Chapter 22 Butterfly
Rumors about Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou quickly spread throughout the school. For high school students who had nothing to do but study, gossip in their spare time was a spice in their boring lives. Jiang Jizhou was also a popular figure at Nancheng No. 1 High School, so naturally, he was the subject of a lot of discussion.
Yu Bai rejected Jiang Jizhou.
"Really? You must be kidding me. It's always Jiang Jizhou who rejects others, and... he likes Yu Bai?"
“We were all on the playground at the time, and we saw it with our own eyes. Jiang Jizhou sang a love song to Yu Bai, and then Yu Bai ran away.”
"Jiang Jizhou has such poor judgment?"
"Yu Bai is such a deaf man, so ungrateful. Now all those who chased Jiang Jizhou are probably heartbroken. Just wait and see what happens."
After a burst of laughter, the bathroom returned to silence. Yu Bai pushed open the door and came out of the stall, his face in the mirror was deathly pale.
Yu Bai stood there stunned for a long time before turning on the tap, scooping up a handful of water and splashing it on her face. The water mingled with her tears, and the cool water slowly brought her back to her senses.
Yes, she's just deaf. Without hearing aids, her left ear is practically deaf.
With an insecure and conflicted personality, Yu Bai couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. She was serious about everything, but when it came to herself, she felt that she was not worthy of being liked at all.
Even his biological mother, Ms. Yu, told Yu Bai from a young age, "Yu Bai, can you change your personality? You already have hearing problems, and with such a bad personality, who would want to play with you? Instead of being bullied, you should reflect on yourself and find the problem within yourself."
Yu Bai closed her eyes. When she first arrived in Nancheng, she was bullied and timid. When she was plunged into darkness again, it was Jiang Jizhou who saved her and made her feel the light.
From that moment on, she secretly kept Jiang Jizhou in her heart, never hoping that Jiang Jizhou would like her back.
They're right. Yu Bai herself also felt that she wasn't good enough for Jiang Jizhou.
As Yu Bai came out of the restroom and went down the teaching building, she saw Jiang Jizhou standing by the flower bed waiting for her. Jiang Jizhou was still wearing a black coat, looking handsome and dashing.
Yu Bai took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and walked over.
"Go home."
The two walked side by side out of the campus.
It was late autumn, and Yu Bai, being frail, was dressed very warmly. She wore a thick white coat over her sweater and a pink and white scarf, with half of her face covered by the scarf, looking very cute with her furry face.
Jiang Jizhou looked at her, his peach blossom eyes filled with a doting smile. After a moment, he awkwardly looked away and said to Yu Bai, "Do you know what day November 20th is?"
"Hmm," Yu Bai said in a muffled voice, his head lowered.
November 20th is Jiang Jizhou's 18th birthday.
Jiang Jizhou smiled and said, "When you have a party at home that day, you should invite your friends too."
Her friend? Yu Bai thought for a moment, and realized that it was only Ming Jing.
Yu Bai bit her lower lip, gave a soft "hmm," and said nothing more.
Jiang Jizhou turned his head and gazed quietly at Yu Bai, whose eyes were red as if she had just been crying.
Noticing Jiang Jizhou's gaze, Yu Bai tried to look away, but Jiang Jizhou stared at her intently. "Has someone bullied you?"
Yu Bai shook his head. "No."
"If anyone bullies you, you must tell me." Jiang Jizhou rubbed her head.
Yu Bai nodded.
Just then, a group of students walked past them; they were younger students from lower grades.
A girl called out to Jiang Jizhou in a clear voice, "Senior, can we invite friends to the party? Many people want to celebrate your birthday."
The boy next to him laughed, "Yeah, Brother Zhou, I'd like to have a friendly match with you."
Jiang Jizhou smiled casually, "Okay, come on over."
Upon hearing this, the girl let out a clear, bell-like laugh, "Thank you, senior!"
Amidst laughter, they walked further and further away.
