29. Happy Island

◎Have there been any particularly resolute moments in your life? ◎

The cold wind pushed some other undercurrents to the surface.

Zhou Xu's network of connections did not stand idly by. Through the efforts of various parties, the scandal did not escalate further to the legal level, but the shadow of his past misdeeds, like a persistent boil, was difficult to eradicate completely in the short term. He was still excluded from several important performances, and his commercial value was significantly reduced.

This slight respite was far from enough for Zhou Xu, who was proud and ambitious and at the peak of his career.

His family's connections eventually led them to his uncle, who had met Liang Chuling at that drinking party, and through this uncle, they were able to contact Liang's father.

The uncle who made the connection didn't mention much about Zhou Xu's recent image, but focused on the commercial benefits it would bring—Zhou Xu's family was willing to make concessions on the cultural real estate project that Liang's father was concerned about, and pay a considerable endorsement fee, on the condition that Liang Chuling and Zhou Xu jointly endorse the project.

Specific formats include: shooting a series of promotional photos and short films, jointly attending the project launch ceremony, and holding a two-piano concert when the art center within the project is completed.

After several rounds of toasts, the letter of intent for cooperation was pushed to Liang's father.

At that time, Liang's father was preoccupied with another matter and did not have a deep understanding of his daughter's recent troubles and the complicated interpersonal entanglements involved. He only knew that the two children had been in a car accident together, with minor injuries and no serious consequences.

With tangible commercial benefits to be gained and the opportunity to leverage his daughter's fame to promote his project, he nodded almost without hesitation.

Mr. Liang had indeed been feeling a bit tight on cash flow lately, and this offered cooperation and concessions came as a timely relief. Without intending to ask his daughter's opinion first, he agreed based on his dual authority as a father and a businessman.

In his view, it was nothing more than his children playing the piano working together, earning money, and improving their image—there was nothing wrong with that.

When Zhou Xu learned that his family had secured this opportunity for him, and that it would reunite him with Liang Chuling, he had mixed feelings.

On the one hand, he loathed this method of maintaining exposure by relying on family support, which even seemed somewhat like playing the victim; on the other hand, his inner anxiety and desire to be closer to Liang Chuling, which he was unwilling to admit, led him to tacitly approve of, or even approve of, this.

He was in a vulnerable period, like a wounded beast that wanted to claim territory even more, and his methods were inevitably embarrassing.

So Liang Chuling was told directly by her father over the phone, without giving her any room to ask questions or refute, and he hurriedly hung up the phone, as there was an even more important meeting waiting for him.

Liang Chuling felt utterly speechless!

It's easy to imagine the family storm that would ensue if she called home now and started making a scene, or simply quit.

Her father would not tolerate her willfulness, and in the end, it would likely be her mother, whose health had just recovered, who would bear the brunt of his anger.

She remembered the doctor's advice to keep a cheerful mood, and she remembered her mother saying with a smile that spending money would make her feel good.

Okay.

Since things have come to this point and there's no way to refuse, then try to make yourself feel more comfortable.

She proactively contacted the assistant in charge of the project, expressing her willingness to cooperate with the endorsement shoot. The assistant visibly breathed a sigh of relief. However, Liang Chuling made an unexpected request: "I request that it be changed to a three-person endorsement; I want to bring one person along."

When the news reached Zhou Xu, he had just had his cast removed and felt his hand joints swelling. He had a feeling of wanting to swing his arm forcefully to release that swelling.

But fearing the consequences, they had no choice but to endure it.

He almost immediately thought of Li Xun.

So his inexhaustible energy surged again, mixed with envy and disdain, and he coldly called Liang Chuling:

"What do you mean? Do you think this is about keeping a gigolo? And using Li Xun to gain endorsements and boost your brand awareness? Did you even ask the brand if they agreed?"

Upon hearing this tone, Liang Chuling's temper flared up, and she retorted without any politeness: "Speak properly to me! If you continue with this sarcastic tone, I'm refusing this collaboration right now. Let's see if the brand will blame you or me in the end!"

Zhou Xu seemed taken aback by her words, but remained firm: "I don't agree to include Li Xun! This endorsement is a matter between the two of us!"

"Who said it was Li Xun?" Liang Chuling said irritably.

Zhou Xu was taken aback: "Not him? Then who could it be?" He ran through the possible candidates in his mind and blurted out, "Who have you taken a fancy to this time?"

Liang Chuling was both amused and annoyed by his thought process, and she also sensed that his words had crossed a line, making her even more uncomfortable.

"Jinxi." She only gave him her name, too lazy to explain further.

