Chapter 17.1 – Three Years Later (Part 1)
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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When Song Jin arrived at the dessert shop, Tang Min was standing in the workshop making a cake. Beside him, a young man and a woman were attentively observing him. They were pastry chefs.
He Hao was listening to the assistant manager’s report while checking the accounts. This dessert shop used to be the main gathering place for the three of them. Now, it had doubled in size and had sufficient manpower. He Hao said this was starting to look like a headquarters.
In the past three years, He Hao had opened several more branches in other provinces and cities. His goal was to become a national chain within the next five years. Three years ago, during a dinner gathering, they had all drunk too much. He Hao, holding a wine glass, his face flushed, had said, “When I become successful in the future, you two will be the biggest shareholders!”
Song Jin and Tang Min had invested money in He Hao’s shop. Song Jin’s money partly came from the living expenses Song Xiangping had given him before and partly from his own savings. He knew he had no talent or courage for business and investment. He might as well give the money to He Hao. He felt that He Hao, coming from a business family, wouldn’t lead them to ruin. The fact proved Song Jin’s choice was correct. At least, the dividends he had received in the past three years were considerable.
Three years had passed so quickly. Many things had happened. When Song Jin was interning in his fourth year, he injured his foot during a field survey. He had to rest for a whole year. The doctor said he wouldn’t be able to walk or engage in strenuous activities for long periods in the future. In other words, Song Jin was unlikely to be involved in surveying anymore.
He was quite optimistic about it. He knew deep down that the surveying industry was not suitable for him. Outdoor work in wind and rain was too demanding physically and mentally. He knew he couldn’t hold out for long. Besides, he only had an undergraduate degree, so there were limited opportunities for advancement in this field. Therefore, he decided to take the postgraduate entrance exam in a different field. It had been more than a year since he graduated. So his brain should not have deteriorated too much yet. He had plenty of time to prepare.
After being discharged from the hospital for his leg injury, Song Jin returned to the countryside. There, he lived in his grandparents’ old house, where his mother had taken him to live for a while after her divorce. However, because no one had lived there for more than ten years, the two-story building looked quite shabby among the surrounding renovated villas. Fortunately, Song Jin didn’t care about such things. He redecorated the house according to his preferences, making it simple and comfortable. He lived there very contentedly.
Normally, Song Jin would take on some coding work. His university classmates provided a stable channel for this. Besides, he had self-studied post-production. So he could also take on some video editing projects. For him, this kind of life was already sufficient.
He used to think he would be the kind of person who would stick to one path day after day. However, every event in life seemed to have the potential to be a turning point. For Song Jin, his turning point was the accident he had outdoors. When he fell down the hill and lay at the bottom, he thought, “If I’m not disabled, I should try living in a different way. Maybe there’s something else more suitable for me.”
Some shifts in thinking happen in just a moment. When He Hao heard that Song Jin was planning to return to the countryside, he was surprised. However, Tang Min had no reaction. He said, “It sounds good. Just do what you want to do.”
So Song Jin did just that. And so far, it seems his choice was the right one.
“Oh, Xiao Song is here in the city?” He Hao looked up and saw Song Jin, teasing him with a smile.
“If President He calls, I have to come even if I don’t want to,” Song Jin replied with a tease too.
“Look at Tang Min,” He Hao nodded towards the workshop, “I think he really enjoys making desserts. He started as soon as he arrived. I wonder why he didn’t stay at the shop and went into voice acting.”
“Interest is interest. Profession is profession,” Song Jin said. “If turning your interest into a profession means losing your original enthusiasm, then it’s like losing a hobby in life, which is a bit of a loss.”
“Makes sense,” He Hao nodded.
Just then, an order came in. It was an in-house one. Song Jin said, “I’ll take care of this.”
He Hao joked, “Don’t tell me being a waiter is your passion, Song Jin.”
Song Jin smiled and arranged the items on the tray according to the order. He then went to the dining area to deliver the desserts.
Approaching the table, Song Jin said, “Hello, your dessert is here.”
“Ah, thank you!”
Several girls were seated at the table. Song Jin leaned over and placed the dessert on the table. The girl closest to him was holding a tablet and excitedly showed a picture in their chat history. She said, “This is him, this is him! The rich second-generation guy my sister met in Toronto. He’s running a company while studying. At the last party, my sister said he came straight from the company in his suit. He looked so handsome, I swear. She took several pictures!”
“Let me see, let me see!”
“Damn, he’s so handsome. Looks so young.”
“Seems like he’s around twenty-one or twenty-two.”
“Wow, I’m so envious. His beauty shines through even in a blurry photo.”
…
As they chatted excitedly, Song Jin smiled faintly and placed the desserts on the table. As he was about to leave, he glanced at the girl’s tablet.
It was just a casual glance. But when he saw that face, it was as if someone had grabbed him by the neck. He froze in place, maintaining his slightly bent posture. It was as if all the unbearable, humiliating, painful, and crazy memories were raining down on him like giant boulders. It was just like the heavy rain three years ago when Song Jin stood in the deserted street with countless raindrops falling on him.
