Moonlight Left Behind chapter 5

Lin Qinzhou felt even more depressed as he silently walked out of the room. Just as the man was about to close the door, he suddenly turned around, squatted down in front of the wheelchair, and asked, “Boss Qin, may I ask your full name?”

Boss Qin frowned slightly, appearing somewhat displeased.

Lin Qinzhou’s heart sank. He realized he might have been a bit impulsive.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t get an answer, the man slowly spoke, “Qin Yue.”

Qin Yue.

Lin Qinzhou rolled the name on his tongue, silently repeating it several times. His heart, which had dropped heavily, started beating wildly, and he said excitedly, “Then, Boss Qin, let’s get to know each other again. I’m Lin Qinzhou.”

Qin Yue’s eyes grew darker, and he seemed to be staring at Lin Qinzhou in a daze. Soon, he quickly suppressed that emotion, lowered his gaze, and said softly, “I know.”

The change in emotion was too quick and subtle for Lin Qinzhou to notice. He wasn’t particularly surprised that Qin Yue knew his name; as the owner of the guesthouse, it was only natural for him to know the information about his guests.

The reason he went through such unnecessary actions was merely to deceive himself.

“Alright, Boss Qin, now that we’ve exchanged names, we should be friends, right?” He was being a bit pushy.

Qin Yue did not respond but smiled again. “It’s late; you should rest early, Mr. Lin.”

What does this mean? Does he not want to be friends with me?

Lin Qinzhou frowned slightly, and his gaze toward Qin Yue involuntarily carried a hint of aggrievement. Doubts crept into his mind. Qin Yue seemed like a polite and thoughtful person, so how could he lose his composure over something so trivial?

Answering wouldn’t cost him anything. He couldn’t even pretend?

Did he dislike him that much, not wanting to be friends with him?

Lin Qinzhou had been so happy when he learned Qin Yue’s name, but now he felt equally disappointed. In just two minutes, his emotions felt like a roller coaster, soaring high into the clouds and then plummeting down sharply.

This feeling was somewhat awful and very out of control, which was not a good thing for him.

He stood up, turned without saying anything, and took a few steps before saying, “I’m leaving.”

Back in his room, Lin Qinzhou still felt a bit stifled; he didn’t even want to blow dry his hair. He sat cross-legged on the bed, examining the guitar he had brought back from Boss Qin’s room.

This guitar was a birthday gift for his 18th birthday, given to him by a friend on the island, if his memory served him correctly.

The guitar wasn’t cheap; that friend had secretly saved money for half a year for it. Lin Qinzhou remembered being quite touched at the time and had rushed to hug the friend when he received it, even playing and singing a song for him on the spot.

He sang “The Rest of My Life.” That was a song he had written himself, the first time he sang it for someone else.

But he couldn’t recall more details about that day, and it puzzled him why he had written such a song at that time.

Perhaps it was because that person was his best friend on the island; in his memories of Coral Island, that friend always seemed to be present. Although he had forgotten what the friend looked like, the feeling couldn’t be mistaken.

Time truly is a terrifying thing; even the best friends and closest people can accidentally get lost in the river of time, let alone someone with his condition.

He just didn’t know how that friend was doing now. If they met again, would he even recognize him?

Lin Qinzhou gently touched the body of the guitar, and his fingertips encountered a slight unevenness. Looking down, he discovered that the back of the guitar was actually engraved with letters—[LQZ GG].

The first letters were likely his own initials, but he didn’t know what the two GGs meant. Moreover, the letters were connected by a heart.

How childish; this was indeed a foolish thing that only a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old could do.

—But what did “GG” mean? Could it have been someone he had a crush on?

—Impossible. I’ve never had feelings for anyone before.

Lin Qinzhou quickly dismissed this speculation. However, Boss Qin’s face suddenly appeared in his mind, causing him to catch his breath and think, perhaps this time returning to Coral Island would mark the start of his first love.

The next morning, Lin Qinzhou woke up very early, heading downstairs half an hour before the time he had agreed with Tang Jingyu.

In the lobby, there were two tables of guests having breakfast. Xiao Yao was not around, but Qin Yue was at the front desk, a book resting on his lap. He was leaning on the armrest of his wheelchair with one hand while using the other to turn the pages, taking a long time to flip to the next one.

“Boss Qin.” Lin Qinzhou had been watching for a long time from the corner of the stairs. It wasn’t until someone came down behind him that he finished the last few steps and stood in front of Qin Yue.

It seemed only then that Qin Yue noticed him. He closed the book and greeted Lin Qinzhou, “Good morning.”

Lin Qinzhou glanced over and saw that it was a web novel.

How should he put it? This really didn’t match Boss Qin’s temperament, to the extent that Lin Qinzhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

He still remembered being rejected last night and was keen to take revenge, seizing the opportunity to tease him. “I didn’t expect you to be interested in this, Boss Qin.”

His tone carried a clear hint of sarcasm, but Qin Yue didn’t seem at all awkward; he laughed and said, “Yeah, it’s quite interesting. Xiao Yao bought it; if you’re interested, Mr. Lin, you can take a look. There are more on the bookshelf over there.”

