Chapter 5: A Tug-of-War
In the early hours of the morning, fog enveloped the area under the fog bridge.
Xu Yuewei lay on her side on the bed, the dim light from the bedside lamp casting a hazy white shadow in her eyes, making the room exceptionally quiet.
Suddenly, a chair fell to the ground from upstairs, followed by a child's piercing wail, accompanied by indistinct words from adults that were either trying to stop or cursing, and the noise began to disturb the neighbors incessantly.
Listening to the noise upstairs, she suddenly remembered that she had been harassed by Jiang Shiyan in the same way in the very beginning.
At that time, high school had just started, and the academic workload had increased significantly. Her usual time to practice the piano was almost completely squeezed out, and she could only squeeze in time on weekends.
However, when the stirring piano music began overhead, it felt as if she had been struck by a wild bolt of lightning while standing by a mountain stream in the drizzling rain.
The heavy piano music completely drowned out her faint guqin playing. After enduring it twice, Xu Yuewei gritted her teeth, ran upstairs, and knocked on the door.
She knew who lived upstairs.
To be honest, if she hadn't been forced into it, she wouldn't have dared to mess with the most popular people at school.
Most teenage boys like to show off to some extent, but most of them end up making a fool of themselves.
But Jiang Shiyan is an exception, not only because he is good-looking.
It is said that his father was a violinist and his mother was an orchestra conductor, and he perfectly inherited his talent. In his first year of high school, he participated in a singing and songwriting variety show and fought his way from the audition to the finals.
The school was in an uproar. Everyone thought he was going to enter the entertainment industry and become a star. Familiar and unfamiliar classmates alike came to ask him for autographs, and Jiang Shiyan accepted everyone without hesitation.
Then she turned down the offer from her agency and went back to school, rendering her classmates' autographs worthless.
He exudes an innate, unconventional air, making it hard for anyone not to notice him.
Since it didn't concern her, she wasn't overly curious and just hoped to keep her distance from such people and complete her studies peacefully.
But she wasn't a pushover either. As the music continued, she kept knocking on the door until the very last note of the piece faded, at which point the door was finally opened.
Xu Yuewei touched her aching knuckles and explained her purpose.
Jiang Shiyan let out a drawn-out "Ah," then raised his eyebrows in surprise: "So the downstairs apartment has been rented out."
She couldn't stand it and retorted, "Yeah, senior, if you hadn't played so loudly, I wouldn't have known that someone lived upstairs."
Perhaps that remark offended him, because the piano music returned the following week as usual.
In their second encounter, Jiang Shiyan leaned against the doorframe, looking down at her.
“I put down soundproofing blankets, closed the windows, and stepped on a mute pedal. If you don’t believe me,” he raised his chin, a hint of impatience in his nonchalance, “come in and see for yourself?”
"I believe you, but could you wait until I finish playing one song before you play yours? Let's be fair and take turns, how about that?"
But then he showed that irritating look of surprise: "You play the piano too? I didn't hear you."
"..."
Xu Yuewei simply carried her violin from Lanyue Residence. When the violin music started upstairs again, she childishly stood on a chair and sawed wood at the ceiling until the music stopped. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
A few days later, she left for school early as usual and unexpectedly ran into Jiang Shiyan at that time.
He was straddling a bicycle, slowly putting on black short-finger gloves.
Her heart tightened, fearing he would cause trouble, so she quickly lowered her head and walked away, but he chased after her with a stomp.
Xu Yuewei took a big step to the side, but he turned the car around and followed her: "Didn't we want to negotiate?"
As they brushed past each other, he slipped a piece of paper into her hand without saying a word: "Next time, you should let me know first."
Xu Yuewei paused, looked down at the note, which had 11 digits on it, seemingly a phone number.
She looked up at his tall, straight back as he walked away, his loose school uniform billowing out the distance, and thought somewhat bewilderedly that he wasn't as bad as she had imagined.
...
The noise upstairs gradually subsided. Xu Yuewei turned over, lay flat on her back, and pulled the blanket up to cover her face.
Lack of oxygen in the blankets, she gradually lost consciousness and went limp.
Ten years have passed, and she no longer has the energy to engage in a tug-of-war with him.
*
She woke up again in the early morning. Due to her biological clock, this time, after getting drunk, she didn't stay in bed.
