Chapter 356: Fourth World: Pufferfish Su Xin

The theatre descended into darkness with the only source of light coming from the stage and sparse lights from cellphone screens. This marked the beginning of the music festival and the theatre was packed with people from all walks of life.

For safety and personal reasons, Qie Ranzhe had booked a private booth on the top floor. The couple and Madam Qie were seated in the booth waiting for the family's superstar to take centre stage. Because Qie Xieling's class was performing last, they had to sit through other performances.

Madam Qie noticed Su Xin was somewhat off ever since he arrived and she couldn't help but lean towards her son to ask what was going on.

"Who offended him? He looks like a pufferfish," whispered Madam Qie while eyeing Su Xin.

He wasn't rude or anything but in fact, he greeted her nicely. It's just that he didn't talk much which was out of character. She had a faint feeling that it had something to do with her son because he didn't respond to any of Qie Ranzhe's questions.

Qie Ranzhe gripped Su Xin's waist with his fingers rubbing against the man's body in a soothing yet possessive action. Qie Ranzhe pursed his lips and whispered, "We are fighting." Wen Qinxi clearly heard their conversation. These two didn't know the meaning of the word whisper so he heard everything but he played deaf while looking straight ahead pretending not to hear anything.

"What did you do? You better not screw this up for me," she murmured while pinching his arm. Even Madam Qie had to admit that she had grown attached to Su Xin especially after the high-speed chase. It seems her life became more interesting after Su Xin repented. She couldn't wait to drag him along to the upcoming London Fashion Week. It was better to take Su Xin than those scathing and gossipy women. This is why she asked Qie Ranzhe not to screw this up for her.

"Ouch.... what was that for?" murmured Qie Ranzhe after being pinched for no reason, "You clearly disliked him before yet here you are pinching me to defend his honour."

Madam Qie squinted her eye and made an 'I am watching you' gesture with her fingers without uttering a word.

The two were too busy having a classic stare down that they didn't see Su Xin's lips tightening as though suppressing a smile. Yes, Wen Qinxi was smiling. In all honesty, he wanted to laugh but held himself back. It's not that he wasn't angry anymore. He was still pissed off as hell but the mother and son interaction was too amusing.

As soon as Qie Ranzhe turned to look at him, Wen Qinxi had already reestablished his sullen appearance like he wasn't the one smiling just as second ago. Qie Ranzhe tightened his hold on Su Xin's waist with his tender gaze fixed on the man's side profile. At least Su Xin wasn't rejecting him which meant they were making progress.

His gaze fell on those pink tender lips that looked especially tantalizing in the dimly lit theatre. An inexplicable thirst rose in his throat as he hesitantly leaned in. He wanted to kiss and suck on them regardless of his mother's presence and various onlookers. Unable to control himself, he made his move like a teenager in a dark movie theatre making a move on his crush.

Just as he was about to stick the landing, his mouth was covered by a soft palm preventing him from advancing further. Wen Qinxi slowly turned his head to glare at him but his fierce look made Qie Ranzhe want to bully him some more. His eyes as dark as the deepest part of the ocean, Qie Ranzhe licked Su Xin's palm in a provocative action that sent shivers all over Wen Qinxi's body.

"What the fuck," he whispered taking his hand away in astonishment. His palm was still feeling tingly where that slithering moist tongue brushed against his skin. Qie Ranzhe's expression right now was that of a naughty child who had clearly done something wrong on purpose.

Feeling proud of himself, Qie Ranzhe smirked before looking straight ahead pretending to be innocent.

This entire show of affection was witnessed by a gloomy shadow in the opposite private booth. From across the theatre, Kai Zi had his opera glasses covering his eyes. They were not to watch the show but spy on Su Xin and Qie Ranzhe.

As expected, his brother delivered the news to stir up the waters so he bought a ticket for this pointless musical festival to watch the couple fight. He actually was hoping Su Xin wouldn't show up so he could further create a rift between them. With the best seat in the house, he was prepared to see some melodramatic series but how come his promised dog blood drama turned into dog food instead?

He could sense some tension between them but their so-called tension was more like playful flirtatious teasing.

"Fuck!" he swore throwing the theatre glasses on the floor. He didn't know what it would take to have Su Xin dump Qie Ranzhe or the other way around. He didn't want to resort to violence but time and time again Su Xin had touched his bottom line. Why couldn't the man stay a slag shou?

After waiting for such a long time, Qie Xieling finally made his debut leading the pack on the stage. The boy was an uncanny resemblance to Qie Ranzhe in both facial features and temperament. He took his designated seat while scanning the audience most likely looking for his family.

Wen Qinxi seemed to understand so he raised his brightly lit phone for the boy to see. Like a beacon of light in the darkness, Qie Xieling focused on it as an unrestrained bright smile appeared on his face stunning the boy sitting next to him. Qie Xieling was usually a stern expressionless genius except in front of his family which made that smile quite rare.

Qie Xieling held the violin in a perfect stance with his hand on the bow painting a picturesque scene that made one enchanted. A soft melody permeated the air stimulating a feeling of relaxation in the audience. The performance couldn't be described as the best in the world but these children knew how to captivate their audience by playing instruments.

The conductor made a few hand signals resulting in the tempo speeding up into a fierce melody that resembled the chaos of a battlefield. Wen Qinxi was never one to listen to such music but even he had to admit, he was affected by it. His blood was rushing with inspiration to join the armed forces temporarily of course.

The tempo gradually died down as a solo sound of the violin echoed in the silent theatre. Qie Xieling's expression was downcast as he played a sorrowful tone that made emotional people teary-eyed and one of those people was Wen Qinxi. The boy's solo tune was short leaving one yearning for more. His solo performance came to a gradual end as similar melodies joined in from various instruments.

By the time the performance ended the audience were entranced in their emotions that they didn't immediately react at the end. It took several seconds for them to finally clap for these children who had a bright future ahead of them.