Day: September 19, 2021

Chapter 3

TL: sync
PR: Emy

While walking down the passageway, Sakamoto noticed his friend circling around the bushes in the courtyard, pushing his way through the grass, sticking his head deeper inside them and tilting it around, before moving on to another area. He called out to him, wondering what he was doing.

Fumiya responded without raising his head.

“I-I’m just… s-searching for something.”

“For what?”

“A-Akamatsu-senpai’s… fountain pen. It f-fell from the… w-window.”

“I’ll help you look for it.”

Sakamoto went straight down to the courtyard.

“What does it look like?”

“I-It’s mostly… black, but… it has some g-gold on it, too. And on the lid… there’s a m-mother-of-pearl design…”

“Whoa, that sounds expensive!”

The two of them knelt down and began pushing through the thickets.

Shiga, a kendo club member who had been with Sakamoto, was still in the passageway, watching the two small boys.

It fell from the third floor? Okay, if the desk was right in front of the window, it might be believable, but people don’t generally put fountain pens on window frames.

Thinking it suspicious, he looked up at the third floor.

He noticed Souichirou standing by one of the windows. Dressed in his usual hakama, he was standing tall and proud, watching his underclassmen searching for his fountain pen.

…What’s with that?

If he had the time to watch them, he could at least try and search for it, too.

Many of the younger students looked up to Souichirou – he was accomplished in both the literary and military arts, he had a sense of justice and he was fair – but seeing him now, Shiga couldn’t help but begin thinking he would need to reconsider his opinion.

It almost seemed like he was taking advantage of the fact he had an underclassman as a roommate.

Souichirou would make Fumiya do ridiculous things, like make him do the laundry instead of the servants which were hired by the staff or make him draw water from the well out the back after the sun had already set or deliberately make him go buy something that could only be bought from a faraway shop so that he would have less time to eat dinner…

Every time, Fumiya would just nod and do what he was asked without complaint; Shiga couldn’t help but think that Souichirou’s conduct was uncalled for.

I didn’t think he was that sort of person…

Shiga was glaring up at Souichirou before he even realized it.

Though I suppose for the son of an earl, treating people like slaves is a normal thing to do.

When he realized his underclassman was looking at him with such a scornful gaze, Souichirou returned an even fiercer glare back—but when Shiga flinched at that, Souichirou sneered at him instead.

In that sneer, there was self-deprecation, but in Shiga’s anger, he could only see it as being filled with arrogance.

“Stop it, stop it! Stop searching for Akamatsu-senpai’s fountain pen!”

Growing angrier at that, Shiga crossed over to where the two were still searching.

“Huh? Why?”

Sakamoto lifted his head up in confusion, but Fumiya continued to shove his head straight into the shrubbery without a single worry. With an outstretched arm, he pushed the branches aside.

“I-I found it!”

Leaves and twigs were sticking out of his scraggly hair and small cuts and grazes adorned his face, and yet, despite all that, his shout was one of pure happiness.

“I’m glad you found it!”

Sakamoto clapped his hands together in joy.

“T-Thank you… for s-searching for it… with me, Sakamoto-kun. I-I’m going to go give it to him!”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy you found it.”

After Fumiya had left, Shiga let out a sigh.

“He obviously dropped it on purpose. Why on earth was Kobori searching so hard for it?”

“Because Akamatsu-senpai told him to, probably.”

“He should get angry when people tell him to do such ridiculous things, whether it’s an upperclassman or the son of a noble. If he doesn’t, he’ll always be treated like a servant.”

As he watched Shiga clench his fists in anger derived from his sense of justice, Sakamoto laughed, asking why he was the one getting so angry.

“Kobori-kun isn’t the kind to get angry at anyone, and besides, he wanted to find it for him.”

Even though Sakamoto said as much, Shiga still couldn’t accept it.

“I was wrong about Akamatsu-senpai!” he spat out in disgust.

“I personally haven’t been treated badly by him… And thinking about it, Akamatsu-senpai isn’t really unkind to anyone except Kobori-kun. Did he do something to you?”

“He didn’t, but… But, why? Why is Akamatsu-senpai always like that to Kobori? It must be because he’s irritated by Kobori’s obedience.”

“It doesn’t look like he’s taking his anger out on him to me.”

“Then, why?”

With a slight smile, Sakamoto tilted his head to the side.

“I wonder.”

The next time Fumiya and Sakamoto met again that day was at dinner.

The grazes on Fumiya’s face that he had got while searching for the fountain pen were glistening like they had had oil rubbed on them.

“I see you went to the first aid room, then,” Sakamoto said. But Fumiya responded with a shake of his head.

“A-Akamatsu-senpai said that… this m-medicine worked wonders… on c-cuts and grazes. H-He… went and g-got it from Kanazawa-san who c-came from Toyama… for me. And then, h-he even put it on for me…”

“That was nice of him.”

Sakamoto couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t particularly worried about Fumiya and Akamatsu, but he was happy that Fumiya could confirm for himself that his upperclassman really did care for and respect him.


Hello!! Thanks for reading!! Help or support by buying me coffee, greatly appreciated thank you! 

Chapter 2.2

TL: sync
PR: Emy

Sakamoto had told him that if he didn’t want to go back to his home in Tokyo, he could spend the time at his instead, but he’d refused, saying he’d much rather study considering he’d just barely passed the maths exam.

In reality though, Fumiya just wanted to be alone.

Since Akamatsu-san’s probably gone home as well, I’ll just relax for now. I wonder what I can see from the third-floor window. Maybe I’ll play the shamisen for a bit, too.

