Translator: Ying
Editor: ayszhang
City of Endless Rain ch 8
SURPRISE!
Chapter 8
As Tang Shan walked past the third intersection, he crossed paths
with Jake who was patrolling the area.
"Tang
Shan, where are you going this late?" Jake greeted him as he approached.
It was extremely unusual that he wasn't making fun of him and instead, actually
quickened his footsteps to catch up to him.
Tang
Shan intended to reply, but as the wheels in his mind began to turn, he sighed.
"Yuanyu asked you to come, right?"
Jake
gave a sheepish laugh and did not deny that statement.
"Can
he just stop worrying about me?" Tang Shan was slightly frustrated by Li
Yuanyu's efforts.
"Don't
flare up at me; tell him yourself." Jake blocked his ears, unwilling to
hear Tang Shan's complaints. Instead, he spoke up for Li Yuanyu. "It's not
like you don't know how complicated the roads are in this city. A foreigner
like you is bound to get lost, and it's not unusual that you might not even be
able to find your way back at all!"
Tang
Shan, who had gotten a bird's eye view of the city, was definitely aware that
Jake wasn't merely trying to scare him. Though he was planning on just
strolling along the exterior of the city, he still allowed Jake to come along
for his own safety.
The main
reason why he had Jake follow him was because having a conversational partner
was much better than sulking alone, though there was not much they had in
common in the first place.
"So
what did you fight over this time?" Jake asked.
"Nothing,
really. I just had something I need to sort out."
Jake
didn't pursue this any further and the conversation ended.
They
didn't see eye to eye in the first place, though it wasn't to the point that
they were enemies. However, they still weren't comfortable enough to have a
pleasant conversation.
After
strolling for around thirty minutes, Tang Shan still didn't look as if he had
any plans of stopping any time soon. Jake couldn't help but ask, "Hey, how
long are you planning to walk for?"
"Till
the end of time."
Jake
spat out a curse.
Tang
Shan chuckled at that. "I'm joking. I actually want to get to the
villa."
"But
that's at the other end of the town!" Jake cried out in misery.
"You
don't have to follow me, I won't tell on you to Li Yuanyu."
"No!
This is my duty! What are you planning to do in the villa? Don't tell me you
just want to reminisce there."
"Can't
I?"
Tang
Shan's response stunned Jake for a moment, and all he could do was glare at him
wordlessly.
On the
way to the villa, the two of them remained speechless.
The
thing that broke the silence was an explosion a few streets away from them.
"Boom!"
Red sparks flew and a large portion of the district was instantly covered by dense,
black smoke. The glass in the surrounding residences and shops all shattered
from the impact. The sounds of confusion gradually increased in volume, and
they could clearly hear people shouting and screaming.
Jake's
walkie-talkie bleeped, notifying him that the culprit responsible for the
explosion was nearby and requested that he assist in the capture.
"What
the hell!” Jake suddenly pointed at Tang Shan. "You! Get back to the
house. I need to do my job, and I don't have the time to take care of
you!"
"But
judging by the distance now, the villa is closer-"
"Then
go to the villa! Don't bother me with trivial issues! Leave! Run!" Jake
pressed and then rushed towards the site of the crime without looking back.
It really wasn't a situation where Tang Shan could follow the policeman
to satisfy his curiosity, and he stared at the direction where Jake
disappeared. Not too long later, there was another explosion, and he clapped
his hands to his ears. His ears ringing, he finally began dashing in the
direction of the villa.
After escaping to the villa, Tang Shan made use of his memories and
found the key that was hidden in the bonsai outside. He entered the house and
went to the second floor, concerned but confined to the safety of the house. He
looked out from a window, taking note of what was happening within the town.
Soon, a female officer came knocking, and Tang Shan quickly went
downstairs and answered the door.
"Mr Tang Shan."
"How's the situation out there?"
"We have it under control, so please don't worry. Mr Li sent me
here to inform you that you are to stay in the villa tonight. Mr Tang Shan, I
need to emphasize this once more – please don't leave the house tonight!"
Her stern warnings made it seem as if something big was happening.
"It's getting late now. You should get some rest. I still have to
meet with the others, so I'll take my leave."
The female officer finished her report and left after bidding him
farewell.
Tang Shan returned to the second floor and continued monitoring the
situation outside. It was much too far, however, and he couldn't see much.
There wasn't a television that could give him live coverage of the incident
either, and he was in no mood to sleep yet.
Or at least, that's what he thought. In the end, Tang Shan was exhausted
and finally fell asleep by the window wrapped in a blanket.
