"How do you feel, Chu Chu?" Putting down the flute in her hands, Chu Lian looked up at Chu Chu inside the recording studio and asked, a little out of breath.
Among hundreds of versions of Bird's Poem accompaniments, Chu Lian searched for a long time without finding a suitable one. Finally, she spent 10,000 Culture Points to exchange with the system for the instrument version she believed to be the best combination, and only then did she settle on it.
She played the flute, Cai Ya played the piano, and Inori harmonized from the side. The trio's ensemble version of Bird's Poem was undeniably different from all previous versions, yet possessed its own unique charm.
From the very beginning—more than an hour of practice to let the three of them familiarize themselves with the score and find their rhythm—until now, nearly three hours had passed.
The accompaniment for Bird's Poem, including this round, had been repeated more than a dozen times. Although Chu Lian's body was still in perfect condition, the exhaustion in her spirit could not be suppressed.
Why couldn't they coordinate? The main issue lay with Cai Ya. From time to time she would space out, sometimes continuing to play without following Chu Lian's tempo.
The first half was always beautifully moving, but once they reached the latter half, she often drifted off, and the once-beautiful music instantly turned noisy. Chu Lian glanced at her several times, wanting to speak but ultimately saying nothing.
If this still didn't work, she would have to take the girl outside. How could she not know that Cai Ya's state was entirely because of what had just happened? As long as she could help her untie the knot in her heart, everything would be fine.
"No, Big Sis. Although there are no mistakes in your ensemble now—no errors in rhythm or notes—it still feels like something is missing, a bit of soul. Chu Chu doesn't mean you, Big Sis, but Cai Ya-sis. She doesn't seem to be pouring her emotions into it. So even if the music sounds moving, it has lost its spirit and can't make people listen for long." Chu Chu shook her head, replying with some disappointment.
"I knew it." Chu Lian closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, set down the flute, and walked over to the piano. Without caring about Cai Ya's resistance, she pulled her by the hand and started leading her outside. As she left, she turned back and said: "I'll take her out for a while. You two rest. Chu Chu, don't make trouble—I'll make it up to you later. Inori, please watch over them. If Chu Chu misbehaves, you're allowed to use force if necessary."
"Alright, Lian, I'll watch them." Inori might appear somewhat expressionless or dazed, but that didn't mean she was dull or foolish. She knew this was a serious matter. At times like this, the usual care and gentleness could be set aside. She knew very well the only one likely to cause trouble here was Chu Chu. As long as she kept her in check, everything else would be fine.
Hearing those words, Chu Chu pouted, whispering softly: "Big Sis is so biased. She goes off to win someone else's favor, leaves us behind, and even has someone keep watch over me. It's just too unfair."
She glanced at Chu Lian's figure gradually disappearing through the door, then looked at the serious Inori. Instantly, her spirit deflated. Fine, I'd better behave. Otherwise, not only would I get punished by Inori here, but Big Sis wouldn't spare me when she came back either.
"What happened between them? Why do I feel like something is off?" Li Xiu'er asked timidly, looking at the group while sitting next to Liu Yanran.
"It's nothing, just a little girl's temper. A little coaxing will do." Liu Yanran smiled gently, clearly not worried about the situation.
"A little girl's temper? Like the one I threw at her yesterday?" Hearing this, Li Xiu'er suddenly recalled what happened yesterday at the small pool on Mount Li, as well as what she had done to Chu Lian in the bathroom that night. Her cheeks instantly rippled with blush, turning red all the way to the tips of her ears.
"Eh? Xiu'er, what's wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you sick?" Liu Yanran was surprised. She had only taken a sip of water, and in that brief moment Li Xiu'er's face had turned completely crimson.
"Uuuh… I-I'm fine…" How could she possibly dare to say those things out loud? But since she wasn't used to lying, she could only do her best to cover it up.
Ruriko Nana covered her mouth, giggling: "How is that being sick? She's clearly lovestruck." This girl had been in Huaxia for a while now—she could even say words like lovestruck, which showed how broad her exposure was… Wait, did I just say something strange?
"Yanran, don't worry about her. Let her be for a while, she'll calm down soon." Lux Lyle, with her steady and mature nature, knew better than to tease Li Xiu'er at a time like this, so she stepped in to ease the situation.
"Oh, I see." Connecting their words with what was happening between Chu Lian and Cai Ya, Liu Yanran nodded knowingly, signaling her understanding.
"Seeing this, Li Xiu'er was so embarrassed she wished she could vanish. If there were a hole in the ground right now, she swore she'd dive straight in, bury her head, and shut out the world until everything was peaceful again." Of course, Chu Chu, bored from sitting at the mixer, overheard the girls' conversation and immediately chimed in.
"Chu Chu, you're so mean!" Li Xiu'er was so mortified by her words that tears nearly welled up. Stamping her foot, she spun around and ran out the door, leaving the others exchanging wry smiles.
