Abandoned White Moonlight Chapter 61

As the gradually reddening sunset dyed the dusk, the light from the west enveloped the room, and the pale curtains fluttered softly in the wind. Dai Yuan turned his gaze to the cold jade face just inches away from him. His voice lowered, making it sound more enticing.

“What do you want me to do?”

Huo Youqing didn’t dodge the warmth by his ear. “I want you to help me make Dai Yixin fall in love with Christian.”

Dai Yuan clearly hadn’t expected this request. After a pause, he asked, “Do you really not like my brother?”

The next second, he was pushed away. Huo Youqing’s eyes were calm. “I think I’ve said that many times already.”

Dai Yuan didn’t say anything for a moment, silently calculating. After a while, he said, “The Christian you’re talking about, is he from the Brent family? He went to the same school as my brother.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve got your goal. So what’s your plan?”

Huo Youqing replied, “This time, Dai Yixin left on his own, and knowing your father, he’ll probably lock him up again. If not, I hope you can help me get Dai Yixin locked up. Then have Christian visit him every day for a short while.”

Dai Yuan instantly understood Huo Youqing’s idea. Though it was Huo Youqing who made the suggestion, Dai Yuan couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh. “Isn’t this kind of redemption tactic a bit too cliché—” But when his gaze met Huo Youqing’s, his smile quickly faded, though he still shook his head. “If this could make my brother fall in love with Christian, then my brother would have had a dozen lovers by now, all of whom coincidentally would have been psychologists.”

Huo Youqing frowned. “If you don’t want to help, then forget it.”

“I’ll help, of course. How could I not agree to your request? But you should at least give me some reward.” Dai Yuan’s gaze fell on Huo Youqing’s lips, and as he leaned in to kiss them, a finger pushed him away.

Huo Youqing wiped the blood from Dai Yuan’s face onto his own clothes without a change in expression. “Once you’ve finished the task, then come to me for a reward.”

Dai Yuan was a little disappointed, but he still agreed.

When he did, his eyes betrayed an unmistakable sense of amusement.

Meanwhile, Huo Youqing had been experiencing frequent time travel lately, almost waking up in a different timeline every time he slept.

In the timeline when he was twenty-seven, Dai Yixin seemed to have forgotten what had happened that day in the living room. He never mentioned anything about regrets, and Gong Lang hadn’t visited again either.

The two coexisted peacefully in a strange way. Dai Yixin became silent and withdrawn again, almost as if he had reverted to the twenty-year-old version of himself. He no longer initiated conversations as often, and in fact, rarely spoke at all. Huo Youqing, as usual, had no interest in talking to him. So even though they lived under the same roof, it felt as if they were living alone.

Sometimes, when Huo Youqing came out of the study, he would see Dai Yixin sitting on the couch, staring blankly into space, doing nothing, just sitting there. He wouldn’t notice Huo Youqing until the sound of footsteps caught his attention, at which point he would turn his gaze and ask—

“Do you want a drink…?”

The “…” could be filled in with any soft drink he made that day.

After being refused, he never showed any disappointment on his face, simply watching Huo Youqing return to the study or go to another room.

Dai Yixin’s state was undeniably strange, and this only made Huo Youqing more determined to speed up the progress in the eighteen-year-old timeline.

Of course, there was another reason as well.

Huo Youqing wiped the light sweat from his forehead with a raised hand, only to find his palms were also damp. Despite it being late autumn, he was sweating profusely. He frowned and roughly pushed away the heavy body pressing down on him. “I need to take a shower.”

Dai Yixin, who had his face buried in Huo Youqing’s neck, slowly lifted his head. “I’ll carry you there.”

“No need.” Huo Youqing turned his face away irritably, unwilling to look at Dai Yixin at this moment. In fact, Dai Yixin looked particularly beautiful right now, his pale skin also slick with sweat, especially around the tattoo on his neck.

The tattoo, glistening with sweat, seemed even more vivid, as if it had just been inked.

Dai Yixin didn’t insist and obediently moved aside, watching as Huo Youqing walked into the bathroom. When Huo Youqing came out, the bed sheets had already been changed, but he still asked unhappily, “Why are you still here?”

Dai Yixin asked, “Can I sleep here tonight?”

“No.”

Those cold words sent Dai Yixin away. His gaze lingered on the person who had just been so intimately close, before finally lowering his eyes and leaving the room.

Huo Youqing wasn’t someone driven by lust, but he had to admit that he had become quite familiar with Dai Yixin, which was why he wanted to speed up the process as soon as possible.

