Chapter 91: Buying a Mansion to Keep You In
As the final exams were approaching, Mrs. Xu called Lin Yuejiu to ask if the school would allow students to stay in the dorms during the break. When Lin Yuejiu replied that it wouldn’t, Mrs. Xu quickly invited her to stay at the Xu household instead, saying the room had always been kept clean.
Lin Yuejiu trusted Mrs. Xu completely and agreed right away.
After hanging up, Mrs. Xu winked at Xu Nianshen, who was standing nearby. “See? Isn’t Mom amazing? I just tricked your girlfriend into coming over.”
Xu Nianshen: “…”
“You’d better seize this opportunity. Yuejiu will probably be staying here the entire summer.”
Xu Nianshen: “…”
Seize what opportunity? What exactly was he supposed to seize?
After Chen Qianxi left, Lin Yuejiu began packing her own things—just some daily necessities and a few clothes. When she walked out the school gate, Xu Nianshen was already waiting for her. Seeing the bags in her hands, he reached out to take them. “You didn’t forget anything, right?”
“No.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
When they arrived at the Xu residence, Mrs. Xu greeted her with the same warmth as always. She led her upstairs to her room. “Yuejiu, look, Auntie bought you lots of clothes. Just wear whatever you like. I also bought some accessories for you, and even some incense…”
Lin Yuejiu was overwhelmed by the kindness. She bowed politely. “Thank you, Auntie.”
Mrs. Xu quickly helped her back up. “No need to be so formal with me.”
After chatting for a bit, Mrs. Xu left. Xu Nianshen carried her bags inside. “Do you need help unpacking?”
“No, it’s fine. You can go do your own thing.”
“Alright.”
He left, closing the door behind him, and went back to his own room. But the moment he opened his door, he saw Mrs. Xu waiting inside. She waved him over, and he walked over obediently.
She pulled him in front of the wardrobe. “Look, these are the new clothes I bought for you.”
Xu Nianshen: “??? Why are you buying me clothes all of a sudden?”
He felt uneasy. Normally, he bought his own clothes, and it had been a long time since his mother had done this for him. The sudden attention made him feel off balance.
Mrs. Xu smiled. “Oh, these are all meant to match with Yuejiu’s.”
Xu Nianshen froze for a moment before asking, “Couple outfits?”
“Exactly!” Mrs. Xu beamed. “I carefully picked them out. They’ll look perfect on you two. Every set is a couple’s outfit. Each day, just start with the pajamas. Once you see what Yuejiu wears, you can change into the matching one.”
Xu Nianshen was exasperated. “We’re not even dating yet. If we wear this outside, won’t people start suspecting things?”
Mrs. Xu blinked. “Oh, right…”
After a moment of thought, she said, “Then just wear them at home when there’s nothing going on. If you go out, you can change into other clothes.”
“…”
——
Though the students were on summer break, the Music Association wasn’t. That meant that instead of just going on weekends, they were now attending almost every day.
Lin Yuejiu didn’t wear the clothes Mrs. Xu bought her, and Xu Nianshen didn’t either. Still, they often ended up coincidentally wearing the same colors, as if in quiet harmony.
The final exam results soon came out. Lin Yuejiu and Xu Nianshen tied for first place, both scoring exactly 721 points.
When she saw her score, Lin Yuejiu tilted her chin at him smugly, as if to say: I’m about to surpass you soon.
When the results came out, Xu Nianshen smiled and gently patted her head, his tone full of affection:
“I’ll be waiting.”
When Lin Rumeng saw her own grades, she was completely stunned—502. Why had her score dropped instead of improving? Why was it even lower than last time? Why?
She couldn’t understand. Stumbling out in a daze, she spotted Lin Yimo and, with a wronged tone, called out:
“Brother…”
“What is it?”
“My grades this time…” Lin Rumeng bit her lip. “They’re worse than before.”
Lin Yimo was silent for a moment. “Then who do you think is responsible?”
“I… I don’t know.”
He sighed. “It’s your own fault.”
Lin Rumeng looked up, trying to defend herself:
“But I studied really hard, I put in so much effort. How could I not improve?”
“Ask yourself honestly—did you really learn anything?”
Her lips moved, but no words came.
“All that effort of yours—it’s just for show. You’re pretending to work hard, but you’re not actually learning.”
He knew very well that she hadn’t been truly studying. Every day after school she would retreat to her room. A few times, he had seen it himself: she’d put her homework on the desk, finish the assigned tasks, and then stop there—never going further, never truly reviewing. Instead, she would glance at her phone, play computer games, or even dab makeup on her face out of boredom.
Her so-called “hard work” was nothing but false diligence. With no real effort, how could there possibly be progress?
Lin Rumeng fell into silence. Lin Yimo didn’t look at her again and left for the company.
—
In the days that followed, Lin Yuejiu spent most of her time at the Music Association practicing the violin. As time went on, she seemed to change—falling more and more in love with the instrument. At first, she had only wanted to learn so she could play for the Lin family, but now it was different. Now, she was learning for herself, and she found herself truly enjoying the feeling of performing.
Huang Weixue often watched her practice and signed her up for many competitions—always solo performances, without Xu Nianshen. At first, she wasn’t used to it, but gradually, she adapted. The key was that, no matter where she performed, when she looked out at the audience, she could always spot Xu Nianshen. His seat was never in the same place, never in the front row, but somehow she always saw him at a glance, and they would lock eyes across the crowd.
Sometimes he would attend her competitions; sometimes, when work kept him busy, he couldn’t. But whenever she won, he always prepared a gift for her.
The more contests she entered, the more she performed at various evening events, her vision broadened, and her heart yearned for a bigger stage. She longed to shine on more and more stages.
One night after dinner, Lin Yuejiu went to Xu Nianshen’s room. They sat together on the swing of the balcony, ready to watch the stars.
The two of them had grown increasingly close, both accustomed to each other’s presence, breath, and warmth. Nestled in his arms, she tilted her head back and gazed at the sky.
“Do you feel like I’ve changed lately?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“You’ve grown to love the violin more. When you’re performing on stage, you shine, and there’s light in your eyes.”
Lin Yuejiu smiled in his arms. “I think so too.” She reached out and hugged his waist. “I feel like now I’m yearning for even bigger stages.”
His chin gently rested against the top of her head, his arms tightening around her waist.
“I can feel that.”
She tilted her head, her cheek brushing against his jaw.
“Guess what my dream is now?”
He played along. “What is it?”
“To become an outstanding violinist, to earn lots of money…” She looked at him and smiled.
“…and then buy a big mansion to take care of you.”