On either side of the hilly road between the shopping district in front of the station and the side gate of the dorms, cherry blossoms were planted at regular intervals. That year’s cherry blossoms were still buds, but at the peak of the cherry blossom season, the sky would be colored a light pink; it made sense for the dorm to be called the Sakura Hill Dormitory.

It was when Fumiya was about to pass under the gate that he noticed it: the flowers of the cherry blossom just behind the gatepost were trying to bloom. No, two or three of them had already bloomed.

Fumiya loved flowers. Especially the cherry blossoms which added so much color to the spring.

Without thinking about it, Fumiya’s mouth turned up into a smile and he ran all the way up to the third floor of the dorm. Sure that his roommate wouldn’t be in their room, he vigorously threw the door open and bounded into his room.

“Ah.”

The minute Fumiya saw a boy sprawled out on the bed, he froze in place. Holding his breath, he quietly watched him. Even after a few seconds passed, his upperclassman thankfully remained asleep.

Fumiya breathed out in relief.

It was all well and good that he was asleep, but before he knew it, Fumiya could no longer move, eyes attached to his sleeping face.

…His hair is light brown. Ah, but there’s a bit of gold mixed in. It looks as smooth as silk…

The hair on top of the boy’s gently curving forehead was shining.

I think his eyes were a strange color, too…

Were they blue? Or gray?

As interested as Fumiya was in the odd appearance of this boy born from a European mother and a Japanese father, he knew that he shouldn’t stare. Besides, he was afraid that Akamatsu Souichirou’s existence was so bright that it would blind him. However, now that he was asleep…

The kimono that he seemed to like to wear always made his tall figure look majestic, but now that it was crumpled from how he was laying, Fumiya noticed that he had a surprisingly slim body. Since the position of his hips was high, the length of his hakama was amazingly long.

It wasn’t only the color of his hair and eyes that made him look different to a pure Japanese, the way his skin looked was a bit different, too. He didn’t have tanned skin, rather, it looked as white as fresh milk.

From his high forehead to the straight bridge of his nose… His features were all clearly defined. The eyelids closed firmly shut looked as if they were sunk in, and the eyelashes that bent backwards to meet his slightly elevated cheekbones were surprisingly long. As his lips, which were unexpectedly plump, moved as he mumbled in his sleep, Fumiya felt a surge of affection.

Fumiya couldn’t help but find himself wanting to try trailing his finger from the sharp tip of Souichirou’s nose, down and up along the bridge of his nose, up to his eyebrows. At that, the tips of his fingers twitched.

Moved by his curiosity, Fumiya was already sitting near the sleeping body before he even had the time to think.

As if Souichirou was aware of Fumiya’s wish to see that rare eye color properly just once, his eyes opened.

Forgetting to jump back, Fumiya just stared into those eyes.

Souichirou’s eyes were a beautiful hue—gray tinged with blue. They had a transparency to them that almost made them look like two glass balls, glittering with moisture.

When Fumiya saw an expression filled with curiosity that made him realize he was most likely making the same face, he nearly laughed at himself. Something began to distort his sight, and the strange way in which he widened his eyes was oddly amusing.

Noticing a hand suddenly reaching towards him, Fumiya pulled back.

“D-Don’t touch me…!”

Having come back to his senses, Fumiya immediately stood up.

“Even though you were sitting right beside me and looking at me while I was asleep, you think you have the right to tell me not to touch you?”

“…”

Akamatsu Souichirou got out of his bed and approached Fumiya as he backed away.

When Fumiya’s back hit the window and he could no longer go any further, they faced each other with only a person’s distance between them.

Unable to withstand the piercing gaze, Fumiya averted his eyes down to the floor.

snk2

“It’s not like I’m going to bite you or anything. Do you just not like me? I know there are a lot of people who are disgusted by how I look, but I’ve never seen someone so obviously trying to avoid looking at me… It kinda hurts.”

Fumiya frantically looked up.

N-No! That wasn’t my intention at all!

Somehow, he’d managed to look back up again, but it was like his lips were stiff and he could barely get his words out.

“I-I…”

“You… what?”

“…”

Being looked at with such intensity instilled such fear in Fumiya that he became as still as a rock. But even as his eyes began to fill with tears, the color of Souichirou’s eyes still looked beautiful.

“You want to say something to me, right?”

“…”

Sighing at Fumiya’s bleary eyes, Souichirou changed his tone.

“Sharing with an upperclassman must be frightening for you, huh? Not to mention you’re having to stay with someone like me…”

Fumiya frantically shook his head from side to side, and desperately wrung out words from his throat.

“W-When I s-saw you, th-the first… thing I thought was… that y-you were pretty. I-I mean to say, the color of your hair and… your f-features are.”

“You think I’m pretty?”

Souichirou’s mouth suddenly opened in surprise, but it quickly changed to a smile filled with cynicism.

Noticing his change in expression, Fumiya only became even more flustered. Maybe it was rude of me to use the word ‘pretty’ to describe a boy.

“P-Please forgive… me.”

Again unable to withstand the intensity of Souichirou’s gaze, Fumiya turned his head down and mumbled an explanation to his choice of words—as he didn’t exactly have one, he had to think fast.

“I-I thought that… y-you sort of looked… like the prince out of a p-picture book I read once… U-Um, I… I had it… when I was younger. It was a f-foreign book. Y-You look… a lot like the p-prince in one of the illustrations…”

“A prince, huh?” the son of the earl spat out.

