Chapter 3 – The Wedding
Novel Title: 长夏醒迟 (Long Summer, Late Awakening)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 余炀 (Yu Yang -MC/Gong), 靳吾栖 (Jin Wuqi -ML/Shou)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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During the wedding, Jin Wuqi did not show up. Cheng Che, as Cheng Yan’s nephew and groomsman, spent the day with him at the hotel. Zhou Zhou, as Zhou Qiao’s younger brother and… flower boy? Spent the day with Zhou Qiao at the bridal shop, munching on melon seeds and playing games, contrasting sharply with the groom’s side.
In the evening, Yu Yang was still in a meeting with several senior executives. After the meeting, he glanced at his watch. He immediately grabbed his coat, left the company, and looked at his phone, which was full of calls and messages from Zhou Zhou.
Just as he sat in the car, Zhou Zhou called again. Yu Yang answered while starting the car.
“Why haven’t you arrived yet?” Zhou Zhou’s voice rang amidst some noise on the other end. He was almost shouting at Yu Yang, sounding like a bleating lamb. “Is this appropriate, Yu Yang? Do you know who’s getting married today? It’s my sister, Zhou Qiao! She’s asked me eight hundred times where you are. She said when she sees you later, she’ll stuff the bouquet in your mouth.”
“Thank her for her kindness.” Yu Yang said, “I’m driving. I’ll be there soon.”
“Hurry up!”
Zhou Zhou hung up and turned back to head to the banquet hall, only to crash into an alpha’s arms.
“Are you so focused on your matchmaking that you can’t even watch where you’re going?” Cheng Che hugged him and asked, “Is Yu Yang coming?”
“He’s coming.” Zhou Zhou pocketed his phone and tidied up Cheng Che’s tie. “Where’s your brother? Is he coming?”
“I don’t know. I can’t reach him on the phone.” Cheng Che playfully ruffled Zhou Zhou’s hair. “Who styled your hair? It’s a little curly.”
“My sister,” Zhou Zhou pouted, blowing upwards to fluff his curly bangs. “She’s just having fun with me since she’s free at the bridal shop. If it weren’t for her wedding today, I wouldn’t have agreed.”
“It’s okay. It’s cute.” Cheng Che leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Let’s go in. The wedding is about to start.”
***
The road was a bit congested. So after Yu Yang got out of the car, he ran into the hotel lobby. He was holding his coat, with his shirt buttons undone and his tie a bit loose. He was about to ask a waiter which banquet hall it was when he looked up and saw Zhou Qiao and Cheng Yan’s names on the electronic screen, indicating they were in the largest banquet hall.
Zhou Zhou called again. Yu Yang answered as he stood in the elevator. “Don’t rush me. I’m almost there.”
“Get ready to catch the bouquet!” Zhou Zhou said. “Come in through the left door later. We’re at the front table.”
“Got it.”
“Ah. The ring exchange is already done. There’s nothing much to see now. You’ve just arrived and Cheng Che’s brother didn’t even pick up the phone. So he probably can’t make it…”
Jin Wuqi isn’t coming.
Yu Yang’s hurried steps out of the elevator inexplicably slowed down as he listened to what was said on the phone. He walked towards the banquet hall’s entrance with his head down.
Although he resisted the idea of seeing him again, he couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable anticipation upon knowing that the other party might also attend. Now, being suddenly told that he didn’t come, it felt like a stone was rolling down in his chest, pressing against his heart. It made him feel weak and dull. His emotions were imprisoned into a distorted stiffness, with no place to release.
It really is… unavoidable. I’ve always been such a masochist.
Yu Yang chuckled self-deprecatingly and hung up the phone. He reached out to the cold door handle, applying a bit of pressure to open the door.
“Yu Yang.”
The bustling noise from the banquet hall seeped out through the crack in the door. But the soft call from behind seemed to push all the noise back into the hall, ringing clearly in his ears, enveloping his hearing. Yu Yang was frozen in place.
His heart was racing. Yu Yang closed the gap in the door. He then turned around to look at the omega behind him. Despite the turmoil of emotions almost bursting through his chest, his face showed no expression. It was as if the acting skills he had honed in the business world over the past year had clad him in a self-deceptive armour, allowing him to maintain a composed demeanour at least.
