Chapter 71: “You Are the Liar.”

After being well-fed, the sky outside the restaurant had already darkened, with only a thin golden line of the sun left in the distance, outlining the undulating silhouette of the mountains.

On the way back to the old house, Jiang Yao was holding Duan Zhuxian’s phone, flipping through the photo album. All the photos were focused on him; there wasn’t a single pure landscape shot.

Jiang Yao couldn’t help but smile, then forcibly suppressed it as he looked up: “Why did you secretly take so many photos of me? Do you think I look good?”

Duan Zhuxian responded with a soft “Hmm.”

Jiang Yao had originally been joking, but now he was stunned: “‘Hmm’ means what?”

Duan Zhuxian looked straight at him: “It means you look good.”

Jiang Yao’s heart trembled, and he suddenly felt a bit warm in the face.

In fact, ever since kindergarten, Jiang Yao had people lining up to confess to him, so he was quite aware of his own looks. But this was the first time Duan Zhuxian had praised his appearance, and it unexpectedly gave him a renewed sense of satisfaction over something he had long ceased to care about.

As they passed through the central park, a foreign man was standing by the fountain playing the violin. The two stopped to listen for a while.

The music was quite good, somewhat melancholic, but they couldn’t understand the specific meaning. Jiang Yao was about to open a music app to identify the song when he heard Duan Zhuxian say, “He is playing 《Zigeunerweisen》.”

Jiang Yao glanced sideways, “Do you usually like listening to violin music?”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “I can play the violin.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes widened in surprise, then he furrowed his brows slightly, “How come I didn’t know about this? You never reported this to me.”

Faced with Jiang Yao’s slightly displeased expression, Duan Zhuxian said helplessly, “I only know a little bit, and there hasn’t been a chance to mention it.”

As he spoke, he ruffled Jiang Yao’s hair, “Whatever else you want to know, I’ll tell you everything.”

Jiang Yao was at a loss for words.

True, both he and Duan Zhuxian were usually very busy, and he wasn’t as meticulous as Duan Zhuxian, which led him to often overlook things related to him.

Recently, he had been eager to understand Duan Zhuxian, from the smallest details of daily life to his growth experiences, leaving no stone unturned, yet he still missed many things, making him somewhat anxious.

Even though it was his own issue, he blamed Duan Zhuxian. Instead of getting angry, Duan Zhuxian comforted him.

He was in the wrong, Duan Zhuxian was kind.

The nearby violinist, tired from playing and drinking water, happened to hear their conversation and enthusiastically invited Duan Zhuxian to give it a try in broken Chinese.

Hearing this, Jiang Yao immediately got excited and pushed Duan Zhuxian, “Give it a try!”

Duan Zhuxian looked reluctant.

Jiang Yao continued to coax, “I’ve never heard you play the violin.”

For someone as solitary and seemingly serious as Duan Zhuxian to perform in public was indeed asking a lot.

But Jiang Yao had a mischievous streak.

The foreign man, seeing the situation, mumbled something that sounded like Spanish, which Jiang Yao didn’t understand. Duan Zhuxian replied in Spanish as well, then, under Jiang Yao’s expectant gaze, took the violin and bow from the man.

Both Duan Zhuxian and Jiang Yao were tall and good-looking, making them already quite noticeable in the small square. Now, as Duan Zhuxian placed the violin on his shoulder and began to play, many who had been secretly watching them openly gathered around.

Duan Zhuxian indeed knew how to play the violin, and contrary to his claim of only knowing a little, his composed demeanor and skillful movements indicated he was quite proficient.

The music flowed gently.

Jiang Yao stood among the crowd, unable to recognize the piece, but the melodious tune perfectly matched the early spring evening—soft and lingering, like a calm yet passionate breeze tenderly confessing to the sun that was about to set.

The violinist, tall and graceful, seemed to glow.

Several times, Jiang Yao held his breath, his ears and eyes captivated.

Just as he hadn’t heard enough, hadn’t seen enough, it abruptly ended.

The crowd erupted in applause, many calling out, “Encore!”

Duan Zhuxian made an elegant bow in Jiang Yao’s direction, returned the violin to its owner, took Jiang Yao’s hand, and strode out of the crowd, leaving behind the clamor, as people continued to speculate about their relationship.

Jiang Yao pulled Duan Zhuxian to slow him down forcibly, “Why are you walking so fast?”

Duan Zhuxian: “I was embarrassed.”

Jiang Yao: “?”

When everyone was cheering just now, Jiang Yao clearly felt that Duan Zhuxian was quite enjoying it.

He looked closely at Duan Zhuxian’s expression. Sure enough, there was a mysterious smile on his face, with no trace of shyness.

Leaving the central park, they walked along the riverbank. Jiang Yao bought two sparklers along the way. After lighting them with a lighter, he handed one to Duan Zhuxian. “What did that foreigner say to you just now?”

He wanted to know what had suddenly made Duan Zhuxian willing to perform.

Duan Zhuxian looked at Jiang Yao, “He asked me to play a love song for my lover. He said my lover was looking forward to it.”

“…Who was looking forward to it?” Jiang Yao instinctively retorted, but his grip tightened on Duan Zhuxian’s hand, “What was the name of that piece?”

“《Salut d’Amour.》”

“Oh, it sounded nice.”

It was the most beautiful violin piece he had ever heard.

Jiang Yao waved his sparkler, “I thought you only played the guqin. I didn’t expect you to know this too.”

Duan Zhuxian said, “I learned a few instruments when I was young—guitar, piano, accordion, a bit of each.”

Jiang Yao was astonished, “You must have a natural talent for music. No wonder your name is Zhuxian.”