“Anyway, the way you speak really gets on my nerves. Can you not just speak normally?”

“…”

Fumiya bit down hard on his lip.

“Well, whatever. But you know, if you’re going to talk to me while in front of me, you should at least look at me while you’re speaking. Do you not think so?”

“Ah… Y-Yes, sorry.”

The speed at which Fumiya raised his head made him feel slightly dizzy.

“Continue.”

Even while having no idea what he was saying, words flew out of his mouth.

“T-To help save the p… princess, the prince found the… courage he needed to f-fight… He rode a white horse, and ran through the forest…”

After rescuing the captured princess, the prince and princess fell in love at that moment, and after getting her parents’ blessings, the two of them married and they lived happily ever after.

“If that’s the case, become my retainer.”

It was an unexpected order.

Souichirou grinned at Fumiya’s widening eyes.

“There’s nothing wrong with me being a selfish prince, is there?”

“S-Such a prince… w-wouldn’t be… a prince. A p-prince is full of pride and is a bit r-reckle—“

“Will you become my retainer?”

Fumiya began imagining himself on a horse galloping after the prince on his own white one in the dark forest—not that he had any experience of horse-riding.

“W-Would you… be o-okay with… me?”

Souichirou wasn’t exactly happy about having his pleasant afternoon nap being disturbed by a cowardly boy he could barely understand.

However, he found the way that Fumiya was clumsily trying his hardest to speak, even while constantly stuttering, charming; he understood that the boy didn’t have the personality to be able to compliment another easily.

“Whether you are or not doesn’t matter…”

Suddenly, Souichirou burst into laughter.

“A retainer is supposed to do everything in his power to protect the prince, even if it means sacrificing his own life, but you don’t look strong in the least. You’d suit the role of the princess more than the retainer.”

“…B-But the princess is a… g-girl,”

Fumiya said, lips trembling as they twisted into a frown of self-deprecation.

“Do you not want to be the princess?”

“D-Despite how I may look, I-I’m a b-boy.”

When Souichirou narrowed his eyes quizzically, Fumiya deeply lowered his head as if trying to avoid his gaze.

Don’t tell me his looks are a sore spot for him? He’s got beautiful enough features that I’m pretty sure he could wrap so many people around his little finger if he really wanted to…

He couldn’t help but think about the way Fumiya always had his head turned down like he were a servant, or the way he always stammered so much that it was irritating.

Noticing a single light pink petal on the top of Fumiya’s head, Souichirou gently lifted it up between his fingers.

“…Kirschblüte.”

It was the German word for cherry blossoms.

“You had one on your head.”

Souichirou showed the petal nestled in the palm of his hand.

“…B-But… most of them s-still… aren’t in bloom…?”

“Then maybe this is snow.”

Souichirou closed his hand tight into a fist, and as if to emphasize that it was shut, he then wrapped his other hand around it.

When he opened it again, the petal was no longer in his palm—it was a simple magic trick, but having no knowledge of such tricks, Fumiya’s eyes blinked in amazement.

“I-It… disappeared.”

“It melted,” Souichirou lied.

Still bewildered by what he had just seen, a faint, fleeting smile showed itself on Fumiya’s face.

When he saw the smile on that pale face, Souichirou’s chest throbbed. It was close to a feeling of love, but it was slightly different to that felt for younger siblings.

Without any words being said to cause it, he suddenly felt irritation. Without warning, he turned away from Fumiya and returned back to his bed. Placing his elbows on the pillow, he closed his eyes.

“I’m going to rest for a bit more. I have difficulty falling asleep, so until I do, don’t move a single muscle. Just stand right there the exact same way you’re standing.”

“O-Okay.”

After Fumiya’s reply, the room fell into a somewhat unnatural silence, but if he focused his ears, Souichirou could hear Fumiya trying his hardest to make his breathing as shallow as possible.

As he counted those breaths, he could feel himself relaxing.

So I’m a selfish prince, huh?

His face broke into a smile.

Not that I’ve ever had a chance to be selfish.

Without ever becoming aware of the smile on his face, Souichirou was pulled into the world of dreams.


Hello!! Thanks for reading!! Help or support by buying me coffee, greatly appreciated thank you! 

Chapter 38

        The situation seemed to be very awkward. Wen Lin felt that he had listened to too many things that he didn’t want to hear, but at this moment there was no way he could leave. He could only look at Wen Jianing and wait for Wen Jianing’s response.

  Wen Jianing heard what Yan Ruowei said, but he didn’t react at all.

  Yan Ruowei was very emotional. He was panting, and his chest kept rising and falling.

  “You are the only one who is naive,” Wen Jianing said suddenly, “Both Lu Jinlang and I. We both know what we are doing and what we want.”

  Yan Ruowei looked at him with wide eyes, as if he didn’t understand.

  Wen Jianing continued, “Why would you be so naive as to think that Lu Jinlang is sincere with you?”

  Wen Lin couldn’t help calling him, “Xinhang?”

  Wen Jianing shook his head at him, and then said to Yan Ruowei, “Lu Jinlang’s sincerity is too precious. We can’t afford it. Don’t think about it.”

  Yan Ruowei raised his hand and wiped the wound on the corner of his mouth. He looked a little dumbfounded, and asked Wen Jianing, “Does it mean you are not sincere to him too?”

  Wen Jianing said, “I don’t want to become what you are now.”

  Yan Ruowei’s eyes were a little lost, and it wasn’t clear where his gaze was directed at.

