Chapter 51 Five-Hour Call Duration: Five hours.
After seeing He Xintu off, Liang Yizhi sat on the sofa for a few minutes to calm down.
The reason she promptly rejected He Xintu was simply because she remembered what He Man had told her.
—Take control of the situation.
Although she had feelings for He Xintu and didn't dislike his kiss, some of his actions still made her very uncomfortable.
She doesn't want to be led by the nose by the other person, no matter what relationship she's in.
Seeing the guitar in the corner, she recalled the scene of standing there with He Xintu just now, and felt annoyed. She went over and put the guitar back in its case.
She treats musical instruments as her own children; they are not just cold, lifeless wood, but vessels for her soul.
She touched the wooden soundboard of the guitar, silently lamenting in her heart:
You were almost slighted along with them.
She would be very sad if she really gave it to someone who couldn't cherish it.
-
The next day, Liang Yizhi went to help He Man move.
Due to a job change, He Man decided to cut costs and moved to a more suburban location with lower rent.
He Man said, "I don't know how long I plan to rest. My savings are limited, so I'll have to be frugal for now. My parents don't know I've secretly quit."
Liang Yizhi took the initiative to ask, "Then you can come and stay at my house, which will save you some rent."
“Little sister,” He Man laughed heartily on the other end of the phone, “it’s not very convenient. You wouldn’t want to come home to find strangers, would you?”
He Man pointed out to her: "I do know a little about the nuances in this regard."
Liang Yizhi didn't mind; even if He Man brought someone home, it could only be a girl. But He Man seemed to have guessed her thoughts and added:
"Even if you agree, I still won't agree. What if you bring a guy home one day and I don't like him? I'm afraid I'll yell at him until he cries, and that will ruin your relationship."
Liang Yizhi was amused by her words.
To be fair, her friends always manage to maintain a good sense of propriety, which is probably why they have been able to maintain their friendship for so long.
However, she thought the same way about Gu Yinyan before that incident.
Liang Yizhi has been deliberately reducing her meetings with Gu Yinyan recently, trying to make it less obvious than before.
She still talked to him and joked with him as usual. However, the jokes were only about the matter at hand and not about him personally.
Just like any other ordinary friend.
On moving day, He Man called Lalamove to move her belongings. Like Liang Yizhi, she was a maximalist, and her house was piled with many small items sent by brands or partners. It was too much work for her to unpack them all by herself.
They sat in the middle of a pile of cardboard boxes, sorting the larger items first, then the smaller ones.
In the December weather, they were so busy indoors that they were covered in sweat, their feet barely touching the ground, because they were so crowded that they couldn't even touch the ground.
Wearing a mask, He Man apologized, "You've worked so hard, Yizhi. Gu Yinyan and Jiang Huai are really getting off easy! They should have been the ones doing the hard labor."
Liang Yizhi knew that Jiang Huai couldn't come to help because he was injured, but she didn't know why Gu Yinyan didn't come.
Liang Yizhi remained silent, asking no further questions, and focused on organizing the contents of the cardboard box.
He Man pushed an empty box over: "Yizhi, if you see any products or gadgets here that interest you, pack them all in and take them with you. Don't be shy."
Liang Yizhi clicked her tongue: "This box is too big, I don't think I need it."
He Man's attitude was uncompromising: "No, you can only leave when the container is full!"
Liang Yizhi couldn't argue with her, so she just picked out a few items and put them in.
After the basic tidying up was completed, the house finally began to take shape.
The two lay sprawled out on the unmade bed, completely exhausted, and decided to order takeout.
While eating, He Man asked Liang Yizhi, "By the way, Gu Yinyan's birthday is in half a month. Have you thought about what to give him?"
Liang Yizhi slowed down her chewing.
Even without He Man's reminder, she had always remembered this day. This year, she was especially careful about what gift to give Gu Yinyan.
Firstly, she had given Gu Yinyan many gifts, and the range of choices was narrowing each time; secondly, she wanted to avoid gifts with ambiguous attributes, such as perfume and ties, which were too personal and easily labeled as ambiguous, so she excluded them all.
Choosing a gift based on someone else's preferences and imagining their reaction with anticipation is a very happy thing.
Liang Yizhi had never had such a troublesome experience.
Liang Yizhi said, "I haven't decided what to give you yet, what about you?"
He Man said, "Red wine? I've already bought it."
Liang Yizhi asked, "Isn't this too business-like?"
“That’s Burgundy! I’m reluctant to give it to my clients,” He Man said. “Although it’s a bit of a headache, he has helped me a lot in the past year. Besides, we’re so close, it doesn’t matter what I give him, as long as it’s the thought that counts.”
