Chapter 51

Another Rainy Day (4)

Xu Muzi was a newcomer in the orchestra and felt too shy to ask anyone for tickets to the concert.

The tickets for her parents and the ones given to other relatives were purchased online by her parents themselves.

They bought about ten tickets, but never told Xu Muzi the seat numbers.

Her piano solo was the second to last performance. While on stage, she looked for her audience in the seats below but couldn’t find them.

She could only walk to the piano, bow, and sit on the piano bench, calming herself before performing her piece—

“Nocturne in E-flat Major” Op.09 No.2 by Chopin.

This piano piece has a gentle melody.

Xu Muzi had heard her teacher mention that Chopin himself enjoyed performing this piece at gatherings with friends.

Nearly two hundred years after this piece was composed, she was also fortunate to share music with heartfelt emotions.

The performance went smoothly, and Xu Muzi, dressed in a glacier blue gown, bowed to thank the audience, who applauded warmly.

If only Deng Yun were here.

This was the side of herself she always wanted to show him; it would have been wonderful if he could hear her play on stage.

Suddenly, a boy stood up and clapped enthusiastically, calling out “Bravo!” at an inappropriate moment, breaking the elegant atmosphere of the concert hall.

Such cheers are not harmonious at a classical concert.

Xu Muzi and the other audience members exchanged surprised glances.

The boy was quickly pulled back down by the elder next to him, but the worst part was that he looked somewhat familiar.

A couple of people around him also seemed recognizable.

She could even see clearly that her mother had chosen to wear pearl earrings.

Xu Muzi maintained her smile and left the stage with composed and polite steps.

When she reached the backstage, she tapped her forehead to ease her embarrassment and happened to meet colleagues discussing the boy’s outburst.

One colleague sighed, “How silly! Is it his first time at a concert?”

Xu Muzi cast a melancholic glance at her colleague: “But that person is most likely someone my parents brought for me to meet…”

Her colleague looked at her with sympathy.

Xu Muzi could only shake her head, feeling embarrassed, her ears turning red.

That boy was someone she had met before, the child of her parents’ friends.

She didn’t have any particularly strong impressions of him.

He was the type who, while dining with elders, would mess around and joke during conversations, and also the one who would push and shove with peers over mobile games, even knocking over a Go board.

If she remembered correctly, he should be three or four years younger than her.

Are college students really going on blind dates at such an early age?

Xu Muzi returned to the lounge.

There were no encore performances at this concert, and after all the acts had concluded successfully, her colleagues began to pack their belongings, preparing to leave once the audience had dispersed.

Thankfully, she had the bouquet of roses Deng Yun sent her, which lifted her spirits a little.

Her colleagues liked the flowers too, coming over to take photos and teasingly asking if they were from her boyfriend.

Xu Muzi hadn’t admitted anything in front of Deng Yun.

But when her colleagues asked, she nodded shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Thinking of Deng Yun, Xu Muzi took out her phone, turned off silent mode, and sent him a message.

She wanted to ask when he would arrive.

While typing, she overheard her colleagues’ conversation.

They were saying:

“Xu Muzi’s personality really doesn’t match her looks.”

“When I first met her, I thought she seemed quite aloof and was a bit unapproachable.”

After sending the message, Xu Muzi turned and smiled shyly at them.

Her cool girl persona had collapsed in an instant.

One colleague immediately remarked, “Her face is so flushed; it’s adorable!”

A colleague who had just returned from the restroom said, “Xu Muzi, someone’s looking for you.”

Knowing it was probably her parents, she hesitated a bit, feeling a mix of emotions.

She grabbed her phone, slowly lifted her skirt, and walked to the door, peering out into the hallway—

Expecting a distressing scene, thinking she would meet the “big news” in person…

But instead, she saw an unbelievable mirage.

Deng Yun was casually leaning against the door of the fire escape.

Like other audience members, he was dressed relatively formally, in a loose-fitting white dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves and well-tailored black trousers that accentuated his long legs.

This was the first time she had seen Deng Yun dressed so formally.

He had a hint of a smile in his eyes as he quietly watched her.

All the surrounding sounds faded away.

Xu Muzi’s breath caught for a moment as she blinked, unable to believe her eyes.

Deng Yun then pulled his hands from his pockets and opened his arms.

