Chapter 34

6:00-PM (1)

It wasn’t as intense as before.

Xu Muzi held her breath, tilting her head back as she felt Deng Yun gently kissing the tips of her ears.

An unbearable itch gathered at her heart.

She was waiting for a more passionate entanglement, but he seemed to be completely at ease, knowing exactly how to seduce her. He leisurely brushed his nose against the edge of her ear, leaving his warm breath lingering on her earlobe.

Desire was like the strings of a zither, delicate and intricate, yet he only seemed willing to pluck a single one.

Xu Muzi couldn’t help but curl her body up, her eyes tightly shut.

She had cried earlier, her eyelashes damp and forming small clusters, and the tears she had been holding back squeezed out as she closed her eyes.

Deng Yun gently wiped away the tear stain on her cheek with his thumb, lifted her up, and placed her on the sofa. He pushed aside her hair and leaned down to continue kissing the side of her neck.

Just like when she first discovered “Cai,” “Yuan,” and “Gun,” she shivered slightly and let out a muffled hum.

But this kiss still felt insufficient—neither heavy enough nor stimulating enough, nor lasting enough.

It only made her crave more, leaving her unsatisfied.

Noticing Deng Yun pull away, Xu Muzi opened her eyes in confusion, instinctively reaching out to grasp the hem of his shirt.

She wasn’t even aware that it was a silent plea to keep him close.

Deng Yun had been leaning back against the sofa, but when he felt Xu Muzi tugging at his shirt, he sat up.

His gaze was particularly deep as he slowly leaned closer, seemingly wanting to see her eyes clearly. Then, as she felt shy under his gaze, he tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers.

It was just a brief touch, a mere brush before parting.

It was so annoying—she would have preferred if he hadn’t kissed her at all, as it left her heart unsettled.

Deng Yun asked, “Is your phone on silent?”

Xu Muzi absentmindedly replied, “Mm.”

Earlier, she had intended to listen carefully to Deng Yun talk about the fridge magnets, so she had put her phone on silent.

In the dim light, her phone received new messages, and the screen lit up with notifications repeatedly.

Deng Yun glanced briefly at the phone’s illuminated screen, then took Xu Muzi’s hand that was gripping his shirt and held it in his own, his fingertips gently tapping her palm. After a long moment of contemplation, he asked, “Has it caused you any trouble?”

The slower he went, the faster her heart raced.

Having just been confessed to, Xu Muzi didn’t think too much, believing that the “trouble” Deng Yun referred to was just surface-level concern.

There are certainly troubles! Because she wants more…

Xu Muzi was a girl with almost zero experience in relationships. Over the past 1,075 days, she had either been busy playing piano in the music room or performing at the hotel where she worked part-time.

Various channels for learning about love were closed off to her; she didn’t even have time to watch a complete romantic drama.

As a result, she felt somewhat reserved.

She couldn’t just say she wanted to continue, could she?

Xu Muzi tried to adjust her breathing but was constantly disrupted by Deng Yun’s light taps on her palm.

She curled her fingers and bluntly said, “Stop tapping, I’m almost out of breath…”

Deng Yun looked over with a hint of a smile, and Xu Muzi immediately recalled that she had said something similar before.

She hurried to explain, “I’m not talking about respiratory alkalosis!”

“I know.”

The candlelight painted everything in the room with a flickering warm hue, including them.

She liked being with him like this.

Xu Muzi thought she should have realized she liked Deng Yun sooner.

Unfortunately, at that time, whether regarding her family’s business or her emotions, she had never felt a sense of crisis.

It was like she had once taken for granted that the two pianos she owned would accompany her until she grew old and gray.

She had also thought that she and Deng Yun could always be like that winter break, living just a few hundred meters apart in the same villa, able to meet whenever they wanted.

“Deng Yun.”

“What’s up?”

“When did you… how did you…”

Unsure of how to articulate her thoughts, she stopped and changed her question, “How did you… um, never mind.”

Deng Yun raised his eyebrows.

He really understood her well. After thinking for a moment, he answered the question she was too shy to ask.

“You want to know how I realized I liked you?”

Xu Muzi nodded.

“There was an opportunity.”

Deng Yun began to recount the day they climbed the mountain overnight.

That day, Xu Muzi had seen the moon’s surface for the first time, with its pockmarked craters and seas, and had also seen Saturn’s rings for the first time.

She had been in such a good mood, bouncing around until she was tired, wrapped in a down jacket, sitting on the bench at the stargazing platform at the mountain’s peak, her hands, clad in thick gloves, propping her up on either side, and her thick scarf almost covering half her face, eyes shining brightly as she gazed at the starry sky and hummed a song.

