Chapter 124 Moonlight

Chapter 124 Moonlight

The next morning, Jiang Luo was brushing his teeth when Wang Chuang sidled up to him. "Do you know how many songs you sang last night when you were drunk, squatting here at my place?"

"A whole cassette—both sides."

Jiang Luo just stared blankly.

At breakfast in the dining hall, Jiang Luo had some porridge to sober up and clear his head.

Wang Chuang deliberately pulled a chair next to him, watching him. "You sang 'Dream Awakening Moment' really well yesterday."

Mimicking Jiang Luo's drunken crooning, he sang, "I knew that heartbreak was inevitable..."

Jiang Luo nearly spat out his porridge.

At the factory, while going through papers at his desk, Wang Chuang still hovered nearby. "Do you know how many bottles you knocked back yesterday?"

Jiang Luo let out a quiet sigh. "Get lost."

Wang Chuang kept yapping.

Jiang Luo: "I'll dock your pay, dock..."

Wang Chuang turned and scurried away.

As the door closed, leaving him alone, Jiang Luo's temple throbbed. He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose and the corners of his eyes—it's perfectly normal to drink a little after a breakup. So what if he sang? Didn't he always sing, even when he wasn't drunk? He'd sing if he wanted to!

Jiang Luo's mind automatically played "Dream Awakening Moment"—

"You say you fell in love with the wrong person

Your heart is full of scars

You say you made a mistake you shouldn't have made

Your heart is filled with regret..."

For almost the entire day, the song looped endlessly in Jiang Luo's mind.

During the day, Huo Zongzhuo stopped by. He didn't ask why Jiang Luo had drunk so much and hadn't returned to the villa the night before, only asking with concern, "Drank that much?"

Even after a night, Jiang Luo still smelled faintly of alcohol.

Jiang Luo gave a quiet "Yeah."

But in his mind, Chen Shu-hua's voice sang, "I knew that heartbreak was inevitable, why did you have to be so deeply devoted..."

Jiang Luo took a mental breath: Not deep anymore, not deep anymore, stop singing.

Later, taking advantage of Huo Zongzhuo's temporary absence from the office, Wang Chuang, passing by, stood outside the window, pushed it open, stuck his head in, and made a "psst, psst" sound at Jiang Luo, his expression asking, *Really over it? Are you okay?*

*Perfectly fine.*

Jiang Luo maintained a normal expression, waved him off, and signaled him to scram.

When Huo Zongzhuo returned to the office and sat on the sofa reading the newspaper, Jiang Luo, behind the desk, glanced over. There was no resentment, only a sense of relief.

He thought, as long as Huo Zongzhuo was happy in the future, his own selfish desires and feelings—let them go.

It was nothing.

Being gay was never an easy path to begin with.

He was merely receiving the consequence that was due on this journey.

It was nothing.

Jiang Luo withdrew his gaze.

"What's wrong?"

"Since coming to Shenzhen and taking you to the villa at Silver Lake, I've felt you haven't been very happy."

Huo Zongzhuo had naturally noticed Jiang Luo's unusual behavior early on; he just hadn't said anything.

At lunch, seeing Jiang Luo had his head down, shoveling food, Huo Zongzhuo finally asked,

"Is it because you don't like it when people give you things you consider valuable without asking first?"

Huo Zongzhuo clearly cared deeply about Jiang Luo's feelings.

Jiang Luo shrugged, acting completely normal. "I like that house."

"Don't overthink it, of course I like it."

"Everything you've given me—the factory, the house, the car—I like it all."

Huo Zongzhuo looked at Jiang Luo. Everything about him seemed normal, making Huo Zongzhuo wonder if he was overthinking it.

But intuitively, he felt something was off.

And any slight unease in Jiang Luo mattered greatly to him.

"Really like it?"

Jiang Luo nodded. "Really."

Then he added, "Is it because I didn't jump up with a surprised face and say 'Thank you, Dad' that you think I'm unhappy?"

"Thank you, Dad!"

Jiang Luo's expression was vivid and sincere: "Thank you so much for considering so much for me and treating me so well."

"I'll definitely manage this factory well, so you get huge dividends every year."