"Jinxi?" Zhou Xu searched his memory but had no recollection of her. "Who is this? When did you...?"

Liang Chuling rolled her eyes, cutting off his daydreaming: "My female friend is also a pianist. Just tell me if it's okay or not, if not, forget it."

Zhou Xu was speechless. He really didn't know Jin Xi, but Liang Chuling's attitude was firm. Moreover, the three of them being an artistic group could also dilute the awkwardness of the previous CP. More importantly, he was afraid that if he objected again, Liang Chuling would really dare to back down.

"Do as you please," Zhou Xu finally muttered, tacitly agreeing.

After hanging up the phone, he looked out at the gray sky. The sense of control he had gained from the cooperation was disrupted by Liang Chuling's unconventional behavior.

After dealing with Zhou Xu, Liang Chuling immediately called Jin Xi.

Jinxi was stunned on the other end of the phone: "Endorsement? Me? With you guys?"

"Yeah, yeah, come on over. You can make money and get exposure too."

Jinxi suddenly became very downcast: "I can't do it. I don't have a good image, so forget it..."

Liang Chuling was incredulous: "How could your image be worse than Zhou Xu's? He's a disgraced celebrity now, practically hated by everyone when he goes out!"

Jinxi was amused by her exaggerated statement on the other end of the phone, but the laughter quickly faded: "That's not what I meant. I meant that I'm not very good-looking." She said this softly.

Liang Chuling was even more puzzled: "What's wrong with you? What's wrong with your appearance? I really like your looks." She didn't give Jinxi another chance to back down, "And this project includes an underwater concert hall. Imagine performing in such a place, with jellyfish. We can use this opportunity to promote the topic of freshwater jellyfish conservation. How interesting!"

"An underwater concert hall?" Jin Xi finally revealed a hint of shock. The combination of art and nature conservation struck a chord with her deepest desires.

"Okay," Jinxi finally relented. "I'll give it a try! If it doesn't work, you can switch to me."

"Don't say things like that!" Liang Chuling said indignantly!

After confirming the situation, Liang Chuling breathed a long sigh of relief. Three people were better than two people staring at each other in bewilderment and being over-interpreted by outsiders.

Bringing Jinxi along added a touch of relaxed friendship to this unavoidable business activity, and it even allowed my friend to make money—how wonderful! Liang Chuling gave herself a thumbs up in her heart!

--

The project is progressing extremely quickly, as if it's rushing to meet some deadline. With the coordination of all parties, the brand launch ceremony was scheduled for December 31st, aiming to gain maximum attention by leveraging the New Year's Eve hype.

This means that Liang Chuling will need to devote herself to intensive preparations throughout the year and will be unable to spare any time for other tasks.

December 31st is also Li Xun's birthday.

Liang Chuling was annoyed by this for a while.

I had planned to at least have a meal with him, but things didn't go as planned.

Li Xun was unable to stay in Beijing because he had been entrusted by Li Chi to personally go to Shanghai to repay a favor before Li Chi returned to China.

If it weren't for the fact that this was a favor from Li Chi that he couldn't refuse, he would have definitely tried to turn down the invitation and come back to be with Liang Chuling, regardless of whether it was her birthday or not, just for the special occasion of New Year's Eve.

During a break in the rehearsal for the launch ceremony, Liang Chuling hid in a corner backstage and called Li Xun to wish him a happy birthday.

"Li Xun, happy birthday! I'll make it up to you with your birthday present when you get back." Her voice was accompanied by the noise of staff directing equipment in the background.

"Thank you, little genius. It's alright. I don't usually celebrate my birthday."

Liang Chuling seemed to remember something else and spoke faster: "I sent you a QR code on WeChat. Scan it and link your account."

"What QR code?" Li Xun asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's from my living room security camera! You can watch Li Zi anytime."

Ms. Ma kept her promise and, fearing that Chestnut might run away, installed several surveillance cameras inside and outside the house. The one in the living room was linked to the children so that they could check on Chestnut whenever they missed her.

This became the only way Liang Chuling could think of to share her life at that moment.

Li Xun chuckled on the other end: "Okay, I'll bind it in a bit. I'll call you again at New Year's Eve, okay?"

“Okay!” Liang Chuling replied.

Liang Chuling had already discussed this business collaboration with Li Xun on WeChat a few days earlier. She tried to explain her father's arrangements in a relaxed tone, and also informed him that she had invited Jin Xi to join, saying, "There are three of us, so it won't be too awkward."

Li Xun understood the significance of Zhou Xu's actions—to forcibly maintain exposure through business cooperation, thereby binding Liang Chuling to himself again and offsetting his previous negative image.