Lin Qinzhou: “…”

He didn’t get his revenge as he wished, and a wave of frustration bubbled up inside him. Silently, he walked over to find a place to sit, but his peripheral vision was still glued to Qin Yue, watching him place the book on the counter before wheeling himself to the kitchen.

Not long after, he came out again, a wooden tray on his lap containing a bowl of satay noodles, a plate of smashed cucumbers, and a fried egg.

Lin Qinzhou had been thinking Qin Yue hadn’t had breakfast yet until the wooden tray was set in front of him—

So it was prepared for him.

“Where’s Xiao Yao?”

Qin Yue’s tone remained casual: “She had something to do at home and took the day off.”

No wonder he couldn’t get through to her last night.

“So these dishes—”

“I made them all,” Qin Yue said. “My cooking is average; I’m not sure if it suits your taste, Mr. Lin.”

Lin Qinzhou, who had been noted for his picky eating habits in his elementary school teacher’s comments, maintained a straight face as he lied, “I eat everything; I’m very easy to please.”

Qin Yue wasn’t sure if he believed him. He pressed his fist to his lips and chuckled. “Hmm.”

That “hmm” was clearly sarcastic, which Lin Qinzhou found unacceptable. To prove that he wasn’t picky, he picked up a big bite of noodles and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing while staring at the person in front of him.

He also knew his behavior was quite childish, but he just couldn’t control himself. It felt strange—ever since he got sick, his emotions had been pretty stable, partly because of the medication and partly because he tried to control them.

However, ever since he returned to Coral Island, or more accurately, after meeting Qin Yue, his emotions started to spiral out of control, easily influenced by this person.

A single glance from this person, a slight smile, a casual joke, or the simplest gesture—all of these things would take on a special meaning in Lin Qinzhou’s eyes. He would overanalyze it, break it apart, and interpret it over and over again.

Even though he knew in his heart that he was the only one who felt this way, and all of it was just his own imagination, he still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“These noodles…” Lin Qinzhou chewed for a moment before realizing something was off. “Did you make the satay noodles the night before too?”

Qin Yue nodded, “Yes.”

“They’re really good,” Lin Qinzhou said sincerely this time.

It was an authentic Coral Island flavor, very similar to what he remembered from the past.

“Thank you,” Qin Yue said with a light laugh. “I saw that you didn’t eat much last time, so I thought you didn’t like it.”

“That’s not it. I really got seasick that night; it wasn’t just politeness,” Lin Qinzhou said, shoving another full bite into his mouth, eating heartily. “I’m not afraid to admit it: this satay noodle tastes a lot like my grandma’s.”

“Your grandma?”

“Yeah, she used to live on this island her whole life. She never left. I used to spend all my summer and winter breaks here and always had her satay noodles for breakfast.”

Qin Yue didn’t respond, just smiled and looked at him. Whether it was a trick of the light or not, Lin Qinzhou thought he caught a glimpse of nostalgia in Qin Yue’s eyes.

Maybe his words reminded Qin Yue of his own family, or maybe it was just his imagination again, running wild.

“Lin Qinzhou, why are you up so early today!” Tang Jingyu’s voice came from behind. Qin Yue greeted him, then said, “Mr. Tang, Xiao Yao isn’t here today. Breakfast is in the kitchen; there’s porridge, fried dough, and pancakes. Help yourself.”

“Got it!”

A young couple entered the kitchen right after Tang Jingyu. Lin Qinzhou recognized them as the ones who were taking photos in the courtyard the other night.

The couple chatted happily as they walked past Qin Yue, not even noticing him. They went straight to the kitchen as if they were used to this routine, treating the place like home.

Lin Qinzhou turned his gaze back to Qin Yue. “Boss Qin, am I the only one getting your VIP treatment?”

Qin Yue clasped his hands on his lap, not denying it. “I need to check the porridge in the kitchen from time to time, so I brought your breakfast while I was at it.”

And, coincidentally, it happened to be three of my favorite foods, Lin Qinzhou thought to himself. Should I say we have a connection?

From a distance, Tang Jingyu was already walking back with his breakfast. Qin Yue glanced in that direction and said to Lin Qinzhou, “Take your time, Mr. Lin. I’ll leave you to it.”

He didn’t actually go far, just returned to the front desk. The guesthouse only had Xiao Yao as staff, and with her gone, Qin Yue, the boss, had to hold down the fort. Lin Qinzhou saw him pick up that web novel again, reading quietly.

He stayed in the same position, barely moving, even after Lin Qinzhou and Tang Jingyu finished breakfast and were ready to leave.

“Where are we heading first today?”

“Let’s start with the peach grove. The peaches on this island are really sweet.”

Tang Jingyu’s eyes lit up with interest. “Sounds great! I love peaches!”

Just as they were about to leave the courtyard, Lin Qinzhou glanced back. He hesitated and asked his friend, “Have you ever watched Secret Crush?”

“What the heck is that?” Tang Jingyu looked confused. “A TV drama? That sounds like a cheesy show. No way would I, a grown man, watch something like that.”

But some people enjoy watching things like that, Lin Qinzhou thought.

“What’s up? Why did you ask? Are you going to watch it?”

“Nothing, just asking.”