MTMIO Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Waking Up and Feeling Deeply in Love with You

When Lu You woke up, her eye mask had been pulled off to who-knows-where. In her barely-opened vision, heavy blackout curtains hung smoothly in front of the window, the room dimly lit.

The quilt was being clutched in her arms like a long bolster, half of her body exposed to the air, not warm at all.

She curled back into the quilt, and only when she realized the “duvet cover” was bunched up at her calves did she suddenly remember she was in Florence.

She turned over and opened her eyes. Yue Yunxi was lying in the other bed, sleeping peacefully, her delicate eyebrows tightly furrowed, her sleep restless.

Lu You reached out and gently smoothed her brow, then propped herself up to tuck her in.

Her hand slowly stopped.

Lu You raised her eyes, and in the dim light, she saw Yue Yunxi’s relaxed sleeping face. The corners of her lips unconsciously curved upward, but her eyes felt hot.

So, this is what it feels like to wake up and feel deeply in love with you.

She leaned closer and closer, kissing Yue Yunxi’s cheek, slightly cool, a very soft touch, like a soft, bouncy jelly.

Seeing no signs of Yue Yunxi waking up, she brazenly went to touch her lips.

She touched them once, couldn’t resist, and touched them again.

Two brief, light butterfly kisses.

Yue Yunxi was still fast asleep.

Whether she had gone to bed late or was weakened by her injury, she was even more tired than Lu You, who had just traveled a long distance.

Lu You slowly turned back to her original position, roughly straightened out the duvet cover that resembled a bed sheet, lay down, and felt for her phone to light up the screen.

A string of message notifications hung at the top. Lu You didn’t bother to look at them, and first turned down the blinding brightness.

A rustling sound came from behind. Lu You, holding her phone, suddenly had the quilt pulled away, and a warm, soft body pressed against her.

Yue Yunxi put her arm around her waist. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Lu You said. “I’m cold.”

“It’s okay, I’ll warm you up,” Yue Yunxi’s voice was hoarse from just waking up, but the laughter in it gave it a lazy charm.

Lu You was both speechless and amused. She didn’t say anything, because she knew Yue Yunxi wouldn’t go back to her own bed if she did.

And she didn’t dare turn around to push her back, for fear of accidentally hurting Yue Yunxi’s wound.

“What time is it?” Yue Yunxi asked.

Lu You looked at her phone and suddenly widened her eyes. “7:23 PM?! Are we pigs? How could we sleep so long?”

“…Did you not turn on automatic time adjustment? Is it still showing Beijing time?” Yue Yunxi gently reminded her. “It’s in the general settings.”

Lu You tapped into the settings and mused, “It really is… Well, only I’m a pig.”

Yue Yunxi chuckled, teasing, “The Sad Frog has evolved.”

“Don’t even mention the Sad Frog. My eyes are so tired, are they definitely swollen?” Lu You took a picture with her phone camera, but it was too dark to see clearly, but she could feel it, and couldn’t help but feel annoyed. “I don’t know how I’m going to go out later.”

“What are you going out to do?” Yue Yunxi asked.

“To buy food, and also to buy a proper duvet cover.”

“You can order takeout.”

Lu You opened her mouth, wanting to ask what the app was, when she suddenly felt Yue Yunxi’s forehead lightly bump against her back.

“Spend more time with me.”

Perhaps because her face was lowered, or perhaps because she was still a little sleepy, Yue Yunxi’s voice became a bit soft and low.

So much so that the sentence sounded like a coquettish plea.

Lu You grabbed the hand resting on her waist. “Okay.”

Yue Yunxi’s fingertips twitched slightly. “When did you wake up?”

“Not long ago,” Lu You said with a smile. “I woke up and kissed you a few times, did you feel it?”

“A little, I thought it was a dream, but it felt a bit real. I opened my eyes and found you right beside me.” Yue Yunxi chuckled, her voice, stripped of its hoarseness, was extraordinarily gentle. “Seeing you by my side, this feeling is really good.”

Lu You’s heart softened into an amorphous lump. She took her hand and placed it over her heart, saying softly, “What a coincidence, I feel the same way.”

Yue Yunxi’s heart almost skipped a beat.

Even through the fabric of her pajamas, she could feel the beating of her heart, once, and then again, vigorous and powerful.

Beating right under her palm.

Another piece of evidence that it wasn’t a dream.

Yue Yunxi gently told her that she had been watching her last night, unable to fall asleep, thinking about how she had scolded her for not chasing her when they were only two streets apart, recalling the scene of their separation that day.

She repeatedly imagined other ways of handling it, whether it was forceful, persistent, or just saying one more word that could have pried open her mouth, maybe they wouldn’t have been separated for so long.

