He wanted to say something but held back.

Fortunately, Chu Yiqi successfully fastened the hair clip to Xi Ai's side. Xi Ai simply raised her head and stared intently into Chu Yiqi's eyes, like a professional actor scrutinizing a junior's acting skills, trying to find a flaw.

However, the younger man felt guilty, so he quickly straightened up, turned around, and didn't dare to look at him.

Although the ending was rushed, Chu Yiqi's performance just now was impeccable. Xi Ai had no choice but to close her eyes and rely on her memory to place her fingers in the appropriate position.

Chu Yiqi finally dared to look at Xi Ai. Xi Ai hadn't unbuttoned her clothes like she had on the balcony, and her wrists were bare, unusually clean. Chu Yiqi looked away and also put his gun on the spool.

Yu Nianxi leaned against the door of the practice room and successfully found her allies amidst the ever-growing barrage of comments.

[Can someone please understand this ambiguous, unspoken tension between the two of them?]

[I get it, I get it, really, are they trying to make up for the ambiguous period they didn't show us before?]

[Haha, the lady in front is so good at describing things!]

[They're like two people who've had a falling out but are secretly trying to make up, that tug-of-war feeling is practically the Le Chatelier principle, hahaha]

[No, really no one thinks they're the type to let go when they love someone the most. Two years apart, former lovers meet again, still feeling the lingering affection but too proud to approach, so they tentatively test the waters, each taking a step forward while the other retreats three. Xi Ai, having experienced someone else's life, tries to find evidence of love in the details to convince herself, but without touching the butterfly, she misses the signs of the butterfly effect. By the time they realize it, there's no turning back.]

[But I think it's hard to say whether they're looking for proof of love or evidence of not being in love.]

[Ahhh, ma'am, please serve the food quickly!!!]

Yu Nianxi almost suspected that Nie Chuiying had finally started cooking again by using a alternate account, but reason told her that Nie Chuiying's phone was with Shi Yunshan and that Nie Chuiying herself was busy writing songs.

The live stream ended with a duet by Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi, after which Yu Nianxi slipped out of the practice room with light steps.

Xi Ai sat down at the piano and casually played a few chords.

She rarely learned any ensemble pieces, but "Swan" happened to be one of them. It was during a casual chat that she overheard Chu Yiqi complaining about someone else—who happened to have played this song with her, saying that the two of them didn't talk much and couldn't keep up with each other's rhythm. Even though it was just a complaint, Xi Ai was still a little jealous: she had never played a ensemble piece with Chu Yiqi—unless it was just a duet.

So the two of them decided to give it a try whenever they had time, and then plan a concert where they would accompany each other on stage.

But she never got her wish, so afterwards, Xi Ai liked to add cello parts to her compositions, and she learned the piano parts herself. That still wasn't enough, so she specifically sought out the sheet music for "Swan."

Finally, there was still a chance to make up for some regrets, so although they did not have permission, the two of them believed that they had unilaterally fulfilled a beautiful dream they had made, and they were happy to do so.

Having some time alone, Chu Yiqi finally saw the message from Xi Aifa.

[Perhaps Ms. Chu would like to come with me to pick out a gift later?]

Chu Yiqi looked up and saw that Xi Ai was on the balcony making a phone call again.

She always seemed busy, but she used to always find time to spend with Chu Yiqi.

Chu Yiqi looked at Xi Ai, and as Xi Ai unbuttoned the first button and looked up, she quickly looked away, deleted her original words, and said, "Okay."

Then, as if deceiving himself, he added the second half of a sentence: "[Let's wait until after dinner; I'm quite busy these next few days.]"

Xi Ai heard her phone vibrate, so she turned around and saw Chu Yiqi standing in the living room, fiddling with his phone.

Their eyes met briefly, separated by a distance. The afternoon sunlight slanted down, beautiful, like a veil, like a dream Chu Yiqi dared not test its reality. But she didn't realize that from Xi Ai's perspective, when she looked up, she was met with a flood of dappled light, making her whole being appear vibrant and lively.

