Moonlight Left Behind chapter 31

Qin Yue didn’t want to talk to Zhou Zhengze. He locked himself in the room and didn’t respond to anyone knocking, especially when he heard Zhou Zhengze’s voice. He grew so agitated that he threw something at the door, making a loud thud.

Dou Xiaohua awkwardly suggested, “Maybe you should sit down and have some tea. Kids can be complicated, but he might come around and come out on his own later.”

Zhou Zhengze nodded. “That’s probably best.”

When the two knocked on the door, Lin Qinzhou had been following along. Now, watching his grandmother and that annoying man leave, Lin Qinzhou stood alone outside the door for a while before suddenly running off.

Dou Xiaohua came out after making tea and caught a glimpse of his hurried figure. “Xiao Zhou, where are you going—?”

Without looking back, Lin Qinzhou waved his hand and said, “I’m going to find Datou—” Datou was the grandson of Granny Wang from the milk tea shop next door, about the same age as Lin Qinzhou. Over the years, whenever Lin Qinzhou found bird nests or caught fish, half of them were done with Datou.

The two of them were like little terrors on Coral Island.

“This kid is really cute,” Zhou Zhengze said. Dou Xiaohua shook her head with a helpless smile, “Cute? He’s nothing but trouble every day, giving me constant headaches. Here, have some water.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Zhengze replied politely.

“You don’t need to worry, I’ll try talking to him again later. As long as he’s here and doesn’t want to leave, it’s not a problem.”

“That’s not right. We’ve already troubled you so much. We can’t impose any longer.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just an extra set of chopsticks. Besides, Xiao Qin is very capable and reliable. He’s helped me a lot, and he even refuses to accept the wages I offer him.”

While the two elderly people were exchanging their “parenting tips,” Lin Qinzhou was not idle. He didn’t really go looking for Datou but instead sneaked around and arrived outside Qin Yue’s room.

Qin Yue’s room was originally used for storage, so it had the worst lighting in the whole guesthouse. It was located on the far west side, facing a row of grapevines, and rarely saw any sunlight.

At this moment, Lin Qinzhou was hiding outside the window, peeking in from behind the grapevines.

But he couldn’t see anything because Qin Yue had tightly drawn the curtains without leaving a single gap. It seemed clear he didn’t want to see anyone.

Lin Qinzhou guessed right. After Qin Yue ran back to his room, he locked all the doors and windows, curled up in the dark corner, finding only a shred of peace this way.

But he knew he couldn’t stay in the room forever. He couldn’t hide for long. The sound of that man’s voice in the hall rang clearly in his ears, like a series of death bells reminding him that time was up, that his dream was about to end.

No matter how much he avoided it, the day had come, faster than he had imagined. And he, lost in his beautiful dream, had not prepared for it at all.

The young master had said he would play the guitar for him that night and asked Grandma Dou to prepare watermelon slush, but Qin Yue guessed he wouldn’t be able to listen to Lin Qinzhou play or enjoy the watermelon anymore.

Once you’ve been to paradise, you can’t bear to return to hell. No matter what, he could never go back with Zhou Zhengze.

But if he didn’t go back, what could he do? Run away again? Where could he escape to? Even if he ran, that devil would still find a way to bring him back. It had happened too many times—from hope to despair. He couldn’t run anymore.

Besides, he… really liked Coral Island.

In his pocket, the utility knife he always carried pressed against his thigh through the thin fabric. Qin Yue reached out and pressed it, having already made up his mind.

He just didn’t know if doing this would cause trouble for Grandma Dou and the guesthouse, and for the young master… The young master was so timid, he might be frightened.

So he had to find the right time, maybe on the way back from Coral Island to the mainland. That way, he could stay here forever…

Knock—knock—knock—”Qin Yue…”

As Qin Yue was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a series of steady knocks, followed by a faint voice. “Qin Yue… Qin Yue, can you hear me? Qin Yue…

It sounded like… the young master.

“Qin Yue… Qin Yue…” The voice was low and strange, but Qin Yue quickly realized it was coming from outside the window.

It was indeed the young master.

At this moment, the young master was just a fist’s distance away from the window. A slight movement, and they could be face to face.

But Qin Yue had no desire to move, not in the mood to deal with the young master’s curiosity.

“Qin Yue… Qin Yue…” But the young master wasn’t giving up. With no response, he kept calling his name, knocking on the window.

