Translator: Ying
Proofreaders: ayszhang, happyBuddha
City of Endless Rain ch 6
Chapter 6
He seemed to be surrounded by warm water, floating gently as it
warmed him. It was extremely comfortable.
He didn't
want to wake up. However, he was already awake, and nonetheless, continued to
laze around in bed.
While he
was extremely unwilling to do so, Tang Shan finally opened his eyes.
He'd
never imagined he would feel safe and a sense of belonging from a man's
embrace. It was something that he had felt strongly against, but at this point,
it no longer bothered him.
"Good
morning. How did you sleep?" Li Yuanyu kissed his forehead with a smile
and greeted him. He had woken up long ago and seemed to have been staring at
his sleeping face all this while.
"Mmhh."
Tang Shan groaned in reply and sat up. He rubbed at his eyes with his hand and
yawned.
Li
Yuanyu also sat up and came from behind, hugging him around the waist. He placed
his face against Tang Shan's back.
"I
love you, Tang Shan."
"Okay."
He took
advantage of the situation and began kissing the back of Tang Shan's neck.
"Stop
it." Tang Shan turned away and discouraged him.
"I'm
sorry." His apology didn't sound sincere at all, but Li Yuanyu was aware
that Tang Shan didn't like him clinging on like this. He had no choice but to
let go.
Tang
Shan thought he'd given plenty of leeway, and yet Li Yuanyu was still greedy
for more.
It
wasn't that Li Yuanyu wasn't allowed to do this, but Tang Shan needed more
time. Li Yuanyu should know that.
He got
off the bed, preparing to wash up in the bathroom. He didn't get to take more
than a few steps before the man behind him hugged his waist and whispered into
his ear, "I can't bear to let you go."
"I'm
just going to the bathroom."
"Can't
we go together?" Li Yuanyu was already a grown man, and yet here he was, acting
like a spoilt child.
"Nope."
Tang Shan outright refused him. No matter if Li Yuanyu acted cute or like a
spoilt child to him, it didn't matter. He wasn't ready to show Li Yuanyu his
naked body yet.
Li
Yuanyu kept silent in his disappointment. Tang Shan ignored him and proceeded
towards the bathroom. Luckily for him, Li Yuanyu didn't follow him inside and stayed
by the doorway, staring at him pitifully with puppy eyes.
Tang
Shan rolled his eyes in answer and closed the door in his face.
After a
quick wash-up, he left the bathroom, only to find Li Yuanyu still at the door
in the same position.
Ever
since the kidnapping incident, Li Yuanyu changed his tactics and stuck close to
him, not giving him any space. At the beginning when his emotions were still
unstable, he constantly needed someone by his side. Now that he was much
better, this behaviour was gradually grating on his nerves.
Li
Yuanyu smiled at him and reached for his hand naturally, and they went
downstairs together.
Seeing
their hands laced together, Tang Shan wished he could take his hand back. However, that was the one thing he
couldn't bring himself to do.
Just the
thought of Li Yuanyu's upset expression caused knots in his stomach.
"What's
wrong? You look worried." Li Yuanyu turned back and caressed Tang Shan's cheek,
using his fingers to smoothen the lines of worry between his brows.
"It's
nothing." Tang Shan pushed his hands away. "I was wondering if we
could go out for breakfast. I'm getting tired of the food at home."
Li
Yuanyu was initially disappointed at how Tang Shan pushed his hand aside, but
the moment he heard the word "home", he quickly cheered up despite it
possibly being said just in passing, with no extra meaning behind it.
"What
are you smiling about?" Seeing him grinning, Tang Shan furrowed his brows in
distrust.
"It's
nothing," Li Yuanyu answered, giving the same reply as Tang Shan. He
linked their hands together.
"Let's
go, I'll take you to a restaurant."
Just as
Li Yuanyu opened the door, they discovered Jake right about to press the
doorbell, his hand suspended in the air.
"Morning!
What a coincidence, I was just about to ring the doorbell!" he greeted merrily.
