The Midnight OwlCh1 - Snowfield

A snowfield one enters when midnight chimes, to chance upon a charming youth from olden times.

*** DZkyTo

Xu Wang never expected he’d see Wu Sheng ever again in his life, not even in his dreams.

But he did.

Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

On a white, gleaming snowfield wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, arms bunched together and shivering, his usual charismatic and easygoing aura nowhere to be found. It was in these tragic circumstances that he found himself before his high school white moonlight.

Wu Sheng too was dressed completely inappropriately for the environment–perhaps in cooperation with this dream he was having–but his striped, long-sleeved pyjamas were just a tad more protection against the cold. Not by much, however, considering the rosy, frozen tip of his nose. But he stood there without moving, without even furrowing his brows. rQ32lB

Aside from the absence of childishness in his features, replaced by a bit of maturity and steadfast composure, what remained was still the class representative in Xu Wang’s memory, who’d been hoisting up the flag when halfway through it had wound together and gotten stuck, after which he’d climbed agilely up the flagpole amongst the laughter of his schoolmates, untied the flag, then skimmied down the pole like Mario and continued hoisting the flag as if nothing had happened, and at last turned to face the entire school with a look of disdain.

The most unforgettable thing about him was how he’d placed first in the class all three years of high school, and became progressively more of an infuriating charlatan with each passing year.

But that was what Xu Wang had liked about him, to the point where he’d always imitate the way he climbed that flagpole in secret, until… wait. There was no point in rehashing unpleasant memories during a long-coveted reunion.

“Wu Sheng.” It had been ten years since he’d last uttered that name, and Xu Wang thought it would sound unfamiliar, but no. The words came out easily, as if they’d been circling within his heart for an eternity. In an instant, he was transported back to the good old days, his chest heating up with a gentle warmth.

IcaOJC

There was considerable astonishment in Wu Sheng’s eyes. There had already been surprise written all over his face the moment they’d run into each other in this frozen, snowy environment, but the second Xu Wang called out to him, shock spread from his eyes until it covered his entire face. Despite the fact that he’d plowed through a snowfield in nothing but striped pyjamas with a straight face, the calling of his name by his former classmate seemed to rob him of the ability to form sentences.

“You’re…”

Throughout high school, Xu Wang had never witnessed Wu Sheng at a loss for words. If this were the past, he would’ve used this to mock him for an entire semester. But now, he didn’t have the time for it. Anticipation filled his heart as he stared fixated on the other man, not daring even to blink. He couldn’t help pressing, “Yes, I’m…”

“High school…” yExaGp

“Yes!”

“The one in the bunk below me…”

“Yes, yes!”

Wu Sheng appeared to remember. Gradually, the astonishment faded from his eyes and his brows relaxed. The amusement that lingered behind in his gaze was reminiscent of the boy who’d regarded his entire grade with disdain; it was a look that simultaneously pissed you off whilst putting you under its spell. MqIrkh

At last, he stuck a hand out amicably. “Long time no see, Zhang Wang.”

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.

We Qjcu: “…”

Qjr la j mglwf ab yfja rbwfbcf eq lc bcf’r bkc vgfjw?

We Qjcu mieamtfv tlr mtfra ab rbbatf atf tfjga-qlfgmlcu qjlc bo yflcu rilutafv jr lgjafcfrr vbwlcjafv tlr ybvs ecali tlr lcrlvfr jmtfv. Qe Vtfcu, bc atf batfg tjcv, rffwfv qifjrfv. Dea cb wjaafg tbk tjgv tf aglfv ab tlvf la, tf mbeivc’a obbi We Qjcu, yfmjerf ktb kjr We Qjcu? Ktf tjqifrr obbi ktb’v mgertfv bc tlw jii bo atflg ijra akb sfjgr bo tlut rmtbbi, ktb xcfk atf lcr jcv bear bo jii tlr fzqgfrrlbcr. QeAbEx

He had done it on purpose, for sure. In high school, Wu Sheng had made it a habit of amusing himself by snarking at Xu Wang. But Xu Wang wasn’t made of soft stuff either; he’d always fought back, an eye for an eye. When it came to grades, he was hopeless, but mocking the other boy, he never failed at.

