During the next bath, Lin Luosang was distracted.
She thought she had misheard, but at the same time she felt that he was indeed serious in what he said.
He said, don't say things like I don't like you because it's wrong.
After discovering this morning that she didn't remember this part, he seemed really disappointed.
...Does he like her too? When did it start?
She turned off the shower and sat by the bathtub with a towel on her head, lost in thought. The moment her eyes met the mirror, she suddenly thought of that night when she was sitting by his bed and he looked up at her seriously, saying that he needed her.
Because I like it, I need it.
She rubbed her hair with mixed feelings. The moment she opened the door, the white mist in the bathroom slowly dissipated before her eyes, and the air with the scent of cypress rushed into her nostrils.
It was as if I had been groping in a foggy maze for too long, not knowing which direction to go in the right direction, nor what was waiting for me ahead. But suddenly the clouds and fog dissipated, and everything in front of me became clear.
She looked up and felt that she saw the future for the first time.
There was the sound of TV news in the living room. Pei Hanzhou was listening to the news while looking at the plan and typing something on the computer.
She walked lightly, thinking he wouldn't notice her. But he raised his head not long after and stared at her for a few seconds, "Why don't you blow-dry your hair?"
Lin Luosang lowered her head, tilted her head to push her hair aside, sat down beside him, and said, "I'll blow it later."
He nodded and continued to busy himself with his own things.
The wind was howling outside the window, lights were on in every household, the tea maker in the house was bubbling, a thin stream of mist was rising, and the scene in the news was noisy but not chaotic.
Just like any ordinary night with a little warmth before they had their showdown.
But she wondered what was different.
This separation seemed to have built a bridge for them to communicate.
She stepped on the sofa to put on her Christmas stockings and suddenly asked, "Did you say this morning that I forgot something very important after I sobered up?"
The man didn't expect that she could still think of the conversation this morning, but he no longer had any expectations of her knowing the truth. Without stopping his pen, he uttered a deep "hmm".
She asked tentatively, "Is it important?"
"Very important." He answered firmly.
"How important is it?"
The man stopped writing and looked at her: "It's more important than remembering to back up your music at all times."
“…”
She shrank her neck and whispered.
"That seems... quite important."
Lin Luosang took out a hair dryer and sat on the sofa to blow his hair, his legs half bent. His coral fleece pajamas were pulled up to his calves, revealing a piece of fair skin, nakedly exposed to the air.
Pei Hanzhou stood up to pour tea, and pulled up the blanket to cover her. The action only took a moment, and he quickly turned his back to her.
She pursed her lips and curled the corners of her lips calmly.
The next day was another special and ordinary day.
She got up first, choosing clothes for the man in plaster, then brushing his teeth, washing his face, shaving him, and even helping him change his clothes. She was attentive and caring.
Sometimes he would wake up sweating after a night's sleep, and she had to wipe his body. During the process, he often made some unreasonable requests. Of course, most of them were scolded back by her.
After finishing everything, at 7:30 when she was having breakfast, she scooped up some porridge with a small spoon. When she was blowing it to cool, she suddenly remembered something and asked the man opposite her, "Are you going to remove the plaster today?"
The man, who had been sipping his porridge, put down his bowl, picked up his phone, tapped it twice, and said to the recording, "Zhou Liang, check with the head of the R&D department and have him review the market research report on the new app features and send it to me."
Lin Luosang, who was ignored:?
Thinking he just happened to remind him of work, Lin Luosang didn't care and asked again: "Aren't you going to remove the plaster today?"
Pei Hanzhou pushed the plate towards her: "You can eat this bread, it's whole wheat and baked well."
Lin Luosang:? ?
She frowned, and began to doubt whether she was speaking human language. "Isn't I talking to you about plaster? Why are you talking to me about bread?"
The man still continued his topic very stubbornly: "I baked this bread myself."
She suddenly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and put her face in front of him, inviting him to admire her magnified expression of confusion.
"Isn't this Chinese? Plaster, plaster, doesn't it hurt to wear that on your hand?"
The man also frowned and said in a bad tone: "Do you really want me to remove the plaster?"