Liang Yizhi thought this made sense.
Right, it's just a gift. We give it every year, so why go to so much trouble to make it seem like she values it so much?
He Man planned, "I'll give this wine to him when he comes back from America in a while."
When she heard the word "America," Liang Yizhi paused.
Liang Yizhi: "He went back to America?"
“You didn’t know?” He Man asked in surprise. “He flew in last Thursday. I saw him that day, and he told me.”
Liang Yizhi recalled that the day they briefly met at the entrance of the concert hall was a Wednesday.
So, did he specifically make time to see her?
Liang Yizhi pressed on, "What did he go to America for?"
"Going home, what else could he do? But apparently his grandfather is unwell and wanted to see him, so he was called back at the last minute."
Liang Yizhi remained silent.
He Man noticed her worry, patted her head, and said, "Don't overthink it, it's nothing serious. Even if something does happen, Gu Yinyan can handle it better than we can. Relax."
After helping He Man move, Liang Yizhi took a bath.
After a long day of fatigue, blood vessels dilate, and muscle fatigue is effectively relieved.
After leaving the bathroom, she lay down on the bed and took out her phone to check the time.
It's past ten o'clock.
She did the math and realized it was morning in New York.
She scrolled through the WeChat groups, but there were no new messages.
I wonder what the situation is like on Gu Yinyan's side.
Although they were close to Gu Yinyan, they also had a general understanding of the complex relationships within his family.
She was well aware that Gu Yinyan had a bad relationship with his parents. She also knew that Gu Yinyan didn't really care about the family's troubles, but he couldn't escape his responsibilities as a descendant.
Grandpa Gu is the backbone of the entire family. If something happens to him, there will surely be some turmoil, and he will inevitably be affected.
I'm curious to know how he is doing now.
Anyway, it's perfectly normal to inquire about his return to the US as a friend.
Thinking about it, Liang Yizhi's fingers automatically opened the group chat, tagged Gu Yinyan, and asked, "Have you gone back to America? How is it there?"
She looked at the screen and nodded.
The correct and reasonable way to show concern.
After waiting a few minutes without any new replies, Liang Yizhi switched to another app and browsed social media for a while.
Just then, a phone call came in.
Liang Yizhi didn't want to answer. After a minute, the call ended, but then it came back in.
The continuous vibrations made her hands numb before Liang Yizhi finally answered the call:
"Hello."
Gu Yinyan: "What are you doing?"
Liang Yizhi replied, "I was surfing the internet when you interrupted me."
"So that means you have your phone right now, saw my call, and are deliberately not answering?"
"..."
Some facts don't actually need to be said.
Liang Yizhi paused for a few seconds, then asked, "How are things at your place?"
On the other end of the phone, the howling wind gradually subsided, and Gu Yinyan's voice became clearer in the receiver. Due to the sound quality, his voice sounded like it was mixed with fine sand, giving it a slightly hoarse tone.
He said, "It's nothing serious."
“My grandfather is in the ICU. Before he fell into a coma, he said he wanted to see me, so I rushed over to be with him.”
Gu Yinyan's grandfather has been lying in the hospital for many years, and his condition has been maintained only by the use of medical equipment and 24-hour care.
Liang Yizhi then asked, "Is your grandfather awake now?"
"I just woke up," Gu Yinyan explained, "which is why I didn't reply to your message earlier."
"Quite a coincidence." His voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement. "He woke up right after you sent him the message."
It felt as if a gust of air rushed past Liang Yizhi's ear.
She felt relieved and even had the leisure to joke: "It's good that you're alright. Shouldn't we take credit for my news?"
The person on the other end calmly clarified, "I didn't say that."
"I'll post a few more messages later to help Grandpa recover faster."
After Liang Yizhi finished speaking, she heard a few soft breaths, which were Gu Yinyan's laughter.
He said, "Liang Yizhi, I didn't tell you I was going back to the United States."
Are you worried about me?
Liang Yizhi's heart felt like it was wrapped with a rubber band, sometimes loose and sometimes tight.
Because they've been separated for a long time, she hadn't had a relaxed moment like this with Gu Yinyan, chatting and joking around. It felt like she had returned to a peaceful atmosphere.
But when he suddenly became straightforward, she felt as if she were wrapped in a thin rubber band, and her whole body tensed up.
She didn't speak.
The two of them listened quietly through the receiver, their breaths muffled by the faint ambient noise.
Gu Yinyan said, "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
“What… to ask?” Liang Yizhi thought slowly.
"Ask a few more."
