Chapter 34: Welcome Back
Sometimes Chen Qianxi really couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Jiujiu, your grades will catch up soon enough. You don’t have to bury yourself in studying every single day. You need to relax once in a while—don’t just keep holding a book all the time, you’re going to turn into a bookworm.”
Lin Yuejiu only smiled at that. “Let’s talk after the next exam results come out.”
The exams arrived quickly, and Lin Yuejiu performed as usual. When the results came out, she was once again tied for first place with Xu Nianshen.
The homeroom teacher’s smile was beaming when he saw her score. His tone was full of joy as he read her name aloud, “Lin Yuejiu, 705 points, tied for first place with Xu Nianshen. Congratulations!”
The whole class broke into warm applause, the sound echoing through the entire room.
Joy was written all over Lin Yuejiu’s face as she stood to collect her score sheet.
The homeroom teacher smiled broadly. “Congratulations. Keep it up.”
“Okay, thank you, teacher.”
Lin Yuejiu returned to her seat.
The teacher continued reading, “Chen Qianxi, fourth place, 685.”
“……”
Before long, the reading was finished. “Alright, now that we’re done, let’s change seats.”
Du Zhuo had already packed up his books and belongings. He even made a little ‘please’ gesture toward Lin Yuejiu.
Lin Yuejiu thanked him.
A pair of good-looking hands suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up and met a smiling gaze, “Welcome back.”
Lin Yuejiu’s eyes curved into a smile too. “Long time no see, deskmate.”
Chen Qianxi was especially excited to take the seat behind Lin Yuejiu, “Jiujiu, I’m your back-desk again! If I can’t be your deskmate, I’ll settle for being right behind you.”
“Alright.”
This time, Du Zhuo came in fifth place. He chose the seat next to Chen Qianxi—directly behind Xu Nianshen. In his mind, if he couldn’t be Study-God Xu’s deskmate, then being his back-desk was the next best thing.
—
That night, in dorm 219.
Chen Qianxi lay on her bed reading, glancing over at Lin Yuejiu, who was towel-drying her hair. Black hair, fair skin—a striking contrast.
“Jiujiu.”
“What is it?”
“Now that the exams are over, have you thought about joining the competition?”
Lin Yuejiu continued drying her hair quietly, giving the same answer as before, “I don’t know.”
Chen Qianxi sat up on her bed. “Jiujiu, is there something you’re worried about?”
She didn’t answer.
“Is it because of the Lin family?”
Her hands paused for a moment, and Chen Qianxi noticed. She walked over, “So it is because of the Lin family?”
Lin Yuejiu finished drying her hair, put the towel away, and turned to look at her, “I’m not sure… I guess you could say so.”
“Is it because you used to learn the violin for the Lin family’s sake, but now that you’ve left them, you’ve given it up too? You’ve lumped the violin into the category of things you want to distance yourself from because of the Lin family, so you don’t want to enter the competition, right?”
Lin Yuejiu looked up at her, then gave a helpless smile, “You really do understand me.”
Chen Qianxi clapped her hands. “See! That’s what I thought!”
She sat on Lin Yuejiu’s bed and analyzed, “Jiujiu, you can’t give up the violin just because of the Lin family. You’ve spent so long learning it, and you’ve invested so much time and energy into it—it’s not really fair to yourself.”
“I know.” Lin Yuejiu sighed. “But I really haven’t decided yet.”
“Alright then, think it over slowly.”
“Mm.”
“I’m going to sleep first.”
“Okay, I’ll turn off the lights.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Just before going to bed, Lin Yuejiu received a message from Xu Nian.
Xu Nian: [Jiujiu, you probably don’t have anything planned this weekend, right?]
Lin Yuejiu: [Nope.]
Xu Nian: [Then I’ll come pick you up.]
Lin Yuejiu: [Brother Xu Nian, where are you taking me to play?]
Xu Nian: [That I can’t tell you. It’s late, so sleep early. Just wait for your brother to pick you up this weekend.]
Lin Yuejiu: [Alright. Goodnight, Brother Xu Nian.]
The weekend came quickly. Chen Qianxi originally wanted to ask her out, but Lin Yuejiu refused. When she asked for the reason and heard that it was because Brother Xu Nian was looking for her, she had no complaints at all—in fact, she told her to dress up beautifully before going out.
Lin Yuejiu: “?? Why?”
Chen Qianxi stomped her foot in exasperation: “Come on, you have to dress up when you’re going out with someone!”
Xu Nian was Study-God Xu’s brother. If her guess that Study-God Xu liked Jiujiu was correct, then there was a good chance Study-God Xu would tag along this time. If Study-God Xu was coming, of course Jiujiu had to look her best!
Since she was so insistent, Lin Yuejiu just went along with her.
Chen Qianxi rummaged through her closet, found a fresh and simple outfit for her, curled her bangs a bit, and originally wanted her to put on some lipstick—but Lin Yuejiu refused. Seeing her naturally rosy lips, Chen Qianxi let it slide. She then fished out a white crossbody bag for her to wear.
Once she was satisfied with the look, she nodded approvingly, put her hands on her shoulders, and nudged her toward the door: “Alright, go on now. Have fun! And remember to take lots of pictures!”
Lin Yuejiu shook her head with a helpless smile.
On Saturday, there were very few students at school. The gate was nearly empty. Lin Yuejiu obediently stood by the entrance waiting.
Xu Nian: [Jiujiu, wait for me a bit. I’ll be there soon.]
Lin Yuejiu: [I’m not in a hurry. Take your time, Brother Xu Nian.]
Xu Nian: [Making a girl wait for me wouldn’t make me a very gentlemanly man. I’ll be there right away.]
Lin Yuejiu pursed her lips with a smile and typed back: [Okay.]
Hearing the sound of tires rolling, Lin Yuejiu looked up, surprise still on her face. “Brother Xu Nian, you’re so fast—” She froze when she saw who it was. Her expression quickly shifted from surprise to calm. “Mr. Lin.”
Hearing that distant, formal address, Lin Yimo felt a pang in his chest. He held it back and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for someone.”
He wanted to ask, Are you waiting for the brother you just called out to? Then what am I?
But he didn’t say it aloud.
“You… why aren’t you participating in that competition? You’re very skilled, and there’s a good chance you’d be selected.”
“I don’t want to participate.”
“Why?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Lin Yuejiu’s expression remained calm: “And in what capacity is Mr. Lin asking me this? I don’t think I need to tell you.”
Lin Yimo’s fingers clenched. “I’m your broth—”
Before he could finish, the girl’s eyes lit up, her face breaking into a radiant smile as she called out toward the front, “Brother Xu Nian!”
He could only watch as she ran toward another man she called “brother.”
Xu Nian had just driven up when Lin Yuejiu spotted him. She immediately ran over. He got out of the car, rubbed her head, and smiled: “Why are you running? What if there were cars? That’s dangerous.”
Lin Yuejiu shook her head: “I saw there was no one, so I came over.”
“Mhm. But next time, you must be careful, alright?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded quickly like a little pecking chick.
Lin Yimo’s eyes flickered with jealousy as he watched his sister act so obedient and sweet to another “brother.”
Xu Nian clearly noticed him too, and bent down to ask Lin Yuejiu: “What did he come to see you for? What did he say? How long has he been here?”
