Chapter 7. "Bai Xiao, what brings you here?"

Song Huai has been increasingly busy lately. He has just finished writing the film score and is about to start preparing for his first solo concert. This has always been his dream. He wants to be like his mother, in the center of the stage, playing his own compositions on his beloved piano. But this wish has only been a nascent form in his heart before. Now, he finally has the opportunity to realize his dream.

Song Huai is only 28 years old this year, but he has already become a household name as a musician. Although his fame partly comes from his pianist mother, Liang Hui, his own talent is still undeniable. He made his debut in the music scene at the age of nineteen with "At the moment." Later, during his university years, by chance, at the request of his friend Liu Weitian, Song Huai composed the score for Liu's debut film, "Green Lotus." This was his first time working on a film score, and to everyone's surprise, the film became a huge hit, achieving both critical and commercial success. The film's score was praised by countless people, and the theme song "How I miss you" won numerous awards. The media praised him as "a composer full of spirituality." Suddenly, various music invitations came one after another, and Song Huai became famous overnight.

In recent years, Song Huailu has composed music for many films, and his friend Liu Weitian has gradually become a well-known young director. The two continued to collaborate after "Qinghe". Their fame gradually grew - one became a well-known director and the other became a master of film scores. The two seemed to be a perfect match. Later, the media even reported on their affair, which made the parties involved laugh and cry.

--

Silently, time slipped away under Song Huai's fingertips as he played the piano. The time spent with the piano was always the most peaceful time in Song Huai's heart. He could ignore the hustle and bustle of the world and immerse himself in the world he had built for himself with the sound of the piano.

By the time Song Huai finally stopped playing the zither, night had already fallen for who knows how long.

Realizing he had once again lost track of time while practicing the piano, Song Huai's heart skipped a beat. He knew he wouldn't have time to rush back from the studio to cook, and he wondered if Bai Xiao had eaten yet. He quickly pulled out his phone to check the time, only to find two missed calls from Bai Xiao—one at 6 PM and one at 7 PM. And now… it was almost 9 PM! Song Huai always kept his phone off while practicing, never expecting Bai Xiao to condescend to call him.

Song Huai immediately called Bai Xiao back. The call was answered after one ring, and Bai Xiao's emotionless voice came through the receiver: "Are you back?"

Song Huai felt a little guilty for some reason: "I was practicing the piano just now, I... I'll go back now."

Several seconds passed before Bai Xiao finally said, "Hurry up."

Song Huai's studio was on one side of the city, while the villa he shared with Bai Xiao was on the other side. By the time Song Huai got back, it was already past ten o'clock.

After Song Huai entered the house, he saw Bai Xiao sitting upright on the sofa with her head slightly raised.

Seeing Song Huai enter, carrying a pile of ingredients, Bai Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but pretended to be nonchalant.

Song Huai didn't think too much about it. He walked straight to the kitchen, asking, "Bai Xiao, want to grab some late-night snacks together?"

After a long silence, Song Huai, who was washing vegetables, looked at Bai Xiao in confusion. The latter seemed to be preparing to say something, and only when Song Huai turned to look at him did he answer, "Okay."

Half an hour later, the food was on the table. Bai Xiao picked up his chopsticks and immediately started eating. Sensing the man's faster eating speed than usual and his somewhat uncouth eating manners, Song Huai suddenly had a ridiculous thought: Could it be that Bai Xiao hasn't eaten dinner yet? He just called... was he urging me to come back and cook dinner? But that shouldn't be the case. Why would Bai Xiao wait for me to come back and cook for him? Where can't the eldest young master of the Bai family find dinner if he's hungry?

Song Huai was completely confused. He cautiously asked, "Have you... not had dinner yet?"

Upon hearing Song Huai's question, Bai Xiao coughed awkwardly and mumbled, "Mm."

Song Huai felt a little guilty now. He scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry. I'll let you know in advance if I'm coming back late next time, so you don't have to wait for me to eat together."

Bai Xiao didn't answer him. Instead, she looked at his barely touched rice bowl and said, "Stop talking and eat quickly."

Song Huai was exhausted and had no appetite, but after hearing Bai Xiao's seemingly concerned words, he happily nodded and said, "Okay."

--

For the next period of time, Song Huai became busier than ever before. During the day, he was in the recording studio to supervise the film score, and at night he was writing new pieces for his concert. In addition, he had his fixed time to practice the piano every day. For several days in a row, he was so busy that he didn't have time to rest and didn't get home until very late.

Strangely enough, Song Huai hadn't had time to cook for Bai Xiao or himself these past few days, yet Bai Xiao still came home to them every day. Bai Xiao's company was located in the city center, a bit far from here, and living here was far less convenient than staying in his apartment. Song Huai guessed it was probably pressure from Bai Xiao's family. Although they lived under the same roof, Song Huai had been leaving home at sunrise and returning at sunset, barely seeing Bai Xiao at most each day.

This kind of busyness is a blessing for Song Huai, not only because he can keep dealing with music, but also because it leaves him no time to dwell on the strange relationship between him and Bai Xiao.

On this day, Song Huai unexpectedly received a call from Bai Xiao while practicing the piano. Ever since he missed Bai Xiao's call because his phone was on silent, Song Huai had set a special ringtone for Bai Xiao. His phone would only ring when Bai Xiao called while he was practicing the piano and composing music.

Song Huai quickly answered the phone, and Bai Xiao's voice on the other end was as cold as ever: "Where are you?"

"I'm afraid I won't be back so soon today, you eat first," Song Huai replied subconsciously.

"I asked, where are you?" Bai Xiao's voice sounded a little impatient, seemingly dissatisfied with Song Huai's irrelevant answer.

"Ah... I'm... I'm in the studio, what's wrong?" Not understanding why Bai Xiao suddenly cared about his whereabouts, Song Huai was at a loss.

Bai Xiao asked briefly, "Address?"

Song Huai was stunned, then quickly gave the studio's address.

After hanging up the phone, Song Huai didn't have time to think carefully about the meaning behind Bai Xiao's words, and he immediately immersed himself in the piano piece he was writing.

About an hour later, the doorbell rang. Song Huai assumed it was his friend Qiu Wu bringing him food, so he went to open the door.

"I told you to bring your keys, why do you always..."

Before he could finish speaking, Song Huai opened the door and saw who it was, his eyes widening in disbelief: "Bai Xiao, what brings you here?"