"Chu Chu, that was going too far." Inori's low voice came from behind, startling Chu Chu. Turning around, she saw Inori standing there quietly, her long pink hair streaked with threads of purple.
"I was just kidding…" A cold sweat trickled down Chu Chu's forehead as she tried to explain.
"So you let Xiu'er run off crying?" The purple in Inori's pink hair grew deeper, and her wine-red eyes shifted toward violet. Seeing this, Chu Chu instantly knew Eve was about to come out. She surrendered at once: "I was wrong, Inori-sis, I'll punish myself right now!"
Without waiting for Inori to speak, Chu Chu dashed to a cabinet, grabbed a roll of white medical tape, tore off two strips, and crisscrossed them over her own mouth—signaling that she would at least stay quiet for now.
"That's a good girl…" The purple in Inori's hair and eyes slowly receded, her gentle smile returning to her face. But this time, no one dared underestimate her again.
Though she hadn't made a move, the oppressive pressure she released was like a mountain, weighing down on everyone until they could hardly breathe.
In truth, Inori's strength had not reached that level. Everything came from the soul and abilities of Eve within her. Even so, this pink-haired girl—who had previously only interacted with Chu Lian—had now truly stepped into everyone's awareness.
Sure enough, anyone who could walk alongside a genius like Chu Lian was not someone to take lightly. Whether it was her, or Chu Chu, or even the always painfully shy Li Xiu'er, perhaps each of them carried hidden strength unknown to others.
Meanwhile, the two girls alone together walked on. All the way, Cai Ya never stopped trying to shake off Chu Lian's hand. No matter how much she struggled, she could not break free.
And strangely enough, even though she only had to say the word for Chu Lian to release her, she never spoke it. Instead, she simply kept struggling quietly, watching her, wondering where she was being led.
They walked down the corridor, turned a corner, and reached the emergency exit. Chu Lian glanced up, then pulled her steadily upward.
She couldn't tell how many flights they climbed, nor did she care about the time. After gazing at Chu Lian's back for so long, Cai Ya eventually stopped struggling, silently following her lead. The icy aura that clung to her face, as if frozen for ten thousand years, showed the faintest sign of thawing.
With the loud click of a lock, the door to the rooftop swung open under Chu Lian's single hand. She led Cai Ya inside, then released her hand.
"Do you remember the rooftop? Our first—and only—private conversation was up here at school. I still remember your proud, cute, and astonished expression back then." Chu Lian spoke slowly, her back turned toward her.
Cai Ya didn't answer. But her eyes no longer dared to meet that back. She didn't know why, but at that moment, hearing her bring up that day made her feel shy.
"Of course, what I remember most is actually…" Chu Lian suddenly stopped speaking, then turned and pulled Cai Ya by the waist, pressing her lips against hers…
After a long moment, their flushed faces separated. Chu Lian continued softly: "Back then, I couldn't help myself and kissed you once. The astonished and shy look on your face really left a deep impression on me."
Cai Ya covered her lips with her small hand, staring straight at her. Then suddenly, she raised her hand and swung it toward her.
As if expecting it, Chu Lian closed her eyes the instant she saw it coming, ready to take the slap.
A breeze brushed past her cheek. Cai Ya's hand stopped just a centimeter away from her face. Instead of slapping her, it turned into a gentle caress. At that moment, she finally spoke: "Do you understand now?"
"Yes, I understand. It was my fault. I shouldn't have taken that promise so lightly." Chu Lian did not open her eyes, her voice sounding like a dreamlike murmur.
"And?"
"I may not understand others' hearts, but I must never hurt them—even if the hurt is unintentional. I want to tell you I'm sorry, truly sorry. But in reality, I can't say it, because I know if I did, then everything between us would be completely severed."
"As long as you understand."
"Yes, though I've realized it far too late. Perhaps this is an opportunity—for me to genuinely try to understand others' hearts, to truly feel their emotions. Not to act self-righteously, not to choose and to hurt."
"That's enough…"
A warm embrace wrapped around her, arms gently circling her waist. A soft voice whispered: "Don't ignore me anymore. Don't avoid me anymore. Don't hide from me anymore. Don't hurt me anymore… I'm fragile, I can't bear even a little loss."
Her hands hesitated for a moment, but in the end she wrapped them around the other's waist. Listening to her whispers, she replied: "I will…"
The rooftop wind was cold. After all, it was night, and no matter how brightly lit the city was, it could not block the chill breeze.
But in that moment, two hearts were warm. That unspeakable emotion seemed to have blossomed all at once—so fast it was hard to believe, yet undeniable.
"We should head down. One last recording, and then we'll return. Do you have the confidence?" After a long while, Chu Lian was the first to let go, pulling back from the embrace, resting her hands on Cai Ya's shoulders, her forehead touching hers as she asked.
"For the last time, I'll make sure you're impressed." Cai Ya's smile was full of pride.
That proud girl—this was the Cai Ya she had first known.