In a quiet corner near the small side gate, a young man sat on the dusty stone steps without a hint of elegance. He supported his chin with one hand and casually scattered something on the ground with the other.
As he scattered the food, a group of stray cats gathered nearby started meowing and burying their heads in the food he had scattered on the ground.
He gazed at the cats eating while talking to himself, his gaze still gentle but different from the warmth and radiance he had shown earlier. There was a hint of vulnerability that made one’s heart ache, looking very fragile.
“I can’t remember when was the last time I called her that. It seems like I’ve been forbidden to use that word since I can remember… Why is that?”
“…”
“Am I not good enough? Did I accidentally do something to upset her? It used to be different…”
As if reminiscing about those scenes that remained in his memory, the young man smiled with nostalgia. “I still remember when I was two years old, she flew back from abroad just to celebrate my birthday. She bought me a cake and a gift. Although… we missed each other because of the time difference, I was really happy. I was happy that she remembered… that it was my birthday.”
The gentle smile gradually faded away like mist, becoming fainter and fainter.
“But later… why did everything change? Why did she suddenly dislike me so much? Why does she always look at me with that kind of gaze? Why… won’t she even let me come back home?”
Thinking back to the scene when he was “kindly” pushed out of the house and almost forbidden from entering through the front gate, the young man hugged himself tightly and closed his eyes, trying to suppress the sour feeling in his heart and the uncontrollable welling of tears in his eyes.
“I am… her son, right? She is my mother, right? He is my father, right? Why is it like this? Am I not good enough? Am I not good? I have already… done my best, I have already done my best to catch their eyes…”
Hidden behind a tree, Yan Jingze’s expression became somewhat dazed. He had initially thought that the other person was mumbling about something secretive, but he unexpectedly overheard this inner monologue of vulnerability.
Contrasting to the young man’s shining and glamorous appearance in public, these words and experiences were indeed something that couldn’t be revealed, especially considering the enthusiastic, admiring voices of the students they encountered along the way. In their eyes, Wen Yichuan represented the perfect embodiment, a god-like existence, someone unattainably superior.
However…
Yan Jingze glanced at the trembling eyelashes of the young man, wet with tears under the setting sun. At this moment, Yan Jingze’s eyes showed a hint of complexity.
Meow, meow…
Perhaps sensing the sadness emanating from the person, Yan Jingze saw one light gray kitten among the group give up the food on the ground. It walked up to the young man’s feet, meowing while rubbing its dirty little head against his ankle.
The soft meowing and gentle touch seemed to be the best comfort that the little one could give.
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.
Gu Weizhou, who was immersed in sadness, opened his eyes and saw the little gray cat, squatting at his feet, looking up at him with its round eyes.
Ktf tlca bo rbggbk lc tlr fsfr ifrrfcfv j yla, jcv tf gfjmtfv bea ab ragbxf atf xlaafc’r tfjv, ktlrqfglcu rboais, “P’w olcf, pera offilcu j ilaaif rjv.”
Zfbk… Ktf ilaaif mja kjuufv lar ajli lccbmfcais.
Ufgtjqr ecvfgrajcvlcu atf mja’r mbcoerlbc, Tjc Alcuhf rjk atf sbecu wjc, ktb tjv yffc ibkfglcu tlr tfjv, rwlilcu ufcais klat afcvfgcfrr lc tlr fsfr. Rba mjglcu jybea atf mja’r vlgas jqqfjgjcmf, tf ufcais qlmxfv eq atf ilaaif ugjs mja ogbw yfrlvf tlr offa jcv tfiv la lc tlr jgwr.
As he gently stroked its little head, he looked at the sunset in the sky and spoke with a distant voice, “This is something that makes me sad, and helpless, often leaving me unsure how to make choices.”
Under the orange sunset, the young man’s figure was reflected amidst the withered grass and fallen leaves, creating a desolate and decaying scene. However, compared to his clean and delicate profile reflecting in the glow of the setting sun, everything else appeared insignificant.
