Chapter 22 – Reunion
Novel t.i.tle: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)
*Please read at knoxt.s.p.a.ce, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“Is this too sentimental?” Wu Yang suddenly smiled and asked Yao Jinxi.
Yao Jinxi sighed, “It’s not too sentimental.”
Wu Yang asked, “What about you? Do you want to continue living like this forever?”
Yao Jinxi was lost in thought. He hadn’t thought about the future for a long time. If life could continue like this, it would be fine. Yan Zhaowen had told him that young people who came to see the doctor nowadays had too many worries at such a young age.
“Why think so much?” Yao Jinxi shook his head, sounding calm. “Actually, I think I’m living a good life right now. I don’t worry about food or clothing. And I don’t have to be busy all day.”
At this moment, Xia Ruonan pushed the door open and handed each of them a bottle of mineral water. “Here, I bought some drinks downstairs.”
“What did you go downstairs for?” Yao Jinxi took it and placed it on the windowsill. But Wu Yang took it back, opened it, and handed it back to him. Only then could he drink it casually. “Did you buy food?”
None of them had eaten lunch yet. But Xia Ruonan clearly didn’t intend to just buy some snacks for them. Her plastic bag contained daily necessities.
“No. We didn’t buy dishcloths and toilet cleaner earlier. I just went downstairs to look around.” Xia Ruonan’s words couldn’t hide her satisfaction. “The environment here is really nice. Oh, by the way, Jinxi, do you remember that guy, Bai Xu?”
“Who?” Yao Jinxi couldn’t recall who that was. After searching through his memories, he still couldn’t find the answer. Xia Ruonan chuckled, “I bet you can’t remember. Honestly, I couldn’t remember either. I was so surprised when he called me just now.”
Yao Jinxi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Who is it, that guy?”
“Ah, he’s our middle school cla.s.smate. I have no idea how he got my phone number. But he’s also in City C now. He asked me about you,” Xia Ruonan said with a smile. Although her relationship with this Bai Xu had been pretty average before, the feeling of reuniting with a cla.s.smate was quite nice. “He said he’ll come to visit us next time.”
With this reminder, Yao Jinxi began to have some recollection. However, middle school memories seemed like they were from another world. So everything was quite blurry. Even if this Bai Xu walked past him, he probably wouldn’t recognize him.
Everyone just mentioned it casually and didn’t delve deeper into it. It was mealtime and Xia Ruonan insisted on treating the two gentlemen to a meal. However, there were no fancy restaurants nearby. So they had a simple tofu hot pot by the street and they left with full stomachs, spending less than 100 yuan.
In the evening, w.a.n.g Peng called.
Xia Ruonan didn’t hide anything from the two of them. She sat on the makeshift sofa and calmly made it clear to w.a.n.g Peng, “There’s no chance of reconciliation.”
That settled it.
w.a.n.g Peng wasn’t the type to beg for forgiveness, either. He admitted his mistakes but didn’t think it was something unforgivable. After all, what he had with that woman was mostly just for show and both of them knew it.
But this explanation left Xia Ruonan even more disappointed. “w.a.n.g Peng, when did you start treating emotions like a game? Do you conduct business this way?”
“We have nothing more to say.”
After hanging up the phone, she felt like crying but couldn’t turn back time. Could the love that started in school survive in the real world?
Some could. But Xia Ruonan wasn’t destined to be one of them.
The two gentlemen could only silently hand her some tissues. After Xia Ruonan’s emotions settled a bit, she walked them to the elevator.
Yao Jinxi helplessly watched her. Xia Ruonan seemed a bit stubborn. So he reminded her repeatedly, “Don’t dwell on it. Call me anytime. Day or night.”
Hearing this, Wu Yang silently glanced at them and stepped into the elevator ahead of them. “We’ll be on our way.”
With teary eyes, Xia Ruonan nodded, “Take care on the way.”
Once Yao Jinxi entered the elevator, he added with concern, “Don’t let w.a.n.g Peng in, got it? The property management here is good. I’ll tell them not to let him in when I go out. If you have to meet him, make sure I’m there.”
“Okay… You should go now. It’s late.” Xia Ruonan forced a smile. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.” Wu Yang pressed the b.u.t.ton for the first floor. The elevator doors closed slowly. “Don’t worry too much. She’s an adult.”
“Ah, she’s not young anymore. But it always feels like she hasn’t grown up,” Yao Jinxi struggled to put his feelings into words. Xia Ruonan had been deceived before, but why did she still seem so naive? Was it a personality flaw?
“Maybe this time will help her grow up a bit more. Honestly, I think Xia Ruonan handled it quite well,” Wu Yang said slowly. “It’s actually you who overreacted. And it’s affecting her mood.”
“What do you mean?” Yao Jinxi, who was standing in front, turned his head suddenly. There was a hint of hidden anger and embarra.s.sment on his face. “How long have you known us? Do you think you understand her better than I do? What do you know about our relationship?”
His voice sounded somewhat m.u.f.fled in the confined s.p.a.ce of the elevator.
Wu Yang had no intention of taking offence at all. Instead, he gave a smile that carried a hint of apology. If you looked closely, you could see some indulgence in it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t be angry.”
Yao Jinxi caught a breath for a moment. He turned back to stare at the elevator doors.
Midway through, no one else used the elevator. So they quickly reached the underground parking lot. The two of them remained silent until they reached the inside of the car.
Yao Jinxi took a deep breath and said; “I’m sorry.”
Wu Yang smiled and reached over to help lower the air conditioning fan in front of him so that it wouldn’t blow directly at Yao Jinxi. “It’s okay. Just fasten your seatbelt.”
