Originally posted on RBKTR Translations.
Author: The One Who Tells Stories Under the Bridge (天桥底下说书的).
Translated by: Yujuan
Ji Mo hadn’t dreamed of anything in a while, and perhaps due to the perfume sachet actually taking effect, that night, he finally dreamt of the life he had in the past. Ji Mo’s age was stuck at twenty-two years old in his previous world, and most of his life had been spent on campus, so he hardly knew anyone other than his parents and schoolmates, nor had he ever had the time to take a good look at the world he was in.
He had learned many things from reading books, and wrote many things later on; thinking that he would one day see the beautiful sights recorded in the books if he worked hard enough, he never thought everything would come to an end, sometimes much quicker than he had ever imagined.
Things had been tough for the first three years after arriving in this world, but he had still managed to live a luxurious life after meeting Su Ge. Ji Mo had thought the days of occupying a lofty position was enough to forget his past, but the moment he lost the fetters of reason, after all was said and done, those days as a poor student had been his most peaceful.
In his dream, while his daily schoolwork was still bothersome, and his parents would consistently nag at him on the phone day after day, he had everyone he was familiar with was by his side, his heart filled with his own childish dreams, and an infinite amount of possibilities waiting for him in the future. If he lifted his head, the cherry blossoms at the school gates would bloom under the clear and resplendent sunlight, their delicate petals scattered across the ground. When he took a step forward, it was as if he was walking into an endless scenery of spring.
At the time, he had yet to experience any sort of relationship, but deemed the love stories he wrote to be incredibly touching. When he saw the male and female leads he had written walk towards their conclusion, it was as if he had experienced a never-ending romance himself, his heart incredibly contented.
“If I fell in love with someone, I might be the greatest boyfriend in the world.” Such thoughts, full of self-assuredness, occasionally flashed through his mind, then secretly anticipated that perhaps one of his female classmates might bashfully confess to him.
He hadn’t expected the first one to become interested in him was a Xianjun with such a quaint way of thinking, completely missing the sense of being bashful. Someone who did not know what love was, but would always inadvertently make such incredibly sweet actions, the strange Ye Mingjun…
When the immortal’s jade-like features flashed across his mind, Ji Mo instantly jolted up from his sleep, hurriedly switching on Wuyan. After taking three sweeps around his room and making sure there were no traces of a certain guy intruding, he finally calmed down.
He had truly slept soundly, and could tell by looking through the windows that the sun was shining brightly outside. He lowered his head to look at the perfume sachet he was gripping in his hand, unable to stop himself from thinking,
The dream was well and good, but its conclusion had been just too horrific, there couldn’t be some sort of weird technique existing in this pearl, right? Why else would he dream about a man?
He should return to reality now that he was awake. Ji Mo knew he didn’t have much time to rest, and he had to quickly investigate who it was in this Shrine who wanted him dead. Now that he was stuck with Ye Mingjun, he ought to use the Celestial, this should save him quite some time.
He really couldn’t help but manipulate everything the moment he was clear headed; there were times Ji Mo really loathed that part of his current self. In retrospect, a life of happiness had been within his fingertips in the past, yet he hadn’t considered the life he had as good enough – he had felt a great deal of discontentment each day, and that was really an enviable sort of naiveté.
Unfortunately, he would never be able to return to his world. He no longer had his eyes, and would not be able to move a single step the moment he was separated from Wuyan. He could still live normally in this world, but would become a completely disabled person the moment he went back.
Ji Mo had grown up, and life had taught him many things, the most important lesson being— Cherish the moment, do not insist on anything more.
Perhaps because the sunlight in his dreams had been too beautiful, Ji Mo had a sudden desire to bask in the sun, taking the initiative to open his tightly shut windows for once. The twilight winds swept past the immortal’s long snow-white hair, and Ye Mingjun, who was leaning against the wisteria frames in the courtyard, slowly turned his head, his bright eyes filled with the light of spring. Spotting him, he immediately gave a light smile, “Good morning.”
He didn’t think he would see this guy the moment he woke up. Ji Mo stared blankly at him for a moment, and asked reflexively, “Why are you outside my window?”
