Chapter 29 (Not for Public Dissemination)

The boy's lowered eyes were dark and deep, like whirlpools, fixed intently on her.

His warm breath, tinged with a hint of aggression, gently brushed against the tip of her small nose, making her involuntarily swallow and instinctively hug the guitar in her arms even tighter.

After staring at him for a moment, Peng Chengyi shifted his gaze somewhat uncomfortably: "Your behavior right now is just like that of an elementary school student."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and nimbly slipped out from under his arm.

Then, pretending to check the strings, he said, "But for the sake of this instrument, I won't hold it against you."

Chen Yubai paused, then slowly turned his head.

Seeing her with her head down, her slender white fingers haphazardly plucking the strings, and her thick, long eyelashes trembling slightly with tension.

He chuckled silently, straightened up noncommittally, and casually put his hands back in his pockets: "What can you possibly learn by just playing this without any input? Why don't you try connecting it to my speaker?"

“…Yes!” Peng Chengyi nodded immediately, like a chick pecking at rice.

The inexplicable nervousness that welled up in my heart was quickly replaced by the excitement of trying out the new instrument.

Although the smoothness and tone of this violin were still not as good as his Gibson, it was much better than her firewood.

More importantly, she no longer has to carry his guitar to and from school.

This new piano can stay in the dormitory without worrying about Zhou Lifen finding out.

So when Zhou Lifen called her home for dinner on WeChat, Peng Chengyi didn't put away her violin. Instead, she carefully placed it on his bed and said, "I'll leave the violin here with you for now. I'll take it to school when school starts."

Chen Yubai saw through her plan at a glance, but didn't say much. He just gave her a light reminder: "Unplug the wires from the amp, but don't pull the guitar wires directly, or you'll blow up this whole building."

“…I know.” Peng Chengyi, whose hand was already on the guitar strings, pursed her lips guiltily and quickly moved to the other end of the speaker.

Chen Yubai chuckled softly, picked up the sweater from the bedside table, put it on, and said, "Hurry up and get out of here, I'm going to change my pants."

"Why are you changing your pants when you come to my house? My parents have seen you before."

Peng Chengyi, having unplugged the speaker wires, pursed her lips and slowly stood up.

"Aren't we going to the arcade this afternoon?" Chen Yubai glanced at her.

"I haven't had enough of touching my new piano yet, I can go later," Peng Chengyi muttered to herself.

Going to the arcade to play video games and claw machines became a new part of their birthday celebrations starting from the third grade of elementary school.

Before that, there were no arcades in Linbin. They were young, so after dinner they could only watch cartoons together at home or wait for one of their parents to take them to a children's playground.

"Okay." Chen Yubai tossed aside the jeans she had just picked up and walked out of the room wearing the loose-fitting cotton pajamas with a little white dog printed on them that she had given her for her birthday two years ago.

He opened the kitchen refrigerator and took out a cake box tied with a ribbon: "My mom bought it, I'll take it with me."

Peng Chengyi: "What flavor?"

Chen Yubai: "Strawberry".

Peng Chengyi couldn't help but smile: "Aunt Lin still remembers my taste!"

Chen Yubai smiled lazily: "You cried all afternoon because I ate the only strawberry on the cake. She can't forget it even if she wants to."

Peng Chengyi: "..."

If you can't speak, you don't have to.

Sometimes, she really wanted to poison him and make him mute.

-

After finishing his meal, Peng Chengyi patted his round, bulging belly with satisfaction and sat back down in Chen Yubai's room.

"Hey, can you cooperate with me for a bit?" She plugged in the speakers and looked at Chen Yubai, who had turned on the computer and was about to play games.

He slumped lazily in his computer chair, casually turning his head to ask, "Cooperate with you in what way?"

Peng Chengyi blinked: "Accompany me with some music, it's no fun playing by yourself."

Chen Yubai glanced at her, his tone flat: "...My bass is unplugged and silent, what am I supposed to accompany you with?"

"Oh, right." Peng Chengyi then realized that she had already taken over the only speaker in his house.

"Do you think I should save up and buy a smaller speaker? Otherwise, we won't be able to play together." She asked, resting her chin on her hand, looking like she was seriously considering something.

Chen Yubai: "The question is, can you save any money?"

Peng Chengyi thought for a moment: "The New Year is coming soon. Will Dad still be giving out lucky money this year?"

Chen Yubai: "..."

Peng Chengyi chuckled: "Just kidding. Actually, if I didn't buy the comic book weekly every month, I could still save up."

"Can you resist buying it?" His tone clearly betrayed disbelief.

“I can resist if you buy it.” She looked at him with an increasingly cunning gaze.

Chen Yubai chuckled and tugged at the corner of his lips: "Your abacus beads have already slammed into my face."

Peng Chengyi lowered her eyes and muttered softly, "Don't you think the comic book weekly is really good?"

Chen Yubai stared at her dejected face for a moment, his eyes flickered slightly, and his tone softened: "It's alright for passing the time."

