MNL Chapter 46
by VolareXu Jing had just realized that his deskmate could not only sing, but possessed a voice of heavenly beauty.
Shen Yan chose a slow English song, and Xu Jing had no objections. He was only responsible for the accompaniment. For many afternoons, they rehearsed in this cramped music room. When Shen Yan’s sexy, low voice sang the English words, which were completely incomprehensible to him, Xu Jing’s mood was extremely complex. But he never thought that one day, these boring words would become so pleasant to hear.
Qin Xin had made him learn many things before, and Xu Jing had no pressure in school, so he agreed when he was free. Unconsciously, he learned all kinds of instruments, painting, and calligraphy. For Xu Jing, these were originally just tools to pass the time, but as he sat at the piano now, accompanying Shen Yan, he suddenly felt that every second he had wasted with the private tutor was worth it.
Shen Yan’s spoken English wasn’t the perfectly-pronounced kind, but he spoke fluently. His low voice had just the right amount of stickiness, making it sound not only natural but also incredibly sexy.
Sometimes they would practice in the classroom for an entire afternoon, sometimes they would stop after rehearsing twice and sit at the piano, chatting. Although they would bicker after only a few sentences, they would suddenly laugh when they looked at each other. Several times, they didn’t even enter the door and ran directly to the basketball court to play, only to be discovered by the teacher on duty and get a scolding from Liang Yin.
Xu Jing felt that this was the first time in his life that he wanted to hold onto time, but a snowstorm buried the fallen leaves on campus, and this kind of life finally came to an end.
“Damn it, I can finally rest for a day. For tonight’s New Year’s Eve party, I’ve been studying for two whole weeks.”
Zheng Tong couldn’t stand it anymore and pointed to the pile of yarn in Cha Fei’ang’s desk, sarcastically saying, “You’ve been studying for two weeks, or knitting a scarf for two weeks?”
“Of course, I’ve been studying. If you don’t believe me, ask Brother Jing. I haven’t been copying his homework lately.” Cha Fei’ang turned his head. “Right, Brother Jing?”
Xu Jing gave a muffled “hmm,” his nasal voice very heavy.
“Brother Jing, do you have a cold? Don’t you have a performance tonight?”
Xu Jing’s throat hurt terribly, and he didn’t want to speak at all.
“He won’t need his voice tonight.”
Shen Yan appeared from behind and placed the thermos on Xu Jing’s desk.
Xu Jing’s nose was red, and after sneezing, his tired eyes were half-closed.
“Don’t push yourself next time.” Shen Yan unscrewed the thermos and handed the hot water to Xu Jing, saying in a deep voice, “Don’t you know what your constitution is?”
Xu Jing silently took it, then, as if unable to swallow the scolding, snorted softly to show his backbone.
The cause of the matter was that the two of them had taken off their coats because they were hot the day before yesterday at noon, but a strong wind started blowing outside a few minutes after they started rehearsing in the music room. Shen Yan told Xu Jing to go back and put on his clothes, which was clearly looking down on him. Xu Jing wasn’t happy and wouldn’t let the other party go back either. They stubbornly argued in place for more than ten minutes, and the result was that he now had a headache, a cold, and a sore throat, while Shen Yan didn’t even sneeze.
Cha Fei’ang turned his head to look at Zheng Tong, who shrugged to indicate that he was already used to the way the two behind them got along.
The New Year’s Eve party was held as scheduled. Class Four’s program was relatively early, and Shen Yan and Xu Jing changed their clothes in the waiting room. Cha Fei’ang and several other enthusiastic classmates brought milk tea and snacks. They had planned to stay here until the program started, but they didn’t expect that people would come in from time to time to ask for contact information. Xu Jing, feeling increasingly impatient due to his discomfort, immediately got up and walked out.
Shen Yan followed closely, grabbing Xu Jing’s hand and saying, “Come with me.”
The two found the nearest teaching building. Because it was a piano accompaniment, they were wearing suits today. The clothes were rented by Liang Yin. Because of their good figures, they looked very suitable, but it wasn’t very convenient to move around.
“Walking so slowly, do you want me to carry you?”
Xu Jing looked at the endless stairs in front of him and said hoarsely, “How many floors do you want to go up?”
Wearing a suit, Xu Jing looked even more like a pampered young master, his cold white skin setting off his delicate features, his temperament refined and noble.
Shen Yan carefully looked at the person in front of him, and suddenly his eyes darkened as he walked forward.
As he took a step forward, Xu Jing had to take a step back, and was slowly forced into the corner.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking at you.” After saying that, Shen Yan added critically, “Your voice now sounds like an old radio.”
Xu Jing sneezed again, hoarsely saying, “I don’t have to sing anyway.”
Hearing this, Shen Yan suddenly curiously moved closer and asked, “You’ve heard me sing that English song so many times, don’t you know what it means?”