Xu Yuewei, still half asleep, reached for her phone, which was almost out of battery, and found several messages from Song Jinshu, but the tone was not that of her.
Hello, this is Chen Yanlang. Last night after returning home, Jinshu vomited incessantly and had a fever, developing acute gastroenteritis. I'm currently in the emergency room with her while she receives an IV drip. She's asleep now, so don't worry.
[I have a favor to ask. Her shop needs help, but I don't have time during the day, so I was wondering if it would be convenient for you? Please contact me as soon as you see this message. If not, I'll ask someone else. Thank you.]
The last message he sent was his contact number. Xu Yuewei dialed it, and it was answered quickly. The man's voice was hoarse with fatigue: "Hello."
"It's me. How is Jinshu?"
"It's okay, she's still sleeping."
"Sorry, I should have advised her to drink less... Of course, what do I need to do?"
After a brief exchange, Xu Yuewei agreed, then got out of bed in an orderly manner to wash up and go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
There happened to be some leftover rice in the refrigerator from yesterday, so she made fried rice with eggs and scooped out a small half bowl of fresh rice from the rice bag.
Fifteen minutes later, hearing the sound of table legs scraping the floor, Xu Yuewei walked to the glass sliding door and said, "Mom, wait a moment, I'm cooking porridge."
Ye Wanzhi never eats leftovers, and sure enough, she pushed the fried rice away with disgust.
She has deep-set eyes, but her dance background from her youth has kept her figure well-proportioned, and she sits with her back straight.
In the kitchen, the white porridge was bubbling away.
Ye Wanzhi didn't ask her what time she got back last night, and Xu Yuewei didn't ask why the housekeeper she hired was dishonest. Even though they both disapproved of each other's behavior, even this disapproval was a unique tacit understanding.
After finishing her meal, she washed the dishes, ironed the clothes that were drying on the balcony, took them in, made sure the air conditioner was set to a suitable temperature and humidity, slung her bag over her shoulder, and went out.
Her car was still parked near Nanyue Plaza, so she hailed a taxi. As soon as she got in, she told the driver, "Go to the one on Qingyao Road..."
Before he could finish speaking, the driver interrupted him: "Silver Bay City? I just came from there."
"……ah?"
The driver explained, "Oh, it seems there's a celebrity event at Silver Bay City today. I've already taken three fares, all from young girls like you. I thought you were one too."
"So early? The mall must have just opened?" she asked in surprise, then casually asked, "Which celebrity is it?"
"I don't know her either. I heard from them that her name is Meng Jiao."
The taxi headed towards the correct location, and Xu Yuewei looked through the glass at the street scene flowing against her.
When she stopped at the intersection of a commercial area, she saw a billboard with a female celebrity on it, looking exquisitely beautiful.
Xu Yuewei told the driver, "She is Meng Jiao."
The driver glanced at her, still uninterested, and said with a hint of sourness, "She can make millions just by taking a picture, right? How glamorous! Look at us ordinary folks."
"What's wrong with ordinary people? Labor is the most glorious thing."
The driver smiled but didn't say anything.
Xu Yuewei raised the corners of her mouth, wanting to smile, but she couldn't manage it.
She knew Meng Jiao before Meng Jiao became glamorous.
She also attended Wuqiao No. 1 High School and was the child of a friend of Jiang Shiyan's father.
Xu Yuewei was never jealous of Meng Jiao back then, because they seemed to be just ordinary friends, and having known each other for so long, if they were really interested in each other, they would have been together long ago.
So when she saw their rumors making it into the entertainment news, she still felt bad even though they had broken up.
A sense of loss mixed with surprise swept over her, and on that very day, she decisively set both names as blocked terms on social media.
But those at the top can never completely shield themselves from everything. Meng Jiao was like that, and so was he.
*
The taxi drove into a street near the university town. The road was a bit narrow, so Xu Yuewei told the driver to stop at the intersection instead of driving in.
She knew this area like the back of her hand; she often came here to eat and shop with her classmates and friends when she was in college.
Of course, I've also come here with Jiang Shiyan.
Xu Yuewei blinked lightly, forcing herself not to think about it.
She quickly found Song Jinshu's coffee shop. The storefront was simple, with the words "Mist Café" written in elegant cursive English. There was a decorative bicycle parked at the entrance, with its front basket filled with artificial flowers.
