Chapter 42 Heart to Heart
When he met her bright eyes, which were illuminated by the lamplight, Chen Yubai turned his head away awkwardly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "Dasheng asked me to buy it."
"Huh? The Great Sage can recommend textbooks now?" Peng Chengyi asked in surprise, pulling out the book and flipping through it.
The paper rustled softly as she scanned the densely packed sheet music, frowning. "Isn't this all piano sheet music? What does it have to do with guitar and bass?"
“The principles of chords are the same.” His voice was a little strained.
“Oh…” Peng Chengyi stared at the complex harmony theories, nodded as if she understood, “Then why didn’t you ask me to buy them with you?”
"If you just want to play some tunes, you don't need to look at this."
Peng Chengyi paused, then looked up at him again: "Do you have higher ambitions?"
Chen Yubai lightly licked his dry lips: "No, it's just that I'm still learning the zither from Dasheng. He brought it up, so naturally I have to cooperate and see."
“I see.” Peng Chengyi stroked the pages of the book thoughtfully, feeling that something was not quite right, but before she could think about it in detail, the thermometer beeped.
So she didn't bother to investigate further, quickly closed the book, and stood up: "Quickly, check the temperature!"
Chen Yubai silently breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his eyes, took out the thermometer and glanced at it: "37.8 degrees Celsius."
"Thank goodness, it's not a high fever." Peng Chengyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't need to take any medicine for now, but you need to eat something first."
"I don't have much of an appetite, you should go back and eat first." Chen Yubai returned the thermometer to her.
“No, you have to eat something even if you don’t have an appetite, otherwise you won’t have the strength to recover.” Peng Chengyi frowned and slapped the thermometer on his desk. “Also, keep this thermometer in your room for now, and return it to me when your fever breaks.”
Chen Yubai stared at her serious little face for a moment, then pulled the blanket over his head and lay down on the bed, saying, "But I feel so unwell that I can't get up and can't come to your house for dinner."
Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but tease him, "You were pretty energetic when you jumped off the bed earlier."
"That was because you scared me, a last burst of energy before death." He wrapped himself in the blanket and coughed weakly twice. "So if you insist that I eat, then bring the food and feed me."
"..."
This dog is taking advantage of her being sick, isn't it?
If he has a high fever, she can still reluctantly feed him a couple of bites.
It's not even 38 degrees Celsius, and he still wants to order her around? He's dreaming!
Does she really think she can't tell he's faking a cough?
"Then you might as well starve to death." Peng Chengyi scoffed, turned around, and left his room.
Hearing the door close outside, Chen Yubai breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly threw off the blanket, took off his damp pajamas, and changed into a dry T-shirt and shorts.
Then she stuffed the "Practical Guide to Harmony" that she had left on the table into a drawer where it would be hard to see again.
-
Although he said he would let him starve to death, after lunch, Peng Chengyi still carried the congee with preserved egg and lean pork that Zhou Lifen had specially cooked and knocked on Chen Yubai's door.
"My mom made this for you, don't waste it." She shoved the thermos into his arms with a stiff shove, her tone indifferent, but the next second she caught him off guard and quickly reached out to touch his forehead.
This time, he surprisingly cooperated, obediently holding the thermos, letting her cool palms linger on his warm skin for a moment.
"It seems the fever has gone down a bit," Peng Chengyi muttered softly, lifting her thick eyelashes to examine him.
The boy changed into a clean white T-shirt, his hair was no longer messy and sweaty, and he looked much more refreshed than he had in the morning.
"Did you take your temperature again afterward?" she couldn't help but ask.
"No." Chen Yubai paused, a smile playing on his lips. "Didn't you already let me die? Why are you still concerned about my fever?"
"..." Peng Chengyi choked, as if burned, and abruptly withdrew her hand, "Who cares about you! It was my mom who insisted that I come!"
"Oh—" he responded in a drawn-out tone, his gaze, which held a half-smile, falling on her gradually reddening earlobes.
"Go inside and drink your porridge. Remember to return the thermometer to me once your fever breaks!" Peng Chengyi said, turning her head and striding back to her own home.