Huo Zongzhuo smiled, and the two continued eating and chatting normally.

"Take a walk?"

In the evening, after leaving the factory very late, Jiang Luo had Lao Si and the others drive off first while he and Huo Zongzhuo walked along the street.

The industrial area was quiet at night. The night was relatively bright, with few stars, but the moon was full and high.

Taking a deep breath, the air was fresh, but unfortunately, it was muggy and humid, making it unpleasant to breathe.

This was the only thing Jiang Luo didn't quite like about Shenzhen.

But walking with Huo Zongzhuo, his heart was calm and filled with affection, making this minor dislike feel utterly insignificant.

Jiang Luo walked at an easy pace, feeling the quiet of the industrial area at night, and the deep calm in his heart.

He glanced at Huo Zongzhuo walking beside him and thought that after a busy day, taking a stroll like this was truly nice—so relaxing, comfortable, and pleasant.

"Huo Zongzhuo."

Jiang Luo called the man's name. After walking quietly for a while, he suddenly brought up a topic out of nowhere: "Have you ever thought about the future?"

Hm?

"What future?"

Huo Zongzhuo asked, turning his head to glance at the young man beside him as they walked.

"The future..."

Jiang Luo thought for a moment. "Life, I guess?"

"Things outside of work."

Jiang Luo said, "Like, will there be other leisure activities?"

"Or like if you'll meet a girl you like."

As he said it, Jiang Luo realized what he really wanted to ask—talking about the future was just a way to find out what plans Huo Zongzhuo had for his personal life.

He wanted to know.

Deep down, he wasn't quite ready to accept it.

Huo Zongzhuo didn’t answer immediately. After a moment of thought, he said, "There might be other ways to relax."

He actually didn’t care much about any of that.

Hm?

Jiang Luo pressed, "What about girls?"

*What do you mean?*

Huo Zongzhuo turned to look at him.

Jiang Luo continued walking. "You’ll meet a girl you like someday, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

Huo Zongzhuo didn't take the bait.

Jiang Luo insisted, "It’s possible, isn’t it? There’s a chance, right?"

"Maybe."

Huo Zongzhuo’s reply was vague.

Jiang Luo continued, "Have you ever thought about your future life? Marriage, where you’ll settle down, how many children you’ll have?"

"No."

Huo Zongzhuo’s tone was firm.

Jiang Luo heard this "no," but he didn’t feel secretly happy about it.

He always believed that Huo Zongzhuo would eventually get married. Even though in his previous life, Huo Zongzhuo remained unmarried until nearly 40, Jiang Luo felt that that was then, this is now—things might not turn out the same.

Jiang Luo kept going with the discussion. "You'll probably end up living in Su City, right?"

"After all, your mother is there. You can’t be too far away."

Huo Zongzhuo remained silent.

Jiang Luo added, "I think you’ll at least have a daughter. They say daughters take after their fathers."

"Even though the country only allows one child now, to ensure better care."

"But having more isn’t a big deal—it's just a matter of paying a fine."

"Anyway, money isn’t an issue. Have however many you want."

Huo Zongzhuo was uncomfortable with this topic. He knew he could never marry or have children.

But since Jiang Luo brought it up, and he never wanted Jiang Luo to suspect anything unusual about him, he remained silent and didn’t interrupt.

After Jiang Luo finished speaking, Huo Zongzhuo finally asked, "What about you?"

At this point, he couldn’t help but think about Jiang Luo’s future. Even though, in his plans, Jiang Luo would inevitably stay by his side, life could always surprise you.

What if things didn't work out as planned?

Still walking, Jiang Luo looked at Huo Zongzhuo. "Me? Well..."

He thought for a moment, then glanced away and lied, "I might have a daughter too."

"Being from Haicheng, after all, people don’t like having too many children. One is enough—an only daughter, the apple of my eye."

Huo Zongzhuo didn’t respond.

Jiang Luo turned back, his tone light and natural. "In the future, they can play together, be good friends, like close sisters, as close as you and I are."

Huo Zongzhuo still didn’t say anything.