"Hahahaha, haha, hahahahahaha-"
There seemed to be the constant sound of children's laughter in his
dreams.
Tang Shan woke up, the sound of laughter still resounding in his ears. No,
those giggles really did exist. He climbed up and gazed out of the window, to
the sight of a few children dancing excitedly as they headed towards the other
end of the town.
He turned to look at the wall clock behind him, only to find that it was
two in the morning. Why were there children hanging around outside at this
time? Furthermore, there had been a huge commotion not long ago; it was far too
dangerous!
Worried, Tang Shan left the villa and chased after the children.
"Hey! You guys! Wait!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, and the children suddenly turned around,
their laughter halting.
Tang Shan was unnerved by their stares. As he was still a distance away
from them and couldn't see the expressions on their face, the atmosphere was
terrifying and bizarre at the same time.
"You guys-" Tang Shan started.
One of the children began to chuckle once more, and like a chain
reaction, all the children began to laugh along. They ignored him and advanced
forward cheerily.
"Hey!" Tang Shan wanted to stop them, but they picked up speed
and he had to jog a little to catch up to them. In the end, even he forgot why
he wanted them to halt and only mindlessly trailed after them.
The children slowed their footsteps as they approached the square, their
presumed target. In front of them were even more children in a circle, all of
whom were prancing and grinning cheekily.
Tang Shan got closer and realised that nobody was paying him the
slightest attention. He bent down to examine the child who was closest to him,
and couldn't help but feel that this face was unexplainably familiar. He racked
his brain for any answers – where had he seen that face before?
Ah!
He remembered now. A quick look
around at the faces of the children, and he was so stunned that he stumbled
onto his behind. He could not believe his own eyes.
These “children” were the ceramic dolls that every family in the town
possessed!
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha-"
The dolls gathered in the middle of the square while they filled the
area with their hearty laughter.
It sent chills down his spine.
Then abruptly the laughter stopped. A person walked to the middle of the
square wearing a black cloak and a hat, seeming to merge with the darkness of
the night. It was impossible to tell who it was.
Next, the female officer who had greeted him earlier that night appeared.
She was holding onto a thick rope, the other end of which was tied around a man's
neck. His eyes were covered by a black cloth, and his body was bounded so tightly
that it seemed impossible to move. The female officer led him forward and
stopped in front of the cloaked man.
Another person brought a chair over from the opposite side – Jake. He
tried to get the man to sit, but he disobeyed and desperately tried to resist.
The female officer punched him until he was dizzy and forced him into the seat.
Meanwhile, Jake took the opportunity to tie him down to the chair.
The man moaned pitifully.
Tang Shan recognised the man who had been captured as one of Marie's suitors
who often stalked her while she went out to buy groceries. Occasionally, he'd
buy her some flowers, and even though he was a stalker, he'd never gone
overboard before. In general, he was still a good man.
"Verdict."
The man in the black cloak finally spoke. His words were lost in the
raging wind, and Tang Shan couldn't hear him properly for a moment.
"You are guilty."
The wind whisked away the dark clouds, and moonlight streamed down,
centering on the criminal. Tang Shan saw white smoke emitting from the man.
"Marie! Marie! Give Marie back to me!"
Ahh!
Tang Shan had to cover his mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping.
The man's body actually began to combust with bluish flames. It was
horrifyingly beautiful.
"You are guilty."
The judge, in his resolute voice, declared him guilty with no hesitation.
All of the witnesses watched on coldly as the man burnt to ashes.
Tang Shan suddenly understood, after observing this event. This man liked
Marie enough to wreck the town and had to pay the price – but what had happened
to Marie?
He could more or less guess who the judge was. No one else fit the role
better.
Li Yuanyu.
But why?
"Who’s there?!"
The judge suddenly discovered him – Li Yuanyu found him – and all eyes
landed on him, even the ceramic dolls.
They grabbed onto him and pulled him out from the crowd and into the
middle of the square.
"Tang Shan!" Jake and the female officer simultaneously
gasped, looking guilty.
He shouldn't be here.
Tang Shan didn't look at them and trained his gaze on Li Yuanyu.
They were so close, and he was absolutely sure that the judge was Li
Yuanyu.
Li Yuanyu did not look stunned at being discovered, and instead answered
with a firm look.
"Tang Shan."
"What happened to Marie?"
"Tang Shan, come here."
Tang Shan stood close to the chair, rooted in the spot as he glared at
Li Yuanyu.
