TL: Moonlit
Tang Song didn’t expect that he had said so much and Lin Yue would think he was being manipulated.
He was just offering a reasonable analysis, okay?”
“You can’t blame me. Since we were kids, we were always close. What’s my relationship with Xia Jue?”
“You do want to have a relationship with him, but he doesn’t even look at you straight!”
“Can we talk properly? Why do you always resort to personal attacks? Wasn’t my analysis just now reasonable?” Tang Song adjusted his tie and continued, “You never asked about Xia Jue’s past. You just chose to avoid it on your own. That’s not right. But of course, after he came back and dug such a big hole for you, he really isn’t a good person. But in the end, it all depends on your feelings toward him, right?”
“What do you mean?” Lin Yue turned his head away, trying to suppress his frustration.
“You can forget about it. If you have no feelings for him, just ignore him completely. No communication, no contact, no response. Over time, he’ll understand the situation. On the other hand, if you still have lingering feelings for him, then you need to talk to him about what happened in the past. Once you accept it in your heart, everything will go smoothly if you end up together. There’s no third option for love. The answer lies in your own heart.”
After speaking, Tang Song patted Lin Yue’s shoulder and said, “It’s getting late. I have to go home. Think about it yourself.”
Without waiting for Lin Yue’s response, Tang Song got into his car and left.
Lin Yue sat there watching the guy leave and sighed. He knew that Tang Song was right. Love had only two possible outcomes: liking or not liking someone. The answer was in his heart.
Running his fingers through his hair, Lin Yue decided to go home and get some rest. Today had been too overwhelming, and he needed to clear his mind. He would think about everything tomorrow.
Back at home, Lin Yue felt a mixture of emotions. He was well aware that what Tang Song said made sense, but he couldn’t deny the turmoil inside him. Tang Song was right; he couldn’t just welcome Xia Jue back with open arms after being deceived by him.
Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, William returned and Lin Su asked, “What were you doing just now?”
William smiled and Lin Su showed him the self-heating hotpot in his hand, “Can we eat now?”
“Sure. I just tried it in the back. It’s not bad. I wonder how it tastes. There are three flavors: spicy, mushroom soup, and tomato soup. Come and try.”
They went inside, and all three flavors were heated and released their delicious aroma.
William took a taste of each one with his chopsticks, “I prefer the spicy and tomato ones, but the mushroom soup is a bit bland for me.”
“I never realized that I’ve spoiled your taste.” Lin Su smiled and also tasted each flavor, “Hmm, the mushroom soup is okay when eaten alone, but it does feel a bit bland when compared to the other two. However, it’s still acceptable. The ingredients are fresh, so we can use it tomorrow.”
Lin Su put down his chopsticks, decisively making a decision.
William smiled and reached out to ruffle his hair, “It’s getting late. Let’s go home.”
“Okay, let me inform my third brother.”
Lin Su was about to leave but was stopped by William, “Don’t go. He left early.”
“How do you know?”
“I just saw him leaving.”
Lin Su squinted his eyes, “You bumped into him when you went out just now?”
Seeing that Lin Su caught on to the key point, William didn’t hide it, “Yes, I saw him when I went out, and he didn’t seem to be in a good mood. I poured him a glass of water.”
“In a bad mood? How come?”
William shook his head, “I don’t know. Maybe he’s just not feeling well.”
“My third brother in a bad mood?” Lin Su thought it must be something serious, “Did he come over today for a classmate reunion?”
Classmate reunions are always peculiar things. Could his third brother have encountered an ex-boyfriend?
Seeing Lin Su’s expression as if he figured something out, William chuckled, “What are you thinking?”
Lin Su smirked mischievously and pulled the big fox closer, speaking mysteriously, “Do you think my third brother bumped into someone he had a crush on or had dated before? Classmate reunions are exactly for this kind of thing, right?”
William nodded in agreement, amused by Lin Su’s imagination, “That does sound quite plausible!”