Possibly because he had just woken up, Ji Mo’s tone did not have his usual estranged respect, and this casual tone put Ye Mingjun in a great mood, his smile deepening a little more, and said, “I’m using a technique to peep at you.”
At least think of an excuse! Is that something you can say so confidently? He was taking back his previously daring idea, as expected, it would be better to throw such a dangerous cut sleeve as far away as possible!
Instantly brought back to reality by the immortal, Ji Mo sobered completely, and immediately tacked on a fake smile, “Please wait a moment, I will bring Xianjun to the White Tower after cleaning myself up.”
The divine attendants returned after delivering the toiletries, and Ji Mo quickly brushed his teeth, but halted just as he picked up his towel, looking a little hesitantly at Ye Mingjun who leaned against the windowsill. He had never taken off Wuyan in front of an outsider before…
As if sensing his apprehension, the curiosity in Ye Mingjun’s eyes did not lessen, but he still turned his head obediently, facing him with his back, and said, “The System has issued a new mission, take a stroll with me?”
Seeing this, Ji Mo breathed a sigh of relief, detaching Wuyan slightly from his face, the world turning into darkness the moment the metallic feel left his skin. In truth, he did not know what he currently looked like, and had only felt the remaining blade marks on his eyes whilst cleansing it, knowing that he wouldn’t look any good with this scar here, either way.
Ji Mo knew that Ye Mingjun’s interest in his appearance was merely out of curiosity, that he would stop his pestering, the feeling of mystery vanishing the moment he let him have a look. But he did not want to expose this scar to someone else, and if he could, he hoped he would never recall the things of the past ever again. Fortunately, Ye Mingjun was much more astute than any other person when he was willing to observe someone’s thoughts and behavior; at least he hadn’t touched upon his restricted area.
However, he did not understand. Why would such a powerful immortal care about a mortal’s feelings?
“As someone who has lived in this world for five thousand years, Xianjun must have encountered many who harbored evil intentions. How are you still able to treat humans with such kindness?”
As he placed Wuyan back onto his face, Ji Mo found himself asking this question, and became flustered when he finished saying that,
Was he still out of it? He was actually discussing a character’s setting with the protagonist himself, Ye Mingjun probably didn’t even know his whole life had been another’s creation…
“Perhaps it’s because I don’t have a heart, so I don’t understand what is meant by sadness.”
As if he hadn’t expected for him to ask such a question, the immortal fell silent for a moment, and finally gave this reply. While it sounded like his usual careless manner, there was a slight hint of loneliness in his tone.
Realizing for the first time that Ye Mingjun wasn’t living a carefree life after all, Ji Mo did not know what to say, and could only sigh, “Actually, it’s probably fine. Sadness isn’t a good thing to have.”
“It’s incredibly lonely, to be all by myself in this world. The humans say I won’t be lonely once I find love, so I’d like to give it a try.”
While the words he uttered were a little sad, Ye Mingjun’s tone was very bland, and quickly became bright and cheerful once more,
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t understand what loneliness was either at first, and it was only clear when I read their analysis – that I wasn’t as happy as I was when I came into being, because the days of being placed in solitude at the treasury were very lonesome.”
The immortal who was ignorant of worldly affairs did not understand affection at all, not even his own feelings, and Ji Mo didn’t know who it was that had pointed out Ye Mingjun’s errors to him, but intuition told him there was probably a very deep past hidden in him. Perhaps this was the reason Ye Mingjun was so adamant about clinging onto him, did he have any similarities with that person?
As he thought of this, he could help but ask softly, “Is the person who told you that faring well?”
With the mention of this topic, Ye Mingjun’s spirits seemed to lift considerably, and immediately smiled in reply, “I used a man-made tool called a ‘computer’ to ask my questions on a website. There were many enthusiastic people who replied to my questions, and it deepened my understanding of humans quite a lot.”
And here I thought this was some kind of greatly insightful tragic backstory, but it was actually just something some Bihu[1] dude told you? So the reason you’re so skilled at flirting is all because you drank too much chicken soup? Just who was it that led you into seeking true love by chasing after guys? Send me his log-in ID, I’ll definitely chop him up along with his network cable!
Slamming his comb onto the table with a smack, all the romantic fantasies in Ji Mo’s mind shattered to pieces in face of the truth, and when his emotions finally subsided after a long while, he gritted his teeth, and praised, “Oh, Xianjun is truly keeping up with the times.”
