MTMIO Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Feeling Warmth Inside and Out

Yue Yunxi tilted her head towards her, her eyelashes lifting, her gaze like a gust of wind carrying the lingering warmth and moisture before a rain, gently brushing against her face.

Their eyes met.

Like the first raindrop, Lu You felt a subtle and strange sensation, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.

It was hard to say if it wasn’t a hallucination caused by excessive sensitivity.

The car suddenly darkened as Yue Yunxi turned off the light and drove out of the parking space. Only then did she say, “Do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?”

Lu You paused, momentarily stunned.

In the movie Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter’s question was widely circulated and interpreted by netizens as a subtle confession.

She thought Yue Yunxi probably just wanted to express that there was no reason, and smiled, “Just curious, I thought you’d prefer moon-related accessories.”

Yue Yunxi pondered for a moment and said, “You think so because my surname is Yue? Just like you surname is Lu, and your bed is full of deer dolls?”

Lu You froze.

“That little deer is very cute.” Yue Yunxi naturally continued the topic, asking, “Where did you buy it?”

It wasn’t surprising that someone who liked deer so much would notice the deer doll on her bed.

Lu You replied, “It was a childhood friend who gave it to me.”

“Childhood friend,” Yue Yunxi repeated softly, pondering for a moment before confirming, “Manman?”

Lu You’s eyes widened slightly, surprised, “How do you know?”

“I used to hear you mention her often.”

Lu You blinked, hesitant, “Did I…?”

In her memory, she had never mentioned her childhood friend to Yue Yunxi, let alone her nickname.

“Yes, you did.” Yue Yunxi tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her emotions hidden, “But not to me.”

Lu You understood.

Yue Yunxi had overheard when she was talking to Tao Xin about Manman.

Just as she was about to fall into reminiscence, she heard Yue Yunxi ask, “She seems to be mixed-race?”

Lu You quickly gathered her thoughts, “Yes, she’s especially beautiful, her eyes are like deep, clear green pools.”

Taking advantage of a red light, Yue Yunxi turned her head to look at her.

The light from the streetlights outside the car window coated her with a faint yellow filter, softening her expression.

She was so beautiful that she felt a little jealous of that Manman.

Yue Yunxi looked away, responding softly, “Hearing your description, I can imagine it.”

Lu You smiled, suddenly remembering, “I also met a mixed-race girl today, she’s Caroline’s student, do you know her?”

Yue Yunxi frowned, quickly relaxing, she opened her mouth, but paused for a moment before saying, “Yes, Yun Zhu’s junior.”

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, Lu You took it out and saw a message from Chen Feifei on WeChat: [How is it, is the client satisfied? If so, please give your golden recommendation officer Chen Feifei a five-star rating [cool]]

Lu You replied: [We haven’t gotten to the restaurant yet, I’ll give you feedback after we eat]

Putting away her phone, Lu You belatedly realized that the conversation had strayed far from the initial question.

They soon arrived at the restaurant.

The Jiangnan courtyard architectural style, nestled in the mountain scenic area of a bustling metropolis, gave it a feeling of a recluse in the city.

Yue Yunxi was curious how she had found this restaurant.

“Actually, Feifei recommended it.”

The waiter led them through the atrium into a private room, placing sterilized tableware and hair ties, and left after confirming their order.

Lu You tentatively asked, “Do you think… it’s okay?”

“The environment is very good.” Yue Yunxi used a hair tie to put her hair up in a low bun, observing her surroundings.

The interior decoration was simple and elegant, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the right side, borrowing the natural scenery of the forest area outside. The evening lights reflected on the lush greenery, and the environment was quiet and stylish.

“Feifei recommended several places, I had also locked in a vegetarian restaurant, their environment is also good.” Lu You tied up her hair, picked up the teapot and poured hot tea into their cups, “But many of the dishes are mushroom-based, I thought you might not like them, so I booked this one.”

Yue Yunxi’s fingertips, which were hovering over the teacup, trembled slightly as they touched the cup’s edge.

She felt a warmth that permeated her from the inside out.

Before long, the dishes were brought to the table one by one. They had ordered mostly half portions, and the plating was as exquisite as French cuisine.

Lu You picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the Jiangbao Ruan Dou (a local dish), her eyes lighting up, and she looked at the person opposite her.

