Moonlight Left Behind chapter 4

Lin Qinzhou originally thought that his interaction with the boss today would also end with a simple good night like last night, but he encountered a small mishap just before bed.

The showerhead in his bathroom was broken.

The worst part was that it was working fine when he entered the bathroom, but suddenly, halfway through, there was no water. At first, he thought it was a water outage, but after checking the sink faucet, he confirmed it was the showerhead that had issues.

He had just peeled lotus seeds earlier that evening, and now the shower head was broken. He wondered if it was some kind of retribution. Amused, he wrapped himself in a towel and called Xiao Yao, but there was no answer.

With no other option, Lin Qinzhou walked back to the bathroom, his head full of foam, contemplating whether to just put his head under the faucet—after all, he couldn’t go to bed with foam all over his head.

In the end, he gave up because he thought of someone.

—Boss Qin.

At this point, it was already nearly 10:30, and he knew the boss must have been asleep for a while. Lin Qinzhou was well aware of this, and his rational side told him it would be best not to disturb the other person. Yet another voice emerged to argue against that:

“Forget everything else; you’re a guest at this guesthouse, and there’s a problem with the bathroom. You can’t contact the staff, so what’s wrong with asking the boss to resolve it?”

Lin Qinzhou was easily persuaded by that voice. He tightened his towel and went out to find Boss Qin.

Perhaps because of his leg issue, Boss Qin’s room was on the first floor. Xiao Yao mentioned it last night, and Lin Qinzhou remembered which room it was.

However, when he reached the door, he hesitated. Setting aside whether it was appropriate to disturb him, he felt quite embarrassed in his current state and was unsure how Boss Qin would react.

But…

Since he was already here.

He stood outside the door for a long time, finally taking a deep breath before raising his hand to knock.

There was no response for a long time, and fearing he might disturb the other guests, Lin Qinzhou didn’t dare make too much noise.

—Forget it, I’ll just go back.

Just as he was about to give up, a low voice suddenly came from inside: “Who?” The voice had a slight rasp, as if waking from deep sleep.

Lin Qinzhou’s heart skipped a beat, and then he squeezed his sweaty hand, saying, “It’s me.” Worried that the other person wouldn’t recognize his voice, he quickly added, “Lin Qinzhou.”

There was still no response from inside, and Lin Qinzhou felt a bit flustered. He mustered the courage to state his purpose: “Sorry, Boss Qin, I didn’t mean to disturb your rest. It’s just that the showerhead in my bathroom seems to have some issues and there’s no water, so I came to ask if you have another available room where I can take a shower.”

This time, the person inside quickly responded, “Sorry, please wait a moment.”

Lin Qinzhou squeezed his palm and exhaled, “Okay, no rush, take your time.”

The corridor was too quiet, and the light was dim. Perhaps because of this, Lin Qinzhou’s senses suddenly became sharp; despite being separated by a wooden door, the faint sounds from inside the room clearly reached his ears.

He heard Boss Qin sit up from the bed, then lean his body to the edge of the bed, grasp the armrest of the wheelchair, and with difficulty, support himself as he transferred into the wheelchair.

There were several seconds of pauses between each movement, making it clear that performing these actions was not easy.

Lin Qinzhou suddenly felt regret. He shouldn’t have come to find Boss Qin at this time; it was just a matter of washing his hair and taking a shower—why was he being so dramatic?

What was the big deal about sleeping with foam in his hair? It wasn’t like he didn’t have a towel; he could just wipe it off.

The wheelchair rolled heavily on the floor, and Lin Qinzhou’s heart felt tight and tangled.

“Sorry, Mr. Lin,” the door finally opened. Boss Qin was wearing a black silk nightgown, his long hair tousled behind him, and his eyes were slightly red. He apologized to Lin Qinzhou again and said, “But Mr. Lin, it’s currently peak tourist season, and the rooms in the guesthouse are fully booked. You and your friend reserved the last two rooms.”