  Wen Jianing said to him again, “Take advantage of the noisiness outside, and when no one notices you, find a way to leave. If you were seen with Yuan Qian when this matter broke out, it’ll really be a big scandal in the entertainment industry.”

  Yan Ruowei didn’t say anything.

  Wen Jianing then said to Wen Lin, “Let’s go.”

  Wen Lin followed Wen Jianing out of the terrace and saw that it was still bustling below and no one was paying attention to this corner. He couldn’t help but ask Wen Jianing, “You really don’t like Lu Jinlang?”

  As he went down the stairs, Wen Jianing said, “I like him, but so what if I do? There is still a long distance between like and love.”

  Wen Lin said, “Does Lu Jinlang know?”

  Wen Jianing said, “It doesn’t matter whether he knows it or not. These are not important to him.”

  When Wen Jianing went back to the hall on the first floor, he still didn’t see Lu Jinlang. At this time, Bai Shengzhe asked them to go over. He and Wen Lin hurried over and went to mingle with Bai Shengzhe.

  It was late at night after the celebration ended. Wen Jianing returned home in the company car and went upstairs alone.

  He drank some wine, but he didn’t drink much, and his face was slightly flushed, but his mind was still sober. When he opened the door with the key, he was a little surprised for a moment, because he habitually locked the door every day, but today he was able to open it after turning a bit.

  But he only thought he had forgotten to lock it when he went out in the morning.

  When he opened the door and went into the house, he closed the door with one hand and turned on the light with the other hand. Suddenly someone held him from behind.

  Wen Jianing was startled and immediately began to struggle.

  The man had a heavy strength and held him tightly from behind. At this time, Wen Jianing stopped struggling because he was very familiar with the embrace. He then knew that the person behind him was Lu Jinlang.

  After he was released, Wen Jianing lay on the sofa somewhat disconnected. Lu Jinlang reached out and carried him directly to the top of the small bed.

  “Consider moving to my place,” Lu Jinlang said to him suddenly.

  ”Huh?”

  Lu Jinlang lay down beside him and lazily reached out for a cigarette. He didn’t smoke very much because he was a very reserved person. He smokes occasionally but was not addicted. But there happened to be a cigarette on his body today, which was given to him at the dinner party. After he took the cigarette, Lu Jinlang turned around to look for the lighter. He searched for a long time but didn’t find it. In the end, Wen Jianing found one for him.

  Wen Jianing lay down facing him and asked, “Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”

  Lu Jinlang said, “I was followed by a paparazzi when I came here today. I asked Yunan to turn around a few times before getting rid of them. You are not safe here.”

  Wen Jianing neighbourhood was an old one, and the access control downstairs was not strict. It was too easy for people outside to get in, but Lu Jinlang’s place was different. Unregistered cars and pedestrians were not allowed to enter Lu Jinlang’s villa area. The owner must personally inform the security guard for them to enter.

  “But have you ever thought that if I move there, sooner or later the reporter will definitely find out about it,” Wen Jianing said.

  Lu Jinlang bit his cigarette for a while, and said, “How about buying you a house next door? This way no one will be suspicious.”

  Wen Jianing suddenly laughed, “Then they will definitely wonder if I’m being taken care of by someone.”

  Lu Jinlang smiled when he heard the words, “Aren’t you?”

        Wen Jianing understood what he meant, and didn’t answer immediately. He looked at him with his head in one hand.

  Lu Jinlang stared at him at this time and asked, “So do you want it or not?”

  “What?”

  Lu Jinlang said, “Live with me.”

  Wen Jianing didn’t say anything for a long time, and finally said, “Okay.”

  Lu Jinlang said to him, “Then I will arrange it.”

  Wen Jianing nodded.

  Lu Jinlang slept at Wen Jianing’s place that night. The two people slowly woke up until the next day when the sky was completely bright.

  The two men squeezed into a single bed. Of course, they couldn’t sleep well. Coupled with the strenuous exercise last night, Wen Jianing felt a little sore all over his body.

  Lu Jinlang got up first, stretched out his hand to brush Wen Jianing’s hair, and walked toward the bathroom. Wen Jianing lay on the bed lazily and played with his mobile phone for a while.

  When he came out of the shower, Lu Jinlang got dressed while preparing to call Lu Yunan.

  Wen Jianing got up from the bed, and when he walked to the bathroom, he asked, “Are you going back?”

  Lu Jinlang nodded. He didn’t like to go out very much. When on vacation, except for travelling, he spent most of his time at home growing flowers and cooking.

  Wen Jianing said, “Don’t trouble Yunan, I’ll drive you.”

  Lu Jinlang did not refuse.

  Wen Jianing went to take a shower and made a simple breakfast for Lu Jinlang after he came out. After the two of them had breakfast together, Wen Jianing went to wash the dishes and said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you back.”

  Wen Jianing drove Lu Jinlang home. It was almost ten o’clock in the morning, and the street was already busy with people. Wen Jianing had nothing to do today. Before he returned home yesterday, Wen Tinghuan told him to take a two-days break and arrange it freely.

  So he didn’t drive in a hurry and drove forward along with the traffic flow.

  After passing by a small square in the downtown business district, Wen Jianing stopped temporarily because of a traffic jam. Wen Jianing noticed a giant poster of himself hung on the square.

  Not of Ke Xinhang’s, but Wen Jianing’s.

  The black-and-white posters fluttered gently with the wind, and some workers were setting up the stage. It looked like there was going to be an event tonight.

