Abandoned White Moonlight Chapter 46

When he came back to his senses, Dai Yixin was still talking over the phone about how wonderful the musical would be, pretending to be a devoted fan. Huo Youqing listened to the lies for a while before saying, “I probably can’t go. I’ve been swamped with work, and I’ve got an urgent manuscript to finish.”

He didn’t want Dai Yixin to know he remembered anything, so he couldn’t show any hesitation about watching the musical. On the contrary, he had to sound regretful.

After a few more words, Huo Youqing found an excuse to end the call. Staring at his closed laptop, he felt too drained to work, so he packed up and headed home.

Back home, he didn’t do much—just laid on the couch until his cousin arrived. His cousin had a key to his place.

Carrying bags of groceries, his cousin had just come from the supermarket. Seeing Huo Youqing sprawled on the couch, he set the bags in the kitchen before coming over.

“What’s wrong?” His cousin glanced at the notebook on the coffee table. “Work giving you trouble? Then just stop working.”

Huo Youqing couldn’t help but smile. He was twenty-seven, but his cousin still treated him like a child—if you don’t like something, just don’t do it. If only life were that simple.

Seeing the concern in his cousin’s eyes, Huo Youqing was momentarily speechless, then smiled again. “No, I’m just a bit tired, so I’m resting for a while.”

His cousin breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, rest a bit longer. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” As he headed to the kitchen, he called back to Huo Youqing, “I’m going to start the soup. Duck soup tastes best when it simmers for a long time.”

His cousin had once been a pampered young master too—he never cooked or did housework. It was hard to say when they had both changed so much.

Huo Youqing saw this and followed him into the kitchen, but his cousin wouldn’t let him help. As soon as Huo Youqing opened the bag of ingredients, he was sent back out. “You go sit outside. You just recovered, and you need to rest more. Last month, when you went out, you came back with no color in your face.”

At this, his cousin looked at him with a complicated expression and asked, “Have you been in touch with Dai Yuan recently?”

Huo Youqing paused, then lied, “No.”

His cousin nodded, “That’s good. Honestly, last time when you called and said you were with him, I had a bad feeling something would go wrong.”

Huo Youqing gave his cousin a reassuring smile, but he understood clearly. Even if he wanted to cut ties with Dai Yixin, the other man would never let him go.

Sure enough, a few days later, Huo Youqing received a call from the company he was currently working for, where he was translating documents. The person who contacted him said there was another document that needed translating, but there was no rush—it could be handed in later. They even extended the deadline for his last piece of work, suggesting he could submit both translations together.

In other words, Huo Youqing now had plenty of time to watch the musical.

Without his memories, Huo Youqing would have been overjoyed. But with his memories intact, he knew Dai Yixin had pulled some strings behind the scenes. Even knowing this, he had no choice but to contact Dai Yixin, afraid that refusing might raise suspicion.

The musical was scheduled for a Friday.

Huo Youqing arrived on time, but as soon as he followed the usher into the venue, a wave of nausea began to creep over him. Most of this nausea came from the person beside him, but what was even worse was that he had to pretend to be friendly.

“Feeling unwell?” the person beside him suddenly asked.

He pressed his lips together, then quickly released them. “I got a little car-sick on the way here, but I’ll be fine after resting a bit.”

Before he could finish speaking, a large hand was already placed on his forehead. Dai Yixin’s eyes showed genuine concern. In this timeline, they hadn’t seen each other for almost a month, and Dai Yixin seemed to have lost some weight.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Should we go to the hospital?”

Huo Youqing, as if unused to Dai Yixin’s intimacy, turned his head away. “I’m fine. This musical is such a rare opportunity; I don’t want to miss it.”

Dai Yixin withdrew his hand. “Alright, but if you feel unwell, you must tell me.”

Huo Youqing nodded in response.

Their seats were in the central section of the first floor, slightly toward the front. If Huo Youqing wasn’t mistaken, the person sitting in front of him was the director of the musical. Under normal circumstances, he would have been excited at the prospect of chatting with the director, but now all his energy was focused on not letting Dai Yixin see through him.

In fact, he could have turned down Dai Yixin’s invitation with some excuse, like being too busy with work. He could also have claimed that they should keep some distance. But he suspected this invitation was a test.

Even if he refused this time, Dai Yixin would invite him again and again. If he turned him down too many times, Dai Yixin would start to suspect something.

After all, back when he didn’t have his memories, he’d been foolish enough to invite Dai Yixin to see a musical.

The musical began, and Huo Youqing forced himself to focus on the stage. But the more he watched and listened, the more memories of what happened when he was twenty-three surged into his mind. Although the two musicals had completely different storylines, they began to blend together in his head.

