Make it clear
The buses were especially crowded on the weekend. Even though Yu Xi ran as fast as she could after the bell rang and rushed out of the school gate before the crowd, she still couldn't get an empty seat.
She glanced down at the map app on her phone, which showed that it was 13 stops away from her destination. As she closed her eyes, she silently grumbled about how long the journey was.
"Yu Xi, you run so fast, I can't keep up with you." After the 'beep' of a card swipe notification sounded, Yu Xi's deskmate weaved through the crowd and squeezed in front of her.
Yu Xi looked in the direction of the sound and saw that she was wearing her backpack with it facing forward, the backpack was so full that the zipper was taut.
"That's rare, you bring so many books home with you on the weekend."
My deskmate smiled mysteriously, "No, no, no, these are all things I need to go see Meng Chou's piano competition. How could I possibly take so many books back?"
"Even if I brought it back on a whim, I definitely wouldn't even glance at it."
Yu Xi smiled and agreed, "We're already tired from school, so we should get some rest when we get back."
"Look at this." She said, struggling to unzip her tightly closed backpack, and took out a small piece of white cloth. She lifted the two corners...
With their combined efforts, the white cloth was unfurled, revealing the words, "Go, Meng Chou, the Universe's Super Invincible Academic Genius Handsome Guy!"
My deskmate said proudly, "I prepared this in advance by hiding from the classroom surveillance cameras and drawing it over the entire evening study session."
"How about it? Pretty cool, right?"
Yu Xi's lips twitched slightly. The large, crooked, cartoon-style graffiti characters covered the entire white cloth, and the colorful characters were indeed eye-catching. Passengers on the bus all looked at the two of them.
Yu Xi noticed the subtle gazes and silently lowered her hand that was gripping the corner of the cloth.
Her deskmate noticed her actions, tilted his head, and asked in confusion, "Little Fish, isn't this pretty? Isn't it cool?"
Before Yu Xi could answer, she continued, "I think this will definitely be the most eye-catching thing in the whole place. Meng Chou will definitely be able to see it at a glance when he's on stage."
"I don't think these things can be displayed at the competition venue, right?" Yu Xi whispered a reminder.
His deskmate suddenly realized something, slapped his forehead, and said, "Oh right, I forgot, this isn't a concert, it's a competition."
She dejectedly packed her backpack and plunged into the space filled with snacks and a camera. "I brought so much good food, but I definitely won't be able to eat anything once I'm inside."
"It's okay, we can give it to them after their competition."
"That's true." Her deskmate's mood improved quickly, and she immediately turned her attention to her. "Who do you think will advance?"
Yu Xi naturally knew that she was referring to Meng Chou and Meng Yun. Their piano playing skills were about the same, and they couldn't tell who was better when they practiced in the music room in the past.
The champion of today's competition is truly something to look forward to.
Yu Xi straightened her backpack strap, and the Kitty doll hanging from the zipper swayed slightly with her movements. After a while, she finally spoke, "I think if I had also learned to play the piano, the championship would definitely have been mine."
Her deskmate laughed, "Hahaha, that's right. Who told our little fish to be such a beautiful and talented girl? She gets good grades and learns things so quickly."
During their conversation, passengers gradually arrived at their stops and got off. Finally, an empty seat appeared, and the two, whose feet were aching from standing, were relieved.
The street scenes outside the car window flashed by, and the relaxed joy of the weekend was clearly visible on everyone's face. There was no traffic congestion during rush hour, and there were very few cars. However, there were more people in the shops on the street than usual.
In a moment of blankness, Yu Xi recalled the promise she made with Meng Yun in the hospital room.
Meng Yun quietly peeled an apple, the morning light shining through the glass window onto him, as if the young man was enveloped in an orange-yellow halo, making his facial features appear even more defined.
His slender, fair fingers deftly gripped the fruit knife, and in no time the apple was peeled in his hands. He deftly cut a small piece and held it to Yu Xi's lips.
Yu Xi tried to take it, but he refused, saying, "You're still on an IV drip, it's inconvenient for you. I'll give it to you."
As Meng Yun spoke, Yu Xi was about to speak when he stuffed a crisp, sweet apple into his mouth. His cool fingers inadvertently touched the corner of Yu Xi's burning lips, and the latter's cheeks immediately flushed red, a heat slowly rising within him.
She chewed the apple somewhat awkwardly, the sweet juice instantly enveloping her taste buds, which lessened her restless mood.
Meng Yun seemed to have anticipated this. As she lowered her head, she smiled from an angle that Meng Yun couldn't see. When they met eyes again, she put on an innocent expression as if nothing had happened.
"I'll get you a glass of water." He said, pulling out a chair and getting up. He had chosen this spot in advance; the sunlight would shine right on him, and from this angle, his every move would be perfectly displayed.
Intentionally created intimate contact will inevitably make a girl blush and be moved for a moment.
He is not Meng Chou. What he wants, he will do, even if it takes a lot of effort and everything he has to get it.
"I've already ordered breakfast for you, some yam porridge and steamed eggs." As Meng Yun spoke, he placed warm water on the bedside table. There was a knock on the ward door, and he turned around to open it.
When he returned, Yu Xi saw him carrying large bags of things. "Eat something light to soothe your stomach. I also bought some nutritional supplements for you, and a few books in case you got bored."
This was the first time Yu Xi had been treated with such meticulous care as a patient. She kept saying thank you and was a little overwhelmed for a moment.
