Last updated: 30 April 2022 - Updated with newly posted extra.
28 August 2021 - Translation completed. Total length is around 237k words.
28 August 2022 - Go to the last chapter in the chapter list and scroll all the way down for a surprise :)
In broad daylight, eyes open and clear of mind
An accident, maddening, possessing.
CP: Yi Zhe x Xu Tangcheng
Length: 67 chapters (including the prologue and 1 extra). 1 new extra posted in April 2022.
This is a fan translation of the novel 白日事故 / Bai Ri Shi Gu by 高台树色 / Gao Tai Shu Se. Translation is mainly based on the version published on Chang Pei which is available for free, however I will also make reference to the print version (Taiwanese edition published by Rusuban Studio) sometimes. Please do not repost this translation anywhere!
Link to raws on Chang Pei: 白日事故
Story summary: This story is just a simple love story :)
I'm a heritage speaker of Chinese but I'm not fluent in the language and translating is just something I enjoy doing as a hobby. I am still learning so if you see any mistakes, do let me know.
Twitter: chaikat
Email: sunnydaypenguin@gmail.com
Carrd (for project list and other FAQs): chai-tl
Regarding retranslations, while I am okay if anyone wants to retranslate my translation into another language, please note my translation is not a very close translation of the original, more so compared to my other projects. This is because the original text contains a lot of metaphorical and poetic phrases, which just wouldn't work if translated closely. I highly recommend referring to the original text for any retranslations; my translation is based on my best interpretation in English, my aim is always to keep the feeling and meaning as close as possible but that sometimes means forgoing word choices that are more literal translations of the original. There might be better ways to interpret the same line in other target languages when working directly from the original Chinese text, and working from a translation introduces more risk of diverting from the original meaning. This is especially the case for the aforementioned metaphorical and poetic phrases which can have a wider range of interpretations.
I am also open to discussions on translation choices, my email and twitter are listed above.
These are some terms used throughout the story that I keep in pinyin (will be updated when necessary).
Shixiong — In this story, it refers to a university senior who shares the same academic advisor as the speaker. This is different from the term "xuezhang" which refers to any student older than the speaker (in this story, it's used for older students in the same university as the speaker but I've also seen it used elsewhere for older students from a different university than the speaker). I translate this term as "senior"; I'm not super fond of this as a translation for this term, but I also kinda don't feel like keeping "xuezhang" in pinyin. Idk, might change my mind later.
Ge / Gege / Dage — Lit. means "older brother" but can refer to a biological older brother, a neighbour, a friend, a more-than-a-friend, the leader of your clique, any random stranger you want to be friendly with, etc.
Gaokao — University entrance exams. I switch between using the pinyin and the English meaning, with "gaokao" mainly being used in dialogue because "university entrance exams" is so unwieldy.
There are also other terms that I keep in pinyin without explaining in footnotes (usually food names). These terms can be easily looked up online.
The "flashback" lasts for most of the story. Rather than to call it a flashback, it's probably more accurate to call it the main story and think of the prologue as a teaser.
Yi Zhe is sometimes referred to as Xu Tangcheng's younger brother, especially in the earlier chapters. This is due to their relationship as neighbours. If this makes you uncomfortable, then this story is probably not for you.
The age gap is six years.
Content warnings:
Homophobia — from their family's reactions to their coming out.
Parental terminal illness and death — this is only a small part of the story but it is there.
Colourism — implied in a brief conversation near the end that isn't a major part of the story.