Unable to hold back his laughter, Lin Su fell into William’s embrace. The big fox was thoroughly influenced by him and had become just as gossipy.
Though worried about Lin Yue, Lin Su didn’t directly ask him. After all, it was a private matter. If Lin Yue really encountered something he couldn’t handle, Lin Si believed that with Lin Yue’s personality, he wouldn’t keep it to himself. He would eventually talk to them about it.
When they returned home, it was already late, so they went straight to bed.
Early the next morning, William had to leave for work, so he left early. After waking up, Lin Su had a quick meal and went to the fast-food processing factory to prepare the instant hot pot and frozen dumplings for the market.
Ai Su Fast-Food Processing Factory had already started its promotion a few days ago.
As soon as the news spread online, it immediately caught the attention of many people.
With the popularity of purified fruits and vegetables in various star regions, more and more people started cooking their own food. However, not everyone had talent in cooking, and the quota for enrollment at Ai Su Culinary and Dessert Academy was limited. Moreover, eating is an everyday thing, so even if lucky enough to be accepted by Ai Su Culinary and Dessert Academy, it wouldn’t be immediate.
At times like this, such fast-food products undoubtedly solved the problem for most people.
With just a little heating, they could enjoy delicious food. Who wouldn’t want to buy it?
Moreover, the variety was plentiful, allowing people to keep trying different flavors without worrying about getting tired of them.
Furthermore, the recipes for these fast-food items were all from Ai Su Gourmet Restaurant.
How could the taste be anything less than excellent?
Definitely not!
And they were also sold at a unified price across the entire empire, so there was no worry about buying them at a high price.
With such excellent products, they were immediately sold out as soon as they hit the market.
Fortunately, Lin Su had provided additional quotas for the military personnel.
When the first batch of instant hot pots and frozen dumplings were delivered to various military warehouses, it deeply moved the soldiers who usually had to rely on nutritional supplements.
The military thanked Lin Su, but he thought that this was only a temporary solution, and to solve the fundamental problem, they needed to provide the military with a batch of chefs and build canteens.
He mentioned this idea to William in private.
After hearing Lin’s Su words, William smiled and said, “Big brother just mentioned this today. He wants to wait for the graduation of this batch of students from the culinary academy and hire some of them for the military.”
“That’s perfect. I think there should be someone willing to go.”
This worked out so well.
The matter was unexpectedly agreed upon so smoothly.
As soon as the fast-food products hit the market, they received rave reviews, especially for those who were traveling and didn’t want to rely on nutritional supplements. They could simply bring a small box of fast food, convenient and affordable.
And most importantly, it was delicious.
—
Lin Yue completely cut off contact with the outside world for two days. On the morning of the third day, his missing manager finally came to his home. Qin Yi saw the person and greeted him, “Xiao He, you’re here.”
“Uncle, is Lin Yue at home?”
“He’s at home. Why didn’t he tell you?”
“Oh, he did. I’ll just check on him. I’ll go find him upstairs.”
“Go ahead.”
As the manager had been to Lin’s house before, he was familiar with it and didn’t need Qin Yi to guide him. He went upstairs alone and found Lin Yue’s room. Knocking on the door, he saw Lin Yue wearing a hoodie and sitting on the floor playing a game. “What’s going on with you? You turned off your communication, and you disappeared as if you evaporated from the world.”
Lin Yue glanced at him. “If I evaporated, would you be able to find me? What’s the matter?”
“What’s the matter? The shooting schedule with Director Xia has already been finalized, but you disappeared. You are the lead actor, haven’t you forgotten?” The manager pushed aside the messy things on the floor and found a place to sit down. “What happened? Weren’t you taking care of Director Xia at the hospital? Did you two have a falling out? For some unknown reason, he decided to remove the cast earlier than planned. He’s pushing himself too hard. That’s why he gained such popularity at such a young age.”
Hearing that Xia Jue had the cast removed, Lin Yue’s heart tightened, causing him to lose his grip on the game controller, resulting in a failed game.
