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“Class monitor, you’ve been hiding your talents,” someone sighed.

Xie Huai also didn’t expect Jiang Xu to be able to play the piano. Meanwhile, the rest of their group practically worshiped Jiang Xu.

“Thanks to the class monitor, we don’t have to be punished… sob sob…”

“Class monitor, you’re like my foster parents… sob sob…”

Jiang Xu: “…”

“You can really play?” Xie Huai looked at Jiang Xu skeptically.

Jiang Xu responded, “Yes, I learned for a few months before. I even won a first prize at the city level.”

Hey, don’t make it sound so casual! Otherwise, people will think it’s easy!

The classmates around them inwardly roared in frustration upon hearing Jiang Xu’s statement.

Honestly, Xie Huai was a bit curious.

As if seeing through Xie Huai’s thoughts, Jiang Xu asked him, “Want to listen?”

“Yes,” Xie Huai nodded without hesitation this time, “I want to.”

“Come to my house this weekend,” Jiang Xu said.

Xie Huai felt a mix of surprise and slight astonishment. He grabbed Jiang Xu’s school uniform and grinned, “You’ll play for me?”

Jiang Xu instinctively caught Xie Huai’s restless hand and answered, “Yes.”

Now Xie Huai was genuinely delighted, “Great, I’ll come find you this weekend.”

—

After finally finishing the exams, Xie Huai let out a sigh of relief. He had done his best, so he decided whatever marks he got, he would accept it.

Feeling quite good today, Xie Huai didn’t see Jiang Xu around and had no idea where he had gone. He waited for a while but didn’t see him, so he headed home.

Today, Xie Huai unusually took a different route. Along this path was a lane lined with golden locust trees. Xie Huai remembered that during his first year, there was a period when he often got into fights with students from other schools. It wasn’t that he wanted to fight, but every time he passed through this lane, he would encounter that group of people bullying younger students.

Unable to bear it, he ended up getting into fights to protect others.

His mother, Zhao Li, knew about these incidents and advised Xie Huai not to meddle in such matters. But how could he consider standing up against bullying as meddling? If others wouldn’t help those who were being bullied, he found it unacceptable. Why shouldn’t he intervene?

He knew he was being a little heroic, but he didn’t mind that.

So, later on, he intentionally took this route after school. Whenever he saw someone being bullied, he would step in to help. Slowly, those troublemakers stopped appearing in that alley, and eventually, Xie Huai stopped taking that route altogether.

Wearing his headphones and listening to the songs from his playlist, he strolled casually. When he reached the lane with the golden locust trees, he faintly heard sounds of a fight.

Really? What a coincidence.

Xie Huai removed his headphones and rushed into the alley.

His legs went weak as he was running, and he winced in pain.

“Damn it.”

He entered the alley and locked eyes with a few people he hadn’t seen in months.

Those guys were probably wondering who dared to meddle this time. When they turned their heads and saw Xie Zhun’s face, their expressions instantly turned forlorn, as if they had lost all hope in life: “Brother, why is it you again?”

Xie Huai: “…”

He also wanted to ask why it was you all the time.

“What, collecting ‘protection fees’ again?” Xie Huai slightly tilted his head and noticed the person they had pinned down. The person was wearing the uniform of Shi Wai High School, which indicated they were a freshman.

As Xie Huai stared at them, his cold expression without words gave people the impression that he had a chilling and sinister personality, making them shiver involuntarily.

In the past, those guys had tried to fight Xie Huai, but they always ended up losing because they simply couldn’t beat him, even if it was just Xie Huai alone.

The leader of the group turned his head and gave a disdainful “tch” to the trembling student who they had pinned down. He pointed his index finger at him with a malicious tone, “You’re lucky today.”

After saying that, he turned away and signaled his gang to leave. They had no intention of fighting Xie Huai.

Xie Huai frowned. As those guys walked toward him, he blocked their path.

“Apologize,” Xie Huai calmly said, locking eyes with the leader.

The guy felt a shiver down his spine, but apologizing was out of the question.

