Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Ye Chuyang felt comfortable, his heart overflowing like a clear spring, from which a small stream flowed.

Ye Chuyang took out his phone and made a voice call.

"Want to grab a drink?"

There was a half-minute hesitation on the other end: "Okay."

"Then, see you at the usual place."

As Ye Chuyang went out, he could still hear conversations coming from Xiao Chao's door. However, Xiao Chao's voice had weakened considerably by now. He heard him say "I'm sorry, baby" and "It was my fault" several times.

He clicked his tongue inwardly with a sigh. Love is a cruel mistress; a wise man doesn't fall into its trap. Then, carrying his expensive wine and glasses, he stepped outside.

Shen Qingyuan didn't come up for more than ten minutes. She had taken a shower and changed into a light green plaid pajama set, short-sleeved shirt and long pants. Her hair was still wet and hung over her shoulders. She wore no makeup at all, her face completely bare.

He observed her expression. Nothing special, just like usual. Dr. Shen was remarkably composed, even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

Shen Qingyuan plopped down on the ground, looking exhausted, next to Ye Chuyang.

Compared to the first time the two of them drank on the rooftop, they naturally sat closer together. It was convenient for both drinking and talking.

Ye Chuyang handed him the empty wine glass, which Shen Qingyuan took.

The red wine had been aerated for a while, and Ye Chuyang poured a small half-glass into hers.

It rained in the afternoon, the air on the rooftop was fresh, and the rooftop was dry, so sitting on the ground wasn't damp.

Shen Qingyuan put the wine glass aside, supported herself with both hands on the ground, leaned back, and stretched her neck and waist.

The summer heat in the south is receding, and Ye Chuyang has been on set for about two months now.

It's only been two months, but spending every day together like this feels like we've known each other for a very long time. Like old friends, sitting side by side, enjoying the breeze, we don't feel awkward even in silence.

She had a slender figure, but her pajamas were rather shabby, with a style reminiscent of a female student. Ye Chuyang glanced at her, her eyes crinkling into a smile, before looking away.

"Dr. Sun is gone?" Ye Chuyang asked.

"They're gone."

With just two words, Ye Chuyang turned to look at her expression. It was indifferent, calm, and unfathomable. It didn't seem like she wanted to have a deep conversation.

He didn't dare to be too cocky; if he continued to ask, he might be seen as spying and offend Shen Qingyuan.

Ye Chuyang: "Oh... Shall we talk?"

Whether or not to talk is up to her.

Shen Qingyuan took a sip of red wine and savored it. It had a fruity aroma, which seemed quite pleasant and even delicious. She didn't know much about alcohol, and only started drinking a little when she was bored in the last few months.

She didn't answer for a long time, and Ye Chuyang thought the topic could be dropped.

"Dr. Sun introduced me to a pretty good job," she replied. "Maybe... I'll be back in Jicheng soon."

At most, it will take another month for Ye Chuyang's filming schedule.

His shoulders tensed, and his heart suddenly leaped into his throat.

"Shen Qingyuan...you're leaving? We signed a contract, you remember?"

Seeing how flustered he was, Shen Qingyuan smiled gently, sat up straight, and said slowly, "I don't know... things might change if we delay. I've heard that the current employment situation is quite pessimistic."

This is indeed a real problem. Sun Zhi said he would do his best, and he will. However, the last leg of a journey is the hardest; who knows what unexpected situations might arise?

After downing a small glass of wine, slightly tipsy, she tilted her head to look at him and smiled slyly: "Your health is recovering quite well now. How about, for the sake of our old classmate relationship, let me leave a couple of days earlier?"

"..."

In fact, Shen Qingyuan hadn't made up her mind. When Sun Zhi offered to introduce her to Beijing Private School, her first reaction was to refuse. She promised Sun Zhi she would consider it, but it wasn't something she could change her mind in just an hour or two.

But now, for some reason, I just want to tease him. It's like an adult playing a prank on a child, such as saying "Your mother doesn't want you anymore," and somehow it becomes malicious, making the child cry.

"All good things must come to an end. If it doesn't end today, it will end tomorrow," she said, turning her face away with a hint of melancholy.

What was this? A subtle rejection, or a ploy to get him to back down? Ye Chuyang considered his script comprehension to be quite good now, but Shen Qingyuan always seemed to be giving him new challenges.

"I don't care, it's always better to break up a day later. Besides..." he said, using a joking tone to mask his frustration, "You remember we agreed on a very expensive penalty for breaking the contract, right?"

Shen Qingyuan shrugged helplessly. "That's right."

"Dr. Sun seems to be a promising young man. I wonder if he'll help you pay?" His tone seemed to have a provocative undertone.

Shen Qingyuan: "Of course not. Dr. Sun and I have no relationship. Maybe we did before, but not anymore."

"Just because you're no longer a doctor, he doesn't want you anymore?" Ye Chuyang felt indignant on her behalf, understanding the implication in her words.

"That's not entirely true. It's more complicated. In short, Dr. Sun and I are not suited to continue our relationship."

It's strange, she inexplicably told him a lot, even revealing quite a bit about her emotional entanglement with Sun Zhi. She was indeed feeling a bit stifled.

I thought that after more than half a year, I would be able to process it all, but when we met again, I still felt a little depressed.

"Cheers. To celebrate your breakup."

"Thanks."

He laughed, and she laughed too. Ye Chuyang poured her a drink, and the two clinked glasses.

She rarely swore: "Fucked love."

Ye Chuyang retorted, "What a fucked-up youth."

