Chapter 22
The old chemistry teacher's class was the last one. As soon as the bell rang, the students quickly packed up their textbooks and left in twos and threes.
Lu Mingxiao endured it for an entire class period before finally finding an opportunity to lean over and ask Jiang Huaiyu, "Jiang Xiaobao, why are you unhappy?"
"I'm not unhappy." Jiang Huaiyu thought for a moment and felt that this answer was too perfunctory, so she said again, "Okay, I am a little unhappy. Let's go, we'll talk on the way back."
Lu Mingxiao agreed and quickly packed his schoolbag according to the homework sheet. The two of them blended into the crowd of people leaving school. Almost everyone was wearing thick winter school uniforms. In the crowd of people with red and black as the main colors, the two little waves were very close together.
Because of their outstanding looks, Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu were quite popular at school. Many classmates, even those who didn't know them, were openly or secretly watching them. So the two of them almost never discussed their families at school. It wasn't until they reached the school gate and the crowd dispersed that Lu Mingxiao reached out and tugged at Jiang Huaiyu's backpack strap: "Jiang Xiaobao..."
"Lu Mingxiao!" A girl suddenly rushed out from under the shade of a tree, nervously holding a small box of chocolates. Her delicate face was flushed as she handed the chocolates to Lu Mingxiao: "You... hello, I'm Duan Yueke from Class 8, I... I've liked you for a long time!"
The height difference was quite large, and Lu Mingxiao almost didn't see the little girl and nearly bumped into her. He quickly took a step to the side, but almost tripped Jiang Huaiyu who was walking next to him.
Young Master Jiang still hadn't mastered the art of walking on icy roads. The collision sent him tumbling forward, his long arms and legs flailing wildly as he tried to regain his balance. In the chaos, he grabbed something, and upon closer inspection…
The chocolate that Duan used to confess his feelings was "snatched" away by him.
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
The scene was a bit awkward; Duan's face turned bright red. Jiang Huaiyu expressionlessly stuffed the chocolate into Lu Mingxiao's hand: "It's for you."
"I don't want it..." Lu Mingxiao handed the chocolate to Duan Yueke: "Thank you, classmate, but I don't plan to have a relationship early on. At our age, we should focus on our studies."
Lu Mingxiao's grades have improved a lot this year, and his words were quite convincing. Duan Yue didn't take the chocolate and ran away with a red face.
Lu Mingxiao: "Hey? Classmate? I'll leave the chocolate with the supermarket owner for you tomorrow. Remember to pick it up if you want more..."
The person has already disappeared.
"Brother Xiao, you're quite popular, aren't you?" Jiang Huaiyu said casually.
Lu Mingxiao felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason. He held the box of chocolates like a hot potato, awkwardly touching the tip of his nose: "Well...aren't you the same? Fu Yucheng even gave you a love letter."
Jiang Huaiyu: "I didn't see the love letter; it was eaten by some people."
“Then you can have this one too, at least it’s edible…” Lu Mingxiao laughed as he spoke: “Don’t tell me you’ve never received chocolates from girls, I don’t believe you.”
Jiang Huaiyu had indeed been confessed to. The young lady of a certain group had pursued him passionately for a period of time. Whether it was a young girl's infatuation or for reasons of mutual benefit, Jiang Huaiyu was not sure. The other party offered a bouquet of Juliet roses worth 150,000 yuan. However, he had never received any chocolates, so he said with confidence, "I have never received any."
"Then I'll give you a box another day, okay? Don't be stubborn..." Lu Mingxiao put the box of chocolates into his backpack: "It's not good to throw it away. I'll tell the supermarket owner that I bought it for her, and let that girl pick it up herself. Didn't you want to talk to me about the piano? What happened?"
Jiang Huaiyu didn't speak for a moment, the snow crunching under his feet. He organized his thoughts before speaking: "I learned to play the piano because my grandfather liked it. I used to think that making him happy was the meaning of my learning to play the piano."
Lu Mingxiao paused, "So what? When you went back to the Jiang family after summer vacation, that old man really gave you a hard time? No wonder you reacted so strongly when I played the piano..."