  Wen Jianing was stunned and looked out of the car window. He was a little puzzled. He didn’t understand what kind of activity it was or why his poster was hung.

  At this time, the car behind honked to urge him, because the car in front had already driven away.

  He drove out slowly, but he couldn’t help turning his head to see the square.

  Lu Jinlang didn’t say anything at first, but when he saw him like this, he reached out and took out his cell phone and made a call. A few moments later the call was connected, and he asked the person on the other side of the phone, “What’s going on over at Trend Plaza tonight?”

  ……

  “Check it out for me.”

       Soon, the person on the phone seemed to reply to him. Lu Jinlang said “Um”, then hung up the phone and said to Wen Jianing, “There is a memorial event about Wen Jianing tonight. It was jointly organized by Wen Jianing’s agency and a clothing brand he endorsed before his death.”

  Wen Jianing listened quietly, and he pursed his lips slightly.

  Lu Jinlang noticed his small movements and asked, “Do you want to come and have a look?”

  Wen Jianing did not answer. He didn’t even look at Lu Jinlang, and just drove silently.

  Lu Jinlang propped his head with one hand, observing Wen Jianing’s expression.

  That day, he drove Lu Jinlang home and left on the pretext of going back to the company. He didn’t actually intend to go to the company at all. When he returned, he passed the square again and saw that the light frame had been set up. In fact, this was a commercial activity in memory of him. However, he still wanted to come and have a look, not with Lu Jinlang, but by himself.

  Wen Jianing did not dare to appear too early. Although he was not very popular, now he has a lot of fan attention. Appearing in public at random will cause trouble for himself.

  He waited until dark and appeared near the square wearing a mask and cap. It was a little cold at night and the wind around there was very strong. It was not unexpected for him to wear this. But a tall and fashionable young man, even if his face was covered, it was still inevitable that people passing by would look at him more than twice.

       Many people had gathered around the square, including men and women. At a glance, most of them were young girls. However, Wen Jianing had some fans who were already married and had children, but they still like him.

  The large screen built in the middle was playing the film clips he had played. In the open space in front of the screen, white candles are placed in the shape of the “Wen Jianing” character, which were all lit by his fans to express their grief for him.

  Wen Jianing thought of the sad and tearful young girls at his funeral. Apparently, they also sat here quietly and looked at Wen Jianing on the big screen. No one was crying, but everyone was just very quiet, with a sad look.

  He sat down in a corner and looked at himself on the screen.

  Suddenly, the film that was playing was stopped. The host of an event took the microphone and walked onto the stage and began to express his condolences to Wen Jianing. The background of the screen was also changed into an advertising poster of a clothing brand.

  Wen Jianing didn’t feel angry. He turned to look at the fans next to him, and he felt a little bit sorrowful.

  Next, the host announced tonight’s memorial activities. Many fans and friends from the Wen Jianing Fan Club prepared a program. They expressed their memory of Wen Jianing through singing and performance. Next, they invited two girls to sing.

  They sang the TV theme song starring Wen Jianing during his lifetime.

  Wen Jianing sat in the audience and listened quietly. Suddenly he got an idea. He stood up and looked for the president of the fan association in the crowd. He knew the girl.

  After he found the president, Wen Jianing took off his mask behind the stage and said to her, “I’m a fan of Wen Jianing. I want to perform something for him on the stage, but I don’t know if I’m allowed to?”

  The president’s eyes widened, “Are you Ke Xinhang?”

  Wen Jianing nodded, “Yes it’s me, Ke Xinhang.”

  The president seemed to be flattered. She nodded quickly, “Yes, of course, I’m happy that you like Jianing too, what do you want to perform?”

       Wen Jianing said, “There is a movie called ‘Mirror Flower and Water Moon’*, remember?”

  The president thought for a while and said, “Isn’t it pretty old?”

  Wen Jianing said, “It is very old. At the end of that movie, Wen Jianing had a solo dance. I want to perform that song.”

  It was an old movie, when Wen Jianing was not yet popular. In this small production movie, he played a somewhat mentally handicapped teenager. His sister learned ballet, and he always watched his sister dance at home, so he followed the dance. At the end of the movie, the slender boy puts on his sister’s ballet gown, turns on the CD player at home and plays an old piece of music casually, and dances to the music. Naturally, he did not dance ballet, but his body was soft and delicate. Even if he dances casually, his dancing talent could be seen.

  The song that was played at the time was called ‘By the Suzhou River’.

  Although the organizer did not prepare a video for ‘Mirror Flower and Water Moon’, after hearing that Ke Xinhang was going to perform on stage, he immediately asked someone to go online to find the last footage of the film, and also found the accompaniment tape of ‘By the Suzhou River’.

  Wen Jianing’s performance was arranged at the end of the event.

  When he came on stage, the scene was quiet for a while. Someone did not recognize him, but more people immediately shouted in surprise, “Ke Xinhang?”

  They thought he was a guest performer invited by the organizer.

  However, Wen Jianing, who picked up the microphone, said, “I am a fan of Wen Jianing. Today I brought this song ‘By the Suzhou River’ from the movie ‘Mirror Flower and Water Moon’, just to mourn with everyone and to thank everyone here who supports him.”

  As the movie began to play on the big screen, the melodious music of ‘By the Suzhou River’ also started to play.

  The Wen Jianing on the screen was not even 20 years old at that time. Although the role he played in the movie was very important, the movie itself was just a small-cost movie and did not get much response.

  At that time, Wen Jianing was still relatively thin, with an appearance between a teenager and a young man.

