Moonlight Left Behind chapter 27
Over the next two weeks, Lin Qinzhou slowly got used to the fact that there was someone new in the house. Although he still found Qin Yue annoying, he no longer deliberately picked fights.
He continued to run around Coral Island with his usual group of friends, while Qin Yue quietly stayed at the guesthouse helping Grandma with chores.
The storage room was quickly tidied up, and on the third night after arriving at “Fubai,” Qin Yue moved out of Lin Qinzhou’s room. Aside from mealtimes, the two barely saw each other during the day, which led to a peaceful coexistence.
Lin Qinzhou thought they would stay like this until summer vacation ended and he returned to Dongcheng. By the next summer, maybe Qin Yue would be gone, or maybe they’d still be living under the same roof, remaining strangers who could barely stand each other.
But whatever the future held, Lin Qinzhou never imagined that one day, Qin Yue would become an indelible part of his life—someone he could never let go of, no matter how time passed or memories faded.
The turning point in their relationship came on Lin Qinzhou’s birthday, July 10th.
Lin Qinzhou’s parents had divorced when he was two, and he lived with his mother, Lin Long. Lin Long was a famous pianist both domestically and internationally, a “child prodigy” who had made her way from tiny Coral Island to global fame, often touring for performances, leaving little time for him.
When Lin Qinzhou was six, Lin Long met her current wealthy husband, surnamed Zhou, who was a fan of hers. Three years after their marriage, Lin Long gave birth to another son, Zhou Fei.
Lin Qinzhou didn’t much like his new home. His mother was always busy and had little time for him, and now, with a new baby brother, she had even less.
Like this time, a week before his birthday, Lin Long promised over the phone that she would definitely come to Coral Island to celebrate with him and then stay for a few days before returning to Dongcheng together.
But once again, Lin Long broke her promise.
From the moment he woke up that morning, Lin Qinzhou had been eagerly anticipating what kind of cake Lin Long would bring him and what gift he might receive—maybe a toy car or a new set of diving gear, both of which he had hinted at several times.
Since it was his birthday, he was in a good mood, and even Qin Yue seemed more agreeable. He greeted Qin Yue pleasantly and even invited him to share his birthday cake later that evening.
“Thanks,” Qin Yue replied. He was mopping the floor, his long hair casually tied at the back of his head, with a black apron printed with the guesthouse’s logo hanging in front.
If you ignored the prominent Adam’s apple, it was easy to mistake him for a girl—he was that pretty. A few tourists checking in had made that mistake before.
Lin Qinzhou sat at the table near the bookshelf, his legs stretched out, waiting for Qin Yue to finish mopping the floor near him.
“What kind of cake do you like—chocolate or cream? I can ask my mom to get it.” The young master generously gave Qin Yue this special privilege.
Qin Yue responded indifferently, “Thanks.” Then he asked, “So, when is your mom coming?”
With just that one question, Lin Qinzhou’s chatter was immediately silenced. He slumped over the table, resting his chin in his hands, and sighed softly. “Yeah, when is she coming…”
Lin Qinzhou waited until eight that evening. During that time, he called Lin Long several times, but she didn’t answer. His excitement gradually faded, and he looked more and more dejected.
Qin Yue tried to comfort him, “Maybe she’s on her way.”
“Yeah,” Lin Qinzhou replied gloomily. But in his heart, he knew she wasn’t coming.
It had happened so many times before. Lin Long would promise to take him to the amusement park, to eat at McDonald’s, to visit the science museum his teacher recommended, or to watch a movie with him—she always promised, but in the end, she always bailed.
This time was no different. At 8:15, Lin Qinzhou finally received a call from his mom. Over the phone, Lin Long apologized profusely, saying, “I’m so sorry, Zhou Zhou. Your brother has a fever, and I’m at the hospital with him. I can’t come to celebrate your birthday, but I did get you a present—it’s the toy car you wanted, two of them…”
Lin Qinzhou already had several toy cars. With two more, he could complete the whole set, which should have made him really happy. But at that moment, he didn’t know how to feel.
He should have been used to this by now, but he wasn’t. Each time, it still hurt. Especially this time—he had bragged so much in front of the annoying guy, and now he felt both disappointed and embarrassed.
—Qin Yue was probably laughing at him inside.
Lin Long kept coaxing him over the phone, but Lin Qinzhou wasn’t really listening. He noticed that Qin Yue had already finished all his work for the night and was sitting at another table some distance away, reading the same book as before.
Qin Yue read very slowly, as if savoring each word. Even after a month, he hadn’t finished the few hundred-page novel.
“In a few days, I will come over, and by then, we’ll celebrate your birthday again, okay?”
Lin Qinzhou wanted to say no, but he knew it was useless. Even if he cried his heart out, his mom wouldn’t arrive at Coral Island before midnight. So, he just responded with a sullen “Mm” and hung up the phone.
A few seconds later, the phone rang again. Lin Qinzhou didn’t pick it up, and Qin Yue, who had lifted his head from a book, glanced over. Seeing that Lin Qinzhou had no intention of moving and the phone kept ringing, he sighed, got up, and answered it himself.
Of course, it was still Lin Long. Qin Yue politely exchanged a few words and said, “Please wait a moment,” then went to the kitchen to call Dou Xiaohua.
Lin Qinzhou remained where he was, and his mom’s voice came clearly through the phone, saying the same sort of things both to his grandma and to him.
Lin Qinzhou didn’t want to listen anymore. He turned and went upstairs, threw himself onto his bed, and buried his face in the pillow.
He knew he was supposed to be understanding; no one could predict that his younger brother would get a fever. But he just couldn’t help feeling sad and disappointed. Maybe his heart had a mind of its own.
Sometimes he thought it wasn’t fair. Why should he, just because he was older, have to give way to his younger brother? When he was that age, Lin Long didn’t care for him that much, did she? Just because he’s older now, does that mean he’s no longer her real son?
“Zhou Zhou, come out and eat some watermelon. Grandma cut it in half for you. You can scoop it out with a spoon, okay?” Dou Xiaohua had finished the phone call and was calling to him from outside the door.
The watermelon was one they had bought together the previous day, the biggest and roundest one in the store. Lin Qinzhou and Qin Yue had each carried one corner of the bag, struggling to lug the big watermelon from the fruit shop in the north all the way back to the guesthouse in the south.
By the time they got home, both were sweating, but Lin Qinzhou was excited, saying they should put it in the fridge and wait for Lin Long to come back to eat it together.
Now the watermelon was still there, but Lin Qinzhou had no appetite for it anymore. He covered his head with the blanket and weakly replied, “I don’t want it. Let Qin Yue have it.”
Ah, his favorite watermelon, and he’s giving it up. He must really be heartbroken.
Dou Xiaohua stood at the door for a while and sighed deeply. Lin Long had told her on the phone to comfort the child, but she didn’t know what to say because she knew it wouldn’t help. How many times had she said similar things over the years?
She understood her daughter’s difficulties but also felt sorry for her grandson.
“Then we’ll eat it tomorrow. Qin Yue can’t finish such a big watermelon by himself. You two carried it back together, so you should eat it together.”
Lin Qinzhou had been holding back his tears, but when he heard this, they suddenly spilled out. First a few drops, then streams running down his face, and he couldn’t stop them.
But he didn’t want his grandma outside the door to hear, so he bit the corner of the blanket, holding in his sobs.
After a while, the wooden stairs creaked as his grandma finally went downstairs. Only then did Lin Qinzhou let go of the blanket, turn over, and bury his face in the pillow, quietly crying.