In
contrast with Jake's good mood, Li Yuanyu seemed to be unhappy.
"What
are you doing here?"
"Um,
I'm just here to visit you and maybe have some breakfast as well. Are you two
going out?" Noticing that Li Yuanyu's didn't seem to be in the best mood,
Jake made a show of smiling. Seeing Tang Shan behind him, he could guess at the
situation.
"Do
you want to come along?" Tang Shan invited him.
"Oh!
Can I?" Jake's immediately lightened up, but the sight of Li Yuanyu's
scorching glare caused him to trail off, "Nah, it's okay! I just
remembered I had some things to tend to!"
It was
obviously a lie, but Tang Shan didn't bother seeing through it. He turned to Li
Yuanyu, and the change in his mood for the better caused Tang Shan to shake his
head. He was just like a little kid. There really was nothing he wouldn't do to
ensure the two of them would enjoy their time together.
"You're
the manager of this city. I expected you to be more tolerant." Tang Shan
chastised him.
"That's
different. You can't put it like that," Li Yuanyu defended himself.
"Let's
go." Tang Shan couldn't be bothered with continuing this conversation and quickly
got them to leave the house.
The
moment they were outside, Tang Shan wanted to retract his hand. Two men holding
hands out in the open seemed quite inappropriate. He had a rather traditional mentality
and was unwilling to meet with the condescending gazes from the public. However,
despite wiggling his hand around, he couldn't get Li Yuanyu to let go.
"What's
wrong?" Li Yuanyu enquired.
"Can
we not hold hands in public?" Tang Shan asked. Li Yuanyu's expression
faltered at that, and he quickly added, "At least not in broad daylight."
"It's
cloudy now," Li Yuanyu blinked innocently.
"That's
not the issue here." Knowing Li Yuanyu was feigning innocence, Tang Shan had
an internal struggle before he finally gave up on pursuing this matter.
"Never mind, forget I said anything."
"The
restaurant is at the other end of the city. Should we call for a
carriage?" Li Yuanyu brought up, quickly changing the topic.
"A
carriage? The kind that almost crashed into me the last time?"
"Yes."
Li Yuanyu nodded.
"I've
never been on a carriage before. It's like going back to the eighteenth or
nineteenth century." Tang Shan was curious and eager to try it out.
"You've
been on one before. It's just that you forgot." Li Yuanyu got his mobile
phone and proceeded to call for the carriage.
"Are
carriages the typical mode of transport here? Are there no buses or cars here?"
Tang Shan asked again, finding this peculiar and quite interesting at the same
time.
"Carriages
are primarily used. Cars aren't as common. I have a car at a villa near the
outskirts nearby. Do you want to take this chance to see it?" Li Yuanyu
suggested.
"Just
to see a car? No, thanks," Tang Shan grinned while he thought to himself, Li Yuanyu has another villa that's close to
the outskirts? It might be worth a look. He continued, "I'm more
interested in the villa."
"Then
we'll go after breakfast. It's really close to the restaurant, so we can take a
stroll."
"Okay,
you're in charge." Tang Shan had no objections and didn't bother thinking through
his word choice.
Unbeknownst
to him, Tang Shan saying 'you're in charge' made Li Yuanyu extremely satisfied.
He was positively beaming with happiness, a huge grin apparent on his face.
After a
short wait, the carriage arrived.
"Good
morning, Mr Li and Mr Tang Shan." The driver removed his cap and bowed. His
attire had a historic feel to it, from how it was extremely similar to the way
someone from the eighteenth century dressed.
"Good
morning."
The
driver glanced at their linked hands momentarily and kindly said, "What a
sweet couple. You two seem perfect for each other."
Tang
Shan was obviously perturbed, but Li Yuanyu grabbed his hand firmly and
answered with a smile, "Thank you."
The
driver simply accepted his answer as if it was the most natural thing to do.
