Chapter 33

***

12:00 midnight, at precisely 0:00 on a Friday.

Yu Dong’s familiar voice began to reverberate through the city’s night sky.

“Hello everyone, this is FM9666, it’s now 12:00 and you’re listening to Midnight Phantom, I’m DJ Fish Jelly.” Yu Dong coughed and sounded a little unnatural as she continued, “Today this Fish has something to say. I need to confess something!”

“A confession can be between an unfamiliar pair that dared to take the next step, or it can be from a person with a secret love.” Yu Dong’s voice that traveled through the airwaves sounded extraordinarily gentle. “Of course, a confession will naturally happen between two people who have already fallen in love with each other.”

“This confession is the catalyst to fate. A pair of not-quite-strangers will notice the other because of their confession. Someone with a crush will harvest sweetness and beauty from their confession. Of course, it also depends on whether they’re successful or not.” Yu Dong smiled as she added that last sentence, then said…

“But why would a confession happen between two people already in love? For example, between couples, husband and wife, old friends.”

“It starts with a person growing feelings, then a confession, then you fall in love and get married. You believe that you’ll love each other forever, but in married life, loving words aren’t expressed as often as before.”

“But with the presence of family and responsibility hanging over you, you’ll simply stay. Step by step love becomes kinship, and when you finally arrive at that sunset beach, when you only have each other to depend on, you’ll chat. The old man will ask the old woman if she would’ve still loved him if they never had a child. The old lady will also ask if the old man ever had an affair during the busiest years of his career.”

“When you look back, you’ll inevitably find a lot of things, so many things that the sentence ‘I love you,’ that simple sentence, would’ve fixed. So many misunderstandings that could’ve been resolved, that could’ve led to a life with less regret.”

Fish Jelly’s beautiful and emotional voice stirred the countless lonely souls listening.

(T/N instead of using the MTL I found the actual poem so I’ll be using the [© 2013, John Dougherty] translation because he translated it so beautifully. )

I recall the wondrous chance:

Such a brief and a passing glance

Such beauty, brilliant and true

In the clutches of hopeless despair

In the worries of life’s hurried storm

For long I heard a voice so fair

And dreamt of a lovely form

Years passed. A rebellious tempest’s blare

Scattered all former dreams

And I forgot your voice so fair,

Your form born of heavenly schemes

In solitude, in gloomy desolation

Quietly my days dragged along

Without God and without inspiration

Without tears, without life, without love

To my soul came an urge to dance:

And there again I saw you

Such a brief and a passing glance

Such beauty, brilliant and true

And my heart beat in adulation

And to it came the rebirth of

God, and divine inspiration

And life, and tears, and love

After the song ended, everyone returned, and a slew of messages began to appear on her computer.

Some were simple,

[ The poem is beautiful, the host’s voice is so lovely. ]

[ The host is right. people should talk about their feelings to their lovers more. ]

[ Host, is the person you like listening? He must be so happy! ]

Some were also truthful,

[ Fish Jelly are you showing off your love? ]

[ Fish Jelly is usually so sensational, this isn’t just about reading a poem, is it? ]

[ Host you schemer! ]

[ Caught off guard by dog food! ]

……

It wasn’t just random listeners that sent messages, Shao Yifan, a loyal Fish Jelly fan was also thinking of sending a text

God, really? Do I tell Xia Feng?

Tell him?

But I’ve been abused by your wife when I tried to butt in before, am I going to be abused again?

Don’t tell him?

Shao Yifan felt a little immoral.

On the one hand he feels jealous, on the other hand, his morals are urging him. Such a difficult decision, ah!

“What are you doing?” Xia Feng looked at the silly Shao Yifan standing in front of him.

Shao Yifan couldn’t help it anymore and moved towards Xia Feng. After making a series of complicated faces, he said: “When you’re free, listen to Yu Dong’s program online.”

“Listen? You don’t need to tell me, I try to listen to her program whenever I’m free anyway.” Yu Dong’s program was broadcasted every day, and while Xia Feng doesn’t listen to every single one, as long as he had the time for it, he would listen.

“I said it anyway!” Shao Yifan then huffily walked away to the emergency department, God, he’s eating way too much dog food recently!

Xia Feng shrugged his shoulders in puzzlement and went back to explaining some things to the nearby nurse.

……

Although the poem was really just to pave the way for Yu Dong’s love letter to Xia Feng, she definitely isn’t willing to admit it.

So ignoring the messages that guessed the truth, the program started to accept calls.

“Hello!” Yu Dong answered the phone.

“Hello Fish Jelly, I’m Mr. Strong No. 1” A rough male voice came from the other end.

“Oh, you guys are quite lively over there.” Yu Dong laughed.

“Fish Jelly, we Mr. Strongs numbers 1-5 all just want to ask you something.” Mr. Strong No.1 said.

“Oh? What is it?” Yu Dong was curious.

“We just made a bet. No.3 and I both think that you’re deliberately trying to show your love to someone tonight.” Mr. Strong No.1 continued, “But the other Mr. Strongs feel that you intentionally set up tonight’s topic so you can read that love letter. Who got it right?”

