Chapter 40 Getting Wet
Peng Chengyi was taken aback. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed to be true. She then added, feeling guilty but stubborn, "That's because you're usually too cheeky, so I didn't realize it."
Chen Yubai: "..."
Peng Chengyi quickly changed the subject: "Anyway, come here quickly, I have something important to ask you."
Chen Yubai: "You'd better have something really important to say."
Peng Chengyi: "More genuine than pearls."
Chen Yubai: "...It's freezing!"
Even so, a moment later, his tall figure still loomed over her.
Peng Chengyi quickly shoved her phone into the desk drawer, then smiled and looked up: "Good dog, you're here."
"..." Chen Yubai narrowed his long, narrow eyes and turned to leave.
Peng Chengyi quickly grabbed the hem of his school uniform: "Brother, brother! I was wrong."
Chen Yubai then stopped in his tracks, casually lowering his eyes: "Speak, what is it?"
Peng Chengyi recounted the summer evening party to him, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "So? Interested?"
Chen Yubai frowned slightly and thought for a moment, then turned to Zheng Xinyue: "Does your community provide rehearsal space?"
"Uh... I don't think we provide that." Zheng Xinyue paused, then patted her chest and said, "But I can help you find it!"
Peng Chengyi immediately chimed in, "Then you can go ask Dream Music Livehouse first. I saw they have rehearsal rooms on the second floor."
"What are the two characters for 'Dream Enjoyment'?" Zheng Xinyue quickly took out her phone to record the information. "I'll find out when I'm on vacation!"
Peng Chengyi opened her mouth, but before she could explain, Chen Yubai interrupted her, saying, "Forget about this livehouse; there's no bus stop in front of it, which is inconvenient."
“But you can ride a bicycle, and I think this livehouse has a great atmosphere. Maybe we’ll even run into Heitang and the others!” Peng Chengyi disagreed.
"Who is Brown Sugar?" Zheng Xinyue asked curiously.
Peng Chengyi: "One..."
“An unknown underground band,” Chen Yubai said, interrupting her again.
Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly, and she glanced at him speechlessly.
Chen Wei couldn't help but interject to correct him: "Black Sugar isn't exactly unknown; they're quite famous in the underground rock scene..."
But before she could finish speaking, she was met with a cold, piercing gaze from Chen Yubai.
Although she didn't understand what she had said wrong, Chen Wei subconsciously stopped talking.
"Ah! Does the Black Sugar Band have any handsome guys?" Zheng Xinyue asked with concern.
Peng Chengyi recalled, "Their bassist was pretty handsome..."
“But the transportation to Mengxiang is really inconvenient, and it’s too far from me and Yueyue. It would take a long time to cycle there,” Chen Wei said, glancing at Chen Yubai.
Whether it was her imagination or not, his gaze softened as he looked at her.
Zheng Xinyue, whose heart was set on the handsome guy, waved her hand dismissively: "It's okay! I can take a taxi and give you a ride on my way!"
“I think we should go somewhere with public transportation. Peng Chengyi and I are carrying musical instruments, so it’s not very convenient to ride bikes,” Chen Yubai suddenly interjected.
“You’re not short of money, can’t you take me with you in a taxi?” Peng Chengyi winked at him.
"No." He refused decisively.
“…Stingy.” Peng Chengyi pouted and muttered under her breath.
"Besides," Chen Yubai glanced at her and added casually, "Zhang Yang can't ride a bicycle either. Are you going to reimburse him for his taxi fare?"
"Oh, I almost forgot about him." Peng Chengyi pouted and shrugged helplessly. "Never mind then, Yueyue, why don't you find a rehearsal room that's more convenient for everyone to get to?"
“Okay…” Zheng Xinyue nodded slightly, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “So, what’s your budget?”
Peng Chengyi: "Less than 50 per person?"
Chen Wei nodded in agreement.
"Okay! Leave it to me!" Zheng Xinyue perked up again, her face beaming with enthusiasm. "I'll post it in the band group once I find a suitable one!"
-
I thought it would take some time to find a rehearsal room, but I didn't expect Zheng Xinyue to be such a proactive person. Just two days into the summer vacation, she shared several rehearsal rooms in the group so that everyone could take a look and choose one.
Peng Chengyi, wearing a light tank top, lay on the bed, flipping through the clothes one by one with her legs crossed: "Yueyue, you're so fast! I'm in awe.jpg"
Zhang Yang: "Seriously, we haven't even discussed what songs we'll be performing yet."
