Proofread by: Micky & Bubbly
Love Late Vol. 1
This time I have proofreaders to look over my translations, making the story even better! Thank you for putting up with my very rough translations~<3 I can't wait to read everyone's comments about this chapter. And thanks to Bubbly for the donation as well! We're one step closer to getting those anthologies. *A*
I
could not take it anymore, I had to give up and end this. “Get out.”
Ke
Luo looked startled and confused, but he stubbornly refused to leave. My
patience was running out, I grabbed the ashtray and hurled it at his head. Missing him, the ashtray grazed his cheek
before shattering against the wall behind him. The sound was enough to make
someone jump, but not enough to make me feel any less angry.
Ke
Luo's face grew pale. Stunned, he looked at me with widened eyes like a
small animal who just received a beating from his owner. Somewhat
timidly, he called out to me, “Uncle Lee.”
“Get
out,” I said, calmer after my outburst, “and give my key back.”
“Sorry,
Uncle Lee. Don’t be like this,” Ke Luo apologized. His large dark
eyes were always clear and bright as he looked at others. “I don't think of you
as Xiao Nian. I know you’re different from him.”
“Of
course we’re different.” I sneered, “if we were the same, you could just
replace me. You wouldn’t need to force yourself and keep saying shit like
whether you wanna do it or not.”
“That’s
not it, Uncle Lee,” he protested, seemingly at a loss for words. A pause
lingered in the air before he added, “I care about you, Uncle Lee.”
My chest tightened and I laughed out loud. What is
this, a consolation prize? How old will I be before he stops jerking me around
with this ambiguity? It felt like I was like a dying man, barely alive but hanging on, breathing shallowly and pumped full of drugs that prolonged his life. I couldn’t take any more of this. I’d rather be put out
of my misery and be done with it.
I
got up and gave him a hard push – towards the door.
“Uncle
Lee.” He struggled and grabbed my wrist. Annoyed, I shook him off, “You
originally said that we were just going to sleep together, that I was just a
hole to you. You felt sorry for me since I was an old man who couldn’t get any,
and that you were never interested in me. So say it, damn you, just say it!”
I
wanted him to say it personally, so that there would be some sort of closure, closure
with the pain of ending it. I had to go through it, so that I could get over it
and move on, but Ke Luo didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked back at me with
his raven-back eyes – I hated how he could soften hearts with just that look. I
hated his youth, how he could be so unrestrained, his infatuation for that man,
and his kindness.
“Uncle
Lee, I-“
With
a slam of the door, I shut Ke Luo and his protests out. Seeing that Ke Luo had
laid out the dinner he brought on the table, I threw it in the trash and
checked the fridge. It was empty, there was not even a can of beer, but it
didn't matter. I wasn’t going to drink myself silly. Regardless of the time, a
man like me had to be level-headed, so I refuse to become an embarrassing
drunk. It wasn’t enough to warrant losing control over oneself.
I
couldn't help but think about Ke Luo, of his charm, his sensibleness, and the
way he smiles with that noticeable and tolerant consideration. Truth be told,
he probably never led me on -- after all, he never even said that he “liked”
me, he never loved me. Yet, how could I forget his gentleness?
So
I smoked a cigarette, one at a time, and by dawn, my fingers were
yellowed. My mouth was dry, but my head was clear. Since I couldn’t
sleep, I put on my coat, grabbed my wallet and car keys, and headed out the
door. Nearly tripping as I walked out into the quiet morning, I found Ke Luo
sitting at the door, holding his knees. He had fallen asleep, like an abandoned
dog. I watched him for a moment before I silently closed the door and walked
past him.
He
seemed to know how to move people's hearts, but this time I refused to be
soft-hearted. After all, he was someone else’s loyal dog that I happened to be
raising. It was clear in his mind that he would never see me as his owner. So
why wear myself out?
I
skipped work for two days without bothering to request for leave and completely
blew off my job. When I had returned, everything was normal: my access card
still worked and no one said anything about firing me. I went into the office
as if it was any other day. Ke Luo was sitting in his seat. Our eyes met just
as he was making a call. Slamming the phone down, he stood up.