The two
of them got onto the carriage. Tang Shan gazed at the scenery outside, not
daring to turn around and look at Li Yuanyu. He didn't retract his hand and
left it on the space between them.
The carriage
proceeded at a leisurely pace on the road. Tang Shan didn't see anyone on the
way.
"Are
there a lot of people in the city?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Not
really."
"Oh...
It's just that there are a lot of buildings here, so I thought there were a lot
of people living here." He still remembered how the city looked, with new
and old buildings built all over the place.
"Some
of them are empty. It's a small place; emigration is a serious problem here."
"I
see." So that was the reason. Feeling that the topic seemed to be getting
heavy, Tang Shan quickly added, "It's not bad to see all these carriages
that give a sense of antiquity. We can focus on this and advertise to the
public. Now that we have the internet, everything's very convenient! How about
I help set up a website for the city?"
"We're
not within the service area. Don't even mention the internet, sometimes we have
difficulties just making phone calls! Mr Tang Shan, have you lost your memories
again?" The driver heard their conversation and chuckled as he spoke.
Tang
Shan went beet red in embarrassment and shut his mouth, unwilling to continue to
find out more. It was much too embarrassing!
Was
there anyone in this city who didn't know he often lost his memories? Gosh,
what a joke he was!
It took
about an hour and a half for the carriage to reach the restaurant. Li Yuanyu
got off first and extended a hand to Tang Shan, wanting to help him down.
"Thanks,
I can get down myself." Tang Shan rejected him, not wanting to be made fun
of again.
"Let
me help you," Li Yuanyu changed his approach. "I want to help
you."
It's
just getting off the carriage. What's there to help with! Tang Shan stepped on
the carriage step, not finding it unstable at all. Even then, Li Yuanyu's arm
was still out, and Tang Shan had no choice but to give in and hold his hand.
Li
Yuanyu grinned at that.
Tang
Shan didn't want to dwell on this and began to look over the restaurant they
were going to. Surprisingly, it was a small place. The decorations made it look
cozy, and the gentle lighting as well as wooden interior were extremely similar
to those in Li Yuanyu's house.
At the
door, there were decorative ceramic gnomes half the
size of a man, just like those in Li Yuanyu's house. The interesting thing was that every one of them looked slightly different.
Li Yuanyu opened the door to the
restaurant. The moment they entered, the owner walked out from behind the
counter to welcome them warmly. It seemed that the owner and Li Yuanyu knew each other well.
"Mr Li and Mr Tang Shan! Long time no
see!"
"Long time no see."
Tang Shan simply smiled as he nodded,
silent.
"The same spot?"
"Anywhere's fine."
"Sure, sure. Come right this way." She personally brought them to their table, which was up on
the third floor.
There were no customers on the third floor,
as if this place had been reserved just for them. Tang Shan gave Li Yuanyu a
look, wondering if this was inconveniencing anyone, but Li Yuanyu seemed to be extremely
comfortable in this situation. Tang Shan decided not to make a fuss over it.
Li Yuanyu helped him pull his chair aside and
invited him to sit. The owner chuckled as she watched from the side. Tang Shan
hesitated for a moment, but then sat with a smile as he thanked Li Yuanyu.
The owner lighted scented candles for them.
It was
daytime now, so what was the point of lighting scented
candles? There was no need to enhance the atmosphere for two men anyway! Tang
Shan wanted to
complain about all these little details, but eventually decided to keep it to
himself.
"The
usual?"
"Yes,
please," Li Yuanyu answered.
She
nodded, kept the menus and left after some small talk.
"Do
we come here often?" Tang Shan had a feeling this was so.
"Yes.
Before you lost your memories, we used to come here three times a week."
"Three
times? To come here all the way from the other side of town..." He was
surprised.
"There
was a time when we stayed at the villa. It's not far from here, just ten
minutes on foot."
Right,
he'd forgotten about Li Yuanyu's villa.
"I'm going to take a look around." Tang Shan left his seat and began to examine
the place, trying to see if the decorations would help him remember something.