“Then you…” Peng Chengyi’s thick, long eyelashes fluttered expectantly again.

"I will buy it," he said casually, dragging the mouse.

"Brother! You're the best brother to me!" Peng Chengyi instantly perked up, cheerfully strumming the strings, "Let me sing you a song!"

Chen Yubai's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, and he said in a calm tone, "If you act crazy again, I'll unplug your speaker."

"Oh." Peng Chengyi quickly pressed down the trembling strings and began to play the guitar seriously.

An hour later, Peng Chengyi, having temporarily satisfied his craving for the new guitar, turned off the amplifier and carefully packed the guitar back into its case.

After Chen Yubai changed his clothes, the two rode their bicycles to the arcade.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, adults are busy buying New Year's goods, so there aren't many parents looking after their children in the arcade; most of the customers are junior and senior high school students of similar age.

After exchanging his game tokens, Peng Chengyi stopped in front of Taiko no Tatsujin, a game he had never tried before.

"Would you like to try this? I had Chen Wei teach me some basic drumming skills before, and I feel like I'm ready to graduate."

Chen Yubai: "This is completely different from playing the drums. It mainly depends on your reaction speed and rhythm control."

Peng Chengyi: "I have a pretty good sense of rhythm."

Chen Yubai: "Yeah, you can't find the starting point of the song without looking at my hands."

“…Shut up.” Peng Chengyi defiantly inserted two game coins into the machine, picked up a song she knew, and grabbed the drumsticks. “Let me break the record.”

Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally, casually put his hands in his pockets, and stood beside her.

Peng Chengyi took a light breath, her eyes fixed on the screen, and as the music started, she lowered her drumsticks.

At the beginning, the verses were not fast and there were not many notes, but she performed steadily, with precise drumbeats and not missing a single note.

"See that? This is my skill level after learning to play the drums." She glanced at Chen Yubai smugly.

Chen Yubai smiled faintly: "The chorus is about to start, I suggest you watch the screen carefully."

Thinking he was unwilling to acknowledge her abilities, Peng Chengyi scoffed in dissatisfaction.

When she turned her gaze back to the screen, she discovered that the number of notes about to fall had suddenly increased several times over.

Damn, so the beginning was just a tutorial, and the real song is only starting now!

Peng Chengyi's movements stiffened slightly, but he quickly adjusted his posture and refocused his attention.

On the screen, musical notes poured down like a torrential rain.

Peng Chengyi gripped the drumsticks tightly, frantically striking the drum, her ponytail tied high behind her head swaying incessantly.

"Wait, is this song usually this fast?"

Peng Chengyi couldn't help but complain as she gradually lost the pace of the falling notes.

“Since it’s been made into a game, it must have been reworked.” Chen Yubai paused, then teased in a lazy tone, “Focus a bit more, you’ve already missed five or six notes.”

"It's all your fault for talking to me!" Peng Chengyi bit her lip and cursed him while keeping her eyes glued to the screen.

Chen Yubai glanced at her with amusement: "Didn't you talk to me first?"

"I was talking to myself!" Peng Chengyi glared at him irritably, then mispronounced two more notes.

"Who knows?" Chen Yubai shrugged innocently, his tone teasing. "I thought you were so good that you could chat and play drums at the same time."

"Ugh! Just shut up!"

Peng Chengyi, who was desperately chasing the notes, wanted to throw the drumstick at his gloating face.

After finally finishing the whole song, a score that barely passed appeared on the screen.

After a long silence, Chen Yubai spoke up slowly: "What about the record you broke?"

"..." Peng Chengyi awkwardly wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to make amends, saying, "This piece wasn't chosen well. It's a bit difficult. If it were a newbie who has never played the drums before, they probably wouldn't even be up to par."

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.

Peng Chengyi paused for two seconds, then threw the drumsticks into his arms and said, "If you're so good, you do it."

Chen Yubai chuckled, easily caught the drumsticks, and stepped forward.

His slender fingers tapped lightly on the song selection screen, and he selected the song she had just played again.

As the prelude began, he lowered his head slightly, his stray hairs falling across his forehead, obscuring his weary eyes.

But as the first heavy beat landed, he seemed to be awakened by the music.

The drumsticks danced between his fingers, each strike incredibly precise, the muscle definition in his arms barely visible through the cuffs of his sweater.

Even after the chorus started, his rhythm didn't drop, and "good" and "combo" indicators kept popping up on the screen.

Startled, Peng Chengyi's mouth slowly opened.

When she came to her senses, there were quite a few onlookers around, attracted by his handsome appearance or his superb drumming skills, she didn't know.

"Wow, this guy is so handsome and strong! Is he a student?"

"I don't know, I just want to know if he has a girlfriend."

There was a girl standing next to him.

"She was probably just watching..."

"Then I want to ask for their WeChat!"

Hearing the faint whispers behind her, Peng Chengyi pursed her lips with mixed feelings and looked at Chen Yubai's profile, which was surrounded by the crowd.

