Moonlight Left Behind chapter 20

After that, Qin Yue didn’t wake up again. His fever kept fluctuating over a short period, and the cold medicine he took in the morning didn’t seem to work. He curled up in the blanket, his body occasionally trembling, with his brows always tightly furrowed.

Whenever this happened, Lin Qinzhou would gently place his hand over Qin Yue’s, which was clenched unconsciously. Qin Yue would quickly relax, his frown smoothing out as he drifted back into deep sleep.

Lin Qinzhou’s heart softened to the point of breaking, and he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pity. He leaned against the headboard, greedily tracing the man’s features with his eyes, replaying their brief conversation in his mind.

Qin Yue had recognized him, but thought it was a dream.

And he had even said “again.”

Did that mean Qin Yue often dreamt of him?

“Mr. Lin?” Just as Lin Qinzhou was lost in thought, the door quietly creaked open, and Xiao Yao peeked in.

Lin Qinzhou quickly hid the hand he had been holding under the blanket, got up, and carefully closed the door behind him.

Xiao Yao looked worried. “How’s the boss?”

Lin Qinzhou shook his head. “The fever hasn’t gone down.”

“Looks like he’ll need an IV drip. I’ll ask Dr. Chen to come by later.” Xiao Yao smiled apologetically. “I’m really sorry to trouble you for so long, Mr. Lin.”

She had thought it would only take a short while, but the guesthouse had been unexpectedly busy. Xiao Yao hadn’t even had time to drink a glass of water all morning, leaving the care of the boss entirely to Lin Qinzhou.

“It’s no problem, I didn’t have any other plans anyway.”

Still, Xiao Yao felt apologetic. She had already prepared lunch and invited Lin Qinzhou to eat.

“Does Boss Qin… get sick often?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, his health has always been worse than others because of his condition.” Xiao Yao set the food on the table. “I actually guessed he might get sick this time. A few days ago, he seemed to lack energy, had no appetite, and was rather downcast.”

But yesterday he had seemed fine again, and she had been relieved, thinking he had dodged it this time. In the end, it happened anyway. Xiao Yao sighed, “It’s lucky you’re here. I can tell the boss likes you very much.”

Lin Qinzhou smiled, though his heart ached again.

“Mr. Lin, please eat. I’ll go check on the boss.”

Lin Qinzhou ate his meal without much appetite. Feeling restless after finishing, he decided to go out for a walk.

The weather wasn’t good that day. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds, refusing to come out, but the temperature was still surprisingly high. After a short walk, Lin Qinzhou felt too hot and ducked into a cold drink shop by the roadside.

When he returned, Xiao Yao was helping two guests check in. Unable to resist, Lin Qinzhou went back to Qin Yue’s room.

The door was slightly open, and Qin Yue was awake. As Lin Qinzhou approached, he saw him trying to sit up, hands pressing on either side of himself. His collar was a little loose, and the falling fabric revealed a pale, fragile neck and a hint of his thin collarbone.

Just as Lin Qinzhou hesitated whether to enter, Qin Yue suddenly collapsed—perhaps too weak from the fever. His arms gave out, and his body fell heavily back onto the bed, his face turning pale.

Lin Qinzhou’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He rushed in without thinking!

Qin Yue lay there, unable to get up, his chest tight and his ears ringing. He only vaguely saw a shadow approaching, followed by the comforting, familiar scent of cedar.

As his vision cleared, Lin Qinzhou’s anxious face came into focus. Qin Yue instinctively pressed down on the bed again, and with Lin Qinzhou’s help, he finally managed to lean back against the headboard.

“Thank you.” His voice was heavy with exhaustion, his eyes showing an unmistakable weariness from the fever.

Lin Qinzhou was a bit displeased with his detached tone.

He couldn’t help but complain inwardly, “In the morning, he was clinging to my arm and wouldn’t let go, but now that he’s awake, he’s turning his back on me like he doesn’t recognize me. This is really… infuriating.”

Yet, he still couldn’t bear to lose his temper with Qin Yue—Normally, he wouldn’t, and now that Qin Yue was sick, he definitely wouldn’t.

He found it strange. They hadn’t known each other for even a month and didn’t know much about each other, so how could he like this person so much?

It seemed that liking someone was truly unreasonable.

“Mr. Lin, it’s better if you don’t stay in the room for too long. I’m afraid you’ll catch the illness.”

“…” Great, now he’s even more irritating.

Feeling a little aggrieved, he said, “Boss Qin, you may not have been conscious while asleep, but I’ve been the one taking care of you all morning. If I were to catch it, I would’ve by now.”

Qin Yue looked at him silently for two seconds, his eyes darkened. Then he turned his head and coughed twice before saying, “Mr. Lin, you should leave.”

Now it was Lin Qinzhou’s turn to stare at him. He gave Qin Yue a strange look, sizing him up from head to toe, as if trying to see through his heart.

But Qin Yue was impenetrable, and Lin Qinzhou was no match for him. In every confrontation, he was always thoroughly defeated. Even now, with the man so sick, Lin Qinzhou still couldn’t gain the upper hand.

He really wanted to ask Qin Yue what he had dreamt of that morning, and why he called his name. But in the end, he said nothing.

It was as if there was an unspoken understanding between them—as if once certain things were said out loud, they could never be taken back.

So he stood up, leaving only a simple, “Got it.”

And then he really left. He didn’t look back at Qin Yue even once before closing the door.

Qin Yue stared at the closed door, his mind filled with the image of Lin Qinzhou’s reddened eyes as he left.

The dizziness still lingered in his body. He sat there, dazed for a long time, before letting out a sigh.

It was unexpected that Lin Qinzhou returned to Coral Island so quickly. Qin Yue had thought that after they parted ways last time, they would never meet again. After all, for Lin Qinzhou, Coral Island was too small, and he had already grown up—this place could no longer hold him.