He tossed the controller to the ground and lay back on the bed. “If we breach the contract now, how much would the penalty be?”
The manager’s eyes widened in shock. “Boss, what’s gotten into you? That’s Xia Jue we’re talking about. Many people want to work with him, and you want to breach the contract? You two definitely have some issues!”
Lin Yue sighed. “So, the penalty for breaching the contract would be significant, right?”
“Of course. If you unilaterally breach the contract, you’d have to pay the other party double the compensation. Even if you’re filthy rich, you wouldn’t just give away money for nothing, right?”
“Of course, we can’t just give away money.” Lin Yue muttered, then he turned on the communication device that had been closed for two days. Suddenly, his wrist communicator seemed to go crazy, buzzing and vibrating.
The manager looked at Lin Yue’s communicator. “Is your hand numb?”
Lin Yue nodded. “Yes, it’s numb.”
“I can see why. Who is it? How many messages did they send you?”
Lin Yue opened the screen and saw Xia Jue’s name.
Without waiting for the manager to come closer to take a look, Lin Yue covered his lips and coughed before getting up from the floor. “I need to go to the restroom.”
The manager looked at him suspiciously. “Lin Yue, you seem a bit off. You’re not secretly dating someone behind my back, are you? We agreed before that you can date, but you must inform me so I can be mentally prepared.”
However, Lin Yue, who had already entered the restroom, didn’t answer him. Instead, he slammed the door shut.
Leaning against the glass counter, Lin Yue opened the communicator screen again.
In the past two days, Xia Jue had relentlessly bombarded him with messages!
This guy was really something!
Fuming inside, Lin Yue read through Xia Jue’s messages from the beginning to the end. Xia Jue went from apologizing to expressing the hope of talking with him and finally brought up the matter from years ago.
He said he could explain and hoped Lin Yue would give him a chance.
Coincidentally, Lin Yue also wanted to hear what he had to say. So, he sent a message back, setting a time to meet.
He wanted to see what kind of reasonable explanation Xia Jue could give him!
For the past two days, Xia Jue had restrained himself from reaching out to Lin Yue. But when he received the message that Lin Yue was willing to chat with him, it was like a death row prisoner finally had a trial date.
His assistant, who was accompanying him, expressed some concern. “Mr. Xia, what about your leg…”
“No need.” Xia Jue stood up. His leg had already healed; he simply hadn’t followed the doctor’s orders to rest for a few more days. He didn’t want to meet Lin Yue while sitting in a wheelchair at this moment. He wanted to walk up to him personally.
The car quickly arrived at the place they had agreed upon, a relatively private clubhouse. When Xia Jue entered, he found Lin Yue already waiting inside.
In order to meet Xia Jue, Lin Yue had taken a shower, styled his hair, and changed into a fresh outfit. He looked refreshed and full of energy. However, whether his true feelings matched his outward appearance, only Lin Yue knew.
As Xia Jue entered, Lin Yue gestured for him to sit down. His gaze briefly swept over Xia Jue’s injured leg and then moved away.
Xia Jue had brought some flower tea, specially prepared by the staff here, and poured two cups, placing one in front of Xia Jue. “It’s your favorite.”
Xia Jue looked at him and said, “Thank you.”
Lin Yue smiled faintly, as if they were just old friends who hadn’t seen each other for many years.
Xia Jue picked up the cup and took a sip. The elegant floral fragrance spread between his teeth, carrying a hint of sweetness.
But it couldn’t wash away the bitterness in his heart.
“Go ahead, you have a lot to say, right?” Lin Yue put down his cup and looked at Xia Jue directly.
Xia Jue raised his purple eyes, a hint of amusement in them. “Do you remember the time we went on a spring outing? You saw a flower growing on the edge of a cliff and wanted to pick it. Many people tried to stop you, but you still picked it and brought it back. Lin Yue, I’ve never disliked you, nor have I ever wanted to reject you.”
