MTMIO Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Lu You to Yue Yunxi, A Deer Runs Towards the Stream

A subtle silence hung in the air.

Yue Yunxi’s hand on the steering wheel shifted slightly, the watch on her wrist catching the faint sunlight, reflecting glimmers that occasionally flickered into view.

The second hand ticked through the black dial, one increment at a time.

Lu You frowned, lost in thought. Yue Yunxi didn’t ask what was wrong, but simply lifted her finger and gently tapped downwards.

Emphasizing the rhythm of a specific point in time.

After this small gesture, Lu You finally hesitantly spoke, “Were you the one who always brought me the fruit before?”

“Who else did you think it was?” Yue Yunxi asked, “Tao Xin?”

The teasing words held no jealousy or concern, just a normal, gentle tone, almost as if this were a commonplace understanding.

Lu You couldn’t help but think of what she had said before about not wanting Tao Xin or Auntie Yue to return the umbrella, afraid it would become Tao Xin’s.

And the gossip Chu Xiao had shared.

Lu You still couldn’t confirm if the singer in the gossip was Tao Xin, or if the chorus of “Shi Ye” had been written by Yue Yunxi.

But these two things floated into her mind at that moment, like fine threads branching from the end of a rope, merging together with a gentle stroke after being wetted.

Lu You pulled her coat tighter.

The car was warm, like the feeling Yue Yunxi gave her. The sunlight on her eyelids was a little glaring, just like the heartache Yue Yunxi must have always felt, enduring and yielding to Tao Xin.

Outside the clear glass, the leaves swayed wildly in the wind, and as she watched, she felt a chill.

That bringing fruit to the neighbors for her wasn’t true.

That she liked her wasn’t true.

That “Shi Ye” was written for her might also not be true.

Only she was truly foolish, being played by despicable lies.

She wasn’t as invested in that relationship as she had been when they broke up.

She didn’t want to investigate what Tao Xin’s motivations were for doing these things.

But the feeling of being deceived was like a thorn piercing her heart, small but still causing a subtle, undeniable pain.

This feeling was truly unpleasant.

So much so that, even though she already had the answer in her heart, she couldn’t help but seek confirmation.

“She said that, to make me practice the piano properly.” Lu You gave a self-deprecating laugh, “So, I was deceived?”

Yue Yunxi glanced at her sideways.

Lu You was tilting her head, looking out the window, the sunlight casting a soft glow on her profile, calm and beautiful.

“Actually, in the beginning, my mom worked at a beauty salon, where she met the neighbor’s aunt. She overheard her telling a friend that the cello sounds coming from our house were like sawing bed legs.”

Hearing this, Lu You turned her head, not having the energy to laugh, but she could clearly feel her mood lighten a little.

“That must be Tao Xin.”

In her memory, Yue Yunxi’s skill was far better than Tao Xin’s.

“Is that because you know her too well, or because you believe in me?”

Lu You glanced at her, “I shouldn’t call you Sister Yunxi, I should call you Lin Daiyu instead.”

Yue Yunxi laughed and said, “My mom is probably more like Lin Daiyu. She had just arrived at the Tao family at that time, and hadn’t heard Tao Xin playing the cello. She only knew that I was learning a new piece. After hearing the neighbor’s gossip, she was consumed by anxiety, worrying about whether that aunt would spread it around.”

“Then you thought you’d appease them with fruit, to silence the gossips.”

“Yes, to remind and inform them that Tao Xin was about to start sawing bed legs.”

How cunning.

Lu You curved her lips and asked, “Did you buy the fruit yourself?”

“At first I did, but later my mom found out and started providing them.”

“Then, when she heard me playing the piano like I was swinging a sledgehammer, she started sending my share of fruit along with yours?” Lu You asked, “Was my share also provided by Auntie Yue? Or did you pay for it out of your own pocket…”

Yue Yunxi was silent for a moment.

Lu You assumed it was the latter, and felt an indescribable surge of emotion in her surprised question, “How old were you then? Wouldn’t that have bankrupted you?”

“Although I really want to take this opportunity to make you think about how to compensate me now.” Yue Yunxi intentionally paused.

Like Jiang Taigong fishing, she made it clear that there was a “but,” waiting for someone to take the bait.