“Uncle
Lee, where were you the last two days?”
“On
a trip,” I casually answered as I walked towards my cubicle.
“Why
was your phone turned off too?”
“No
battery.”
“Really…”
he looked at the dark circles under my eyes, “you look very tired?”
I laughed, “I have a kidney deficiency.”
Suddenly, Ke Luo fell silent and pressed his lips together. Seeing the clean
surface of my desk, I asked, “Did work pile up these two days or have I been
fired?”
Ke
Luo looked surprised, “No, it’s all been taken care of.” Seeing me
take my seat at my desk and turning on the computer as usual, a look of relief
appeared on his face. “Uncle Lee, would you like some tea?”
I
chuckled; I knew what he was worried about. The thought of resigning never
crossed my mind. Washing my hands of this and leaving would have been the best
way to vent my anger, but what’s the point of acting so rashly? I was realistic;
I'm no one's nagging wife. What sort of trouble could I stir? What’s the point
of making my hatred apparent? It was not like it would extend my life, nor
could it help me get an exchange for a good car. Besides, considering my
station, I had little say in anything. Taking down a member of the Lu family
would be impossible.
I
just wanted to live a good life. Compared to those unfathomable villains in
novels who make it their ultimate goal to harm others, I felt that it was more
practical to look out for my self-interests. To tamper with the family by
selling some information wouldn’t hurt Lu Feng, and for me, it would be a huge
gain. I only wanted to use Lu Feng’s trust in me to generate some more income
for my pension and drive to save up for an early retirement.
Tong
Shan had been nice, but if I left Lu, he may not really need me anymore. I knew
what my value was, so wasn’t it better if I just stayed here and worked for
him? I need the money, I want to live a happy and carefree life. Without the
money, what ability would I have to do so? I should take into account that I
would have to be able to afford to pay for everything. Before, I had hoped to obtain such unrealistic happiness and
stability.
I
must have gone crazy.
The
money came quickly, much easier than earning a regular paycheck. I’ve done a
lot of bad things before, withstanding this. It was easy money. It was nothing
to be guilty about, so I was at ease. It
was not long after the cash started coming in that trouble came. Tong Shan had bought an entire business from
another party. Rumor was that they had wanted out, anxious to wipe their hands
clean, and wanted to sell this profitable business. Tong Shan would take over
all of the supplies, the contracts, and the customers. Everything was in good
shape, all Tong Shan had to do was sit at home and count the money.
Who
knew that as soon as he finished the deal, another business got taken over and
S City’s seaport was suddenly taken over by the Xie family. It had come out of
nowhere, no one saw this coming.
The
Xie family, unlike Cao Fang’s former men, would not allow this transaction to
take place. No matter how much Tong Shan tried, they refused to cooperate. With
such a large quantity of goods stored, the cash would also become too
troublesome to handle. Now that the situation was so critical, it was too late
to pull out. How could one back out when he had come so far? The losses would
be too tough to stomach.
For
several days, I suffered huge losses – every day there was a delay, which meant
a large sum of money. I was hoping that importing once would decrease the
number of years spent working. I could not help having issues concentrating at
work. Fortunately, Ke Luo didn’t say anything. In fact, sitting with me in one
office, he would have noticed my lack of concentration, but he was never one to
speak out of turn, so I was happily spared.
When
I saw Tong Shan again, he seemed to be in a great mood, beaming with joy. He practically
seemed like a different man from the last time, when he had told me his
"bad news," while wearing the expression of a man with a toothache.
“Tong,
sir," I said as I took his money, addressing him in a formal manner,
"I just spoke with Mr. Cao, he said-"
"No
need to worry," Tong grinned and waved his hand dismissively, "we're
good."
"It's
settled?" I was somewhat surprised.
Tong
Shan remained cheerful as he said, "it was practically delivered to our
doorstep."
"Huh?"
