Chapter 27

Song Wenzhou couldn’t stand it when others only said part of something, so he asked, “What’s something you can’t say now?”

“Hmm… I can say it,” Mu Chi answered vaguely, “but some things are better said in person. We can talk about it when school starts.”

Song Wenzhou thought of something, avoided eye contact for a moment, and muttered, “By then, I won’t be interested in listening.”

Mu Chi laughed softly a few times, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Song Wenzhou. “That’s not up to you, Zhouzhou. Anyway, I’m definitely going to say it. Even if you close your eyes and cover your ears, I’ll make sure you hear it.”

Song Wenzhou had no retort. He had only said that casually, but he didn’t doubt that Mu Chi would do exactly as he said.

Mu Chi chuckled for a while, then saw that Song Wenzhou remained silent. He turned and sat on a nearby resting chair, propping his elbows on his thighs, smiling as he looked at Song Wenzhou while fixing his phone on the table.

“What’s wrong?” Song Wenzhou blinked rapidly.

“Nothing,” Mu Chi interlaced his fingers and asked, “Where’s the thing I sent you earlier?”

Song Wenzhou turned his head toward the direction outside the phone screen and tilted his chin slightly. “Over there. What’s up?”

“Go get the voice recorder.”

At this, Song Wenzhou got up from the bed and found the voice recorder he had played with several times over the past few days on the desk.

As he moved, Mu Chi on the other side of the phone watched Song Wenzhou’s uniquely angled chin on screen and, holding back a laugh, asked, “Have you listened to the recording inside?”

“No,” Song Wenzhou replied naturally, “Didn’t you put a note on it telling me not to listen?”

“Such a good listener?” Mu Chi asked, his tone carrying a hint of meaning. “Do you just do whatever I tell you to do?”

Song Wenzhou returned to his spot, squinted his eyes, and said with a dangerous tone, “You can try.”

Mu Chi laughed loudly, saying, “I’ll try it later. For now, listen to it.”

“Oh.” Song Wenzhou slightly lowered his eyelids and pressed the play button.

It started with some rustling noise, followed by Mu Chi lightly clearing his throat. His fingers moved slightly, and a string was plucked. “This is a new skill I learned recently. Let me perform it for you.”

Mu Chi hummed a melody, and as the guitar accompaniment started, he sang softly an English song.

Because Mu Chi spent part of every year in the UK, his British accent was pleasant. Some words were a bit unclear, and Song Wenzhou couldn’t fully translate them, but it was easy to tell it was a love song.

Mu Chi lowered his voice, which was different from his usual bright and clear speaking tone. The voice coming from the recorder had a unique, deep, and magnetic quality, sounding incredibly gentle.

Song Wenzhou listened attentively, and in his peripheral vision, he saw Mu Chi’s expectant expression on the phone screen, as though waiting for praise.

Song Wenzhou couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth. In fact, Mu Chi’s tune had completely strayed, but he was so immersed in it himself that Song Wenzhou couldn’t bring himself to compliment it.

After the song ended, Song Wenzhou pressed the pause button.

“How was it?” Mu Chi asked eagerly.

“…It was nice,” Song Wenzhou said, lying through his teeth.

“Really?” Mu Chi asked, pressing further.

Song Wenzhou nodded without changing his expression. “You have your own style.”

Mu Chi, completely oblivious, believed Song Wenzhou’s words and grinned with pride. “You probably can’t believe I only learned this song in two days and it turned out so well. Looks like I have some real talent in music.”

“Yep,” Song Wenzhou barely held back the urge to roll his eyes. “Very high.”

“In fact, I wanted to record a video for you,” Mu Chi said. “But I was afraid I wouldn’t perform well, so I was too shy to do it. If I had known you’d like it this much, I wouldn’t have been shy.”

Song Wenzhou chuckled, “No need to be shy. I think you’d have no problem performing it live.”

“Hehehe—” Mu Chi proudly continued, “Keep listening, there’s more.”

Song Wenzhou expressionlessly pressed play.

The next part of the recording was Mu Chi talking about learning the song, and the gist of it was just one thing: “I’m great, compliment me.”

At the end, Mu Chi paused for a moment, his voice still gentle. “This song is for celebrating the first New Year we’ve had since we met. Zhouzhou, Happy New Year.”

At the same time, Mu Chi’s loud voice came through the phone, “Happy New Year!”

The two voices overlapped, one soft, one bright.

Song Wenzhou lowered his gaze to the voice recorder and fell into silence for a while.

Mu Chi, satisfied, looked at him and nonchalantly said, “Ah, you don’t need to be so moved, though. Even though I only said this to you, only sang this for you, only treated you this well…”

Song Wenzhou couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter. “Pfft hahaha—”

“…” Mu Chi was confused. “???”

“Ha, oh my,” Song Wenzhou wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, “It’s so funny, my stomach hurts.”

Mu Chi’s eyes widened, and he fiercely asked, “Is it that funny?”

