Abandoned White Moonlight Chapter 14

 

Huo Youqing had heard that sound before, but it wasn’t until tonight that he realized what it signified.

It was one summer, during a particular semester.

The sun was so hot it seemed to scorch the leaves, and the cicadas clinging to the rough tree bark added to the oppressive heat with their incessant buzzing. It was unusual for Gong Lang not to accompany him to the library, so after leaving on his own, Huo Youqing went to the campus store and bought an ice pop for the first time.

He had been curious for a while about his classmates’ habit of flocking to the store for cold drinks and ice pops after P.E. class, but his aunt and uncle had warned him that cheap items like that were unsanitary, full of low-quality sugar and cream, and would upset his stomach.

When the family’s housekeeper heard him mention this at dinner, she made cold drinks and ice pops the next day and brought them to him at school after P.E. class.

They tasted good, but he was still curious about the colorful ice pops in the store’s freezer, and he wanted to try one secretly. However, someone from the school was always watching him.

Gong Lang shared the same opinion as his aunt and uncle on the matter.

Since Gong Lang was busy that day, Huo Youqing carefully picked out a milk-flavored ice pop from the store, unwrapped it, and started eating as he walked back to the dormitory.

In truth, he didn’t like eating while walking, but in this weather, the ice pop would melt too quickly, so he had no choice. By the time he reached the dormitory, half of the ice pop remained, but the top had already started to melt, dripping down his fingers, sticky and uncomfortable. Wanting to wash his hands quickly, he hurriedly took out his key and opened the door.

The door swung open.

To his surprise, the dormitory, which he thought would be empty, was packed. His roommates and others from the neighboring dorm were all there. Instead of playing basketball or soccer, the tall boys were gathered around a widescreen computer, their faces flushed, breathing heavily as if they had just run 3,000 meters.

Huo Youqing was about to step inside but was stopped by a strange sound.

It seemed to be coming from the computer.

Before he could think it through, the boys all scrambled to turn off the computer in a panic, and someone even tripped.

Confused, Huo Youqing watched them, just as the melted ice cream dripped onto his hand. He quickly bit off the melting top of the ice pop.

The boy who had fallen was still on the floor, staring blankly at Huo Youqing. In fact, most of the people in the room were now looking at him.

The lights were off, and the curtains were drawn.

The bright sunlight outside spilled over the boy’s feet at the door. Because of the heat, he wore a short-sleeved shirt and knee-length shorts, revealing his pale arms and legs, his skin without a single blemish, as white as the melting ice cream in his hand.

He didn’t realize what his classmates were looking at; he was only focused on his battle with the ice pop.

Beneath his black fringe was a pale face, flushed slightly red from the heat, though not as red as his lips.

Someone let out a muffled groan, and suddenly, Gong Lang, who was in the crowd, erupted and started hitting someone.

The fight could have easily escalated, but for some reason, everyone present kept the same attitude—they wouldn’t breathe a word about it.

Later, when Huo Youqing, who wasn’t completely out of the loop, asked Gong Lang, “Why did you hit him?”

Gong Lang looked furious. “I don’t want to talk about it.” And when he saw Huo Youqing was about to press further, he quickly changed the subject. “Why did you sneak off to eat an ice pop from the school store? What if you get a stomach ache tonight? You know your stomach’s not good.”

Huo Youqing, who had been questioning him, immediately forgot his own question and guiltily turned away. He pulled out an English worksheet to cover up his embarrassment. “I didn’t even eat that much. Didn’t you throw away the rest?”

But Gong Lang was still angry. “I’m sleeping with you tonight, in case you get a stomach ache in the middle of the night, and I can’t take care of you in time.”

“Okay.”

That night.

The narrow dormitory bed. Half asleep, Huo Youqing couldn’t help but push the person behind him. Groggily, he mumbled, “So… cramped, Gong Lang, something’s pressing against me.”

He had no idea that the boy holding him had eyes that were unusually bright, as if he hadn’t been sleeping at all. Hearing the complaint from the person in his arms, Gong Lang smiled wryly and let go, but couldn’t resist lightly touching the pale, moon-like skin on the back of Huo Youqing’s neck.

After the touch, Gong Lang got out of bed to take a cold shower.

***

At the time, Huo Youqing didn’t understand what that strange sound he’d heard in the dorm represented, but tonight, he suddenly realized. The moment he understood, his ears flushed bright red, and in a panic, he turned off the lights and hid under the covers.

Normally, the room had good soundproofing, but tonight, it was as if the walls had holes in them.

Hiding under the blanket, Huo Youqing thought to himself that it was time to move out. Ever since he woke up at twenty-seven, he hadn’t paid much attention to his cousin’s private life.

Now that he thought about how familiar his cousin’s girlfriend was with this apartment, they’d probably been living together for a while. It was only because of his “memory loss” that his cousin had lied and said he lived alone, allowing Huo Youqing to move in.

Either way, he couldn’t keep imposing on them like this.

His soul was eighteen, but his body was twenty-seven. He shouldn’t be clinging to his cousin like a child.

Having made the decision to move out, he brought it up to his cousin the next day, which happened to be the weekend. His cousin immediately opposed the idea. “You’re living just fine here. Why move back? That villa is empty now, and if you go back, you’ll be all alone. Who’s going to take care of you?”