"Someone from the Xie family came to T city, and
was practically delivered here at gunpoint, so I took the opportunity," Tong Shan
laughed like a Maitreya Buddha, "the head of the Xie family is practically
clutching his chest right now. How can he turn down our demands?"
I
was surprised. He had come back from the dead. Although I personally thought
that acts like kidnapping were a bit despicable, I couldn't be bothered with
it. I was pretty much a bad guy anyway too. It is fine as long as no one dies.
We both sat down, cutting a cigar to smoke away the misfortune from the last
two days. Tong Shan pulled out a small case and I politely smiled as I tried to
avoid his eyes. I don't have the guts to mess with drugs. I felt uncomfortable
seeing him looking so satisfied. Drug addicts and gambling addicts were the two
types of people I hated the most; they were the types to ruin their own
families, selling their wives and children…
My
head throbbed and a strange feeling welled up as I suddenly pieced something
together.
“Tong,
sir, that man from the Xie family…”
“Hm?”
“Is
he called Shu Nian?”
Tong
Shan looked at me kindly. “You know quite a lot.”
I
tactfully laughed. “Xie Yan is a bit ambiguous with that assistant, and it's
a coincidence that I happened to know.”
"Oh,"
Tong Shan lazily replied and closed his eyes again.
“Tong,
sir,” unable to control myself, I called out to him, “If you’re all right with
it, let me watch him. Those men are too rough; if they hurt him in any way,
that would put us in a tough situation.”
At
this point, I kind of regretted volunteering to do such a third-rate errand.
The kidnapped was kept in an old, deserted warehouse. I hated the desolate,
wretched smell of the place, but I still went in. As a precaution, I also wore
one of those ridiculous, hideous Chinese opera masks. The door opened with a
loud creak and the man inside cringed. Both of his hands were tied behind his
back and his feet were bound. He was also blindfolded and gagged as well. He
was practically tied up to his teeth.
The small fry who was watching him was about to doze
off, so I dismissed him. When the door had closed again, I stood there and
watched him in silence, feeling a subtle need to express my hatred. Every man
has his day.
I
could tell he was very scared. As I walked over, I deliberately walked
heavily, but did not say anything. The man could not see, he could only hear.
Stricken with panic, he tried to determine where I was. I crouched in front of
him and leisurely started to untie his feet, but before I had the chance to
start to intimidate him, he suddenly kicked me. Caught off guard, he nailed me
in my chin and soon I was seeing stars.
As
I rubbed my chin, my pride injured, he managed to struggle to his feet and took
a couple of steps. But I was not in any rush. Go ahead and run, let's see where you could
run.
Sure
enough, he was at a loss. Blindfolded, there was no way he could tell where he
was going, yet he stumbled along, trying his best. Just then I noticed that he
had a slight limp in his right leg. It was fine when he was walking normally,
but it was fairly obvious when he ran. To think that I actually lost to a
crippled man, one with a scar on his face at that.
The
vein in my head started to throb again. I took a couple steps forward, grabbed
him, and pushed him to the ground. Shu
Nian fought back desperately, his clothes becoming disheveled. I had no idea
why I did what I did, but I tugged at his pants.
This
was too funny. How could I be interested in this kind of old man? But I was
curious enough to want to know what was so good about this man. How was he
better than me?
Shu
Nian protested loudly as he fiercely struggled. Honestly speaking, I didn’t
have even the slightest sexual interest in him, but I did enjoy the sight of
his panic and fear. So I clutched his ankle and slowly and steadily stripped
off his pants. There was actually an assist device on his right leg. How
disappointing, I didn't know that Ke Luo could get hard looking at this. His
left leg was not perfect either; there were burn scars, two stark, symmetrical
and oddly shaped scars.
What
could have left such scars?
My
hands immediately stopped. In this tightly pressed position, I stared at
him and my head suddenly started to swirl.
