Abandoned White Moonlight Chapter 77

Back home, the two cousins sat in silence. Although Huo Youqing had his own place, his cousin stubbornly held onto his hand, as if the moment he let go, Huo Youqing would devour Dai Yixin alive right there in the car.

There was no way to explain it. Was he supposed to tell his cousin that he had been the one pinned down earlier? No way, not as a man.

So, he didn’t explain.

And not explaining, in a way, was admitting to guilt.

His cousin had always known that Huo Youqing liked men. But even though he knew, he had always seen his cousin as someone who was hard to get close to. Even when someone tried, they were usually coldly driven away.

So, what was going on now?

During the short elevator ride, his cousin constructed a whole timeline in his mind. He hadn’t been around when Huo Youqing went to the U.S., but his mom had told him that Huo Youqing and Dai Yixin had been close, always hanging out together.

Could this be a case of rekindled love?

Otherwise, why would someone as important as Dai Yixin be so eager and attentive?

The more he thought about it, the more dots he connected—from the auction tickets to tonight’s airport pickup. His cousin glanced at Huo Youqing, noticing his slightly red ears, and became even more convinced that his suspicions were right.

He sighed again.

What to do?

Logically, it was none of his business if old flames rekindled. They could do whatever they wanted.

But emotionally, as Huo Youqing’s cousin, especially since his parents weren’t around, he felt like an elder. What had happened in the car tonight? If they acted like this now, what would happen next? Would the car’s wheels fall off tomorrow from their antics?

Though he considered himself open-minded, he couldn’t let them run wild like this. So, he put on a stern face, preparing to play the role of the responsible elder who would separate the couple, expecting Huo Youqing to come over and sweet-talk him into allowing them to stay together but at a slower pace, and definitely not in public.

There were cameras everywhere, and everyone had a phone. What if someone caught them on video? That would be a disaster.

But when he put on a serious face, Huo Youqing completely ignored it, heading straight to his room to take a shower. His cousin was left speechless. When Huo Youqing came back, still drying his hair and pouring water for himself, his cousin stood there dumbfounded.

Apparently sensing his cousin’s accusatory stare, Huo Youqing finally turned toward him.

But all he said was, “Cousin, you should get some rest too.”

His cousin coughed a couple of times.

Huo Youqing paused in drying his hair, seeming slightly exasperated or perhaps embarrassed. Standing in the darkened dining room, his face wasn’t entirely visible, but he said, “I’m sorry about tonight. It won’t happen in front of you in the future.”

“In the future?” His cousin immediately caught the key word.

Huo Youqing didn’t answer and simply said, “Goodnight,” before heading back to his room.

Inside, he felt far from the calm that his cousin saw. In fact, his emotions were extremely conflicted. Last time, he could chalk it up to being drunk, but what about this time? Was it just his unwillingness to back down?

But who refuses to back down in situations like this? If a stranger had dared to do that, he would have already thrown a punch.

A stranger…

Huo Youqing sat on the edge of his bed, absentmindedly touching his lips. Clearly, Dai Yixin was no stranger to him. In fact, he was so familiar that just Dai Yixin’s touch made him tremble.

That night, Huo Youqing didn’t fall asleep for a long time. He felt as if he was stuck in a quagmire of indecision, unable to make a clear choice.

In the end, like a turtle retreating into its shell, he buried himself under the blanket.

However, the next morning, he didn’t expect to see Dai Yixin waiting at the door with breakfast for him and his cousin. Before Huo Youqing could say anything, his cousin rushed out of the bathroom.

“Yixin is here! Come in, come in!”

His cousin had a plan. He realized he couldn’t get through to Huo Youqing, so he figured he’d try his luck with Dai Yixin. He invited him to the dining table and, throughout breakfast, kept saying all sorts of things that made Huo Youqing uncomfortable.

“Cousin, it’s getting late. You should head to work,” Huo Youqing finally said.

His cousin glanced at the clock. “It’s still early, it’s only…” He caught Huo Youqing’s gaze and swallowed the rest of his words. “Well, I guess I should head to the office.”

Standing up, he glanced between Huo Youqing and Dai Yixin, hesitating whether he should take one of them with him. But when he met Dai Yixin’s pleading eyes, his heart softened.

Ah, rekindling a past relationship isn’t easy. Better not be the third wheel for now.

After his cousin left, it was just Huo Youqing and Dai Yixin in the house. Huo Youqing ate slowly, and Dai Yixin sat across from him, patiently waiting. When Huo Youqing finished and wiped his mouth, Dai Yixin softly called his name.

Huo Youqing looked up. It wasn’t his first time studying Dai Yixin closely. In the six years since Dai Yixin had reappeared, Huo Youqing’s mind kept flashing back to another timeline, one he could no longer visit—the last time he saw Dai Yixin in that other world, where he was in a wheelchair, oblivious to everything. Dai Yixin didn’t know who he was, nor what he said. Though his heart was still beating, and he was still breathing, it was as if he were already dead.

A soulless body is just a lump of flesh, destined to decay.

Now, a new, healed Dai Yixin stood before him. This version had no idea what the other self had done in that other world, or what choices had been made.

Huo Youqing pressed his lips together tightly, hesitant, but forced himself to speak. “Let’s give it a try.”

“Hmm?” The young man across from him seemed not to have heard clearly.

“I said let’s try dating, but make sure you understand: if either of us wants to break up, this relationship is over. Also, I’ll draft a contract, and you’ll need to sign and stamp it. If you violate any of the terms, the relationship ends immediately.”

Almost before he had finished speaking, Dai Yixin agreed. He didn’t even ask about the contract.

“Okay.”

Dai Yixin wasn’t a particularly expressive person, but even so, Huo Youqing could clearly see the joy on his face. Huo Youqing pursed his lips again and, with a gesture, called him over.

When Dai Yixin walked closer, Huo Youqing patted him on the head as if he were petting a large dog that had bent down for affection. “Hello, boyfriend.”

Let’s give it a try. Though life had been calm and peaceful recently, it felt like stagnant water. His days were beginning to feel like copies of one another—more than 2,000 days passed, but they felt like the same day repeating over and over again.

In these six years, it’s not like he hadn’t tried connecting with others, but even a light touch on his arm would make him feel uncomfortable.

A long time ago, Dai Yixin had said that he had tamed him.

Maybe… Huo Youqing had gotten used to Dai Yixin too.

Let’s try again. No matter how bad things might turn out, it couldn’t be worse than the outcome in that other timeline.

He wanted to give Dai Yixin a chance—his heart told him so.

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