Moonlight Left Behind chapter 18
“Boss, Mr. Lin, what are you two doing?” Xiao Yao lifted the last handful of red roses and, upon looking up, noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two, both looking displeased. She couldn’t help but worry, “You’re not arguing, are you? Boss, control your temper; Mr. Lin is a guest!”
Only then did Qin Yue release his grip, rolling his wheelchair back a short distance, speaking impatiently to Xiao Yao, “Do you still not have enough work?”
Xiao Yao pouted and shot him a glare before pushing Lin Cong’s cart of roses away.
“Sorry, Boss Qin, I was out of line today. I hope you can understand the feelings of someone desperate to recover their memories,” Lin Qinzhou also stood up, having gathered all his inappropriate emotions, maintaining decorum and speaking properly.
But Qin Yue still looked dissatisfied, staring at him with a stern expression.
“I’m a bit tired. I’ll go upstairs first. Boss Qin, you should rest well too.”
“Why is that?” After taking a few steps, the person behind him suddenly asked.
The question was vague, but Lin Qinzhou understood immediately—why did he develop depression?
He didn’t turn around, tightly closed his eyes, and said, “I can’t remember clearly. All the memories from that time are very vague to me. I only remember that I left Coral Island to seek treatment. I was 18 that year.”
…
Lin Qinzhou stayed in his room for half an hour, first taking a shower, then sitting cross-legged on the bed listening to some songs. This was usually the quickest way for him to adjust his mood, but today it didn’t help at all; he still felt extremely restless, unable to calm down.
There were people in the courtyard; the sound of talking and laughter clearly reached the second floor, as if everyone was lively and happy, while he felt completely alone.
If he allowed himself to continue like this, it would be easy to fall into negative emotions that he couldn’t escape. Lin Qinzhou didn’t want to be like this; he was already out of control and awkward enough tonight. He didn’t want to embarrass himself further. So he didn’t keep himself locked in his room, threw on a thin jacket, and prepared to go out for a walk.
Xiao Yao was busy preparing dinner when she saw him and was a bit surprised. “Mr. Lin, would you like to eat something together?”
“No, I’ll eat out,” Lin Qinzhou replied. Xiao Yao didn’t say much and took her chopsticks upstairs, stopping in front of the door that had been locked for years.
Lin Qinzhou’s heart skipped a beat; he noticed that the lock on the door was missing, which meant Qin Yue was inside at that moment.
— The boss has to stay inside for half an hour every day.
— No one is allowed in; the cleaning is all done by the boss personally.
So what secret is Qin Yue hiding in there? If I go over now and push the door open, will I discover all the truth?
But of course, that was just a thought. If he dared to do that, Qin Yue would definitely throw him and his luggage out of [Fubai].
The door opened a crack from the inside; it seemed Qin Yue was about to come out. Xiao Yao turned around, and Lin Qinzhou also withdrew his gaze, walking out of the lobby.
The sky had already begun to darken. The cool breeze of summer felt pleasant against his skin, mixed with a faint fruity aroma and the salty scent of the sea, reminiscent of a certain perfume.
Huandao Road was bustling with activity. Many tourists, who found it too hot during the day, chose to come out at this time. The various shops next to each other had already lit up their dazzling lights to attract passing tourists.
Lin Qinzhou bought a green coconut from an old lady, drinking it as he walked. His anxious mood gradually calmed down amid the lively atmosphere of the street.
“Damn, aren’t you that person?” As he passed a flower shop, a young man in a black apron was moving flowers outside. At first, Lin Qinzhou couldn’t see his face clearly until the person spoke.
— It turned out to be Qin Yue’s pursuer.
He glanced up at the shop’s name, only to realize he had unknowingly walked quite far.
“So who are you exactly?” The young man revealed a fierce expression, squinting at Lin Qinzhou, “What’s your relationship with Qin Ge?”
This kid looked decent but didn’t seem very bright. If he played a trick, there might be unexpected gains.
Lin Qinzhou’s interest was piqued, and he provocatively replied, “And who are you? What’s your relationship with Qin Yue? Why do you care about me?”
The other person took the bait immediately: “Are you blind? Can’t you see I’m pursuing him?”
“Oh, so what? What does that have to do with me? Just because you’re pursuing him doesn’t mean others can’t. Boss Qin hasn’t marked himself as yours, has he?”
Lin Cong ground his teeth: “I said you can’t! We grew up together, you little mutt that dares to steal my person!”
Grew up together? Lin Qinzhou’s heart stirred, but he didn’t show it on his face. He lazily lifted an eyelid, “I heard from Xiao Yao that you only came to the island last year. How could you have grown up together?”
“I—” Lin Cong was stumped, his face turning red, “Shut up! I did leave for a while, but I played with Qin Yue when we were six or seven years old. It’s not an exaggeration to say we grew up together, right?”
“Since that’s the case, you must know what happened to his leg?” There were two steps at the entrance of the flower shop, and Lin Qinzhou casually sat down, patting the empty spot next to him, “Want to sit?”
Lin Cong looked very unwilling, glaring at Lin Qinzhou fiercely, but for some unknown reason, he eventually sat down.
“I don’t know about his leg…” The previously aggressive young man suddenly became dejected, raking his hair in frustration, “When I was nine, my mom and dad divorced. My mom took me away from Coral Island to live with the husband she found later. I never got to come back.”
That man treated him well, and the outside world was quite exciting, but he still preferred Coral Island, so after graduating from university, he chose to come back.
Coincidentally, he ran into Qin Yue the very next day after returning.
Over a decade had passed, and Lin Cong had never forgotten this beautiful guy, but his deepest impression was that Qin Yue was just beautiful; they were too young back then to be mature.
However, upon seeing him again, he found that Qin Yue was even more attractive than he remembered—calling him stunning would not be an exaggeration. His heart raced, pounding directly for Qin Yue, never to return.
“When I left, Qin Ge was fine, but when I came back, he had turned into this. Of course, I’ve been troubled by this and asked my dad, my grandma, and the neighbors, Grandma Zhang and Uncle Wang, but each of them said they didn’t know. They only said there was some accident, probably in the second year after I left Coral Island.”
“You said you played with Qin Yue when you were six or seven, so did Qin Yue live around here when he was young?”
Coral Island itself wasn’t very big. Lin Qinzhou couldn’t claim to know it like the back of his hand, but he was quite familiar with it. If Qin Yue really lived nearby, how could he possibly have no impression of him, that celestial-like person?
“Yeah, we often played on the beach over there, catching crabs and collecting shells. Qin Ge would even make sand cars; he was super cool. But they were all much older than me and sometimes went off to play elsewhere, finding me a nuisance and wouldn’t let me follow.”
“Qin Ge was really nice; he wouldn’t find me annoying. The one I hated the most was that guy who always encouraged Qin Ge to ditch me secretly. He just wanted to monopolize Qin Ge, which was infuriating.”
Lin Qinzhou’s mind flashed with many vague and chaotic fragments, and he instinctively asked, “Who?”
“I can’t remember his name; he was just a particularly annoying kid. All the kids here hated him!”
“Then which family is Qin Yue from, and what’s his relationship with the original owner of [Fubai]?”
“How would I know? I was so young back then; being able to remember this much is already pretty good.” Lin Cong justified himself.
“But I do remember that Qin Ge wasn’t originally from Coral Island; He suddenly appeared on the island because I had never seen such a beautiful guy before.”
Great, it turns out this person has only had eyes for beauties since childhood and remembers nothing else.