If he used to come here so frequently, he might have some memory of the things
here.
In the
end, it was all in vain. He had no memories of anything here. Tang Shan ended
his search and got back to his seat only when the waiter brought their food to
the table.
Li
Yuanyu's eyes were on him all this while. When Tang Shan grinned at him. Li
Yuanyu would smile even wider in answer, and Tang Shan's heart would skip a beat
at the sight of his pretty face. It was even more beautiful than that of a woman's,
and the expression on his face was as sweet as honey.
Fine. If
he was being honest, his heart fluttered quite a lot.
"Stop
staring at me," Tang Shan sighed while he picked up his cutlery.
"Am
I making you uncomfortable?"
"Not
really," Tang Shan sighed again. "Anyway, stop staring at me. I get
self-conscious. Very self-conscious.
"Then
I'll have to stare at you more so you'll get used to it!"
What
kind of logic was that! He rolled his eyes.
After a
simple breakfast, the two of them went downstairs. When Li Yuanyu went to pay
the bill, the owner ambushed him and he got caught in more small talk. Meanwhile,
Tang Shan escaped to the restroom..
A lot of
consideration had been put into the decoration of the restroom. In front of the
sink, instead of a mirror, there was a collage of black and white photos that
had been arranged such that it formed the shape of a big heart. Tang Shan found
this very interesting and moved closer to examine it.
All of
them were commemorative photos of customers at the entrance of the restaurant.
There was a photo of a little girl in western attire with a teddy bear grinning
in front of the camera; there was one of a couple embracing each other while
they beamed at the camera; there was one of a built man dressed in his work
clothes, scratching his head as though embarrassed... Each and every one of
them was touching and full of happiness, causing the corner of Tang Shan's lips
to involuntarily turn in a smile.
At a
corner of the heart, he found a picture of them. Li Yuanyu and he were
maintaining a safe distance, as if they were just friends. He was conversing
with Li Yuanyu, who seemed to know the shutter was being released and had
laughed heartily while facing the camera. This gave the photo an air of
mischief.
Tang
Shan got closer, wanting to scrutinize the photo. In the end, he couldn't
control himself and picked up the collage to study it closely.
"Tang
Shan, are you done yet? We're leaving!" Li Yuanyu called from the entrance
of the washroom.
Tang
Shan couldn't help but jump in surprise and he dropped the collage. This was
largely due to the weak grip he had on the frame. It bounced, and some of the
pictures separated.
This was
bad! He'd actually damaged the decorations in this place!
"Tang
Shan?"
"I'm
almost done. I'm coming!" Tang Shan quickly responded in case Li Yuanyu decided
to come in. Luckily for him, the floor of the washroom was carpeted and he
hadn't made too much noise.
He turned
to the back of the photograph, wanting to know if there was still tape there,
but his movements suddenly stopped.
At the
back, there was a single word written with the crayon used to order their meal.
'Leave.'
It was his
handwriting.
On the
back of a photograph he took with Li Yuanyu, he had written the word 'leave'.
Tang
Shan felt like someone had dunked a bucket of cold water over his head and he
shivered with the sudden chills running down his body. It seemed like he
wouldn't be moving anytime soon.
The
seconds ticked by.
"Tang
Shan, are you alright? Do you feel sick? Do you want me to get you a doctor?"
Li Yuanyu had waited for such a long time that he began to worry, threatening
to enter.
Tang
Shan forced himself to move, breathing deeply while he fixed the frame and put
it back in its previous spot.
Right at
that moment, Li Yuanyu pushed the door and entered the restroom. Seeing Tang
Shan looking so pale, he asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"
"I'm
great."
"Do
you need to see a doctor?" He was still worried.
"No.
I'm really alright." Tang Shan couldn't reject the hand that Li Yuanyu
offered. His palm was wet with sweat, and he could only hope that Li Yuanyu
would mistake it for the water from washing his hands.