Just like how many people tried to stop you from picking that flower, telling you not to do it, but you insisted on picking it and even gave it to me. I never wanted to push you away.
“But in reality, you did reject me. You disappeared for so many years.” Lin Yue curled his lips, the arc of his smile carrying a hint of sarcasm. He didn’t like Xia Jue mentioning the past, “You even changed your name.”
So, what do they have from the past?
“I’ve treasured that letter you wrote. It broke once, but I managed to find all the pieces and carefully glued them back together. Lin Yue, I didn’t want to transfer schools back then…” Xia Jue sat there, analyzing everything from the past, finding it difficult to speak. He didn’t want Lin Yue to think he was seeking pity, but the truth was everything that happened had an element of seeking pity. He dryly pursed his lips. “My father discovered that letter. I resisted, but there was nothing I could do.”
At that time, he was too weak, thinking he could control the whole world, but he discovered how insignificant he was. He couldn’t even win the person he liked.
But fortunately, now he can.
Xia Jue’s voice became hoarse, as if something was restraining and suppressing him.
Lin Yue sat across from him, quietly watching him. “So, you were locked up, forced to transfer schools, and even restricted from contacting the outside world. You know, when I asked Tang Song yesterday, he told me the same. I didn’t expect him to be quite talented in writing too.”
Lin Yue’s hand clenched tightly on the table. “Alright, let’s say everything you said is true. Can I ask, did you have no chance to contact me for all these years? Did you have to appear like this and test me?”
“I’m sorry.” As Lin Yue’s eyes reddened, Xia Jue’s sense of self-blame doubled. However, he found that all his explanations seemed feeble.
There were some things he didn’t know how to express.
“Between us, there’s nothing to forgive or not forgive. It was just a matter from our school days. So many years have passed, let it go.” Lin Yue picked up his cup, smiled at Xia Jue, and took a sip.
After finishing the drink, he naturally said, “I heard from my manager that you’ve already set the date for resuming work. Let’s meet on that day. Work must go on, and rest assured, I won’t bring personal emotions into my work. I still have professional ethics. So, if Director Xia has no other business, I’ll leave.”
Lin Yue stood up, and Xia Jue followed suit. When he reached out to grab Lin Yue’s arm, Lin Yue dodged him. “Mind yourself, Director Xia.”
Deliberately creating some distance, Xia Jue’s face turned pale, and his vision began to darken.
With lips pressed together, he watched Lin Yue enter the elevator.
After relaxing his body and propping himself up against the table, his vision became noticeably dark. The assistant who had followed him quickly ran over and handed him medicine from the bag. “Mr. Xia, take the medicine quickly.”
After swallowing a relieving pill, Xia Jue sat on the chair. “Has he left?”
The assistant nodded, then realized that Xia Jue couldn’t see him nodding due to his current condition. “Yes, Mr. Lin has gone downstairs.”
“You can leave. I want to be alone for a while.”
After the assistant left, Xia Jue raised his hand and pressed against his eyes.
On that rainy day, he was locked in the room by Shi Luan. At that time, he had been fasting and hadn’t had water for many days. He hadn’t seen Lin Yue for many days either.
That fool must have thought he had been deceived.
I don’t know how to scold him in my heart!
But the only door leading outside was locked, and the only way he could leave was by jumping from the third floor.
Just as he was about to open the window, his female father came with the key and unlocked the door, allowing him to leave.
Many things seemed to spiral out of control after he walked out that door.
He successfully left home, but his female father bore the punishment for his escape, and he couldn’t meet the person he wanted to see.
When he was caught and taken back, he was so close to being able to tell Lin Yue in person that he also liked him.
But in the end, that sentence never reached Lin Yue, and after so many years, Lin Yue wouldn’t believe it even if he said it now.
Because of his unauthorized release, Shi Luan punished his female father, and no matter how much he begged, it was futile. Shi Luan’s decision was unchangeable.
He also understood that Shi Luan wanted him to know the consequences of defying him.
