Chapter 49: I’ve Been Through This
In the evening, Xu Nianshen sent her a message saying that his mother had invited her over for dinner.
Lin Yuejiu replied with an okay.
That night, at the Xu residence—
“Jiujiu, you’re here? Come in, sit down.”
The Xu brothers, who were setting the table, immediately waved her over when they saw Lin Yuejiu arrive. Xu Chi deliberately arranged for her to sit beside Xu Nianshen, but Lin Yuejiu didn’t notice at all.
At dinner, Xu Father, Xu Mother, and Xu Chi sat on one side, while Xu Nianshen and Lin Yuejiu sat across from them.
“Jiujiu, how do you feel about being at the Music Association?”
“It’s pretty good.”
“As long as you’re adjusting well. So, what do you usually do at the association every day—practice the violin or something else?”
“I’ve been practicing a piece lately.”
“A solo piece? Are you preparing for a competition?”
“Yes, the teacher wants me to participate in a competition. It’s a duet.”
“A duet? Violin with who? Who are you playing with?”
Lin Yuejiu blinked. “You all don’t know?”
Xu Mother, Xu Father, and Xu Chi: “… What should we know?”
“It’s a violin and piano duet. I’m playing with Xu Nianshen.”
The three others: “……”
“You just said—who?”
“Xu Nianshen.” She turned her head to look at him beside her. “You didn’t tell your family?”
Xu Nianshen’s expression didn’t change. “I forgot.”
The three of them: “……”
Forgot? More like he never intended to tell us at all.
Lin Yuejiu nodded in understanding.
After dinner, Lin Yuejiu politely thanked the family. Xu Chi had the driver send her home.
Once she left, Xu Chi placed a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, giving him a meaningful look. “Not bad, huh? Already taking the initiative. When did you join the Music Association?”
“Today.”
Xu Chi clicked his tongue. “Your speed is downright impressive.”
Xu Mother glanced at her son. “You went to your uncle, didn’t you?”
“Mm.”
“The duet piece—you asked your uncle to arrange it?”
“No, it just so happens that the competition this time is for duets.”
“Alright, then practice hard and don’t cause trouble for Jiujiu,” Xu Mother instructed.
“……You know my skill level. Do you really think I’d hold her back?”
“Do I know your skill level?”
“……”
Confirmed: definitely his biological mother.
——
On Sunday, Xu Nianshen and Lin Yuejiu were, as usual, practicing in the rehearsal room.
By noon, the two stopped and prepared to go eat.
Li Shule had already finished class and was waiting outside the practice room. Lin Yuejiu took her hand, then turned back to Xu Nianshen. “Would you mind if she joins us for lunch?”
Xu Nianshen’s gaze briefly lingered on their clasped hands before shifting away. “No problem. Let’s go.”
The Music Association didn’t provide breakfast or lunch, so students usually went out to eat. The three found a nearby restaurant and sat down together. Lin Yuejiu and Li Shule sat side by side, while Xu Nianshen sat opposite them.
He pushed the menu toward them. “You two choose first.”
Lin Yuejiu pushed it over to Li Shule. “You go first.”
“Okay.”
Once all the dishes were served, the three of them began eating. The table was very quiet.
Li Shule had heard Xu Nianshen’s name at school before. Normally, she only ever saw it on the honor roll—she had never actually seen him in person. They weren’t familiar at all, and since she wasn’t an outgoing person, she wouldn’t take the initiative to talk to strangers, nor did she feel like chatting about girl-talk topics when someone unfamiliar was around. So, she chose to stay silent.
Xu Nianshen’s nature was cold to begin with—he naturally wasn’t going to start a conversation either.
The only one completely unbothered was Lin Yuejiu, who focused on eating. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked him: “When did you start learning piano? How come I didn’t know?”
Xu Nianshen lifted his eyelids to look at her. “A long time ago.”
“What do you mean a long time ago? Can you give me an exact time?”
Xu Nianshen paused with his chopsticks, thought for a moment, then looked her in the eye. “I forgot.”
“…”
Seeing her speechless expression, he added, “I really forgot. Probably around the same time you started violin. Actually… maybe a little later than you.”
“You’ve been practicing since that long ago? And I didn’t even know? Not bad—you really kept it hidden.”
Her expression looked as if she were accusing him of being immoral.
Xu Nianshen gave a faint smile. “Well, you never asked.”
Li Shule timidly spoke up: “Jiujiu, do you… know Study-God Xu?”
The fact that Lin Yuejiu and Xu Nianshen were childhood friends wasn’t exactly public knowledge. If someone wanted to know, they could ask around, and the gossipy types would know. But since Li Shule never paid much attention to such things, she truly didn’t know.
“We’re sort of childhood friends.”
“Childhood friends?” Li Shule was surprised. “At what age did you two meet?”
“I met him when I was seven. So counting now, it’s been about eleven years.”
“That’s a long time. I’m so envious. You had someone to accompany you growing up.”
Lin Yuejiu smiled. “Didn’t you?”
“I did, but they were all bad friends—not worth mentioning.” Li Shule pulled a face full of dislike, and Lin Yuejiu couldn’t help laughing.
After lunch, the three returned to the association and went back to their own schedules.
The day of the competition arrived quickly.
Backstage, Lin Yuejiu and Xu Nianshen were preparing. Beside them, Huang Weixue was reminding them of some important points about the performance. Both of them listened carefully, nodding as he spoke.
“In short—don’t get nervous, don’t panic. He won’t have stage fright,” Huang glanced at Xu Nianshen, “but since this is your first competition, you really mustn’t get too tense. Keep a steady mindset.”
Lin Yuejiu: “?? Teacher, how do you know he won’t get stage fright?”
Huang froze for a second, then quickly recovered. “Just look at him—he doesn’t look like someone who’d panic. He has that cold, calm aura.”
“I think so too,” Lin Yuejiu said, turning her head toward the stage.
Huang sidled up closer to Xu Nianshen, lowering his voice. “Good thing I reacted quickly and covered that up.”
“What are you hiding from her for? Ashamed of yourself?”
“Get lost, who’s ashamed?” Huang shot back. “I just think—it wasn’t easy for you to come all this way for her. You can’t just let her know right away. Better to keep it secret. Later, when you two are together, you can tell her. She’ll definitely be surprised and touched.”
“Really?” Xu Nianshen gave him a doubtful look.
“Trust your uncle. I’ve been through this before!” Huang patted his chest with confidence.
Xu Nianshen: “…”
Fine, he’d believe him—for now.
“Hey, it’s our turn.” Lin Yuejiu came over and noticed how close the two were standing. She frowned in suspicion. “What are you guys talking about? Why so close?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
Huang smiled at them. “Go on, good luck. I’ll be right here backstage watching you.”
Before stepping onto the stage, Lin Yuejiu still asked what they had been talking about.
“Nothing much. He was just telling me some stage tips, that’s all.”
Lin Yuejiu didn’t press further.
The two stepped onto the stage. The spotlight shone down on them as they stood side by side and bowed to the audience. One lifted a violin, the other sat down at the piano, and together, they began their perfectly coordinated duet.