They
left the restaurant. Tang Shan was preoccupied by the thoughts in his head, and
he remained silent besides responding to Li Yuanyu's small talk from time to
time. Noticing this, Li Yuanyu thought Tang Shan might be feeling sick and had
initially wanted to call for a carriage to bring them back, but Tang Shan
stopped him.
They
finally got to the villa and Li Yuanyu immediately called for a doctor. He then
brought Tang Shan into the living room. Once they entered, Tang Shan was
immediately drawn to the large oil painting on the wall. It was a painting of
Li Yuanyu and him, in which he was sitting on an elegant chair, with Li Yuanyu
standing ramrod straight beside him, an arm resting on the back of the chair.
The
people in the painting gave off the impression of the male and female owners of
the villa.
The
chills that this painting gave him were much more intense than when he'd seen
the word on the back of the photograph. Tang Shan hugged himself as he sank to
the floor, giving a roar of despair.
"Tang
Shan? Tang Shan! What's wrong?!" Li Yuanyu quickly rushed forward and
pulled him close, trying to calm him down.
However,
Tang Shan had no control over the sounds coming out of his mouth, his
hysteria continuing till he collapsed from the lack of oxygen.
---
Tang
Shan had a nightmare. He couldn't remember what it was about, but he knew there
was water involved. He immediately got up, only to find himself in the master
bedroom of Li Yuanyu's villa. He was lying on a large bed for two. Li Yuanyu
was currently speaking to a stranger, and he turned to focus on them.
"How
do you feel?" Having noticed Tang Shan's gaze on him, he quickly moved to
the side of the bed, looking extremely worried.
Tang
Shan looked past Li Yuanyu at the stranger, feeling a sense of uneasiness.
The man gave
him a small smile and left the room after giving Li Yuanyu some instructions.
"He's...?"
"Our
family doctor. After you fainted, I got worried and asked him to come over and
examine you." Li Yuanyu reached out and wiped away the sweat on his face.
"The doctor said you're emotionally unstable and can't be agitated. I've
already taken down the painting, so it's fine now. You don't have to look at it
anymore."
Having
said that, he leaned down and kissed Tang Shan's cheek.
"You've
been sweating a lot. Do you want a shower?" Li Yuanyu helped him up, a
single arm around him.
Tang
Shan was still not in the best state yet, and upon hearing the question, agreed
dumbly.
It
wasn't until Li Yuanyu followed him into the bathroom that Tang Shan came back
to his senses, noticed the situation they were in and glared at him.
Li
Yuanyu innocently put down the hand which had been in the middle of taking off
his shirt. "Can't we shower together?"
Of course not! Tang Shan glared at him vehemently, using
his gaze to deter Li Yuanyu.
Tang
Shan didn't stay in the bathroom for too long. He merely took a quick shower
and changed into clean clothes before coming out. He had a strange feeling that
this bathroom was quite narrow, but the bathroom in his memories was much
larger and wider.
"Is
there another bathroom?" Tang Shan asked Li Yuanyu, who was waiting
outside.
"Yes,
but the water leaks. It's still being fixed. Did you remember anything?"
Li Yuanyu seemed to be a little nervous.
Tang
Shan wanted to explain, but he suddenly noticed the locket below Li Yuanyu's
collarbone in his shirt that lay half-open.
"Hey!
That's my locket! Give it back! " He shouted in surprise while pointing to
the locket.
Li
Yuanyu could tell the situation wasn't good and quickly buttoned up his shirt,
thus hiding the locket from sight.
"You've
been wearing that all this while?" Tang Shan was so furious that he
grabbed him by the collar, as if looking for a fight.
"Tang
Shan, calm down. The doctor said that you shouldn't get agitated." Li
Yuanyu sounded extremely calm, trying his best to pacify him.
"Damn
it, who cares what he says! Return it to me!" Tang Shan had no idea why he
was getting so emotional. While he knew he had to maintain his calm, he just couldn't
do it.
"Ugh,
my head..." He was in so much pain that he was on the verge of tears and his
grip on Li Yuanyu loosened, though he still didn't let go.
