Chapter 79 Part 2

Gu Yuan’s smile deepened. “If you apply it, the shy one won’t be me.”

Zhou Chiyu looked suspicious. “Huh?”

“I bet it’ll be you.” Gu Yuan released his hand and pecked behind Zhou Chiyu’s ear. “Good night, my boyfriend.”

Zhou Chiyu’s face and ears flushed red as he covered his ear and whispered, “Good night.”

At this hour, Gu Cheng and Bai Wenran were strolling in the courtyard.

Before the boys returned, Gu Lao had mentioned Miss Lin to them, with intentions of matchmaking. Bai Wenran cared more about Gu Yuan’s marriage than anyone, but she believed the person had to be someone Gu Yuan truly liked from the bottom of his heart. She didn’t want him marrying someone he didn’t care for just for the family’s sake—it would hurt both him and her.

“I support your thinking.”

Gu Cheng’s voice was gentle. “Compared to health, marriage and kids don’t matter; as long as he’s happy.”

“We still need marriage and children.” Bai Wenran teased Gu Cheng. “Otherwise, who’ll keep Little Yuan company after we’re gone?”

Gu Cheng’s smile softened his handsome features. “He has his little brother.”

“Little brother?” Bai Wenran gently stroked her belly. “His little brother will start his own family someday too. A partner is irreplaceable for everyone.”

Gu Cheng said, “I mean Little Fish.”

Last month, the doctor had told Gu Cheng that the baby Bai Wenran carried was a boy. These days, she had been preparing clothes and supplies for the baby.

Bai Wenran laughed lightly. “Little Fish will get married someday too.”

The wind picked up, and Gu Cheng adjusted Bai Wenran’s shawl. “We’ll see; children have their own blessings.”

…

A cold wind carrying scattered ice pellets battered the eaves; winter had arrived in the blink of an eye. With only three days left until the Top 10 Singers Final, Zhou Chiyu threw himself into full preparation. Though the voting scandal had blown over, many were still watching the outcome. Zhou Chiyu didn’t want to waste energy on it and left it entirely to the lawyers. The culprit had been identified as a student from the sports department—Qi Lei, Bai Zhiqi’s boyfriend. Of course, no one except Zhou Chiyu, Bai Zhiqi, and their roommates knew about the couple.

After class that day, Zhou Chiyu went to Professor Lin’s house for his lesson. Professor Lin had been abroad for training recently and unavailable to coach him, but he was back today to help Zhou Chiyu select a suitable song.

“It’s been a month, and Little Fish looks even more handsome.”

Professor Lin welcomed him inside and carefully brushed a fallen leaf from his scarf. “Any songs you like?”

“Yes.”

The short dozens-of-meters walk had frozen Zhou Chiyu’s nose tip red. He rubbed his hands and, looking up, noticed Professor Lin’s gentle eyes.

“I Dare You.”

Professor Lin raised a brow and casually smoothed the wind-tousled hair from Zhou Chiyu’s forehead. “A love song.”

“Yes.” Like a startled fawn, Zhou Chiyu hurriedly dodged Professor Lin’s hand. “Let’s start then; I don’t want to keep you up too late.”

“Alright.” Professor Lin turned to pour him a cup of hot water. “How have things been lately? No Gu Yuan to walk you over?”

“My brother has class tonight.”

Zhou Chiyu sat on the sofa, his previously calm thoughts disrupted by Professor Lin’s odd behavior.

He slowly pulled a gift from his schoolbag, not daring to meet Professor Lin’s eyes. “The other day at the auction with family, I saw this music box and thought you might like it.”

Professor Lin seemed pleased with the gift and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Little Fish baby.”

The sheet music scattered across the floor. In his fluster, Zhou Chiyu picked it up and bumped into Professor Lin’s legs as he straightened. “You’re welcome… Let’s get to the lesson.”

“Mm, as you say.”

As before, Professor Lin sat at the piano demonstrating each line’s phrasing, but this time Zhou Chiyu leaned against the outer side of the grand piano, keeping his distance.

After singing the full song, Professor Lin raised both hands and gazed at him. “Little Fish, you’re so far away—can you see the notes I marked on the score?”

Zhou Chiyu lowered his gaze. “I can hear them.”

“Fine then.” Professor Lin smiled faintly and let his right hand drift lightly over a run of keys. “This song seems to tell a story.”

A light single note rang out in the quiet room. Professor Lin picked a line of English lyrics and sang, “I know you want to cross this line.” (TL: translated)

Zhou Chiyu stared at him, his throat tightening slightly.

“But we won’t act rashly.” (TL: translated)

Professor Lin’s smile deepened. “It’s like two foolish kids in an unacceptable romance, a story of bravely pursuing love.”

“Yes.” Zhou Chiyu met the faint smile at the corner of Professor Lin’s mouth. “I like this song.”

Deep, resonant notes made the room tremble faintly. Professor Lin released the keys and gazed at him slowly. “Little Fish, do you know? In this song, I only saw one thing.”

Zhou Chiyu frowned. “What?”

“Tragic ending.”

Professor Lin’s smile remained mild. “Once you cross that line, there’s no turning back. Of course, the protagonist in the lyrics could choose to give up—he’s young and will have better options.”

“Yes.” Zhou Chiyu lowered his eyes to the lyrics. “You’re right; it depends on personal choice among different endings.”

“Looks like Little Fish understands what I mean.”

Professor Lin’s expression was gentle. “You’ve met too few people; maybe the truly right one hasn’t appeared yet. At your age, no need to tie yourself to one tree.”

“Mm, I know.”

Zhou Chiyu packed away the sheet music and placed it gently in his schoolbag. Then he looked straight into Professor Lin’s eyes. “But for me, this tree has sheltered me from wind and rain since I was little. Its roots have pierced through my soul, rooting deep in my life.”

The snow outside grew heavier. Zhou Chiyu curved his eyes into a smile. “Thank you, Professor Lin, for all your guidance these days. I wish you a happy future.”

He pushed open the heavy door and walked slowly into the light snow.

Under the moonlight, he bumped into a tall figure.

In that instant of looking up, he thought again of the lyric he had chosen for the competition—The scenery is hard to make out, but my eyes see only you.