Chapter 32
"You mean, you want to form a band?"
Zhong Yuqi was stunned. She didn't understand what Lin Mian was going to do with his leave today, and why he suddenly brought this up.
"That's pretty cool, isn't it?"
It's cool, but Zhong Yuqi is not optimistic about it, especially since there are people playing in bands around her.
Zhong Yuqi had seen the band live. Her troublesome cousin Jiang Dan was one way in front of the elders and another in front of their peers. When did this change happen? After Jiang Dan started playing in a band.
He was playing in private. Although he was only two years older than her, he was able to hide it from all the elders and was also able to prevent those who knew about it from complaining.
If Lin Mian becomes the same person as Jiang Dan after playing in a band, that is not what Zhong Yuqi wants to see. She even feels nauseous when she associates the two of them together.
Looking at Zhong Yuqi's pale face, Lin Mian didn't understand. Was she scared by her proposal?
"What’s wrong with you?"
Zhong Yuqi held Lin Mian's hands with both hands: "I will take you to see someone after school today. I hope you can change your mind after seeing him."
Even though Lin Mian was curious about why Zhong Yuqi didn't agree, she didn't refute her. She always had a reason for doing so. She just said, "I have to take Wu Bingxia home later. I'll go with you after I take her back. Is that okay?"
They always had a tacit understanding. Zhong Yuqi didn't ask Lin Mian why he wanted to send Wu Bingxia home. She made an OK gesture and then took out her cell phone to call the driver.
Looking at the phone in Zhong Yuqi's hand, Lin Mian remembered the phone she had forgotten at home.
In order to facilitate communication, Lin Mei also bought a mobile phone for Lin Mian, but Lin Mian thought the phone was too heavy, too thick, and too ugly, so she didn't like to carry a mobile phone.
Fortunately, there was no urgent need to use the mobile phone at the moment, so Lin Mian selectively forgot about it.
But Zhong Yuqi's mobile phone is different. She put a lot of things on it, making it look fancy, and turning this functional thing into something ornamental.
But it looks heavier.
Lin Mian withdrew his gaze and felt that he was right not to like carrying a mobile phone. Ugly things should be locked in the cabinet.
When the school bell rang, Lin Mian asked Zhong Yuqi to wait for her in the car first, while she went to pick up Wu Bingxia.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the classroom, Lin Mian saw Wu Bingxia standing at the door.
"Are you okay?"
Wu Bingxia nodded. "Much better. My ankle is still a little swollen. I'll just apply a cold compress when I get home."
At this time, Zhong Yuqi, who was standing nearby, came over and extended her hand to Wu Bingxia: "Hello, I'm Xiao Mian's good friend Zhong Yuqi."
The moment their eyes met, both knew they had met their match.
Wu Bingxia smiled brightly and shook hands with Zhong Yuqi. "Hello, you probably know who I am, so there's no need to introduce myself. Lin Mian is going to take me home now, so we'll be leaving first."
Zhong Yuqi raised the corner of her mouth: "Ah, let's go together. I have to go somewhere else with Xiao Mian later, right, Xiao Mian?"
Lin Mian, whose hand was deliberately hooked by Zhong Yuqi, didn't know what to say for a moment when he received Wu Bingxia's accusing look.
The atmosphere in the car was also strange.
Wu Bingxia stopped talking after telling Chen Xiaoqiu the address. She seemed a little reluctant to go home.
With Zhong Yuqi by her side, Lin Mian didn't know what to say. She took the glasses handed to her by Chen Xiaoqiu. Since she lost her glasses last time, Lin Mian had prepared a lot of them, and placed spare ones in many places like a hamster.
When Wu Bingxia got off the car, Lin Mian held her hand.
"Don't be afraid. Go back and talk to your mother. Then we can go learn boxing together. I'll always be waiting for you."
Wu Bingxia nodded, she knew what she should do.
Lin Mian watched the figure walking away until he could no longer see it, and then he closed the car window.
"It's my turn now, Sister Chen, let's go..."
As soon as Wu Bingxia left, Zhong Yuqi finally stopped being silent. She pulled Lin Mian aside and kept talking to him, asking him not to blame her if he saw that person later, and not to blame her if that person provoked her.
"Who is it that you keep talking about? Do you hate it so much that you don't even want to call it by its name?"
"That's not the case. I just always find it annoying whether I call him by his name or cousin."
"Oh," Lin Mian raised his eyebrows, "Then I'm quite curious."
Zhong Yuqi waved her hand. "Don't be curious. Being curious about him won't lead to good results. His name is Jiang Dan."
And then? Are you not going to talk about the rest?
Seeing Lin Mian's confusion, Zhong Yuqi didn't know what to say.
How should she mention Jiang Dan? No matter what she said, it would be wrong. It would be better to let Lin Mian meet this person. She would know everything later.
They first went to Zhong Yuqi's grandparents, and they were only allowed in after their identities were confirmed.
The large mansion with ancient style has a strong presence in the North City where every inch of land is valuable.
Zhong Yuqi asked Lin Mian to wait for her in the car first.