"Tang
Shan..." Li Yuanyu was extremely worried.
"Don't
call my name!"
Li
Yuanyu couldn't bear seeing him in this state and made a compromise in the end,
handing the locket to him.
Tang
Shan held the locket and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He never
knew he was such an emotionally driven person.
"Do
you feel better now?" Li Yuanyu was still as gentle as ever, and that made
Tang Shan feel he'd been overly excessive in his efforts to regain the locket.
He
didn't know why, but just seconds before, he felt so much dislike for Li Yuanyu
that it bordered on hatred.
"I'm
sorry," Tang Shan apologised and let him go, reflecting on his actions.
"I shouldn't have shouted at you or wrinkled your shirt. I'm so
sorry."
"It's
fine. Do you feel better though?"
"Yes.
I'm sorry." Tang Shan kept apologising.
Li
Yuanyu gave a bitter laugh. "Stop apologising. The locket was originally
yours anyway. I was in the wrong for taking it for myself."
Tang
Shan looked down at the locket in his hands.
"I
have my reasons for not returning it to you. I was afraid I'd lose you."
Li Yuanyu explained. He watched Tang Shan staring at the locket with a sullen
face.
Tang
Shan became suspicious from what he'd heard. Why would returning him his locket
result in Li Yuanyu losing him? Didn't Li Yuanyu give this to him?
"I'm
begging you, please don't open it." Li Yuanyu sighed.
Why? It
was just a picture of Li Yuanyu. Why wasn't he allowed to open it?
Tang
Shan ignored him and forced the locket open in front of Li Yuanyu.
Unexpectedly, it was much easier than it had been previously and didn't take
long to open. However, there was no photograph inside. It was empty.
"It's
empty?" Tang Shan was extremely surprised and looked up at the man. "Didn't
you say there was a photo of you inside?"
Wait,
the reason why the locket had become so easy to open must be because someone
had already opened it before! He suddenly came to this realisation.
"Li
Yuanyu?"
Li
Yuanyu's expression turned miserable. He didn't bother trying to hide the fact
that he'd lied.
"Li
Yuanyu!"
Tang Shan threw the locket at Li Yuanyu's face in his anger, the open locket falling between them.
Tang Shan threw the locket at Li Yuanyu's face in his anger, the open locket falling between them.
All of a
sudden, a wave of pain pulsated in his head and Tang Shan collapsed, hand
clutching his head.
Li
Yuanyu didn't react and merely watched as he fell.
Tang
Shan's gaze never left the locket. He had a vision within his mind of a
black-haired beauty with her back to him. She ambled forward towards the balcony
and turned back, looking innocent and carefree as she laughed merrily.
He'd
managed to take a picture of this particular scene and had kept it in the
locket. He'd been treasuring it all this time.
Ahh, he remembered.
The black-haired beauty wasn't Li
Yuanyu, but his fiancée, Jenny!
He had a fiancée called Jenny!
"Tang Shan?" Li Yuanyu
put his hand on Tang Shan's arm, trying to pull him up.
Li Yuanyu wasn't his lover!
The throbbing
pain in Tang Shan's head caused him to tear up. Having lost all strength in his
body, he let Li Yuanyu move him as he pleased.
His
memories continued flowing and images kept replaying in his mind like a montage.
__
Li
Yuanyu snatches the locket around his neck and stomps on it furiously. The
locket thus becomes deformed.
He
rushes forward to retrieve it and prevent Li Yuanyu from destroying it, but Li
Yuanyu kicks him aside.
Li
Yuanyu yells at him with his face contorted in jealousy and anger, "You
can't go back anymore!"
Li
Yuanyu grabs him, makes him get on the carriage, and then stops at the endless,
pitch-black tunnel. He throws the locket into its depths before his very eyes.
He hears
the distinct, metallic sound of the locket falling.
Li
Yuanyu is so cruel, and Tang Shan can only despair at that.
______________
Chapter 5
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