Moonlight Left Behind chapter 28

Old people often say that those with shallow belly buttons cry more intensely. Lin Qinzhou didn’t know about others, but when he cried, he couldn’t stop. He had to cry until he was exhausted, until no more tears could come out.

That day, his heart was truly broken, and his tears flowed like a never-ending stream. Even after he was tired of crying, he kept sobbing out of habit.

Knock knock knock—knock knock knock—

Just as he was about to fall asleep in his tearful daze, a knock on the door startled him awake. He stared at the door, unsure and anxious.

In the darkness, he had long lost track of time. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d come back to his room—maybe an hour, maybe two. All he knew was that it felt like a long time. His eyes were swollen to the point where he could barely open them, and everything looked narrow and blurry.

“Who is it?” Lin Qinzhou asked weakly. His grandma wouldn’t knock; she would just call for him outside the door. 

“It’s me,” the person outside immediately replied.

Oh, it’s that annoying guy, he thought. Then he wiped his dry eyes and asked quietly, “What do you want?”

This time, the person outside didn’t respond immediately but paused for over ten seconds before saying, “Can you open the door?”

They usually didn’t interact much, and ever since Qin Yue moved out of his room, he hadn’t set foot in Lin Qinzhou’s room. Lin Qinzhou found it odd and repeated, “What do you want?”

This time, Qin Yue didn’t answer at all.

—What’s his problem? What does he want? He’s not planning to beat me up, is he? But I didn’t provoke him today… right?

Though confused, Lin Qinzhou got up and opened the door. As soon as it opened, he saw the small cake in Qin Yue’s hands.

The cake was indeed small, about the size of Qin Yue’s palm, sitting in a bright pink plastic flower basket. It had no real decoration to speak of, just a blob of white cream with an awkward-looking flower on top.

But the most bizarre thing was the pink “paper umbrella” stuck into the cake.

Lin Qinzhou: “…What is this?”

Qin Yue gave him a look that said, “Are you stupid?” and replied, “Isn’t it obvious? It’s a cake.”

“Why did you bring this… ugly cake?”

He stood in the doorway, not letting Qin Yue in, and Qin Yue didn’t seem to want to come in either. He simply held out the basket with the cake inside and said, “The cake shop on the island is closed, and I couldn’t get the chocolate cake you wanted. But I saw this at a small store nearby. If you don’t mind, take it as a substitute.”

Lin Qinzhou had never seen such an ugly cake, and he didn’t want it at all. Yet his hands betrayed him and took the cake. Awkwardly, he said, “Thanks.”

Qin Yue seemed surprised that Lin Qinzhou had thanked him. His expression froze for a few seconds, then he smiled and said, “No need. Cheer up—it’s your birthday.”

Lin Qinzhou felt even more uncomfortable after what was said, his eyes darting around nervously as he secretly glanced at the person beside him.

He hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but now he noticed that Qin Yue was drenched in sweat, his long hair around his neck matted together, looking as if he’d just finished a long run.

— Could it be that he ran all the way just to get me a cake?

“Do you… want to come in?” Lin Qinzhou moved aside a little, but still couldn’t quite bring himself to look directly at Qin Yue.

It was already 10:30, and Qin Yue was actually a bit tired, but it was the first time the young master had extended an invitation. To refuse would seem rude, so after a brief pause, he nodded and said, “Sure.”

The rooms on the second floor all had large bay windows. After Qin Yue came in, the two of them sat on the wide window seat, each holding a corgi-patterned pillow, silently staring at the night outside.

The weather wasn’t good. Dark clouds hung low and heavy, giving a gloomy feel, as if even the moon and stars were in a bad mood, hiding themselves away.

But in the courtyard, the sound of insects chirping continued without pause. Occasionally, a stray cat or dog would sneak in through the wooden fence, only to slip back out again.

Lin Qinzhou soon drew his gaze back and started studying the cake between them.

He picked up the small pink paper umbrella stuck into the cake, held it in his palm, and asked Qin Yue in confusion, “So why is there an umbrella stuck in the cake?”

Qin Yue had no idea, so he replied vaguely, “Maybe it’s for decoration.”

Lin Qinzhou gave him a look that was hard to describe, as if asking, “Are you sure?”

Qin Yue ran his hand through the strands of hair falling over his forehead, revealing a handsome brow, his tone slightly irritated, “Maybe the designer thought it looked good.”

“Hmm.” Lin Qinzhou responded, “Then the designer has a pretty unique taste.”

For some reason, this comment hit Qin Yue’s funny bone. He started laughing immediately, and the hair he had just pushed back fell forward again, even messier than before.

He laughed so hard that he bent over, his body shaking. Since they were sitting close, his long hair brushed against Lin Qinzhou’s knees multiple times.

It tickled a bit, a little prickly. But it wasn’t unpleasant.

Then suddenly, Lin Qinzhou felt like laughing too. “I didn’t want to say it earlier, but this cake is really kind of ugly. Hahaha, I think the designer must’ve been in a bad mood when they made it…”

Qin Yue was almost out of breath from laughing and could barely speak. “…Young master, what you’re saying…is way too polite. It’s not just ugly…it’s hideous!”

Lin Qinzhou hit him with the pillow in his hand. “And you still bought me such an ugly cake! Did you do it on purpose? You’re so annoying!”

Qin Yue didn’t respond or dodge, letting him hit. After a while, their laughter finally subsided, and they leaned against the window, panting for breath.

Laughing so hard was exhausting, like they’d just run a kilometer. Their throats hurt.

Lin Qinzhou turned his head slightly and nudged Qin Yue’s arm. “What’s that thing you’re holding? Is it for me too?”

He had noticed earlier that aside from the cake, Qin Yue had also been holding a cylindrical tin box. He originally thought it was a birthday gift, but since Qin Yue hadn’t mentioned it, Lin Qinzhou had to ask himself.

Qin Yue was still smiling, though not as much as before. Hearing the question, he pursed his lips slightly and glanced at the item in his hand, looking a bit embarrassed.

Seeing Qin Yue’s reluctance, Lin Qinzhou thought he might have guessed wrong. He ruffled his hair awkwardly. —I’m being too self-centered. He already gave me a cake, how could I still ask for a gift? Now the atmosphere’s awkward!

“Uh… I was just asking casually, actually—”

“Yes,” Qin Yue suddenly pushed the tin box toward him, his dark eyes looking directly at Lin Qinzhou. “It’s for you.”

“Really?” Lin Qinzhou sounded unsure, worried that Qin Yue was just saying that to avoid awkwardness.

“Really.” Qin Yue, seeing that Lin Qinzhou wasn’t moving, opened the lid himself. “I didn’t have much to give you, so I thought I’d give you some seashells and pebbles I’ve collected.”

The tips of his ears turned red, looking almost transparent under the light.

He’s embarrassed, Lin Qinzhou thought. That’s why he didn’t give the gift earlier—he must’ve felt unsure about it.

“The coral reef was beautiful. It was my first time seeing the ocean,” Qin Yue said.

The seashells spilled out from the tin box, spread out on the soft velvet window seat. They were all different colors, shapes, and sizes, each one carefully chosen, all very pretty.

Lin Qinzhou noticed there was even a heart-shaped pebble, and the amazing thing was that it was pinkish in color.

It really looked like a heart. Lin Qinzhou held the stone in his hand, bowing his head, now too shy to look at Qin Yue.

He suddenly felt he had been pretty mean to Qin Yue—like he’d been bullying him. He even kept thinking about kicking him out of the house, yet Qin Yue had bought him a cake and given him a birthday gift.

Lin Qinzhou felt like crying, but he held back.

“Qin Yue, thank you.”