CH 8

The autumn morning breeze brought along a slightly chilly air.

Cheng Chu lifted her eyes ever so slightly and abruptly looked into Gu Miao’s eyes.

They were like midnight; a moment that has never met light before, starless and raven-black.

Luo Qian Qian standing on the side swallowed a little nervously. She quietly stretched out her hand and tugged Cheng Chu: “Let’s go, Chu Chu.”

Cheng Chu’s heart was beating fiercely. She didn’t know when Gu Miao stood behind the doorway nor when he started listening.

She didn’t know if he saw her arrogant and fierce appearance.

She was trying to walk the warm and sweetheart route! Not the strong and intimidating course!

Cheng Chu lifted the corners of her stiff lips and forced a smile, saying: “What a coincidence, ha ha ha… I’m going to have breakfast with Qian Qian, what do you want to eat? I’ll bring you some.”

A smile appeared in Gu Miao’s eyes as he shook his head slightly in reply.

The classroom was filled with a strange atmosphere, a tense silence.

Gu Miao actually didn’t see what happened. He just stood at the doorway and heard Luo Qian Qian’s words. [Referring to when Qian Qian asked Cheng Chu if she was angry at Yu Yin because he tripped Gu Miao.]

He is cold and independent by nature, has no friends at school, so he is rather indifferent to everything.

But if it’s about Cheng Chu, his ice-cold heart couldn’t help but waver.

Back in his seat, Gu Miao received Yu Yin’s fierce glare.

He chose to ignore it. He tore a piece of paper from his notebook, got a pen, and wrote a few words. Then, he reached out and handed the paper to Zhou Ran who was beside him.

“What’s up?”

Zhou Ran lowered his eyes and saw the neat handwriting on the sheet of paper. He sneakily glanced at Yu Yin and said in a low voice: “Just now Yu Yin berated you and said a few curse words. Cheng Chu couldn’t stand it and smashed his water bottle.”

Gu Miao was taken aback; the emotions in his heart rose uncontrollably.

Did she do it for him?

The incandescent lamps in the classroom shone brightly and Gu Miao felt an unfamiliar warmth surging from his eyes.

Zhou Ran continued: “But to be honest, it was so satisfying. Even I felt uncomfortable with what he said about you.”

Except he doesn’t have Cheng Chu’s courage to stand up and righteously refute Yu Yin. People tend to be selfish. Who is willing to get in trouble for an unrelated person?

Gu Miao understood this truth as well.

He had never received any kindness. Who would kindly treat a gloomy and autistic person for no reason?

Put anyone in the situation and even he, would probably not stand up from someone random.

But Cheng Chu is different.

She is like a hot and dazzling light, brightly illuminating and driving away the haze and darkness from this world.

She is someone who would stand for justice to help someone she doesn’t know. Naturally, she would also give a helping hand to a familiar classmate.

But she didn’t know how meaningful it was for Gu Miao.

In his gloomy life, she is the only light remaining in the world.

A few wisps of morning wind blew into the classroom. The books on the desk rustled through its pages.

Zhou Ran patted Gu Miao on the shoulder and said: “Anyway, luckily you weren’t here just now. Otherwise, you two might fight.”

Suddenly he realized that his actions were a little too intimate and he retracted his hand in embarrassment.

Gu Miao nodded: “Yeah.”

He lowered his eyes; his heart running wild with emotions.

Cheng Chu might get in trouble and this was all because of him.

Thinking of this, his hands tightened and his dark eyelashes fell gently.

All in all, it’s because he is useless.

***

Cheng Chu took Luo Qian Qian out of the academic building.

The fresh morning breeze blew slightly. Cheng Chu took a deep breath and her fast throbbing heart finally calmed down.

The fallen leaves on the walking trial have not yet been cleaned. They formed a golden carpet, making a crisp sound every time a step was taken.

Cheng Chu’s chest felt heavy. She suddenly realized that she knew little to nothing about Gu Miao.

Like his horrible family, his stuttering problems, and even his near-poverty situation. They were all unfamiliar to Cheng Chu.

As an adult, Gu Miao was the leader of the entire Gu family. Governing over them with a strong fist and always maintaining a calm poker face.

Cheng Chu originally believed that Gu Miao must have lived a spoiled and beloved childhood, being admired like a moon surrounded by stars.

But in the past few days, she has seen him wearing cheap store-name sneakers, carrying a white-washed schoolbag, and being bullied by his cousin. He was shamed upon and couldn’t even eat breakfast peacefully.

In her memory, Gu Miao is strong and tough. Everyone was afraid of him and his ability in the business world; he could command anyone to follow his orders and no one would refuse.

At that time, Gu Miao was willing to use everything to protect her.

So this time, it’s her turn to protect him.

Having returned to the classroom, before class began, Cheng Chu saw Gu Miao silently lying on the table. Only his jet-black hair could be seen, and it seemed like he wasn’t affected by what happened previously.

Cheng Chu’s heart finally relaxed.

She was afraid that he would feel uncomfortable about Yu Yin’s hurtful words.

The teacher had walked into the classroom and started class early. Cheng Chu started to flip through the textbook placed at the corner of her desk, wanting to preview the upcoming lectures.

Then she saw something, a yellow note was sandwiched in the middle.

It reads: “Thank you.”

It’s only two short words, but it was enough to lift the corners of Cheng Chu’s mouth.

A bird’s song can be heard clearly from outside the window and the faint smell of grass dissipated the messy scent in the classroom.

“Why are you smiling so happily while reading?” Luo Qian Qian looked at her suspiciously and whispered.

Cheng Chu took off the sticky note stuck in the book, folded it into a neat square, and quietly put it in her pencil case.