Like a lotus in the late summer, standing gracefully yet elusive in the heart of the lake.

Xi Ai finished speaking quickly, walked over, and asked Chu Yiqi, "What are you planning to give?"

Chu Yiqi looked at Xi Ai's hair clip, her gaze both subtle and unabashed. She didn't want to remind Xi Ai, and secretly hoped that Xi Ai would just accept it without having to return it.

Consider it... her belated birthday present.

Chu Yiqi thought for a moment and said, "Who knows... Oh, maybe I should mix some incense."

Xi Ai nodded, then thanked herself for asking again—their circle of people generally didn't like to give anything particularly expensive as a gift, so Xi Ai had originally planned to give a set of incense.

After all, that beautiful blue-eyed lady was very fond of traditional Chinese cultural items, and coincidentally, Chu Yiqi was an expert in them—which was exactly why Chu Yiqi and that lady became acquainted so easily.

Fortunately, Xi Ai had other preparations.

Chu Yiqi and Xi Ai didn't say much, naturally ending the conversation without either of them initiating another chat. They simply sat quietly on the cushions and went about their own business, leaning against the sofa.

Chu Yiqi was supposed to go back to her room to write songs according to the original plan, but for some reason, she changed her mind when Xi Ai was about to sit down, preferring to write the lyrics for another song she hadn't finished before.

Chu Yiqi breathed a sigh of relief when Xi Ai didn't take off her hair clip.

*

If they had sat any closer, the scene would have resembled many of the days more than two years ago when they were idle at home.

They were all busy with their own things, but occasionally they would do things in perfect unison.

Like that early summer of that year, Xi Ai was working on a project in cooperation with a foreign country. In principle, Xi Yuchuan should be in charge of such foreign affairs, but the person she was dealing with there was particularly difficult to handle, and Xi Ai was obviously more experienced.

Chu Yiqi had a very leisurely few days. He had just finished several concerts and spent all his time at home with Xi Ai.

Since Xi Ai was sitting during the video conference, Chu Yiqi preferred to sit opposite her—that way he could see Xi Ai looking down, taking notes of key points, and discussing things with her calmly.

Perhaps it was difficult to reach a consensus between the two parties, so Chu Yiqi rarely saw Xi Ai turn off her microphone and camera during a short break, and complain to Mu Jinxian with a frown. Her face was obviously very flamboyant and beautiful, but her eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

Chu Yiqi, wearing headphones and composing music, didn't listen carefully to Xi Ai's words. He simply looked up, a slight smile on his face, and reached out to gently smooth Xi Ai's brow. Xi Ai's emotions came and went quickly, and she smoothly stepped down the stairs, even kissing Chu Yiqi's hand in the process.

Chu Yiqi quickly put the pen away, and the two smiled at each other. Xi Ai breathed a sigh of relief and twirled the pen under her breath.

Chu Yiqi didn't even look up this time, but pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Xi Ai.

The young lady eventually caught a cold, so during the meeting, her nose was red and her voice was a little hoarse.

Xi Ai took the glass, and then, as she reached for her water glass, her fingertips brushed against Chu Yiqi's. Chu Yiqi didn't look up and said, "Miss Xi, drink up, drink up, we can watch the movie after this."

Xi Ai glanced at her: "Okay, I'll try my best, for Teacher Chu's movie."

Chu Yiqi didn't take it, but smiled and edited a few sections. Then, quite naturally, he took the cup from Xi Ai's hand and took a sip of water.

Today's drink is honey water, but since Xi Ai doesn't like things that are too sweet, Chu Yiqi added a few slices of lemon.

Looking back now, perhaps if we were to define the scent of that year, it would be something like this.

—After the initial sweetness, a touch of sourness and bitterness belatedly creeps in.

Although the partner was not a friendly entity, the meeting ended after half an hour, and a preliminary consensus was reached.

As soon as she turned off the laptop, Xi Ai leaned back, but after only two minutes she sat up again and slowly moved to Chu Yiqi's side, hugging his arm without saying a word. However, Chu Yiqi couldn't stand seeing Xi Ai like this.