He didn’t want to sink deeper into this twisted desire, where there was no love—only physical pleasure.

His determination to move forward more quickly was only solidified after he dreamed in the eighteen-year-old timeline of doing the same thing with Dai Yixin, reaching a fevered climax.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

***

Dai Yuan worked quickly. In just a few days, Huo Youqing received a video. In the video, Dai Yixin had been locked up in that same room Huo Youqing had been in.

Under the infrared camera, Dai Yixin remained motionless from the moment he was brought into the room, lying on the cold floor as if he were dead.

As Huo Youqing watched the video, Dai Yuan sat beside him, his eyes not on the screen but intently focused on Huo Youqing’s face. After Huo Youqing finished watching, Dai Yuan spoke. “Do you feel sorry for him?”

Huo Youqing didn’t respond. He merely glanced at Dai Yuan before handing the tablet back to him. “What about Christian? Have you contacted him?”

Dai Yuan didn’t rush to answer the question. Instead, he asked, “Aren’t you at least a little curious about what my brother went through?”

He reopened the video. “Although the surveillance isn’t entirely clear, you should be able to see the wounds on him, right? This time, my brother really angered my father. Even I found it shocking.”

Huo Youqing interrupted before Dai Yuan could say more. “You don’t need to probe further.”

Dai Yuan paused, then closed the video. “I was just worried that you might regret this decision, so I wanted to ask more. After all, there’s no turning back once the arrow leaves the bow.”

Huo Youqing understood that very well. He had already made up his mind—long ago, when he was twenty years old, he had decided to rid himself of Dai Yixin.

Now that the opportunity was back in his hands, why wouldn’t he seize it? Besides, Christian loved Dai Yixin. Having him by Dai Yixin’s side could only be beneficial.

He wasn’t like Dai Yixin; he wouldn’t regret his choices.

A couple of days later, Huo Youqing received a live surveillance feed. In the footage, Christian entered the room wearing special glasses that allowed him to see the situation clearly.

Huo Youqing watched as Christian walked up to Dai Yixin. Even from the screen, Huo Youqing could sense Christian’ss excitement. Christian knelt halfway down, his hands trembling as he touched Dai Yixin. His voice, full of concern and emotion, could be heard clearly from the surveillance.

Christian, his voice trembling, called Dai Yixin by his English name, filled with unmistakable pain and excitement.

Christian had liked Dai Yixin for a long time. From the moment he entered the school, he had fallen for Dai Yixin at first sight. Sadly, no matter how hard he tried, Dai Yixin never noticed him.

Christian had joined every club and competition that Dai Yixin participated in. During open lectures, he even dared to sit near Dai Yixin. For two whole years, he persisted, rain or shine, yet Dai Yixin still didn’t know his name.

This time, he finally had a chance to get close to the person he admired. His heart raced as if it would leap out of his chest.

Christian remembered the water he had brought and immediately unscrewed the cap, speaking gently, “Are you thirsty? Let me help you drink some water.”

He moved to bring the bottle to Dai Yixin’s lips but realized it might spill on his clothes, so he decided to help him sit up.

But before he could touch Dai Yixin, he was forcefully pushed away.

With a loud clatter, the water bottle hit the ground.

Christian had mentally prepared for this, knowing Dai Yixin wouldn’t easily accept him. So, he wasn’t discouraged. He shook his aching arm and resolved to stay quietly by Dai Yixin’s side.

He believed that if he stayed long enough, Dai Yixin would eventually be moved by him.

Being alone in a pitch-dark room, with no sense of time passing, was a terrifying ordeal. But Christian could stay with Dai Yixin, letting him know that he wasn’t alone—that Christian was there with him.

With that thought, Christian glanced around the room. Though the glasses allowed him to see clearly, the oppressive atmosphere still made his scalp tingle.

The room was eerily quiet, so quiet that Christian could hear Dai Yixin’s breathing. Every little movement he made echoed loudly, the sound unnervingly sharp in the silence.

After what felt like a long time, Christian’s watch flashed, reminding him it was time to leave. He whispered a few words to Dai Yixin, promising to return the next day.

Christian gathered up everything he had brought. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to leave anything behind—it was the rules of those who had brought him here.

The next day, Christian entered the room at the same time as before. He found Dai Yixin lying in the exact spot, and his heart ached. Christian hurried over, softly asking, “Are you okay?”