School periods seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye and suddenly the entire morning had passed.

After the end of the third period in the afternoon, Cheng Chu was busy working on her homework when she heard someone shouting for her: “Cheng Chu, someone’s looking for you!”

She raised her eyes questionably and saw a girl standing outside the window waving at her.

“Chu Chu, I didn’t know you changed classes. I was upstairs searching for you just now.” As soon as she reached the doorway, Ji Mingye tugged her over and said affectionately.

The girl was carrying a violin on her shoulders. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her bright apricot eyes were filled with joy.

Cheng Chu laughed and said: “Well, because I don’t have enough grades.”

“Alright, alright. Don’t try to speak badly about your grades, how do you want me to feel about mine?” Ji Mingyue tugged her sleeve and said: “Let’s go.”

“Where to?” Cheng Chu was a little confused.

“To the music building of course. Have you forgotten that today is Wednesday?” Ji Mingyue curled her lips and said: “Aren’t you usually the most excited one? Yet today you needed me to remind you.”

It was then that Cheng Chu remembered that the last class every Wednesday and Thursday was an Interest class. All students can sign up for a class they are interested in or they can choose that period for self-studying.

Special music students like Cheng Chu and Ji Mingyue must use that period as their practice time.

The high school days were quite far in the past for Cheng Chu. So in the past few days, she focused on relearning the materials she had forgotten. She had been so busy that she didn’t remember this class at all.

“Okay, let’s go.” Cheng Chu said.

Ji Mingyue looked her up and down, saying: “You’re not bringing your music score today?”

“Forget it, let’s just go.” Even with the score, she probably couldn’t even play a coherent piano piece.

There was a corridor connecting the academic and music building.

It was the evening; the setting sun shone lightly through the trees providing shades, covering the entire corridor with dark yellow broken dancing shadows.

Cheng Chu and Ji Mingyue walked side by side, her energetic chirping voice won’t stop.

Cheng Chu turned her head, only to see the girl’s bright beautiful apricot eyes as if they had been sprinkled with little crystals.

In high school, she and Ji Mingyue were very good friends. Both were music students and they had many interests in common.

But after graduating from high school, Cheng Chu followed her family’s wishes and gave up music. Whereas, Ji Mingyue was admitted into her dream music academy.

Although in terms of music, Ji Mingyue is not talented but she is very hardworking. She is the kind of girl that Cheng Chu has always admired. She’s gentle and bright, always determined to follow her dreams.

She watched as Ji Mingyue successfully entered the country’s best orchestra, stepped onto a larger stage, gradually rising to fame, and made a living in the music industry.

The gap between the two of them kept growing bigger and bigger resulting in fewer and fewer common topics and at last, they broke off contact.

But when Gu Miao had an accident and she felt her world on the verge of collapsing, Ji Mingyue called immediately, anxiously asking her about her situation and asking her if she needed help.

The warm setting sun seemed to bring along a comforting temperature and Cheng Chu looked at the joyful girl in front of her and felt a burst of warmth in her heart.

In this world, nothing is lost, she still has friends and family who love her, and…

Gu Miao.

Turns out the world isn’t cold.

***

The two walked toward the music building and Ji Mingyue bid her goodbye.

All the piano rooms are on the first floor, but Cheng Chu had forgotten where her room was.

She wandered around for a while, trying to awaken the distant memories. But no, she really couldn’t remember.

“Hey, Cheng Chu. Why are you standing there, aren’t you going in?”

Cheng Chu turned her head and saw the music teacher standing behind her.

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“Oh, hello teacher.” Cheng Chu smiled awkwardly and was about to ask when she heard the teacher continue: “Come. Let me see how you’ve practiced this week.”

Cheng Chu slowed down and finally walked into the correct piano room under her teacher’s guidance.

“Room eight.” She quietly remembered the piano room number.

The room is very small, only several square meters large, the wall is a simple white. Only a piano and piano chair was placed in the small space.

“Come and play ‘Moonlight Three.’” The teacher stood by the piano with his arms folded around his chest.

Cheng Chu’s hand that was opening the piano lid stiffened.

The third movement to Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata.

[Here’s a link if you are interested:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7RkEL6oRc]

She couldn’t even recall her last time practicing the piano. Maybe she’ll do fine if she were to play ‘Für Elise’ or something, but ‘Moonlight Three’! How could she do well?

“Um, teacher, I haven’t finished practicing yet. How about you go check on the others first? Let me practice some more.” Cheng Chu said with a guilty smile, her watery eyes blinked and blinked.

Since Cheng Chu had always worked hard, the teacher had a good impression of her. Facing such a good student, he was willing to give her some leeway.

“All right, then practice hard. I’ll go see the others first.”

Cheng Chu nodded obediently in reply.

As soon as the door closed, she took out her mobile phone to find the music score. Then, she stared at the small mobile phone and slowly yet brokenly started practicing.

This song has very high requirements for finger movements and strength. Several months of practice were needed to master the piece.

No matter how well she played before, she hadn’t touched the piano for many years, it was impossible to play it well within a few minutes.

But Cheng Chu was never the person to give up. Even if she knew she would be scolded later, she didn’t want to waste any time.

On the first floor, in the piano room where one can see the setting sun falling. Cheng Chu couldn’t see the screen of her phone well, so she closed the curtains.

From outside the window, students passing by and their chattering sounds could be heard. Still, Cheng Chu didn’t care and practiced intently.

Outside the piano room stood a sycamore tree, its golden leaves blowing in the wind.

Gu Miao held his physics books and walked alone at the end of the crowd.

When passing by piano room eight, he stopped and leaned back against the big sycamore tree. As he had done thousands of times before; he silently looked at the piano room with the curtains closed, quietly listening to the piano.