He saw the actors’ faces on stage change, turning into the faces of actors from four years ago. With exaggerated makeup, they laughed at him, and their gaping mouths seemed to reveal every sharp, white tooth inside.

Those sharp teeth bit into him, and his soul ached as if it were being roasted over fire. In the family photo album, his parents’ pictures turned from color to black and white. They were crying, condemning him, accusing him of defiling their sacred place of love, turning it into a foul, swampy pit.

Huo Youqing clenched his fists beside him, trying to use the pain in his body to suppress the howling of his soul. He forced himself to focus on the stage, pretending nothing had happened. He still loved musicals.

At some point, he noticed Dai Yixin glancing over at him. Huo Youqing carefully unclenched his fist, pressing his burning, sore palm against the armrest.

“Youyou,” came a soft call. Suddenly, the hand closest to Dai Yixin was grasped. Though Dai Yixin quickly let go, he still said, “Why are you sweating so much?”

Without hesitation, Huo Youqing whispered, “Just watch the show and stop talking.” He then pulled out a tissue and wiped his palms dry in front of Dai Yixin.

After more than two hours, the musical finally ended. Huo Youqing realized with a sense of despair that he could no longer appreciate the beauty of musicals. It wasn’t the musical’s fault—he just couldn’t help but remember that disgusting incident in the VIP room every time he watched one. The worst part was that back then, amidst it all, he had felt a twisted sense of pleasure.

Why did his body and mind have to separate like this?

When his soul was in agony, shouldn’t his body be too?

Why did his body betray him?

Huo Youqing closed his eyes briefly, forcing himself not to think about it. He took a deep breath, preparing to leave with the rest of the audience. But to his surprise, Dai Yixin stopped him.

“Youyou, the director of this musical is here too. Do you want to have a chat with him?”

Just as Dai Yixin spoke, the director, who was still sitting in his seat, turned around and smiled at them. Huo Youqing hesitated for only a couple of seconds before feigning excitement. “Can I?”

After getting the director’s nod, he switched seats and began to chat with the man. In truth, he hadn’t paid attention to the performance at all. He was too afraid to delve too deeply into the conversation, fearing that the director would notice something was off. What he feared even more was Dai Yixin realizing it.

But apparently, he did a good job. Before leaving, the director even gave him a signed ticket as a gift, expressing hope that Huo Youqing would come to see another show.

During their conversation, Dai Yixin had stayed by his side the whole time. After the director left, Huo Youqing kept up the act of being thrilled, chatting with Dai Yixin for a while longer. Then, as if suddenly noticing how late it was, he said goodbye.

He declined Dai Yixin’s offer to drive him home. As soon as he got back, he rushed to the bathroom. The nausea he’d suppressed all evening had reached his throat. He vomited until his eyes were bloodshot. He hadn’t eaten anything, afraid he might throw up during the night, but now, there was nothing left to bring up.

Lying on the cold floor, the lights felt like needles piercing his eyes. Unconsciously, Huo Youqing curled his body up—a motion seeking comfort—but there was no one who could console him.

He had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor, and when he woke up, he felt warmth. Stunned, he realized he was being held by someone. He looked up at the arms wrapped around him and saw a beautiful face, but something was different this time—cheeks flushed with a deep red.

Startled, Huo Youqing sat up abruptly, instinctively kicking the person with all his strength. Only after he kicked did he realize it was Dai Yixin from when he was eighteen. Dai Yixin seemed sick; when Huo Youqing kicked him, his body was limp, falling to the ground without getting up for a long time.

Dai Yixin had a fever.

Huo Youqing couldn’t move him or wake him up, so he called for an ambulance. At the hospital, he was ready to leave after paying the fees, but the doctor informed him that Dai Yixin had serious injuries on his back, which had reopened and needed stitching.

“Injuries?” Huo Youqing was confused. “What injuries?”

The doctor gave him an odd look. “The patient has over twenty marks on his back, like lashings from a belt.”

Huo Youqing quickly turned to look at the hospital room. Through the small pane of glass in the door, he could see Dai Yixin still unconscious, lying on the bed.

Lashings from a belt? Who could have done this to Dai Yixin?

A person appeared in his mind.

Father Dai.

He had once caught glimpses of the strangeness within the Dai family through the camera Dai Yuan left behind. Later, Dai Yixin had gone mad for a while, and Father Dai had forced Huo Youqing to take care of him. Back then, Huo Youqing had thought the Dai family wasn’t a normal household—no father would treat his son like that. But maybe he had just thought Father Dai was unusually strict. Was that really all there was?

What kind of father would use violence to bring his son home?

What kind of father would drive his son mad, and then send someone to test him?