Yu Bai stood awkwardly to the side like an outsider, waiting for them to leave before looking up at Jiang Jizhou and seeing the smile still lingering in his eyes.
"You're so popular, Jiang Jizhou," Yu Bai said, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Jiang Jizhou raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile, "You don't welcome me, and you even left me alone on the playground."
Mentioning this, Yu Bai lowered her head in embarrassment, her face flushed, and her heart ached even more. She hadn't just abandoned Jiang Jizhou on the playground; she had banished herself from his world.
“I’ll forgive you this time, but if…” Jiang Jizhou paused, “you play me a piece of music on my birthday.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Bai looked up abruptly. How did he know that he could play the piano?
When she was a child, Ms. Yu made her play the piano in order to cultivate her socialite temperament. She spent most of her time playing the piano every day. After the piano teacher got off work, Ms. Yu would personally supervise her. If she lost focus, Ms. Yu would scold her.
Although she was initially forced to, Yu Bai gradually fell in love with the piano. Already isolated at school, she regarded the piano as her only friend. However, when she was in her second year of high school, Ms. Yu ordered her not to touch the piano anymore, citing the importance of her studies.
Yu Bai's eyes were a little red. She said to Jiang Jizhou, "I haven't played for a long time."
"It's okay, we have a piano at home, you can practice first."
Yu Bai gripped the backpack strap tightly and said timidly, "I don't dare. What if I don't play it well?"
She hadn't played in a long time and wasn't confident to begin with. Moreover, playing this at Jiang Jizhou's birthday party might be used against her by someone with ulterior motives. She felt terrible thinking about what she had overheard in the bathroom.
"It's alright, who dares to say anything?" Jiang Jizhou sighed softly. "There's no need to care so much about what others think. Just follow your heart and do your best. Bye-bye."
"Just like you, who remained silent but achieved first place in your grade through your own efforts; even though you were bullied and witnessed darkness, you still have a kind and gentle heart. What traps you is not those despicable people and things, but your vulnerable heart."
Yu Bai looked up and met Jiang Jizhou's gaze. His eyes held only pure encouragement and affection, and Yu Bai seemed to draw strength from them, just like when he told her she walked very well when they marched in formation at the school sports meet.
She lowered her head. "Thank you, Jiang Jizhou."
A gentle autumn breeze blew, and yellowing ginkgo leaves drifted down onto Yu Bai's head.
Jiang Jizhou gently removed the leaves, stacked them with the ginkgo leaf branch as the center line, tied the ginkgo leaf branch into a knot, and finally separated the two halves of the stacked leaves, creating a delicate golden butterfly that came to life.
"Yu Bai, have you ever thought that you are actually a butterfly emerging from its cocoon?"
Jiang Jizhou spoke earnestly, the butterfly perched on his slender, pale fingertip, as if it would flutter into the sky at any moment.
He gave the butterfly to Yu Bai.
Another gust of biting autumn wind blew by, and countless ginkgo leaves fluttered in the air, like thousands of butterflies flying lightly.
-
Yu Bai started practicing piano every day after school, and Jiang Jizhou would often accompany her.
Beautiful music flowed through the room. Jiang Jizhou would sometimes read, sometimes play games, and sometimes do nothing at all, just quietly watching Yu Bai play the piano.
She possesses a strange magic when she plays the piano. Her gentle and serene profile, with a faint sadness in her eyes, is conveyed through the music, creating a poignant and moving effect.
Jiang Jizhou was engrossed in watching. Yu Bai always felt that she was overshadowed, but in fact, only Jiang Jizhou knew that she was the butterfly that broke out of its cocoon and would eventually spread her wings and fly high.
Time flies, and the birthday party is just around the corner.
Jiang Jizhou hired a special team to decorate the villa, changing the cold black, white and gray color scheme of previous years to a gentle and romantic atmosphere that Yu Bai liked.