Lin Luosang was confused for a moment, feeling as if he and he were not on the same wavelength.
"What do you mean I think? Didn't the doctor say so? Isn't it normal to have it removed when the time comes? Why don't you follow the doctor's orders?"
Pei Hanzhou said calmly, "It takes a hundred days for a broken bone to heal. It would be of no benefit to me to remove the plaster now."
"Really?" she said. "But now you only have one hand that can move. Don't you feel that your daily life is very restricted?"
"What I do is intellectual labor, not hard labor," Pei Hanzhou said, "As long as half my brain isn't in plaster, it won't affect my decision-making."
She sat back in her seat, feeling that what he said made sense, but also felt strange in some way that she couldn't put her finger on.
Then the man said, "It's enough for me to have you arrange my daily life."
She put the man's words together, chewed them up and savored them carefully, and finally came to a conclusion. She looked up and asked, "You don't want to remove the plaster because you think I'll leave after you remove it, right?"
Pei Hanzhou: “…”
The man was silent for a while, but ultimately did not refute.
She was both angry and amused. She held her head up and remained silent for a long while. She poked the edge of the bowl with her spoon twice before saying, "Don't worry, I won't leave."
The man paused, "You're really not leaving?"
"Really? I swear, okay?"
"Besides..." She pouted, looking at the boxes in the corner. "Two days ago, you had my new house emptied of all its luggage and furniture. Where am I going to live? Am I going to sleep on the floor?"
Pei Hanzhou coughed twice: "That was done by Luo Xun, it has nothing to do with me."
"Really?" She said expressionlessly, "He even ripped out the sofa core. Luo Xun is so cruel. He didn't even leave me any way out."
Pei Hanzhou: “………………”
She finished the porridge in the bowl, and when she looked up again, the man was already standing at the door.
Lin Luosang licked the corner of his lips and didn't react for a moment: "What are you doing?"
Pei Hanzhou: "Go remove the plaster."
“…”
When the plaster was half removed, Luo Xun came somehow. She waited in the car for a while, and when the man came out again, his posture had not changed much.
The plaster was removed, but the hand was wrapped with something else and hung around the neck as usual, still looking like he couldn't take care of himself.
After Pei Hanzhou got in the car, she pinched his arm in confusion: "Why is it still wrapped? Is it not healed yet?"
The man didn't say anything. Luo Xun in the front seat turned around and made a few wild gestures. Pei Hanzhou then whispered in her ear, "...It hurts."
"oh."
Lin Luosang let go of his hand.
Luo Xun explained, "Well, the doctor at this private hospital has a good relationship with us and is concerned about him. He said that although the cast can be removed, it's best not to move around too much. So they put this on him as a safety precaution."
She nodded. "That's understandable."
After all, he is wealthy, so it is normal that his body parts are more delicate than those of ordinary people.
"So I still need you to take care of it," Luo Xun said, "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law!"
…
After the "Audio-Visual Feast" ended, Lin Luosang devoted himself to the production of his first album.
She has already completed three songs for the first album, all of which she likes very much. In a few days, she will go abroad to communicate with major musicians and learn some arrangement skills.
The album is called "Welcoming the Fire".
To some extent, a singer’s first album has special significance. It often reflects the singer’s current state, or it may be a certain firm belief that supports the singer along the way.
She is no exception.
After three years of ups and downs, choosing this path after the contract with Feiyan expired was a sign of facing challenges head-on. This path had only two outcomes: either continued mediocrity or a return to the glory of three years ago.
Fortunately, she did the latter.
Thus, the concept for her first album came about. It was a sentence that had been circling in her mind during countless tangled days and nights, with the courage to go all out and the open-mindedness to never back down.
Go towards the fire, destruction or nirvana.
Today, the trainees of "The Development Plan" should still be learning the theme song.
Lin Luosang planned to go over and take a look first, and then go to the recording studio to make songs.
Pei Hanzhou happened to be passing by and took her to the building where "Development Plan" was being filmed.
