Chapter 18 – Things that Collapsed
Novel Title: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)
*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Wu Yang had no particular reaction to this statement and continued eating his own meal. Yao Jinxi remained silent for a moment before helping Xia Ruonan pick up a bite of food and said, “I’ve already told you. No matter what you decide to do, I’ll support you. But for now, let’s eat first.”
After Xia Ruonan finished speaking, it was more like she was trying to convince herself rather than making a decision. She continued, “My stuff is still at home… over there. When do you think it would be more appropriate for me to go and get it?”
Xia Ruonan and Wang Peng hadn’t bought a house yet and had been living in a rented apartment. This had been their excuse for delaying marriage for a while. And now, looking at it, it seemed like a fortunate decision. Otherwise, the ownership of this house could have turned into a real issue.
Seeing her so determined to resolve this matter decisively, Yao Jinxi put down his chopsticks and tried to muster some energy. He asked, “When do you want to go?”
Xia Ruonan bit her lip and said, “The sooner, the better. I guess.”
“I think we don’t need to rush this matter,” Wu Yang finally chimed in, looking at the two sitting across the table. “Whether you and Wang Peng end up separating or staying together, you both need to have a discussion. How long have you been living together? How will you divide your belongings? What belongs to him and what belongs to you? This needs to be negotiated.”
Just the thought of this brought a wave of pain to Xia Ruonan. How much effort had she poured into that home? The past was intertwined with that not-so-large house. They had painstakingly planned and built it over time. Now, it felt like tearing off a piece of flesh and the pain was unbearable.
She lowered her head and said, “I don’t want to see him.”
Wu Yang stated matter-of-factly, “That’s not possible. Jinxi had a conflict with him just today. If you refuse to see him, how will he allow us to move your things?”
Xia Ruonan furrowed her eyebrows deeply and asked, “Can’t I just leave everything in that house?”
Wu Yang shrugged, “Clothes and furniture can be left behind if you don’t want them. But you should still have your personal belongings, right? Your ID? Bankbook?”
“Wu Yang?” Yao Jinxi was a bit surprised. Wu Yang was skilled in the art of communication and always gave people room for their decisions when offering advice. Today, however, his words carried a sense of insistence. It was almost as if he wanted to intentionally make Xia Ruonan uncomfortable.
Wu Yang lowered his eyelids and curved a faint smile, returning to his usual gentle tone. He said, “What I mean is, there’s really no need to rush this. How about not thinking about anything today and just resting for the night? We can discuss everything later.”
“…Ruonan, I think that’s a good idea too.” Although Yao Jinxi found Wu Yang’s behaviour strange, he genuinely believed he was right. He decided to change the subject and continued, “Since you’re not going back home tonight, how about staying at my place?”
Before Xia Ruonan could respond, she heard Wu Yang saying, “I’ve already booked this room for tonight. You don’t need to go anywhere else. Just rest here.”
Yao Jinxi only knew that Wu Yang had booked the room. But he didn’t know he intended for Xia Ruonan to stay here directly. However, considering Xia Ruonan’s emotional state, it was probably for the best. He said, “That works too. You can stay here.”
Xia Ruonan, who was always indecisive, hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Yao Jinxi, seeing the redness in her eyes and the way she looked like a vulnerable rabbit, couldn’t bear it. He gently touched Xia Ruonan’s head and said, “I’ll stay with you.”
Wu Yang squinted slightly and calmly suggested, “How about you stay in my room? It’s right next door. You can easily come here if there’s any problem.”
Yao Jinxi was momentarily taken aback but didn’t dwell on it. While he was well-acquainted with both Wu Yang and Xia Ruonan, the situation was still that of a man and a woman. So he had to consider not burdening Xia Ruonan with any discomfort.
Xia Ruonan didn’t have any objections either. She felt uneasy sharing a bed with Yao Jinxi but figured that sleeping on the couch in this room wouldn’t be any less comfortable than a bed.
And so, it was decided.
Yao Jinxi stayed with Xia Ruonan until she ate something, providing silent companionship when words weren’t necessary. Sometimes, just being there for someone is a form of comfort. Later in the night, Wu Yang had already returned to Room 1707 and Yao Jinxi considered staying with Xia Ruonan a little longer.
However, Xia Ruonan said, “I think I’ll go to sleep. You can go to the other room…”
Given the events of the day, it would have been surprising if she could sleep well. Yao Jinxi asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay a bit longer with you?”
“It’s already midnight…” Xia Ruonan murmured. Her gaze fixed on the carpet. “Jinxi, I just want to be alone for a while.”
Yao Jinxi looked at her deeply and sighed. “Alright, promise me one thing – don’t overthink this, okay? We both know it won’t lead to anything good. Everything will pass, like you said.”
The words she had once used to advise others were now being used to advise herself. Xia Ruonan smiled and said, “Well, don’t worry. I just… want some time to think.”
Yao Jinxi left the room with a heavy heart, knowing that Room 1707 was right next door. He absentmindedly pressed the doorbell.
The door opened quickly.
Wu Yang, wearing a bathrobe, stood behind the door and greeted him, “You’re here?”
He seemed to have just taken a shower, with wet hair hanging on his forehead. Without his glasses, his perfectly contoured face and exquisite features were even more pronounced. Under the dim room light, he looked exceptionally handsome. It was almost unreal.
Yao Jinxi had always been confident with his own appearance and he generally didn’t pay much attention to how others looked. However, at this moment, he couldn’t help but be captivated.
“Aren’t you coming in?” Wu Yang chuckled at his dazed expression and stepped aside. “What are you staring at me for?”