But, it had really been too long, since he had gotten a whiff of his homeland.
Oh well, he might as well accompany him on a stroll. This guy might be faced with many obstacles in the future, and perhaps he might soon no longer be able to trust any of the humans. In any case, Ye Mingjun was already in the Shrine, and he didn’t mind sparing some of his time.
With such a thought flashing across his mind, after combing his black hair to the back of his ears, Ji Mo pulled up his hood, concealing himself from the much too brilliant sun, and finally walked over to the immortal, “Sorry to keep you waiting, where would Xianjun like to go?”
Ji Mo’s complexion had gotten considerably better after a good night’s sleep, and while he had completely hidden himself under a gloomy disguise, there was some color to be found on his face. Looking back at him, Ye Mingjun finally understood why someone could suppress themselves for someone else – there were times that watching someone gain happiness would lift up your mood, even if your wishes were not fulfilled.
It was a strange sort of experience, but he did not hate it.
Giving a light chuckle, the immortal abruptly thought of where they should go, and said, “Then, bring me to the places you like, I want you to be happy.”
Ye Mingjun rarely beat around the bush, and would say whatever he thought most of the time. Such straightforwardness caused Ji Mo to startle, and after secretly observing his expression to make sure this person wasn’t deliberately teasing him, complied with his request, leading him over to the patio he frequently rested at,
“I am hardly ever moved by the surroundings, however, I do know a few places with beautiful sights.”
Ji Mo: So, immortals surf the internet too?
Ye Mingjun: Yep, they taught me so much about the culture of this new era, for example, how cute boys can become capture targets, and that I just have to pay for anything I want, no difficulty is insurmountable once you set your mind to it!
Ji Mo: disgusted-with-this-damn-neet-expression.jpg
TL Notes
[1]
‘Bihu dude’ – 逼乎老哥; Because of many pretentious/posh people who answer questions on the website Zhihu (Chinese equivalent to Quora), these people are called ‘Bihu’, which is made up of the word for pretentious (装逼, zhuāng bī) and Zhihu.
Originally posted on RBKTR Translations.
Author: The One Who Tells Stories Under the Bridge (天桥底下说书的).
Translated by: Yujuan
Ji Mo hadn’t dreamed of anything in a while, and perhaps due to the perfume sachet actually taking effect, that night, he finally dreamt of the life he had in the past. Ji Mo’s age was stuck at twenty-two years old in his previous world, and most of his life had been spent on campus, so he hardly knew anyone other than his parents and schoolmates, nor had he ever had the time to take a good look at the world he was in.
He had learned many things from reading books, and wrote many things later on; thinking that he would one day see the beautiful sights recorded in the books if he worked hard enough, he never thought everything would come to an end, sometimes much quicker than he had ever imagined.
Things had been tough for the first three years after arriving in this world, but he had still managed to live a luxurious life after meeting Su Ge. Ji Mo had thought the days of occupying a lofty position was enough to forget his past, but the moment he lost the fetters of reason, after all was said and done, those days as a poor student had been his most peaceful.
In his dream, while his daily schoolwork was still bothersome, and his parents would consistently nag at him on the phone day after day, he had everyone he was familiar with was by his side, his heart filled with his own childish dreams, and an infinite amount of possibilities waiting for him in the future. If he lifted his head, the cherry blossoms at the school gates would bloom under the clear and resplendent sunlight, their delicate petals scattered across the ground. When he took a step forward, it was as if he was walking into an endless scenery of spring.
At the time, he had yet to experience any sort of relationship, but deemed the love stories he wrote to be incredibly touching. When he saw the male and female leads he had written walk towards their conclusion, it was as if he had experienced a never-ending romance himself, his heart incredibly contented.
“If I fell in love with someone, I might be the greatest boyfriend in the world.” Such thoughts, full of self-assuredness, occasionally flashed through his mind, then secretly anticipated that perhaps one of his female classmates might bashfully confess to him.
