Chapter 45. "Let's live a good life together, okay?"
It wasn't until Song Huai pressed his face against Bai Xiao's burning skin, his nose filled with Bai Xiao's scent, that he truly realized that his longing for Bai Xiao had seeped into his very bones and he couldn't shake it off.
After they finished, Bai Xiao was about to straighten up and carry Song Huai to the bathroom to clean up, but Song Huai clung tightly to his neck and refused to let go.
"Stop fooling around!" Bai Xiao's voice was still a little hoarse.
Song Huai still wouldn't let go. He nestled close to Bai Xiao's neck, inhaling his scent deeply, as if he were never satisfied.
Bai Xiao had no other choice but to pick up Song Huai in this position.
Upon arriving at the bathroom, Song Huai felt a little embarrassed thinking about what was about to happen. He pulled Bai Xiao towards the door, saying, "No... let's not clean up anymore, let's go home."
“Song Huai,” Bai Xiao stood rooted to the spot, helplessly saying, “If it’s not cleaned properly, it will get sick.”
Song Huai was both embarrassed and angry: "It's all your fault! You didn't even wear a condom!"
Bai Xiao spread his hands, looking aggrieved, and said, "Don't you even look where this is? How could there be something like this here?"
Song Huai was still furious, "Then why don't you usually prepare a few here..."
"I'm innocent!" Bai Xiao wanted to kneel on a durian to prove his loyalty immediately. "How was I supposed to know you'd come today? And why would I usually prepare these things?"
At first glance, Bai Xiao's words made a lot of sense, and Song Huai had no way to refute them.
Song Huai's face turned bright red. After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "Then you can go out. I'll do it myself."
"No way!" Bai Xiao couldn't let Song Huai do this himself. "I'll help you."
As he spoke, he began to turn on the water and adjust the temperature.
The next second, Song Huai shoved him out of the bathroom in no time, giving him no time to struggle, and slammed the door shut with a loud thud.
Bai Xiao stood frozen outside the door. The image of Song Huai, blushing like a flower bud, flashed through his mind again, and a wave of tenderness washed over him. He instructed the person inside, "Remember to clean carefully, and turn the hot water to the right!"
"I understand." After a long while, Song Huai's muffled voice finally came from the bathroom.
--
On the way home, Song Huai turned his head several times to look at Bai Xiao, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"Just say what's on your mind." Bai Xiao kept her eyes on the road while driving, but she had already caught Song Huai's subtle movements out of the corner of her eye.
"Um... Bai Xiao." Song Huai hesitated, unsure how to begin, as if he wanted to say something embarrassing. "Are you... about to lose your job?"
Song Huai had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time, but he hadn't found the opportunity to ask because he had been making a fuss with Bai Xiao in the office.
Bai Xiao hadn't expected that Song Huai had been holding back for so long just to ask such a cute question, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?" Song Huai frowned in displeasure. "I wasn't joking."
Bai Xiao forced herself to suppress her smile and said seriously, "Yeah, if I'm unlucky, I might lose my job."
Song Huai frowned even more. He thought to himself, just as the news said, Bai Xiao is probably not going to be the chairman.
He sighed deeply, looking worried: "You don't need to feel too much pressure. If you really lose your job, I can support you."
Bai Xiao raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"
“Over the past few years, I’ve written music for people, sold copyrights, and earned performance fees. All in all, I’ve made quite a bit of money,” Song Huai said earnestly, looking at Bai Xiao.
Bai Xiao originally wanted to tell Song Huai that even if he was no longer competent as chairman, he would still have shares in Bai's Group, and the annual dividends alone would be more than enough to support ten Song Huais.
But now, Bai Xiao changed his mind. He imagined it and thought that being supported by Song Huai and living off her didn't seem so bad.
"Alright, I'll be responsible for serving Mr. Song tea and water, washing dishes, and massaging his legs every day. Mr. Song, please don't abandon me!"
Song Huai patted his chest and assured him, "Sure!"
The moon hung high in the treetops, illuminating their path.
Looking out the window at the scenery rushing past, Song Huai suddenly realized something was wrong: "Bai Xiao, where are we going?"
"Go home."
Song Huai asked in confusion, "Didn't you want me to play the piano?"
Bai Xiao was puzzled. "That's right, there's a piano at home too."
“But…” Song Huai stopped midway through his sentence.
In an instant, Bai Xiao understood why Song Huai had said that.
He had only casually remarked that Song Huai shouldn't play the piano at home, but unexpectedly, Song Huai remembered it to this day—and indeed, Song Huai never played the piano at home again after that day.
For a moment, Bai Xiao felt a surge of remorse, his heart filled with regret. What on earth had he been thinking to treat Song Huai like that?
Each with their own thoughts, they fell silent.
Silence fell inside the car.
Just as Song Huai was about to get out of the car after it had pulled into the underground parking garage, Bai Xiao stopped him.
