Little Green Tangerine equals Lin Qing’an?
Lin Qing’an felt a sudden tightening in his chest and subconsciously began searching for his phone to see what that message and that long text message were actually about.
Blinking his eyes twice before he even had time to take a closer look, in the very next moment, right under Lin Qing’an’s eyelids, that message was retracted by its sender.
It was retracted!
“Xie Tingchuan…” Lin Qing’an spoke up in a rush, but when he saw the other person’s irritated gaze looking over, he choked up. The words to stop him and the questions to ask him were clearly right at the tip of his tongue, yet looking into those eyes that treated him like a stranger next door, Lin Qing’an could not force the words out no matter what.
After hesitating for two seconds, Lin Qing’an forced the corners of his mouth upward.
“Good night, sweet dreams.”
Following that, Lin Qing’an left Xie Tingchuan’s bedroom.
With just a wall between them, there were two people suffering from insomnia.
Lin Qing’an sat at the head of the bed while his phone, with only thirty percent battery remaining, had its screen lit up, yet inside the chat window belonging to Xie Tingchuan, there was still no message to be seen.
Why hasn’t he sent it yet?
What on earth was that message?
Why did Xie Tingchuan retract it? Since he sent it out in the first place, why did he have to retract it?
Lin Qing’an could not figure it out no matter how hard he thought, wondering what that long message was and what Xie Tingchuan wanted to tell him.
The exact same question appeared repeatedly in Lin Qing’an’s mind in different forms.
Xie Tingchuan, what do you want to tell me?
Before the night had even passed, Lin Qing’an was already filled with regret.
He regretted why he had started an argument with Xie Tingchuan, and he regretted why he had spoken those words to Xie Tingchuan.
What was the use of saying them anyway, as it was nothing more than adding unnecessary trouble for himself and pointlessly making both of them unhappy.
Time quietly slipped away, and when Lin Qing’an finally recovered from his dazed and lost state, the time had already reached eleven o’clock at night.
That chat window belonging to Xie Tingchuan still showed no response whatsoever.
Lin Qing’an pressed his lips tightly together, tiptoed out of bed, carefully opened the bedroom door, and peeked tentatively toward Xie Tingchuan’s room, his gaze suddenly colliding with a meaningful look.
Frightened, Lin Qing’an felt his heart skip a beat and let out a startled cry.
Xie Tingchuan curved his lips in satisfaction, having waited for over two hours to finally catch him slipping up.
“Lin Qing’an, what are you trying to do this late at night?”
His chaotic heartbeat sounded like the beating of a drum, and the sentimental mood instantly vanished into thin air as Lin Qing’an awkwardly pointed toward the kitchen, “I want to get some water.”
As he spoke, Lin Qing’an went to the kitchen to pour a cup of warm water, took a few sips to calm his nerves, and looked back tentatively at Xie Tingchuan to see him sitting imposingly on the sofa, with the irritability between his brows faintly visible.
Is Xie Tingchuan unhappy?
Lin Qing’an took small sips of the warm water, lowering his gaze to withdraw his look.
Naturally, how could he possibly be happy with a lover like me?
A minute later, Lin Qing’an walked over to the sofa carrying two cups of warm water and placed one of them in front of Xie Tingchuan.
Lin Qing’an looked at Xie Tingchuan sitting on the couch, marking the first time he had ever viewed him from this angle. Looking down at Xie Tingchuan from a higher vantage point, the originally sharp brow peaks now carried a slight curve, and when the other person lifted his eyes to look back, it felt almost as if he could see stars within them.
Xie Tingchuan furrowed his brows slightly, lifted his chin a fraction, and spoke in a muffled voice, “I do not like anyone looking at me like that.”
Hearing this, Lin Qing’an sat down to the side, and when he looked at Xie Tingchuan’s brows again, there were no stars to be found anywhere, as it had merely been the light illuminating him for a brief moment.
In an instant, Lin Qing’an felt somewhat sorrowful, feeling as though the stars that had vanished from Xie Tingchuan’s eyes were reminding him that this hidden online romance would also vanish in the blink of an eye.
He looked at Xie Tingchuan, realizing that this aloof and confident person was currently surrounded by loss and confusion, and the one who had caused all of this was none other than himself, because of him.
He was the one bringing negative emotions to Xie Tingchuan.
Even though Lin Qing’an had merely wanted to get some money to spend before his awakening, after his memories awakened, he still failed to cut through this inappropriate romance cleanly like a knife cutting through tangled hemp.
All the talk of money was just an excuse, as Lin Qing’an also had his own selfish motives.
It was just that he was unwilling to admit it, though Lin Qing’an understood it well.
The silent atmosphere caused Xie Tingchuan to lift his eyelids and look toward Lin Qing’an, where he ran right into a pair of sorrowful eyes, their eye sockets draped in a thick mist of tears, giving the impression that a tiny pearl would fall at the very next blink.
At a loss, Lin Qing’an lowered his head and acted as though he were casually pulling out two tissues to wipe away his tears.
“I am sorry, I just broke up today, so my mood is not very good.”
Perhaps because he wiped too hard, Xie Tingchuan noticed that the corners of his eyes were flushed red, with the area surrounding the tiny mole at the corner of his eye appearing entirely pink.
Good upbringing caused Xie Tingchuan to stare intently for a few seconds before looking away, showing no intention of speaking at all.
On the contrary, Lin Qing’an, who had been stared at for quite a while, felt awkward all over and searched for anything to say, asking, “Is it because I disturbed you by staying awake so late?”
“No,” Xie Tingchuan replied, “You can go back to rest now that nothing is wrong.”
Having failed to find a topic and being driven out of the living room, Lin Qing’an stood up awkwardly, “Then I will go back to rest first.”