Two rows of footprints stretched out longer and longer across the snow. Lu Mingxiao said again, "If you don't like it, then I won't play it. I didn't know about this, I'm sorry..."
“No, I should thank you,” Jiang Huaiyu interrupted him softly.
"Thank me?" Lu Mingxiao was somewhat taken aback. "Thank me for what?"
The frost and snow that had condensed on the branches were shaken off by the sparrows, and drifted sparsely onto the heads of the two boys. Jiang Huaiyu exhaled a long puff of mist.
“In the past, I mostly played the piano at banquets in the Jiang family. Most people were trying to flatter and fawn over my grandfather, and I was like his most prized possession, being displayed. I didn’t really like that feeling.”
Lu Mingxiao frowned as he listened.
“But this time is different. I’m willing to participate in the school anniversary performance.” Jiang Huaiyu chuckled. “Not to make anyone happy, but simply because I want to. If you hadn’t brought this up, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get out of this rut, so thank you.”
As if an invisible shackle had been removed, the smile on his face was like snowflakes in the sunlight—clear, beautiful, and light-hearted.
His lips moved slightly; Lu Mingxiao wanted to ask him why he was willing.
Is it because I was the one performing with him?
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.
This is really too ambiguous.
As long as he doesn't tear open the colorful candy wrapper, everything can remain the same. He is Jiang Huaiyu's best friend, a relative without blood ties.
But he certainly doesn't intend to stay like this forever.
What he wanted was for someone to stay by Jiang Huaiyu's side as a family member.
He quietly traced Jiang Huaiyu's back with his gaze, and after a moment he followed. The emotions surging in his eyes all subsided, and he smiled and said, "So how do you plan to thank me?"
His arm naturally draped lightly over Jiang Huaiyu's shoulder, a privilege he enjoyed as a "friend and family member," concealing his unspeakable youthful feelings and burning ambitions.
Jiang Huaiyu looked up, a faint smile in her eyes.
I don't know if it was because there was a snowdrift over there, but he moved a little closer to Lu Mingxiao.
"Brother Xiao, how do you plan for me to thank you?"
He watched as Lu Mingxiao's ears turned red, then laughed triumphantly, taking a step back to distance himself from Lu Mingxiao.
"You wish! It's my business if I want to play the piano. You should think about what you want to sing."
...
Lu Mingxiao finally chose a Cantonese song, a sentimental old song. He chose this song because Li Qing liked it very much. She always played this song at home. Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu had heard it so many times that they were very familiar with the melody.
Because they needed to practice this song, Jiang Huaiyu and Lu Mingxiao found a music store that bought and rented pianos and practiced there for an hour every day after school. Jiang Huaiyu thought about buying a piano, but there was really no place to put it at home, and besides, they would only use it once, so buying it wouldn't be very cost-effective.
Lu Mingxiao sings very well.
His pitch was good, though his timbre wasn't as deep and lyrical as the original singer's. However, it had a youthful clarity and the hoarseness of puberty, and when he hummed softly, it sounded like the humming trailing notes of a cello.
Upon learning that Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu would be performing at the school anniversary celebration and singing her favorite song, Li Qing was incredibly excited. Even the usually composed Lu Chuan excitedly spun around the room twice. No one knows who started humming first, but the two of them sang the old song a cappella and started dancing ballroom dance in the living room, hand in hand.
Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu peeked through the crack in the door.
"Mom sings very well," Jiang Huaiyu said softly.
“Yes, my mother’s hometown still has the custom of singing folk songs. She had a very good voice since she was a child. She said her childhood dream was to be a music teacher.” At this point, Lu Mingxiao paused slightly, “Later, some things happened, and my mother had to go out to work. She has been to many places, and I heard…”
"You heard that your dad used this song to confess his love to me, and that's how we got together and had you two..." Li Qing's smiling voice came over: "You two, if you want to look, just look openly, why are you being so sneaky?"
