Proofreaders: Marcia, Fin
Turning the Corner to Love You chapter 1
(Reminder: To read the translator's notes, hover your cursor over the words underlined with dots.)
(Reminder: To read the translator's notes, hover your cursor over the words underlined with dots.)
Chapter 1 A
Mandarin with Nowhere to Go
It was past ten on a
night in March. The sky was a thick black, with the chilly evening
wind burrowing its way past the collars into the warmth inside,
causing people to hurry along with their necks withdrawn.
The neon lights on either side of the street seemed to blur into a
disarray of colours. Cars vroomed by. Street vendors vied for
customers. Oranges on tricycles flooded with yellow light under the
streetlamps.
In an alley that
connected two main streets, a tall silhouette blocked the light. His
slender fingers held a cigarette, embers flickering in the darkness.
Chi Yue was dressed
properly – tux, white shirt – but no tie, and his cuffs were
open. Only his hair was left immaculately styled.
Part of his
well-defined face was shrouded by shadows while the rest displayed a
muddle of emotions.
Escaping his lungs,
a cloud of cigarette smoke left by his mouth and nose, hiding his
restraint, desperation and affection in a casual banter.
“It’s not like
you don’t know that I like you.”
Lu Xi seemed as if
he had just woken up and thrown on a thin wool cardigan that fell off
one shoulder, showing his striped pyjamas. Leaning against the wall,
loose bangs slightly hanging over his eyes, he was leisurely peeling
a mandarin.
In that narrow and
empty alley stood two tall and hunky men. Just past the mouth of the
alley, people were going about their evening pursuits.
Lu Xi’s eyes were
hidden in the dark but were still radiant.
“Do you have to
like me that much?”
The long-time
painter’s boney fingers were now popping a piece of mandarin into
his mouth.
He raised his gaze,
an enigmatic twinkle in his eyes.
“Big Cock Chi.”
A car sped past on
the street, its engines roaring in their ears like thunder.
Lu Xi jutted out his
chin, his glossy eyes reflecting the car’s red taillights. Hidden
in the darkness, his face seemed to be ignited, releasing a dangerous
yet alluring signal.
Exhaling another
puff of smoke, Chi Yue stared at the other man with gleaming eyes,
like a lion staring at its prey – a cunning and hard-to-tame fox.
He was forceful and
dominant, yet was stumped as to how to handle him.
Two pairs of eyes
watched each other through the wisps of smoke. There was a moment of
uneasy silence.
Like two male
animals in a stalemate, neither wanted to submit.
The butt of the
cigarette suddenly died and was thrown to the ground and stamped out
by a dress shoe.
Chi Yue closed their
distance and trapped Lu Xi against the wall.
The confined man’s
lashes cast a gentle shadow as he slowly looked up.
Who would be the
ultimate winner in this risky game?
Chi Yue grinned, his
handsome features relaxing as he exuded overwhelming pheromones. He
discreetly slid a hand over Lu Xi’s left wrist.
Lu Xi narrowed his
eyes as his weak point was grasped by the other.
Hand still holding
onto his wrist, Chi Yue slowly fed a piece of mandarin into his own
mouth all the while keeping eye contact.
“This isn’t the
type you usually get,” he licked his lips and commented in a
slightly raspy voice.
The scent of sweet
citrus seemed to explode between the two, contrary to the usual
bitterness.
Lu Xi pursed his
lips and brought his right knee up towards Chi Yue. As the man
sidestepped, he easily escaped from the confinement.
Like a fish that
could not be caught.
“How mean,” Chi
Yue grumbled as he wiped the juice from
the corners of his lips.
The escapee had
already sauntered to the mouth of the alley, leaving behind his
lonesome shadow on the path.
At the foot of the
wall, a mandarin slowly rolled out from a plastic bag.
It was a mandarin
that had nowhere to go, just like he who had nowhere to go.
“It wasn’t the
first time he kicked me out.” The man, who was nearing thirty,
muttered matter-of-factly as he crouched down and poked the innocent,
but abandoned, mandarin.
“It’s already
time for FIT’s graduation show again.”
Overhead, an
impenetrable gloominess had already replaced the starry night sky.
They had both grown
up.
Chi Yue picked up
the bag of mandarins that was left by Lu Xi and headed in the
opposite direction.
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