After all, it was useless if she thought it was delicious, Yue Yunxi, who would be treating others to dinner later, had to approve it.

Yue Yunxi gave her evaluation at the right time, “The taste is also very good.”

Lu You smiled brightly, “Feifei is waiting for feedback, I’ll go tell her that the client is very satisfied.”

Her pale face was especially bright when she smiled.

Like wind chimes inserted into a pure vase, catching a ray of warm sunlight.

Yue Yunxi was momentarily dazed, then picked up her cup and took a sip of tea, using the opportunity to hide her undiscovered embarrassment.

“Client?” She realized.

“Feifei said it.” Lu You said as she typed, “She calls herself a golden recommendation officer, in her eyes, you are the client.”

Yue Yunxi was silent, and asked softly, “What about in your eyes?”

Lu You’s sensitive ears heard it clearly, multitasking, without thinking much, she blurted out, “An older sister next door.”

Yue Yunxi’s eyes followed her emotions and drooped.

After sending the message, Lu You turned off her phone and placed it face down to the side.

Yue Yunxi glanced over and said, “I saw you chatting on Moments yesterday…”

Hearing this, Lu You raised her face to look at her, and after hearing the content, she pursed her lips slightly because of embarrassment, and her long, thick eyelashes fluttered twice.

A few hints of innocence rippled in her clear and bright eyes.

She looked like a nimble little deer.

Yue Yunxi paused, “Did you decide where to take grandma to play later?”

“She wants to go to Xicheng.” Lu You said, “It’s too far, so I want to ask the doctor when she has her follow-up appointment at the end of July, and if it’s okay, I’ll take her there.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“People who are in a bad mood also need to travel to relax.”

Yue Yunxi picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it on an unused plate, carefully removing the fatty part.

The tips of the porcelain chopsticks occasionally touched the porcelain plate, and the subtle, crisp sound seemed to be carving cracks in the false tranquility.

Lu You felt that Yue Yunxi always had the ability to see through everything.

Yue Yunxi opened her mouth again, “Yun Zhu is forming a female chamber orchestra combining professional and amateur players.”

Lu You, who had just lowered her head, raised it again, her eyes lit up, but quickly died down in her dark pupils.

Her left hand, which was resting on the table, curled up very slightly.

Yue Yunxi looked away, stopped her actions, and continued unhurriedly:

“There are a total of four people in the group now, and everyone is not familiar with each other yet, so they want to go to Shencheng for two days after the concert, and gather on Yun Zhu’s private yacht, would you like to consider joining us?”

Lu You hesitated, “It’s your group’s gathering, wouldn’t it be bad if I joined as an outsider?”

“They are all happy to make new friends, don’t worry about that.”

Yue Yunxi placed the lean meat in her bowl, “Don’t rush to give me an answer either, eat first, and think about it slowly when you get back.”

Lu You absently put the meat in her mouth.

Many of her friends were met through Tao Xin, she should seize the opportunity to make new friends.

She was also very interested in the chamber orchestra.

But Yue Yunxi was Tao Xin’s sister after all, if she didn’t owe her a favor, she should distance herself.

Unable to come to a conclusion, Lu You simply stopped thinking about it and focused on eating.

Her gaze naturally fell on the plate containing the braised pork, only to realize that each piece was evenly interspersed with lean and fat.

Obviously, the ingredients had been carefully selected by the restaurant’s kitchen.

Lu You raised her eyes and looked at Yue Yunxi opposite her, momentarily stunned.

She had been unable to eat fatty meat since she was a child, it would make her dizzy and nauseous, but she loved the sauce of braised pork.

Except for her family, only Tao Xin in their dating days had removed the fatty meat for her, so in her opinion, this was a very intimate thing.

As an older sister next door, was Yue Yunxi’s care for her a little too meticulous and considerate?

Or did she know too little about Yue Yunxi, and in fact, Yue Yunxi paid attention to the preferences and details of all her friends?

Her gaze lingered for too long, Yue Yunxi noticed it, raised her face, and looked directly at her.

Lu You suddenly came back to her senses, stood up, and said, “I’ll go to the restroom.”

“Okay.”

Lu You picked up her phone and went out.

Walking along the corridor leading to the restroom, she looked out of the flower window and saw that the rain had stopped.

Unlocking the phone screen, the interface was still on the chat window with Chen Feifei, Chen Feifei had replied with two smug expressions.

