Abandoned White Moonlight Chapter 35

For a moment, the face before him overlapped with the one from the airport, only to split apart like the hands of a clock. It was the same face, yet it gave off an entirely different feeling.

The sudden encounter threw Huo Youqing off. He had thought he would never see the other person again in this lifetime. But now, not only had they met, but the other man was attending Gong Lang’s birthday party, and from the looks of it, they seemed to be on good terms.

Before he could make a quiet exit, Gong Lang brought the man over to him.

“Little Yuan, let me introduce you. This is my best friend from my school days—Huo Youqing.” Gong Lang’s gaze, filled with warmth moments earlier, shifted back. “Youyou, this is Dai Yuan.”

“Dai Yuan” extended his hand in perfect timing. His amber eyes were polite and restrained. “Hello, my name is Dai Yuan.”

It was the exact same introduction as when Dai Yuan first met Huo Youqing all those years ago.

Though they were at a birthday party filled with guests, though it was just a normal greeting, Huo Youqing felt an unmistakable chill. It seeped into his bones and skin from the very air around them.

—“Youyou, are you truly willing to leave with me?”

—“Yes.”

Lowering his eyes, Huo Youqing quickly apologized and rushed away. He heard someone call after him, but he didn’t stop. He knew his actions tonight were rude, but a primal instinct was screaming at him—

Run!

Run fast!

Don’t stay here!

Dai Yixin had appeared!!!

Even after getting back to his car, Huo Youqing’s hands were still trembling. He didn’t understand why he was so afraid, afraid to the point of burying his head in his arms on the steering wheel, trying desperately to calm himself down.

After a moment, he sat up straight, took a deep breath, and drove the car out of the parking lot.

“Don’t be afraid.”

There’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s just someone he used to know. So much time had passed, and everyone had changed—Dai Yixin must have changed too.

As Huo Youqing reassured himself, his phone lit up. It was a call from an unfamiliar local number. He stared at it for a long time, and just before the call was about to hang up by itself, he answered.

He didn’t speak first.

“Why did you leave so suddenly?” It was Gong Lang’s voice on the other end.

Realizing that the unfamiliar number belonged to Gong Lang eased Huo Youqing’s anxiety slightly. He organized his thoughts and replied, “Sorry, I wasn’t feeling well. I’ll make it up to you another time by treating you to a meal.”

“I’m fine, really. But Little Yuan was quite embarrassed. He thought you didn’t like him and didn’t even want to greet him.”

“I… I’m sorry.” Huo Youqing hesitated. He had experienced the methods of the Dai family before, and in his view, Gong Lang shouldn’t be involved with them. But what if Dai Yixin had changed?

However, Gong Lang was once his best friend.

“Gong Lang, is that Mr. Dai with you now?” After much deliberation, Huo Youqing asked.

There was a brief silence from the other end. “No, why do you ask?”

Frowning, Huo Youqing hesitated. He wasn’t the type to speak ill of others, especially considering the awkwardness between him and Gong Lang now. He carefully said, “I just want to suggest that if you’re thinking of becoming friends with Mr. Dai, you should be more cautious and take your time to get to know him better.”

His words were met with laughter.

Gong Lang laughed ambiguously on the other end. “What’s this? You’re not acting like yourself, Youyou.” His tone suddenly turned cold as if something had come to mind. “I forgot, you’ve picked up a lot of good things while abroad.”

The implication was obvious, and anyone could understand.

After a brief silence, Huo Youqing replied, “Just be careful. I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait,” Gong Lang’s voice became urgent, as though he was afraid Huo Youqing would end the call. “Is that all you have to say to me? Nothing else?”

Huo Youqing was feeling very conflicted at the moment. He didn’t know what else Gong Lang wanted to hear. He had already wished him a happy birthday, so he said, “I think that’s it.”

Gong Lang let out a cold, bitter laugh. “Alright, you’re always like this. Since you have nothing else to say, I’ll speak. I like Little Yuan. I’m pursuing him. Don’t throw shade at him in front of me. He’s not like you!”

With that, he hung up.

Even though Huo Youqing was the one being mocked, it seemed that Gong Lang was even angrier.

Huo Youqing stared at the phone’s darkened screen for a couple of seconds before turning his attention back to the road. When he was 18, he had heard far harsher words from Gong Lang. Now…

It was nothing.

***

Half a month later, Huo Youqing received an invitation.

The invitation was from his university dorm leader, who had looked out for him back in school, like helping him sign in for attendance or covering for him during dorm inspections.

During the past two weeks, Huo Youqing had been wondering whether Dai Yixin would reach out to him, but he hadn’t.

Gong Lang hadn’t contacted him either, and Huo Youqing started to feel a bit lucky—perhaps it had all been a coincidence. After all, the Gong family’s business had grown significantly, so it wasn’t surprising that Gong Lang would know someone like Dai Yixin.

Back then, during that car ride with Dai Yixin, Gong Lang hadn’t seen Dai Yuan’s face.

Even so, Huo Youqing hadn’t gone anywhere in the past two weeks and stayed home. When the dorm leader invited him, he specifically asked, “Is Gong Lang coming?”

The dorm leader replied, “Gong Lang? Oh, you mean your childhood friend? Do you want to bring him along?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to know if you invited him.”

“Me, invite Gong Lang? I’m not that close to him—we haven’t spoken in ages. How could I even get him to come? What’s up, Little Huo?”

It seemed the dorm leader wasn’t aware of how things had soured between him and Gong Lang.

Seeing this, Huo Youqing responded, “It’s nothing, I was just asking. I’ll come that day.”

The gathering was at a villa. According to the dorm leader, he had rented it for a barbecue party with everyone.

Huo Youqing arrived around the same time as another car. As he got out, he saw Qiu Wenfei stepping out of the other vehicle.

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