This building was built for trainees. It houses practice rooms, a cafeteria, dormitories, and a gym. From a distance, it looks like a castle, dreamy and girly, but what takes place inside is real and brutal fighting.
She got out of the car, but she didn't expect Pei Hanzhou to follow her out. She turned around and said, "Go inside. It's windy outside, and your wound hasn't healed yet."
The man's drooping hair covered his eyelids. "I'll take you to the stairs."
"Okay, then you have to keep a low profile. I'm afraid it will affect their practice."
When she reached the door of the practice room, she stopped and saw a modified slot machine in the corner.
The production team probably put it here for the trainees to play with, and then recorded it as part of the show's highlights.
Lin Luosang played for a long time without making any progress. The man quickly came forward and produced three identical fruits in two moves. A small box fell out from the bottom.
When she opened it, she found out that it was a coupon for playing with her mobile phone for an hour.
She wasn't a trainee whose phone had been confiscated, so it was of no use to her to have this thing.
She leaned on the table and laughed, "How come you even know how to play the slot machines?"
"We used to have this at the school gate," the man said, "and we played with it for more than two months straight."
"And then, why didn't you play anymore?"
He said, "I found myself a little addicted, so I stopped."
Lin Luosang was horrified. "Two months is considered an addiction...? People become addicted after being obsessed with online games for half a year. How long do you play a day? Ten hours?"
"No," he said calmly, "school is over in ten minutes."
Lin Luosang: ...?
"Two months, ten minutes after school, and you can call that an addiction? You're being a little too hard on yourself."
She thought it was just a casual chat and said a few words. When she saw that the man didn't reply, she turned around and prepared to go upstairs, but she heard his response when she took a few steps.
"I really don't like to become dependent on things. Often, before I even realize that I'm getting attached, I'll quickly withdraw."
"Because dependence means weakness, and with weakness, the enemy can easily constrain me."
She walked to the stairs and paused. The man's voice echoed in the empty corridor, and the monitor flickered, as if recording something.
He said—
"But...if your weakness is you, it's not impossible."
The flow of time seemed to be suddenly slowed down.
This revelation of true feelings came so suddenly that she couldn't react immediately. When she walked out of the stairs and looked down, the man had already left.
The images flooded her mind frame by frame. She blinked helplessly, and suddenly remembered that day when he stood under the scorching sun and coldly promised her: "I will not have any weaknesses, and Pei's will never go bankrupt."
The temperature was extremely high at that time, but she just stood at the car door, letting the cool air from the air conditioner in the car brush across her back. Although she felt at ease, she also felt powerless.
But at this moment, in the howling cold wind of late December, he said, "If your weakness is you, it's not impossible."
She watched the car speed away, leaving behind a sparse shadow on the ground, and pulled her coat closer. Suddenly, she felt a warm current surge somewhere in her heart.
It's really strange.
The temperature in December was even warmer for her than that in September.
She smiled to herself and quickly ran up the stairs.
When she pushed the door open, everyone was practicing. They were startled when they saw her, but they all bowed respectfully: "Hello, teacher~"
"It's okay," she waved her hand, "you guys practice yours."
Lin Luosang was not supposed to teach today's class, so she could have stayed away. The trainees never expected that she would not only come, but also bring a cup of loquat and pear tea for each trainee.
"It's too cold. I've put some water in a cooler by the door. Drink some when you get tired from training." Lin Luosang walked to the window. "The window can't be left open like that. The flu is raging right now. If you want some fresh air, just open the door. Don't open the window."
"Oh, and be careful not to drink too much water after strenuous exercise. Drink slowly."
This ordinary concern was indeed not her job, but she still gave instructions one by one. Everyone had been in this practice room without internet connection for more than a month. It was inevitable that they would miss home when they were seventeen or eighteen years old, so a little bit of care at this time would make them feel extremely sweet.
The heart-to-heart talk was mutual. Soon, a trainee asked her, "Teacher, have you had your drink? Are you cold? I have a hot pack here."
She smiled, "It's okay, I'm not cold, I just got out of the car."
"Have you eaten? The cafeteria aunt seemed to be making salad just now."