For quite some time, no one spoke. Yao Jinxi looked out the window and said, “I’m really sorry for my earlier outburst. It wasn’t intentional.”
His voice at this moment carried a sense of regret. His shoulders slightly slouched, resembling a dejected child.
Yao Jinxi himself didn’t know why he had lost his temper so easily earlier. He was always straightforward in his communication. But with anyone else, his response would have either been to ignore or to respond calmly with a few words. Why did he get so angry so easily with Wu Yang, who had done him a lot of favours?
“I was also at fault. I know that Xia Ruonan is important to you. I should have considered your feelings more,” Wu Yang said, making Yao Jinxi feel even more embarra.s.sed. He cursed himself for not being good with words. He couldn’t seem to apologise properly. But he didn’t know what else to say. So he continued to stare out at the uninteresting scenery.
“Now… Well, it’s 9 o’clock. Can I come over for a cup of tea at your place?” Wu Yang checked the time in the car and casually turned on the radio, tuning it to a music channel with low volume. The soothing music in the car helped Yao Jinxi relax a bit. “Sure, why not? You don’t have to work tomorrow, right?”
He replied a bit hastily without realising it. Wu Yang chuckled, “I’m actually writing my resignation letter. I’ll submit it when I go to work tomorrow. I really hope I can leave as soon as possible.”
“…Are you serious?” Yao Jinxi muttered, “Well, anyway, you won’t miss that paycheck.”
When Wu Yang parked the car, Yao Jinxi was waiting for him so that they could chat as they walked towards the tea shop. It was Wu Yang who first noticed someone standing at the tea shop’s entrance.
Wu Yang asked, “Is that a customer?”
“At this hour?” Yao Jinxi was in the middle of speaking when he heard Wu Yang’s question. He turned his head towards the tea shop. By this time, it was already dark and there was still some distance between them. “It seems quite…”
He squinted his eyes as they got closer and then abruptly stopped dead in his tracks.
Wu Yang had taken a step forward but halted when he saw Yao Jinxi stopped walking. He looked at Yao Jinxi with a puzzled expression and asked, “Why did you stop?”
It wasn’t just that Yao Jinxi had stopped walking. He seemed frozen in place.
He slowly widened his eyes, as if he had seen something unimaginable.
Wu Yang leaned in, bending slightly to check Yao Jinxi’s expression. “Jinxi?”
Yao Jinxi was jolted back to reality by hearing his name. He looked at Wu Yang. He then looked at the person waiting not far away with a complex expression on his face. “It’s nothing…”
Wu Yang also looked towards the person at the tea shop’s entrance. The individual seemed to notice their focused attention and hesitated at first but eventually decided to walk over.
Yao Jinxi stared at him. His expression gradually turned normal. When the person reached them, Yao Jinxi asked in a cold tone, “Why are you here?”
Seemingly hurt by his coldness, the person replied somewhat plaintively, “Brother, I came to find you.”
The term of address caught Wu Yang off guard. He quickly looked back and forth between the two. But it was difficult to discern any family resemblance in the dim light.
Yao Jinxi had a younger brother? There had never been any mention of this on Xia Ruonan’s part and Yao Jinxi had never brought it up. Wu Yang had even thought for a while that Yao Jinxi, like himself, had no family members left. And now, out of the blue, this younger brother appeared?
Wu Yang felt a bit anxious.
Yao Jinxi stared at the person standing in front of him in silence.
He didn’t speak. The other two also remained silent, each with their own thoughts.
Eventually, Yao Jinxi sighed. His cold expression turned into resignation. “Does Mom know you came to find me here?”
The newcomer shook his head and looked at Yao Jinxi with a pleading expression.
Wu Yang then asked, “Jinxi, who is this?”
“My younger brother, Yao Jinchen…” Yao Jinxi replied wearily. He couldn’t believe that this guy had managed to find his way to him. Yao Jinchen should have graduated from college by now, right?
Yao Jinxi’s eyes dimmed and weariness washed over him.
Yao Jinchen, on the other hand, stared at Wu Yang with a confrontational look. “Who are you?”
Both his expression and tone were laced with obvious hostility. Wu Yang was suspicious. But he didn’t show it and instead put on a friendly smile, the kind he used professionally. “h.e.l.lo, are you Jinxi’s brother? I’m his… friend.”
Wu Yang’s hesitation and ambiguity allowed room for speculation for anyone paying attention. Yao Jinchen continued to eye him warily. But when he turned and saw Yao Jinxi, his smile blossomed, radiating joy. “I came to work in City C! I graduated this year. Brother, I finally get to come find you.”
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*Author’s Note: When I came back and saw so many adorable comments, I was really happy!
Thank you to readers like Fish Four, Tea-Loving Doctor (although the doctor says not to drink too much tea), Baby and Guo Yimin, and Ringo-San for the powerful support. I’ve been knocked down by all this love [clutches chest and falls over] >33333333333<
Ah, as for Yao Jinxi’s reaction, from Wu Yang’s perspective, it should be something like this: ‘You’re just taking advantage of my indulgence, huh?’ =w=~
-YXF
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*Translator’s Note: I have these cla.s.smates who were a couple in middle school. They are married now for I don’t know… 20 years? So, some puppy love did survive in the real world, you know. But yeah. I guess only for the lucky ones. As for this little brother of the MC, from the first time when I read the raw, I could already guess he’s a sc.u.m. Meh. So, I intentionally didn’t use ‘ge’ in my translation. Because I hate this Yao Jinchen so I’ll just use ‘brother’. ‘Ge’ will sound affectionate. Unless it’s Wu Yang calling Yao Jinxi that, then I’ll go for ‘ge’ hahahahaha! -K
Next update: 2023.10.25
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