Lu You felt comforted by Yue Yunxi’s sincerity and frankness, for being able to take credit and ask her for compensation, but not doing so.

However, that didn’t stop her from falling for it, deliberately teasing her, “But?”

Yue Yunxi almost coquettishly complained, “Why don’t you ask me what kind of compensation I want?”

Luring the prey in when they don’t come willingly, that’s too unfair.

Lu You laughed, her shoulders trembling slightly, and generously said, “What compensation do you want?”

“Anything is okay?” Yue Yunxi asked.

So greedy, Lu You “tsk”ed, and generously said, “Okay.”

“Can I save it for later, then?” Yue Yunxi said, “I have to think carefully and use it where it matters most.”

“Why does this also have to be used where it matters most?” Lu You smiled, playing along with her, “Then save it, take your time, no hurry, how about I give it an expiration date of a lifetime?”

“Okay.” Yue Yunxi held the steering wheel with one hand, and extended her right hand towards her, “Pinky promise.”

Lu You had no negative emotions left, and laughingly chided her, “Don’t drive carelessly.”

At the same time, she quickly hooked her little finger with Yue Yunxi’s, and pressed her thumb to seal it, “Okay.”

“What if you go back on your word?” Yue Yunxi asked.

“We already pinky promised and sealed it!” Lu You protested, “Besides, am I such an untrustworthy person?”

“No.” Yue Yunxi caressed the steering wheel, paused for a moment, and then spoke again, “What if the compensation I want is too much?”

Lu You was stunned for a moment, “How much is too much?”

Yue Yunxi fluttered her eyelashes, casting a fan-shaped shadow on her lower eyelids that flickered in and out of view, “Maybe, about the same level as the topic you discussed with Teacher Zhong.”

Lu You pretended to be confused, “…What topic?”

“Look, you’re already avoiding the subject.” Yue Yunxi pressed her, “What if you regret it then?”

Lu You turned her head, her fingertip brushed across the mole on her chin, slid to her throat, where it felt a little itchy, she swallowed, and hesitantly said, “Then… what do you want to do?”

Yue Yunxi clutched the pinky ring hanging on her neck, rubbed it with her fingertip, “Leave me another… forever valid proof.”

She didn’t think of how to leave this proof until they checked into the hotel, when Lu You opened her suitcase and saw the two deer plushies lying inside.

It was thanks to Yue Yunxi saying they had to be in pairs that she insisted on bringing both of them.

Lu You picked up the newer one from the suitcase, Yue Yunxi’s deer, held its antlers, thought for a moment, and said seriously, “I, Lu You, hereby leave evidence, granting Jiaojiao one compensation, valid for an unlimited period.”

Releasing the antlers, she lifted the deer’s ears, played the recording to ensure there were no errors, and then looked at Yue Yunxi, who was watching her complete this ritual, and handed over the plushie, asking, “Are you satisfied? Jiaojiao.”

Yue Yunxi took the deer plushie from her hand, hugging it like a treasure, her shoulders sagging slightly, a relaxed state, and said with a smile, “Satisfied.”

The two of them made the bed in the hotel, went downstairs to scout the location, took a stroll around the competition venue, and chose a restaurant serving special dishes of Shen City in the nearby shopping mall to settle their dinner.

They strolled back slowly along the riverside promenade, passing a fruit store.

A row of tangerines were spread out on the low shelves outside, the fruit peels were bright orange-red, smooth and plump, and a fresh fragrance could be smelled upon closer inspection.

Lu You pulled Yue Yunxi over to weigh some, and also took a box of good-looking durian flesh.

After paying, Lu You pinched her nose and handed the bag containing the durian to Yue Yunxi, saying in a muffled voice, “I have a question, I almost forgot because you interrupted me.”

“Hmm?”

“Was my share of the fruit, the fruit sent to the neighbors, provided by Auntie Yue?”

Lu You carried the tangerines, wanting to take her arm, but worried that the durian smell was too strong, hesitated for two seconds, and was about to endure it and go over directly.

Yue Yunxi reached out and hooked her left pinky finger.

The left pinky finger had no sensation, but she sensed a missed beat of her heart.