After several seconds, Song Jin took in a shuddering breath.
He slowly straightened up, blinked his eyes as if coming back to himself, then turned and walked away.
“Do you think he has a girlfriend? Do you think he has a girlfriend?!”
“I’m not sure. My sister said he seems indifferent to people.”
“He probably does. Definitely.”
…
The girls’ voices gradually faded, blending with the other sounds in the hall. They eventually became a buzzing noise in his ears.
It turns out that the resurgence of nightmares hits fast. Just seeing that face is enough to bring back everything that he thought he had overcome.
In the photo, Song Xinglan is wearing a black suit, with one hand in his pocket and holding a glass at the table, talking to someone. His hair is slicked back, revealing a complete and distinct face. Song Jin couldn’t tell from the slightly blurry photo how much Song Xinglan had matured. But he knew deep down that Song Xinglan must have become even more terrifying.
Song Xiangping’s company in Toronto should now be completely in Song Xinglan’s hands. When a lunatic has his own wealth, his danger will surely rise to a more terrifying level. Song Jin couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if he were to meet Song Xinglan again.
During the three years that Song Xinglan was abroad, Song Jin and Song Xiangping almost completely lost contact. It seemed like an unspoken agreement to completely cut off ties. Song Jin was now capable of supporting himself. Song Xiangping probably felt that he had fulfilled his final obligation. Moreover, during his internship, Song Jin rejected Song Xiangping’s proposal to use his connections to get him into a government institution. So there was nothing left to discuss between them.
Song Xiangping did not immigrate because Yuan Ya had a miscarriage. Initially, Song Xiangping’s plan was probably to handle the immigration procedures while Yuan Ya was pregnant, so that the child could be born abroad. However, after Yuan Ya’s miscarriage, the immigration matter was put on hold. Song Jin even suspected that Song Xiangping seemed to be leaving himself a way out.
He might be waiting for a child who is completely his own, who grows up by his side. But now, Yuan Ya may not be able to fulfil this, giving birth to a child for Song Xiangping.
But these things are no longer important to Song Jin. What’s important is that Yuan Ya had a miscarriage on the day Song Xinglan left.
Song Jin was originally unaware of this incident, as he only learned about Yuan Ya’s pregnancy from Song Xinglan. However, he unexpectedly encountered Yuan Ya in a bookstore once. Their eyes met before he could avoid it. Song Jin had no choice but to greet her.
“It’s been a long time since you came home,” Yuan Ya seemed a bit thin, looking at Song Jin with a smile. “Are you having a disagreement with your father?”
Song Jin shook his head. He then asked, “Auntie, are you still teaching at school? Isn’t it hard to work while pregnant?”
Yuan Ya looked down at her belly and then raised her head. Her smile was somewhat bitter. “The child… is gone.”
Song Jin stood there, stunned, and instinctively asked, “When did it happen?”
“More than two months ago, on the day Xinglan went abroad,” Yuan Ya tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, lightly pursing her lips. She said, “Let’s not talk about this. You must be starting your internship soon. Do you have any direction?”
He couldn’t remember what they talked about afterwards.
He felt like he was being dragged by something, extremely empty and heavy. Even responding to the conversation felt awkward and forced. Only Song Xinglan’s words echoed clearly in his mind: “I hate sharing with others the most, whether it’s money or people. Not even with an unborn child.”
For the first time, Song Jin learned that people really do break out in a cold sweat. In the bustling bookstore, in front of the gentle and quiet Yuan Ya, even though there was nothing and no one around him to fear, he felt a chilling sensation.
He didn’t want to blame Song Xinglan for what happened to Yuan Ya. But anyone who heard Song Xinglan’s words couldn’t help but connect them to Yuan Ya’s miscarriage. Especially for someone like Song Jin. He knew best what kind of lunatic his brother was.
“What’s wrong?” He Hao noticed that Song Jin seemed distracted after finishing serving the desserts and asked him.
Song Jin snapped out of his thoughts slightly. He pursed his lips and smiled faintly. “Nothing. I was just thinking about things.”
He Hao seemed relieved. “I thought you were upset because a customer scolded you.”
“No customer would scold him. He’s such a gentle and good-looking waiter,” Tang Min took off his gloves and walked out of the kitchen. “Let’s go. Let’s go out to eat.”
The weather outside was sunny and bright. It was a typical day of early autumn.
Song Jin glanced back at the window and saw the girls still gathered around the tablet.
They would probably never be able to connect the well-dressed, privileged young man with a sinister, cold-hearted lunatic. This world is full of disguises. Unless you truly enter someone else’s life, or have been truly hated by someone, you can never paint a true picture of who they really are.
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*Translator’s Note: I can’t help but think that when SXL said he doesn’t wanna share even with an unborn child, he meant he doesn’t wanna share a brother with anyone. But we’ll see if it’s really him that caused the miscarriage later in the story. -K
Next update: -Daily-
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