Xu Muzi was unique; she hummed classical piano pieces.

It was a cheerful melody by Bach.

Deng Yun had thought about this scene many times.

One afternoon, he had received a message from a friend and was about to reply when he suddenly thought of Xu Muzi for no reason.

It was his friend’s bombardment of messages that brought him back to reality.

He realized his thumb had been hovering over the phone screen, and he had been lost in thought for almost three minutes.

Deng Yun squeezed Xu Muzi’s fingertips and chuckled, “If it’s not because I like you, then that’s just weird.”

“Shouldn’t my face have looked puffy and unattractive back then?”

“It was still puffy, but not unattractive—cute, actually.”

Xu Muzi sighed with a hint of melancholy, “I was so awkward those days; did I really hum a song?”

“Yep, cute.”

Xu Muzi blushed furiously, pulling her hand back and fanning her face.

After a while, she couldn’t help but ask him, “But how do you remember such a specific time, 1,075 days?”

Deng Yun didn’t answer and suddenly asked, “When was your first youth music exchange?”

“Second year of middle school, a week before school started, August 25th.”

“What about performing with Professor Charles?”

“Third year of middle school, February; we rehearsed on February 13th and 15th, and the formal performance was on February 16th.”

Deng Yun countered, “That’s pretty good memory, isn’t it?”

“But at that time, our family situation was so bad that I was a mess inside; how could I remember…”

“The date you were hired as a pianist by the hotel and became a full-time employee?”

Xu Muzi blurted out, “August 18th.”

Deng Yun gave her a thumbs-up.

Xu Muzi had been sitting curled up on the sofa with her legs hugged to her chest. Realizing she couldn’t win the argument, she decided to kick out at him: “You’re unreasonable! Even if I remember the dates, who counts the days every day?”

Her ankle was held by Deng Yun as he said, “I do.”

In the midst of their playful banter, Xu Muzi suddenly realized the question had already been answered.

It’s only when you care enough that you can remember clearly.

Her heart raced suddenly, almost ready to explode.

She suddenly thought of a documentary she had seen about marine animals and whimsically felt like a sea cucumber.

The reason for her analogy, which she shared with Deng Yun, was that:

When sea cucumbers encounter danger, they expel their internal organs to mislead their enemies and then escape.

She often felt her heart was overloaded with danger and wanted to remove it to avoid bursting.

Xu Muzi was amused by her childish thought. Noticing Deng Yun’s gaze, she raised her arm to block the front of her dress: “What are you looking at…”

“Your dress is stained with cool tea.”

When had her chest become damp, or when had cool tea spilled on her dress? She had completely lost awareness.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xu Muzi got up and said, “I’ll go change my clothes.”

She hurriedly discarded her thick bathrobe, phone, and power bank.

As she walked into the dark hallway, she turned back, only thinking about grabbing a candle for light.

There weren’t many emergency lights in the inn, and guests who either had low phone batteries or had children found it inconvenient to light candles, so they borrowed some.

Xu Muzi had previously used that candle; it was Xiaoxia’s, and she hadn’t taken it with her upstairs, leaving it at the front desk.

“I’ll take the candle; what about you?”

“I’ll manage in the dark.”

On one hand, Xu Muzi was worried that Deng Yun wouldn’t have any light and would find it inconvenient;

Of course, there are troubles! Because she wants more…

Xu Muzi is a girl with almost zero romantic experience. For the past 1,075 days, she has either been busy playing the piano in the practice room or playing at a part-time job in a hotel.

Various channels for learning about love are closed off; she hasn’t even had the time to watch a complete romantic drama.

So, she feels a bit reserved.

After all, can she say that she wants to continue?

Xu Muzi tries to steady her breathing but is constantly disturbed by Deng Yun’s tapping on her palm.

She curls her fingers and bluntly says, “Don’t tap; I’m running out of oxygen…”

Deng Yun looks at her with a hint of a smile, and Xu Muzi immediately remembers that she had said something similar before.

She hurriedly explains, “I’m not talking about respiratory alkalosis!”

“I know.”

The candlelight bathes everything in the room in a flickering warm hue, including them.

She likes being with him like this.

Xu Muzi thinks she should have realized she liked Deng Yun earlier.

But unfortunately, at that time, whether it was about family business or relationships, she lacked a sense of crisis.

Just like she once took it for granted that the two pianos she owned would always accompany her until she was old and gray.

She also thought that she and Deng Yun could always be like that winter break, living just a few hundred meters apart in a villa, able to meet anytime.

“Deng Yun.”

“What’s up?”

