âHey, Yansheng!â A joyful voice came from the other end of the phone.
âYansheng, will you send over the piano tomorrow? I missed you already.â
Gu Yansheng glanced at the box on the shelf and said gently, âOk, Iâll go visit you tomorrow and let someone bring the piano over as well.â
âReally? Thatâll be great!â
Hearing that Gu Yansheng will finally be coming over to visit him again, Shen Luoan signed in relief. He smiled and said, âFor the competition, I looked at a lot of resources from previous years, can you come with me to buy these books as well?â
âAlright, whatever you want.â
âYeah, Iâll have food ready for you when you come.â
Gu Yansheng looked at his phone as the screen turned black and didnât return to his senses immediately. He raised his hand to swing his hair back and sat down on the sofa. Looking outside, his eyes were dim.
Wen Niannan was watching TV after he finished dinner, randomly switching through the channels. On the TV was about Nation Mâs 39th Piano Contest. He stopped there.
Most who attended this contest were invited. The organizers would only invite those who qualify their requirements and those who attend were mostly gifted musicians who got numerous medals and awards when they were young.
Wen Niannanâs mom, Ye Xian, was also invited one year, and she got the first place that year. Along with the trophy, she also got a music note necklaceâ¦
Ding⦠His phone alert sounded.
Wen Niannan took out his phone and saw that it was a message from an unfamiliar number.
[Niannan, will you have time tomorrow? I want you to help me pick some books that you recommend to place in my studio.]
Wen Niannan was a little surprised. His hand held tightly onto the phone, he felt a little indecisive.
Dingâ¦
[I also have a surprise for you, can we please meet tomorrow?]
Tang Shuo frowned as he saw no reply from the other end, so then he typed again.
[Itâs alright if you donât have time tomorrow, I can meet meet you on another date]
His hand paused right before hitting the send button, and finally, he decided to delete that line.
Dingâ¦
[Okay]
Tang Shuo sighed in relief, and his eyes were full of joy. Thatâs awesomeâ¦
Wen Niannan closed the phone and stared blankly into the TV. He then looked down at the back of his hand.
That time, under the laughter from the audience, Tang Shuo came over to him worriedly.
âNiannan, what happened? You played so well before, so why today⦠What happened to your hand? Let me see.â
Tang Shuo looked at the blood on the pair of white gloves and instantly got even more frustrated. He went for the glove.
âPlease, Tang Shuo, donât be like this. Itâs your turn next. You can look after you finish.â
âBut your hand is alreadyâ¦â
Seeing that Tang Shuo was looking at him with worry, Wen Niannan feared that this might mess up Tang Shuoâs mood with playing, so he said, âIâm alright, it doesnât hurt. Iâll be watching you from down there, so donât be distracted.â
Tang Shuo finally went on stage after this.
Wen Niannan sat in the rest area looking at the stained white glove, his mouth showed a bitter smile.
Hearing the charming music and then the applause from the audience, he felt even more pain in his heart as he looked at the gloves.
âNiannan.â As Tang Shuo finished his piece, he ran straight backstage and called for the name.
âLet me see your hand. You need some medication right away.â
âNo, thank you, Tang Shuo. The school nurse will take care of that.â
âI know that you donât like me to be so caring and donât like how Iâm following you, but can I at least see how bad your wound is?â
Wen Niannan gently took off his love, and tears appeared in his eyes from the pain.
Tang Shuo also felt very bad seeing the heavily wrinkled and swollen hand.
âWho did this to you? Is someone bullying you? Someone from your class?â
âNo, I accidentally burnt myself when pouring hot water. â
âNo way, this obviouslyâ¦â
âTang Shuo! Tang Shuo, where are you? Come here quickly!â The teacherâs voice came from behind.
âNiannan, trust me, I will protect you!â
Tang Shuo looked deeply into Wen Niannanâs eyes and left, leaving the confused Wen Niannan standing there.
Not understanding what Tang Shuo meant, he just stood there.
âClassmate, what are you doing here? You should go outside. The principal is about to announce the results.â
Wen Niannan walked to where his class was and looked toward the stage, his eyes couldnât help but look at Gu Yansheng who was standing in the front.
Translated by: Summit
Edited by: UnderTheMoon