Yao Jinxi walked into the room with a strange expression. The layout here was exactly the same as the room next door. “You haven’t gone to bed yet?”
“I usually stay up late.” Wu Yang took the lead and sat on the couch. He then asked in a gentle tone as Yao Jinxi followed him, “Do you want to take a shower?”
Summer always makes one feel sticky. Considering everything that Yao Jinxi had been through today, he adjusted his collar and said, “Well, I’ll take a quick shower then. If you can’t wait, you can go ahead and sleep.”
Wu Yang gave a slight smile and replied, “I’ll watch TV for a while.”
The bathroom in the suite was not only equipped with a Jacuzzi but also had a sauna glass room. However, Yao Jinxi wasn’t in the mood to enjoy them. He took a quick shower and called it a day.
Folded sleepwear was on a shelf on the wall. There was even a new pair of underwear placed on top of it. Yao Jinxi marvelled at the thoughtfulness of it all and changed into the fresh clothes. He then placed his worn ones in a nearby basket.
In the living room, Wu Yang was still casually staring at the screen.
“Wait. Can you see the TV clearly without your glasses?” Yao Jinxi sat on the other side of the couch, a bit puzzled by how effortlessly Wu Yang was watching TV without his glasses.
After thinking for a moment with his head tilted, Wu Yang finally admitted, “I don’t have myopia. The glasses I usually wear have zero prescription.”
“Ah?” Yao Jinxi was curious. “Why is that?”
Wu Yang smiled and said, “Because it makes me look more educated.”
Yao Jinxi: “…”
Perhaps even Wu Yang found his reason quite amusing. He smiled and shook his head, explaining, “I was in a rush to appear sophisticated back then. So I started with my appearance… now it’s just a habit.”
This guy’s way of thinking is really something else… Yao Jinxi furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at him for a while. He then blurted out, “Actually, you look better without glasses.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Wu Yang nodded and readily agreed, “Then I won’t wear them.”
Yao Jinxi: “…”
He awkwardly cleared his throat and said, “Um, I put my clothes in the bamboo basket. Is that okay?”
“They’ll be taken to be laundered tomorrow. You might have to bear with wearing my clothes for a bit,” Wu Yang said as he picked up the remote control. “Do you want to watch anything?”
Usually at this time, Yao Jinxi would be browsing the internet or starting to doze off with his eyes closed. He didn’t want to trouble him in his room. So he said, “No. It’s getting late. I’ll go to sleep.”
Seemingly sharing the same sentiment, Wu Yang turned off the TV and walked back to the bedroom. Yao Jinxi no longer felt uncomfortable. He followed him into the bedroom.
Although the so-called ‘big bed’ didn’t quite reach the size of a king-size bed, it was much more spacious than a typical double bed. It easily accommodates two adult men sleeping side by side.
After bidding each other goodnight, they turned off the lights and went to sleep.
But Yao Jinxi couldn’t fall asleep.
He lay on his side, with his back to Wu Yang. There was a gap in the curtains, but it was too dark to see anything. It was pitch-black. When he turned over, he saw Wu Yang lying flat, staring at the ceiling.
It seemed neither of them could sleep.
Wu Yang noticed Yao Jinxi’s restlessness and turned his head slightly. “Can’t sleep?”
Yao Jinxi forced a smile. “Can’t sleep. What about you? What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Wu Yang replied. Then he asked, “Is your inability to sleep because you’re worried about Xia Ruonan?”
Calling it worry wasn’t entirely accurate. At this point, worrying wouldn’t change anything. If Xia Ruonan couldn’t move on, he was prepared to stand by her side until she found the right person to entrust her heart to.
Seeing Yao Jinxi lost in thought, Wu Yang tried to comfort him. “If they want to break up, they can do so. Wang Peng is a proud person. If Xia Ruonan wants to end the relationship, he won’t cling to her even if it’s his fault.”
Having had a few brief interactions with Wang Peng, Wu Yang had developed some understanding of the man. His thoughts were clear at the moment. “If Xia Ruonan can’t bear to let go, there might still be other options. We can talk to Wang Peng and there’s likely a compromise that can be reached.”
Men, in general, since Wang Peng and Xia Ruonan had been together for quite some time, almost getting married. How could there be absolutely no feelings involved? Even raising a pet could turn it into a feeling of having a family member.
And compromise wasn’t necessarily unacceptable. After all, who could go through life without making compromises?
“Wang Peng is impulsive. I believe it wouldn’t be difficult to convince him with emotions,” Wu Yang continued to analyse. “But Xia Ruonan needs to speak to him herself.”
“That’s not it,” Yao Jinxi said after a brief pause. He turned around and lay flat on his back. “Actually… Though I’ve never liked Wang Peng, I thought that seeing how determined Ruonan was, they would continue down this path. Ruonan has truly done everything she could for Wang Peng.”
He took a deep breath. A sense of bitterness and melancholy welling up within him. “But it still ended up like this.”
Wu Yang remarked, “She simply made an unfortunate choice in a partner.”
“Perhaps,” Yao Jinxi said. He raised his left arm to rest behind his head. A layer of melancholy clouded his expression. “But when you see something that was a given in your life suddenly collapse, it’s an incredibly painful feeling.”
In the darkness, Wu Yang suddenly asked, “You’ve experienced this too, haven’t you?”
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*Author’s Note: Let’s keep it pure when sharing a bed, everyone. -YXF
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*Translator’s Note: I can’t keep it pure, author-sama…. -K
Next update: 2023.10.17
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