Moonlight Left Behind chapter 12

“After that, I would intentionally walk past the entrance of the guesthouse every day, crossing half the island. The guesthouse was still quiet; it would take a long time before I saw a single guest. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I was worried the guesthouse might close down because of it.”

“A few days later, I was slapped in the face. That day, I returned from my part-time job at the milk tea shop and saw the boss putting up a hiring notice at the entrance.”

At this point, Xiao Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “So I went for the interview.”

The boss didn’t even conduct a proper interview; he just said that she was the only employee at the entire guesthouse, and that she would have to do all the work herself. He also mentioned that he had a bad temper—if she could tolerate it, she could stay; if not, she could leave.

Xiao Yao at the time didn’t believe it, thinking, how could such a good-looking person possibly have a bad temper? He seemed so gentle and kind, and just for that bookshelf full of books, she had to stay.

“…And I ended up staying until now. Don’t let our good business fool you; there was a time when we were losing money every day. I even advised the boss to just close down, but he wouldn’t agree. He said that even if there were no guests, [Fubai] had to keep going. I didn’t understand it back then, but fortunately, we made it through.”

Xiao Yao took the bowl from Lin Qinzhou’s hands and said a bit shyly, “Sorry, Mr. Lin. I didn’t mean to talk so much.”

“It’s okay,” he said, enjoying listening. Although Xiao Yao didn’t elaborate, Lin Qinzhou could almost imagine how difficult that time must have been for Qin Yue. A boss with mobility issues and a barely-adult girl—how could they possibly run such a large guesthouse?

If that was the case, why did they insist on going on? Did [Fubai] hold any special significance for him?

Or was there some connection between him and his grandmother?

He knew Qin Yue wouldn’t tell him, but maybe he could ask his mother, Lin Long.

Just then, his phone rang; it was the late delivery.

“I’ll go grab the takeout.”

“Okay, go ahead!”

As he passed the front desk, Xiao Yao was checking in two guests. Seeing him, she called out, “Mr. Lin, I forgot to ask you earlier—your room is booked until tomorrow. Do you want to extend your stay?”

Lin Qinzhou paused for a moment; he had completely forgotten about this. “Extend…” He instinctively wanted to say yes, but Tang Jingyu had already booked the tickets. He tightened his grip on the takeout bag and softly said, “No, we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“Oh, I see.” Xiao Yao looked a bit regretful.

Lin Qinzhou felt that his expression was probably worse than hers. He forced a smile, not sure if it was to comfort Xiao Yao or himself. “We’ll meet again in the future.”

“Yes, then you must come back often!”

After delivering Tang Jingyu’s order, Lin Qinzhou returned to his room. After spending so long on the way, the porridge had nearly gone cold; it tasted fishy in his mouth, and he couldn’t eat more than a few bites, feeling a heaviness in his chest.

Recalling what Xiao Yao had just said, Lin Qinzhou couldn’t wait to call his mother.

“Hello, Zhou Zhou? What’s wrong? Are you feeling homesick?” At first, Lin Long disagreed with Lin Qinzhou returning to China. The whole family was abroad, and now he was coming back alone, so she was always worried. But Lin Qinzhou was very insistent, and in the end, she had no choice but to let him go.

Lin Qinzhou fiddled with the plastic spoon in his hand. The already mushy porridge looked even more unappetizing when stirred, and the fishy smell intensified. “Mom, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“The guesthouse that Grandma had, who did she transfer it to? Was it someone she knew?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and just as Lin Qinzhou was filled with anticipation, he heard his mother say, “I don’t think she knew them; I don’t have any impression. Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Her tone didn’t indicate any problem, and there was no reason for her to lie.

It seemed he was overthinking it, Lin Qinzhou thought. He tossed the plastic spoon into the porridge bowl and put the lid on.

“Nothing much; it’s just that Jingyu and I want to go travel. Jingyu heard I used to stay on Coral Island and suggested we go there for a visit, but it’s pretty hard to book a guesthouse there now. I just wanted to see if I could borrow grandma’s connections.”

The lie slipped out without a second thought, and Lin Qinzhou paused, puzzled about why he would lie to his mother instead of just telling her he was currently on the island.