As she lifted her skirt and ran toward Deng Yun, Xu Muzi felt an overwhelming excitement in her heart.

She forgot where she was and simply leapt into his embrace.

In the familiar scent of tomato vines, she was delighted and asked in a flurry:

“How did you get here?”

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon?”

“How did you get in?”

“Did you buy a ticket in advance, or…”

But she heard Deng Yun say, “Hello, Xu Muzi. Long time no see. I liked your ‘Nocturne.’”

She almost immediately realized.

That was something she had said in the piano room at the inn. She had hoped that one day she would have an unexpected encounter with Deng Yun, preferably at a classical concert.

And Deng Yun, he had taken her words to heart and had specially come to hear her performance.

He had fulfilled her anticipated scenario.

“Did I play well?”

“The best in the whole concert.”

“Do I look pretty today?”

“You’re pretty every day.”

He wrapped one arm around her waist while the other was hidden behind his back, as if he were hiding something.

She reached behind him and touched the feel of wrapping paper. “What is it?”

Deng Yun didn’t answer. He took her arm and led her into an empty fire escape.

The door closed with a “bang,” cutting off the faint laughter and chatter from the lounge outside.

She looked up at him, and he quickly leaned down to kiss her behind the heavy door.

It wasn’t a light peck; it was a deep kiss.

With their lips and teeth together, the longing they had felt for days was finally comforted.

Xu Muzi’s lipstick was smudged, her heartbeat faster than before she went on stage, and her gaze became a bit unfocused.

She leaned against Deng Yun’s chest, breathing heavily, and then noticed the flowers in his hand.

It was a very special bouquet.

Wrapped in turquoise and cream-colored paper, with satin ribbons hanging softly.

Inside were a dozen fresh flowers, exactly like the ones she had seen on the street abroad.

White flowers with beautiful spots resembling peacock tail feathers on their petals.

Xu Muzi had once posted online expressing regret and longing, saying, “I still don’t know the name of this flower.”

But today, she finally had the answer.

Deng Yun’s breath was as erratic as hers, and he softly whispered in her ear, “The name of this flower is Iris.”

After so many years of longing, finally, finally.

Xu Muzi wrapped her arms around Deng Yun’s neck, stood on tiptoe, and took the initiative to kiss him.

As he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss, her phone rang.

Deng Yun nudged her nose with his and wiped the red smudge from her lips with his thumb. “You’re tormenting me.”

Seeing the caller ID, it was her mom calling.

Burying her head in his embrace at the sound of the ringtone, she spoke with a hint of melancholy, saying she had just seen who her fourth blind date was.

Deng Yun seemed a bit surprised, pausing for a moment before asking, “Who is it?”

“It’s the son of Uncle Zhu’s family. How can he be looking for a match when he hasn’t even graduated from university yet… He was the one who knocked over the Go board last time, ah, I don’t want to see him.”

“Are you not going to answer the call?”

Feeling that Deng Yun’s tone was too relaxed, Xu Muzi playfully hit him and answered the phone.

“Mom.”

“Muzi, is the concert over? We’re already at the underground parking lot, in the D area, 21-30. Once you’re finished, come over. Your uncles and aunts are all here waiting for you…”

Oh no, the enemy is already downstairs, ready to attack.

After hanging up, the commander looked around with a blank stare and said, “My parents are quite fashionable; why are they setting me up with an older guy?”

Deng Yun couldn’t help but laugh.

Xu Muzi wanted to be affectionate with Deng Yun, but since the elders had already arranged the blind date, she couldn’t just drag him along; that would be too disrespectful to the elders.

Moreover, given the circumstances, there was a high chance that Uncle Zhu was the benefactor who had helped her parents.

It’s easy to add flowers to a brocade, but hard to offer timely help.

After her family’s troubles, they had received many judging glances; it was rare for someone to treat her parents as true friends, and she couldn’t be so thoughtless.

But…

Deng Yun had finally returned, and she had to go on a blind date. Although he already knew, wouldn’t that action be too hurtful?

“Deng Yun, where are you staying now?”

“At my home.”

“Are you… living with your parents?”

“Living alone.”

Xu Muzi said, “Then I’ll come to see you tonight!”

Deng Yun laughed and teased, “You’re going to the blind date, worried that I might get jealous and trying to appease me?”

Xu Muzi’s face and neck turned crimson as she emphasized that she was just going to say hello and have dinner with the elders.