"I'm reporting it! Shang Ziyi secretly ate a piece of fried crispy pork at noon!"
"Hey, Hong Lan, are you okay? You bought that big bag of fried crispy pork!"
"Oh, by the way, teacher, do you want to eat? I still have a piece."
"You are ruthless, you let the teacher eat your leftovers, you should kowtow to the teacher and apologize."
…
There was a brief moment of fun in the practice room, which drove away the boredom and frustration of the long and complicated practice time.
Lin Luosang stood aside and watched them making a fuss. After a while, he said, "It's almost done. You guys can practice. Yu Xue, how are you doing? Come here and show me."
Yu Xue is one of the C-rated team members she leads. The whole team has five people with average ability level, but fortunately they are all pretty and take the stage seriously.
Yu Xue quickly organized the remaining team member to perform the theme song dance for Lin Luosang.
Once wasn't enough, so she asked them to dance three times.
She analyzed the video she had recorded for a long time without saying a word, which made Yu Xue tremble and ask nervously, "Teacher, please say whatever you want to say."
She sighed softly, "There are too many questions. Let me sort them out."
The C-rated practice room suddenly fell silent.
This is horrible. Not only are Yu Xue and her classmates considered the best dancers in Class C, but they also don't seem to have any major flaws compared to Class A. They sang and danced perfectly in such a short time, with the lyrics and the dances perfectly executed. It feels like they didn't make it to Class B because they performed poorly in the initial evaluation. And now the teacher is saying they have too many problems?
How are the rest of them going to survive...
After pondering for a long time, Lin Luosang said, "I have a few key questions to discuss."
"First, you're standing too far apart. The advantage of a group performance is that you can hide your flaws. Once you're spread out too far, the flaws of each individual will become apparent. You need to be more careful."
"When the theme song rating comes, both individual and group performances will be considered, and the focus will be on the individual performances. However, since you are a girl group, you must not lose your sense of teamwork."
Hmmmm.
As Lin Luosang spoke, the trainees beside him listened and took notes in the corner.
"The second thing is that you guys focused too much on details and ignored the overall integrity. For example, you didn't hit the high note at the end of the first section, but you kept singing it, which caused the beat to slow down later. As a whole performance, you should have dropped the necessary notes in time."
"Third, the high notes were sung too tightly. You must not tighten your throat too much when singing high notes. The more relaxed your throat is, the better the sound will come out. Try to sing in a yawning state."
"The fourth is some issues with rhythm. Let's put that aside for now. After all, you still have a few days of practice. By then, you'll definitely be able to hit the beat more accurately."
"Fifth, manage your expressions. This song is very sweet, and you must present it in the right style. Especially Tang Zhi, don't sing like you're going to chop up your ex-boyfriend."
A restrained laugh came from the practice room.
"Okay, that's about it, do it again."
After guiding them through several rounds of practice, their performances improved almost visibly.
Even the trainees were amazed: "It's only been 20 minutes, and it feels like the whole performance has been reborn and has soul. How did they do that??"
"Professional knowledge and professional perception, otherwise why are we, at the same age, fighting for a debut spot, while Mr. Ren becomes a star just by writing a few songs?"
"It's really amazing. He can count the questions and beats at the same time. It feels like he has an extraordinary brain."
"Don't you know that the teacher is a real dance enthusiast?"
The trainees were having an enthusiastic discussion when Lin Luosang called out to the next group: "Anything else you want to show me? If not, I'll go to the next shift."
The other trainees in Class C were stunned. "Can we do that too? Aren't private lessons just for our own teammates? Large classes are taught by teachers together, right?"
"I'm your producer after all. There's no such thing as class division here. You're all my students. If you have any questions, you can always ask me. It's okay."
Yes, this beautiful and kind-hearted fairy in front of me is the producer of all the trainees.
The girls' eyes welled up, and they stood up with tears of gratitude and began to show Lin Luosang the results of their practice.
By the time Lin Luosang finished instructing each class one by one, it was already dark.
It seems that she has no time to go to the recording studio today, so she started practicing singing in the practice room at the end of the corridor, which has no cameras.