Gu Yinyan said, "I want to hear it."
Liang Yizhi bit her lip.
Want to hear it?
What are you listening to?
Listen to her concern and her curiosity about him; listen to her late-night overseas calls that turned into casual conversation; listen to her soft, weightless voice as she lay in bed.
Liang Yizhi lay there, phone to her ear: "What time is it where you are?"
"It's 10:30 in the morning," Gu Yin said. "It should be midnight back home by now."
"Hmm," Liang Yizhi said, "It's very late."
Why aren't you asleep yet?
"I helped He Man move all day, I'm exhausted. I just finished showering and was about to go to sleep, and then..."
At this point, Liang Yizhi stopped again.
Gu Yinyan tacitly helped her continue: "You just remembered me?"
Liang Yizhi remained silent.
Even though no one was watching her, she still touched her face and tried to sound serious: "Gu Yinyan, don't be so narcissistic, or I'll hang up."
"Okay," he replied cooperatively. "Then tell me what you did today?"
"Today?" Liang Yizhi recalled.
A nightlight was on in the room, casting a soft yellow glow, filling the entire bedroom with a sweet and warm atmosphere.
She lay on the soft bed, her hands supporting her head, on her side, her eyes closed, slowly speaking to the person on the phone beside her.
"I called my mom this morning, and she said she's planning to go on a trip with my dad after the New Year, and she's not taking me with her again..."
"I went to He Man's house this afternoon to help her pack. The two of us packed a total of eight boxes. I also borrowed some cosmetics from her; I don't know if they're any good."
"Oh, by the way, when I passed by the community garden on my way home, I saw that our community's mother cat had given birth to three kittens, and they were all nestled in her arms nursing. I gave them an old blanket, some food, and water."
"This winter is so cold, I wonder if they can make it through the winter..."
As Liang Yizhi spoke, her tone grew softer and softer.
In the end, her lips moved but her mouth couldn't open properly, and she drifted off to sleep.
...
The next morning.
She turned off the alarm, turned on her phone, and saw the five-hour phone call she had with Gu Yinyan the day before.
Liang Yizhi was slightly taken aback.
Where did this five-plus hours come from...? Didn't he hang up? No wonder her phone was dead.
I don't know if she snored or talked in her sleep last night.
After a brief moment of confusion, Liang Yizhi washed up and went to the orchestra for rehearsal with her violin.
The orchestra's schedule was always planned out, and in addition, she wanted to practice in advance the pieces she would be playing with Hoss a month from now.
Therefore, time has become extremely tight recently.
On Friday, after the orchestra's performance, the theater prepared some food and snacks for everyone, and people rushed to the long table to eat.
Liang Yizhi didn't go over; instead, she discussed with Shi Ruocheng the repertoire for the upcoming chamber trio and some details regarding their coordination.
Wu You came over, holding a small cake, and squeezed between the two of them: "It's so nice to have an exchange between top artists. I really want to join you."
She handed each of them a piece of cake. "Can this be considered tuition?"
Liang Yizhi accepted the "bribe": "Don't exaggerate, I can't bear the title. Let Brother Shi have this name."
Shi Ruocheng rubbed the back of Wu You's round head: "That's not how it is, Wu You, you're very capable too."
"I was just kidding, don't take it seriously." Wu You patted his shoulder.
The three of them left together through the exit.
Liang Yizhi asked, "I've noticed that you've been traveling together these past few days, haven't you?"
Wu You twirled the car keys in her hand: "It's on my way, want a ride?"
"Speaking of which, it seems like it's been a while since I've seen your friend. Has he been to any concerts lately?"
Liang Yizhi wasn't quite sure; as far as she knew, Gu Yinyan was probably still in the United States and hadn't returned.
She said, "He has something to do. I'll have to interrupt your time together today, is that alright?"
Shi Ruocheng straightened his posture and said, "If anyone should be disturbing you, it should be me."
"Brother Shi, don't be so serious. This is the thing you should change the most."
As Wu You spoke, the three of them walked out of the front hall.
Wu You had excellent eyesight and immediately spotted a man and a woman standing in the dark night in the distance.
She pulled Liang Yizhi along, slowing her pace to examine the object more closely.
Only after confirming she hadn't mistaken the person did she dare to ask:
"Yizhi, look over there, is that your friend?"
Liang Yizhi looked in the direction she pointed.
Beside the slender, upright man, stood a tall, graceful figure. The two stood together, like two drops of ink about to merge in the night, even their silhouettes complementing each other perfectly.
Her heart sank.
He resisted the urge to pick up his phone and ask Gu Yinyan.
When did he get back?
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