Chapter 63 So you'll just throw it away after you're done, huh...?
Peng Chengyi paused, his fingers moving slightly, and his lips twitched speechlessly.
This dog is sick!
She struggled with her thoughts for so long to comfort him, and he actually turned around and called her an idiot?!
Indeed, she shouldn't have felt even a second of sympathy for him!
Peng Cheng gritted his teeth in anger and furiously typed on the screen in response: "You're the idiot! The biggest idiot in the universe!"
After sending the message, she angrily turned off her phone, rolled over abruptly, and pulled the blanket over her head.
-
Not long after joining the Arts and Literature Department, preparations for the welcome party began in earnest.
Knowing that she was a bit socially awkward and not very good at handling tedious organizational and mobilization work, Ke Xingjian specifically stopped her after the department meeting: "The department is still missing a rhythm guitarist for this party's program. Would you like to go on stage and perform directly? That way you won't have to be responsible for backstage communication."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded eagerly: "Sure! What song do you want to perform?"
"It's this one." Ke Xingjian smiled and took out his phone to share the song with her.
Upon seeing the song title, Peng Chengyi couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" and looked up in surprise: "It's Escape Plan's 'Ten Thousand Times of Sadness'! I love them so much! Our band even performed their 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky' back in high school!"
“That’s perfect, looks like we chose the right song.” Ke Xingjian’s smile deepened. “I’ll send you a copy of the sheet music after I’ve transcribed it.”
"Huh?" Peng Chengyi looked at him with some surprise. "Senior, aren't you a bassist?"
"Someone in the department is playing bass this time, so I switched to lead guitar," Ke Xingjian explained.
"Lead guitar? Can you play those really difficult solos?" Peng Chengyi couldn't help but ask.
"For example?" Ke Xingjian raised his eyebrows slightly.
“For example… like this!” Peng Chengyi immediately pulled out her playlist, found a difficult solo song that she had practiced countless times during the summer vacation but still couldn’t play perfectly at the original speed, and shared it with him.
Ke Xingjian listened to a short segment, his face remaining calm, only smiling faintly: "This? No problem."
"Wow, that's awesome!" Peng Chengyi exclaimed sincerely, then a new curiosity arose, "But aren't you a bassist? How can you play guitar solos?"
"Actually, I originally learned guitar, but I switched to bass when we didn't have a bassist in our junior high band," Ke Xingjian explained.
“Ah! Chen Yubai too!” Peng Chengyi seemed to have found another nemesis in the world, and the floodgates opened immediately. “He was also dragged to learn guitar by me at first! Later, I wanted to form a band, but I couldn’t find a bassist no matter what, so he had to switch to bass.”
"Is that so?" Ke Xingjian's lips curved slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes. He casually commented, "Then he's... quite loyal."
"Hmm..." Peng Chengyi hesitated for a moment, but couldn't suppress her curiosity and tentatively asked in a low voice, "By the way, senior, why didn't Chen Yubai get into the Literature and Art Department? Although he seems a bit carefree, he's actually quite reliable..."
"What," Ke Xingjian's eyes flickered slightly, and instead of answering, he asked, "You want to be in the same department as him?"
Peng Chengyi was taken aback by his question and quickly waved her hand, "No, no! I'm just... a little curious..."
Ke Xingjian glanced at her for a moment before smiling and saying, "Didn't you already give the answer yourself? His first impression is that he's too undisciplined. The staff in the department don't know him well, so of course they'll think he might not be proactive or dedicated enough."
“Oh…” Peng Chengyi nodded, thinking to herself, it was pretty much as she had guessed.
He's the real idiot.
"Shall we go out for dinner together?" Ke Xingjian glanced down at his watch.
"Is there a department dinner tonight?" Peng Chengyi asked, somewhat puzzled, as she came to her senses.
"No, it's just the two of us, we were just passing by," Ke Xingjian said naturally.
Although I became a little more familiar with him after joining the Literature and Art Department, we weren't close enough to be able to eat alone comfortably.
Peng Chengyi pursed her lips nervously, struggling with how to politely refuse, when her phone rang as if it were a lifeline.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief and gave Ke Xingjian a slightly apologetic, awkward smile: "Sorry, senior, I need to take this call. You go and eat first!"
After saying that, she hurriedly turned around and slipped into the corridor.
Upon seeing that it was Chen Yubai, Peng Chengyi completely relaxed and leaned against the window, holding the phone to her ear: "Hello, what's up?"
"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?" Chen Yubai's lazy, slightly irritating voice came through the receiver.
"...Why did you call me if there was nothing wrong?" She gave a speechless twitch of her lips.
"I want to hear your voice," he said casually.
"..."
Peng Chengyi choked, her heart inexplicably skipping two beats.
Since starting university, the two have been in different departments and their class schedules don't align. If they don't make a special appointment to meet, they sometimes won't see each other for several days.