"It's not for any other reason. It's just that when they see you, they will pull you over and ask you questions non-stop. They are all very annoying questions. Xiao Mian, you should just stay in the car for now."
After a while, Zhong Yuqi came out, followed by a young man.
In the dusk, his figure was getting closer and closer, so close that Lin Mian could see every part of his face clearly.
In terms of appearance, Jiang Dan is good-looking, in an objective sense.
With a height of 1.7 meters and black hair that brushed across his collarbone, he looked like a sight just standing there.
But Lin Mian didn't care about all this. She grew up surrounded by beauties. Her father and sister were both very good-looking. Lin Mian was looking into Jiang Dan's eyes.
There was a smile in his eyes, but it didn't reach his eyes. His pure black pupils were like the calm surface of a lake, making people feel that the smile was just an illusion.
Lin Mian somewhat understood the feelings that Zhong Yuqi wanted to express but couldn't.
He looked very gentle, but actually he was a little gloomy. His arrival gave Lin Mian goose bumps on his arms.
"Hello, I'm Jiang Dan. Are you the classmate Yuqi mentioned? You look so small and cute."
Jiang Dan moved closer to Lin Mian, while Zhong Yuqi, who was one step behind, sat in the passenger seat and gave Lin Mian a look that told him to fend for himself.
Zhong Yuqi had never treated her like this before, and Lin Mian realized that Zhong Yuqi was really helpless.
In a blind spot where no one could see, Zhong Yuqi bit her nails anxiously.
If she didn't want to persuade Lin Mian, she wouldn't have moved Jiang Dan out.
She knew Lin Mian's stubbornness, and he would not turn back until he hit the wall, so Zhong Yuqi chose to face her fear.
"Why don't you say anything? How can you get along with Yuqi if you're so introverted?"
Seeing Jiang Dan finally withdraw his body, Lin Mian said coldly, "I'm Lin Mian. I'm younger than Yuqi, so it's normal for me to look smaller than Yuqi. Being introverted or not has nothing to do with making friends, right? You don't have to be so arbitrary."
"Just call me brother like Yuqi does."
The sudden shrinking distance made Lin Mian's pupils tremble.
"Oh, I was right. These really are glasses without prescription."
He moved quickly, and when Lin Mian focused on what he was saying, he took off Lin Mian's glasses.
Playing with the silver-framed glasses in his hand, Jiang Dan smiled freely.
This person is really quite rude. Lin Mian is rarely choked by others. Most of the time, she is the one who chokes others.
"So what? Is there any rule that prohibits wearing glasses without prescription?"
"Oh, really?" Jiang Dan chuckled. "I just said it casually. Don't be nervous."
He put the glasses back on Lin Mian's nose with one hand. Lin Mian, who was not used to this behavior, closed his eyes.
"Relax, you can open your eyes now. Don't be nervous in front of me."
Jiang Dan sat up straight and put some distance between herself and Lin Mian. She was a different girl from Zhong Yuqi. Perhaps it was this difference that made Zhong Yuqi so careful with her.
Thinking about how Zhong Yuqi had just begged him to bring her friends to see his band and to dissuade the girl from forming a band, Jiang Dan wanted to laugh.
Zhong Yuqi also asked him to behave as before and not to pretend. It would be best if he could scare her away in one go, but he should not be too harsh on her.
Zhong Yuqi's desire to protect that girl was so obvious. Jiang Dan was really curious about what kind of girl would make someone as proud as Zhong Yuqi come to him for help.
Jiang Dan knew that Zhong Yuqi was afraid of him.
In public, Zhong Yuqi is not someone whose emotions can be easily understood by others, but in front of Jiang Dan, who is used to seeing all kinds of monsters, she is still not good enough.
Now it seems that Jiang Dan doesn’t think Lin Mian is a very special person. Perhaps only Zhong Yuqi knows how special she is.
The car stopped, and Lin Mian got out and saw that they had arrived at a house that was painted all black on the outside. The windows were covered with all kinds of graffiti, and it was impossible to see what was happening inside.
Zhong Yuqi took Lin Mian's hand and whispered in her ear, "I feel uncomfortable if I get close to him. It was my fault for leaving you alone in the back row just now. I won't let go of your hand from now on."
"What are you whispering about? Come in quickly."
Jiang Dan held the door and let them go in first.
After entering the door, Lin Mian discovered that the indoor and outdoor styles were two different.
Various colored ribbons were stuck on the ceiling, with some occasionally falling off, making the ground colorful.
The light above my head was not an ordinary lighting lamp. It was constantly flickering and the light was fragmented. Here, everything became blurry.
She could only vaguely feel the other person approaching. Jiang Dan's gaze shone through, as if he was looking at her, but it was also like an illusion caused by light and shadow.
"This is our preparation room, connected to the bar. You're still young, so there's no need to go in. Once everyone's here, why don't you just enjoy the music here? It's just as noisy as a bar."
Under the flickering light, his facial features were like the outline of a mountain softened by the morning mist. Even the fragmented light favored Jiang Dan, and the small mole on the bridge of his nose looked just right.
His eyes revealed madness and joy, tearing apart the gentleness on the surface, causing Zhong Yuqi to hold Lin Mian's hand more tightly, as if to give Lin Mian strength, and as if to cheer himself up.