I practiced until the early morning.
The corridor is still filled with various sounds, including chatting, background music, and sharing of experiences.
This is the early morning of the trainees. Unlike ordinary people's sleeping time, their lives are squeezed into a thin piece. They can only sleep for a few hours after completing the task, and then load themselves with high-intensity training.
But most trainees are smart and practice in a room with cameras so that the audience watching the live broadcast can accurately get their efforts. Some even want to take shortcuts and go to bed in the afternoon when there are many people, and practice in the early morning when there are fewer people.
The few open practice rooms without cameras are almost always empty.
Lin Luosang walked past them one by one and was about to leave when he suddenly heard soft music coming from a room.
When she reached the door, she noticed the light was still on.
Lin Luosang hesitantly opened the door and found a petite figure under the light.
The girl practiced in the half moonlight. The figure in the mirror was blurred into a black and white silhouette, and only the general outline could be seen.
She spun and stood still over and over again, practicing the most difficult postures, falling down tremblingly, and standing up again.
Lin Luosang suddenly asked, "Why are you practicing here alone?"
The girl was startled, turned around in panic, and bowed to her: "Hello, teacher."
Lin Luosang said again: "Why not join them? There are no cameras here."
“I know,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be photographed.”
This was the first time Lin Luosang heard that a trainee didn't want to be photographed: "Why? You don't want to participate in this show?"
"I, I'm not. I want to participate. This is a very important opportunity," the girl said, "but I'm not a good dancer, and no one thinks I'm a good dancer. Instead of embarrassing myself in front of the camera, I might as well practice secretly and then go in when I'm good enough."
Lin Luosang put down his bag and didn't turn on the light. Respecting the girl's wishes, he stood at the door and said, "If you don't mind, can you dance for me?"
"Of course I don't mind."
The girl played the music again, this time turning up the volume a bit. Although she was a little restrained overall, it was obvious that her basic skills were not bad.
Lin Luosang narrowed his eyes and recalled for a moment: "You are... Shi Churan? One of my subordinates, from Class D, right?"
Shi Churan didn't expect that the instructor would remember him. He bowed again and whispered, "Yes."
"Why are you so unconfident?" Lin Luosang asked. "I remember you from the initial evaluation. Your folk dance skills were pretty good, and you were pretty good-looking. If you don't have confidence in front of the camera, how are you going to handle those who don't dance as well as you?"
"No, no, at least they have better conditions than me," Shi Churan whispered, "I, I didn't expect there would be so many amazing people before I came here. They all said that girl group members must be at least 165cm tall to dance well, and I'm only 159cm. They all said I was a dwarf. How could a dwarf possibly debut..."
"I know that except for the last few people, no one else can debut, but I already knew my fate, so it's still very sad..."
As she spoke, her voice choked with sobs: "My parents worked so hard to send me to dance, but I insisted on doing it even though I knew I was just a runner. I blamed myself so much that I even wanted to quit and go home to help..."
Lin Luosang approached and interrupted, "Who said that someone who is 159cm tall can't debut?"
Shi Churan was stunned for a moment, tears streaming down her cheeks: "But, most people have to be over 165cm tall and beautiful to be able to -"
"Before I participated in the last variety show, no one thought that I, who came from a girl group, could win the championship in a mainstream variety show."
Shi Churan stopped crying.
She reached out and wiped the tears from Shi Churan's face. "Nothing is absolute in this world. The most frightening thing is to lose without fighting. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, if you don't fight, how do you know you're not that one in ten thousand?"
"Your body proportions are pretty good. If you can stand in the center position and practice dancing in high heels, the difference won't be noticeable under the camera. Height isn't something you can change. Don't use this God-given condition to be hard on yourself. If you lose something here, make up for it in other ways."
"Think about it from another perspective."
"If you're not the typical girl group type, but you still managed to debut, doesn't that just prove that you have top-notch abilities and audience appeal?"
Shi Churan had never expected this line of thought. He looked at Lin Luosang in surprise and astonishment. He suddenly felt that compared to his teacher's vision, his own little emotions seemed too petty...