He hadn’t expected the first one to become interested in him was a Xianjun with such a quaint way of thinking, completely missing the sense of being bashful. Someone who did not know what love was, but would always inadvertently make such incredibly sweet actions, the strange Ye Mingjun…
When the immortal’s jade-like features flashed across his mind, Ji Mo instantly jolted up from his sleep, hurriedly switching on Wuyan. After taking three sweeps around his room and making sure there were no traces of a certain guy intruding, he finally calmed down.
He had truly slept soundly, and could tell by looking through the windows that the sun was shining brightly outside. He lowered his head to look at the perfume sachet he was gripping in his hand, unable to stop himself from thinking,
The dream was well and good, but its conclusion had been just too horrific, there couldn’t be some sort of weird technique existing in this pearl, right? Why else would he dream about a man?
He should return to reality now that he was awake. Ji Mo knew he didn’t have much time to rest, and he had to quickly investigate who it was in this Shrine who wanted him dead. Now that he was stuck with Ye Mingjun, he ought to use the Celestial, this should save him quite some time.
He really couldn’t help but manipulate everything the moment he was clear headed; there were times Ji Mo really loathed that part of his current self. In retrospect, a life of happiness had been within his fingertips in the past, yet he hadn’t considered the life he had as good enough – he had felt a great deal of discontentment each day, and that was really an enviable sort of naiveté.
Unfortunately, he would never be able to return to his world. He no longer had his eyes, and would not be able to move a single step the moment he was separated from Wuyan. He could still live normally in this world, but would become a completely disabled person the moment he went back.
Ji Mo had grown up, and life had taught him many things, the most important lesson being— Cherish the moment, do not insist on anything more.
Perhaps because the sunlight in his dreams had been too beautiful, Ji Mo had a sudden desire to bask in the sun, taking the initiative to open his tightly shut windows for once. The twilight winds swept past the immortal’s long snow-white hair, and Ye Mingjun, who was leaning against the wisteria frames in the courtyard, slowly turned his head, his bright eyes filled with the light of spring. Spotting him, he immediately gave a light smile, “Good morning.”
He didn’t think he would see this guy the moment he woke up. Ji Mo stared blankly at him for a moment, and asked reflexively, “Why are you outside my window?”
Possibly because he had just woken up, Ji Mo’s tone did not have his usual estranged respect, and this casual tone put Ye Mingjun in a great mood, his smile deepening a little more, and said, “I’m using a technique to peep at you.”
At least think of an excuse! Is that something you can say so confidently? He was taking back his previously daring idea, as expected, it would be better to throw such a dangerous cut sleeve as far away as possible!
Instantly brought back to reality by the immortal, Ji Mo sobered completely, and immediately tacked on a fake smile, “Please wait a moment, I will bring Xianjun to the White Tower after cleaning myself up.”
The divine attendants returned after delivering the toiletries, and Ji Mo quickly brushed his teeth, but halted just as he picked up his towel, looking a little hesitantly at Ye Mingjun who leaned against the windowsill. He had never taken off Wuyan in front of an outsider before…
As if sensing his apprehension, the curiosity in Ye Mingjun’s eyes did not lessen, but he still turned his head obediently, facing him with his back, and said, “The System has issued a new mission, take a stroll with me?”
Seeing this, Ji Mo breathed a sigh of relief, detaching Wuyan slightly from his face, the world turning into darkness the moment the metallic feel left his skin. In truth, he did not know what he currently looked like, and had only felt the remaining blade marks on his eyes whilst cleansing it, knowing that he wouldn’t look any good with this scar here, either way.
Ji Mo knew that Ye Mingjun’s interest in his appearance was merely out of curiosity, that he would stop his pestering, the feeling of mystery vanishing the moment he let him have a look. But he did not want to expose this scar to someone else, and if he could, he hoped he would never recall the things of the past ever again. Fortunately, Ye Mingjun was much more astute than any other person when he was willing to observe someone’s thoughts and behavior; at least he hadn’t touched upon his restricted area.
However, he did not understand. Why would such a powerful immortal care about a mortal’s feelings?
“As someone who has lived in this world for five thousand years, Xianjun must have encountered many who harbored evil intentions. How are you still able to treat humans with such kindness?”
As he placed Wuyan back onto his face, Ji Mo found himself asking this question, and became flustered when he finished saying that,
Was he still out of it? He was actually discussing a character’s setting with the protagonist himself, Ye Mingjun probably didn’t even know his whole life had been another’s creation…
“Perhaps it’s because I don’t have a heart, so I don’t understand what is meant by sadness.”