“I’m not a kid anymore; I can take care of myself.”

His cousin was about to argue further when he noticed Huo Youqing’s evasive gaze and slightly reddened earlobes. The words he was going to say turned into nothing.

The two sat in awkward silence until Huo Youqing finally spoke. “Cousin, there’s really no big deal about me moving back. We’re in the same city. If we want to see each other, it’s easy. It’s not like I can’t come over. Who knows, maybe I’ll come here every day to freeload off your cooking.”

His cousin forced a smile. “Alright, but don’t rush it. The villa still needs a cleaning service to tidy it up.”

A week later, Huo Youqing moved out of his cousin’s place and back into the villa at Xiangyuan.

However, he didn’t live there long before he began considering finding a different place.

Though the location of the villa was good, it wasn’t accessible by public transport. Huo Youqing didn’t drive, and the three-story villa, even without counting the garage and heated pool, was too much to clean on his own. His current salary wasn’t enough to hire a reliable full-time driver and live-in housekeeper.

There was also another reason—it felt too empty living alone in such a big house.

When he was eighteen, he was always surrounded by friends. He didn’t even need to say a word, and people would flock to him. But now, the only messages he received on social media were work-related.

Well, except for his cousin, who would chat with him every day. But his cousin was busy with work and would often disappear mid-conversation.

Dai Yuan would also text him sometimes, but he hadn’t replied to a single one, nor had he ever opened them to read.

For the first time, Huo Youqing searched for apartments online. He quickly contacted an agent who enthusiastically recommended several properties. However, when he went to see them in person, there was always something wrong with each one. It wasn’t until eight o’clock in the evening that he found a place that was exactly what he had been looking for.

It was a newly developed complex in a bustling area. The agent said the apartment had been a newlywed’s home, but the owner had to move abroad for work right after the renovation, so it had never been lived in. Everything was new, and the owner even offered to buy anything that might still be needed.

Seeing the grand piano in the corner of the living room, Huo Youqing was surprised. It wasn’t cheap. He asked the agent, “This place is so nice, why is it up for rent?”

The agent smiled, “The owner isn’t short on money. He just wants someone to look after the place. As soon as I saw you, I could tell you’re a careful person who appreciates life, which is why I recommended it to you.”

“Can I contact the owner directly?” Huo Youqing found the apartment so perfect that it made him a bit uneasy.

The agent assured him it was no problem, stepped out to make a call, and came back saying, “If you want to rent it, we can arrange a video signing with the owner, so both of you can feel at ease.”

“Alright.”

The next day, they signed the contract via video. The person on the other end was someone Huo Youqing didn’t know. His appearance, ID, and property deed all matched up.

Three days later, Huo Youqing moved into his new home.

When his cousin came to help him settle in, he was shocked by the apartment, especially when he learned the rent. “Why is it so cheap?”

Huo Youqing repeated the agent’s explanation, and his cousin frowned slightly. However, after hearing that Huo Youqing had verified the owner’s identity, he relaxed a bit, though he still had the locks changed that same day. He also reminded Huo Youqing to be more vigilant living alone and not to open the door to strangers.

“I’m not an eight-year-old,” Huo Youqing shook his head helplessly. But seeing his cousin’s worried expression, he obediently said, “Alright, alright, I won’t open the door for strangers, and if anything happens, I’ll call you.”

Indeed, he never opened the door for strangers.

Two months passed in the new apartment. Aside from his cousin’s two visits, no one else came by, and no one chatted with him either.

At the convenience store in the neighborhood, Huo Youqing had met a college student working part-time. They had even planned to play badminton together, but within a few days, the student was replaced by someone else at work.

Huo Youqing forgot to exchange contact details, so he had no way to ask why the student suddenly quit.

He had never felt so lonely.

No one played with him, and no one paid attention to him.

He became so bored that he entertained himself by playing the piano every day.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to make new friends. Huo Youqing even reached out to a colleague who usually pressured him for deadlines, hoping to make friends. But it seemed like there was a misunderstanding, as the colleague soon replied with, “Sorry, I’m not gay.”

Another month passed, and spring turned into summer.

One day, Huo Youqing managed to snag two tickets to a musical he particularly liked. His first instinct was to invite his cousin, but his cousin responded that the day coincided with his girlfriend’s birthday.

“Sorry, Youyou, I…” his cousin apologized, sounding guilty.

Huo Youqing tugged at the tablecloth. “It’s fine. I was just asking if you were interested. Actually, I have another friend who wants to see it, so I’ll go with them instead. You go celebrate your girlfriend’s birthday, and tell her happy birthday for me. I’ll make up the gift next time.”

His cousin said something more, but Huo Youqing wasn’t really listening.

After hanging up, he sat on the couch, fully tasting the bitterness of loneliness for the first time. At 18, he had been surrounded by people—if nothing else, Gong Lang alone clung to him like sticky candy.

“Ping—”

The phone screen lit up.

Huo Youqing glanced over.

It was a message from Dai Yuan.

This time, he opened the text.

As always, Dai addressed him as “brother,” telling him that his leg was fully healed and that he even went for a run today. Dai also sent a picture of his lunch, which he said he had made himself.

Huo Youqing stared at the message for a long time, and then, as if by some inexplicable impulse, he typed a reply.

“Do you want to go see a musical?”