  “The night left a lonely river without a person in sight……” Wen Jianing performed the song with the neutral and delicate voice of Ke Xinhang. He could not remember the dance steps at that time, but he still remembered what the director said to him at that time ” You can dance as you like”. The child who had not learned to dance, by nature, interpreted the emotion of the song as he understood it.

  While he sang, he walked the dance steps at will, which was almost the same as that on the big screen behind him. He was very restrained and even shy. He matched his soft voice just right as if Wen Jianing on the screen had come back to life again.

  A car parked in the distance of the square. Lu Yunan looked at Wen Jianing’s performance on the stage and couldn’t help turning his head and whispered, “Mr. Lu?”

  Lu Jinlang was also looking at Wen Jianing, and he just uttered a single syllable “Huh?”.

  Lu Yunan said, “Xinhang seemed to have been preparing the dance for a long time.”

  Lu Jinlang let out an “um”.

  Lu Yunan said, “He probably really likes Mr. Wen.”

  “Yunan,” Lu Jinlang said suddenly, “Are you familiar with Wen Jianing?”

  Lu Yunan was stunned and hurriedly said, “Of course not.”

  Lu Jinlang said, “I’m not familiar with him either, but I’ve always felt that Wen Jianing was competing with me.”

  Lu Yunan recalled it carefully, and said, “When you put it that way, it does seem like so.”

  Lu Jinlang propped his head with one hand, “Ke Xinhang likes Wen Jianing so much, do you think he approached me for some other purpose?”

  “What purpose?” Lu Yunan was puzzled.

  Lu Jinlang said, “For example, to kill me and give Wen Jianing a companion or something.”

  Lu Yunan was instantly shocked, “Mr. Lu, don’t make such a joke!” He turned his head to look at Lu Jinlang but saw that Lu Jinlang’s expression did not seem to care, and that statement was indeed just a joke.

  Wen Jianing’s performance has come to an end.

  Lu Yunan asked Lu Jinlang, “Should I pick him up and go back together?”

  Lu Jinlang said, “Forget it, he came secretly. I will pretend I don’t know about it, so let’s go back.”

       “Okay,” Lu Yunan started the car and drove forward.


*The movie is actually called, 镜花水月 which means flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in the lake

Notes: I still planned to make another update for today because things are more laxed than I thought, lol

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Chapter 37

        When Wen Lin left, Wen Jianing and Lu Jinlang didn’t say anything more. One went to the bathroom and one went back to the award hall.

  When Wen Lin saw Wen Jianing return, he obviously hadn’t recovered from the shock and stared at Wen Jianing with wide eyes.

  Wen Jianing patted him on the shoulder.

  Wen Lin couldn’t hold back, and approached Wen Jianing and asked in a low voice, “Aren’t you angry when he talks about you like that?” In Wen Lin’s view, Lu Jinlang’s movements and words were too frivolous, and even a bit insulting.

  Wen Jianing smiled and said to him, “It’s nothing, just a joke.”

  The award ceremony was still going on, but it had nothing to do with them. This time, Wen Jianing felt that he had become a real audience and would not have that kind of excited anticipation.

  In the middle of the ceremony, the guest performers invited by the organizing committee came to the stage and sang two songs. It was from a very popular and powerful group recently. The sound was loud and the songs were passionate, which set off a small climax in the award ceremony.

       Generally speaking, there was nothing too unexpected about this year’s Academy Awards. Before the award ceremony, many media made predictions one after another, and the final result was almost the same as the general direction of the prediction.

  The best actor goes to a veteran actor who has acted in movies for many years but had not won the little golden man. The best actress was a young actress who was only twenty-six this year, young and beautiful, with unlimited possibilities.

        By this time, the awards ceremony, which lasted for nearly three hours, was reaching the end.

  At this time, the host came on stage and announced that there was a special achievement award to be presented to a special guest tonight, and invited Lu Jinlang and Zhan Yi, who were the guests of honour, to come on stage to present the award.

  Zhan Yi was the female lead of ‘Duel’. She played Wen Jianing’s girlfriend who was pregnant and killed by Yu Fenglin, played by Lu Jinlang in the movie. Although she was the female lead, this movie was actually a man’s drama, and Zhan Yi’s role was not critical.

       When he saw the two of them on stage, Wen Jianing suddenly understood for whom this special achievement award was prepared.

  Sure enough, Lu Jinlang and Zhan Yi announced that the winner of the Special Achievement Award was Wen Jianing, and then the host invited Wen Jianing’s mother, Wen Cuilan to the stage to receive the award.

  Wen Cuilan burst into tears uncontrollably and thanked the Organizing Committee and all his friends and fans on behalf of Wen Jianing.

  At this time, the whole audience stood up and applauded, and so the host announced that the Academy Award ceremony was officially over.

  Wen Jianing followed and stood up to applaud, but all his thoughts were on Wen Cuilan, who was crying on the awards platform above.

       The time just after the ceremony was the most chaotic, the award-winning stars had to go to the reception hall outside to be interviewed by reporters, while some others were either going to the celebration banquet after the award ceremony or going back by car. All the people in the whole venue were vacating the hall.

  Wen Jianing walked outside in a hurry, and Yi Nan grabbed his arm and missed, asking, “Where are you rushing to?”

  He shook his head and didn’t answer. He just wanted to see Wen Cuilan.

  When he saw Wen Cuilan so sad, Wen Jianing suddenly wondered whether his thoughts were wrong. Even with a new husband, the existence of a son should be irreplaceable for a woman. Since he was still alive, he should let his mother know, at least to make her less sad.