“Xie Huai, don’t think that we are afraid of you.”

“Oh, really?”

Xie Huai took a step forward and positioned himself to the right of the leader. Since Xie Huai was taller than all of them, he leaned in and whispered into the leader’s ear, “Do you remember the scene where you were knocked down by me?”

As he spoke, Xie Huai chuckled lightly. Then, with a sudden movement, he kicked the leader’s knee. Caught off guard by Xie Huai’s sudden attack, the guy stumbled and knelt down.

His gang didn’t react in time either.

Xie Huai condescendingly looked at the person kneeling on the ground with interest, and softly uttered two words: “Trash.”

“Fuck, your mother!” the guy on the ground cursed angrily. He stood up and grabbed an iron rod nearby, attempting to strike Xie Huai’s back.

Before Xie Huai could react, he saw the guy suddenly flying away from his view.

Xie Huai: “?”

Turning his head, he saw Jiang Xu, who had a stern and clearly angry expression on his face.

Xie Huai was puzzled. He didn’t understand why Jiang Xu was here. Subconsciously, he reached out and grabbed Jiang Xu’s wrist, “Jiang Xu…”

Jiang Xu paused for a moment, relieved to see that Xie Huai wasn’t hurt before looking up at the group.

That gaze seemed to be saying, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Having suffered a setback, the group of guys hurriedly fled, leaving their leader behind.

Leader: “…”

Fortunately, Jiang Xu didn’t spare him another glance. Clutching his back that had nearly been crippled, the leader scampered away.

The student who had been bullied had long disappeared from the scene.

Only Xie Huai and Jiang Xu were left in the entire golden locust tree alley.

Xie Huai knew that Jiang Xu was angry. He tugged at Jiang Xu’s uniform and explained, “I didn’t get into a fight. I just couldn’t stand them. Besides, they can’t beat me anyway.”

Jiang Xu remained silent.

Xie Huai: “Jiang Xu, at least talk to me.”

Jiang Xu seemed somewhat helpless as he sighed, “Xie Huai, do you know that if that stick had hit you just now…”

“You were worried?” Xie Huai jokingly asked Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu: “Yeah, I was worried.”

Xie Huai’s heart suddenly raced, thumping faster and faster.

He wasn’t foolish. He knew exactly why this situation had arisen. Either Jiang Xu was too worked up, or… he had fallen for him. Xie Huai didn’t feel particularly excited right now, so… was it possible he had fallen for Jiang Xu?

He had feelings for Jiang Xu?!

This idea started to bud, but Xie Huai quickly pushed it away. This answer was even less plausible.

Jiang Xu didn’t know what Xie Huai was thinking. Seeing him lost in thought, Jiang Xu’s own mind had wandered off somewhere.

He ruffled Xie Huai’s soft hair and softly said, “Xie Huai, let’s go home.”

Xie Huai snapped out of his thoughts, suppressed whatever emotions were bubbling up inside him, and nodded, “Oh, yeah, let’s go.”

As they were parting, Jiang Xu held onto Xie Huai’s hand and asked, “Are you still listening?”

Initially, Xie Huai didn’t immediately grasp what Jiang Xu was referring to, but then he remembered the conversation about wanting to listen to Jiang Xu play the piano. He smiled and replied, “Of course I’ll listen.”

“Alright, when are you free?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

Jiang Xu let go of Xie Huai’s hand. “Okay, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”

“Sure,” Xie Huai unconsciously agreed, but later when he got home, he realized he was almost an adult. Why did someone need to pick him up?

He furiously texted Jiang Xu.

Xie Huai: Jiang Xu? How about you just give me your home address? Don’t bother picking me up. I can find my way on my own.

Jiang Xu: Okay.

A few seconds later, Jiang Xu shared his location.

Xie Huai tapped into it and looked at the winding route. He couldn’t help but get lost in thought.

Weren’t he and Jiang Xu in the same neighborhood? How come the route was so complicated that it seemed like it crossed multiple neighborhoods?

After some consideration, he decided to take back what he said.

Xie Huai messaged Jiang Xu again with a chuckle.