He had never seen Song Wenzhou act like this before.

“No,” Song Wenzhou pressed a hand on his stomach, trying to stop laughing, “Don’t you think you’re acting kind of strange? Your words, your voice, it’s all so weird.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Chi immediately pulled a long face, looking as if he’d been greatly wronged.

“I didn’t mean to make fun of you,” Song Wenzhou quickly explained when he saw Mu Chi’s expression. “It’s just… how do I put it? The voice in the recording isn’t the same as how you usually speak. When the two voices overlap, it sounds a little strange… Do you understand what I mean?”

Mu Chi didn’t answer, his head lowered.

Song Wenzhou sighed in resignation and softened his tone, “Alright, alright, I won’t laugh at you anymore.”

Mu Chi snorted, then said after a while, “I already finished laughing, you know. I even seriously prepared to confess my feelings.”

It seemed like he wasn’t going to be appeased, so Song Wenzhou helplessly rubbed his nose, cleared his throat, and changed the subject, “Happy New Year, Mu Chi.”

Mu Chi still kept his head lowered, but he secretly raised his eyelids.

On the phone, Song Wenzhou, feeling a little awkward, said some sentimental words, “Thank you for the gift you sent me, I really like it. The song you sang… was really nice. Also, I gave the gift for my parents to them, and they were so surprised. Let me thank you on their behalf.”

Mu Chi held his serious face for a couple of seconds before his expression couldn’t hold any longer. His mouth involuntarily curved upward. “Tell Uncle and Aunt that they’re welcome, it’s nothing.”

“What?” Song Wenzhou’s ears turned slightly red, thinking that’s not what he meant. “Don’t say that.”

“Hm?”

Mu Chi opened his mouth to speak, but his mother called for him at the door, asking him to come over.

Through the video, Song Wenzhou vaguely heard Mu Chi’s mother’s voice and saw Mu Chi respond.

Mu Chi stood up and walked toward the room, saying to Song Wenzhou, “I still have something to do here. It’s late, so you should go to bed.”

“Oh.” Song Wenzhou nodded.

“Oh, what?” Mu Chi was dissatisfied with his response. “You should say ‘okay,’ then tell me ‘good night.’“

Song Wenzhou pouted, too lazy to respond.

Mu Chi bared his teeth at him. “Not listening again.”

“Crazy,” Song Wenzhou said flatly, “I’m going to sleep, good night.”

“That’s more like it,” Mu Chi clicked his tongue, “Good night, Zhouzhou.”

After ending the video call, Song Wenzhou put the voice recorder he had been holding into the drawer under his desk. Before drawing the curtains, he looked out at the thousands of lights and reflected on his conversation with Mu Chi. A smile slowly spread across his face, reaching his eyes.

That night, lying in bed, Song Wenzhou couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

When he closed his eyes, Mu Chi’s words about coming back to speak with him in person echoed in his mind. When he opened his eyes, the images he imagined appeared before him, leaving him tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Song Wenzhou even considered calling Mu Chi to clarify what he meant, so he wouldn’t keep this matter on his mind.

But after unlocking his phone, he hesitated.

Mu Chi had already said he would talk when he came back after the semester started. Asking now might make it seem like he was too eager, plus Mu Chi could be busy, and if he didn’t respond for a long time, just like before, would Song Wenzhou stay up all night waiting?

Forget it, Song Wenzhou tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. He decided not to ask.

It wasn’t because he was scared, he just didn’t want to hear Mu Chi nagging about him staying up so late.

Song Wenzhou turned over, pulled the blanket up to cover half his head, and silently counted sheep in his mind to help him fall asleep.

The next day, the first day of the new year.

As planned, Song Wenzhou and his parents returned to the city where they had once lived. Ren Suyi and Song Chenglang’s parents had both passed away, so this visit wasn’t for a long stay, they only visited relatives and close friends.

Even so, after visiting and paying respects, it was already the sixth day of the new year. In two days, Ren Suyi and Song Chenglang’s holiday would end, and they would have to return to work.

Song Wenzhou’s school start date was also getting closer.

In the past few days, Song Wenzhou had been going from one relative’s house to another, and in his spare time, he took the opportunity to meet up with old classmates and friends to hang out.

It had been a semester since they last saw each other, and Song Wenzhou missed them, but some friends had drifted apart because of the long lack of contact, and there was even a bit of awkwardness when they met.

Mu Chi had been busy these past few days, so Song Wenzhou could only chat with him for a few minutes before bed each night.

Song Wenzhou occasionally mentioned to him that if two people didn’t stay in touch for a while, wouldn’t they grow distant? Mu Chi would always say it depended on the person, but if it was him, he wouldn’t give Song Wenzhou a chance to become distant from him.

Every time Song Wenzhou heard this, he felt reassured.

After the holiday, Ren Suyi and Song Chenglang went back to work for the new year, and during the day, Song Wenzhou was once again home alone.