"Maybe fate really does exist," Shen Qingyuan thought. "Damn fate." She struggled desperately, but still couldn't escape the clutches of misfortune.

The two met eyes, their gazes lingering on each other for a moment.

Ye Chuyang leaned forward slightly, and he could clearly see the moonlight shining on Shen Qingyuan's face. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked soft and fragile.

He suddenly became serious. "Shen Qingyuan, if you really want to go back to Jicheng to be a doctor, I'll let you go. But you have to come back to see me when you have time. For example... once every two weeks or once a month."

Shen Qingyuan was a little moved. What kind of camaraderie was this? Completely selfless and dedicated to others!

"Don't worry, I have a strong sense of contract. If I really want to leave, I'll wait until our contract expires!" she said.

He felt relieved for the time being and carefully put it away.

He sighed, then suddenly made up his mind and said, "That day on the mountaintop, I asked you if you could stay with me forever, Shen Qingyuan, and you still haven't answered me."

"Forever?" She laughed. "Until death do us part? You won't be injured forever, why would you need a doctor all the time?"

"Shen Qingyuan, you know what I'm talking about." His eyes flashed with an unusual light, almost staring at her intently.

Shen Qingyuan panicked for a moment, feeling the scorching gaze that forced her to answer. It seemed that it was time to bring things to a conclusion.

"Know...what?" Shen Qingyuan decided to play the ostrich for now.

"Shen Qingyuan, you can tell I like you and want to pursue you, right?"

Ye Chuyang was surprised at how fluently he had said it. He held his breath, clasped his hands together, and waited for the other person's reply.

Just like ten years ago, he was a boy full of hope and trepidation.

-

Ten years ago—

I had more contact with Yu Miaomiao, purely because of that year's Mid-Autumn Festival Gala.

Yu Miaomiao received excellent vocal training from a young age—although it was a small city, there were talents in various fields—and she had no objection to singing with Ye Chuyang.

The reason they had no objections was probably because the boy was really good-looking.

Because of such a simple and straightforward motive, this young lady actually agreed to go to the vocal music classroom after school to "guide" Ye Chuyang's pitch.

Ye Chuyang had no formal musical training; he only learned English in junior high school, and his family bought him a radio. He didn't listen to many English tapes, but he secretly bought quite a few pirated pop music tapes.

He has a good ear for music; after listening to a song a few times, he can basically hum it by himself. During breaks, it's always something like, "The cold, icy rain is slapping my face haphazardly," or "You're like an executioner who betrayed me"...

His deskmate listened to it so much back then that he was sick of it, but he still remembered it vividly years later.

Ye Chuyang may not be perfect in pitch, but he is certainly talented in the field of vocal music.

Yu Miaomiao imparted a portion of her vocal theory to Ye Chuyang, and about half a month before the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, she actually managed to get Ye Chuyang into the field.

As the saying goes, the master leads you through the door, but the practice is up to you. Yu Miaomiao could never have imagined that the "disciple" she trained would soar to great heights and become a hot star many years later.

During that time, Ye Chuyang and Yu Miaomiao were very close, always appearing in and out of the classroom together, which made the gossipy classmates envious and would occasionally make sarcastic remarks.

"Hey, the young couple is going to sing practice again! Keep it up, try your best to bring glory to the class!"

"Go to hell!" Yu Miaomiao glanced at Ye Chuyang, then turned her head to glare at the busybody, laughing and scolding shyly, her body trembling with joy.

Ye Chuyang kept a blank expression, glancing towards Shen Qingyuan. Thankfully, Shen Qingyuan was engrossed in her book. Judging by the distance, she probably couldn't hear him.

Later, he deliberately lingered for a while, leaving only after Miaomiao had left. He tried his best not to appear or disappear from public view at the same time as her.

As usual, Yu Miaomiao came running over as soon as the self-study period started to remind Ye Chuyang: "Ye Chuyang, we should go to rehearse."

Her voice was sweet and charming, very intriguing.

After practicing for a while, Lu Tong, the school's music teacher, would come to give guidance to the students participating in the gala whenever she had time. It turned out that Chenyang No. 2 Middle School also had a music teacher; Ye Chuyang wasn't in the arts class, so this was the first time she had met one.

"You're a good-looking young man. What's your name? Aren't you in the art class?"

Lu Tong had a good first impression of Ye Chuyang. She thought that although he had not received professional training, he had a rare good image and was likable. Moreover, he was generous and not pretentious.

Artistic foundation is one thing, but physical appearance is something that is difficult to achieve even with hard work—back then, it was relatively rare to make drastic changes to one's face.

Hard work pays off.

Ye Chuyang and Yu Miaomiao's duet performance at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala was a great success.

The song they chose had a great rhythm, the lyrics were inspiring, and the singers were handsome and beautiful, making it very motivating.

"Run with all your might, and your dream will reach the other side."

We want to travel the world.

Behold, miracles are happening right before your eyes.

...

I embrace the vast ocean in my heart.

Even the smallest sail can carry you far.

..."

The audience erupted in screams and thunderous applause from both boys and girls.

High school life is so tough. Everyone seems to be under immense pressure. Everyone tells them to work hard, that these three years of high school will determine their fate, and not to let down their teachers and parents...

Teenagers are still children, clueless about life, and afraid of messing things up.

Therefore, this song seems to resonate with everyone's innermost feelings. We have dreams, yet deeply feel our own insignificance; we have ambition, and sometimes feel we can conquer mountains and rivers...