Xu Jing was stumped by the question. All along, he had only focused on looking at the sheet music or Shen Yan’s face. As for the meaning, he understood a few sentences, but most of it was still in a state of confusion, even though he had heard it no less than a hundred times.
Shen Yan looked at Xu Jing’s thoughtful face and said, “Actually, there are only two lines in the whole song that I like the most.”
Xu Jing wearily lifted his eyelids. “What?”
The moonlight shone hazily on Shen Yan’s face, and Xu Jing saw an imperceptible curve at the corner of the other person’s mouth.
“You’ll find out.”
Mysterious, Xu Jing thought, this person is suitable for fortune-telling.
“The moonlight is bright in the pavilion, and the sound of the piano lingers late into the night. Next, please welcome Shen Yan and Xu Jing from Class Four of the first grade to bring us a piano version of ‘Morning Dew and Rose.'”
As soon as the host’s sweet voice ended, the screams from below almost lifted the roof off.
The two on stage, one in black and one in white, were dressed almost like a couple, and everyone knew that Shen Yan wasn’t singing an ordinary English song, but a real love song.
“Damn, Brother Jing and Yan-shen are about to make me faint from handsomeness today.”
Zheng Tong helplessly pulled on the person next to him, saying, “Cha Fei’ang, calm down. You still have to meet your online lover tonight.”
“That’s right.” Cha Fei’ang paused, then instantly joined the high-pitched cheers.
Zheng Tong joined in when he couldn’t stop him, shouting out the loudest voice of his life.
From the beginning to the present, or rather, for all the following programs, the people below unanimously believed that there would be no more active atmosphere than now.
After all, these two were so popular. In addition, someone had posted the program list of the No.1 High School’s New Year’s performance on the forum a few days ago, and today, many students from other schools even sneaked in to see Shen Yan and Xu Jing.
The scene only quieted down the moment Xu Jing began to play the piano. Although the two hadn’t rehearsed many times, they were always efficient and had a tacit understanding, and the official performance was even more perfect than their performance in the music room.
Although the sound effect in the stadium wasn’t good and couldn’t compare to the quality of a concert, Shen Yan and Xu Jing’s cooperation tonight was extremely high, and the live effect was explosive.
And as the song was about to end smoothly, an unexpected scene appeared on the stage.
Shen Yan suddenly turned around and slowly walked towards the piano.
“Morning dew will eventually dissipate the loneliness at night.”
The people below were stunned.
Shen Yan stopped in front of the piano and sang the last line of lyrics in a low voice.
“But you are my rose that never fade away.”
Anyone in the audience who was good at English could understand the meaning of this line of lyrics, and the cheers and shouts instantly drowned out the sound of the accompaniment.
Xu Jing, who still had a tail melody to play, didn’t know the meaning of it and felt very inexplicable about Shen Yan’s unconventional behavior and the sudden reactions of others.
But there was one thing Xu Jing could put aside everything else for, allowing the instantaneous heartbeat to completely overwhelm him.
Shen Yan was smiling at him, unlike anything he had seen before, it was a smile that only had him in his eyes.
Xu Jing’s suit was already thin, and he had been blown by the cold wind for several hours at night, so he couldn’t even speak when it ended. Cha Fei’ang still wanted him to accompany him to meet his online lover, and he simply couldn’t understand this kind of behavior of deliberately finding a third wheel for himself.
Except for the third grade, which had one day off, the New Year’s Day holiday was three days long. For safety reasons, boarding students could only leave school the next morning, so everyone else’s holiday had already started from the moment the party ended.
“How are you spending New Year’s Day?”
The two were walking home when Xu Jing’s question made Shen Yan pause slightly.
Logically speaking, major holidays like New Year’s Eve are basically spent with family. Xu Jing belatedly realized how boring this question was for Shen Yan.
“At home, I guess.” Shen Yan’s tone was normal, and he didn’t seem to be thinking much about it.
Xu Jing thought for a moment, then asked, “Then do you want to and -”
However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the headlights of the silver Continental that drove up from afar. Xu Jing squinted his eyes and felt that the car looked very familiar.
“Looks like my timing was pretty accurate.” Qin Xin stopped the car, revealing a smiling face.
“…Mom.”
“Tonight is New Year’s Eve, why don’t you want to go home, child?”
“You have Dad with you.”
“What are you saying?” Qin Xin pouted unhappily and said, “There’s no reason not to spend New Year’s Eve with family.”
Xu Jing subconsciously looked at Shen Yan next to him, only to see that Shen Yan didn’t have any extra expression, but just nodded at him.
“Xiao Yan, are your parents coming back tonight? Do you want to join us?”
“Well.” Xu Jing coughed softly and said, “We have a lot of guest rooms at my house.”