Deng Yun glanced at the time on his phone. “Just kidding, go ahead. I also have something to do.”

Xu Muzi instinctively asked what he had to do.

Deng Yun replied, “A blind date.”

She felt that he was teasing her indirectly and didn’t take it seriously. After turning to leave, she suddenly turned back, “You’re not allowed to go on a blind date.”

“Oh, so only the officials are allowed to set fire to the city?”

She looked at him, and he smiled, holding up the bouquet as if surrendering.

Deng Yun must have genuinely had something to do, as his phone began to ring in his pocket.

He didn’t answer it, took it out to take a quick look, and said it was time to go.

Xu Muzi took the bouquet of Iris with her and returned to the lounge. Most of her colleagues had already left. She took a deep breath a couple of times and still planned to gently decline the blind date.

Deng Yun was back, so she didn’t want to see other men.

A senior in the orchestra came by to pick something up and was surprised to see the flowers in her arms. “What a special bouquet; are they real flowers?”

“Yes, they are real flowers.”

“I’ve never seen an Iris bouquet before.”

“Do you know this flower?”

The senior, a cellist, spoke at a measured pace, exuding a certain elegance. “I’m very interested in bulbous plants, like lilies, tulips, and amaryllis. I’ve even grown Irises in my garden… Is it a gift from your boyfriend?”

Xu Muzi nodded.

The senior picked up her handbag and smiled. “Not bad; your boyfriend is a thoughtful person.”

Just because she liked flowers, he sent her two bouquets in one day, and they weren’t just random purchases; they were very meaningful bouquets.

He was indeed very thoughtful.

However, she always felt that the senior’s surprise at the Iris bouquet and the comment about being thoughtful seemed to stem from other reasons.

Xu Muzi changed out of her formal dress, carefully folded it, and put it in the bag, along with the two bouquets.

She was carrying a dress storage bag that was over fifty centimeters long, walking towards the elevator while struggling to type with one hand, searching for information about the flower “Xiao Yuan Wei.”

Her intuition was correct.

This flower, Xiao Yuan Wei, was not a common item in flower shops.

Although beautiful, it only had a lifespan of 1-2 days, making it difficult to preserve and transport; it wilted easily.

Thus, it was expensive and not suitable for making bouquets.

It was unclear how much effort someone like Deng Yun had to expend to break conventions and insist on making the unsuitable into something suitable.

There were other people in the elevator, so Xu Muzi retreated to a corner, pressed her phone screen, and sent a voice message to Deng Yun, asking where he found the flowers.

Deng Yun replied quickly with a voice message as well.

His tone was extremely relaxed as he explained that he had met a few horticultural teachers while preparing for the inn.

By chance, he learned that one of the teachers was growing Xiao Yuan Wei, so he drove there early in the morning to get the freshly cut flowers and packaging for such a bouquet.

Last night, they talked on the phone around midnight, just as Xu Muzi was about to sleep, while Deng Yun was still busy.

“What time did you get up…”

“Around four.”

When the elevator reached the underground parking lot, Xu Muzi typed, “All for a bouquet of flowers?”

“Afraid you’d get whisked away by your blind date.”

This was obviously a pretext; he hadn’t seemed jealous when she mentioned the blind date.

When she left, he had walked away rather quickly, as if he was busier than she was.

Xu Muzi continued typing: “You’re not really worried.”

He replied: “Are you happy?”

It was the same question as before, in the inn’s piano room.

It was both a question and an answer.

Are you happy? If you are, then it’s all worth it.

Xu Muzi didn’t mention her plan to decline the blind date or that she wouldn’t even join them for dinner.

This attitude was something she learned from Deng Yun.

Just do it, don’t say it.

She was still thinking about waiting until after everything was settled to tell him.

Little did she know that her small scheme had completely fallen into the plans of a cunning fox.

When she arrived at Area D, she didn’t even have to look for the numbers 21-30; she could already hear her parents’ laughter.

Their family car was an old second-hand Wuling, mainly used for transporting goods, and her dad jokingly called it “Cargo Lala.”

The vehicle was quite large and blocked part of her view.

As she approached the sound, she could only see her dad’s side profile with his belly sticking out.

When she finally saw the elders chatting, Xu Muzi was so surprised that she couldn’t speak.

She felt goosebumps on her arms.

