Chapter 14.2 – Birthday Celebration (Part 2)
Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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After splashing his face with water, Song Jin stood in front of the sink for a few seconds before turning to leave.
“Your face is all wet,” Han Zhuo stood by the aisle and handed him a tissue. “Wipe it off.”
“Thank you,” Song Jin took it and wiped his face.
“It’s not completely dry yet,” Han Zhuo took the half-wet tissue back from Song Jin’s hand and gently wiped his flushed face. “How much did you drink?”
“I can’t handle much,” Song Jin said awkwardly, turning his face slightly away. “It’s okay. You don’t have to help me wipe it so carefully.”
The music and voices were both muted at the end of this hallway. They were only faintly audible. The lighting was dim and Han Zhuo looked at the shadow under Song Jin’s eyelashes and asked, “Have you lost weight?”
“Probably because I’ve been busy lately,” Song Jin pursed his lips. “Let’s go back. Don’t want to keep them waiting.”
But Han Zhuo didn’t move. He was still standing in front of Song Jin, asking, “The person sitting next to you just now, wasn’t just a friend, was he?”
“Huh?” Song Jin was a bit confused, looking up at him. “The one in the hoodie?”
Han Zhuo remained silent.
“It’s not like that… He’s a colleague from my part-time job. The other one is the manager,” Song Jin realised what Han Zhuo meant.
“As for now…” Han Zhuo approached him a bit more. His gaze was almost unmasked, “are you still single?”
They were already close, with Song Jin leaning against the wall. He wasn’t foolish. Even though he was a bit drunk now, Han Zhuo’s question was straightforward enough for him to understand its implication.
“I don’t want to think about that right now,” Song Jin frowned, feeling a bit dizzy. For things and people that were no longer possible, he didn’t want to be ambiguous. He just wanted to reject as decisively as possible.
Moreover, there was still an unpredictable time bomb beside him. It was enough to extinguish all his hopes and desires about relationships. How could he think about such things now?
“What about in the future?” Han Zhuo asked.
“I don’t know,” occasionally, someone would pass by, and Song Jin spoke softly, “Let’s go back. Let’s not just stand here.”
“Song Jin.” Han Zhuo grabbed Song Jin’s wrist. “In the past, you were like this too. You were always refusing but never explaining why. No one knew what you were thinking. Back then, you only said we should break up. I still don’t understand why. Was it something I did wrong, or you just stopped liking me, or was it something else?”
There was a long silence before Song Jin spoke. “It was an issue on my side.”
All the insecurities, sensitivities, and unspeakable things, the imperfections of his family, the various shortcomings of his childhood, and the flaws in his character—these were all just part of his past. Now, there was another layer added to it: the incestuous relationship with his own younger brother. Even though it was completely involuntary on Song Jin’s part, he knew he could never hide from or ignore it. It was something that made him feel even more inferior compared to his family situation and his personality.
“I don’t think there’s any reason in you that warrants our breakup,” Han Zhuo said. “You may not even know what kind of person you truly are.”
Song Jin looked at Han Zhuo’s chin blankly. All his self-awareness came from self-reflection. He couldn’t break free from the confines of his own mind. Some things were deeply rooted and unshakable, not to be offset by a few words of comfort and praise from others. Moreover, the constant blows from his own younger brother, the slander and disdain—Song Jin knew that Song Xinglan’s dislike was directed at him. But he didn’t see anything wrong with his brother’s assessments.
He was indeed mediocre. In every aspect. Yet he still tried to disguise himself. In reality, he was deeply insecure.
“Song Jin, you’re already great,” Han Zhuo said.
In the dim light, Song Jin saw Han Zhuo lower his head and approach him. He instinctively placed his hand on Han Zhuo’s shoulder. But he couldn’t muster the strength to push him away. He just felt lost, unsure of where to begin his thoughts or what to contemplate.
Suddenly, there was a light but crisp ‘click’, mixed with the distant noise, ringing clearly in his ears. It was as if Song Jin had abruptly awakened from chaos. He turned his head and saw a person standing at the corner, holding a flickering cigarette in their mouth.