“When did you… how did you…”

Not quite accurate enough, she stops and changes her question, “How did you… um, never mind.”

Deng Yun raises his eyebrows.

He knows her very well. After thinking for a moment, he articulates the question she’s too shy to ask.

“Are you asking how I realized I liked you?”

Xu Muzi nods.

“There was an opportunity.”

Deng Yun talks about the day they hiked all night.

That day, Xu Muzi saw the pockmarked surface of the moon and the rings of Saturn for the first time.

She was in an incredibly good mood, jumping around until she got tired, sitting on the bench of the stargazing platform at the top of the mountain, wrapped in a down jacket, her hands in thick gloves propped on either side of her body, a thick scarf almost covering half her face, her bright eyes gazing up at the starry sky, humming a song.

Xu Muzi is quite different; she hums classical piano pieces.

It’s a lively melody by Bach.

Deng Yun has thought about this scene many times.

One afternoon, he received a message from a friend and was about to reply when he suddenly thought of Xu Muzi out of nowhere.

He only snapped back to reality when his friend’s messages started bombarding him.

He realized his thumb had been hovering over his phone screen for nearly three minutes, lost in thought.

Deng Yun pinches Xu Muzi’s fingertips and says with a light laugh, “If I didn’t like you, then I’d be sick.”

“Back then, my face must have looked really swollen, right?”

“It was still swollen, but it was cute.”

Xu Muzi sighs dejectedly, “I could barely speak during those days, and I even hummed songs?”

“Yeah, cute.”

Xu Muzi’s face turns beet red, and she pulls her hand back, waving it near her face to fan herself.

After a while, she can’t help but ask him, “But how do you remember 1,075 days so clearly?”

Deng Yun doesn’t answer and suddenly asks, “When was the first time you attended a youth music exchange conference?”

“Second year of middle school, a week before school started, August 25th.”

“With Professor Charles?”

“Third year of middle school, February. The rehearsals were on February 13th and 15th, and the formal performance was on February 16th.”

Deng Yun counters, “Isn’t that pretty good memory?”

“But back then, our family situation was so bad that I was all flustered; how could I remember…”

“When you were hired as a pianist by the hotel, what was the date you became a full-time employee?”

Xu Muzi replied without thinking, “August 18th.”

Deng Yun gives her a thumbs-up.

Xu Muzi, who was sitting with her legs curled up on the sofa, feeling unable to argue, simply kicks out at him, “You’re unreasonable! Even if I remember the dates, who counts the days every day?”

Deng Yun holds her ankle and replies, “I do.”

In this playful banter, Xu Muzi suddenly realizes that the question has already been answered.

Only by caring enough can one remember clearly.

Her heart races, nearly exploding.

Suddenly she thinks of a documentary about marine animals she watched; whimsically, she feels like a sea cucumber.

The reason for this thought, which she shares with Deng Yun, is:

When sea cucumbers encounter danger, they expel their internal organs to mislead their enemies and then escape.

She feels a constant threat of her heart being overloaded, wishing she could just remove her heart to avoid a catastrophe.

Xu Muzi laughs at her childish thoughts and notices Deng Yun’s gaze; she raises her arm to block the front of her dress, “What are you looking at…?”

“Your dress is stained with herbal tea.”

She realizes her chest is wet, or rather, she has no idea when the herbal tea spilled on her clothes.

She feels a bit embarrassed.

Xu Muzi stands up, “I’ll go change my clothes.”

In her fluster, she leaves behind her thick bathrobe, phone, and power bank.

As she walks to the dark entrance, she turns back, remembering she needs to grab a candle for light.

There aren’t many emergency lights in the inn, and guests may not have enough battery power on their phones or have children that make it inconvenient to light candles, so she borrowed a few.

Previously, Xu Muzi had used that candle; it belonged to Xia Xia, and she hadn’t taken it back upstairs, so it was left at the front desk.

“I’ll take the candle; what will you do?”

“I’ll manage in the dark.”

On one hand, Xu Muzi worries that Deng Yun will have a hard time without any light;

On the other hand, in every sense, Xu Muzi feels she is currently in a state of unfulfilled desire.

She still has a lot to talk about with Deng Yun.

For example, what they have been doing these years, the names she has given to the stray cats, why Deng Yun wanted to stay at the inn to unwind, and her strange blind dates…

There are also many things she wants to do with Deng Yun.

For example, continuing to kiss, or even more intimate and ambiguous things…

Xu Muzi doesn’t want to spend too much time alone in her room, so she asks, “What are you going to do later?”

“Change clothes.”

Xu Muzi glances at the short-sleeved shirt that Deng Yun had taken off and draped over the table, “Didn’t you just change?”