Duan Zhuxian chuckled softly, “Just call me that from now on.”

In the faint light of the fireworks, Jiang Yao studied the man who was stunningly handsome amidst the twilight and gentle breeze. Feeling a mix of defiance and secret pride, he asked, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

Duan Zhuxian thought for a moment and answered seriously, “Loving someone, does that count?”

Jiang Yao blinked, somewhat puzzled.

He thought Duan Zhuxian was quite good at loving someone, certainly better than he was. Even though Duan Zhuxian had only liked him for a few months, it felt as if he had liked him for several lifetimes.

Suddenly, he remembered something, and his smile was fading. He took out a small heart-shaped piece of paper from his pocket and waved it in front of Duan Zhuxian, “Explain this, who is the little liar you couldn’t stop thinking about even while eating?”

At the sight of the note, Duan Zhuxian paused, then lowered his head and laughed softly. He touched Jiang Yao’s sparkler with his own and said, “The liar is you.”

Jiang Yao: “?”

“Why is it me?”

He felt indignant.

Duan Zhuxian: “Think back yourself.”

Jiang Yao: “??”

Having been righteous his whole life, being suddenly labeled a liar left Jiang Yao puzzled all the way home. Unable to figure it out, he pushed Duan Zhuxian against the door and kissed him messily in frustration.

Eventually, both of them were overwhelmed.

Before things could get out of hand, Duan Zhuxian restrained the restless Jiang Yao, “Let’s sleep early tonight. We have to catch the sunrise tomorrow.”

Jiang Yao thought that made sense, so he obediently went to sleep under Duan Zhuxian’s coaxing.

However, for three consecutive mornings at four o’clock, Jiang Yao failed to get up. Each time Duan Zhuxian called him, he would hug his blanket and grumble, using various excuses to stay in bed.

Duan Zhuxian, worn out by Jiang Yao’s stubbornness, had no choice but to keep postponing the sunrise trip.

That afternoon, Duan Zhuxian had to meet a business partner in Yuan City. That’s how workaholics are—they can’t leave work behind, even during a honeymoon trip.

After lunch, Jiang Yao went for a walk along the route they had explored in the past couple of days to help with digestion.

However, the ancient path without Duan Zhuxian felt exceedingly dull.

Perhaps due to the unfavorable weather, the sudden cold air wreaked havoc along the way. The flowers wilted, the newly sprouted grass withered, the street vendors’ calls lost their charm, and even the gentle sunlight hid deep within the clouds, making the entire street appear misty and bluish-green.

He suddenly understood what Duan Zhuxian meant when he said, “Revisiting old places, the important thing isn’t the scenery but the person you travel with.”

He was bored, so he returned to the house, only to find that Duan Zhuxian was still engaged in his meeting.

He wandered into the study and, for once, calmed himself to read a book by the window.

It was a suspense novel, with annotations written by a young Duan Zhuxian, like a barrage of comments showcasing his sharp tongue and attention to detail, making it particularly interesting.

He had thought Duan Zhuxian never read such leisure books.

The novel wasn’t long, and Jiang Yao finished it quickly. As he put the book back on the shelf, he suddenly noticed something tucked behind a row of books.

He struggled to pull it out and found it to be an old, orange notebook with the words “Schedule Book” written on the cover in Duan Zhuxian’s handwriting, dated ten years ago, back when they were in high school.

He swore he opened it subconsciously, not deliberately.

After all, it was just an ordinary planner, recording the daily tasks from morning till night, followed by summaries based on the completion of those tasks, not a diary.

He was quite interested in peeking into Duan Zhuxian’s daily life. He imagined a younger Duan Zhuxian, with still undefined facial features and a mix of youthful awkwardness in his brows and eyes.

When alone, the young Duan Zhuxian would sleep, eat, and drink water on schedule, then manage his appearance before heading out, maintaining a proud and aloof demeanor.

The schedule book also documented his study progress.

Every day, without fail, Duan Zhuxian completed two sets of practice tests, all from collections of advanced problems beyond the standard syllabus.

Duan Zhuxian had been secretly working hard behind his back!

No wonder sometimes he could never surpass Duan Zhuxian’s scores.

He raised his eyebrows and couldn’t help but laugh, his facial features bustling with the day’s contents and associations.

Until he saw a certain page’s “Weekly Summary,” where he suddenly froze.

It was still the same organized summary style, categorizing the week’s activities clearly, but the last line contained a startling sentence—

[Tried not to like him for a week, failed.]

Like… him?

Who was he?

At that time, they were in their second year of high school, which meant that Duan Zhuxian had someone he particularly liked during that period.

Jiang Yao’s mind went blank for a moment.

Then, the words Duan Feiyi had said to him twice resurfaced in his mind—Duan Zhuxian had an unforgettable “white moonlight.”

Yet Duan Zhuxian had told him that there was no one else before him.

He believed it.

But what about the supposed first love?

He wasn’t unable to accept the existence of this “white moonlight,” but Duan Zhuxian’s steadfast denial made it seem like he had a guilty conscience.

Half a minute later, Jiang Yao, with a furrowed brow, paced around the room.

He felt he was quite calm, even able to think about what he might use to beat up Duan Zhuxian, this liar.

But soon, he recalled the day at Duan family’s house when he said that if Duan Zhuxian ever lied to him, he wouldn’t cause a scene; they would just meet at the civil affairs bureau.

He wasn’t someone like Duan Zhuxian, who would hide things and deceive.

He had to keep his word.

So, in the end, he very calmly took out his phone and booked a return flight.

At the same time, Duan Zhuxian, having finished his meeting, was already at the door with Jiang Yao’s favorite strawberry cake in hand.