“He Ran,” Gou An tilted her head and asked, “When will we terminate our engagement?”

She asked this again.

In just half a month, he didn’t know how many times she had mentioned this matter.

He Ran didn’t know what happened to Gou An recently. He only knew that he had already drafted and even printed out the agreement to dissolve their engagement as soon as he realized that the white moonlight who saved him back then was Lu Wan and not Gou An. It was in his room right now, tucked into a book…

He originally wanted to give it to her on the day it rained heavily.

But he didn’t expect that when she brought it up first—he hesitated.

Somehow, he hesitated.

There was a moment that night when He Ran felt that something was fading away, quickly and completely disappearing from Gou An’s eyes.

Something was derailing, falling apart.

Maybe it was an illusion.

Maybe.

After waiting for a long time and not getting He Ran’s answer, Gou An became a little impatient. The young miss raised her hand and flipped her hair, “Then just keep dragging your feet, who’s really in a hurry here… If you feel sorry for Lu Wan, better let her stay far away from me, lest I go crazy and bite her, and you have to pay for her rabies shots.”

After saying that, without waiting for He Ran to say anything else, Gou An turned around and walked down the stairs.

The sound of her ‘thumping’ down the stairs was like the countless times in the past that she had ignored the perfectly working elevator and rushed up here to push open the door to the study and drag He Ran, who was studying, into her nonsense…

That was until Gou An’s figure disappeared at the corner of the stairs.

He Ran suddenly felt that the lively footsteps were actually different from before.

… …

The family dinner was held happily. Gou An nudged He Ran’s arm and asked him to pour apple juice for her, as if there was no problem between them at all.

Everyone thought that something good was about to happen for them. Old Mr. He said that these two young people, who had been noisy every day, were finally harmonious. They should seize the time to choose a date and at least hold an engagement banquet.

Gou An smiled brightly and said, “Grandpa, I only regard He Ran as my gege. I think it’s better to forget about the engagement.”

Everyone present, except Gou An’s parents who were briefly surprised, even Old Mr. He didn’t take what she said seriously. He pointed at her with a smile and said, “Don’t make trouble.”

He Ran was silent throughout the whole process, feeling that the food he just swallowed was bitter, but he couldn’t explain why.

What was certain was that what he ate was not bitter melon.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

After dinner, Young Master He ran away. In a daze, he grabbed a helmet and rode on the Kawasaki H2 he bought last month. He arrived at Qinmo Mountain in a gust of wind.

Qinmo Mountain was located 20 kilometers east of the city suburbs. It has the very famous seven consecutive hairpin bends in the province and was a gathering place for motorcycle enthusiasts.

At this time, when the city lights were on below, it had the most beautiful night view in the entire Jiangcheng. The nebulae were shining brightly into a Milky Way, dotting around like a halo  around the dim moon. There were a few parked motorcycles scattered on the top of the mountain. The owners were either sitting or leaning, exhaling puffs of smoke, enjoying the night view and chatting.

Although Jiangcheng was big, there were only a few liter-class motorbikes like the Kawasaki H2. As soon as He Ran placed one foot on the ground, even before he took off his helmet, someone recognized him and said ‘hello’ to him.

He Ran took off his helmet, frowned, and the first thing he said was to ask the person for a cigarette.

A cigarette was handed over, and soon a flame snapped out, and the firelight illuminated his dark pupils.

“Don’t ride with emotion.”

A familiar male voice came from the person beside him. He Ran turned his head and looked at Zhou Yanji.

“…”

He Ran paused for a moment, and the corners of his lips moved. He felt that he should say something to this good brother of his. He could at least exchange greetings with him, or just say ‘got it’ to deal with him.

However, his Adam’s apple rolled, his eyes flickered, and all that came out of his lips was, “You left before the game finished this morning. Where did you go in such a hurry?”

“Ah?”

He Ran was inexplicably annoyed by his ‘ah’.

“Ye ge said that a new batch of motorbikes had arrived at the club store, and he couldn’t go, his hands were full. He asked me to go and help keep an eye on the unloading of the bikes.” Zhou Yanji was confused, “Is the sky falling? Since when did Young Master He care about my life and death??”

“…”

Oh.

He Ran turned his face away and a look of gloominess settled on his face.

Zhou Yanji raised his hand and nicked the cigarette from He Ran’s lips. When He Ran hissed and turned his head back towards him with an annoyed frown, Zhou Yanji raised his eyebrows and asked, “What’s going on?”

He Ran refused to say.

Zhou Yanji hit him with his elbow.

Hard.

In the end, He Ran got impatient and pushed him. Frowning, he finally said, “Gou An wants to terminate her engagement with me.”

Zhou Yanji, who had to hold onto a motorcycle to steady himself, suddenly swallowed, unable to believe what he heard.

After coming to his senses, he casually said, “There’s such a good thing?” 

Before he had time to express his ‘congratulations’, Young Master He began slowly telling him about the tangled dog-blood relationship between him, Lu Wan, and Gou An, puffing out milky white clouds of tobacco not far away.

After hearing this, Zhou Yanji was stunned and didn’t know what to say for a while.

At this time, he heard Young Master He saying in a self-deprecating tone, “The problem is that I suddenly realized that I seem to be a little reluctant to let her go now… Do you think I am sick?”

Zhou Yanji clarified, “Who exactly can’t you bear to leave?”

He Ran: “Gou An.”

Zhou Yanji: “No!”

He Ran: “…”

Zhou Yanji: “…”

He Ran: “=_=?”

Zhou Yanji: “…”

From The Day The Engagement Was Broken translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

---

T/N: Me to He Ran 🙄

I don’t know anything about motorbikes but the Kawasaki Ninja H2 does look very pretty indeed. Price tag 35,000 USD.

And this is a bittermelon/bittergourd. It’s not just kinda bitter, it’s really fricking bitter! And it’s widely eaten across Asia, India, and Africa. I don’t know how our ancestors picked this from the vines, bit into it, and somehow said ‘oh this is good to eat!’ 

If you’re enjoying my translations, do consider buying me ko-fi and get access to advance chapters as reward. Thank you for your support! ☺️

Chapter 9.1 — The Hero and Heroine Meet
Chapter 9.2 — The Hero and Heroine Meet
Chapter 9.3 — The Hero and Heroine Meet
Chapter 9.4 — The Hero and Heroine Meet
Chapter 10.1 — Don’t Use Honorifics
Chapter 10.2 — Don’t Use Honorifics
Chapter 10.3 — Don’t Use Honorifics
Chapter 11.1 — Young Uncle
Chapter 11.2 — Young Uncle
Chapter 11.3 — Young Uncle
Chapter 12.1 — Conflict During the Welcome Speech
Chapter 12.2 — Conflict During the Welcome Speech
Chapter 13.1 — He Ran Makes an Official Announcement on Weibo new
Chapter 13.2 — He Ran Makes an Official Announcement on Weibo new
Chapter 14.1 — The Gears of Fate Rumbles new
Chapter 14.2 — The Gears of Fate Rumble new