Was it Deng Yun’s parents?

After nearly three years of hardships, the two elders looked a bit darker than before, just like her own parents, who also had more gray hair.

Fortunately, all four elders appeared to be in good spirits.

When Deng Yun’s mother saw Xu Muzi coming out from behind the car, she exclaimed, “Oh my, Muzi has grown up and is even more beautiful! Do you remember us?”

Xu Muzi’s mother quickly said, “Muzi, go over and say hello. It’s Uncle Deng and Aunt Wu. They’ve come back. You used to go to Uncle Deng’s house to play the piano, remember?”

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten.

Just a moment ago, she was hugging and kissing their son in the stairwell, her lipstick smudged.

How could it be Deng Yun’s parents?

Then… where was her blind date’s family?

Xu Muzi was completely confused about the situation in front of her.

She stood there for a while, forcing herself to snap back to reality, greeting the elders politely with “Hello, Uncle” and “Hello, Auntie.”

Deng Yun’s dad said, “Your Muzi has really improved at playing the piano. Oh, and look at all these flowers!”

With so many unexpected events happening, Xu Muzi’s brain felt like it had crashed.

She blurted out, “They are from a regular friend.”

Before she finished speaking, she saw her mother waving her over.

Her mother enthusiastically said, “Deng Yun is back! Muzi, do you remember your brother Deng Yun?”

Deng Yun’s mother added, “He originally had something to do out of town, but he canceled it at the last minute just to come back and listen to your performance. He just went to the restroom…”

What was going on?

Xu Muzi was in a daze, her mind filled with questions as she could only look at Deng Yun.

Clearly, Deng Yun had met her parents before; he had thrown away the introverted, nerdy persona and appeared particularly polite and gentlemanly.

He led Xu Muzi’s parents to stand to the side, saying, “Uncle, Auntie, watch out for the cars.”

A vehicle drove by, briefly stopping beside them, and the window rolled down to reveal Uncle Shen’s smiling face.

The elders from both families urged enthusiastically, asking him to stay and have dinner together later.

But Uncle Shen declined.

He glanced back and forth between Xu Muzi and Deng Yun, meaningfully saying, “We won’t add to the chaos today; let’s get together another time and let the kids get to know each other better.”

With that tone, it was clear he was an outsider.

Even the blind date she had initially assumed would be perfect was now just a clearly defined outsider number two.

The boy in the back seat was playing a game on his phone with an impatient look on his face, urging, “What concert? Who can even understand it? We shouldn’t have come; let’s hurry up, I’m starving…”

Xu Muzi finally understood; this boy’s earlier applause in the concert hall likely stemmed from dissatisfaction with his parents’ arrangements and was meant to embarrass them.

As the elders were saying goodbye, Xu Muzi continued to watch Deng Yun, silently asking him with her eyes:

Is this what you meant by having something to do?

Deng Yun leaned slightly towards Xu Muzi, adopting a particularly relaxed and sly tone, “I told you, it’s a blind date.”

“My fourth blind date is really you?”

“Yeah, not satisfied.”

She glanced at the elders and nudged him, “I’m extremely satisfied.”

Deng Yun retorted, “What did you just say? The flowers were given by a regular friend?”

“I should have said I picked them out of a trash can.”

Uncle Shen’s car drove away, and both sets of elders turned around at the same time.

Xu Muzi immediately stepped aside, pretending to be unfamiliar with Deng Yun.

Deng Yun raised an eyebrow, but she pretended not to see.

The elders busily chatted about going to the restaurant they had booked to talk some more.

After they got into their respective cars, only the three of them remained. Xu Muzi’s parents started discussing Deng Yun.

One moment they said the boy had grown taller and was more handsome than before;

The next moment they said he was much more polite than before, and his personality seemed less strange—he seemed quite steady…

Xu Muzi had some suspicions, so she asked, “Dad, did Deng Yun’s family help with the turning point in our business?”

After all, they had been rivals for so many years, constantly comparing each other.

Xu Muzi’s parents were a bit awkward, hesitating for a while, and after passing through a traffic light, they said Deng’s family had indeed helped them quite a bit.

That made sense.

Previously, her parents rarely mentioned the “noble person,” and it was okay if it were someone else, but if it was Deng Yun’s parents, even if they were genuinely appreciative, they wouldn’t lower their pride to compliment them.

