Moonlight Left Behind chapter 21
Actually, two days ago, they had already said a typhoon was coming, but at that time, the alert was blue, and the landfall wasn’t supposed to be in Dongcheng, but in the neighboring Zhang City. Dongcheng was only supposed to be slightly affected. But then, the typhoon suddenly changed its course.
—Under these circumstances, it seems I won’t be able to leave, right?
Once he calmed down, Lin Qinzhou started to regret his impulsiveness earlier. Why leave? He had come here to search for the truth, and now that he had finally caught some clues, was he really going to walk away just because he was upset with Qin Yue?
That would be too hasty.
Even heaven couldn’t bear to watch anymore and sent him a typhoon.
Because of this, Lin Qinzhou’s mood suddenly improved. He saw a WeChat message from Tang Jingyu and called back. They talked for a good hour, then Lin Qinzhou, holding his cup, returned to his room to shower and sleep.
What he didn’t expect was that when he woke up the next morning, Coral Island was calm and peaceful. Not only was there no super typhoon, there hadn’t even been a drop of rain.
“Good morning, Mr. Lin!” Xiao Yao greeted him cheerfully, wiping down the bookshelf.
Some guests eating breakfast were watching news about the typhoon on their phones. Lin Qinzhou overheard a man reading aloud, “The typhoon is moving north at ten kilometers per hour and is expected to make landfall in Dongcheng around 4 p.m. The wind speed could reach 16 levels… Damn, it’s been upgraded to red! Super typhoon! Does this mean we can’t go back?”
The woman sitting across from him didn’t sound too happy. “But I have work tomorrow! If I had known, I would’ve gone home yesterday. It’s all your fault for wanting to stay another day…”
The man, looking guilty, scratched his head and tried to soothe her. “Ah, it’s fine. It hasn’t hit yet, has it? Let’s finish eating and catch the boat off the island before the typhoon arrives. We’ll make it in time!”
Xiao Yao overheard their conversation and secretly asked Lin Qinzhou, “Mr. Lin, what time are you leaving?”
Lin Qinzhou randomly said, “…Two o’clock.”
“Then you’ve got plenty of time. You can eat lunch before you go. Honestly, there’s nothing to worry about. It sounds serious now, but most of the time, it’s all bark and no bite.” As a local, Xiao Yao had grown up dealing with typhoons and was long used to it.
Lin Qinzhou replied with a simple “Yeah.” He hadn’t ordered breakfast, so he planned to go out and grab something. But just as he reached the door, he saw Qin Yue.
He was sitting at the small rattan table under the banyan tree, with several glass storage containers in front of him and a basket of washed, dried plums.
The plums were being layered into the containers, sugar sprinkled between each layer. It seemed like a simple, tedious task, but with Qin Yue doing it, there was something oddly captivating about the whole scene.
His hands were too beautiful, the kind you wanted to kiss. Lin Qinzhou thought.
Maybe it was because the typhoon was approaching, but that day the sun wasn’t too hot, and the salty humidity in the air was even more intense. Lin Qinzhou took a deep breath and walked over, finding an excuse to start a conversation. “Boss Qin, what are you making? Pickling fruit?”
“Plum wine,” Qin Yue replied without looking up. The container in his hand was nearly full, but there were still plenty of plums left in the basket.
Lin Qinzhou picked the reddest one and took a small bite, but it was so sour it made his teeth ache. “Is this the same wine we drank before?”
He was referring to the fruit wine Qin Yue had brought out that night when he was playing the guitar in the yard. He hadn’t seen what it was made from, but the taste was slightly sweet and sour, maybe plums or green apricots.
“Yes,” Qin Yue said flatly.
Lin Qinzhou tried to keep the conversation going. “It was really good.”
“If you like it, Mr. Lin, you can take a few bottles home.”
“Thanks.” Lin Qinzhou sat down beside him, quietly watching as Qin Yue sealed the filled container and then picked up another empty one.
The way this man worked so earnestly was incredibly attractive, making Lin Qinzhou’s heart race. Without realizing it, he leaned in closer. They were now so close their breaths intertwined, their noses almost touching.
“Mr. Lin, what’s wrong?” Qin Yue’s pupils suddenly constricted as he shook his wheelchair and retreated a bit.
At this moment, Lin Qinzhou had already realized what he had just intended to do, and his heart was pounding as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. “I…” He wanted to explain himself, but not a word came out. His face turned red as he fled in embarrassment.
He didn’t notice that Qin Yue was staring at his back, lifting a hand to touch his own lips, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.
“Mr. Lin, are you really going to leave now? If there’s nothing urgent, why not stay a couple more days? It seems like the wind is picking up.” At 1 PM, Lin Qinzhou dragged his suitcase downstairs and bid farewell to Xiao Yao, who was cleaning the courtyard.
