his back aching as he slouched in his seat.
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.
Tjc Wewlcu kjr rewwbcfv ys atf raevfca eclbc wfwyfgr, rb Zjl Gbcu ragfamtfv ijhlis, jcv atfc tf gfwfwyfgfv atja tf tjvc’a kglaafc tlr klrt mjgv sfa. Lf rcfjxlis rilqqfv atgbeut atf mgbkv jcv pblcfv fnfgsbcf firf, wfalmeiberis pbaalcu vbkc tlr bkc klrt.
Qlat pera bcf ilcf, tf vlvc’a ifjnf tlr cjwf bg mbcajma lcobgwjalbc, alqabflcu ab tjcu atf klrt mjgv lc j tlut rqba.
He couldn’t bear to leave directly. Though this event was organized by the student union, Mai Dong felt immensely proud, feeling that Yan Xuming was truly remarkable.
This was Nanjing University’s first grand and formal Christmas event, an idea of Yan Xuming’s. This idea would likely be continued in the future.
Mai Dong stood before the wish wall, looking at the various wishes written by everyone.
“May this year be free from failing any courses! – Kang Zhao, Class of 2022, Chinese Language and Literature.”
“I hope Little Puppy Wang and Little Kitten Tang stay together forever! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”
“Mom, I wish you a speedy recovery and early discharge from the hospital.”
“I want a box of sparklers! QQ: xxx”
“Is there anyone kind enough to give me two scratch cards ah? If I win the lottery, we’ll split the prize. Tel: xxx”
“I hope everything goes well. I hope that looking back in a few years, I won’t regret any decision I’ve made. – Hu.”
These wish cards bore different handwriting, and on this bustling winter night, the wish board carried many beautiful visions from different people.
Mai Dong felt immensely proud once again, believing this Christmas event to be the best in the world. He looked around, trying to find the wish card written by Yan Xuming.
The wish cards of the student union’s internal members were among the first to be hung up. At that time, Mai Dong had thought of coming over to take down Yan Xuming’s wish card but was stopped by him.
He only remembered the general direction. At that time, there were only a few cards on the wish wall, so it was easy to remember. Now, he couldn’t find it anymore.
Mai Dong tiptoed to look up, recalling that Yan Xuming had stretched his arm to hang it up. Still searching, he suddenly spotted a very familiar card in front of him.
Mai Dong instinctively reached out with the fastest reaction speed, intending to take back the card he had written himself. But someone’s reaction was even faster than his. The card in front of him was snatched away, and as he turned around, of course, it was Yan Xuming standing behind him.
Mai Dong opened his mouth, intending to say something. He had deliberately written and hung the card when Yan Xuming wasn’t around, precisely to avoid being caught by him. He hadn’t expected him to notice and remove it so quickly.
Mai Dong looked at him, “Why did you take my card down?”
Yan Xuming responded with a nonchalant “Hmm?” and said, “According to the rules, anyone can take down your card. Why can’t I?”
Mai Dong couldn’t argue with him. “But… I deliberately avoided you. How did you know where I hung it?”
Yan Xuming chuckled. “I saw it.”
Mai Dong realized, “You were still staring at me while discussing things!”
Yan Xuming didn’t bother denying it. “Yeah.”
Mai Dong reached out. “Then give it back to me…”
Yan Xuming: “Why?”
It took Mai Dong a while to respond. “I want to hang it up there.”
Yan Xuming then displayed the card again. “But this wish is quite specific. Besides me, is there anyone else who can fulfill your wish?”
The card had a single line written on it: “I don’t dislike the trial period, but I hope to get through it quickly and be transferred!”
Mai Dong looked at the words in front of him. He hadn’t expected Yan Xuming to take down his card, or else he wouldn’t have written such a wish. His face was quietly turning red as Mai Dong was crowded by Yan Xuming in front of the wish wall, with quite a few people around. He spoke softly, “Oh, then, will you help me fulfill my wish?”
Yan Xuming didn’t say anything. He stretched out his arm, reaching above Mai Dong’s head. He took down a card and handed it to Mai Dong.
Mai Dong’s eyes widened. He had just searched this area, how did he not see it? The handwriting on the card was beautiful, and Mai Dong recognized it—it was Yan Xuming’s handwriting.
“Card bug ba: Hope Mai Dong’s wish comes true.”
The playground was lively all night, with almost everyone holding a cup of mulled wine. A microphone was brought out by the speakers, and many students with good singing voices in the school, perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, were willing to go up and sing a song.
As if blessed by the heavens, snow began to fall tonight, although it was light, with sporadic snowflakes drifting down.
At the moment, students from the Foreign Languages Department were singing “Fly Me To The Moon.” It was a girl singing, her sweet voice hitting high notes.
Yan Xuming held Mai Dong’s wrist, leading him to sit down on the large picnic mat laid out in the middle of the field. He hummed along with the melody at first, then began singing along as the song progressed. His voice was an octave lower than the girl’s, softly and gently humming the tune into Mai Dong’s ear.
“You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words please be true
In other words…”
Mai Dong’s heart raced as he listened. It was the first time he heard Yan Xuming sing, and it was unexpectedly good, surpassing Mai Dong’s expectations. The low, slow melody humming in his ear made Mai Dong realize it was a confession meant just for him, especially because of the lyrics.
But that most important and straightforward line abruptly halted, turning into a vague and ambiguous laugh in Yan Xuming’s mouth. Mai Dong felt a tingling sensation in his heart and instinctively asked, “What about the last line?”
Yan Xuming replied amidst the girl’s singing, “En? Is there more? I seem to have forgotten.”
Mai Dong didn’t notice his own tone because he felt a deep sense of regret and disappointment from the bottom of his heart. He thought the significance of Yan Xuming singing along to this song lay in that last line: “Yes, ya. In other words, I love you.”
Yan Xuming’s smile became even more evident. “En, me too.”
Mai Dong realized he had fallen into Yan Xuming’s trap again. In this maddeningly ambiguous atmosphere, he suddenly remembered his roommates’ words: “Mai-zi, I don’t think you can outsmart him.” At this moment, Mai Dong deeply agreed. He didn’t know enough about Yan Xuming and always unintentionally fell into his traps.
He remained silent, his face flushing at the words “I love you” he had uttered, unsure of what to say for a while. But before Mai Dong could speak, there was suddenly a commotion ahead. The head of the Literary Arts Department was being pushed by everyone to sing a song. She tried to decline but then thought of diverting the attention.
“Yan ge, before we talk about whether I’ll sing or not, you have to sing a song, right?”
Mentioning Yan Xuming, the focus was easily shifted, and everyone started clamoring for Yan Xuming to sing a song. Yan Xuming didn’t refuse. Before standing up, he suddenly reached out and squeezed Mai Dong’s right hand. He walked to the microphone and sat down, searching for accompaniment.
It was a song that Mai Dong hadn’t heard before.
But Mai Dong’s English was good.
Even this song not only contained English but also a short segment of Spanish. Yet Mai Dong could still understand it. He had never been so grateful for his major and his passion for lesser-known languages. While others on the playground might not comprehend, or even if they did, might not understand the meaning behind Yan Xuming’s song, Mai Dong fully grasped it.
“My Only One” was the name of this song.
My Only One, were the last lines of this song.
The person sitting in front of the microphone smiled at Mai Dong during the outro. “Student Mai Dong, happy first snow.”
these fictional characters has better love life than me😟🙌
Ooh thanks for the chapter also there’s a repeated paragraph
Oh, my sweet hardworking couple
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Thank you for the chapter! 🫶🫶🫶
Thank You for the new chapter (๑˙❥˙๑)