Watching her ponytail trace a hurried arc in the air, Chen Yubai chuckled softly before closing the door.
To avoid focusing her attention on a particular dog, Peng Chengyi took out the guitar pick she had bought yesterday and tried to read the guitar tabs for "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky".
After an entire afternoon, she had only managed to extract a small portion of the beginning.
At this rate, by the time she finishes rehearsing, the rehearsals will probably have already started, leaving no time for further practice.
I don't know how Chen Yubai is going to transcribe the sheet music himself.
Peng Chengyi scratched her head, feeling a headache coming on, but finally gave up and picked up her phone from the table, opening Zhang Yang's WeChat: "Um, could you help me transcribe the guitar tabs..."
Zhang Yang: "Not going to compete with Brother Yu anymore?"
Peng Chengyi pursed her lips awkwardly: "I can't lift it anymore..."
Peng Chengyi: "Has he stopped contacting you privately for help?"
Zhang Yang: "No."
Peng Chengyi: "You didn't cover for him, did you?"
Zhang Yang: "No."
Peng Chengyi: "Oh, then please help me keep this a secret."
Zhang Yang: "..."
Peng Chengyi: "A Grateful Heart.jpg"
Zhang Yang: "Why don't you want Brother Yu to know?"
Peng Chengyi: "If he finds out, he'll laugh at me again, and I'll lose face."
Zhang Yang: "Nothing else?"
Peng Chengyi: "Anything else?"
The "typing..." indicator on the chat window lit up and then went off, and after a long while, a message finally popped up—
Zhang Yang: "What's your opinion of Brother Yu?"
Peng Chengyi frowned slightly at his seemingly random question and slowly tapped the screen in reply: "What do you mean, 'what do you think'? He's just a glib-tongued dog."
Zhang Yang: "..."
Peng Chengyi: "Did I misunderstand your question?"
Zhang Yang: "No, never mind, forget I asked."
Peng Chengyi: "Oh... remember to keep the score a secret for me."
Zhang Yang: "OK"
Peng Chengyi exited the chat window with Zhang Yang and glanced at the little white dog avatar below him.
How else could she view him?
It's just a dog.
Of course, he also has his moments of humanity, for example—
She turned her head and glanced at the black guitar and orange speaker beside her. Without him, she didn't know when she would be able to save enough money to own these two things.
Thinking of this, Peng Chengyi's gaze returned to his dog avatar. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally opened their chat window: "Why haven't you returned the thermometer yet?"
Chen Yubai: "The fever hasn't subsided."
Peng Chengyi: "Why hasn't it subsided yet? Have you even drunk the porridge?"
Chen Yubai: "I drank it."
Peng Chengyi: "Then I'll go collect the insulated containers."
Chen Yubai: "Just say you want to come see me."
Peng Chengyi: "...I'll give you the thermos."
Chen Yubai: "Does Aunt Zhou know how generous you are?"
Oh my god, this dog!!!
Why is she even concerned about him?!
Peng Chengyi gripped his phone tightly, almost wanting to reach into the screen and smash his head in.
A few moments later, another message from him popped up on the screen: "The door's open for you. I bet you're itching to smash my head in right now."
Peng Chengyi: "...So you do know how annoying you are."
Chen Yubai: "I just know you better."
Peng Chengyi stared at his reply for a moment with mixed feelings, but finally got up and went to the opposite door.
In the living room, Chen Yubai nestled on the sofa, holding a game controller in his hand, the light and shadow on the screen casting a half-light on his face.
He glanced back at her casually, a slight smile playing on his lips: "The thermos is by the sink. Please thank Aunt Zhou for me."
Peng Chengyi paused, frowning: "...Your fever hasn't gone down yet, why aren't you lying in bed? What are you doing sitting here playing games?"
"Lying down for too long will only make your head hurt more. You might as well play some games to distract yourself," Chen Yubai said casually.
His voice still sounded a little hoarse, and his pale skin had an unnatural blush, as if the heat still lingered inside.
"What's your temperature now?" Peng Chengyi walked behind him, stretched her arm over his shoulder, and placed her palm on his forehead.