Her parents misunderstood and thought Xu Muzi was asking because she didn’t fancy Deng Yun.

The couple immediately expressed:

They had talked with Deng Yun’s parents and agreed that business is business; whether the two children’s relationship could work out depended on their own fate and shouldn’t be forced.

“We absolutely won’t force anything.”

“Muzi, don’t feel pressured about this.”

In their persuasion, if you listen closely, there was even a hint of pride in “my daughter doesn’t like him.”

Xu Muzi was buried in her phone.

While asking Deng Yun if they should find a water bottle to keep the irises alive after arriving at the restaurant, she responded to her parents’ persuasion, “Okay, okay.”

Once they got to the restaurant, the situation was quite chaotic.

The parents insisted on introducing every detail of the two “reserved,” “shy,” and “unapproachable” kids to each other.

Xu Muzi’s mom was still the same, holding her phone, showing various video clips to Deng Yun’s parents.

She mentioned her daughter had participated in a certain competition, a certain music festival, and had performed with someone famous.

She was really outstanding.

Deng Yun’s mom, not to be outdone, also took out her phone and opened a recently popular app to show off.

“See? This software was developed by my son, and it’s even made the news online. It’s quite impressive.”

“And he’s made a lot of money too!”

Outside, there was a light drizzle, and the branches swayed gently.

The room was filled with the mixed aroma of dishes, and the elders were subtly competing with each other.

Xu Muzi and Deng Yun sat across from each other.

In the center of the round table was a sour beef soup on a hot plate, bubbling with an orange broth.

They gazed at each other through the steam, their eyes entangled.

After a couple of drinks, the parents revealed their true colors and became old friends who used to banter with each other.

Xu Muzi’s family remarked that the kids’ relationship should take time; they had introduced several suitors to Muzi before, but she didn’t fancy any of them.

The implication was that while your son might make money, my daughter wouldn’t easily be taken by him; they needed to cultivate their relationship gradually.

Unbeknownst to them, the two were texting about where to eat after escaping from their parents.

Meanwhile, Deng Yun’s family mentioned that he had never gone on blind dates before; for men, career was a priority, and getting him to date was harder than climbing the sky.

The implication was that while your daughter is excellent, my son isn’t bad either; they can take their time, and it’s no big deal.

Little did they know, their conversation was gradually heating up, leading to a discussion about whether they should spend the night together after dinner…

The two sets of parents went back and forth, setting the tone for their relationship.

It wasn’t something they could openly acknowledge at the moment.

Xu Muzi found an excuse to go to the restroom and slipped out, with Deng Yun following her.

She pulled him behind a tall, lush bird of paradise plant and sought the opinion of her blind date, who she hardly knew and hadn’t spoken to much at the dinner table, “How about we pretend that we only developed feelings for each other after they introduced us for a while?”

Deng Yun wasn’t concerned about appearances; he reached out and tugged at her earlobe, “What about privately?”

“Privately, we’ll still be like before.”

“Like before how?”

“Just like that…”

“Like that what?”

Behind the four elders who were bickering with each other in the corridor, they kissed.

Little did they expect the meal to be especially long…

From lunch to afternoon tea, then from afternoon tea to dinner.

While the elders didn’t hold back in their remarks, they also wanted the two kids to spend more time together, stretching the dinner until 9:30 PM.

Finally, after the elders had had their fill of drinks, the gathering dispersed.

Deng Yun drove his parents home.

Xu Muzi called for a designated driver and, with a parent on each side, brought her parents back to their top-floor rental apartment.

Xu Muzi’s mom leaned against her dad, too drunk to even take off her earrings, while still worrying about her daughter’s matters: “Muzi, what do you think of Deng Yun?”

Xu Muzi had many thoughts in her mind, worried that sharing them would frighten her mom. Just as she was trying to find the right words, she received a call from Deng Yun.

She asked, “Where are you?”

He replied, “I’m downstairs at your place.”

Xu Muzi didn’t have time to respond; she grabbed her bag and rushed out, “I’m going to a friend’s house and won’t be back tonight!”

Deng Yun’s car was parked by the flowerbed, with the hazard lights on. Xu Muzi opened the door and slipped into the passenger seat.

He held the steering wheel with one hand and turned to look at her, “Where do you want to go?”

“To your house, Brother Deng Yun.”