"Don't blame yourself, you're in good shape," Lin Luosang said sincerely. "These three months of recording the show may not change everything, but they're enough to change a lot."
"With your basic skills, if you put in a little more effort than others, you will be noticed."
Shi Churan bowed to her again. Lin Luosang suspected that if he hadn't reached out to take it, the girl would have kowtowed to him.
"I...I understand. I will work hard and I won't give up on myself! Thank you for wasting your time. Please go back and rest!"
"Well, I'll come back in a couple of days to inspect your work."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Luosang turned his head and said, "Everything depends on human effort."
Under the moonlight, Shi Churan smiled gently and stubbornly: "I will definitely work hard to make sure that my parents' efforts are not in vain!!"
She nodded.
For the next two days, she also went to the practice room every day.
Shi Churan's condition has improved. She no longer looks as fragile and helpless as she did that night. Perhaps what Lin Luosang said really encouraged her.
Anyway, this is a good start.
That afternoon, after she finished making music, she went to the hospital to visit her great-grandmother.
As soon as she entered the room, the old man looked at her with a smile: "You made an appointment with Han Zhou? He just left less than an hour ago and you're here."
Lin Luosang raised his eyebrows: "If I had known earlier, I would have asked him to come with me."
The old man narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Why isn't it you and him, but he and you?"
He held her hand again and patted it, "Amazing! You're the first person I've ever met who can make Han Zhou obey."
Lin Luosang smiled and said, "No, I was just kidding."
The old man put away the trace of joking: "I am serious."
The evening light was just right, peeking in through the screen window. The old man held her hand and suddenly said, "Do you know what he just said to me?"
Lin Luosang: "What?"
"He asked me how to make a girl believe that he loved her very much."
Lin Luosang was stunned.
The old man asked again: "Do you know why his company is called Zaizhou?"
She shook her head. She had never heard Pei Hanzhou mention this matter before.
"Because there's an old saying that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."
"He chose this name to remind himself that although his position is very glorious, he could still lose everything if he is not careful."
"He is the most rational and clear-headed child I have ever met. Sometimes his rationality even makes me sad."
For the next half hour, she listened to the old man telling the story of Pei Hanzhou's childhood in a disjointed manner.
"He seemed to be living well, but in reality, he wasn't, I knew that. But I didn't have custody of him at the time, and I was too old to intervene. I could only watch as children grew older and more playful... His back became straighter, his smile became less and less, and his childishness had long since faded."
"Given his life situation, he doesn't know what normal love is like. It's hard for him to feel it, and even harder to express it. If this causes any misunderstanding on your part, don't think he's heartless."
"He's not heartless," the old man said. "He just can't express himself. That's not his fault."
She felt a bitterness in her chest and her vision was blurred.
"It may be difficult for you to feel that he loves you. I don't live with you, so I can't explain whether he loves you or how much he loves you, but Xiao Sang..."
The old man held her hand, trembling slightly. "Not long ago, the plane was in turbulence. Luo Xun told me that when the oxygen masks popped out, everyone panicked and took out their phones to record the conversation. Only he wrote the property transfer agreement. If anything happens to him, all his property will be transferred to you."
"Even though he didn't say it, I think you understand. At that critical moment of life and death, the first person he thought of was you."
Lin Luosang didn't know how he got home.
She almost cried out loud, and stood at the door for a long time to calm down, then opened the door with red eyes.
The TV was on, but the man was not in the living room. She subconsciously wanted to go find him, although she didn't know what she could do if she found him.
Suddenly, I wanted to see him.
She eventually found the man in the study on the third floor.
He was holding up the teacup with his so-called "immobile" right hand, drinking tea and flipping through documents in a very healthy and flexible manner.
Didn’t he say last night that his hands were in so much pain that he couldn’t move them at all and still wanted her to help him bathe???
Seeing her come in, the man's forehead jumped, but he still calmly put down the teacup in his hand and replaced it with his other left hand.
Then, he calmly placed his paralyzed right hand back into the protective sheath hanging on his shoulder and said calmly:
"You're mistaken."
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