Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird

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

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Chapter 26

“I’m not…” Jiang Yu tried to say.

Yu Ruoyun usually smiled, but now his smile carried a hint of irony.

“Alright, not,” Yu Ruoyun said. “You know, when I first met you, this ‘you’, I told the director to keep that Long Xingyu away from me. It wasn’t because I didn’t like you, but because, even though I hadn’t fully remembered yet, I could sense the danger in you. An inexplicable familiarity, being drawn to a capricious stranger—I wanted to stay away from you. But you insisted on sticking around, forcing me to quickly find a new love.”

“I looked at Jiang Yu’s schedule from these past years, every single day. His former assistant gave it to me. Even during his off days, Jiang Yu would tell her where he went so he could be found easily. Long Xingyu indeed ran away from home, first to Shanghai, then to Korea to become a trainee. He stayed there for a few years before returning to China without debuting. Jiang Yu had no chance to meet you. Even if, by some stretch, he spent a few days in the same city, geographically, it was impossible for him to meet Long Xingyu.”

“Because during those days, Jiang Yu was always with me,” Yu Ruoyun said. “You’ve never met, yet you know so much about Jiang Yu, even things only he would know. You’re a liar.”

“It’s not.” Jiang Yu struggled to speak again.

“Not what?” Yu Ruoyun finally asked him.

“It’s not your fault,” Jiang Yu said. “It’s never been your fault. It’s my problem. From the beginning, I was the one who insisted on dragging you in…”

Yu Ruoyun was supposed to be straight, in his most triumphant twenties. Following a normal trajectory, he would have married and had children in a few years, appearing on parenting shows without having to be with Jiang Yu, enduring his temper, bearing his death, being the victim of his relentless pursuits. 

Yu Ruoyun grabbed Jiang Yu’s forearm, pulling him closer. Jiang Yu couldn’t control his legs, moving entirely under Yu Ruoyun’s force. Yu Ruoyun brought him close, brushing his finger over Jiang Yu’s eyes. “A few days ago, I finally remembered the first time I saw you. I was in the lounge, and you ran in, saying, ‘I don’t have a personal lounge. Do you mind sharing?'”

“Then you sat across from me. You looked so nervous, you know, but tried to act casual. But who would say something like that casually? You asked if I had a boyfriend. If not, you’d be my boyfriend in the future. I never told you, but you looked really silly back then, with all your bravado. It was adorable.”

“I forgot,” Jiang Yu said, his voice muffled. He felt his eyes getting warm, probably about to cry again, but he tried hard to hold it back.

“Here we go again.” Yu Ruoyun looked at him. “If you keep this up, I’ll have you blacklisted.”

Of course, he remembered. Before that, he’d already had many chances to meet Yu Ruoyun. But he kept thinking—maybe a little later, when the gap between them was smaller, when he could get people’s attention by just showing up—then he’d approach Yu Ruoyun.

But as time went on, he became more unsatisfied, wanting to be an ever-moving machine, rushing forward endlessly, forgetting his initial goal.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Yu could only say. “At first, I thought, since you forgot, we could start over. I didn’t even want to remember.”

“Now you’ve tried it,” Yu Ruoyun said. “You’ve tried becoming something else. You still came to find me, and I still recognized you. You’re living in my house, signed with my friend’s company, and starred in the show I’m leading. This time, don’t think you can get rid of me or tear down my posters.”

“I won’t leave,” Jiang Yu said.

It was strange. In the past, Jiang Yu was the talkative one, while Yu Ruoyun was often silent. Now, Jiang Yu seemed to lose his words, with only Yu Ruoyun speaking, expressing his love.

Yu Ruoyun sat in a chair, looking at Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu felt he was being looked down upon. Until Yu Ruoyun stood up and went into the room.

He was left standing there, not knowing what to do.

About a long minute passed before Yu Ruoyun came back out. He looked a bit awkward, hiding one hand behind his back, clearly holding something.

It was a bouquet of flowers, not an extravagant 999 roses, or even 99. It seemed like something Yu Ruoyun had bought from a little girl selling flowers by the roadside. It was very possible, as Yu Ruoyun was that kind of person.

“I’ve never given you flowers,” Yu Ruoyun said. “I’m sorry.”

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