Mu Chi’s parents were also too busy with work at the start of the year to care for him, so he spent each day, from when he woke up until Song Wenzhou went to sleep, bombarding Song Wenzhou with messages. Not only did he want to share his daily life, but he also asked about everything Song Wenzhou was doing, no matter how trivial.

Song Wenzhou would complain about how chatty he was, but in reality, he always replied to the messages promptly.

A few days passed like this, and one morning, after Mu Chi woke up, he excitedly sent a message:

【Mu Chi: Only ten days left until school starts!】

【Mu Chi: In eight days, I’ll be back!】

When Song Wenzhou saw the message, he had just finished the last math test paper of his winter break homework. Mu Chi’s words made him feel a bit excited as well.

In eight days, Mu Chi would be back, and then…

Song Wenzhou pursed his lips and replied calmly on purpose.

【Song Wenzhou: Mm】

【Mu Chi: I’m so eager to go back, are you looking forward to it?】

Song Wenzhou’s fingers tapped the screen several times, but when he sent the message, it was only two words.

【Song Wenzhou: Looking forward】

Mu Chi, who was getting dressed, saw the short reply and laughed. His fingers quickly dialed Song Wenzhou’s number. When Song Wenzhou picked up, Mu Chi immediately said, “You’re so perfunctory. I can’t see at all that you’re looking forward to it. Are you too lazy to say more than two words?”

Song Wenzhou smiled and squinted his eyes. As Mu Chi wished, he added more words, “I’ll pick you up when you come back… and grandma too.”

“You said that, okay?” Mu Chi said, stressing as if he were afraid Song Wenzhou might change his mind. “Don’t try to fool me. I’ll be waiting at the airport for you to pick me up. If you don’t come, I won’t go home.”

“Tch…” Song Wenzhou smiled and nodded. After he finished, he remembered that Mu Chi couldn’t see him, so he added, “I’ll definitely come, okay?”

Although he was curious to see whether Mu Chi would actually not go home if he didn’t pick him up, he decided not to test it too easily in case Mu Chi really got angry.

Mu Chi was satisfied. “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

However, on the day Mu Chi arrived, neither he nor Song Wenzhou showed up at the airport. The person who had said they’d be waiting at the airport for Song Wenzhou never sent any updates.

Mu Chi’s grandmother had fallen down the stairs two days before the Lantern Festival. Mu Chi was on the phone with Song Wenzhou when he heard the housekeeper shouting. Song Wenzhou only heard part of the situation, and Mu Chi, in a hurry to take his grandmother to the hospital, had forgotten his phone at home.

Song Wenzhou had no way of knowing the details of the situation, and he felt very anxious.

Two hours later, he received another call from Mu Chi, this time from the hospital’s landline. Mu Chi had originally intended to reassure Song Wenzhou, but Song Wenzhou could tell from the tone of his voice that something was wrong. After pressing him, he learned that the situation was quite serious.

Grandmother had missed a step while going downstairs and fell from about five or six steps. Due to her osteoporosis, she fractured her bones upon falling. In addition, ever since Mu Chi’s grandfather passed away, grandmother’s health had not been very good, and this fall resulted in symptoms of a brain hemorrhage.

When Song Wenzhou received the call, grandmother had already been sent to the operating room. Before this, Mu Chi had gone through the entire pre-surgery process, contacted his parents to have them come to the hospital, and then, after calming himself for a while outside the operating room, called Song Wenzhou.

Mu Chi had thought he was calm, but in the end, he was just a high school student who hadn’t graduated yet, and the panic in his voice was easy to detect.

“It’ll be fine,” Song Wenzhou couldn’t offer any help from across the ocean, so he could only repeatedly comfort him, “It’ll be fine, grandma will be okay.”

When Mu Chi was alone, he could stay strong, but upon hearing these words, his eyes reddened, and he answered with a nasal voice, “Mm!”

After that, neither of them spoke. Mu Chi leaned against the hospital’s white walls, staring distantly at the words “In Surgery,” listening to the shallow breathing on the other end of the line. His wildly beating heart slowly began to calm down.

Song Wenzhou didn’t dare to speak and disturb Mu Chi. The only thing he could do now was quietly accompany him in this way.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but then a flurry of voices came through the phone. A male voice asked Mu Chi about his grandmother’s condition, and Mu Chi repeated what he had told Song Wenzhou earlier. After that, a female voice gently comforted Mu Chi.

Song Wenzhou knew Mu Chi’s parents had arrived at the hospital and sighed in relief, his worry for Mu Chi easing a little.

About half a minute later, Mu Chi told Song Wenzhou that he was going to wait by the operating room with his parents. After hearing Song Wenzhou respond, he hung up the phone.

Song Wenzhou listened to the busy tone on his phone, sitting in a daze for a long time. He thought of his late grandparents and felt Mu Chi’s emotions deeply.

Moreover, Mu Chi had been raised by his grandparents, so the pain he was feeling was likely even greater than he could imagine.