Chapter 4 – Addiction
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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The wedding ceremony ended, and the lights came on. Zhou Zhou and Cheng Che, as representatives of both families, stood up to join the bride and groom in toasting and greeting guests. Since Jin Wuqi entered the banquet hall, despite the dim lights, many people had noticed him. So several well-dressed alphas had already come over to greet him.
One of the alphas was someone Yu Yang knew. He was the heir to a major conglomerate, a young talent who was highly regarded.
After finishing his drink, Yu Yang stood up, took his jacket from the back of the chair, and went to the long table against the wall to pick up a plate of snacks. Then he pushed open the door to the balcony and stepped outside.
He casually hung his jacket on the balcony railing, loosened his tie a bit, and looked down from the high-rise building. The bustling streets were tinged with golden light from the street lamps. The flow of traffic moved slowly, appearing small, distant, and serene.
Staring at it for too long made his eyes ache. Yu Yang took a step back and leaned against the wall, lowering his head to eat the snacks. He hadn’t eaten anything at the table, so now, on an empty stomach, even the most exquisite cream tasted greasy. Yu Yang frowned after just a few bites, feeling annoyed and restless.
He heard the sound of a door opening and tilted his head slightly. It should be someone coming out onto the adjacent balcony. The two balconies were only separated by a short distance, with a row of greenery and flowers decorating the partition. It was late summer, and the flowers were still lush, so he couldn’t see the person on the neighboring balcony clearly. Especially since Yu Yang was leaning against the inner wall, he was completely blocked from view.
From the sound of footsteps, there seemed to be more than one person. Yu Yang subconsciously didn’t want to eavesdrop. So he straightened up and planned to grab his jacket and leave.
“Mr. Jin, I’ve heard about your company for a while now. But I never expected you to be the boss behind it,” an alpha’s voice, filled with praises, drifted into Yu Yang’s ears with the wind.
Yu Yang stood still, wanting to confirm if the ‘Mr. Jin’ mentioned was indeed the omega he was thinking of.
In fact, he didn’t need to hear a response. The faint scent of roses that began to drift over was confirmation enough.
“What’s so strange about that?” Jin Wuqi’s soft and sweet voice was like petals blooming on a flower rack, carrying a fresh color, gently swaying in the evening breeze from above. “Besides, just because you know I’m the boss, are you going to break the appointment?”
“If I had known it was you…” the alpha deliberately softened his tone, with obvious temptation and teasing in his voice, “when we signed the contract, I would have definitely wanted to have a detailed discussion with you in person…”
Yu Yang lowered his head and looked at the dessert in his hand that he had taken a few bites of. He suddenly felt that things that were overly soft and sweet were truly easy to become addicted to and fascinated by. They could also ignite a strong desire to break away from them.
Unfortunately, breaking the addiction was a hundred times harder than getting lost in the addiction. You could be immersed in it in just a second. But it could take many years to break free.
He didn’t hear what they said later. Yu Yang just closed his eyes and stood there in a state of exhaustion, feeling like all his strength had been drained from him. He didn’t even want to move his fingers, letting the evening breeze blow past his ears like a whimpering sound. He was truly tired.
Whether it was the emotional restraint and suppression over the past four years, the physical and mental exhaustion from busy work, or the thorn that could never be pulled out of his heart.
It’s all too torturous.
Another sound of a door opening. Yu Yang heard Cheng Che’s voice from the neighbouring balcony: “Brother.”
“What’s up?” Jin Wuqi asked.
Cheng Che didn’t say anything. The alpha next to Jin Wuqi was also observant. He smiled and said, “We’ll talk next time,” then said goodbye and left.
“Where’s Yu Yang?” Cheng Che asked.
“I don’t know.” Jin Wuqi’s voice was light and airy. “You coming to me to find Yu Yang obviously won’t yield any results.”
Cheng Che paused and said, “You know that Yu Yang hasn’t let go.”