       Wen Cuilan would not attend the press conference, nor she would go to the celebration banquet. She was going to go straight to the special passage, and then leave by car.

  Wen Jianing knew where the passage was, so he hurried to that direction.

  The corridor seemed a bit crowded at this time. He was the only one who moved hastily, causing many people next to him to look at him.

  When he saw Wen Cuilan, Wen Cuilan was already standing at the exit of the passage. A car stopped in front of her, waiting for her to get in.

  It was her foreigner husband who drove, and there was a white girl in the back seat, the daughter of her husband and ex-wife.

  Wen Cuilan got into the car. The girl hugged the back of the chair and leaned her head to talk to her. Her husband hugged her for comfort, and Wen Cuilan finally showed a smile on her face.

       Wen Jianing just stood there and didn’t go over until the car drove away. Now he felt he shouldn’t mess around so much, at least not at this time.

  Many people came from behind him, waiting for vehicles to leave at the exit of the passage.

  Wen Jianing stood in the same place for a long time, and he took out his mobile phone and found several missed calls on the phone that had been muted before the opening, from Wen Lin and Wen Tinghuan.

        He called Wen Tinghuan back, and she hurriedly asked him where he was.

  Wen Jianing said the place, and soon the car drove over to pick him up.

  As she saw Wen Jianing getting in the car, Wen Tinghuan asked, “What the hell are you doing?”

  Wen Jianing shook his head.

       Seeing his somewhat disoriented appearance, Wen Tinghuan turned her head and asked Wen Lin and Yi Nan, “What happened to him?”

  Wen Lin and Yi Nan were both at a loss.

  However, Wen Lin remembered what happened to Wen Jianing and Lu Jinlang outside the bathroom at that time. He gave a soft “Ah” and thought that there was something wrong between Wen Jianing and Lu Jinlang, but when he saw Wen Tinghuan looking at him, he closed his mouth and shook his head.

       Wen Tinghuan didn’t ask any more questions, and said, “Manager Bai has already gone to the dinner party. We’ll go there now.”

  When she saw Wen Jianing still dispirited, Wen Tinghuan patted him on the shoulder, “Xinhang, don’t forget what you said to Zheng laoshi, cheer up!”

  Wen Jianing nodded.

  The address of the celebration banquet of the Academy Award ceremony was in the banquet hall of a five-star hotel very close to the award hall.

  After Bai Shengzhe arrived first. He waited for them to come before entering together with them.

  Wen Jianing saw Lu Jinlang as soon as he entered the lobby. He was standing with Zhan Yi to talk. Neither of them won any prizes this year, nor did they need to attend the press conference. They came here early as soon as the awards ceremony ended.

  There were so many astounding stars here like it was at the awards ceremony. Of course, in addition to the stars, there were many other well-known filmmakers and a large number of big bosses in the entertainment industry.

       The atmosphere was warm and peaceful, with people talking and laughing everywhere. It seemed that the entertainment circle was actually a small circle, where everyone knows each other and knows them well.

  Lu Jinlang had been surrounded by people to talk and clink glasses. He was calm and polite, and he always listened to others carefully.  He only took the time to look at Wen Jianing but did not come over.

  After Bai Shengzhe walked away from them, Wen Lin seemed a little uncomfortable, and Yi Nan didn’t seem to like these parties. He went to the table, took a glass of red wine and drank it alone.

        Bai Shengzhe beckoned Yi Nan to come over.

  And so only Wen Lin and Wen Jianing were left.

  Wen Lin looked around and said, “Is there a place to get some air?”

  Wen Jianing pointed to the stairs. There was a big terrace between the first floor and the second floor.

        Wen Lin walked in that direction upon hearing this.

  Wen Jianing wanted to tell him not to hurry to hide, but he didn’t stop Wen Lin. Because Wen Lin was already impatiently heading towards the terrace.

       He was feeling a little helpless, but there was no way to stop Wen Lin. Wen Jianing glanced around and saw Fang Wei who was talking to Li Jiazhen. He picked up a glass of red wine and walked in Fang Wei’s direction.

  Fang Wei obviously still remembered Wen Jianing. When he saw him, he smiled and greeted him, “Xinhang.”

  “Director Fang,” Wen Jianing respectfully toasted Fang Wei.

        Wen Jianing asked Fang Wei about the progress of ‘October Fireworks’. Fang Wei was obviously in a good mood when talking about the movie, and he pulled Li Jiazhen to talk with Wen Jianing in detail. Soon, there were a few more people around them. Naturally, they all came for Fang Wei.

  Fang Wei suddenly grabbed a short and plumpy middle-aged man and said, “Old Cao, didn’t you ask me to recommend someone to you? Come on, this is Ke Xinhang. I think he meets your requirements. Think about it.”

  The full name of the middle-aged man that Fang Wei called ‘Old Cao’ was Cao Songquan. He was a director who has filmed many comedies. He was an old partner with a producer in the circle, making a comedy film every two years, which was a blockbuster filled with so many stars.

        Cao Songquan looked at Wen Jianing, but asked Fang Wei, “You recommend him?”

  Fang Wei nodded, “I recommend him.”

  Cao Songquan said, “Okay, if you recommend it, it’s fine, I’ll take it!”

       Although Cao Songquan said so, it sounded more like a casual joke between friends to Wen Jianing, so he didn’t take it too seriously. He just respectfully toasted Cao Songquan a glass of wine, and then left silently when he saw that Fang Wei was engaging in small talks with others.