He held the little gray cat in his arms, gently stroking its back with his fair palm. The usual tenderness on his face was now bathed in soft rosy light. At this moment, the golden hues cast upon him rendered him indescribably beautiful.
Yan Jingze, who had watched the scene from beginning to end, fixed his gaze on the young man, his eyes dimmed with a hint of obscurity.
That person was clearly squatting in the midst of those dirty stray cats, his hand caressing their filthy little heads. For some reason, Yan Jingze didn’t find that person dirty in the slightest. Instead, in this silent background, he appeared clean and beautiful. The scene even carried a touch of ethereal unreality.
Recalling the monologue just now, Yan Jingze suddenly thought of himself, a person whose life was almost the complete opposite, yet he had a family that seemed to be cut from the same mold… No, that wasn’t right!
Perhaps he… compared to this person, who appeared perfect on the outside but fragile on the inside, was fortunate in a tiny way. At least his mother had loved him until her death.
Although that love, lingering in his memories, was equivalent to nothing for him, who had long fallen into darkness, it had still given him a brief moment of peace in his life.
However, unlike him, who had already seen through the darkness of this realistic society and plunged into the abyss, this person still wore the most perfect and gentle smile, trying to live under the sunlight.
Sunlight… such a distant word.
Seemingly disdainful and self-deprecating, Yan Jingze took a deep look at the person and silently turned away.
Sensing the disappearance and distance of the complex gaze that had been fixated on him from behind, Gu Weizhou, gently caressing the cat’s head in his arms, sighed, [Marriage is like the grave of love. I lie inside, while the Handsome BOY with eight-pack abs is standing outside.]
[…So, Host, the thing you are sad about is your marriage?]
[Isn’t that a matter worth feeling sad about?]
After three seconds of silence. [Actually, there’s really nothing to be sad about ‘198‘.]
[… I heard that the price has increased.]
[Occasionally, it's on sale for 99.] With that, 001 reminded, [Also, stop stroking it, or it'll be bald.]
[…] Gu Weizhou, who silently halted his skillful hand movements.
Meow… a tuft of fur fell from a certain cat.
………………
With the help of Wen Yichuan, the legendary figure at W University, Yan Jingze had been successful in various aspects of his school life. Planning to earn enough money for tuition during the summer break, Yan Jingze got up early the next day and began preparing for his part-time job.
However, just a few meters after stepping out of the gates of W University, he was suddenly called out by a voice.
“Brother Yan?”
Yan Jingze hesitated and turned his head, only to see a familiar face in a car parked next to him. It was Officer Jiang.
“Officer Jiang?” Yan Jingze’s tone was slightly surprised.
Seeing the person he was looking for even before entering the campus, Jiang Junhao had a smile on his face.
“Your bravery award money has been approved. I intended to call you to come and collect it, but I coincidentally heard from Yichuan yesterday that you are a new student at W University this year. Today, I happened to be passing by and thought of delivering it to you. But I didn’t expect to run into you on the way. By the way, where are you planning to go? I can give you a ride.”
As Jiang Junhao spoke, Yan Jingze quickly processed all the key points in his mind: award money, coincidentally hearing, delivering it, giving a ride.
Considering the popularity of the other person’s status, Yan Jingze immediately thought of something further. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Officer Jiang, for delivering the award money to me. I’m currently looking for a part-time job, but I haven’t decided where to go yet.”
“Part-time job?” Jiang Junhao then recalled the conversation from yesterday, where Yan Jingze jokingly mentioned that he needed money. He thought it was just a joke, but it turned out to be true.
Jiang Junhao had a good impression of Yan Jingze standing in front of him. He was a young man with a sense of justice, and Jiang Junhao had always been someone willing to lend a helping hand.