It felt strange, but it seemed there was a voice inside him stopping him from speaking out.

“What’s so good about Coral Island? If you want to travel, go to Yuncheng, Haicheng, or Sijiu City; those places are much more fun,” Lin Long said disapprovingly.

She added, “Coral Island has nothing to offer. Why not go to Sijiu City? I have many friends there; we can book any hotel you want.”

Lin Qinzhou agreed, still not telling the truth. “No need to be that troublesome; we might go to Licheng.”

“Licheng? That’s pretty too; it’d be great to go there.”

After chatting for a while, Lin Qinzhou found an excuse to hang up the phone, afraid his mother would figure out where he was.

Maybe it was because parting was near; that night, Lin Qinzhou couldn’t sleep, tossing in bed. Counting sheep, dumplings, listening to relaxing music… he tried every method but still couldn’t fall asleep.

Tang Jingyu had booked a flight for 1 PM, meaning they had to leave the island early the next morning. By then, Qin Yue would probably not be at the guesthouse; he wouldn’t even have time to say goodbye.

It’s said that if it’s meant to be, they’ll meet again, but who knows when he would come back here.

Thinking of all this made Lin Qinzhou even more anxious and sleepless. His love at first sight came quickly and intensely, like a high fever that struck him suddenly, leaving him completely devastated. Wanting to heal felt slow and arduous, like pulling threads.

Later, he didn’t know what time he finally fell asleep, but the sleep was restless. He woke up several times from nightmares, and when the alarm went off in the morning, his head was pounding, nearly drifting back to sleep again.

After a simple breakfast, the two dragged their suitcases to the ferry terminal.

As expected, Qin Yue was not there. Although Lin Qinzhou had prepared himself mentally, his mood inevitably dropped, making it hard for him to find the words to speak. Fortunately, Tang Jingyu was also too sleepy to notice his unusual demeanor.

There were two ways to leave the island. One was to take the ferry, which departed every 20 minutes and took half an hour to reach the mainland. The other was to take a speedboat, which left whenever there was a boat available. Since they had plenty of time, they decided to wait for the ferry and enjoy the scenery.

In fact, it was also because Tang Jingyu, who was afraid of the speedboat’s speed, didn’t dare to take it, believing that the large ferry was safer.

Even though it was just past seven in the morning, there were already many people waiting at the dock, all preparing to leave the island. After several days of rain, that day was a nice day, with the sky a deep blue, looking like a beautifully painted watercolor.

Lin Qinzhou sat on a stone pier, a piece of plum candy in his mouth, his eyes scanning around, stubbornly searching for something. Of course, he didn’t hold much hope; it was unlikely that he would be so lucky.

However, just five minutes before the ferry departed, he actually spotted a familiar figure. The person was rarely seen wearing all white and seemed to be in a hurry as they pushed their wheelchair. When their eyes met Lin Qinzhou’s, there was a slight tremor.

Even though they were at a considerable distance, Lin Qinzhou observed all of his movements, missing not a single detail.

He suddenly stood up from the stone pier, gulped down the remaining half of the plum candy in one go, nearly choking.

“Qin—”

“Boss Qin, what brings you here!” Before he could finish, his friend cut him off, making it difficult for him to speak after the candy had gotten stuck.

Qin Yue greeted Tang Jingyu, then called out to Lin Qinzhou, “Mr. Lin.”

Lin Qinzhou nodded and decided not to say anything further, but he felt uneasy inside.

It was strange for Qin Yue to appear here so hurriedly, but asking him wouldn’t guarantee he would get the answer he wanted. This person always acted polite and considerate but seemed to keep a distance from others, never fully opening up.

But perhaps there were some exceptions; someone could enter his heart, like that “good friend.”

Lin Qinzhou thought he must be sick; otherwise, how could he feel jealous over someone he had never met before?

He secretly let out a breath and finally couldn’t help but ask, “Are you also leaving the island, Boss Qin ?”

If he remembered correctly, people on the island generally left from another dock in the north, which was separate from tourists.

Qin Yue looked at him and shook his head. “No, I happen to have something nearby. I remembered Xiao Yao mentioned that you were leaving today, so I thought I would come over and see if I could still say goodbye.”