The first to arrive was Mingjing. She had dressed up extra special, wearing a pink princess dress, big wavy hair, and a huge pink bow, looking like a little princess. As soon as she entered, she rushed into Yu Bai's arms, hugged her for a while, and then posed for various beautiful photos in the villa.
The villa was heated, so Yu Bai was only wearing a white dress, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, looking gentle and serene.
Mingjing tried to take a picture with her, but she refused, saying she wanted to practice the piano piece one last time.
Yu Bai went back to her room and practiced the piece several times until she felt quite proficient. Only then did she feel a little less nervous. She came out of her room and returned to the hall. Almost everyone in the hall had arrived. Seeing so many unfamiliar faces, Yu Bai became nervous again.
Jiang Jizhou stood in the very center of the crowd, wearing a white shirt and looking refined and aloof.
Yu Bai quietly walked to the dessert area and found Ming Jing eating desserts as well. Her mouth was bulging and she was still stuffing more in, like a little hamster. When she saw Yu Bai coming over, she immediately pointed to the mango crepe and said to Yu Bai, "Bai, this is delicious."
Yu Bai smiled and nodded, but she was allergic to mangoes and couldn't eat them.
"I'm allergic."
Upon hearing this, Mingjing's face showed regret.
After trying many desserts with Mingjing, it was time for Chen Ma to push out a cake cart. It was a custom-made seven-tiered cake, mainly blue, with each tier featuring a character from one of Jiang Jizhou's favorite games.
"Wow, that's so cool." Mingjing pointed to the character at the top.
"I knew I shouldn't have eaten such sweets. I don't have much of an appetite for cake anymore." She said with a mournful face, pounding her chest in frustration.
Yu Bai was amused by her.
"Before cutting the cake, please have Yu Bai play a piece called 'A Maiden's Prayer' for us."
With a kind smile, Aunt Chen announced to everyone, looking at Yu Bai with pride.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Yu Bai.
Jiang Jizhou's gaze also passed over the crowd and landed on Yu Bai.
Yu Bai's smile froze instantly. She suppressed her nervousness, walked through the crowd, and stepped onto the stage.
Sitting at the piano, she took a deep breath, glanced at the audience, and met Jiang Jizhou's encouraging and trusting gaze. Her heart gradually calmed down. She placed her fair hands on the black and white keys and pressed them down. Soft and beautiful music filled every corner. A gentle and youthful piece, in Yu Bai's hands, played a touch of sorrow, with a long and profound aftertaste.
"It sounds so good!"
"What a nice view."
...
After a period of clamor and noise, there was a silence so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and everyone listened intently to Yu Bai's playing.
The light shone on Yu Bai, as if she were draped in moonlight, gentle yet aloof.
Jiang Jizhou seemed to see a pure and resilient butterfly, fluttering freely on the stage, playing its own notes, its beauty beyond compare.
Despite its imperfections, it is unmatched by anyone.
Jiang Jizhou felt his heart pounding violently, like a quiet, dusty harp string being played by Yu Bai.
As the song ended, Yu Bai stood up and bowed, surrounded by enthusiastic applause.
After stepping off the stage, Yu Bai wanted to find Jiang Jizhou, but he was surrounded by a crowd who were all praising and complimenting his zither playing.
No one noticed the hearing aid on Yu Bai's ear.
Yu Bai felt lightheaded, as if flying above the clouds. The joy of being recognized was mixed with the feeling of her heart being clouded by mist while playing. Jiang Jizhou's words were like a compass in the fog, gradually clearing her mind and allowing her to finally understand her own heart.
She may not be perfect, but she has her own unique qualities and won't fall into a quagmire because of other people's belittling.
Yu Bai pushed through the crowd, searching for Jiang Jizhou's figure.
He stood there lazily with his hands in his pockets, gazing at her tenderly.
As their eyes met, Yu Bai's eyes gradually welled up with tears.
She is not the moss in the shadows, but a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
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