What was surprising, however, was that even in a dream formed from his own subconscious, Wu Sheng’s personality saw no “beautification”; not even an ounce of added gentleness.

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Never mind that. Xu Wang slapped himself on his cheeks. Best not to be the greedy snake that swallowed the elephant. Pleasant dreams were a rare occurrence, and the Wu Sheng before him still had familiar features and a familiar scent.

Not to mention, there they were, both standing frozen in their thin clothing. The most logical course of action would naturally be to leap into a passionate embrace– eigYKE

“Long time no see!”

Xu Wang ignored the other man’s outstretched hand and pounced directly into a bear hug, as if he wanted to eradicate all his past regrets with this one attack.

Caught unaware, Wu Sheng faltered backwards half a step from the momentum before steadying himself. His entire body was stiff.

Xu Wang could care less whether his old classmate was comfortable or not. He squashed all 181 centimetres of himself into the man’s chest like a little bird seeking shelter, and while doing so, lamented, “This dream… even if I were to die in it, it’d be worth it…” AoyVwv

Snow floated down from above.

Delicate snowflakes landed one by one on the tip of Xu Wang’s nose and into the space where his cheek rubbed against the neckline of Wu Sheng’s striped pyjamas. They melted the instant they landed, as if even they could hardly bear to witness the beautiful scene before them.

In all honesty, in the beginning Xu Wang truly believed that he’d be satisfied with just a hug. But humans were like so–a single taste of sweetness led to a craving for more, and then step by step, you found yourself slipping into the chasm of immorality. No one ever fell into it at the getgo.

“I like you, I’ve liked you since we were second-years, up till now! No matter how many skyscrapers are built in my heart, you, Wu Sheng, are the only landowner!” gZtmua

He had spent countless midnight hours pondering his youth, fantasising about how things would’ve turned out if he’d confessed back then. He’d used the line, “good thing you never said anything, because it would’ve been bad for both of you” a million times to console himself. But Xu Wang was well aware that this outburst was a culmination of the regret that had lay buried in the deepest recesses of his heart.

Now that he was finally getting what he wanted, even if it was just a dream, he fully intended on enjoying himself to his heart’s content before waking.

With the words out of his chest, he lifted his head and mashed his lips against Wu Sheng’s, not caring how much of his confession the other man had taken in.

Wu Sheng didn’t move out of the way–but of course, it was likely that he was still in shock thanks to the otherworldly confession he’d just heard and was still in a, “who are you, what did you say, what the fuck is happening” state of mind. 2By9Xs

Meanwhile, Xu Wang took full advantage of his frozen state and kissed him through and through, in and out. Now, he could die without regrets.

Roar!

Suddenly, a waft of cold air pierced his back, accompanied by the roar of a wild animal. All the hairs on Xu Wang’s body rose. No longer thinking about making out, he whipped his head around.

A black bear brought its claws solidly down across his shoulder blades with lightning speed. dTUs4f

For heaven’s sake, dying without regrets was just a saying, was this for real?!

Xu Wang had broken bones and hurt himself plenty over his twenty-nine years of life, but it wasn’t until he experienced bear claws that he came to truly understand what pain was.

Please visit chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

His head was numb, his entire body stiff as wood. He began falling forward as a result of the bear attack. Wu Sheng tried to catch him but failed, and the two of them collapsed into the thick snow. Right then, Xu Wang heard the black bear roar again, this time sounding far more menacing and much closer.

He was going to die. And Wu Sheng was going to die with him. WvcXZg

A fairytale start, a horror movie ending. What a failure of a dream.

He’d just finished insulting himself when a voice in his head came clear and enunciated, as if there was a tiny person in his ear canal. Its tone was even a tad risqué and teasing.

[Owl: Darling~ Let’s give you an early break and bring you home.]