Chen Wei: "Let's take this opportunity to discuss it."
Chen Yubai: "Music sharing link - 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky'"
Zhang Yang: "? Yu-ge, you're incredibly fast! You found a recommended song so quickly?"
Upon seeing that Chen Yubai was sharing a song she had recommended to him three months prior, Peng Chengyi immediately gave it a thumbs up: "I love this one!"
Chen Wei: "Wait a moment while I listen."
Zhang Yang: "I'd like to hear your thoughts too."
Zheng Xinyue: "I like this song too! I've loved it for a long time!"
After a short wait, Chen Wei and Zhang Yang replied simultaneously: "I'm OK."
Peng Chengyi: "Great! Then let's practice on our own first, just like at the cultural festival, and then go to the rehearsal room for a joint rehearsal once we're all familiar with it?"
Chen Wei: "No problem. What's the exact date of the summer evening party? It would be best if we could allow about two weeks for multiple rehearsals."
Zheng Xinyue: "It's not decided yet, but it's usually after the start of autumn, on a cool, sunny day, because the venues are all outdoors."
Zhang Yang: "The start of autumn this year is August 8th. Shall we use that date as the starting point?"
Chen Wei: "OK"
Peng Chengyi: "Okay!"
Chen Yubai: "Okay"
Zhang Yang: "Then I'll organize the sheet music and send it to the group by tomorrow at the latest."
Peng Chengyi: "Okay, thank you for your hard work!"
Chen Yubai: "I don't need the bass, I can rip it myself."
Peng Chengyi: "?"
Peng Chengyi: "When did you become so amazing?!"
Chen Yubai: "Always this good."
...
That dog, he's got it again.
Peng Chengyi pouted and tapped the screen with her fingertips, unwilling to admit defeat: "Then I'll try to transcribe the guitar tabs myself first."
After sending the message, she sat up abruptly, clicked on the music link, and picked up the guitar from her bedside table.
But even after the song was halfway through, she still couldn't find a guitar pick.
She had just bought a whole bag during winter break, but somehow it all disappeared after she started using it!
She simply lay down on the floor, her long hair hanging down to cover half of her face, her slender arms reaching under the bed, her hands groping aimlessly on the dusty floor.
However, after struggling for a long time, all I could touch with my fingertips were scraps of paper and coins; I couldn't find a pick.
Peng Chengyi sighed, had no choice but to get up, change into some clean clothes, put on some comfortable canvas shoes, and go out to knock on the door across the street.
After about half a minute, the door was finally opened.
Chen Yubai leaned against the door, his hair messy, the collar of his black T-shirt crooked, revealing a section of his pale collarbone, and he exuded a lazy air as if he had just woken up.
"Come with me to the music store to buy a set of piano picks," Peng Chengyi said bluntly.
Chen Yubai narrowed his eyes, his voice still a little hoarse: "...In this hot weather, can't you just order it online?"
Peng Chengyi stated confidently, "You can't get a feel for it online."
Chen Yubai: "Why don't you just buy the brand you used before?"
"No, I want to try something new," she insisted.
“…Troublesome.” Chen Yubai scoffed lightly, but still bent down to change into his sneakers and said slowly, “How about we go to the music store near my house? I’m too lazy to ride my bike to Luosheng Street, it’s too far.”
"Where is the music store near my home?" Peng Chengyi asked curiously.
"There's a newly opened restaurant on the street behind the park." Chen Yubai took the key to the entrance and closed the door.
How do you know so much about the news?
"Zhang Yang told me that he went there a couple of days ago to buy reeds, saying that they had a full range of items."
Peng Chengyi's eyes lit up immediately: "That's perfect, let's go take a look! I actually wanted to change the straps."
"Did your suspenders break?" Chen Yubai turned his head and glanced at her.
"No, I just want to get a new one," Peng Chengyi said lightly as she walked down the stairs.
"...She's fickle and easily bored," he muttered as he followed behind her.
Peng Chengyi snorted: "It's not like I spent your money."
Chen Yubai coldly retorted, "It's as if you bought all the comics you've done in the past six months yourself."
"..." Peng Chengyi choked for a moment, then quickened her pace, leaving the topic behind.
-
The newly opened music store is called Shiyin, and it's much larger than the Blue Moon Music Store where the two of them used to learn guitar.
Under the bright lights, various musical instrument accessories are neatly displayed.