Thinking of a high-end restaurant mentioned by one of his friends, which was currently short-staffed, he immediately said, “I do have a position available. The benefits are quite good, but it can be a bit demanding. I’m not sure if you can handle the workload.”
Yan Jingze, who easily secured a part-time job by utilizing the other person’s character, smiled and said, “As long as I can save enough tuition fees before the start of the semester, a little hardship is nothing.”
Furthermore, he didn’t believe that the employer would refuse to give face to the well-liked Officer Jiang and burden him with a job that was physically demanding and difficult.
Inside the car, while casually chatting with the person, Yan Jingze quietly observed the interior decoration and layout. Suddenly, his sharp eyes caught sight of a small picture on a coin-sized pendant attached to the rearview mirror.
Without drawing attention, Yan Jingze shifted his gaze away from the mirror. He casually remarked, “Officer Jiang has a good relationship with Senior Wen, right?”
As soon as the person in his heart was mentioned, Jiang Junhao’s face immediately lit up with a gentle smile. “Yes, our families used to be neighbors. I’m four years older than Yichuan, so I can say that I watched him grow up step by step.”
“Senior Wen is now a legendary figure at our entire W University. He must have been exceptional when he was young.”
“He was exceptional from a young age, and he worked harder than anyone his age,” Jiang Junhao replied. As he spoke, he seemed to see the past—the image of a young boy sitting quietly in the courtyard of the Wen family, holding various books in his hands.
Talking about this person, Yan Jingze inevitably thought of the conversation he accidentally overheard yesterday. There was a flicker of light in his eyes.
In a probing tone, he said, “Senior Wen must have parents who love him deeply but are busy with work.” Could it be that the person was making up stories?
Jiang Junhao furrowed his brow slightly, and his tone became unusually heavy. “Perhaps, but at least I can’t see how much they love Yichuan.”
“Hmm?”
Jiang Junhao didn’t explain further but continued, “I remember when we were kids, he was always envious of others who could go to amusement parks with their families. However, for some reason, his family never took him. No matter how hard he worked or any awards he received, one time on his birthday, he was left alone at home. When I went to find him with a cake, I discovered him crying alone.”
Pausing for a moment, Jiang Junhao continued, “Seeing him so sad, I comforted him by telling him to make a wish while looking at the candle and that it would come true. He became so agitated that he accidentally knocked over the cake while crying. He said it was all fake and kicked the cake far away. Later, he told me that he had been making the same wish for many years—to have his parents celebrate his birthday with him and go to an amusement park together, but it had never come true.”
Recalling the first time he saw that polite and beautiful young boy sitting alone in an empty corner, crying pitifully and appearing so vulnerable as if abandoned by the whole world, Jiang Junhao couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of heartache and pity.
His Yichuan had always been so outstanding and hardworking. Why couldn’t they fulfill such a small wish for him?
After the heavy words fell, the atmosphere inside the car became somewhat stifling. Yan Jingze’s mind was filled with the image he accidentally witnessed yesterday, while Jiang Junhao thought of the heartbreaking scene of the young boy crying in his arms until he nearly fainted.
After a while, snapping back to reality, seemingly sensing the overly quiet atmosphere in the car, Jiang Junhao joked with a smile, “Yichuan was often left alone at home when he was young. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but think that he might not be their biological child.”
“Officer Jiang don’t make such a joke. It’s possible that Uncle Wen and Aunt Wen were just too busy with work and neglected their family.”
“Maybe…”
9 seconds ago i was sad because there were no more chapters to read- thank you translator for answering my prayers!!!
Thank u for this…
My soul is gone again… Sigh… Another day another day..
Thank you for the translation! 🖤
thank u for the update, yichuan is so pitiful.. 😢
+1
+1
THANK YOUUU FOR THE UPDATE!!(Now I m in desperate need of the next one)
Officer Jiang has some killer instincts
Truly suited to detective work
….ah the stories of every person that gu weizhou take is so pitiful….i feel sad for yichuan..