I
was eight years old at the time. I was too small and thin at the time, so I
looked like I was not even six yet. I usually had to light the fire and cook--I
was good at that. The thin congee in the large pot on the stove gurgled. I sat
on a small stool, slowly adding straw and dried vines to the fire. There were
always a few small shriveled peanuts that were not picked from these vines. So
they would cook in the fire until they popped, in which then one could pull
them out to eat. Even though it had been eaten by insects, it still tasted
okay.
My
little brother had tottered over and watched me for a while. He wanted to take
them.
"No,
go away, these are mine," I told him. He only had a few teeth anyway; it
was not like he could crack the shell with his teeth. It would be a waste of
food.
"Go
away, go away." Taking the tongs that were used in the fire, I held them
out at him, opening and closing them to scare him. My brother babbled, unable
to understand what I was saying as he stared at me with wide eyes. I didn't
know my own strength and the tongs caught his leg. The smell of burning flesh
and smoke arose. I was struck with fear as he burst into tears.
From
then on, I did my best to save whatever there was to eat for him. For the sake
of a few peanuts, I had scalded my three years old brother with the fire tongs.
I caused him to cry for ten days and had given him two frightening scars on
his leg. I felt that I owed him and could never repay him.
I
could hear the thundering pounding of my heart, the sound resounding strongly
in my ears. My head suddenly throbbed a bit. I abruptly gripped his collar and
pulled him up, demanding, “Who are you?”
I
ripped off the man’s blindfold and harshly ripped out the gag in his
mouth. My mask must have been vicious because he was stunned with fear.
“Who are you!?”
Before
he could answer, the mobile phone in my pocket rang. Something was wrong; that
was their cue for me to get out quickly. But with Shu Nian in my grasp, the
blood rushed to my head as I looked at the face that was so similar to mine. I
refused to leave. My veins pulsated, my temples throbbed. Unable to control
myself, I grabbed his neck with force, "Out with it!” Say it so I can
leave! Why wouldn't he answer me?!
Tell
me that our resemblance to each other does not mean anything, that those scars
are just a coincidence. The one and only relative I had left had died a long
time ago.
I
shook him violently. I had lost control over my own strength; I was practically
strangling him to death. Hearing a strange sound overhead, I looked up. A piece
of the iron sheeting that was attached to the ceiling of the decaying warehouse
rocked unsteadily. Right before my eyes, the last piece of reinforcement broke
and it came crashing down. I don't know what I was thinking or maybe I wasn't
thinking at all, but I instinctively shoved him out of the way.
After
that, I could hear muffled sounds. It had relentlessly hit me in the head, my
vision went dark, but fortunately, my vision slowly came back. There was a
scorching numbness at the top of my head, which was gradually replaced with
pain and a wet sensation. I was probably bleeding, but I could still stand --
unsteadily, but I should be okay.
Just
then, the door flew open from the outside. My reaction was slow, but I clearly
saw the man coming at me, a murderous look on his face, yet I couldn’t move. I couldn’t dodge Ke Luo's kick in time and
immediately fell to my knees.
“His
head is injured,” I was bent over in pain when I heard Shu Nian frantically
shouting, “quick, call an ambulance!” The man still managed to be so kind even
in this situation; I hated him. If I had known that it would come to this, I
would have just crushed his windpipe then.
“I’ll
kill him!” I could hear Ke Luo’s rage from his voice. The humiliating
appearance of a disheveled Shu Nian was enough to drive him more mad, causing
him to kick me in the stomach two more times. I heaved and curled up instantly
as I rested my forehead against the ground, my lips pressed together as I
remained silent.
“Ke
Luo, stop this!”
He
ripped the mask off my face and silence ensued. A moment later, I heard the
sound of the mask being chucked at the floor, followed by by the crack of it
being crushed underfoot.
What
a joke, was there any other supporting actor as lame as me?
Serves
me right.
______________________________
Comment: Were you all surprised? This chapter was definitely a painful turn of event for Lee. Uwaah, what is Lee to do now?! What is Ke Luo going to do??? DX
Interesting..it's getting good
ReplyDeleteIt is..with all the drama! >//A//< Thank you for the comment~<3
DeleteT-T why is the world so cruel towards Lee
ReplyDeleteYes, poor Leeee~ TAT
Deletewhooaaa.... it came out....