Peng Chengyi excitedly browsed around for half a day, and finally returned to the cashier with a bag of rainbow-colored celluloid picks and a guitar strap just like Boqi Jiang's.
Chen Yubai had somehow acquired a square-shaped effects pedal in his hand; its blue metal casing gleamed coldly under the light from the cashier's counter.
"You're one to talk, but you bought new things too," Peng Chengyi couldn't help but say.
"For the performance, my bass tone isn't really suitable for the song we're going to perform," Chen Yubai said casually.
Peng Chengyi: "Oh..."
They've both studied for a year, but he seems much more professional than her now.
He wasn't particularly interested at first.
As they pushed open the glass door of the music store, the two of them stopped in their tracks simultaneously.
The sky was clear and sunny when we arrived, but now it was as dark as night.
Thick, dark clouds hung low, and the air was filled with the damp scent of earth.
Peng Chengyi glanced at her watch subconsciously; it was only 6 o'clock. She couldn't help but tug at Chen Yubai beside her: "It looks like it's going to rain heavily. Let's hurry up and go."
Chen Yubai looked up at the dark sky, and surprisingly did not object, but silently quickened his pace.
However, just as they reached the halfway point, large raindrops suddenly began to fall, turning into a torrential downpour in the blink of an eye.
Rainwater splashed up a white mist on the asphalt road, as if the whole world was covered with a blurry frosted glass.
Chen Yubai frowned and quickly looked around.
Seeing a public phone booth about ten meters away, he grabbed Peng Chengyi's wrist, who was dazed by the heavy rain, and dragged her over.
He opened the dilapidated door of the phone booth, pushed her inside first, and then followed her in and closed the door.
The cramped space was instantly filled to the brim.
Chen Yubai's back was pressed tightly against the glass door, his black T-shirt was already mostly wet, and water droplets hung from the stray hairs on his forehead, falling into the small gap between the two of them.
"Phew... Luckily there's a place to take shelter from the rain by the roadside..." Peng Chengyi gasped for breath, raising her hand to wipe the rain from her face.
Chen Yubai brushed back the wet hair from his forehead, chuckled, and lowered his eyes: "When the rain came down just now, someone was standing there like a..." He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
"Who are you calling stupid?! You dare to finish your sentence!" Peng Chengyi raised her eyes in annoyance, only to find that his gaze shifted strangely.
After a two-second pause, she lowered her head.
Only then did I realize that my white short-sleeved shirt was completely soaked, clinging to my body, clearly revealing the light-colored lace lingerie underneath.
"Ah." Peng Chengyi's ears instantly burned, and she hurriedly hugged her arms.
For a moment, the phone booth was so quiet that only the sound of the rain pouring down outside could be heard.
After a moment, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, Peng Chengyi cleared her throat and said, "Actually, it's nothing. We used to play together wearing open-crotch pants."
Chen Yubai was silent for a moment, then turned his face away and chuckled: "Indeed, and you're not much to look at either, you look about the same as an elementary school student."
"..."
Although her breasts aren't big, they're still a B cup!
How could he say she's like a primary school student?!
Feeling inexplicably insulted, Peng Chengyi couldn't help but retort, "Are you blind? Who looks like a primary school student!"
Chen Yubai's gaze lingered on her for a brief second before casually turning to look out the window: "Now you look even more like a frizzy elementary school student."
“You…” Peng Cheng puffed out his cheeks in anger, raised his hand that was covering his chest, and pinched his wet arm hard. “You’d better go see an eye doctor right away!”
Chen Yubai's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, then he suddenly turned and opened the door to the phone booth.
"This rain doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon, I'll go to the convenience store across the street to buy an umbrella."
He said this without giving her a chance to react, and strode into the rain.
“…?” Peng Chengyi was taken aback.
That phone booth is at least a hundred meters from the convenience store; you'd be soaked to the bone by then.
Is he in such a hurry to go home?
Or perhaps she went a little too far?
Peng Chengyi glanced at his back, blurred by the rain, and a trace of guilt crept into her heart.
Ten minutes later, a tall, slender figure gradually appeared outside the hazy glass window.
Chen Yubai walked slowly over, holding a transparent umbrella. Water was still dripping from his hair, and his black T-shirt clung to his body, outlining his slender figure.
"Let's go." He opened the door of the phone booth, his eyes quickly sweeping over her.
“…Hmm.” Peng Chengyi hugged her arms tighter and ducked under his umbrella.