Especially now, Xi Ai's eyes are a little red, as if she could shed a few tears if she blinked, but she just stares at people quietly without saying a word. Clearly, a voice in Chu Yiqi's mind keeps reminding her: this is just Xi Ai's pathological eye soreness after catching a cold. But this episode makes Xi Ai seem like a wronged but well-behaved little child right now.

Chu Yiqi took off his headphones, saved the changes, and turned to look at Xi Ai. In the end, he couldn't resist pinching Xi Ai's cheek. Xi Ai took the opportunity and pressed her face against Chu Yiqi's hand.

"Teacher Chu—"

Chu Yiqi responded in a drawn-out tone, "Mmm—"

"Listen to the new song, let me feel like I'm listening to celestial music and my ears are instantly clear."

Don't insult me!

“I didn’t,” Xi Ai said, tapping the table. “But right now my mind is full of ‘buts,’ however, even so…”

Xi Ai was speaking English with a deliberate touch of dialect, making her sound remarkably like her business partner.

Chu Yiqi was easily amused by Xi Ai, and then asked her, "So what do you want to hear?"

Xi Ai stared at the pile of files on the screen that were titled "We don't know what to call them yet," and remained silent for a long time before finally choosing one: "Then let's listen to the 17th one."

Xi Ai wanted to laugh as soon as she heard the intro. She coughed and asked knowingly, "Teacher Chu, what's wrong with you? You always sneak in your own agenda?"

Chu Yiqi pretended to be confused, knowing the answer but asking, "What?"

"Don't think I can't tell just because there are sharps and flats! You deserve the pitch sense you develop from learning piano!"

Chu Yiqi skipped the intro with a blank expression and said calmly, "Oh, no need. You can't envy perfect pitch."

"..."

“Perfect pitch, my girlfriend has it, aren’t you envious?” Xi Ai smiled and turned the music back to the intro.

Chu Yiqi: "..."

Fine, maybe pretty kids with colds who cry can have a little special treatment.

Chu Yiqi hummed along to the tune.

That's a line that appears in every song she's sung since she got together with Xi Ai.

*

Chu Yiqi glanced at Xi Ai, who was replying to a work message. She seemed to be making no attempt to hide it from Chu Yiqi, so when Chu Yiqi looked at her, he couldn't help but glance at her phone screen. Xi Ai had only replied with "OK" to the file that had been sent to her.

Chu Yiqi pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. Xi Ai was usually very lively, but when she went to the company in the past, her assistant had secretly complained to her that Xi Ai was "an exceptionally strict boss," as if she had no personal fun at all.

At that time, Chu Yiqi was still defending Xi Ai and said to the young lady in surprise, "It can't be that bad, she's usually very playful."

Then she was shocked to hear that "the sky has fallen and everyone has gone crazy."

It wasn't until Chu Yiqi saw Xi Ai's work situation that he suddenly felt sorry for the young lady.

Chu Yiqi raised his hand and handed a glass of warm water to Xi Ai. Xi Ai hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to accept it or not. When Chu Yiqi saw that the glass was his own, he froze on the spot.

So what was once an ordinary scene became strangely stiff and eerie, as if Medusa had cast some kind of spell on it.

A relay race that had been completed countless times was interrupted.

Chu Yiqi blinked, put down his cup, and said, "Well, sorry, it's just a habit."

Xi Ai knew it wasn't appropriate to tease Chu Yiqi at this point, so she went to get her own cup and said, "It's okay, thank you."

Chu Yiqi shook her head, made an appointment with her usual store, opened her notes, hesitated for a long time, and only wrote one sentence: "Habits are such a scary thing, but what can I do? My habits love people more than I do."

She had clearly been deliberately ignoring those habits, but whenever she saw this person, she couldn't help but subconsciously care.

Perhaps it was because she envisioned a future where this person had to be there, so the most ordinary thing, once triggered, became something she couldn't take back or let go of.

Perhaps this is called overcorrection.