A nonchalant smile played on his lips, his eyelashes casting dappled shadows on his face, exuding an air of effortless charm.

When the final score broke the machine record, exclamations of "Wow!" rang out again from the crowd.

Chen Yubai casually put the drumsticks back in their place, turned around and winked at Peng Chengyi: "How was it?"

"...Is this really your first time playing?" Peng Chengyi looked at him in disbelief.

"What do you think?" He brushed a few strands of slightly damp hair aside, reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of the crowd as she was still in a daze.

Peng Chengyi stumbled after him and replied, "I think you must have secretly come to the arcade before behind my back..."

"Just how many things have I been secretly doing in your mind?" Chen Yubai chuckled and lowered his eyes.

"Don't you have one? That doesn't make sense." Peng Chengyi frowned slightly, glancing at the hand he was still holding. "Why are you pulling me along?"

Chen Yubai: "It saves trouble."

"What's the point of saving me trouble? I'm not legless." She lightly shook off his hand.

Chen Yubai tightened his grip on her slender wrist: "Didn't you see someone asking for my WeChat? If I hold you, they won't even consider it."

"Oh, so you were using me to ward off unwanted suitors." Peng Chengyi paused in her actions.

Chen Yubai: "Your brain has finally come back to normal."

Peng Chengyi: "...So, have you played it before or not?"

Chen Yubai: "Think for yourself."

"Where am I supposed to find the answer?" Peng Chengyi twitched her lips speechlessly, but after taking a couple of steps, she actually remembered something.

She had just finished her middle school entrance exam, and among the bunch of Switch game cartridges that Chen Yubai bought based on online recommendations, this game seemed to be one of them.

However, she later focused all her attention on learning the guitar, so she never played it.

But buying the game was entirely her doing, she tricked him.

She didn't dare bring it up again and could only quietly change the subject: "Let's go play the claw machine again!"

The arcade has a lot of claw machines, arranged in three neat rows, with plush toys and figurines.

According to Peng Chengyi's experience, those two machines in the figurine set were a complete scam.

The hooks are so loose; last year they wasted over a hundred dollars on them and didn't catch a single one.

You might as well just go to a figurine shop and buy it.

So this year, after going around in circles, she finally set her sights on the Kirby plush toy that was placed closest to the hole.

"I think I should be able to catch it within three tries," Peng Cheng said confidently as he inserted a coin and started manipulating the joystick.

Chen Yubai observed for a moment: "I think you should grab the one behind it. Although it's farther away, its claws are easier to grab."

“What’s the use of being easier to catch? It’ll probably fall halfway anyway. It’s better to catch the one closer to the hole.” Peng Chengyi shook his head, but still managed to lower his claws and grab the one at the entrance of the hole.

However, the claws only scratched Kirby's round body once before rising up unharmed.

“…The angle is wrong, I’ll definitely succeed next time.” Peng Chengyi pursed her lips and bent down again to put in two coins.

After three attempts, Kirby remained motionless at the edge of the hole.

"Want to try the one further away?" Chen Yubai glanced at her.

“…Give it a try.” Peng Chengyi nodded slightly awkwardly.

This time, she finally managed to catch the Kirby, but after moving it only one step, it fell back down.

"I told you, even if we tried to catch this one, it would definitely fall halfway through."

Having regained some face, Peng Chengyi raised her face and looked at the boy beside her.

“You can’t just carry it to the cave entrance like that; you have to wag your claws and toss it in,” Chen Yubai said calmly.

"Oh." Peng Chengyi pursed his lips, recalling his past experiences playing the claw machine. "I'll try again."

As she spoke, she inserted another coin and went back into the game.

After two attempts, he still failed.

Seeing her pushing the Kirby further and further away, Chen Yubai couldn't help but say, "Let me do it."

"No, I want to grab it myself and wash away the shame of failing every year," Peng Chengyi said, refusing to let go of the joystick.

"Alright, you can continue." Chen Yubai shrugged and lazily stood back next to her.

After wasting another six coins, Peng Chengyi began to regret the harsh words she had just uttered.

Why should people go against their own money?

She glanced awkwardly at Chen Yubai beside her, wanting to suggest that he do it, but she was too embarrassed to do so.

In particular, he looked like he was watching a show, leisurely leaning against the claw machine.

She was even more embarrassed to ask.

He could only pretend nothing had happened and turn his gaze away, then resume operating the joystick.

But the instant she adjusted her position and pressed the button, his large, well-defined hand suddenly reached out from the side and covered the back of her hand.

Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, then turned her head and met the boy's sharply defined profile.

He didn't look at her, but just held her hand, staring at the claw falling into the claw machine, and said in a casual tone.

"Watch closely, I'll only teach you this once, and you're not allowed to tell anyone else."

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Author's Note: Saturday update is early! Surprised? Unexpected, right? [doge emoji with rose in hand] Comment and get a red envelope!

Thanks to saltyfish_doesn't_want_to_turn_over, uoow, 73403844, and 75981039 for the nutrient solution!