This behavior, which disregarded the possibility of putting Liang Chuling in the vortex of public opinion again for the sake of his own future, made him feel even worse about Zhou Xu. He felt that Zhou Xu's behavior was becoming increasingly unscrupulous and even shameless.

Li Xun didn't say much on WeChat, knowing that saying too much would only lead to mistakes. He simply ordered hot milk tea and snacks for her and the staff when she complained about how tough the rehearsals were.

The launch ceremony has come to a close.

Flashing lights, compliments, and formulaic smiles left Liang Chuling feeling utterly exhausted, and all she wanted to do was escape this hustle and bustle as soon as possible.

The ceremony ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Zhou Xu changed out of his overly formal suit and walked to Liang Chuling's side, his movements still careful despite the cast on his arm being removed.

He asked expectantly, "Want to ring in the New Year together tonight?"

Liang Chuling shook her head directly: "No, I made plans with Jinxi to go hiking and watch the sunrise."

The feeling of being excluded made Zhou Xu uncomfortable: "Hiking? Watching the sunrise? I'll go too."

Jinxi, who had been standing quietly to the side, keenly sensed Liang Chuling's resistance. She stepped forward and said to Zhou Xu, "Zhou Xu, Chuling and I have some things to say between girls. Your arm has only recently recovered, and climbing mountains is too tiring. It would be better for you to go back and rest early."

The words were polite and the reasons were sufficient, thus turning Zhou Xu away. Zhou Xu looked at Jin Xi, then at Liang Chuling, who clearly had no intention of helping him, and didn't insist any further. He simply said "Whatever" and turned to leave.

After getting rid of Zhou Xu, Liang Chuling and Jin Xi discussed where to go and finally decided to go to Guixiaoshi, a place with a wide view and a good place to watch the sunrise.

As the two were discussing what equipment to bring, Liang Chuling's phone rang.

She glanced at the time; it was 11:58 p.m.

"Jinxi, I need to take this call," she said to Jinxi, then took her phone and went outside.

When the call connected, she didn't make a lot of noise as usual.

Li Xun didn't say anything on the other end of the phone.

Two minutes felt incredibly long, yet also like a fleeting moment. All words seemed superfluous, and the two of them remained silent.

On the other end of the line, only their breathing mingled together. In the background were the sounds of traffic in Shanghai at night, and the distant hustle and bustle outside the venue on her side.

Liang Chuling looked at the time displayed on the screen outside the high-rise building. At 11:59:50, she said, right on cue, "Li Xun, happy birthday! I'm the last person to wish you a happy birthday again!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a huge wave of screams, cheers, and countdowns erupted from the other end of the phone and from a distant corner of the city behind her—"Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!"

The old year ends and the new year begins.

Amidst the clamor of announcements, Li Xun's gentle voice pierced through: "Liang Chuling, Happy New Year! I'm the first person to wish you a Happy New Year again."

An end signifies a beginning.

The outside world is chaotic and full of new and unknown hopes and noise.

Holding her phone, Liang Chuling stood in the empty world, her heart full. She opened her other palm, the warmth of another boy that had once burned in it.

Then, she heard another boy's voice again:

"I suddenly realized I haven't said that to you yet, so I have to make it up to you."

"Liang Chuling, I like you."

"Never doubt this."

"I will give you the best love, please wait for me."

This confession came too solemnly and too suddenly.

Liang Chuling felt it was too serious to complete the task over the phone, amidst such a noisy background.

Suddenly, she was at a loss for how to respond to this heavy sentiment.

After hesitating for a while, she said earnestly into the microphone, "I'm nodding."

On the other end of the phone, Li Xun couldn't help but laugh out loud. His laughter, transmitted through the electricity, was full of joy.

After saying a few more words, Li Xun carefully reminded, "If you're going hiking, remember to bring an extra warm coat, as it's windy and cold at the summit."

When Liang Chuling returned to Jin Xi's side, she had a silly smile on her face. Jin Xi glanced at her, smiled knowingly, and didn't ask any further questions.

Because of Li Xun's reminder, the two of them actually took a detour on their way there and each bought an extra-long and extra-thick down jacket.

Despite it being late at night, Ghost Laughing Stone was exceptionally lively on New Year's Eve. Many young people, like them, chose this way to welcome the first rays of sunlight of the new year.

The mountain was teeming with people, and the noise rose and fell.

They finally found a relatively quiet corner to sit down, wrapped themselves tightly in their new down jackets, and warded off the biting cold wind on the mountaintop.