Qin Yue, thoroughly annoyed, finally turned and opened a small gap in the curtain, his face full of irritation as he said, “Can you—”

He was about to ask if the young master could be quiet, but the boy’s bright eyes suddenly caught him off guard. The young master, drenched in sweat, grinned and called his name, “Qin Yue, you finally decided to talk to me!”

The young master’s skin was sensitive to the sun. Every time he went out to play, he came back sunburnt and would peel the next day. Then, he would run to his grandmother, pouting and begging for aloe gel. After Qin Yue arrived, this task had been passed to him.

Over the past month, he had watched Lin Qinzhou’s skin darken. These past few days, he was almost chocolate-colored. Yet, he still refused to use sunscreen, complaining it was sticky and smelled too strong.

After just ten minutes in the scorching sun, his face was red again, and by tomorrow, it would surely start peeling.

“Qin Yue, you don’t want to go back with that old man, do you?” The young master pressed his face against the window glass, his small, cute nose squashed flat. It looked a bit comical, and Qin Yue suddenly felt a bit better.

“I-I-I have an idea. You open the window and climb out. I’ll take you to Datou’s house to hide. When that old man can’t find you, he’ll leave…” The young master’s tone was innocent, as if he genuinely believed he had come up with a brilliant plan.

But how could that be possible? Zhou Zhengze already knew where he was. He wouldn’t leave so easily. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come all this way.

There was no escaping.

The only way not to go back with him… was just one.

“Ah, Qin Yue, your hand is bleeding!” Lin Qinzhou exclaimed in surprise. Worried that his loud voice might alarm the two people in the hall, he quickly covered his mouth. Pressing his face against the window again, he mumbled through his hand, “Qin Yue, does it hurt?”

Only then did Qin Yue realize that the utility knife in his pocket had somehow ended up in his hand. The blade was extended, cutting a long, deep gash in his palm, though he hadn’t noticed until now.

The young master looked a bit frightened, his eyes darting occasionally toward the wound. Despite having many questions, he only asked, “Does it hurt?”

“Are you really not trying to kick me out anymore?” The coldness in Qin Yue’s body melted slightly as he pressed his forehead against the windowpane. “This is a good chance. If I go back with him, I’ll never come back again.”

“No,” the young master responded without any hesitation. “You don’t like him, and I don’t like him either.”

“Why don’t you like him?” Qin Yue thought to himself. Every child in the orphanage liked Zhou Zhengze, including himself once.

And if it hadn’t been for that accident, he might have stayed in the dark for another two years.

“I don’t know,” Lin Qinzhou shook his head lightly and said, “I just don’t like him. The way he looks at people is strange, and it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like him.”

Qin Yue found it even more amusing and said, out of nowhere, “Young master, I didn’t expect you to be so smart.”

Lin Qinzhou thought Qin Yue was making fun of him, but seeing how sad he looked, he decided not to argue for now. He lowered his voice and repeated his earlier offer:

“Qin Yue, come out. Let’s sneak away. Datou is like my little brother; he wouldn’t dare to betray us. If he does, I’ll beat him up…”

The young master is so cute, Qin Yue thought. If only he really were my little brother. Then another voice mocked him, “What are you thinking, Qin Yue? Who do you think you are, dreaming of a brother like that? Stop dreaming.”

Yeah, stop dreaming.

Qin Yue smiled silently and unlocked the window. “Okay, I’ll come with you, but we’re not going to Datou’s house.”

“Then where are we going?” Lin Qinzhou asked.

“Let’s go to the beach. We promised to pick up seashells together.”

It was a promise they made on Lin Qinzhou’s birthday night. Lin Qinzhou really liked seashells, and he had collected quite a few himself, but none as beautiful as the ones Qin Yue had found.

“Okay, but what about that old man?” Lin Qinzhou asked, concerned.

“Don’t worry about him,” Qin Yue replied. He climbed up onto the window ledge and jumped down easily. Lin Qinzhou was standing right next to him. Qin Yue reached out to hold his hand but stopped when he noticed the blood on his palm.

Better not—don’t stain the young master.

“Let’s go.” Qin Yue took the first step forward. Just then, a hand reached from behind and hooked onto his pinky finger. “Alright, let’s go!” Lin Qinzhou said.

Qin Yue froze in place, stunned, as if his body had forgotten how to move.

“Wha-what’s wrong?” Lin Qinzhou leaned in close, whispering in his ear, “Hurry, or we’ll be caught…”

The warm breath tickled his ear, making him feel uneasy. Qin Yue rubbed his ear and said, “Alright, let’s go.”