This was a treatment she had never received before; she realized what it felt like to be taken care of so attentively.
Yu Xi was somewhat touched. Watching him bustling around, she patted the empty seat next to her and said, "Okay, there's enough delicious food for the two of us."
As she spoke, she set up a small table on the hospital bed, opened the food that Meng Yun had brought, and placed it on the table.
Seeing this, Meng Yun smiled gently, put down what she was holding, and sat down next to Yu Xi, taking the yam porridge that Yu Xi handed her. "I'll take care of it."
"I hope that Xiaoyu will cheer for me alone in the piano competition. That's my request."
Yu Xi paused, her hand holding the spoon still, and looked up at him intently. "Is that all you ask?"
Meng Yun responded with a smile, "Yes, I've been preparing for this competition for a long time, and I just wanted someone to cheer me on."
“Okay.” Yu Xi swallowed a big mouthful of yam porridge and agreed without thinking.
—
Before the competition, the contestants were preparing to go on stage in the lounge behind the curtain. Some were still practicing the pieces by memorizing them and playing them in the air; some were looking at the sheet music again and again; and some were so nervous that they went to the toilet and came back again and again.
In contrast, Meng Yun was relaxed and confident, wearing headphones and looking at her phone.
This made Meng Chou, who was still seriously preparing for the competition, glance at him without realizing it. Looking at him through the makeup mirror, he saw him smiling contentedly and couldn't help but look at him a few more times out of curiosity.
Meng Yun had anticipated this; he had staged this performance to attract Meng Chou's attention. He smiled, got up, and walked to Meng Chou's side.
In the large lounge, everyone was busy with their own things, and no one paid any attention to anything unimportant. Meng Yun took advantage of this and reverted to her original self in front of others.
"Brother, are you curious about what I'm listening to?" Meng Yun took off one earphone and handed it to him.
Meng Chou didn't look up at him, but kept flipping through the sheet music, and said indifferently, "Not interested."
Meng Yun laughed freely, "Is it only things about her that can pique your interest, brother?"
He casually put away his phone in front of Meng Chou, saying, "What I wanted you to see was something about her."
On the day Yu Xi was hospitalized, Meng Chou was scolded by his father and was unable to get leave. By the time he arrived at the hospital on his day off, Yu Xi had already left.
These days, Meng Yun has successfully skipped classes under the pretext of going out to practice piano, and visits Yu Xi at the same time every day.
Meng Yun's words further fueled Meng Chou's desire to find out more.
"Brother, look." Before he could react, Meng Yun put the earphones on him and played the video. "This is a video she recorded to cheer me on."
On the phone screen, Yu Xi, wearing a hospital gown, looked much better than when he had seen her that day. Her long hair was casually half-tied up, and she was energetically shouting at the screen, "Meng Yun, keep going! Believe in yourself! Go go go!"
Yu Xi's encouraging voice echoed in Meng Chou's mind again and again as the video played. Even though it was only a video of less than a minute, it was enough to ignite his anger.
The sheet music was gripped so tightly by his deeply embedded fingertips that it became wrinkled and deformed.
His face remained calm and composed, showing no emotion whatsoever.
"It's just a video to cheer you on, what's the big deal?" Meng Chou said bluntly.
Seeing his expression, Meng Yun walked behind him, put her hands on his shoulders, and whispered in his ear with a cold smile, "Brother, the person you like, I like too. What should we do?"
"Haven't you taken enough of what belongs to me?!" Meng Chou glared at him, unwilling to lose an inch in terms of momentum. "But you won't understand that love doesn't change easily, much less be taken away so casually."
Meng Yun said confidently, "Okay, let's wait and see whether she chooses you or me in the end."
Meng Chou didn't say anything more. Just then, the host on stage announced that the next contestant was Meng Yun, who was led off the stage by the staff in the dressing room.
Before long, Bach's Goldberg Variations came from the stage. The elegant piano music, with its gentle undulations, was played. Meng Yun's control of polyphony and ornamentation was perfect and skillful. As soon as the fingertips of the person on stage touched a key, the hearts of the audience below were captivated and moved, as if they were on a calm sea that could be stirred up at any time.
Meng Chou knew the difficulty of this piece; it was undoubtedly the crown jewel of Baroque keyboard art.
The entire hour-long performance, culminating in thunderous applause at the curtain call, was proof enough of the music's captivating power over the audience.
The judges exchanged glances, quite pleased with the young man on stage. He was the only contestant so far in the competition whose talent was so compelling.
The twenty-minute halftime break flew by, and when Meng Chou came on, Meng Yun said with a smug look on his face, "Brother, this time first place will definitely be mine."
"She will be mine too."
Meng Chou smiled as he straightened his suit jacket. "The former is yours, but don't even think about the latter, it's impossible!"
Meng Yun stared at his departing figure, her expression unreadable.
"Today, I will not play any famous pieces. I think this piece is the eternal masterpiece in my heart!" Meng Chou's first words after taking the stage caused an uproar.
It's just an ordinary piece of music. How can it compete with opponents who have prepared for a long time? It doesn't showcase any talent, so the score won't be high, and it's naturally out of reach for first place.
Standing below the stage, Meng's father, exuding authority without anger, said in a deep voice, "Nonsense!"
However, Meng Chou ignored the warning in his father's eyes and calmly prepared. The moment the first note was played, Yu Xi's heart tightened.
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