“….” Yu Dong had no words. “Is there even a difference?”

“I guess there isn’t. Then the money will be evenly distributed, one person gets 50 yuan!” Mr. Strong shouted to the other numbers around him.

[The truth is out. I want to ask so I’m going to call too, hope I can get through! ]

[ Ha ha…I just want Fish Jelly to know that I’m laughing! ]

Yu Dong warily connected another call.

“Fish Jelly!” When Yu Dong successfully connected, a hoarse and exhausted voice could be heard. “Blame, you are to blame!”

“What’s wrong? Ms. Beauty?” It was a woman’s voice, so she was Ms. Beauty.

“I just listened to you on the radio and was so excited I rushed to my crush to confess and then, and then, he said he has a girlfriend! I just lost my love!” The sister cried sadly.

“So what, at least now you can change your target, perhaps the next one will be even better for you!” Yu Dong advised.

“Really? But there are so many, which one is the right one?”

Yu Dong realized that something was wrong. This beauty sounds drunk.

“Sister, where are you now? Are you drunk?”

“I’m at a stall outside my university, and I just drank a bottle of beer!”

Sure enough, she was drunk. Yu Dong was about to persuade the girl to go back home before the beauty suddenly shouted, “Ah, the university’s most handsome prince is walking over, I’m going to confess.”

Oh no!

“Bai Rui, I like you, you be my boyfriend!”

Everyone collectively held their breaths!

5 seconds later, her computer beeped.

Everyone sent messages again.

[ Tonight’s beauty is a heroine among women. ]

[ The handsome prince just got taken! ]

[ Host, be my matchmaker too! ]

[ The handsome price just got his identity revealed! ]

[ OMG, I want to go to that university and watch the fun! ]

Yu Dong felt very tired as she opened her microphone and said, “If you can recognize Ms. Beauty’s voice, please help her. Located at a stall at the entrance of a university, she just confessed to the handsome prince Bai Rui. If you have any knowledge regarding her whereabouts, please contact her roommate or send her back to her dormitory.”

Feeling like she just worked for half a year, Yu Dong thought that tonight’s broadcast was really tiring.

At the end of her broadcast, Senior Yu looked at Yu Dong with a broad grin, looking like he just watched a comedy skit all night.

When she came back home, the house was cold and dark. It seems that Xia Feng hasn’t returned.

Yu Dong habitually turned on all the lights in the living room to make the place feel a little warmer.

She changed to her slippers and went to take a shower.

Ever since Xia Feng told her not to, Yu Dong no longer washed her hair in the evening. When she finished her bath, Yu Dong poured herself a glass of milk and sat crossed-legged on the sofa. Ignoring the hum of the heater, the room was quiet.

[ What time will you be back tonight? ] Yu Dong sent out a text.

[There have been a few unexpected emergencies tonight, I’ll probably be home late. Go ahead and sleep early! ] Xia Feng returned.

“But I have something to do tomorrow morning!” Yu Dong blinked, then ran to her bedroom to take a pillow and blanket.

She then spread it out and directly fell asleep on the sofa.

On this quiet night, a single light was on in the otherwise dark apartment complex. The single light was like a lighthouse in the night sky, illuminating someone’s way home.

At 4:30 a.m.

Xia Feng turned the doorknob and quietly entered the house. Almost as soon as he looked up, he saw Yu Dong sleeping on the sofa.

Why is she sleeping in the living room again? Xia Feng’s head throbbed at Yu Dong’s disobedience.

Xia Feng took off his coat and changed his slippers. He approached Yu Dong with the intention of carrying her back to her bedroom.

Huh?

As he neared the sofa, Xia Feng noticed a note on the coffee table.

[ When you get back, remember to wake me up! You have to! ]

Were you waiting for me?

Xia Feng was a little stunned. He turned towards Yu Dong and lowered himself until he was at her eye level. After watching her sleeping face for 5 minutes, he really couldn’t bear to wake her up.

[ You have to! ]

Xia Feng looked at the note again and finally decided to wake her up.

“Yu Dong!” Xia Feng gently patted her shoulder.

“Unn ~~ ” Yu Dong opened her eyes in a daze.

“Why didn’t you go to sleep in your room? Why did you ask for me to wake you up?” Xia Feng asked.

“To wait for you!” Yu Dong struggled to sit up.

“What’s the matter?” Xia Feng wrapped her blanket around her shoulders more securely.

“I have something to say to you!” Yu Dong smiled.

“Couldn’t you have told me later when you wake up?” Xia Feng laughed.

“You would be asleep by then, and I’m going to be busy tomorrow, I might not have the time to say it.” Yu Dong shook her head.

“Then we can talk about it later.”

“But I need to say it today!” Yu Dong beamed at a puzzled Xia Feng and said, “Happy Birthday!”

This is the first birthday I get to spend with you!

Of course I have to wait for you!

***

I really want to know what happened with the handsome prince and the drunk lady.