Shen Yan’s lips were pressed tightly, and his eyes flashed with a bit of emotion, but it disappeared too quickly for anyone to notice.
“Thank you, but no need.”
Xu Jing had expected Shen Yan to refuse, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
“Let’s go.”
After saying this, Xu Jing walked around to the passenger seat. Qin Xin waved at Shen Yan, smiling and saying, “Then we’ll go first, Xiao Yan. Go home early.”
The car drove farther and farther away until it disappeared. Shen Yan was still standing in place. The biting cold wind blew, and there were almost no people on the street. The young man’s back was very straight, and he seemed like he would never fall in the darkness.
“Yo, why is my handsome and rich young master Shen standing here as a gazing stone?”
Jiang Pei’s voice was very unique, clear and ethereal, but when joking, it had a natural allure, sounding delicate and charming.
“Why didn’t you follow them home? What a great opportunity. Don’t tell me it’s because of me?”
Shen Yan moved Jiang Pei’s hand off his shoulder and said lightly, “I’m not interested in dating older women.”
“…” Jiang Pei was annoyed, pouting and saying, “I don’t like younger men either.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Not long, I followed you all the way.”
“Let’s go.” Shen Yan turned around, and when he saw Jiang Pei’s super-short skirt, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Don’t wear this kind of thing when you go out at night in the future.”
Jiang Pei had an extremely hot body, and her long legs were white and straight, always attracting a lot of attention when she walked on the street. She knew what Shen Yan meant, and she smiled and joked, “Don’t I have you to protect me?”
But two seconds later, the girl sighed again, sadly saying, “Ah, I forgot, the person standing next to me already has someone he likes.”
“Jiang Pei.” Shen Yan’s tone carried a bit of danger. “Grandpa Jiang probably doesn’t know about the time you got drunk and ended up in the police station, right?”
Jiang Pei instantly stopped talking, thinking, “I should have known better than to come pick you up.”
Jiang Pei and Shen Yan’s connection came from the previous generation.
When Zhong Yiqiu was young, she had once gotten lost and was sent back by Jiang Pei’s grandfather through a missing person notice. The relationship between the two families became friendly because of this. Later, Jiang Pei’s father died in a car accident, and her mother disappeared. In the end, Jiang Pei was actually as unlucky as Shen Yan, but perhaps the experiences she had been through were too great, and things had gone to extremes. Although she was three years older than Shen Yan, her personality was very rebellious. She dropped out of school in her early years to become a resident singer in a bar, and after struggling, she had made some achievements. Nowadays, she and her band had performed on some major platforms several times, accumulating a considerable reputation.
For some important holidays, Grandpa Jiang would ask Jiang Pei to bring Shen Yan home for a gathering. In his early years, Shen Yan was unwilling to go no matter what, but later, perhaps he had figured it out, and he would gradually take the initiative to visit when he was free.
“Did that bastard father of yours look for you tonight?”
As soon as these words ended, the phone in Shen Yan’s pocket rang.
Jiang Pei’s mouth was always very accurate. Shen Yan was just about to take it out to hang up when he saw that it was Xu Jing.
“Yo, it’s actually your lover.”
“Don’t talk.”
Shen Yan answered the phone. There was silence on the other end for a while before Xu Jing’s voice came.
“Are you home yet?”
Shen Yan didn’t explain much, only humming a sound, then saying, “What about you?”
“Me too.”
This call came suddenly. Xu Jing had made it on impulse, and Shen Yan had answered it without thinking. Once it was quiet, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Seeing this, Jiang Pei suddenly let out a soft, delicate moan at this moment, which was really easy to make people’s imaginations run wild. Shen Yan subconsciously moved the phone away, but it was too late.
The person on the other end was obviously stunned, and then said softly, “You’re busy.”
“No, listen to me.”
The sound of the phone hanging up reached Jiang Pei’s ears. Looking at Shen Yan’s frustrated appearance, Jiang Pei immediately laughed heartily.
Shen Yan turned his head, his slender eyes revealing a bit of coldness. “You should be glad you’re a girl.”
Jiang Pei didn’t take it seriously, and after laughing, she slowly said, “I’ve been in more relationships than you’ve had meals. I’m promoting your relationship.”
“Don’t you believe me, you’ll come to thank me when you succeed.”
Shen Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Aren’t you surprised?”
“What’s there to be surprised about?” Jiang Pei said nonchalantly, “If you like someone, you like them. Whether the other person is a girl or a boy, it’s something that deserves to be respected. No one has the right to point fingers.”
“Love has no distinction between noble and lowly, only two words: sincerity.”
Jiang Pei had never spoken so seriously before. Shen Yan thoughtfully looked at the road ahead, and finally, not knowing what he remembered, lightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, his eyes full of tenderness.