The door was locked. She waited a while, and soon an orange electric scooter sped up and stopped in front of her. A thin woman wearing a helmet looked her up and down: "You're the one..."
Xu Yuewei smiled and nodded, then gave her name.
The woman took off her helmet, laughed heartily, and unlocked the door: "You can just call me Xiao Han. I've heard about the situation. Come on, come on, I'll teach you."
Xiao Han is impatient, quick-witted, and speaks fast. She taps the screen so fast it's dizzying. Fortunately, Xu Yuewei has work experience and can pick it up quickly.
Xiao Han snapped his fingers in satisfaction and went to pack up the coffee-making equipment: "It's just me and Boss Song in the shop. We can't afford to lose either of us. I'm exhausted."
"Isn't there a pastry chef too?"
"That's from a supplier we signed with; they deliver the goods once a day."
Xu Yuewei nodded and glanced at the recruitment poster on the wall: "Haven't you hired anyone yet?"
Xiao Han shrugged with a laugh: "No, because Boss Song said she wanted to find an incredibly handsome guy, and I said she should just ask for a paper cutout and stick it on her face instead."
The two laughed together.
After laughing, Xu Yuewei tore off a discarded receipt: "Then can I help out not just today?"
After receiving news of Xu Shiheng's death, she quit her job and returned to Wuqiao.
She had hoped that now that the person who caused her pain was gone, she could return here and become a new person, but things didn't seem to go as planned.
Her relationship with Ye Wanzhi remained strained, and she even ran into her ex-boyfriend, seeing his glamorous current girlfriend.
During her time back, the feeling of "loss" has been reinforced every day. She desperately wants to grasp something and reconnect with this land as soon as possible.
Xiao Han said, "I have no objection, but don't you go to work?"
"I want to rest for a while first before we talk about it."
"That might not be possible as you wish; you simply won't get any rest."
Xiao Han is right. After a busy day, Xu Yuewei was so tired that her back ached.
A video of their store recently went viral, showing that the number of customers during the trial operation period was larger than expected. Xiao Han was in charge of drinks, and Xu Yuewei was in charge of baking pancakes and taking orders. They managed to stay afloat.
During a break, Xu Yuewei idly opened her WeChat Moments and scrolled down to see photos of yesterday's gathering posted by the teachers from the Qin Society.
The event took place in the open-air courtyard behind the qin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) hall. Participants wore Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), signed their names vertically on a scroll with a brush, and washed their hands with spring water before playing the qin.
My senior brother called it a small gathering, but it was quite well organized.
Her phone was in power-saving mode, and after a while without being touched, it suddenly went dark. Her expressionless face and the apron strap hanging on her shoulders were reflected in the black mirror.
Xu Yuewei looked down at the work uniform apron with the coffee shop logo on her body, unsure whether her decision was right or wrong. She just felt more comfortable being with Jin Shu and Xiao Han.
When you open the screen again, you see clear spring water gushing from a bamboo tube, and the slender, beautiful hands of a musician.
Xu Yuewei gave everyone a thumbs up, even the senior sister.
She played a match-3 game for a while when a WeChat message popped up from someone whose contact name was "Guanshan-Pan Mingxuan".
[Ms. Xu, could you please tell me your address?]
Xu Yuewei switched to the Candy Crush game and stared at the chat box where the other person was typing.
Pan Mingxuan sent a screenshot of a certain review page:
[This is a newly opened shop in Wuqiao. I had their pancakes there a few days ago, and they were quite delicious. Teacher Jiang said he ruined a box of your tea cakes and asked me to compensate you with some snacks. I don't know if you like them; if you do, I can arrange for them to be delivered to you within the city.]
Xu Yuewei remained frozen in place for a long time.
This kind of linking method is not what she wants.
Just then, an order came in. Xu Yuewei went to the kitchen to bake pancakes. After hesitating for a moment, she took a picture and sent it over.
Actually, this is a shop owned by my friend, and I've been helping her out recently.
After sending the message, my heart suddenly started racing.
It's nothing, she thought.
Labor is the most glorious thing.
A note from the author:
----------------------
The description has already been written, but I'll just say it again: the rumors are false. The female celebrity has her own on-screen couple, and she was actually a wingman for them.
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