White flashed before Xu Wang’s eyes, as if he was suddenly being lit up by a million incandescent lights shining at full power. He shut his eyes instinctively. Suddenly, Wu Sheng disappeared from beneath him and he found himself falling to the ground with a resounding splat. MayELj

The snow stopped, the sky grew dark. Wu Sheng was gone, and along with him the killer bear.

Xu Wang propped himself up in a daze and scrutinised his surroundings. The snowfield was gone, the forest nowhere to be seen. He was right below the flat he rented. It was dark out–about four in the morning. The asphalt beneath him was solid and real, the nearby shops still shut. The only signs of life were at the breakfast stand, where workers were just getting ready to start the day.

Honk–

The blaring horn of a car brought him back to his senses, and he realised that he was standing in the middle of an intersection. He quickly scrambled his way to the crosswalk. hEjUMN

Nearby, the breakfast shop owner was halfway out the door on his way to throw some garbage when he caught sight of Xu Wang. Astonished, he called out: “Why are you…”

The shop owner meant to finish with “…here so early today,” but halfway through his sentence, he came to the realisation that this longtime customer of his was completely naked save for a pair of black boxer shorts.

To be honest, said familiar customer was usually dressed in a suit and tie and looked rather skinny, but now that he was naked, it was easy to see that he did have some definition to him and was quite pleasant to the eye. But still, one doesn’t wander the streets naked in the dead of autumn simply because one is handsome.

And so, the shop owner finished his sentence with: “…dressed so coolly today?” J1jsI4

Xu Wang looked down at himself, then looked up at the shop owner, lost for a second between dream and reality. If this was a dream, was he now on the next episode? If this was reality, well, he’d fallen asleep on his bed and woken up in the middle of the road. Did he suddenly become a sleepwalker after twenty-nine years of sleeping normally?

Then he suddenly let out a hiss of pain, sucking in a mouthful of cold air. He reached back to touch his shoulder by instinct. It was wet.

He froze. Between the pain and confusion, he didn’t dare bring his hand back to look. By now, he was thinking that he’d rather this all have been just an episode of sleepwalking.

With his hand twisted behind on his shoulder, he looked so strange that the shop owner couldn’t help asking in concern, “What’s up?” DkYxO

“Nothing.” Xu Wang forced a smile on his face, then took off straight for the apartment building at flying speed.

Thank goodness it’s not light out yet, he thought to himself after entering the building, otherwise I’ll definitely freak people out.

Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

The shop owner was blissfully unaware that he had been spared a traumatic experience. Under the glare of an incandescent light, only Xu Wang himself bore shocked witness to the crimson-red blood that covered the hand that had been covering his shoulder.

There was no way for him to enter his house; all he could do was wait in the hall in nothing but boxers. When at last dawn came, Mrs. Li came ambling along, about to go on her morning walk. HG3Arg

Mrs. Li had bad eyesight, but she was a kind woman. When she heard that he’d left his keys at home, she immediately lent him her phone without questioning why the usually impeccably dressed young man before her–suit and leather shoes and all–was all of a sudden dressed so… leisurely.

Xu Wang scoured the haphazardly placed advertisements that covered the walls of the hallway until he landed on one “Police-Approved Locksmith King” whose poster was not so garish and gave off a no-nonsense air, then thanked Mrs. Li. He turned down her invitation to sit and rest in her apartment, all the while making sure his back was plastered against the security door, and watched as she left on her walk.

The blood on his back wound had clotted, so that even if it smeared against the black security door, no one could tell.

“Locksmith King” was an extremely young fellow who took his time getting there. By the time he arrived, Mrs. Li had finished her walk already. Upon arrival, he kept yawning, sleep still in his eyes. The pain of having to come to work extra early was written all over his face. However, the instant he caught sight of Xu Wang’s shocking state, he immediately came alert. xf2h86

Xu Wang had already closed his blood-soaked hand into a fist, but he instinctively hid it behind his back, afraid of being found out.

The locksmith’s eyes flashed and he opened his mouth, about to say something, but Xu Wang was faster — “Mrs. Li!” he screeched at the top of his lungs.