"What did you do to Marie?"
In his agitation, Tang Shan exposed himself under the moonlight. Instantly,
he could feel the heat enveloping him. He could see white smoke coming from all
over his body. He, too, was going to be burnt to ashes. The fear of death
encompassed his body, and he was paralysed.
"Tang Shan!"
He was suddenly covered in darkness as Li Yuanyu used his cloak to
shield him, dragging him away from the moonlight. Tang Shan's emotional and
physical state was unable to withstand much more and he soon fainted.
That was just the start of his nightmare.
It was a
living hell.
Nobody would
tell him what had happened to Marie, but he could guess the answer. It
definitely wasn't the first time that a trial like this was held. There was too
much happening in this town that couldn't be comprehended with common sense.
Ceramic
dolls that came to life, people who spontaneously combusted, a town with no way
of leaving, the rain that seemed to change depending on Li Yuanyu’s mood, and the
rareness of sun... None of this could be explained with science.
He
couldn't stay in this godforsaken place any longer. It was terrifying!
"I
want to go home."
This
wasn't where he belonged. He wanted to return home.
"I’m
begging you. Let me go."
It was
scary here. Li Yuanyu was scary.
Tang
Shan cried silently, the state of his body and mind quickly deteriorating.
But Li
Yuanyu still loved him, and no matter how many tantrums Tang Shan threw, he'd
still stay by his side and take care of him.
But that
wasn't what he wanted at all. He didn't want to deal with Li Yuanyu's love for
him; all he felt was fear.
Li
Yuanyu could tolerate Tang Shan's indifference, fear and anger, but he couldn't
watch him get weaker day by day.
"I
can't lose you."
Li
Yuanyu said that one day.
He
really wanted to laugh, wanted to ridicule Li Yuanyu's silly words. The man had
lost him long ago, but his body was so weak that he could not retort nor scorn
those words.
Li
Yuanyu carried him to the bathtub in the villa, putting him down gently. The
tub of water warmed his body.
Li
Yuanyu started telling him stories about the past when they were in love, but
he was in no mood to listen and closed his eyes. Then Li Yuanyu suddenly fell
silent. Tang Shan's eyes flickered open and stared up at him blankly.
The man
spoke after quite some time, "Tang Shan, I love you."
Li
Yuanyu cried. He cried his heart out.
Tang
Shan was equally miserable. He still loved Li Yuanyu, but it was impossible to
accept him anymore.
Li
Yuanyu reached out and rested his hand on Tang Shan's shoulders. In the past,
that was a precursor to kissing, but it was completely different this time,
different from anything he had experienced – Li Yuanyu pressed him firmly into the water.
The
pressure on his shoulder, Li Yuanyu's anguish...
He now understood
the situation. Li Yuanyu was trying to kill him; he couldn’t stand him anymore.
However,
Tang Shan did not die, and the next time he woke up, all he remembered was that
Marie had left town and they had moved to the smaller house. They were living
in the house, and yet he woke up on the large bed in the villa. How had they
gotten there? He had no recollection.
Li
Yuanyu had prepared a large pot of Borscht for no reason, and Tang Shan felt
increasingly confused as he sat at the table with a smirk, "Did you do something
bad?"
Li
Yuanyu smiled but did not answer.
That was
the first time he lost his memory.
Jake
would come over occasionally, sometimes staring at him with a complicated
expression. He always found it strange and questioned Jake about it, but Jake
was unwilling to give an honest answer.
There
was once he'd let something slip though.
"Your
existence is constantly destroying my image of Li Yuanyu."
Tang
Shan thought his words were referring to their overly affectionate relationship
and grinned obliviously, "He is
quite clingy."
The
illusion of a perfect, peaceful life continued for a period of time, until Tang
Shan regained his memories of everything that had happened. At that point, his
terror and anger towards Li Yuanyu was enough to swallow him whole.
Tang
Shan's attitude towards Li Yuanyu was driving the man crazy, and he gradually
became hysterical and easily irritable.
He
disposed of Tang Shan's locket, had someone paint a portrait of Tang Shan and
him even though he was unwilling to, and treated him like a sex slave,
constantly tormenting him no matter how much he resisted and begged.
"I
love you, Tang Shan."
Tang
Shan would not accept it no matter how much Li Yuanyu told him he loved him. Li
Yuanyu had gone insane and no longer was the person he had fallen in love with.
On the
nights that Li Yuanyu did not rape him, the man would read out loud the novel
that he enjoyed the most. It was the book that Tang Shan had once ridiculed
before for being an overly mushy romance novel.