Even though he couldn’t see the face clearly, Song Jin immediately realised who it was. He felt a chilling coldness slowly crawling along the wall, injecting into his veins along his arms with a drip. The icy liquid swirling in his blood for a moment before spreading.
Flicking the exquisite lighter between his fingers, Song Xinglan brushed off the cigarette ash and said, “The atmosphere is quite nice here.”
Song Jin pushed Han Zhuo away. Feeling as if he had suddenly malfunctioned, he did not know what to do besides this action. Running into Han Zhuo was already unexpected. But he never imagined that Song Xinglan would also be there, witnessing the almost kissing posture between him and Han Zhuo.
Han Zhuo glanced at Song Xinglan for a few seconds, then asked Song Jin, “Do you know him?”
Song Jin was silent for a few seconds before saying, “He’s my younger brother.”
Han Zhuo was clearly surprised. The contrast between the two brothers was too great. One was the gentle and calm older brother, while the other was obviously cold and rebellious. If Song Jin hadn’t admitted it himself, Han Zhuo would never have connected the two.
“What are you doing here with a guy?” Song Xinglan laughed. “Ge, how come I didn’t know you had this hobby?”
“You go first,” Song Jin said in a low voice, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. “If you have anything to say, we can talk on WeChat.”
He couldn’t hold on for long in this situation. Song Xinglan wouldn’t let him off easily, so he had to let Han Zhuo leave first.
Han Zhuo hesitated for a moment. But in this situation, he didn’t want to say much. He just nodded and said, “Okay, you’ve been drinking. Go home early today.”
“Okay.”
“First, a colleague specially requests a song for you. And now, an ex-boyfriend is getting intimate with you,” Song Xinglan said casually, glancing at Han Zhuo’s back. “Seems like you’re having a good time.”
Song Jin didn’t turn to look at him. He just kept looking at the ground. “It’s just a coincidence.”
“Just a coincidence. And then coincidentally a kiss. And then a good night’s sleep in his bed, is that it?”
Song Jin’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. Then, he asked tiredly, “Song Xinglan, what do you want?”
Song Xinglan looked at his profile and slowly said, “Han Zhuo, Class Three, Business Administration, School of Business, X University.”
Before he could finish this short sentence, Song Jin suddenly turned his head to look at him. His alertness and fear shone through under the spotlight. “What are you planning to do?”
The memory of Tang Min almost being hit by a car flashed through his mind. Song Jin’s legs went weak. “Song Xinglan, don’t do anything crazy.”
Song Xinglan remained silent and walked straight past Song Jin, seemingly heading towards the exit of the corridor.
Song Jin hurriedly followed, watching Song Xinglan’s ever-changing profile between the lights and darkness. He asked, “What are you planning to do?!”
Song Xinglan stopped in his tracks, turning his head to look at the breathless Song Jin. “Don’t you already have a hunch on what I’ll do?”
“Song Xinglan!” Song Jin reached out and grabbed Song Xinglan’s collar. “Are you a mad dog now? Ready to bite anyone you see?”
“You’ve already called me crazy, haven’t you?” Song Xinglan let Song Jin pull at his collar. Then he raised his hand, grabbed Song Jin’s neck, and pressed him against the wall behind him. “Do you not already know what kind of person I am?”
He held Song Jin’s neck with the cigarette butt still between his fingers. It was just one centimetre away from Song Jin’s ear. Song Jin could almost feel the heat from the cigarette butt.
“I beg you…” Song Jin let go of his hand and looked up at Song Xinglan. His eyes were filled with despair and earnest pleading. “I beg you. Can’t you just settle your grievances only with me?”
Song Xinglan looked at his face and said, “Are you begging me to fuck you?”
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*Translator’s Note: At this point, I just can’t wait until we reach chapter 20. SXL by then is more adorable. I just made buymeacoffee account today. I hesitated before because I feel like it’s kinda awkward to put it out there. But never mind… You can support me if you want. Only if you want. I’m not pushing anyone to do so. Thanks if you do, though. I’ll be putting up the link to my other translations and the previous chapters later. -K
Next update: -Daily-
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