It was nearly 4:30 a.m. The surrounding noise subsided somewhat, and most people were waiting in silence.

Liang Chuling was still immersed in the thrill of Li Xun's words, "I like you," and as she looked at the twinkling lights of Beijing below the mountain, her thoughts drifted far away.

Jinxi, who had been quiet all along, spoke up, her voice almost carried away by the wind: "Chuling, thank you."

Liang Chuling's thoughts were pulled back, and she turned to look at her somewhat blankly: "What are you thanking me for?"

Jinxi didn't answer immediately. She gazed at the blurry city outline in the distance, and after a long while, asked a strange question: "What do you think of the promotional photos I took this time? Did they drag you down? Did they embarrass this project?"

Liang Chuling was even more puzzled: "The photos are really good! Didn't the photographer keep praising your expressiveness, your great presence, and how photogenic you are? What's wrong with you? Why would you think that?"

Jinxi lowered her head and did not answer.

A young couple next to us suddenly started arguing, seemingly because they had waited too long or for some other reason. The girl complained that the boy wasn't prepared enough, while the boy complained that the girl was being too dramatic. They went back and forth, and in a huff, the girl said, "I'm not watching anymore! It's boring! Let's go down the mountain!"

Liang Chuling and Jin Xi exchanged a knowing glance and listened intently to the entire gossip.

Seeing the young couple angrily packing their things and heading down the mountain, Liang Chuling's eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled Jinxi up: "Quick! A good spot has been cleared out!"

The two quickly moved to a more scenic spot left by the couple.

At 5:30, the eastern horizon began to light up.

The darkness receded like a tide at an unimaginable speed.

The sky suddenly brightened from three-tenths to nine-tenths of its original brightness. Just as the dawn was about to burst forth, Jinxi looked at the increasingly clear light and asked again, "Chuling, in your life, have there ever been any moments when you were particularly certain?"

Looking at the increasingly bright golden sky, Liang Chuling thought for a moment and replied, "Yes. When I first started learning the piano, I was very certain that I was born to play the piano."

"And you?"

Jinxi smiled and said, "When I was in sixth grade, I was preparing to participate in a provincial piano competition. It was something to bring honor to the school, and the school was very supportive. I came in first place every time. In the end, the champions from several regions came together for the final competition."

"A week before the competition, we were suddenly notified that the competition was canceled and that we contestants were to put on our own performances and put on a joint gala. It was a requirement from a high-ranking leader, because it was close to the Mid-Autumn Festival."

“We were all surprised, but we still started rehearsing seriously. I was both excited and nervous, and I secretly lost more than ten pounds in that month.”

"Three days before the competition, I went to the practice room as usual. When I got to the door, I heard people arguing inside. The door wasn't closed properly, so I went to the door and knocked. Everyone inside looked at me—my piano teacher with an angry expression, my homeroom teacher, the director of the student affairs office, and the principal."

"My homeroom teacher told me that I would be performing a skit with another female classmate at the party three days later. She would go on stage and pretend to play the piano, while I would actually play it backstage."

Liang Chuling looked at Jinxi in disbelief, recalling the photocopy of the certificate in Jinxi's home.

Jinxi spoke as if she were telling someone else's story: "I was a little confused at the time and asked why. My piano teacher wanted to step forward, but they stopped her."

"The homeroom teacher looked at me and said, 'Because that girl is prettier than you.'"

Three days later, at the awards ceremony, the handsome young men performed their best on stage for the adults in the audience who held the power.

"After the performance, during the interlude, the host joked that we kids were originally going to compete for the piano competition championship. Some people in the audience started to jeer, saying that we should just vote now and decide on a champion, runner-up, and third place. Many people agreed."

"They were invited back on stage to introduce themselves and be the center of everyone's attention. The voting was pretty much a foregone conclusion. My piano playing, and that girl's appearance, together won the competition."

Jinxi paused at this point.

A mountain breeze swept by.

She gazed at the rising sun, which had completely risen above the horizon and painted the world in golden-red hues, and said softly, "After the party, I took the bus home by myself. After getting off, I sat on a bench at the bus stop. The moon was right above my head, round and full, just like my round body even after losing more than ten pounds. It was a bit hazy that day, and the moon was obscured by a misty haze, just like my face, which no one wanted to see clearly because I'm not good-looking."

“I sat there, looking at the blurry moon, and felt an absolute certainty in my heart that this was how my life was going to be.”

The first sun of the new year is rising with all its might, shining brightly, dispelling all the gloom and cold.

And a story about a twelve-year-old girl, shrouded in moonlight, that took place many years ago, was just whispered in the dawn.