Chen Yubai narrowed his eyes slightly and replied lazily, "Measured not long ago, 37.3 degrees Celsius."
"Well, I still got a partial refund." She exhaled, withdrew her hand, and turned to walk towards the sink.
The lid of the thermos next to the sink was open, and there were still water droplets hanging on the mouth of the container, which meant that he had carefully washed it.
Although he usually eats instant noodles at home and is often too lazy to clean up, he always washes the lunchboxes she brings him spotless, even if she repeatedly tells him not to use them.
Peng Chengyi couldn't help but turn her head to look at the boy sitting on the sofa again.
The living room lights were off, and only the flickering light from the TV screen illuminated his face, outlining his deep profile.
As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head, his dark eyes glancing at her again: "What are you doing, secretly looking at me?"
"...Who was secretly watching you?" Peng Chengyi pursed her lips slightly, her eyes shifting to the TV screen as she said, "I was watching what game you were playing."
“I’m working on the ‘Elden Ring’ that you’ve forgotten about for over a year,” Chen Yubai said with a smile.
"..."
She remembers this game.
Two days after the middle school entrance exam, she practically stayed at his house, playing games from morning till night. He watched the strategy videos, while she listened to him reciting the routes and played the game in silence, saving herself the trouble of constantly switching between screens.
But after she stayed at her maternal grandmother's house for half a month, she was drawn back to "Lonely Rock" and started learning guitar, completely forgetting about it.
"Oh." Peng Chengyi looked away awkwardly and quickly changed the subject, "Since you can play such difficult games now, you can walk to my house for dinner tonight, right?"
"Okay." Chen Yubai nodded slightly and asked her, "What time do we eat?"
"6:30." Peng Chengyi glanced down at her watch. "There's still an hour left."
Chen Yubai: "Then sit over here and help me navigate by watching the strategy videos."
Peng Chengyi, who didn't want to do this chore, stiffened and said dryly, "I have no sense of direction."
Chen Yubai chuckled and scoffed, "Don't you always protest when I call you directionally challenged?"
"Now, I understand myself better." Peng Chengyi gave an awkward laugh, hurriedly picked up the thermos, waved to him, and said, "Bye-bye, remember to come for dinner on time."
"..." Chen Yubai glanced speechlessly at her fleeing figure, and the game in his hand suddenly became boring.
After playing with the machine for a while, he put down the handle, got up, and went to the door across the hall.
Seeing Chen Yubai arrive so quickly, Peng Chengyi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with her guitar in her arms, looked up and asked, "Why did you come so early? Aren't you going to continue playing your game?"
"I just opened a new save point, and I don't know how long it will take to get to the next one, so I'll just close it for now." Chen Yubai paused slightly, glancing at the guitar in her arms. "Have you finished transcribing the sheet music?"
"No... I'm just about to start," Peng Chengyi said vaguely.
"You were in such a hurry to drag me to buy a guitar pick yesterday, and now that it's almost over, you're only just getting ready to start? What about the rain I got soaked in?" Chen Yubai raised an eyebrow, amused.
"I guess you're just unlucky," Peng Chengyi said with an awkward laugh.
Chen Yubai: "..."
Seeing his gaze darken and the air pressure around him instantly drop several degrees, Peng Chengyi quickly added, "Oh dear, isn't that because you have a fever?"
"I have a fever, not you. How does that affect your ability to take off your clothes?" Chen Yubai narrowed his long, narrow eyes.
"Well..." Peng Chengyi pursed his lips guiltily, raised his hand to cover his heart, and began to make up a story, "Because we're good buddies, our hearts are linked!"
She blinked her bright, watery eyes and said in a sweet voice, "So when you're upset, I'm upset too, and I can't concentrate on anything."
Chen Yubai stared at her exaggerated performance for a long time before squeezing out a "Heh" through gritted teeth.
But afterwards, he didn't dwell on the issue anymore. He casually pulled out a chair in front of her desk and sat down lazily.
Peng Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief and pretended to start reading the score from the beginning.
After she finished playing the short piece she had dug up that afternoon, Zhou Lifen happened to be calling the two of them out for dinner.