Seeing Dai Yixin with his eyes shut tight, he boldly touched his forehead, finding it burning hot. “You’re sick! I… I didn’t bring any medicine. Wait, I’ll go find help!”

Christian rushed to the door, but the door that had opened for him before was now firmly shut. No matter how hard he knocked or yelled, it didn’t budge. No one came to let him out. Christian paced anxiously back and forth, realizing his electronics had all been confiscated except for his watch and glasses, leaving him no way to contact the outside world.

Suddenly, he remembered the room had a bathroom. He quickly rushed in, found a clean towel under the sink, wet it with cold water, and wrung it out. He hurried back to Dai Yixin and prepared to cool his forehead with the towel.

But before he could place the towel on him, Dai Yixin grabbed his arm with a grip so strong that Christian feared his bones might break.

Christian inhaled sharply from the pain but tried to calm Dai Yixin. “Don’t be afraid, I’m just trying to cool you down. I won’t hurt you.” When Dai Yixin didn’t release him, Christian softened his voice further, though it trembled a little, “I’m Christian, we go to the same university. You may not know, but I’ve been watching you for two whole years.”

Emotionally overwhelmed, Christian confessed all the things he had done out of affection for Dai Yixin, blushing as he spoke. This was his first time openly admitting his feelings to Dai Yixin, something he would never have dared to do under normal circumstances.

But today, Dai Yixin didn’t seem as cold and distant as he usually did.

It seemed to be working. Dai Yixin loosened his grip and closed his eyes again. Christian took this as permission, his breath catching for a moment, and then he went to place the towel on Dai Yixin’s forehead.

The moment the towel touched his skin, Dai Yixin grabbed it and threw it aside forcefully.

Christian felt a little hurt but didn’t give up. He picked up the towel, cleaned it, and tried again. Dai Yixin threw it away each time, but Christian persisted, using his actions to show his determination and love for Dai Yixin.

No matter how many times Dai Yixin rejected him, Christian wouldn’t give up.

The only regret was that by the time Christian had to leave, he still hadn’t managed to place the towel on Dai Yixin’s forehead.

As soon as he stepped out, Christian protested, “He’s sick, burning with fever. You should take him to the hospital.”

The person in front of him, who looked identical to his beloved, gave him a troubled expression. “It’s not that we don’t want to take my brother to the hospital—he refuses to go. But don’t worry, we’ve put fever medicine in his food. You know he’s heartbroken. He’s in a bad mood. Please be patient with him.”

Christian nodded but still said, “I’ll try to convince him tomorrow. Who was the heartless person who rejected him? Do they know about his situation?”

Dai Yuan’s eyes darkened. “They know, but just as you said, that person is truly heartless. That’s why I believe only you can help my brother now.”

Christian suppressed the happiness rising in his chest and directed his anger at the one who had hurt his beloved. “That person is so cruel. I hope your brother can move on from this torturous relationship soon.”

“I hope so too,” Dai Yuan replied.

Each day, Christian spent more time in the room. Dai Yixin’s fever came and went, and just when it seemed to subside, it would rise again. The worst part was that Christian couldn’t even get close to him; Dai Yixin refused to let him touch him.

Christian also started to feel suffocated in that room. He couldn’t understand how Dai Yixin could endure staying in there for so long. Every time Christian entered, he felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation that only intensified the longer he stayed.

He adjusted his breathing and forced himself to sit down. Then, he heard something — a sound, faint but unmistakable, coming from Dai Yixin.

In all the days he’d been there, he’d never heard Dai Yixin speak. Excited, he leaned in cautiously. “What did you say?”

After listening closely, he realized Dai Yixin was speaking in Chinese.

Christian’s Chinese wasn’t very good. He could only make out that it was two identical-sounding words, but he couldn’t grasp the meaning. At first, he thought Dai Yixin was asking for water, so he brought some over, only to have it knocked away. Then it hit him — Dai Yixin was probably calling out the name of that person.

Christian felt both heartache and anger. He quickly began talking about what he knew, saying that the person Dai Yixin was calling out to already knew he was here but simply didn’t care.

He kept talking until he suddenly noticed Dai Yixin had opened his eyes.

In the glow of the infrared camera, his eyes seemed to shimmer, though it was hard to tell for sure. But that look captivated Christian. Over these past few days, Dai Yixin had lost a lot of weight, but his gaunt beauty was still striking. Normally, Dai Yixin had always looked down on him, never once showing any sign of vulnerability.

It was as if Christian was being lured in, and he slowly leaned down closer.