The long journey wore him out, but he
refused to give up. She was his final destination.
Li
Yuanyu read the last sentence, letting the words hang in silence. He flashed a
gentle smile at Tang Shan. "I won't give up either, Tang Shan."
What an
idiot. Tang Shan choked out a scoff, but he was definitely aware of how serious
Li Yuanyu was.
At this
point, the novel that Li Yuanyu loved the most was no different than a horror
story to him.
Whenever
Li Yuanyu couldn't be around to take care of him, he'd get Jake to help. He was
like a prisoner, having the freedom to move around the town but unable to
really leave.
"If
you could be a little better to him, even just a little tiny bit, it'd be
better for both of you." Jake nagged at him tirelessly. It had been
raining non-stop all this while, and a lot of areas were beginning to flood. He
couldn't bear to watch on anymore.
"I
can't do it."
"Why
can't you just accept it? Doesn't he treat you well enough?" Having his
suggestion rejected, Jake became agitated at Tang Shan for not knowing better.
"How
am I supposed to accept you killing people?! In my eyes, you're all
murderers!" Tang Shan retorted with a vicious accusation.
Jake was
stunned at his words, and by the time he came back to himself, he was already fighting
with Tang Shan. In his fury, he lost control of himself and beat Tang Shan till
the latter fainted. Only then did he realise what he'd done.
The next
time Tang Shan awoke, Jake was no longer by his side. In his place was Li
Yuanyu's concerned expression. For a long time after that, he did not see any
signs of Jake.
"Where's
Jake?" He couldn't control his curiosity and asked.
Li
Yuanyu stayed silent.
"Did
you kill him too?" At the mere thought of that, Tang Shan began to
tremble, the terror surging through his body.
"Do
you really think I'm someone capable of that?"
Li
Yuanyu's question and his tone of dissatisfaction were all making Tang Shan
nervous.
"Tang
Shan, don't be afraid. I love you."
"I
don't want this-"
Tang
Shan knew he was a coward. In his current state, even Li Yuanyu's gentle smile
multiplied his fears.
"I’m
begging you. Let me go."
He pleaded
repeatedly.
Why?
Why are you doing this to me?
Jake
wasn't dead. Li Yuanyu had merely taught him a lesson after he injured Tang
Shan and was currently recuperating at home. By the next time Jake saw him,
he'd lost his memory again.
"Gosh,
Jake, you got beat up pretty badly. Did you meet some thug?" Tang Shan was
shocked at the bandages all over Jake's body and poked fun at his injuries.
They
were friends again.
Tang
Shan lost even more memories this time, and he had absolutely no memories of
where Marie had gone, or even his lost locket. He had no recollection of how he
even came to this town. His memories were all over the place, and he had
trouble linking them together.
Jake
discovered that every time Tang Shan lost his memories, he'd forget even more
things. He had no idea if Li Yuanyu was aware of that, or if that was his
intention.
Li
Yuanyu was so, so deeply in love with Tang Shan. Even a fool could see that.
During
this period of time when Tang Shan suffered amnesia, Li Yuanyu stayed by his
side like a thoughtful lover. He was willing to spend an entire day accompanying
his lover.
However,
as Tang Shan regained his memories time after time, his resistance intensified
day by day. In answer, Li Yuanyu gradually became cold and numb to his antics.
He
didn't find it tiresome as he constantly wiped Tang Shan's memories to achieve
his goals. No matter what, Li Yuanyu was unwilling to let Tang Shan go, much
less let him leave. Not even death was permitted.
Li
Yuanyu was a pitiful man, and Tang Shan was cruel.
Just the
other day, Jake went to visit them. Usually, he wouldn't drop in if there
wasn't anything important, but there was an incident within the town that
required the manager's appearance. Coincidentally, the weather was good – only
clouds, no rain.
Tang Shan was maintaining his garden outside the hut. The potatoes
seemed to have turned bad, probably due to the roots rotting in the overly damp
soil. He took notice of Jake and waved at him. "Hey, Jake! You're just in
time. Are you free now? Can you pull some weeds for me?"
"I'm only here because
there's some trouble in town." Jake looked at the messy, overturned soil.
"What are you doing?"
"These potatoes have to be dug up and replanted."
What the hell?
"Where's Li Yuanyu? What's he doing?" Jake questioned. Wasn't
there one more person in the house?
Tang Shan tilted his head, a little confused.
"What's wrong?" Jake began to get a little flustered at the attention
from Tang Shan and scratched his head while he looked away.