Suddenly, Huo Youqing felt like he had missed a lot. Maybe Dai Yixin had been through much more than he knew. His refusal might have only been a catalyst, not the true reason Dai Yixin went mad.

If he could understand everything Dai Yixin had been through, could he change the future? Like a hero seeking to defeat the dark lord, he had to find the villain’s weakness.

With this in mind, Huo Youqing decided against going back to school. He called his roommate to ask for leave on his behalf and stayed at the hospital to watch over Dai Yixin.

He planned to ask Dai Yixin some questions once he woke up.

But before Dai Yixin woke, someone else arrived—Gong Lang. Gong Lang had somehow learned that Huo Youqing was at the hospital and rushed over in a panic. “Youyou, why are you at the hospital? Are you hurt?”

Seeing Huo Youqing sitting there unharmed, Gong Lang paused and shifted his gaze to the bed. This was Gong Lang and Dai Yixin’s first meeting in the timeline when they were both eighteen. Huo Youqing watched in silence as Gong Lang stared at Dai Yixin, his face growing darker with every glance.

“Who is he?” Gong Lang demanded, his tone accusatory.

Huo Youqing ignored him.

Gong Lang’s face twisted further in displeasure, like he was about to explode but held back. He stepped closer to Huo Youqing. “I heard you were in the hospital this morning, so I rushed over without even eating breakfast. Have you eaten? If not, let’s go get something together. As for him—”

He glanced at Dai Yixin with disdain. “This is a hospital; someone will take care of him. If you’re worried, I can hire a nurse to watch him.”

His words fell like pebbles into the sea—not even a ripple in Huo Youqing’s attention. He didn’t bother to spare Gong Lang a glance.

Gong Lang, who came from a privileged background and had always been highly regarded, had only ever lowered himself for Huo Youqing. Although he feared his older brother, he had never humbled himself like this.

For the umpteenth time, he tried to coax Huo Youqing. How long was Huo Youqing going to stay mad over a kiss?

Besides, if Huo Youqing hadn’t provoked him first, he wouldn’t have done what he did.

Gong Lang took a deep breath, his tone souring. “Come on, let’s go eat. Sitting here won’t wake him up any sooner.”

Seeing no response, he reached out to grab Huo Youqing’s wrist, trying to pull him up from the sofa.

This finally got a reaction.

“Let go!” Huo Youqing tried to yank his hand back, but Gong Lang’s grip was too strong. The skin on his wrist turned red, and he still couldn’t pull free. He raised his voice. “Gong Lang, let go! I never said I was going to eat with you!”

Gong Lang was oddly pleased that Huo Youqing had finally spoken to him. He switched back to his usual playful, shameless tone. “I’ll treat you. Don’t you love breakfast from Xing Restaurant? My car’s in the hospital garage; it’ll only take ten minutes to drive there.”

As he spoke, he half-embraced Huo Youqing, trying to lead him out of the hospital room. Huo Youqing frowned, his tone filled with disgust. “I thought I made myself clear. I didn’t expect your shamelessness to be this impressive.”

Because of his upbringing, Huo Youqing didn’t use harsh words, but this made his rare sharp remarks even more hurtful.

Gong Lang’s expression stiffened, but he forced a smile. “You’ve known me for ages. Come on, don’t stay mad. Hit me, curse me, whatever you want—just don’t ignore me. Let’s go eat br—”

Before he could finish the word, a hand grabbed his shoulder, forcefully pulling him back. Gong Lang, who had practiced taekwondo for a few years, was shocked. He hadn’t expected to be in so much pain from a single move. His face paled as he struggled to stand.

Dai Yixin had woken up. He gripped Gong Lang’s shoulder with the same hand that had just been hooked up to an IV, the needle now violently removed. Blood dripped from the wound, flowing between his fingers.

He didn’t seem to notice the pain. His fevered lips cracked as he licked them, and his amber eyes burned with intense hostility. Even Huo Youqing could tell something was wrong with Gong Lang, and after a moment of shock, he called out Dai Yixin’s name, “Dai Yixin, stop.”

Dai Yixin seemed a bit reluctant when his name was called, but when he met Huo Youqing’s gaze, his long eyelashes lowered, and he obediently let go of his grip. Gong Lang, drenched in cold sweat from the pain, couldn’t stand and fell to one knee once released.

Huo Youqing observed this, about to speak, but his wrist was gently cupped. The one holding his wrist was Dai Yixin, using his uninjured hand. He lifted Huo Youqing’s hand to his lips and softly blew on it.

It was a childish gesture, something children do when they get hurt. Huo Youqing pursed his lips and withdrew his hand. “My hand is fine. But him…”

He glanced at Gong Lang, who still seemed unable to recover from the pain.