Switching out, Lu You saw a red dot hanging on the address book icon.

Someone had requested to add her as a friend.

The note in the remarks box read: [Yunxi recommended piano tuning]

The profile picture was a side profile of a woman playing the piano, her posture elegant and calm.

The nickname was a single character “Yun” (cloud).

Yun, Yun Zhu?

After passing the friend, she sent a “Hello” to the other side.

By the time she went to the cashier to check out and looked at her phone again, the other party had sent a message: [Is it possible to come to my home for tuning on Saturday afternoon?]

YoYo: [Yes, please send me the address.]

The other party quickly sent the address, which turned out to be in Nanquan Grand Theater.

After replying “Okay,” Lu You thoughtfully put her phone back in her pocket, pushed open the door of the private room, and saw Yue Yunxi standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and noticed that her suspender dress was a backless design.

Her slender waist and delicate bones made it hard not to admire her.

Hearing the movement, Yue Yunxi turned her head and looked over, a faint smile appearing on her lips, “The restaurant sent caramel pudding, it’s very delicious, you can try it.”

Lu You gave an “mm” sound and sat back in her seat.

In front of her was pudding served in a heart-shaped tin box, with a layer of roasted caramel on the surface.

Picking up a small spoon and scooping a small piece into her mouth, she suddenly remembered the smile Yue Yunxi had just turned to give her.

Looking at it this way, she wasn’t unsmiling at all.

It was really amazing, how had she never seen Yue Yunxi smile before?

Yue Yunxi also sat back and asked her, “Are you in a hurry to go home later?”

Just putting a mouthful of pudding in her mouth, Lu You put down her spoon and shook her head.

“The waiter said that you can see fireflies near Ningfu Temple, do you want to go see them? It’s a good way to digest.”

Lu You thought that digesting was the main thing, and agreed, “Okay.”

After finishing the meal, the two of them followed the waiter’s directions and stepped onto the path leading to Ningfu Temple.

There were no streetlights, the path paved with bluestone slabs was lined with trees on both sides, and the cool air in the mountains retained the dampness after the rain, like a sticky spider web brushing her face.

It was so quiet and serene that it felt a little eerie.

Such an atmosphere made her want to say something.

Lu You thought for a moment, “The friend you needed piano tuning for has added me, I saw her nickname is a cloud icon, is it… Yun Zhu?”

“No.” Yue Yunxi paused, “It’s Teacher Zhong Shuyun.”

Lu You was shocked and her pupils dilated slightly, she smiled and said, “When I was learning piano as a child, my favorite pianist was Teacher Zhong. Thank you, Sister Yunxi, for giving me the opportunity to get in touch with Teacher Zhong.”

Yue Yunxi chuckled, “You’re welcome, I just made a recommendation.”

Lu You’s footsteps gradually slowed down, and her excitement and excitement were also gradually cooling down.

The education she had received since childhood was to make the worst plans before doing anything, which caused her to always worry about things that had not happened.

She had been trying to change, but unfortunately she could only be transparent and open-minded when facing people she didn’t care about or unimportant things.

When facing people or things she cared about, it was still a difficult psychological obstacle to overcome.

She didn’t say the worries in her heart, not wanting to let negative energy affect Yue Yunxi, thinking that in such a dark environment, Yue Yunxi wouldn’t notice anything.

However, after a brief silence, she heard Yue Yunxi say softly, “Are you still afraid of not being able to satisfy her?”

Lu You was stunned, “Am I… showing it so obviously?”

Not obvious at all, it was only by peeking in the dark that she could discover it.

Yue Yunxi didn’t answer, but said softly, “Think positively, it’s also possible that she will be very satisfied, and will often ask you to tune the piano in the future, and you will get to know each other and become friends, isn’t that so?”

It was a very beautiful expectation, Lu You pulled at the corners of her mouth and smiled, “Yes, take your good words.”

She forced herself to ignore the worries in her heart and looked for the traces of fireflies.

The low, dense grass in the dark night was like a heavy shadow, her gaze and attention were trapped inside.

Until Yue Yunxi’s ethereal voice stroked her ears in a gentle tone:

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, just do it, you have the ability to do well, and you still have me to back you up.”

The fireflies hidden in the dark suddenly flickered, reflecting in her eyes.