Jin Wuqi’s hair was still loosely tied up, with stray strands lightly falling on the side of his face. He was wearing a simple and soft sweater, the most basic and unadorned style, yet his omega features were so captivating that even the sweater seemed to take on a charming colour, making it hard to look away.
“You’re also late?” Jin Wuqi smiled softly, showing no sign of anything amiss. “Seems like you’re busy with work.”
Yu Yang turned his head slightly as he pulled the door open again. He stood aside, holding the door in a polite and courteous manner. He did not look directly at Jin Wuqi, as if no matter who was outside the door at this moment, Yu Yang would politely invite them in first.
Jin Wuqi came over graciously. As he passed by Yu Yang, he paused. He reached out and adjusted Yu Yang’s loosely tied tie. His sweet and charming voice, like a hook, penetrated Yu Yang’s ears amidst the noisy crowd, creating a tangible sensation.
“Young sir, your tie is so loose. You’re not looking decent.”
They were standing quite close, with the scent of roses lingering in the air. Yu Yang deliberately kept his gaze low and could only see Jin Wuqi’s graceful jawline. He raised his eyes indifferently to meet those tea-coloured eyes, saying nothing.
Indeed… things have changed, Jin Wuqi thought silently.
In the past, when the young man looked at him, his eyes were always bright, like burning stars that never went out.
But now, those lights had disappeared completely, replaced by indifference. It was like a lake that had flooded over his heart. It was calm, distant, and heavy, as if it could swallow up all the oxygen in his breath.
Jin Wuqi lowered his hand, smiled faintly, and brushed past Yu Yang into the banquet hall.
Yu Yang closed the door. He knew he was very likely to be seated at the same table as Jin Wuqi. So he followed him into the hall.
The lights in the hall were deliberately dimmed, leaving only the stage brightly lit. In the changing dim light, Yu Yang gazed at the fair and slender nape of the omega not far in front of him. It was obscured by the scattered strands of hair and the collar of his sweater, making it unclear. But Yu Yang remembered—he had once bitten into that fragrant and delicate gland, injecting his aggressive lemon soda pheromones into the omega’s body. He had ‘marked’ Jin Wuqi before.
But it was just a temporary ‘mark’. One that couldn’t be retained, fading away completely in half a month, ultimately futile.
‘Marks’ couldn’t be retained. And neither could people. Leaving without a word, gone for over four years—it was laughable to think about.
He didn’t catch what the person on stage was saying. Amidst the enthusiastic applause and cheers of the guests, Yu Yang saw Zhou Zhou and Cheng Che. Jin Wuqi walked ahead of him, waving to Zhou Zhou.
Zhou Zhou jumped up from his chair and ran to hug Jin Wuqi, excitedly talking to him in his ear.
Cheng Che, on the other hand, noticed Yu Yang behind Jin Wuqi and nodded at him.
Yu Yang then walked around Jin Wuqi to sit at the table. Cheng Che pushed a glass of wine towards him.
“I’m not drinking. I have to drive,” Yu Yang said. “Just a soft drink for me.”
Cheng Che glanced at Zhou Zhou and Jin Wuqi, who were talking, and said, “My brother just came back not long ago.”
“Mm,” Yu Yang took a sip of his drink.
Cheng Che nodded, still watching the stage, and said to Yu Yang, “He came back about a week ago. I heard he’s been really busy. He only had time to meet me a couple of days ago and couldn’t even be a groomsman for my uncle.”
Yu Yang looked at his cup.
It was a week ago, the day they first met each other again at the basketball court.
Maybe I was the first person Jin Wuqi went to see after returning to the country.
But Yu Yang just found it amusing. Jin Wuqi had used such tactics countless times four years ago, always coming to find Yu Yang first whenever he returned to the country. It was as if he considered Yu Yang more important than anything else.
But what was the result? When Jin Wuqi left, he didn’t say goodbye to Yu Yang. He just cut all ties cleanly.
Zhou Zhou and Jin Wuqi came over and sat down. Yu Yang tilted his head back, finished his drink, and then looked at Zhou Qiao and Cheng Yan. He clapped along with the others and said lightly to Cheng Che, “Let’s not talk about him anymore.”
Cheng Che looked at Yu Yang and then followed his gaze to the stage. He said, “Okay.”
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*Translator’s Note: I miss the young Yu Yang who was shy and naive though. -K
Next update: 2024.04.05
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Link to Chapter 4: https://freenovels.net/long-summer-late-awakening-chapter-4/