Xiao Yao was worried about him and had urged him to stay several times, but Lin Qinzhou had made up his mind.
He hadn’t actually planned to leave, but the kiss that almost happened at noon interrupted all his plans. It was too embarrassing; he didn’t have the courage to stay any longer and had no idea how to face Qin Yue again.
With more than a month left before school started, he decided to go back for a few days first. Once this awkwardness passed, he could return without any rush.
“It’s fine; I should be able to make it to shore before the typhoon arrives.”
“Alright then,” Xiao Yao pouted and asked him, “Mr. Lin, what are you looking for? Are you trying to find the boss? He seems to have locked himself upstairs again; should I help you call him?”
Seeing his intention was seen through, Lin Qinzhou’s gaze flickered, and he felt a bit embarrassed: “No need, I’m not looking for the boss. I just… think this place is beautiful and I’m reluctant to leave.”
Xiao Yao urged him again: “If you’re reluctant, stay a few more days.”
“Maybe next time, but this time I really have something to do,” Lin Qinzhou replied.
He actually knew where Qin Yue was; he had seen the door left unlocked when he came downstairs. The reason he was still looking around was just a faint hope, thinking he might catch another glimpse of that person. In the end, it turned out he was just being overly optimistic.
“Then I’m off. See you next time.”
Xiao Yao saw him off at the gate: “Mr. Lin, please be careful on your way…”
When he was at the guesthouse, he didn’t feel anything unusual, but the closer he got to the shore, the stronger the sense that “the typhoon is really coming” became. The sea breeze was strong, making it hard for him to keep his footing, as if the wind was pushing him along. The distant waves surged violently, crashing against the rocks.
However, there were still quite a few people queuing to board the boat. Lin Qinzhou walked to the ticket booth and bought a ticket. He had arrived at an unfortunate time; the last boat had just sold out, and the ticket he got was for 40 minutes later, with seat number 1. There was no choice but to wait.
After more than ten minutes, two young girls rushed over, buying tickets while asking the ticket seller, “Is the boat really going to set off? The typhoon is really close to us now.”
The ticket seller was a thin woman in her fifties, speaking in less-than-standard Mandarin with occasional dialect mixed in: “Don’t worry, the boat is operated by experienced captains; they’re very steady. Big winds and waves are no problem. This is your last chance to board; we won’t be selling tickets after this!”
It seemed the local authorities had indeed put regulations in place for tourists’ safety.
The waiting time was always slow. Lin Qinzhou browsed Weibo for a long time, but he still had more than ten minutes to go. He felt a bit thirsty, so he walked to the vending machine to buy a bottle of lemonade. Just as he was about to twist off the cap, he heard a rolling noise not far away.
It wasn’t the sound of a suitcase being dragged; it was duller and heavier, like… a wheelchair!
Lin Qinzhou turned around suddenly, and almost at that same moment, the person he had longed to see most abruptly appeared in his line of sight. His hair was disheveled, his expression hurried, as if he was rushing after something.
So, what was he chasing after? Lin Qinzhou’s heart began to beat uncontrollably, the wind rustling the trees beside him, the distant waves becoming more violent, crashing all around. A girl’s sun hat was blown off by the strong wind, flying several meters away, as she covered her hair and shouted, chasing after it…
But all of that paled in comparison to the sound of Lin Qinzhou’s heartbeat. He stood still, staring at the person in front of him, his body feeling like it wasn’t his own, unable to move.
After a long time, maybe five minutes or maybe ten, he finally regained control of his body and walked over to Qin Yue, squatting at his feet and looking up, asking, “Boss Qin, did you just happen to pass by again?”
“No,” Qin Yue said, “I’m going off the island to see a friend. I didn’t expect to run into you again.”
Lin Qinzhou didn’t believe a word of these excuses; he was almost certain that Qin Yue had come to find him.
—Qin Yue must be worried about him, which is why he wanted to accompany him off the island.
But they were leaving as two people, and it would be just Qin Yue coming back alone. Who knows what the typhoon would be like? No matter what, Lin Qinzhou couldn’t bear to let him go alone.
“What kind of friend do you need to rush to see in this typhoon, Boss Qin? Just meet them another day…”
Qin Yue habitually pressed his lips together: “Then what urgent matter do you have that you must leave today, Mr. Lin?”
“I…” Maybe he shouldn’t go at all. The mere act of leaving was fueled by a bit of stubbornness. Now that Qin Yue had come to find him, it wasn’t like he had to leave. “How about we…”
Woo—woo—woo—
Just then, the boat arrived.
Even the heavens weren’t on my side, Lin Qinzhou thought at that moment. A lot of regrets welled up inside him; he felt that the connection between him and Qin Yue was probably like this, always just a little off.
It was only later that he realized that the day the typhoon “Canyang” arrived was, in fact, a new beginning for both him and Qin Yue.
“Let’s go, Mr. Lin.”