Jiang Luo felt a pang in his heart, but kept his expression calm. "The next generation, and the generation after that, staying just as close—wouldn't that be great."

"Your sons and daughters can call me ‘Dad’ too, be my godkids."

As they walked, they both stopped.

The moonlight and streetlights cast their shadows but couldn’t penetrate the hidden feelings in their hearts.

Face to face, Jiang Luo looked into Huo Zongzhuo's dark eyes and smiled. "Huo Zongzhuo, you're going to be so happy in the future."

"No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I want you to be happy."

"My feelings for you are as genuine as the way you've treated me. Truly."

Huo Zongzhuo looked back at him quietly.

Jiang Luo’s heart hurt, but it was somehow lighter. Speaking these words and having made this decision didn't make him feel miserable. Instead, it felt as though his emotions were budding and growing—*ah, so this is how love could be.*

*So his feelings didn't have to be just about wanting to possess someone—they could also be the blessing that comes with letting go.*

Huo Zongzhuo, I wish you all the best.

Jiang Luo looked at him.

May you have a smooth-sailing life and career, may your future be filled with happiness, fulfillment, and a healthy, joyful family.

I will accompany you, watching from the sidelines, silently rooting for you.

That way, I’ll be happy too.

Jiang Luo looked at Huo Zongzhuo and smiled to himself.

Huo Zongzhuo looked back at him but remained expressionless and didn’t say a word.

Later, as they continued their walk, when Jiang Luo playfully jumped onto his back again like a mischievous monkey, Huo Zongzhuo hoisted him up as usual.

Jiang Luo called out to him, "Huo Zongzhuo, how come you're so quiet?"

"Hmm?"

Huo Zongzhuo still didn’t respond.

His heart and feelings were buried deep, just as people only see the moonlight but never the dark side of the moon.

On that hidden side lay emotions he couldn’t easily put into words.

He felt those feelings were sinister and dirty when it came to Jiang Luo.

He didn’t let it make him doubt himself or feel self-contempt, but when Jiang Luo said, "How wonderful it would be if our children, and their children after them, could remain this close," he understood that the love Jiang Luo needed from him was different from the love he wanted to give.

Huo Zongzhuo carried Jiang Luo and kept walking.

The path ahead was clear, but his heart was heavy.

What he saw wasn’t the road but Jiang Luo’s future—a future where Jiang Luo would meet a girl he liked, fall in love, get married, and have children, just as he’d said, with a beloved only daughter, the apple of his eye.

Huo Zongzhuo thought to himself that she would be his precious daughter too, and he would love her just as deeply as he cherished Jiang Luo.

"Huo Zongzhuo."

"Hmm?"

"You’ll be very happy in the future."

"I will."

At Silver Lake Villa, they had adjoining rooms.

After showering, Jiang Luo didn’t go to Huo Zongzhuo’s room and settled down to sleep peacefully in his summer pajamas.

Huo Zongzhuo stood on the large balcony of his bedroom, smoking one cigarette after another, the embers glowing and dying.

When he finished, returned to his room, showered, and lay down, Jiang Luo slipped into the room, climbed onto the bed, and snuggled up to Huo Zongzhuo as usual, holding him close.

Huo Zongzhuo looked down at the boy and held him in return.

At least in this moment, they had only each other.

"Dad."

Jiang Luo closed his eyes. "Read me a poem."

To help him sleep.

"Alright."

Just as Huo Zongzhuo was about to recite, Jiang Luo changed his mind. "Wait, let me sing you a song instead."

Jiang Luo hummed a melody of a song that wouldn’t become popular until many years later—one he had listened to repeatedly in his previous life while lying alone in a hospital bed in Beijing, bored and full of regret, thinking how nice it would be to have a lover.

That song was "The Moon Is to Blame," a nationwide smash hit back then.

Now, in this life, lying in Huo Zongzhuo’s arms, he sang:

"I admit it’s all the moon’s fault,

The night was too beautiful, you were too gentle,

In that fleeting moment,

All I wanted was to grow old with you..."

Jiang Luo thought how wonderful it was—in this life, he had found someone he wanted to grow old with.

So wonderful.

Even if they couldn’t be together, these feelings were beautiful enough.