  The whole banquet hall was getting more and more people, since the award-winning actors rushed to the celebration banquet after being interviewed, and became the main spotlight of the banquet. Especially when the new Film Emperor and Queen came to the banquet hall, people’s attention was drawn to them.

  Wen Jianing turned to look for Lu Jinlang but found that he couldn’t find him, and he didn’t know if he went to the bathroom.

  After standing in place for a while, Wen Jianing planned to find Wen Lin, because until now, Wen Lin was still hiding on the terrace above and refused to come back. He also considered tonight’s trip to be in vain.

  Wen Jianing walked along the stairs towards the terrace, and when he got closer, he found that the two doors that were originally open were actually slightly closed at the moment. He thought that Wen Lin was inside, so he glanced into the crack of the door and saw Yuan Qian and Yan Ruowei standing on the terrace talking face to face.

  Slightly surprised, Wen Jianing simultaneously heard Yuan Qian’s angry curses, “Shameless!”

        Yan Ruowei turned his head and said, “Miss Yuan, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Yuan Qian repeatedly vented her anger, and she said, “I said you’re shameless! Being a man yet you are giving in to another man!”

        Yan Ruowei said, “I think you might have misunderstood something…”

  Slap!’ Before he finished his words, Yuan Qian slapped him in the face. She was obviously slapping so hard that Yan Ruowei’s head even tilted.

  Yuan Qian said bitterly, “Are you crazy about being popular? What do you want from Li Rong? You think I don’t know? Li Rong is just playing with you! Don’t be so delusional!”

  Yan Ruowei looked at Yuan Qian, suppressed his anger and did not do anything to her. He said, “I said you misunderstood!”

       Yuan Qian didn’t believe him at all, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Yan Ruowei’s clothes, constantly cursing words like “shameless” and “disgusting”.

  Yan Ruowei was obviously very patient, and grabbed Yuan Qian’s hand to let her let her go, but it was not possible to say whether it would strike Yuan Qian’s hands.

  When he saw this, Wen Jianing turned back and looked down the stairs and found Li Rong in the crowd.

  Li Rong leaned back against the wall and drank wine casually. He was a little absent-minded when several young actresses next to him were talking to him.

  Wen Jianing hurriedly went downstairs, walked quickly in the direction of Li Rong, grabbed Li Rong’s wrist and said, “Come with me.”

  Li Rong was a little baffled.

       Wen Jianing could no longer care about the strange look of the people next to him. While pulling Li Rong out of the crowd, he whispered to him, “Your girlfriend is dealing with Yan Ruowei, I’m afraid they’re making a big noise.”

  Li Rong immediately frowned and followed Wen Jianing quickly up the stairs. He rushed to open the door of the terrace and saw Yuan Qian already grabbing Yan Ruowei’s face and hair.

        Yan Ruowei’s face was scratched, but he still restrained himself and didn’t hit Yuan Qian.

  Li Rong stepped forward and hugged Yuan Qian to drag her away from Yan Ruowei. Wen Jianing followed behind and closed the door back.

        Yuan Qian was still so hysterical that he turned around and slapped Li Rong in the face.

  After doing that, she herself was stunned. She took a deep breath and said nothing.

  With a cold face, Li Rong asked, “Have you had enough?”

       Yan Ruowei looked at Li Rong, raised his hand to touch the wound on his face, and then looked at Wen Jianing behind Li Rong.

       Wen Jianing saw that the atmosphere was a little tense, he wanted to persuade Li Rong to take Yuan Qian away first, but before he had a chance to speak, he heard Li Rong yell, “Who is that? Get out!”

  Several people were taken aback.

  Then Wen Jianing saw Wen Lin cautiously come out from behind a big vase. He didn’t mean to hear it on purpose. He also felt very flustered.

       He just heard someone coming. In order to avoid talking with others, he wanted to hide behind the vase. However, he didn’t expect Yuan Qian and Yan Ruowei to quarrel as soon as they came inside. When he heard the content of the quarrel, there was no way to go out even more.

        Li Rong didn’t know Wen Lin, so he looked at him coldly.

  Wen Jianing quickly said to Li Rong, “He is my friend. He won’t talk nonsense.”

  Li Rong turned to Wen Jianing and said, “Thank you, I will take her away first.” After saying that, he dragged Yuan Qian away by the wrist.

        Wen Jianing, Wen Lin and Yan Ruowei were left in the room.

  Wen Jianing looked at Wen Lin and raised his jaw to signal him to leave.

  However, Yan Ruowei suddenly said, “Do you think Lu Jinlang loves you?”

        Wen Lin suddenly stopped, and Wen Jianing also looked at Yan Ruowei.

  Yan Ruowei still had bloodstains on his face and the corners of his mouth were swollen. He looks a little miserable. He then said, “Don’t be naive, that’s just an illusion, Lu Jinlang loves no one but himself.”


Notes:
|Since today my birthday, I might be busy with things at home. But hopefully I can still do another 1-2 updates~
On the more important note, please buy me some coffee here if you like my translation, ehe (。•̀ᴗ-)✧|

Check out my friend hoenibean’s pwp(p0rn without plot) translated short story here~
Check out also another story of a clone that finally become a real lover~

Leave some ratings if you like this series here~

P.S:

Please support the author if possible~

http://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2198091

https://www.gongzicp.com/novel-253290.html

Here’s a very awesome guide on how to support the author using jjwxc!
Here’s another guide to support the author using gongzicp!

P.P.S:
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