Lu Chuan's illness prevented him from exercising for long periods, so Li Qing stopped tactfully, poured him a glass of warm water, and then asked Jiang Huaiyu, "Xiao Bao, your school anniversary celebration only invited the parents of outstanding students. Your dad and I have always told others that we are your aunt and uncle, so we probably can't go, right? Could you find someone to record a video for us?"
The school auditorium couldn't accommodate all the parents, so the school only opened up a limited number of invitation slots for parents of some "outstanding students".
“Who said you can’t go?” Jiang Huaiyu smiled and took out two admission tickets printed by the school from his pocket: “Outstanding student’s parent, Ms. Li Qing, Mr. Lu Chuan.”
"We got them too?" Lu Chuan took the two rather simple "tickets" in surprise, looking at them with delight: "Did Xiao Bao apply for them for us?"
“Dad, this one is the one I applied for.” Jiang Huaiyu blinked and looked at Lu Mingxiao: “The other one was applied for by Lu Mingxiao, an outstanding student, for Mom.”
Li Qing reacted quickly, smiling as she pressed, "Is it because Da Bao's grades have improved so much this year? Is that why I'm the parent of an outstanding student?"
"Hmm, that's right." Lu Mingxiao was a little smug: "Mom, I've always embarrassed you since we were little, are you happy now?"
“Happy! Why wouldn’t I be happy?” Li Qing held up the printed admission ticket for a long time, then patted Lu Mingxiao on the back: “You brat, what are you saying? You don’t always embarrass your mother. You have many times that make your mother proud.”
For example, little boys helped them move the decorative bricks one by one; at the most clumsy age, they didn't break a single brick.
For example, a young boy would get his food from the school cafeteria and then ride his bicycle under the scorching sun to deliver it to her.
For example, a tall boy carried his injured and unconscious neighbor on his back, braving the wind and snow to take him to the hospital.
Her eldest child has always made her very proud.
...
However, the video recording still had to be done, since two "excellent parents" couldn't come because they were out of town. Li Qing specially borrowed a camera, learned how to use the video function, and planned to send a video to Jiang Lan and Song Jingliang later.
Backstage...
Lu Mingxiao sat in a chair waiting to go on stage. If you looked closely, you could see that his long, slender legs were trembling slightly with anxiety.
He was wearing a collared sweatshirt that Jiang Lan had recently bought for him. The main color was black, with some denim blue trim on the collar and cuffs. His slightly long hair was styled in a simple way, looking a little messy but also very layered. When he wasn't speaking, he was a cool guy with a cold and aloof expression.
However……
"Jiang Xiaobao, I need to go to the toilet," he said.
"You just went there," Jiang Huaiyu coldly reminded him. "Brother Xiao, you're so young and already have frequent urination. What are you going to do in the future?"
"Tsk... What are you saying? You know I never get up at night." Lu Mingxiao stood up. "This is an unexpected situation. No, I have to go again..."
After going to the restroom, I finally managed to calm my racing heart, but when I saw Jiang Huaiyu had changed her clothes, my heart started pounding wildly again.
Jiang Huaiyu changed into a white shirt, the same one he had worn during a piano competition. The silk material with a subtle pattern draped smoothly, outlining the boy's slender and upright figure. The neckline was a mid-V, and the small red mole that had once caught his eye was now blatantly exposed under the dim backstage lights.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and it took Lu Mingxiao a while to find his voice: "Is this the style of your performance costume? The auditorium isn't heated enough; it'll be cold."
Jiang Huaiyu had already put on her school uniform cotton coat: "It's just for a little while, it's nothing."
Lu Mingxiao glanced at the little red dot again: "You should wear a scarf."
"A shirt with a scarf?" Jiang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow: "Your aesthetic sense is far ahead of Paris Fashion Week, Brother Xiao."
Lu Mingxiao couldn't resist wanting to see the little red dot again: "Why don't you drape the scarf over your shoulders?"
"Unlock Grandma Li's style." Jiang Huaiyu smiled casually: "I didn't mean to say anything bad about Grandma Li."
"Tsk, Jiang Xiaoyu, you..."