ReplyDeletebut, why it always end up misery on the side mr.lee??
I'm sure Ke Luo is in pain as well to some degree; but since we only see the events through Lee's point of view, it's hard for us to see from Ke Luo's side. Yes, I still feel the anguish that Lee is feeling here though. T_T
Deleteoolala. Poor Lee!
ReplyDeleteYes... TAT
Deleteooh my soo sad poor lee does it get butter for him can it
ReplyDeleteIt may look hopeless, but it will! >_<
Deletearghhh... cannot wait the next chapter. i cried when i read this chapter. the pain that lee's feel when the person he love treat him just as a substitute. feel so painful.
ReplyDeleteYes, this was a painful chapter and it had to end like that. >__<
Deletewill Lee say about brothers relations with Shu Nian at next chapter or will not? That is a question :)
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, what will Lee do about Shu Nian?! OAo
Deletewhy oh why...... reading chapter by chapters make me more desperate,,,,when will be some nice things happen to lee?
ReplyDeleteHopefully Lee's happiness will come soon. >A<
DeleteOk, I think Lee kinda deserved it... Not to this extent, but c'mon, he's selling company secrets. That's something you can get prosecuted for. I don't think having a broken heart is an excuse for doing something like that. AND, he got involved in a kidnapping. That's low.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I hate him though. I certainly don't love him as much anymore.. *sighs* The story is addicting though. I'm a little surprised about the revelation about the brothers. I'm pretty sure they are but I'm curious how this kidnapping will turn out. I mean, Lee definitely got caught. Will he be disgraced and live in jail for a while? Become a new person and all of that? Probably not. But all the upcoming drama will probably put him in even more anguish than that. AGH. Why is everything I'm reading so far being so dramatic and leaving me on a cliffhanger?
Yes, Lee does deserve it, and he knows it. But if you think about the environment he had to grow up in--how he was basically left to fend for himself all his life, it's amazing that he could still have that heart of gold deep within him. He just needs someone to show him the warm light and guide him back toward the right direction.
DeleteOne of the reasons why I love Lan Lin's characters is that they're not perfect. Both Ke Luo and Lee have their flaws as well as their good aspects. They make mistakes, but that just makes them more human.
It's interesting reading your thoughts about this chapter. >u< Oh gosh, yes, the cliffhanger. orz ||| The next chapter will certainly be something. *A*
Holy shit. This novel is a little rough reading, but it is worth it. How can an author make such trashy characters so compelling? How can one write drama like this that sounds so contrived and cliched on paper and make it feel so convincing??
ReplyDeleteI'm normally very particular about the writing style used in novels, and I judge them harshly if they don't suit my taste. Despite the writing in this translation being very flawed, I am utterly engrossed!
Lol. Lan Lin is just that awesome! >//u//<
DeleteI'm glad you still like the story even with my rough translations. Lan Lin's writing is a lot smoother to read in Chinese. Because of the differences between Chinese and English, it's hard to maintain that smoothness in English. Oh gosh, it would be great if her books get translated professionally. Thank you for continuing to read my translations! ; u ;
WOW I am so amazing to read this novel in English! I read the whole novel before and now I am willing to read it againLOL
ReplyDeleteForget to say, you really did a good job!Thank you:D
DeleteUwaah~ thank you again for the comment.
DeleteWe'll continue to try our best translating Lan Lin's works! >u< /
Thanks for all of your hard work! Without your willingness to work hard to translate this, it would not be as available for non-Chinese speakers, cheers!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and thank you for the encouragement~ ; u ;
DeleteOMG...i kept on hitting my knee as i go further with the story...it pierced my heart...so much...
ReplyDeletethanks for the hardwork and with your new proofreaders! it's worth waiting for it. -harmony
Lol. Aww...we just have to keep hoping for Lee's eventual happiness to come!
DeleteYou'e welcome and thank you for the encouragement! >//u//<
Thank you soo much for the release. I want to know what's going to happen next so bad now. Haha.