Outside the window, he didn’t know when it started raining.
Xia Jue lowered his hand, his vision still blurred. The doctor told him that, even with the most advanced technology, when his emotions were too strong, the residual matter would press against the wound, causing blindness. If he couldn’t control his emotions well, the chances of losing his sight again would be high.
This was the curse that Shi Luan left him, ensuring that he wouldn’t have an easy life even in death.
…
As Lin Yue left the club, his mood became even more complicated.
He had a gut feeling that Xia Jue hadn’t told him the whole truth, or maybe what he said was true, but he had concealed many things.
As for the reasons, even someone like Tang Song could guess them…
And the fact that Xia Jue, a reserved person, would sit there earnestly explaining everything that had happened over the years, that was strange!
After getting into the car and looking at the rain outside the window, Lin Yue pursed his lips and finally sent a message to Lin Te: “Big brother, can you help me investigate a person? I just need his experiences over these years, nothing else.”
Lin Te replied quickly: “Who?”
“Renowned director Xia Jue, before changing his name, was called Shi Xia.”
Lin Yue licked his dry lips; he knew that asking Lin Te to investigate these matters might expose himself.
But he was too eager to know what had happened over these years.
“Got it, I’ll find out for you.”
Lin Te didn’t ask further, which relieved Lin Yue. “Thank you, big brother.”
The rain gradually grew heavier, and by the time Lin Yue returned home, it had turned into hail. Qin Yi couldn’t help but say, “Have you eaten? There’s food in the kitchen.”
“I’m not hungry. I just want to sleep.”
“What have you been doing lately? Why are you so tired? Are you feeling unwell?” Qin Yi followed him, showing concern. “Should we schedule a medical check-up?”
“I’m fine. It’s just work-related stress, but it’s okay. I’m young, and this level of stress is nothing. Don’t worry, Female Father, I’ll rest for a while, and I’ll be fine.”
Lin Yue comfortingly hugged Qin Yi.
Qin Yi patted his shoulder gently. “Then rest well. No matter what work you have, there’s no need to rush. Take your time.”
“I know. Don’t worry; I’m fine.”
“Alright, go rest then.”
Lin Yue returned to his room and closed the door. He collapsed onto the bed and looked up at the drawer. He got up, pulled it open, and inside was a black stone.
It wasn’t a precious gem, just an ordinary stone you could find anywhere on the mountain.
It was from that time they climbed the mountain. He gave Xia Jue a flower, and Xia Jue gave him this stone.
The only special thing about this stone was the tiny characters “夏1Xia” and “嶽2Yue” at the bottom.
His fingers gently touched it. “Did you think only you cherished it?”
If he didn’t like it, if he didn’t think of him, how could he have kept this piece of stone for so many years?
The mobile phone suddenly vibrated, and Lin Yue saw that it was a message from Lin Te. His heart tightened, and he quickly opened it, finding a file being transmitted.
After accepting the file, Lin Te’s message came through: “Lin Yue, I need you to explain this.”
Lin Yue knew that when he asked Lin Te to investigate Xia Jue, his own secret wouldn’t be overlooked either. “I’m sorry, big brother, I haven’t told you all this time, but I actually like males.”
“Do you like males, or do you like this person named Xia Jue?”
Ah! Lin Te was quite good at getting to the point.
“Xia Jue.”
Lin Te: “You haven’t had any contact for so many years, how did you end up involved with him again? This person is not as simple as you think. I advise you to give up!”
Lin Yue: “I haven’t even seen the information yet. Can I read it and then answer you?”
Lin Te: “What can you answer after reading it? Forget it, figure it out yourself. You deal with the female father and male father on your own this time, no one will help you!”
Lin Yue: “Big brother, you’re already doing great. Rest assured, no matter what happens this time, I’ll handle it on my own. Love you!”
Lin Te didn’t reply further; he was probably disgusted by Lin Yue’s response.
Lin Yue put his mind at ease and opened the information that Lin Te sent him…