"Are you still nervous?" Jiang Huaiyu rested her chin on her hand, looked up at him, and winked mischievously.
Lu Mingxiao paused for a moment: "...I'm not nervous anymore."
"Okay." Jiang Huaiyu nodded: "Then please hand me that silk scarf behind you."
"Hmm?" Lu Mingxiao turned around and found a long, thin, snow-silver silk scarf draped over the back of the chair. He picked up the scarf as if he were holding a piece of smooth moonlight.
Jiang Huaiyu took the silk garment from his hand, lowered her slender neck, and loosely tied a knot at the back of her neck. The smooth fabric that hung down just covered the small red dot under her collarbone.
"Let's go, the show is about to start."
...
The school anniversary performances were already halfway through, and the auditorium was a bit noisy. Zhuoran had just finished his solo dance and was sitting with his classmates from Class 5. Liang Jing kept asking when it would be his turn, and Zhuoran said, "Soon, soon..."
Finally, she grew impatient with the questions and was about to shut the noisy man up with a water bottle when the lights in the auditorium suddenly went out.
In the darkness, the first thing to flow was a piano piece, like moonlight pouring down from the clouds, flowing calmly and slowly, yet carrying a damp melancholy like a thin mist.
The noise suddenly subsided into silence, and Li Qing excitedly gripped her camera.
The boy's humming smoothly transitioned into the accompaniment, the stage lights came on, and the boy in the hoodie held the microphone, humming "Moonlight" and "Unspeakable Heartbeats" in his deep, magnetic voice.
"Wow... this is my Brother Xiao?" Li Rui was stunned and muttered softly, "That voice, even a dog's bark sounds affectionate."
Liang Jing: "What are you doing in our class again?"
On stage, Lu Mingxiao gradually relaxed. He was never a stage fright person. If his partner today wasn't Jiang Huaiyu, he could stand here relaxed. But the person sitting under another spotlight was the one he secretly loved.
The pampered young master sat at the piano, his slender fingers dancing nimbly across the black and white keys. Perhaps because of the material of his shirt, he was enveloped in a soft halo, as if sitting in a ball of moonlight.
Lu Mingxiao chose this song on purpose.
This song, which features his father's successful confession, will surely bring him good luck.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, Jiang Huaiyu looked up, her beautiful eyes filled with shimmering starlight.
Lu Mingxiao actually wanted to ask Jiang Huaiyu:
You're so smart, you must already know what I can't say out loud, right?
After they left together, Lu Mingxiao didn't even have a chance to speak to Jiang Huaiyu before Jiang Huaiyu was called away by the excited music teacher, while Lu Mingxiao was surrounded by the students of Class 5.
"Wow, Xiao Ge! You're so handsome! Why did you choose such an old song? Even the magnifying glass was wiping away tears just now, hahaha..."
"Brother Xiao, you've got some skills! I thought you were going to do a backflip..."
"Wow, this piano prodigy plays so well! How can someone be so perfect..."
After Lu Mingxiao dismissed his classmates, Li Qing and the others came over to greet him. She had work to do later, so she just gave them a few casual words of advice.
“Your mother, Jiang Lan, just sent me a message. She said she’s very happy to see how well you two brothers get along.”
"The auditorium is so cold, remind Xiaobao to drink some hot water later..."
"besides……"
Lu Mingxiao didn't quite hear what Li Qing said after that, only the very first sentence, Jiang Lan's "two brothers," sounded like a bell ringing in his ears.
His earlier agitation subsided abruptly, like freshly quenched pig iron being immediately thrown into ice water.
"Lu Mingxiao, you're in too much of a hurry," he said to himself.
It's not a good time to reveal your hand yet, at least not now.
Author's Note:
Xiao Ge and Xiao Yu are about to move on to the next stage.
Xiao Ge: Is it ambiguous? It's normal for brothers to be like this. [Sunglasses]
Little Fish: Is it ambiguous? It's normal for brothers to be like this. [Milk Tea]
Li Rui and Liang Jing: No? Is this normal, brothers?
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