"You called Yuanyu by his full name. It feels a little strange to
me. Don't you usually call him Mr Li?" Tang Shan didn’t mean anything and
laughed as he turned back and continued taking care of his vegetable garden.
Jake glared
at his back, unable to speak for a long while.
You were the one who ruined Li Yuanyu's
position in my heart! He roared
soundlessly within.
"Yuanyu
is preparing dinner inside. He should be in the kitchen if you're looking for
him." While working, Tang Shan guided him without even raising his head,
patting the ground and digging up an entire potato plant.
"...Thanks."
Jake thanked him uncomfortably and entered the house through
the unlocked door. The moment he entered, he could smell the rich aroma that
came from brewing soup.
"Tang Shan, come
here and taste this for me." Li Yuanyu heard the sound of the door opening
and shouted in that direction.
Jake entered the
kitchen and saw Li Yuanyu, who was busy working in the kitchen. "It's
me."
"Oh, it's
you." Li Yuanyu wasn't all that disappointed either, scooping up a bit of
soup and passing it to him. "Try it."
Jake took it and
reported matters while drinking the soup.
Upon hearing all this,
Li Yuanyu turned off the gas, put on his suit and prepared to head out.
"Where are you
going?" Tang Shan, who was outside, was full of questions while he saw
them come out.
Li Yuanyu came to Tang
Shan's side, bent and kissed his face and explained, unwillingly to leave,
"There are still some things I need to deal with, so I'm not coming back
to eat. I've already prepared dinner, so you can just heat it up later."
"Jake will keep you
company."
Jake stood by the door,
staring coldly at their intimate actions.
"I don't need
anyone to keep me company," Tang Shan glared as if he was being looked
down upon.
"But I'll worry. There's
a storm coming, so finish up here and head back to your room as soon as you
can. The vegetable garden can wait for another day. Let Jake help you," Li
Yuanyu kissed him again, and then got onto the horse carriage that Jake called
for and left the wooden hut.
Seeing the horse
carriage about to disappear into the distance, Jake leant against the frame of
the door, exclaiming unhappily, "I am not helping you."
"I thought so too.
I never expected you to," Tang Shan continued to work. He had already dug
out quite a number of potato 'corpses'.
"You're pretty smart,
huh."
"Thank you, I've
always been." Tang Shan laughed, hands not resting.
Jake periodically
bantered with Tang Shan, standing on the same spot and refusing to help out.
Tang Shan spoke,
"Do you want to go in first and help me prepare dinner? Just standing
there and bickering with me must be pretty boring, isn't it?"
"You want a guest
to help prepare dinner?"
"Why not? Technically
speaking, we're both Li Yuanyu's guests."
"Haha,
how are you a guest? You're the 'mistress' of Li Yuanyu's home." After
saying this, Jake began to guffaw.
"Hey!
That's not funny at all!"
All of a
sudden, a few lightning bolts streaked across the horizon interjected by the claps
of thunder every few seconds. The ear splitting, terrifying noises struck fear
in his heart.
Tang Shan
stood up, gazing at the place where the lightning struck.
"Tang
Shan, get into the house!" Jake urged him.
In the next
moment, fire burst out in the distance. An explosion occurred at the center of
the town.
Staring hard
at the thick smoke produced by the explosion, Tang Shan did not even blink as
he asked, "Jake, where did you say there was an issue at? Where did Li
Yuanyu go?"
"What do
you want? Don't tell me you want to go there. I'm not going to watch you go to
your own death in front of my eyes." Jake stepped forward and held onto
Tang Shan, just in case he really ran out there.
Tang Shan
suddenly looked a little vacant, "Jake, I remember."
"Wha-
What do you remember?" Jake was stunned, uneasiness apparent in his gaze.
"There
was also a huge explosion like this that day. You- You burnt the man who was
sweet on. Marie – What happened to Marie? What right does Li Yuanyu have to
pass judgment on anyone? What did Li Yuanyu do to me? Why is he treating me
this way?"
Tang Shan
stared wide-eyed at Jake, terrified and disbelieving.
Jake really
wished he could evade the line of questioning, because he was one of the main actors
who had a role in the tragedy that was Tang Shan's life. He found out the truth,
then lost his memories time and time and again. The same play was reenacted
over and over, continuously increasing Tang Shan's sense of hopelessness.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Ying: Apologies for the long wait, I will finish translating this so please be patient...
ayszhang: This release will replace the Brother release this week!
Chapter 7
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