After taking two steps, Lin Qing’an looked back at Xie Tingchuan and reminded him, “It is getting late, you should rest early as well.”
Seeing Xie Tingchuan nod, Lin Qing’an secretly breathed a sigh of relief and strode toward the guest room, but just as he was about to close the door, Xie Tingchuan’s voice sounded within the quiet room.
“Wait.”
Clutching the doorknob, Lin Qing’an looked at him in confusion and asked, “Is there anything else?”
“Did you just say you broke up?” Xie Tingchuan walked up to Lin Qing’an with a solemn expression.
That tall, straight height standing half a head taller was quite intimidating, and Lin Qing’an subconsciously wanted to step back, yet the camellia scent drifting from Xie Tingchuan was pulling at him, making him unable to stop himself from wanting to step forward.
Just as he took a single step forward, he caught sight of Xie Tingchuan’s unnatural expression, causing the foot he had just raised to instantly feel as heavy as a thousand pounds, rendering him unable to move forward even half a step more.
Xie Tingchuan asked tentatively, “Then your romantic experience must be quite rich, right?”
Immersed in his own thoughts, Lin Qing’an paid no attention to what the other person had asked, and in the next second, he was pulled back to the sofa by Xie Tingchuan to sit down once again.
Xie Tingchuan’s expression carried a rare hint of awkwardness, “I have a friend…”
With that cliché opening, Lin Qing’an offered a dry smile and gently twitched the corners of his mouth, holding a ninety-nine point nine-nine percent certainty that this friend was none other than Xie Tingchuan himself.
“He is dating a girlfriend online, but her recent emotional shifts have been too rapid. One second she is happily sharing her daily life, and the next second she is crying and saying they want to break up, even claiming there is no possibility whatsoever between the two of them. What do you think is the reason for this?”
Xie Tingchuan’s expression revealed bewilderment and confusion, clearly failing to figure out this problem and completely unable to understand it.
“You,” Lin Qing’an paused for a moment, “I mean, does your friend like his lover very much?”
“Mm,” the reply came without the slightest hesitation, allowing Lin Qing’an’s anxious state of mind to calm down, yet dropping like a massive boulder into an already restless pool of water, stirring up towering waves.
“My friend has set his mind on this lover, but the other person refuses to meet him, which is why my friend is so confused and does not understand the reason why his lover is doing this.”
Dodging Xie Tingchuan’s gaze, Lin Qing’an wondered why he was doing this, as the answer was fear.
What was he afraid of? He was afraid of Xie Tingchuan.
Lin Qing’an had no intention of continuing the conversation, and Xie Tingchuan clearly did not plan to get any feasible suggestions from him either, continuing to speak on his own.
As Xie Tingchuan spoke, he suddenly stopped and looked toward Lin Qing’an, lowering his head to gaze fixedly at the teacup with a somewhat vacant expression.
“I forgot that you just went through a breakup, so you certainly do not want to hear these stories. You should go rest first.”
“Mm.” Lin Qing’an nodded, stood up slowly, and held the teacup in both hands, drawing a measure of courage from the still warm temperature of the water.
“I think matters in relationships should not be forced. Since the other person truly is unwilling to meet, then it should not be insisted upon, otherwise it only brings unhappiness to both people.”
After saying this, a second later, Lin Qing’an felt it might be slightly inappropriate and added another sentence.
“This is just my personal suggestion, and you can pass it along to your friend.”
Having finished speaking, Lin Qing’an turned around and returned to the guest room to rest, leaving only Xie Tingchuan sitting alone on the sofa within the quiet living room.
Back in his bedroom, Lin Qing’an still could not find peace of mind.
Xie Tingchuan was not someone who would give up easily, which Lin Qing’an already knew from all those messages sent continuously without a reply.
He also knew that Xie Tingchuan was someone who would use methods to achieve his goals, which became entirely clear from the frequent monetary transfers sent after discovering that Little Green Tangerine was only with him for money.
Yet Lin Qing’an had never imagined that Xie Tingchuan would place such great importance on this relationship, leaving him feeling both joyful and sour, while fear dominated his heart above all else.
How high his expectations for Little Green Tangerine were would dictate how profound the disappointment would be, and the revenge that followed would inevitably be ruthless.
Lin Qing’an did not dare to gamble on that possibility, nor did he dare to tell him the truth of the matter.
Tears dampened the pillowcase, leaving a damp patch behind as Lin Qing’an silently closed his eyes, his heart filled entirely with tangled conflict.
Lin Qing’an, you are nothing more than a liar, a shameless and brazen liar.
After an unknown length of time, the warm water on the coffee table had turned icy cold, while Xie Tingchuan sat in silence, lost in thought once more.
Suddenly, Xie Tingchuan stood up abruptly, picked up the cup of completely chilled water, and drained it in a single gulp, the glass cup heavily placed back onto the coffee table to produce a crisp collision sound.
“Even if it cannot be forced, I insist on forcing it. Even if it cannot be managed, I insist on managing it.”
“After provoking me, Xie Tingchuan, you still think you can wave your hand and leave easily? Impossible!”
Immediately afterward, Xie Tingchuan returned to his bedroom, and accompanied by the sound of a click, the brightly lit living room instantly plunged into complete darkness.
Inside the bedroom, Xie Tingchuan did not rest, instead connecting with a private investigator via a website. After sending photographs and information over to the other party, Xie Tingchuan relaxed slightly as he leaned against the head of the bed, the smile at the corner of his lips carrying a hint of coldness.
An’an, we will meet very soon.
Meanwhile, behind a single wall of separation, Lin Qing’an remained entirely unaware of all this, having already sunk deep into a sorrowful dream, unable to break free, incapable of breaking free, and unwilling to break free.
He voluntarily surrendered himself into the ocean of desire named Xie Tingchuan.