The last time she saw him was a couple of days ago when she happened to catch a glimpse of him leaning against the railing of the dormitory building across the street, making a phone call, while she was hanging clothes on the balcony.
The setting sun cast a soft glow on his sharply defined profile, and she couldn't help but stare at him for a long time.
But the moment he turned his head, she didn't know why, but she subconsciously lowered her eyes and hurriedly hung up her clothes, pretending not to see him.
So the two of them probably haven't spoken for about a week.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, with only the faint static and her own heartbeat in her ears.
Just as Peng Chengyi was wondering how to respond, his lazy voice rang out again: "Let's see if you're still alive."
“…I’m perfectly fine!” Peng Chengyi’s lips twitched, the inexplicable flutter in her eyes instantly replaced by speechlessness. “I’m hanging up now.”
"Wait a minute." He called out to her, asking casually, "Are you free to have dinner together tonight? I happen to be on the South Campus too, just finished class."
"How did you know I was on the South Campus?" Peng Chengyi was taken aback; she didn't remember telling him about her schedule for the day.
"I just ran into your roommate, that's what she said," Chen Yubai replied vaguely.
Peng Chengyi: "Wu Xian?"
She had originally come to the South Campus Teaching Building 1 with Wu Xian for a meeting, but later Ke Xingjian said he had something to talk to her about alone, so he let Wu Xian leave first.
"Right, I don't know her name either," Chen Yubai said indifferently.
"...I've introduced her to you before!"
"I don't remember."
“…What can you remember?” Peng Chengyi sighed helplessly. She guessed that Wu Xian and the others should have already gone to eat by now, and it would be quite boring for her to eat alone, so she said, “Okay, then see you at the second canteen later?”
"I've already reached the bottom of Teaching Building 1, I'll wait for you downstairs," he said lazily.
"Oh... I'll be right down." Peng Chengyi hung up the phone and quickly returned to the classroom.
"Finished the call?" Ke Xingjian looked up.
Unexpectedly, he was still there. Peng Chengyi was taken aback, felt a little embarrassed, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Yes, I'm done."
"Well..." Ke Xingjian paused, a smile as always on his lips, "Shall we go out for dinner together again?"
"Uh... well," she pursed her lips slightly, her eyes darting around, and said with an awkward smile, "I'm sorry, senior, I've already made plans to have dinner with someone else tonight."
"You two were childhood friends?" he asked casually.
"Hmm..." She nodded gently, quickly picked up her schoolbag, "Then I'll go first, senior."
Ke Xingjian's smile dimmed almost imperceptibly for a moment, but he quickly recovered: "It's okay, we can talk about it next time."
He casually picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, the movement fluid and natural: "I was going downstairs anyway, let's go together."
"Okay." Peng Chengyi nodded, feeling a little awkward, but she could only bite the bullet and walk out with him.
The two walked out of the teaching building. The evening breeze carried a hint of coolness, ruffling the stray hairs around their ears.
Peng Chengyi looked around and spotted Chen Yubai's figure under a sycamore tree.
He leaned against a tree trunk, his brows drooping, a black canvas bag slung over one shoulder, and one long leg casually bent.
Long, slender fingers swiped through the phone, the pale outline of her face outlined by the screen's dim light.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, he lifted his eyelids.
When his gaze swept over Ke Xingjian beside her, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly before he turned off his phone, put it in his pocket, and walked towards the two of them.
"See you at rehearsal later." Ke Xingjian glanced at Chen Yubai who was approaching, gently patted Peng Chengyi's shoulder, and turned to leave first.
"Okay, sure." Peng Chengyi nodded.
"What rehearsal?" Chen Yubai asked curiously.
"Oh, it's the department band performance at the welcome party. I'm in charge of playing rhythm guitar," Peng Chengyi turned around and confessed honestly.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yubai frowned, his tone clearly showing displeasure: "You just casually joined another band to perform? You didn't even tell me?"
"..." Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, somewhat bewildered by his sudden question. "There are only the two of us left in After School now, and we can't sign up for any more performances. Why should I say hello to you?"
"What's wrong with the two of them? Neither of them has officially said they're going to disband, have they?"
"There are only two people left, doesn't that mean they're disbanding?!" Peng Chengyi thought he was being completely unreasonable.
"..." Chen Yubai was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, his voice cool, "You're really something, Peng Chengyi, you'll just use me and then throw me away, huh?"
"...Who threw you?!" Peng Chengyi was almost dizzy from being hit with such a huge accusation. "This is just a temporary departmental task! Besides, Senior Ke used to be the bassist for the Black Sugar Band, so he can fill in for the performance, right?"
She really couldn't understand why he, who had previously shown the least interest in band activities, was now acting as if he had been betrayed.
Realizing he was indeed in the wrong, Chen Yubai's eyes flickered with complex emotions before he finally turned away, saying, "...Never mind."
He raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck haphazardly, as if trying to shake off some uncomfortable feeling. His voice also lowered a few decibels, carrying a hint of awkwardly changing the subject: "Let's go eat. I'm hungry."