ReplyDeleteOh fudge, it's really hard to feel bad for Ke Luo. :( I'm sorry, I guess I can see more of Lee's point of view, I am more likely to be on his side. I feel sooo bad for Lee, now he made a discover that his one and only relative is still alive. And it make sense now why Ke Luo may have some point mix feelings for Lee. D: Ah this is too much but I'm loving this. Haha. D:
You're welcome! Heh. I'll try to get the next chapter done this month.
DeleteI'm the same way actually. I didn't like how Ke Luo treated Lee sometimes. But after I read someone's analysis on what Ke Luo was possibly thinking throughout the novels, I became less harsh on Ke Luo. It really is hard to feel for Ke Luo when we don't fully understand him as we only see him through Lee's pov. I'm glad you love it so far. Thank you for commenting! >u<
Thank you for your hard working! >///<
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and thank you for the comment. ; u ;
DeleteHave been checking this site regularly since the last chapter was released,it just that i can't help it too much curiousity.......
ReplyDeleteWhen will be the next chapter being realeased? *in tear voice*
There's no set date, but we'll hopefully get it done this month.
DeleteCannot wait for the next chapter. Thank you so much for translate it beautifully . I really love your translation. It makes me want to buy the real novel despite the fact that I don't understand chinese. Btw is this novel in mandarin or what ?
ReplyDeleteYes this novel is written in Chinese.
DeleteAww, thank you for the comment and you're welcome~<3
DeleteYes, it's written in Chinese. :) Mandarin pertains to the spoken language. The audio drama is in Mandarin. Chinese has two forms of writing: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Both versions of Love Late were released.
My heart n me totally scream at the cliff hanger !!!!
ReplyDeleteThe author sure make us feel all the emotion of human heart
I was more amazed when lee was screaming " who are you?" One part of him dening the existance and one part acknloging it
M looking forward to next chapter please release it soon
Omo i forgot the most important part a big thanx to u for dis story
Yes, this chapter was a shocker for Lee. His guts tell him he knows who Shu Nian is, but, at the same time, he can't believe it! I hope I can release the next chapter soon also. >w< And you're welcome~<3
DeleteIn nxt chap i totally want lee to emerge in his childhood memories a place where ke luo can't reach lee. I want ke luo to suffure now.
ReplyDeletelee ignoring him or smthng like dat but i want ke luo to sufure by any means. Evn if i knw ke luo side of story i don't think dat would change much. Because of ke luo ignorance lee is sufferng n m totally on lee side. But in dis chap lee kinda deserve it no dening.n also the substitute part its kinda breaks my heart. Evn lu cang nvr objected because of dis reason. All in all dis are only my thoughts n waiting for nxt chap can u tell me when are you releasing? Coz i hv been checkng like stacker.
Well, I've read someone's insight that perhaps Ke Luo knows he's in love with Lee by this point, but he's insecure. Lee acts tough on the outside, making Ke Luo think that Lee sees him as just another guy he could sleep with, another body to be obsessed with. As a result, Ke Luo is hesitant about actually pursuing Lee. (I don't mind seeing him suffer more than Lee for a change though XD ) I'm aiming to release the next chapter this month.
DeleteIt's almost been a month since your last post. Pleaseeeee....... Can you post the next chapter if love late :( I checked your blogs about 6 to 7 times s day.... Pretty please.....
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems busy this month and I've caught a cold as well. X3 If you guys don't mind, I may post the unedited version of the translation for chapter 11. I'll try to release the chapter this month?
Deletewe'll love it as well.just post them please........... pleaseee......
ReplyDeleteI'll post it before the end of this month then. ;)
Delete.....................please..be kind to me, im crazy hell out here want to know the continuaton of this novel. i hv been keep checking out this site about every days,and found nothing.two months without a release,,, oh man,i began desperate here..... please update soon..............pretty please?
ReplyDeleteI just noticed this post. orz Enjoy chapter 11! ;)
Delete