On the other side, Yu Yang chuckled softly. His bangs were blown by the wind onto his somewhat pale forehead. The lights from the tall buildings couldn’t reflect in his eyes.
“This, you’ll have to ask him.” Jin Wuqi’s voice carried a casual smile.
Cheng Che asked, “And you?”
“As for me…” Jin Wuqi’s tone was ethereal. Yu Yang wasn’t sure if he had been drinking. He hadn’t paid attention to Jin Wuqi at the table just now. Or perhaps the night wind had scattered his voice, so it always sounded a bit unreal.
But Yu Yang still heard it clearly. He heard Jin Wuqi say, “Me and Yu Yang? At most… At most… we’re just friends with benefits.”
A casually uttered sentence, without any mercy, cut off the hair-thin thread hanging over Yu Yang’s heart. It instantly threw him from the dizzying tower into a bottomless abyss and finally smashed a boulder onto his chest, preventing him from turning over.
Yu Yang lifted his head and faced the distant, icy moon.
“Why bother,” he whispered silently to himself.
Then he turned and pushed open the door. He returned to the banquet hall leaving his coat swaying gently in the wind on the railing.
Cheng Che’s voice was cold as he stared into Jin Wuqi’s eyes. “If that’s how you feel, then it’s best not to bother Yu Yang anymore.”
Jin Wuqi was his cousin while Yu Yang was his friend. He’s also Zhou Zhou’s childhood friend for over a decade. Cheng Che didn’t want to see them make their relationship awkward again, especially since he knew how Yu Yang had been living these past few years.
Jin Wuqi smiled and turned to look at the distant lights. His profile almost blended into the night. He was clearly in view, yet it was as if nothing could be captured.
Emotions, smiles, thoughts—all elusive. Cheng Che couldn’t understand any of it.
“I’ve been ‘marked’, Cheng Che,” Jin Wuqi sighed, his tone heavy. “Permanently ‘marked’.”
He turned his head slightly. There was a smile playing on his lips. But his eyes were calm and indifferent. “With me like this, do I even have the right to ask Yu Yang to be in a relationship with me?”
***
When Jin Wuqi and Cheng Che returned to the hall, the relatives and friends of the bride and groom were standing together, preparing to take a group photo. Yu Yang, a tall alpha over 1.9 metres tall, stood with his head down in front of Zhou Qiao, taking a scolding.
“Mr. Yu is really busy. Are you busy with work or dating?” Zhou Qiao raised her chin, glancing at Yu Yang. With each pat of the bouquet in her hand, it seemed as though she was preparing to whip someone instead of just holding a bouquet.
“Work,” Yu Yang replied with a smile. “Sis, don’t be angry. It’s such a good day. Just smile.”
Zhou Qiao was just pretending to tease Yu Yang. She couldn’t hold back her laughter. She stuffed the bouquet into Yu Yang’s arms. “I actually hope you were going on dates. Do you have someone you like? If so, remember to seize the opportunity.”
In the corner of his eye, Yu Yang saw Jin Wuqi walking towards them. The bright lights were dazzling. Yu Yang looked down at the bouquet in his hands. His eyelashes fluttered slightly. He then raised his head and said with a smile, “There’s no one I like.”
In the group photo, Yu Yang and Jin Wuqi stood on either side of the bride and groom with their faces displaying a gentle smile.
My heart is pierced by sharp thorns, unbearable to touch. It’s better to build high walls, soaking in the blood, and drowning the remnants of my pride.
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*Author’s Note: Regarding why the permanent ‘mark’ cannot be seen, it will be explained later. Also, it’s not just because of being ‘marked’ that one cares about oneself. There are other reasons, which will be revealed in much later chapters.
However, in ABO stories, the permanent ‘mark’ for omegas is something that cannot be ignored. – McChicken
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*Translator’s Note: Don’t wanna spoil the story at this point but the incident behind JWQ being ‘marked’ is really heartbreaking. -K
Next update: 2024.04.07
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Link to Chapter 5: https://freenovels.net/long-summer-late-awakening-chapter-5/