But Lin Qinzhou had suddenly returned, catching him off guard.

Qin Yue coughed twice, lowering his gaze to stare at his hand resting on the blanket. Despite his foggy state earlier, he didn’t forget everything.

… But he shouldn’t be the one to hold back Lin Qinzhou.

Footsteps sounded at the door, and someone came in. Assuming it was Xiao Yao, Qin Yue didn’t pay much attention and continued staring blankly at his hand.

The footsteps grew closer, and soon, Qin Yue felt a shadow fall over him. He belatedly raised his head, only to find Lin Qinzhou standing in front of him again.

“You…” Qin Yue opened his mouth.

“What about me?” Lin Qinzhou noticed the sadness in Qin Yue’s eyes, which he had tried to hide but couldn’t. It stirred something indescribable in his heart, irritating him. Of course, he didn’t expect this person to say anything that would please him. So, without further ado, he extended his arm and said, “Drink water.”

Just as Qin Yue was about to take it, Lin Qinzhou changed his mind, pulled his hand back, and said, “Open your mouth.”

He was going to feed him.

Perhaps sensing his irritation, Qin Yue didn’t resist this time and obediently complied.

“Did you think I’d left?” Lin Qinzhou asked after feeding him half a cup of water.

Qin Yue froze, his heart skipping a beat for no reason. Lin Qinzhou stared at him and asked again, “Boss Qin, do you find it annoying when I act like this?”

He didn’t specify what “this” meant, but they both knew. They remained locked in silence for a long time until Qin Yue finally averted his gaze. Staring at a well-maintained succulent plant on the windowsill, he softly said, “Of course not.”

Lin Qinzhou quietly let out a breath, but before he could feel any relief, he heard Qin Yue say, “But Mr. Lin, I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood.”

The meaning of that sentence was clear without explanation. Lin Qinzhou felt a sharp, subtle pain spreading through his heart.

It had taken great courage to ask that question earlier, but Qin Yue easily dismissed it, leaving Lin Qinzhou with no courage to ask anything more. After all, it would only humiliate himself further.

So he didn’t continue. Instead, he chuckled lightly, his voice tinged with self-mockery. “Is that so?”

….

Two days later, Qin Yue’s fever was gone. His sickness wasn’t quite like a regular cold or fever—it came quickly and went just as fast, almost as if it was, as Xiao Yao had said, caused by pent-up emotions.

Even though he was no longer sick, he still stayed in his room all day and rarely showed up.

Lin Qinzhou could sense that he was deliberately avoiding him. Even if they happened to run into each other, Qin Yue’s attitude was indifferent—he’d give a casual nod and say hello, then carry on with whatever he was doing, without saying much else.

It was as if he had truly started treating Lin Qinzhou as just another guest at Fubai, pulling back any special treatment they might have shared.

This made Lin Qinzhou feel that coming back to the island had been a mistake, that he had ruined everything.

He knew he had been too hasty. Given their current relationship, there were some things that shouldn’t be exposed yet. But Qin Yue’s sudden illness had made him not want to wait any longer, reluctant to keep playing this game of hesitant back-and-forth.

He didn’t want to go through another episode like this—Qin Yue so sick, and him unable to do anything, having to come up with all sorts of excuses just to take care of him.

He wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to take a gamble.

But that day in the room, when he asked Qin Yue again, “Boss Qin, although I’ve asked this before, I want to ask again. Have we really never met before?”

Qin Yue gave the same answer, “No, we haven’t.” His expression was unchanged from before.

Lin Qinzhou knew then that he had lost the gamble.

“Boss, what have you been up to these past few days, hiding in your room growing mushrooms?” One afternoon, as Lin Qinzhou was returning from outside, he overheard Xiao Yao’s voice as he approached the courtyard. “Did you have a fight with Mr. Lin and are avoiding him on purpose?”

Had it become so obvious, even Xiao Yao noticed?

“No,” Qin Yue said calmly after a while, his tone revealing no emotion.

“Alright, if you say no, then no it is. But I need to head home this afternoon, you’ll watch the front desk. A guest is coming later.”

Qin Yue said nothing, likely agreeing by default. Lin Qinzhou exhaled lightly, turned past the wooden fence, and walked inside.

The two people in the courtyard saw him almost at the same time. Xiao Yao joyfully shouted, “Mr. Lin!” while Qin Yue only gave a slight nod and then started to turn his wheelchair as if preparing to go back inside.

“Boss Qin,” Lin Qinzhou called out, stopping him. Whether out of spite or genuine indifference, he blurted, “I’ll check out tomorrow. I want to go home.”

Qin Yue gripped the wheelchair’s armrests tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands, but quickly released them, remaining still.

Xiao Yao, on the other hand, was quite disappointed. “What? Didn’t you say you’d stay for a few more days this time? It’s only been a few days, not even as long as your last stay…”

Lin Qinzhou forced a smile. “Yeah.”

After that, he said nothing more, walked past Qin Yue, and went straight upstairs. A strange sense of revenge rose within him—as if every time, he was the one watching Qin Yue’s back. Now, for once, it was his turn to be the tough one.

But why did his chest feel so heavy?

He knew there was no possibility, so what was he still hoping for?

He went back to his room, poured a glass of water, and slowly drank it while sitting on the small balcony. As he was finishing the water, he heard several people in the courtyard talking about a typhoon, and then his phone received a friendly weather advisory from the Dongcheng meteorological department—

【Dongcheng Meteorological Station Typhoon Orange Alert: The super typhoon “Canyang” is about to land in our city. To avoid personal and property damage, please take preventive measures, close doors and windows, stock up on supplies, and stay safe…】

Author’s Note

Canyang: I’ll intervene if necessary.