As if he hadn’t expected for him to ask such a question, the immortal fell silent for a moment, and finally gave this reply. While it sounded like his usual careless manner, there was a slight hint of loneliness in his tone.
Realizing for the first time that Ye Mingjun wasn’t living a carefree life after all, Ji Mo did not know what to say, and could only sigh, “Actually, it’s probably fine. Sadness isn’t a good thing to have.”
“It’s incredibly lonely, to be all by myself in this world. The humans say I won’t be lonely once I find love, so I’d like to give it a try.”
While the words he uttered were a little sad, Ye Mingjun’s tone was very bland, and quickly became bright and cheerful once more,
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t understand what loneliness was either at first, and it was only clear when I read their analysis – that I wasn’t as happy as I was when I came into being, because the days of being placed in solitude at the treasury were very lonesome.”
The immortal who was ignorant of worldly affairs did not understand affection at all, not even his own feelings, and Ji Mo didn’t know who it was that had pointed out Ye Mingjun’s errors to him, but intuition told him there was probably a very deep past hidden in him. Perhaps this was the reason Ye Mingjun was so adamant about clinging onto him, did he have any similarities with that person?
As he thought of this, he could help but ask softly, “Is the person who told you that faring well?”
With the mention of this topic, Ye Mingjun’s spirits seemed to lift considerably, and immediately smiled in reply, “I used a man-made tool called a ‘computer’ to ask my questions on a website. There were many enthusiastic people who replied to my questions, and it deepened my understanding of humans quite a lot.”
And here I thought this was some kind of greatly insightful tragic backstory, but it was actually just something some Bihu[1] dude told you? So the reason you’re so skilled at flirting is all because you drank too much chicken soup? Just who was it that led you into seeking true love by chasing after guys? Send me his log-in ID, I’ll definitely chop him up along with his network cable!
Slamming his comb onto the table with a smack, all the romantic fantasies in Ji Mo’s mind shattered to pieces in face of the truth, and when his emotions finally subsided after a long while, he gritted his teeth, and praised, “Oh, Xianjun is truly keeping up with the times.”
But, it had really been too long, since he had gotten a whiff of his homeland.
Oh well, he might as well accompany him on a stroll. This guy might be faced with many obstacles in the future, and perhaps he might soon no longer be able to trust any of the humans. In any case, Ye Mingjun was already in the Shrine, and he didn’t mind sparing some of his time.
With such a thought flashing across his mind, after combing his black hair to the back of his ears, Ji Mo pulled up his hood, concealing himself from the much too brilliant sun, and finally walked over to the immortal, “Sorry to keep you waiting, where would Xianjun like to go?”
Ji Mo’s complexion had gotten considerably better after a good night’s sleep, and while he had completely hidden himself under a gloomy disguise, there was some color to be found on his face. Looking back at him, Ye Mingjun finally understood why someone could suppress themselves for someone else – there were times that watching someone gain happiness would lift up your mood, even if your wishes were not fulfilled.
It was a strange sort of experience, but he did not hate it.
Giving a light chuckle, the immortal abruptly thought of where they should go, and said, “Then, bring me to the places you like, I want you to be happy.”
Ye Mingjun rarely beat around the bush, and would say whatever he thought most of the time. Such straightforwardness caused Ji Mo to startle, and after secretly observing his expression to make sure this person wasn’t deliberately teasing him, complied with his request, leading him over to the patio he frequently rested at,
“I am hardly ever moved by the surroundings, however, I do know a few places with beautiful sights.”
Ji Mo: So, immortals surf the internet too?
Ye Mingjun: Yep, they taught me so much about the culture of this new era, for example, how cute boys can become capture targets, and that I just have to pay for anything I want, no difficulty is insurmountable once you set your mind to it!
Ji Mo: disgusted-with-this-damn-neet-expression.jpg
TL Notes
[1]
‘Bihu dude’ – 逼乎老哥; Because of many pretentious/posh people who answer questions on the website Zhihu (Chinese equivalent to Quora), these people are called ‘Bihu’, which is made up of the word for pretentious (装逼, zhuāng bī) and Zhihu.