A faint scent of rain mixed with the fresh fragrance of soap wafted from the boy. Peng Chengyi looked up, slightly flustered, and said, "Sorry, I was too angry just now, I might have hit him a little too hard."
Chen Yubai paused for a moment, then chuckled softly: "So you know you went too far? I think you've already pinched me until I'm bruised."
Peng Chengyi quickly glanced at his arm: "Even if there's no purple, you can't just slander me like that."
“Besides,” she looked away and pouted, “it’s your fault for saying I look like a primary school student.”
"Didn't you say before that I was like a primary school student? Why is it that only officials are allowed to set fires, while ordinary people are not allowed to light lamps?" he joked casually.
"..." Peng Chengyi choked for a moment, then lowered her thick eyelashes. "Then this time, let's call it even."
Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally, and then subtly tilted the umbrella towards her, covering her exposed shoulders.
The rain gradually subsided, and the fine raindrops gently tapped on the transparent umbrella surface, making a pleasant sound.
The streetlights along the street cast long shadows on the wet ground, making the two people's shadows stretch out as they walked home.
After arriving home, Peng Chengyi quickly took a shower.
After showering and stepping out of the shower room, she couldn't help but wipe the water vapor off the mirror cabinet, look at herself in the mirror, and then wipe it back with her hand.
Pshaw, that person is just blind.
She's developing quite well, isn't she?
He's just a primary school student.
-
the next day.
After getting up in the morning, Peng Chengyi did some summer homework first, and then tried to read guitar sheet music.
Around noon, Zhou Lifen knocked on her door and called out from outside, "Please ask Xiaoyu on WeChat if she's coming over for lunch. I'm about to steam some rice."
“Oh—” Peng Chengyi put down her guitar, picked up her phone, and patted Chen Yubai’s profile picture.
He didn't reply even after half a day had passed since the message was sent.
Is this dog still sleeping? It's almost 11 o'clock.
Peng Chengyi frowned, and Zhou Lifen's urging voice sounded again from outside the door: "Chengcheng, have you asked yet?"
"I asked! He didn't reply!" Peng Chengyi shouted back, then got up and opened the door. "Mom, why don't you start steaming it first? He probably doesn't have any plans to eat out these next couple of days."
“Okay.” Zhou Lifen turned and walked back to the kitchen.
Around 12 o'clock, just before dinner, seeing that Chen Yubai hadn't replied, Peng Chengyi tapped him on WeChat again: "Are you up yet? Come eat."
But still no one responded.
Strange, even if he usually likes to sleep in, he should be up by now, why hasn't he replied to her message yet?
Peng Chengyi stared at her phone screen for a while, then slipped on her slippers and went to the entrance hall: "Mom, I went next door to call Chen Yubai, but he didn't respond to my WeChat message."
"Go ahead," Zhou Lifen said, turning her head as she stir-fried the vegetables, "but come back as soon as possible."
"Okay." Peng Chengyi walked out of the house quickly and knocked on the door opposite.
After waiting for a while, it remained completely quiet inside.
Did he go out this morning?
But she didn't seem to hear any sound of the door opening or closing.
Normally, she might have just let him have his way.
But when she thought of the several sneezes he sneezed when he got home yesterday, and his unusual quietness this morning, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Lin Qingying went out of town for further studies again this week, leaving him alone at home. Will he...?
Thinking of this, she hurriedly went back to the house, grabbed the key, and went straight to open his door.
The dimly lit living room was empty; his sweat-soaked sneakers from yesterday were still drying on the balcony.
It seems he should be at home.
Peng Chengyi cautiously knocked on his door, and when no one answered, she tried turning the knob.
The door creaked open, and a blast of cold air from the air conditioner hit her, making her shiver involuntarily.
The curtains were tightly drawn, and the room was extremely dark.
You can vaguely see a person lying on the bed.
"Chen Yubai?" she tentatively called his name.
The silhouette of the person on the bed shifted slightly.
"..."
That's good, he didn't faint.
It was probably just that it was sleeping too soundly.
Peng Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief, strode to his bedside, and pulled the blanket off him.
Chen Yubai, who had been facing away from her, paused for a moment, then slowly turned around and opened her sleepy eyes.
"Get up and eat, you pig." Peng Chengyi waved his hand in front of his eyes, trying to wake him up.
He suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her slender wrist.
Peng Chengyi was stunned and hadn't reacted yet.
A sudden force pulled her downwards, and she uncontrollably fell onto his burning hot body.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn]
Thanks to uoow and 咸鱼不想翻身 for the nutrient solution!
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