“No fractures,” Dai Yixin said bluntly. Seeing that Huo Youqing was still watching Gong Lang, Dai Yixin’s flushed face darkened further, and he added, “He won’t die.”

As if to confirm his words, Gong Lang finally managed to stand. Embarrassed by his own weakness, he glared at Dai Yixin with the look of someone gazing at their sworn enemy. While massaging his sore shoulder, he sneered, “What’s your name?”

Before Dai Yixin could answer, Huo Youqing stepped in front of him, using his body to shield Dai Yixin from Gong Lang. “You don’t need to know that.”

Gong Lang had never seen Huo Youqing defend anyone else in front of him. He stood there in disbelief, his eyebrows furrowed and his voice quivering, “You’re defending him? You saw how he attacked me, didn’t you? I can barely stand!”

“This is your fault; he was protecting me.”

The implication: you brought this upon yourself.

Gong Lang’s mouth hung open as he took deep breaths, trying to compose himself. “All I wanted was to invite you to breakfast. What did I do wrong? Do you really think I could hurt you?” His eyes darkened, and his tone turned violent. “When did you meet this guy? Is it him?”

His words grew stranger, and Dai Yixin sensed something was wrong. He gently pulled Huo Youqing aside, repositioning himself between them. Gong Lang, growing more enraged, ignored the fact that they were in a hospital and swung a fist at Dai Yixin’s face.

But Gong Lang was no match for Dai Yixin. Not only was his punch easily blocked, but he also received a swift kick to his abdomen, sending him flying several meters away. His stomach throbbed as if it would split open, his internal organs feeling like they were on fire.

Never before had Gong Lang been humiliated like this. His eyes turned red with anger, and in a fit of desperation, he grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it toward Dai Yixin. He was so consumed with rage that he forgot Huo Youqing was also there, intent only on destroying this loathsome person and reclaiming his pride.

It wasn’t until the chair nearly hit Huo Youqing that he snapped back to reality.

Huo Youqing heard a dull groan from the young man holding him. He looked up to see Dai Yixin’s already pale face looking even worse. The sound of the chair clattering to the floor echoed, and Huo Youqing’s hand touched something damp on Dai Yixin’s back, confirming his suspicion.

***

The wound that had just healed needed stitching again. Gong Lang’s outburst had brought hospital security running. He paid no attention to them, only staring at Huo Youqing with pale lips, weakly explaining, “I didn’t mean to. I was just so angry earlier. Are you hurt, Youyou?”

He tried to check on Huo Youqing’s condition, but the other refused to let him approach. Never had Huo Youqing looked at him with such an expression, as if he were irredeemable trash.

At that moment, the pain in his body was nothing compared to the flood of anguish that came from that single glance. Gong Lang couldn’t bear to look at Huo Youqing’s face any longer and lowered his head as the security guards escorted him away.

After the commotion, Huo Youqing didn’t want to stay at the hospital either. He hired a caregiver for Dai Yixin and left for school.

Not all news was bad, though. Upon arriving at school, he received a message from his counselor saying his request to transfer dorms had been approved, and he could move today.

While moving his things, his roommates expressed their reluctance to see him go. Seeing this, Huo Youqing promised to treat them to a meal. As he said this, Qiu Wenfei sat silently in a chair, the only one not helping him pack.

As Huo Youqing was about to leave for his new dorm, Qiu Wenfei suddenly rushed forward, grabbing the heavy items in Huo Youqing’s hands. “Let me help you.”

Huo Youqing glanced at him, about to refuse, but the dorm leader spoke up, “Finally decided to lend a hand, huh?”

Since the other roommates were unaware of the tension between them, Huo Youqing decided not to argue and let Qiu Wenfei carry his things. After all, it would likely be the last time they crossed paths.

His new dorm was in an older building several hundred meters away, with worse conditions but a perk—only four roommates.

It took Huo Youqing most of the day to settle in. By the time he finished, it was evening. After a quick shower, he grabbed his meal card and headed to the cafeteria. To his surprise, as soon as he reached the dorm entrance, he saw Qiu Wenfei waiting.

He had no idea how long Qiu Wenfei had been there. When he saw Huo Youqing, he straightened up and walked over. Huo Youqing tried to ignore him, but Qiu Wenfei quickly blocked his path.

“What do you want?” Huo Youqing asked, forced to stop.

Qiu Wenfei’s gaze flickered nervously. “You didn’t come back to the dorm last night. Who were you with?”

Huo Youqing’s voice was cold. “How is that any of your business?”

Qiu Wenfei’s voice, initially soft, gradually rose. “Of course, it matters. Were you with that… that guy? The one who sent me those messages? Don’t bother lying—I saw it!” His expression grew increasingly manic, a hidden madness shining in his eyes. “You were with him all night. What did you two do?”