“Pants.”

“Oh…”

That makes sense.

The rain falls indiscriminately; it won’t spare them just because they are kindly trying to help reinforce the bird’s nest.

His pants are also damp; it’s just that the dark color makes it hard to tell.

Perhaps it was because she was there, so he hadn’t changed.

Deng Yun hands Xu Muzi the scented candle.

She sees the phone with the screen glowing on the sofa and wants to say that her power bank still has 70% battery, enough to charge her phone two or three times.

Actually, she wouldn’t need to worry about running out of battery if she used her phone for light.

As the thought comes to her mind, she feels a little stirred. She takes the candle, says nothing, and doesn’t take her phone.

She leaves herself an excuse to come back.

Fortunately, Deng Yun doesn’t notice the things she has left behind.

Xu Muzi carries the candle back to her room and digs out another dress from her suitcase.

After changing into the dress, she lets her long, black hair hang loose and sits on the edge of the bed in a daze.

Perhaps due to the dim light, everything around her feels particularly unreal.

Everything that happened in Deng Yun’s room feels like a dream.

Just moments ago, she was lost in his warmth.

Now that she has calmed down, Xu Muzi suddenly thinks of a question.

Does Deng Yun…

Does he know that several families once partnered to invest in the film and television industry, that they went bankrupt and got into debt, and that this series of problems actually originated from her family?

Because the person who first got in touch and encouraged them to invest in film and television was Xu Muzi’s father.

Xu Muzi initially didn’t want to appear too eager and planned to delay for twenty minutes or half an hour before going to find Deng Yun.

But once this doubt arose, she became restless.

After pacing around the room a few times, Xu Muzi made up her mind and immediately went to knock on the door.

She gathers her hair, facing away from the candlelight, searching for a hair tie in the dark environment.

She doesn’t know where the hair tie fell when she took off her dress earlier.

There’s also another one that had slipped off her sleeve when she was wearing her thick bathrobe, and it must have dropped in Deng Yun’s room.

Xu Muzi has many hair ties.

Of all kinds of materials and styles, but usually, she’s careless, and when she actually needs one, she can rarely find a single one.

Voices come from the corridor.

Almost simultaneously, she hears the sound of a door opening and an unfamiliar male voice speaking.

“Hi, bro, we’re playing cards downstairs. Are you coming?”

Then Deng Yun’s voice, “No, you guys play.”

Xu Muzi walks to the door, hand resting on the metal doorknob. Just as she’s about to press down, someone knocks on the door.

She instantly opens the door.

Deng Yun stands outside, probably not expecting her to open the door so quickly, still looking down at his phone.

He doesn’t have any lighting device in his hand, only the glow from the screen of his phone.

When he sees her, he presses the screen and pauses the video.

He holds out the other item in his hand for her to see, “Don’t want these anymore?”

Xu Muzi lets go of her hair and takes the thick bathrobe jacket, her phone, and power bank from Deng Yun’s hand, already forgetting about her previous “excuse” being preempted by him, and hurriedly pulls him into her room.

“Deng Yun, I have something to say to you.”

Deng Yun raises his hand, revealing the hair tie around his wrist, “Looking for this?”

Xu Muzi is taken aback, “Uh…”

The straight girl completely doesn’t realize his meaning; she pulls the hair tie off his wrist and, while tying her hair, asks Deng Yun if he knows how the film investment started.

Xu Muzi feels very anxious.

Deng Yun, however, appears to understand everything: “I know. Wasn’t that person Xu Shushu’s classmate?”

“Then… Uncle and Aunt must be blaming my dad, right?”

“The investment decision wasn’t made with a knife to their necks. If they were greedy, who can they blame?”

“And you?”

“Do I look like I’m blaming anyone?”

Xu Muzi ties her hair up and suddenly breathes a sigh of relief, plopping down onto the sofa.

She accidentally touches his phone with the screen glowing, and the originally paused video resumes playing.

It seems to be a movie?

The sound comes out, startling Xu Muzi, and she quickly hits pause again, “What are you watching?”

Deng Yun names a TV series.

Xu Muzi isn’t familiar with film and television, but the show he mentioned is quite well-known in her circle of classmates.

The main character is related to the piano industry, and many pieces are classical piano music, even involving the soul resonance of four-hand piano.

She has heard her classmates talk about it.

However, the romantic plot of the TV series…

Is about infidelity, with the male lead being the third party in the female lead’s relationship.

Xu Muzi curiously asks, “Are you interested in piano pieces now?”

“Just generally.”

“… So, you like taboo subjects?”

Deng Yun said, “I don’t like it, but right now there’s no way around it.”