Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 1: Snowfield

Xu Wang never thought he would meet Wu Sheng again in his life, not even in his dreams.

But he did.

In the vast snowfield and the white forest sea, he wore only a pair of shorts, shivering with his arms crossed, devoid of his usual eloquence and handsomeness. In the worst state imaginable, he met the white moonlight* of his heart from high school.

*Refers to someone or something that’s beyond reach. It’s always in your heart, but not around you. It comes from Red Rose and White Rose by Eileen Chang.

Most likely to go along with his dream, Wu Sheng also wore a set of pajamas that clashed terribly with the surrounding environment. The linen-striped long sleeves were slightly better than his bare chest for warding off the cold, but only slightly. His nose was also red from the cold, yet he stood there with determination, not moving an inch or even frowning. Apart from the youthful features of the past, his face now bore a bit more maturity and steadiness. Everything else about him reminded Xu Wang of the time when he, representing his grade, got tangled up while raising the flag during a ceremony. Amidst the mocking laughter of the other students, he agilely climbed up the pole to untangle the flag, then slid down like Mario to continue hoisting it, eventually triumphing over the entire scene.

What was most unforgettable about this guy was his unshakable position as the top of their grade from the first to the third year of high school and the increasingly outrageous way he… showed off.

Yet, Xu Wang liked his bravado, so much so that he secretly imitated him climbing the flagpole several times… But let’s not reminisce about those unhappy memories during this rare reunion.

“Wu Sheng.” Xu Wang thought there might be some estrangement calling out a name he hadn’t said in ten years, but there wasn’t. The name came out as smoothly as if it had been turned over in his heart countless times, instantly taking him back to those days. A gentle warmth bubbled up from within his heart.

The surprise in Wu Sheng’s eyes deepened—he was already surprised when they unexpectedly met in this snowy landscape, but now that his full name was called, the surprise spread from his eyes to his entire face. Even the person who didn’t frown while walking in pajamas through a forest of snow was momentarily at a loss for words. “You…”

Throughout high school, Xu Wang had never seen Wu Sheng, who spoke articulately, be at a loss for words. If it were the past, he could’ve teased him for an entire term. But now, he was too filled with anticipation, unable to take his eyes off the other, almost demanding an answer. “Yes, me…”

“High school…”

“Yes!”

“My bunkmate…”

“Yes, yes!”

Wu Sheng must have remembered. The astonishment slowly faded, his brows relaxed, and a familiar, confident smile that used to dominate the whole grade emerged in his eyes, frustrating and yet endearingly irresistible.

Xu Wang gazed at him unabashedly, and the corners of his mouth lifted while his heart bloomed with joy.

Finally, the other party extended a hand of friendship first. “Long time no see, Zhang Wang.”

Xu Wang: “…”

Is it illegal to hit someone in one’s own dream?

Xu Wang was so angry that he felt physical pain, clutching at his chest, unable to alleviate the sharp ache. On the other hand, Wu Sheng seemed even happier. Although he concealed it well, who was Xu Wang? The same person who had spent countless nights in the bunk bed below, fantasizing about the other through his sophomore and junior years—a young fool hopelessly infatuated. He was all too familiar with every microexpression on Wu Sheng’s face.

This guy was definitely doing it on purpose. Back in high school, he enjoyed making fun of Xu Wang. Of course, Xu Wang wasn’t a pushover; an eye for an eye* was always his policy. Even if he couldn’t outperform him academically, he never fell short in verbal sparring.

*You stab me with a knife, I’ll return with a sword. It’s expression referring to if someone harms someone, that person will retaliate, often with greater force or intensity.

But unexpectedly, even in his own dream, his brain’s construction of Wu Sheng didn’t soften his character in the slightest. There was not even a bit more tenderness.

Alright, Xu Wang slapped his face twice, chastising himself for being greedy, as greediness can lead to overreaching, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. It was rare for him to have such a beautiful dream; rarer still was that this Wu Sheng, ten years later, remained the same familiar recipe with the same familiar smell and taste. Despite the cold weather and their thin clothes, it was only natural to come together in a warm embrace.

“Long time no see!”

Ignoring the extended hand, Xu Wang lunged for a bear hug, as if trying to dissolve all the regrets of the past in this embrace.

Wu Sheng, caught off guard, took a half-step back before steadying himself, stiffened.

Xu Wang didn’t care if the other was comfortable or not. His 1.81-meter-tall frame snuggled against the other’s chest like a bird as he marveled, “This dream… is worth dying for…”

Snow began to fall from the sky.

The snow was fine, with each flake landing on Xu Wang’s nose and on his cheek, which was rubbing against Wu Sheng’s striped pajama collar. It melted as soon as it touched, too fleeting to savor this beautiful scene.

In all honesty, Xu Wang initially felt satisfied just with the hug. But that’s how people are; once they taste sweetness, they always want more, sliding step by step into the abyss of sin. No one has ever dived headfirst into the river of sin.

“I like you. I’ve liked you since the second year of high school, and I still do. No matter how many properties I develop in my heart, it’s only you—only you, Wu Sheng. You hold the only piece of homestead land in my heart!”

Countless times in the dead of night, he reminisced about his youth, fantasizing about what might have happened if he had confessed his feelings back then. Time and again, he consoled himself with the thought, “It’s a good thing I didn’t say anything; otherwise, it would have hurt both of us.” But only Xu Wang knew deep down that this was the greatest regret buried deep in his heart.

Now, finally getting his wish, even if it was just a dream, he hoped to indulge before waking.