Xie Huai: Why don’t you come pick me up tomorrow. [Hahahaha.jpg]

Jiang Xu: Why don’t you come by yourself?

Xie Huai awkwardly laughed, “How can I? I was just kidding.”

Jiang Xu: Okay, I’ll come pick you up.

Xie Huai: Sounds good (≧O≦).

Jiang Xu looked at the emoji Xie Huai had sent and chuckled softly at the screen.

He hadn’t really touched the piano in a long time. Just after getting home, he went to the music room to get familiar with it again. Luckily, he hadn’t forgotten the basics, and it didn’t take long for him to get back into the groove.

He had learned the piano in his first year of junior high, about six months or so, and then he stopped. Looking back, he didn’t regret learning it.

Xie Huai took out vitamins and ate one before going to bed. He has not touched this bottle of vitamins for two weeks. Ms. Zhao Li often urged him to take it in his first year of high school, at least once every two days. Later, it became once a week, and now he rarely took them.

Xie Huai would only eat one if he remembered it occasionally.

Not long after eating, Xie Huai fell asleep.

Xie Huai didn’t wake up until after half past nine the next day.

Before Zhao Li went to the company, she made lunch for Xie Huai and just put it in the pot to heat up at noon.

As he thought about it, he began to look forward to the afternoon.

Around 2:30, while Xie Huai was scrolling through Weibo on his phone, a WeChat message popped up at the top of his screen.

Xie Huai tapped into it, realizing it was from Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu: I’m downstairs at your place.

Xie Huai turned off his phone, rushed to the balcony, and looked down. He saw someone in a white shirt and black pants standing by the fountain.

At a glance, he recognized it was Jiang Xu.

As the weather was a bit chilly today, Xie Huai grabbed a thin jacket and headed out.

“Jiang Xu!” Xie Huai called out and then rushed over to him.

Jiang Xu, observing Xie Huai’s slightly disheveled hair from the wind, suddenly smiled. “Why are you running so fast?”

Jiang Xu’s smile made Xie Huai’s face feel warm. He diverted his attention by running a hand through his own hair before saying, “I didn’t want to keep you waiting for too long.”

Not long after following Jiang Xu, he saw Jiang Xu enter a building.

Xie Huai looked at the sign outside saying “Building 13”.

Then, a question mark appeared above his head. “?”

He lived in Building 11. Something wasn’t right. The location Jiang Xu sent him yesterday was obviously so roundabout.

Jiang Xu stopped in his tracks, seemingly sensing what was on Xie Huai’s mind. He explained, “When you messaged me yesterday, I was out walking my dog.”

Xie Huai: “So?”

“I sent the wrong route, sorry. That was the path I walked while walking my dog.”

Jiang Xu slowly spoke, lacking any genuine remorse for sending the incorrect information. His apology held no sincerity whatsoever.

Xie Huai: “…”

Very well, he seriously suspected Jiang Xu did it on purpose. However, he was in a good mood now, so he decided not to dwell on it.

Jiang Xu’s home had no one else. Xie Huai glanced around and noticed that the interior design was simple yet elegant. It suited Jiang Xu quite well.

Jiang Xu poured a glass of warm water for Xie Huai, who accepted it and thanked him.

Then he followed Jiang Xu to the piano room of his house.

The music room wasn’t particularly large or small. Aside from a piano, there was only a small sofa.

The decoration style was similar to the living room.

Xie Huai sat on the small sofa with the glass of water, watching Jiang Xu sit at the piano.

Jiang Xu’s slender and fair fingers, without a trace of calluses, delicately rested on the piano keys, pressing them gently.

Even though Xie Huai didn’t understand music, he could still differentiate between good and bad music.

For example, Xie Huai thought the song played by Jiang Xu was very pleasant.

After Jiang Xu finished playing the piece, Xie Huai asked, “What’s the name of this song?”

Jiang Xu turned his head slightly, and for a moment, the entire room was particularly quiet. After a while, Xie Huai finally heard Jiang Xu’s voice.

“Je t’aime (I love you).”