Lu You thought, that touch, was probably the feeling of being electrified.

Yue Yunxi’s fingertips gradually climbed towards her knuckles, gently clasping them, and softly asked, “Is this distance appropriate?”

Lu You’s mouth turned up, “hmm”ed, and shook Yue Yunxi’s hand up and down, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Your share.” Yue Yunxi paused, “Was provided by Auntie.”

It was Zhang Wenyin.

Lu You pursed her lips and rolled her throat, like turning rusty gears, somewhat labored.

No wonder Yue Yunxi always diverted the topic.

“I was just responsible for delivering it, and helping to remind them.” Yue Yunxi said frankly, “Tao Xin would occasionally go as well.”

“Occasionally meaning when you were busy, right?” Lu You already understood, “I just remembered, when she told me that she was sending fruit for me, you were also there. Is that why you didn’t expose her on the spot because of this occasionally?”

“One of the reasons.” Yue Yunxi said.

Lu You asked, “What else?”

“Because of what you said to her at the time.”

Lu You’s pace gradually slowed down, recalling how she had replied to Tao Xin at that time.

When she stopped completely, she finally remembered.

What she had said at the time was—

“I didn’t ask you to send it.”

Yue Yunxi’s words overlapped with the memory in her mind.

“Because of this sentence, I felt that it was the same as the things I needed to give to her before, as long as it didn’t affect me, then giving it to her wouldn’t matter.” Yue Yunxi stopped in front, with her back to her, her voice low, with a suppressed hoarseness.

Lu You suddenly thought of the apricot-colored cheerleader bouquet sent to Yue Yunxi.

It was clearly placed on her own passenger seat, but Yue Yunxi’s first reaction was to carefully ask her who the flowers were for.

She unconsciously breathed heavier, due to the lack of oxygen caused by the compression of her heart by conscious awareness.

Yue Yunxi turned to look at Lu You, smiling, the corners of her mouth seeming to have the cool and astringent taste of river water, “But later I realized that I was wrong, wrong to an outrageous extent.”

The street lights on the street lit up one by one, the dim yellowish-brown light falling softly under their feet like fluttering gauze, leaving only half a step of length between them.

“What she took ahead of me was more than just half a step.”

A strand of Yue Yunxi’s long, curled hair was lifted by the wind, sweeping from her forehead to her eyes, messily obscuring the emotions within. Her voice was very soft, so soft that it seemed to dissipate in the wind.

“It turned out that was just the beginning.”

Lu You was stunned, as if the moisture contained in the river wind had temporarily enveloped her heart, slowly moistening it.

Yue Yunxi pushed her hair aside, continuing to look at Lu You, “I told you, I haven’t liked you for a long time, that’s true, I didn’t mean to deceive you to reduce your pressure.”

There were occasional strangers passing by them, and cars driving by with their lights on.

The red taillights of the cars flickered from their field of vision from time to time.

“I had countless moments of attraction, and countless moments of letting go. In those moments, I always thought, there are many passersby in life, some go left, some go right, some go north, some go south…”

The unhurried pace, the soft volume, all seemed to be wrapped in a sigh.

Lu You walked closer to her, and in the moment when the anglerfish-like car passed, in the red halo that flickered like a heartbeat, used her mouth to stop Yue Yunxi from continuing to speak.

Heartache is the beginning of attraction.

Then at this moment, when she heard her say she tried to let go, it hurt so much that she couldn’t breathe?

Lu You suddenly thought of the swamp, the swamp named love, and she was the deer who stepped into it.

This was the shortest kiss they had shared since they were together, but it was more touching than every time.

Everything around them was quiet for a moment.

When she left, Lu You said, “But I am walking towards you, Lu You to Yue Yunxi, a deer runs towards the stream.”

Yue Yunxi’s eyes rippled, her lips, which had just been gently soothed, moved slightly.

“Give you proof of this too, okay?” Lu You took the initiative to fulfill what she wanted, without even realizing that her tone had softened unconsciously, a pampering indulgence, “However, it has to wait until after the competition.”

“Okay.” Yue Yunxi said, “Are you going to write it on the award certificate for me?”

“…Aiya!” Lu You annoyedly glared at her, turned her head and walked away, but didn’t let go of her hand.