After confessing it all in one breath, regardless of how much the other party absorbed and digested, Xu Wang hugged him again, tighter and harder than before.

Wu Sheng didn’t dodge, possibly stunned by the candid confession, and was still in a daze of “Who are you? What are you saying? What do you want?”

Xu Wang took advantage of the moment, hugging thoroughly and contentedly, truly dying without regrets.

“Roar—”

Suddenly, a bitter cold wind struck Xu Wang from behind, accompanied by the roar of a wild beast. He shivered with fear, forgetting all about taking advantage of the situation, and swiftly turned around!

A black bear’s paw was even quicker than his turn, solidly hitting his shoulder with a “whoosh”.

“Dying without regrets” is just a metaphor. There’s no need to take it so seriously!

Xu Wang had lived for twenty-nine years, enduring many bumps and bruises, but only in this bear’s swipe did he truly understand what real pain was.

His brain froze, his body went numb, and he fell forward due to the bear’s swipe. Wu Sheng tried to catch him but failed, and they both toppled over together. As they fell into the thick snow, Xu Wang heard the bear’s roar again, this time closer and more ferocious.

He was going to die, and it seemed he might even drag Wu Sheng down with him.

It was like the start of a fairy tale, but the end of a horror movie. This dream was a complete failure.

His complaining was but a fleeting thought. The “voice in his ear” was articulate and clear, as if a little person was speaking right inside his ear canal, even with a mischievously eerie tone—

[Owl: Dear~ I’m giving you an early holiday. Sending you home.]

Suddenly, everything in front of Xu Wang turned white, like countless spotlights shining brightly at him. Instinctively, he closed his eyes, and in a moment, Wu Sheng beneath him disappeared, and he fell solidly to the ground with a crisp and pleasing “plop” sound.

The snow had stopped, the sky had darkened, Wu Sheng was gone, and so was the murderous bear.

Xu Wang got up in confusion, looking around, but the vast white snow and expansive forest were gone. He was downstairs of the apartment he rented, in the pitch-black early 4 a.m., standing on the hard asphalt ground, with shops all around him all closed. Even the breakfast spots were just beginning to bustle with early preparations.

“Beep beep—”

The urgent honking of a car horn brought Xu Wang back to reality. He realized he was standing in the middle of a crossroads and quickly walked to the sidewalk. The familiar breakfast shop owner, bent over, came out from the half-opened shutter door to take out the trash. Seeing him, the owner expressed surprise and greeted him with a strong local accent. “How come you’re so…”

The owner meant to say “early”, but as he spoke, he noticed Xu Wang’s attire—a bare chest and a pair of black loose shorts. To be fair, Xu Wang usually looked quite slender in a suit and tie, but now, with his shirt off, his well-defined muscles were indeed pleasing to the eye. However, you can’t just flaunt yourself in the late autumn cold like this.

But he already started speaking, so the owner could only awkwardly add, “…so cool.”

Xu Wang looked down at himself and then up at the owner, unable to distinguish between dream and reality. If this were a dream, would it be this serial-like? If this were reality, how did he go from sleeping soundly in his bed to standing on the street, suddenly sleepwalking after twenty-nine years of life?

“Hiss—”

A sudden pain made Xu Wang gasp, instinctively reaching to touch his back, only to find it wet and sticky.

He froze, both hurt and panicked, so much so that he hesitated to bring his hand back to look. He really wished he was just sleepwalking now.

The awkward position of reaching to his back was too much for the breakfast shop owner, who asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Xu Wang forced a smile, quickly excusing himself before running into the building.

Thankfully it was still not fully bright outside. Otherwise, he might have frightened someone.

The breakfast shop owner was spared a shock, leaving only Xu Wang himself in fright—under the bright motion sensor light, he opened his palm to find it blood-red.

Wearing only his underwear, he couldn’t enter his home and had to wait miserably in the hallway. Finally, as the sky brightened, he saw Mrs. Li coming down for her morning walk.

Mrs. Li’s eyesight wasn’t great, but she had a warm heart. Upon hearing that he had forgotten his keys at home, she didn’t ponder too much why the young man, who usually wore suits and leather shoes, was dressed so “casually” today. Without a second thought, she lent him her phone.

In the hallway filled with dense, cluttered advertisements, Xu Wang found a locksmith service that seemed honest and simple, without flashy typography, known as “Police-Registered Locksmith King.” He then thanked Mrs. Li and politely declined her invitation to “come up and sit for a while,” maintaining his position with his back against the security door as he watched her go downstairs.

The wound on his back had already been clotted by blood, barely noticeable against the black security door.

The locksmith, a very young man, arrived slowly, so much so that Mrs. Li had already returned from her walk. Despite his apparent tiredness and continuous yawning, suggesting he was called to work early, the locksmith became instantly wary upon seeing Xu Wang’s scantily clad figure.

Feeling guilty, Xu Wang had already clenched his blood-stained hand into a fist but was still not reassured, instinctively hiding it behind his back.

A glint appeared in the young locksmith’s eyes, and just as he was about to speak, Xu Wang was quicker, bellowing out a cry that could shatter stones. “Mrs. Li—”.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Yet another recommendation from a friend. I quite like this author since I read Suddenly Trending and I have been interested in picking this novel up for quite some time.

It’s an unlimited flow novel that centers around puzzle solving and is less serious than other UF, but quite hilarious.

Here’s the official art from the book publishers. You can buy them here.

Alt covers from a different publisher.

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