Having finally succeeded in showing off in front of him, Peng Chengyi put down her guitar and raised her face with a smug look: "How was that? My copying speed was pretty good, right!"
"The speed is acceptable, but the accuracy is still lacking." Chen Yubai smiled faintly.
"..." Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, then tilted her head in confusion, "Did I pluck any chords wrong?"
"The last beat is not a B chord, but an F# chord, although it sounds somewhat similar."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi incredulously played the chord he had mentioned.
It turned out that this chord was indeed closer to the original melody.
"Let's practice our ears some more." Chen Yubai smiled lazily, stood up, and leisurely left her room.
"..."
Damn, how come he managed to show off again!
Is this divine punishment for her lying?!
Peng Chengyi sat on the edge of the bed for a while with mixed feelings before hurriedly putting down his guitar and going to the living room at Zhou Lifen's urging.
After dinner, Chen Yubai's temperature rose to 37.7 degrees Celsius. Peng Chengyi scolded him for playing games instead of resting in the afternoon, and pushed him towards the opposite door without saying a word.
The boy was unusually obedient and let her do as she pleased, but he frowned in dissatisfaction when she pressed his head down and tucked him into the quilt.
Before he could protest, she snapped off the light in his room and turned to leave.
Back in her room, Peng Chengyi sat on the edge of the bed and practiced transcribing sheet music for a while before putting away her guitar, turning off the light, and going to sleep.
Perhaps it's because what you think about during the day manifests in your dreams at night.
Peng Chengyi's dreams were filled with music score analysis all night long.
What's even more frustrating is that Chen Yubai is sitting next to her, constantly correcting her various chord errors.
So when Peng Chengyi woke up the next morning and saw Chen Yubai lazily slumped in her chair, scrolling through his phone, she almost thought her dream wasn't over yet.
I couldn't help but close my eyes again and wait for a while.
When she opened her eyes again, his figure was still there, his long legs casually stretched out under her desk, and his wispy hair obscuring his prominent brow bone.
The cold light from the phone screen illuminated the sharply defined profile of his face.
? ? ?
What on earth is going on?! Could she be hallucinating?!
As she was still groggily pondering, the boy in front of her turned his face towards her: "You're awake?"
"..." Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly sat up in bed. "What are you doing in my room?!"
Chen Yubai glanced at her askew pajamas strap, turned his face away, and said indifferently, "I came to return the thermometer, but I didn't expect you to still be asleep."
Upon hearing this, Peng Cheng thought he had overslept, and hurriedly grabbed his phone from beside his pillow to take a look—
It was only a little past 8 o'clock.
"Are you crazy this early in the morning?!" She scratched her messy hair, speechless. "It's only eight o'clock!"
"I'm just afraid that if someone wakes up, they'll keep asking me if my fever has gone down. I might as well pay them back first and then go back to sleep." Chen Yubai shrugged innocently.
Peng Chengyi choked for a moment before reacting and saying, "Then why don't you just return it and leave? What are you still doing sitting here?"
"Because your mom asked me to wake you up too." Chen Yubai glanced at the half-open door. "She's already making breakfast."
"But you didn't shout anything..."
"I called out, but that pig was sleeping soundly without moving."
"Who are you calling a pig?! You definitely didn't shout!" Peng Chengyi jumped off the bed unhappily, barefoot, and kicked his annoying long leg.
Chen Yubai paused, his fingertips hovering over his phone, and slowly lifted his eyelids.
In the dim morning light, his eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a still lake, making her inexplicably tense up. She straightened her back and said defiantly, "What are you looking at! I'll kick you a couple of times, you got a problem with that?!"
Chen Yubai's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he chuckled and lowered his eyes: "No, I just noticed your tank top was about to fall down, so I was just reminding you."
He stood up casually, then paused at the door: "Although there's nothing interesting about you being a primary school student, at least be mindful of your appearance. After all, I'm your buddy, not your sister."
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Author's Note: [Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking]
Thanks to Leventseleve for the throw! And thanks to 48695427, 柠烟, and uoow for the nutrient solution!
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