After saying that, he turned around and strode lazily toward the cafeteria.
"..."
What's going on?!
Neuropathy.
Peng Chengyi mentally complained and quickly caught up with him.
-
For the next week, Peng Chengyi never ran into Chen Yubai on campus again.
He seemed to have vanished into thin air. Not only did he not send her any more messages to ask her out for meals, but she also never caught a glimpse of that familiar figure in the bustling cafeteria, the crowded teaching buildings, or even on the path she often walked between their dormitories.
She couldn't help but suspect that he was still angry with her for becoming the guitarist in the department band, so he deliberately avoided all places where he might run into her.
But then I thought about it again, and realized she hadn't done anything wrong.
Why should she have to question and coax him?
Even so, every time she went to the balcony to hang clothes, her gaze would involuntarily and casually drift toward the familiar balcony on the fifth floor across the street.
However, I never saw him even once.
On two nights, when she looked over, the curtains of the boys' dormitory were half-drawn, and among the figures moving inside, he was nowhere to be seen.
What has this dog been up to lately?
This question lingered in her mind, bothering her and yet she couldn't shake it off.
Although she could never see him, his name would always find a way to reach her ears.
With his exceptionally handsome face and aloof demeanor, he almost unsurprisingly became a rising star in the School of Mathematics and a frequent visitor to the campus confession wall.
On a weekend evening, as Peng Chengyi scrolled through the posts trying to salvage his reputation, a complex and indescribable feeling welled up inside him.
On the bright side, at least she no longer had to help him deliver love letters.
Peng Chengyi pursed her lips, turned off her phone, and was about to go wash up when the screen suddenly lit up again.
Upon seeing Chen Yubai, Peng Chengyi felt a jolt in her heart, as if something invisible had tugged at it. She quickly picked up her phone again to take a look—
Chen Yubai: "Go downstairs"
Peng Chengyi paused, her fingers flying across the screen: "So late? What's going on? I've already changed into my pajamas."
The reply came quickly, still concise: "You'll find out when you get down."
He disappeared for a whole week, then suddenly reappeared and kept her in suspense. Peng Chengyi frowned slightly: "Tell me what you want first, and I'll see if it's worth going down there."
Chen Yubai: "Absolutely worth it"
Seeing the certainty in his tone, her long-suppressed curiosity instantly took over. She could no longer contain herself, tossed aside her phone, and hurriedly pulled up her pants.
"Hey, Chengcheng, are you going out?" Fang Hao, who was watching a show with a face mask on, turned around when she heard the voice, the white face mask bulging with each word.
"Hmm," Peng Chengyi mumbled in response, slipping his arm into his coat sleeve.
"Where are you going so late?" Wu Xian, who was on the upper bunk, also poked his head out.
"Chen Yubai is looking for me, I don't know what he's up to." She bent down to tie her canvas shoelaces, her voice muffled.
"Holy crap! At this hour!" Wu Xian's eyes lit up instantly. "He's not going to confess his feelings to you, is he?!"
"What are you thinking?" Peng Chengyi gave an awkward laugh, her hand already on the doorknob. "I'd be grateful if he didn't screw me over..."
She said this and hurriedly went out the door.
Downstairs in the dormitory building, Chen Yubai still looked as lazy as ever, hands in his pockets, standing under the streetlight. The dim light cast a long shadow on him.
"It'd better be something serious," Peng Chengyi said irritably as she walked over.
"I'll take you somewhere." He straightened up and casually gestured with his chin toward the art building.
"Now? What are we going there for?"
You'll know when you get there.
Peng Chengyi was full of doubts, but she still followed behind him. The campus was quiet at night, with only the rustling of the wind through the sycamore leaves and the sound of their footsteps echoing one after the other.
Chen Yubai led her familiarly into the art building, up to the second floor, and stopped in front of a door. He took out his key and opened the door.
With a "click," he pressed the switch on the wall.
The lights poured down instantly, illuminating the entire room.
Peng Chengyi stood at the door, completely stunned.
Before me was a rehearsal room that wasn't large but was quite well-equipped. A set of glossy black drums stood in the corner, along with a keyboard, amplifier, effects pedals, and even a familiar blue guitar leaning against its stand.
"This...this is?" She turned to look at Chen Yubai in surprise, wondering if she had wandered into the wrong film set.
Chen Yubai walked into the room and casually plucked a guitar string, producing a crisp hum.
He then turned to look at her, the lamplight casting dappled light on his eyes, and a smug yet nonchalant smile curved his lips: "I've also contacted the drummer and keyboardist; they're both pretty good freshmen this year."
He paused, his voice ringing out clearly in the quiet room—
"So, After School, you can be resurrected."
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Author's Note: [Dog head carrying a rose][Dog head carrying a rose][Dog head carrying a rose]
Thank you Soleil, XUANER, Ah Ya Ya, Sunshine, You Xia Yu, and Wang Xiao Xiao Xiao Xie for the nutrient solution!
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