"Song Huai." Bai Xiao had been thinking for a long time and didn't know how to tell Song Huai about this. In the end, he could only bite the bullet and say, "I was confused at the time, which is why I said those things. Of course you can play that piano however you want... Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me, okay?"
Since Bai Xiao started speaking, Song Huai had been turning his head to the other side, and it was unclear what his expression was after hearing Bai Xiao's words.
Seeing that Song Huai remained silent, Bai Xiao quickly added, "I was really wrong. Actually, I was stunned that day. I was thinking, 'Did some immortal descend to earth and come to my house to play the piano? Otherwise, how could an ordinary person play such a beautiful piano?'"
Song Huai then turned to look at Bai Xiao, his eyes red-rimmed but a smile on his lips, "Alright, alright, I know, you're just getting more and more outrageous."
Song Huai finally spoke, and Bai Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He continued, "This isn't outrageous at all; it's the truth. I even feel like I was being modest..."
Several months later, Song Huai returned to the inconspicuous little room at the end of the second floor and saw the piano he had longed for again.
He stroked the instrument, his gaze as tender as a mother looking at her child.
"Bai Xiao," Song Huai asked, "where did you get this piano?"
"This..." Bai Xiao hesitated, unwilling to tell Xin Songhuai the answer.
However, in the end, Song Huai has the right and should know the true origin of this piano.
Bai Xiao swallowed hard and slowly opened her mouth: "This piano was the birthday gift that Song Boyu chose for you."
"What did you say?" Song Huai was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Bai Xiao.
Bai Xiao's voice was choked with emotion, "After he bought the zither, he left it with me for the time being, thinking he would give it to you on your birthday. He wanted to... give you a surprise."
Song Huai suddenly remembered that his younger brother had excitedly asked him to guess what birthday present he would give him. Song Huai guessed several times, but was wrong every time.
Seeing that he couldn't guess, Song Boyu seemed very happy. He smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll find out when the time comes."
Song Huai thought he would never receive a birthday gift from Song Boyu again in his life.
He stared blankly at the piano before him, tears streaming down his face, muttering to himself, "Why...why..."
Song Boyu was such a good person; he deserved to live a long and happy life, but why... did he end up like this?
"Song Huai! Song Huai!" Bai Xiao called out anxiously to Song Huai.
Song Huai's ears were ringing, and he could only stare at the piano and cry, as if he were isolated in another world, ignoring Bai Xiao's calls.
In a daze, he seemed to return to the days four years ago when he first learned of his brother's death. He didn't utter a single word for a whole month. Apart from attending his brother's funeral, he didn't even leave the house. During that month, he couldn't write a single note and spent his days in a daze. Even now, Song Huai has no recollection of what he did at home that month.
Bai Xiao knew that Song Huai would be heartbroken after learning the origin of the piano, but he did not expect Song Huai to react so strongly.
Bai Xiao called out several times, but Song Huai remained unresponsive, as if he had lost his mind. Bai Xiao was frantic with worry. He hugged Song Huai tightly from behind, resting his head on his shoulder, his voice trembling with uncontrollable sobs, "Song Huai, don't be like this. Bo Yu would never want to see you like this..."
In the warm embrace, Song Huai's consciousness gradually returned to reality.
"Bai Xiao, I don't have a younger brother anymore. I'll never have a younger brother again." After a long silence, Song Huaicai spoke softly, his calm words revealing a deep sense of helplessness.
Bai Xiao, also affected by Song Huai's emotions, fell into grief over Song Boyu's death.
Yes, that boy who was like a little sun always radiated warmth to those around him. It's so unfair that such a good person had to die in an accident at such a young age.
But Bai Xiao understood that the deceased was gone, and dwelling on the grief would not help; he had more important things to do right now.
Bai Xiao hugged Song Huai tightly, not wanting to loosen his grip for a moment. "Song Huai, but you still have me. Let's live together and make a good life for each other, okay?" He paused for a moment. "Your brother will be sad to see you so upset. You don't want Bo Yu to have to worry about you even in heaven, right?"
Upon hearing this, Song Huai slowly turned around to face Bai Xiao, his tears still streaming down his cheeks, his eyes swollen and red like two walnuts.
"Bai Xiao..." Song Huai buried his head in Bai Xiao's chest, his voice as soft as a kitten's.
Watching helplessly as Song Huai wiped his snot and tears all over his clothes, Bai Xiao smiled wryly and said, "Yes, I'm here."
Song Huai's tears seemed to never run dry. Although the current was not as turbulent as before, it still soaked a large part of Bai Xiao's shirt in no time.
Bai Xiao stroked Song Huai's back, letting him continue crying for a while, then suddenly said, "Song Huai."
Song Huai was still sobbing: "What's wrong?"
"Didn't you say you were going to play the piano for me?"
Song Huai: "..."
"You're not going to back out, are you?"
Song Huai wiped away his tears, and Bai Xiao's clothes were soaked with tears all over his shoulders. "I'll play it for you."
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