"Isn't he only two years older than you? Aren't people supposed to go to bars after they're adults? He sounds so familiar with you."
"If you want to perform without your family knowing, a bar is a great choice."
Zhong Yuqi did not tell Lin Mian that a big part of her fear of Jiang Dan was because Jiang Dan dragged her to the bar last year and she saw the crazy and fun-loving Jiang Dan.
This scared her. She didn't understand how this "other people's child" became like this.
But Jiang Dan did not do anything that crossed the bottom line, but this also made Zhong Yuqi feel disgusted.
He reminded her of her dad.
Perhaps what flows in the Jiang family's blood is not only wealth, but also disgust.
Zhong Yuqi pulled Lin Mian to sit on the bar stool and watched Jiang Dan playing the drums boredly.
Each beat seemed to strike Lin Mian's heart, so intense that it made him want to move along with it.
“Is he the drummer?”
“He plays all the instruments.”
"Wow"
Lin Mian's gaze towards Jiang Dan changed. "Doesn't that mean he's a complete genius?"
Before meeting Lin Mian, Jiang Dan was indeed the most powerful person of the same generation that Zhong Yuqi knew.
But: "He is not as good as you."
The drums stopped.
Jiang Dan leaned on the drum with a smile on his face, "Is our Xiao Mian really that powerful?"
His voice began to become unclear and his calls became more intimate, as if he and Lin Mian were already friends.
"Of course, she's amazing, so you have to show your best skills and don't be careless."
Seeing Zhong Yuqi's serious expression, Jiang Dan knew that she was telling the truth. As expected, Lin Mian was different, which was why his cousin cared so much about him.
Throwing the drumstick on the ground, Jiang Dan slowly walked in front of Lin Mian.
With every step he took, the ribbons scattered on the ground vibrated and danced around his feet.
The fragmented light swept across his pure black pupils, reflecting her figure more and more clearly.
"Would you like to try it, Xiao Mian?"
He opened his palm towards her, the lines on it surprisingly clear in the light, or perhaps it was her gaze that made everything seem so simple.
Zhong Yuqi slapped Jiang Dan's hand away. "That's not what she's good at. If you're wondering, I remember I left a spare violin with you, right?"
Jiang Dan rubbed his red hands, "Yuqi, you're really merciless. You hit me so hard. I put your piano next door. I'll go get it. You wait here."
In a space without Jiang Dan, the tension in Zhong Yuqi's heart finally relaxed.
"Bang"
The door was opened, but the person who came was not Jiang Dan.
They were two young men who looked to be in their twenties.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Jiang Dan's cousin. He's out getting his zither. We're waiting for him here."
Lin Mian didn't expect that after hearing this, one of them ran to buy them drinks, and the other attentively asked them what they needed.
The name Jiang Dan seems to have magical power. It seems that everyone can favor those related to him because of his name.
Zhong Yuqi seemed to have gotten used to being cared for and flattered by others. Perhaps, it was not just because of her identity as Jiang Dan's cousin.
Drinking orange juice, Lin Mian thought aimlessly.
Before he finished drinking, Jiang Dan came back, but he had nothing in his hands.
"There's an amateur piano competition being held in that hall right now. They've put your violin somewhere else. It'll take some time to move it over. Why don't you wait a moment? Or maybe I'll go buy you a new one now? Take a look and see what you like."
"Piano?" Zhong Yuqi stood up, and Lin Mian, who was holding her hand, also stood up.
"Isn't this a coincidence? Compared to the violin, you seem to be luckier today."
Zhong Yuqi looked at Lin Mian and asked, "Would you like us to be the lucky audience?"
Lin Mian smiled helplessly, "Now that you've said that, how could I refuse you?"
Jiang Dan also became interested. Led by Jiang Dan, the group went to the so-called "next door", which was actually not "next door" at all.
This was a rather amateur competition, and Lin Mian could even sign up on the spot. Originally, Lin Mian had thought that he could wait until they were done competing and then see if he could borrow a piano.
There were not many contestants participating in the competition to begin with, and when Lin Mian and the others arrived, there were not many contestants left.
Lin Mian walked onto the stage in a daze, and only when he sat on the piano bench did he feel some sense of reality.
Lin Mian hadn't played the piano for a long time and thought he had become rusty at it. But the moment his hands placed on the keys, the music score automatically appeared in his mind.
Jiang Dan looked at Lin Mian who was sitting on the piano stool. She no longer looked like the inconspicuous girl, as if she had taken off all her disguises.
It is not an exaggeration to describe it as radiant. People cannot hide what they are good at. No matter how well they do it or their feelings about it, there is nowhere to hide.
Those hands were like elves flying in the forest, and the forest favored the elves, and the piano also favored Lin Mian.
The sound of the piano seemed to come down from the sky, awakening Jiang Dan's sleeping soul.
Like a wild horse leaping over a ravine, or like a flock of crows flying across the sky.
His indifference, contempt, and pretense all turned into sharp blades that stabbed him at this moment.
What to do? He seemed to have annoyed her.
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