Yue Yunxi laughed and said, “Cheer up.”

“Hmph.”

“The competition is tomorrow, are you nervous?”

“I’m not nervous now.” Lu You said, “I’m so annoyed with you right now.”

She was simply allergic to romance!

“Just now you were running towards the stream like a deer, and now you’re annoyed with me, you woman are so fickle.” Yue Yunxi looked at her back, her gaze softening into a gentle expanse, “I want proof.”

“I know! I’ll give you proof, really. How about I record every love word I say to you in the future?”

“Is that okay?” Yue Yunxi’s tone was half serious, half joking.

“…” Lu You knew what it meant to lift a stone and drop it on your own foot, she dragged her tone, as if she was unwilling in every way, but her tone was rising, “Okay!”

Yue Yunxi silently curved her lips, her eyelashes half lowered, unrevealing.

ˉ

The next day, Lu You went to the Shen City small theater to participate in the competition.

Yue Yunxi specially wore the cheongsam that Jin Duanfang had recently made for her, which flattered her graceful figure, elegant yet not lacking in charming beauty, very pleasing to the eye.

Lu You liked to hug her waist from behind, feeling that the curve was just right. Waiting backstage to go on stage, she was almost always hugging Yue Yunxi, reciting the score.

As she recited, her mind wandered, thinking of the adult college entrance examination for the daughter of the little aunt at Zhong Shuyun’s house, she laughed and said, “Like this, I feel like I’m going to take the college entrance examination, and you’re a parent wearing a cheongsam to wish their child success.”

“…Is the relationship of sisters not enough for you to play with anymore?”

Lu You chuckled softly behind her.

Yue Yunxi grasped her hand, loosening her knuckles one by one, “Why are you so cold, nervous?”

Lu You shook her head, “It’s okay. Teacher Zhong had me run a lap and then practice the piano last week, to simulate a nervous state, and set up a lot of alarms during the process of playing the piano to give me anti-stress training.”

The circulating air in the venue was filled with the sound of the music played by the contestants on stage.

Lu You listened with her ear cocked, and breathed a sigh of relief imperceptibly.

What affected her emotions the most was not nervousness, but the sense of loss.

The fingering that Zhong Shuyun and she had researched could help her pick up the piano again, but could not help her return to her former state.

The amateur players that she didn’t care about before had now become her strong competitors.

Yet, she didn’t want to admit that she was disabled because of a little finger.

Yue Yunxi held her hand, relaxing her knuckles one by one, “Although I really want proof, there is a sentence that is more important than proof.”

“Hmm?”

“This is just the beginning.”

Lu You was slightly stunned, a completely different meaning, but she still thought of Yue Yunxi’s sentence last night, “It turned out that it was just the beginning,” because of the overly similar words.

Before going on stage, Yue Yunxi gave her another shot in the arm.

“Just go forward, I’m behind you.”

At that time, Lu You only thought that even if the ranking was not satisfactory, it didn’t matter, there was Yue Yunxi who could accompany her, coax her, comfort her, and be her gentlest harbor.

She didn’t fully understand the meaning of this sentence, until the end of the competition when the rankings were announced directly.

In this international piano competition, she only won third place.

Actually, the result was pretty good, because the goal Zhong Shuyun had set for her was the top five.

As expected, but still not very comfortable.

After all, she had always been first before, after all, this was the first competition she had picked up the piano for. Although she knew that the hard conditions were insufficient, she still held a glimmer of hope.

Even if it seemed unrealistic.

Lu You was listless, silent all the way, not in the mood to eat dinner, and threw herself on the sofa as soon as she returned to the hotel, burying her face in her arms.

Like a silly roe deer burying its head to escape reality.

Yue Yunxi squatted beside her, stroked her head, and comforted her, “I didn’t get first place in a very important cello competition in my life either.”

Lu You was silent in the darkness under her arms for a long time before turning her head, looking at Yue Yunxi with reddened eyes.

Because she remembered the gathering before, Yun Zhu had mentioned this matter.

And finally understood what Yue Yunxi meant by the words she said to her before going on stage.

Don’t be afraid to lose, I’m here to accompany you.