Lin Qinzhou: “…” He hadn’t expected this situation, and for a moment, he was at a loss for what to do. “Then, how about… never mind.”

Although he had wrapped a towel around his head, the foam he hadn’t rinsed off was still dripping onto the floor, making his reluctant response sound forced. Boss Qin glanced at his hair.

Finally, he said, “If you don’t mind, Mr. Lin, you can come to my room to wash up.”

Lin Qinzhou felt it would be too much of a disturbance, but he had already intruded enough. Continuing to be polite felt insincere, so after a slight hesitation, he said, “Okay, thank you, Boss Qin.”

This was the fastest shower Lin Qinzhou had ever taken, and he was out in about ten minutes. Boss Qin was sitting by the window reading. When he saw Lin Qinzhou come out, he slowly lifted his gaze in surprise, “So fast?”

“Ah, yes. I usually shower quickly.”

Nonsense.

Lin Qinzhou had a slight obsession with cleanliness, needing to shower twice a day—once in the morning and once at night, with each shower lasting no less than 20 minutes. He had even been teased before that his bathing routine was more like slaughtering a pig.

Standing at the bathroom door, Lin Qinzhou dried his hair while taking in the entire room. He had come in hurriedly earlier and hadn’t paid attention, but now he realized he was unfamiliar with the room. It seemed he had never been there before.

But that was strange. The entire guesthouse had a total of 16 rooms, and Lin Qinzhou had been through all of them. He could navigate the place with his eyes closed and know where everything was supposed to be.

Yet, he felt strange in this room. This unfamiliarity wasn’t just because Boss Qin might have redecorated it, but because he genuinely didn’t remember this room ever existing. It felt like it shouldn’t be there.

But if this wasn’t originally a room, then what was it? Lin Qinzhou had no recollection of that.

His memory was a jumbled mess, especially regarding the years at Coral Island; there were too many things he couldn’t recall.

Suddenly, his gaze landed on a wooden guitar next to the desk.

A 34-inch natural wood color, showing signs of age. Lin Qinzhou felt it looked familiar and recognized after a moment that it seemed to be his own. He had left a guitar here some time ago.

“Do you play guitar?” The thought of his guitar becoming Boss Qin’s, cared for by this person, made Lin Qinzhou feel a mix of restlessness and excitement; the blood in his body felt like it was boiling.

He liked this secret connection. It was illogical yet irresistibly tantalizing.

So strange.

But Boss Qin replied, “I don’t.”

Lin Qinzhou felt as if he had been dropped from a cloud to the ground, his tone unconsciously tinged with disappointment, “Then whose guitar is this?”

Boss Qin followed his gaze and explained, “It was left by the previous owner of the guesthouse. I saw it was still in good condition, so I thought it would be a shame to dispose of it, so I kept it in the room. If you like it Mr. Lin, you can take it.”

He said it casually, as if he truly didn’t care, and Lin Qinzhou’s emotions sank even lower.

He lowered his head, “That wouldn’t be right.”

“It’s fine. A good sword should be given to a hero. Such a good guitar deserves to find a suitable owner; keeping it here would be a waste.”

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Qinzhou approached and hugged the guitar. “Then thank you, Boss Qin.”

Boss Qin smiled lightly, “You’re welcome.”

It was already late, and Lin Qinzhou felt it was inappropriate to stay any longer, so he bid farewell to Boss Qin. Boss Qin pushed the wheelchair to the door and apologized for the third time, “I’m really sorry, Mr. Lin. I’ve caused you unnecessary trouble tonight.”

Lin Qinzhou inexplicably disliked this polite and distant attitude from the other party, as if their relationship was merely that of an ordinary landlord and tenant.

Even if that was indeed the case.

He pretended to joke, “Then, Boss Qin, can you give me a discount?”

“Of course,” Boss Qin replied. His tone remained very polite, making it impossible to find fault.