And in this process, she repeatedly savored her own emotions, the most profound of which was regret.

Lu You listened to herwěiwěidàolái; speaking slowly and clearly, unable to describe how she felt as she listened.

It was like soaking in warm seawater, the tide occasionally reaching her mouth and nose, a salty, astringent taste.

“In the future, let’s not let our conflicts last overnight, okay?” Yue Yunxi said softly.

She said “okay?” not as a question, but as a plea.

Lu You couldn’t bear it any longer, and carefully turned around, nestling in her arms. “Okay.”

The two of them leaned against each other, craving each other’s body temperature, like reluctant to leave the warm bedding in winter.

After a period of silent tenderness, Lu You asked with concern, “How’s your injury? Does it still hurt?”

Yue Yunxi: “It’s much better.”

“I’ll change your dressing when we get up later.” Lu You remembered to ask, “By the way, how do I order takeout?”

Yue Yunxi stretched out her arm, pulled her phone from under the pillow, and handed it to Lu You, saying, “The password is your birthday. Guagua Home is for Chinese takeout, Esselunga is for the supermarket.”

Lu You entered 0428 and asked, “Has it always been this?”

“I changed it later,” Yue Yunxi said with a smile. “I learned this from you.”

Lu Youzé; tsked and swiped the phone screen, casually asking, “What was it before then?”

The apps were laid out according to function, the folder names clear at a glance. The takeout apps were all categorized under “Think Twice Before Acting.”

Just as Lu You was about to open it, Yue Yunxi answered her, “Before that, it was 5408, and before that, it was 2820.”

A combination of their birthdays.

Lu You paused, stunned for two seconds, unable to suppress a laugh, and said with a provocative tone, “That one before, the last digits of my phone number are more suitable as your password than my birthday.”

Yue Yunxi admitted without any competitiveness, “Yes.”

Lu You was a little surprised. “Why… did you answer so readily?”

Yue Yunxi said with a smile, “Because, you’re working so hard to be the 1, so it’s nothing for me to cooperate and be the 0.”

The content was very piercing, but her tone was gentle enough to make it impossible to get angry.

Lu You was speechless, and let out a light hum from her nostrils. Her index finger tapped on the screen, choosing a Chinese restaurant and placing an order, then switched to the supermarket app, picking and choosing a bunch of things.

She got out of bed nimbly. Lu You first changed Yue Yunxi’s dressing, then grabbed her phone to wash up.

She walked and checked unread messages on WeChat.

Li Can was straightforward and went straight to the point: [Don’t pay attention to those low-IQ, low-quality creatures on the internet who spread rumors and cause trouble, and don’t let the statements of those idiots affect your mood. Remember, they don’t deserve to make you unhappy!!]

[Lu]: [Okay!!]

Jian Yanzhi was introverted and delicate, and sent several funny videos to cheer her up, and asked her: [Did you make the sheet music flower?]

As if to divert her attention.

Lu You sent the photos saved in her phone.

Jian Yanzhi replied quickly: [The kraft paper ones have such a retro feel, better than the white ones.]

[Lu]: [Maybe color ones would be prettier.]

Jian Yanzhi: [!]

Jian Yanzhi: [The bouquet I made for Li Can was taken away by my aunt. I’ll try colored paper.]

Lu You sent a nodding emoticon.

Zhong Mi sent a hug emoticon, and nothing else.

But the little girl changed her avatar. Hello Kitty was holding an AK andsǎoshè; strafing the computer.

Clicking on her avatar to enter her Moments, the little girl posted a dozen updates dissing the people spreading rumors.

Probably afraid that she was still angry and didn’t dare to send too many, but privately, she did not hesitate to rush into battle for her.

Lu You curved her lips, without replying.

Not because she didn’t want to reply, but because she knew that if she replied, Zhong Mi would definitely send more messages, and she didn’t have much energy to chat right now.

The last few were all sent by Yun Zhu: [Lao Yue’s former class monitor has already sent a clarification essay, and this is a lawyer’s business card, add him.]

Yun Zhu: [This is a video of Li Rui entering the women’s toilet.]

The message below the video was very long.

Lu You put her phone on the sink, tied her hair up with Yue Yunxi’s hair tie, and continued to read.

Yun Zhu: [Then there’s one more thing. The youngest daughter of the Yun family works in the industry. She had a little accident last night, and when I went to deal with it, I heard her say that Tao Xin’s treatment at the agency wasn’t very good. Early on, she was often suppressed and insulted, and was even forced to attend some banquets with impure purposes. She was even beaten for refusing to accompany people for drinks.

The Sing to You program was something she signed up for behind her company’s back. Once she had traffic, her treatment at the company improved.

I think that no matter what, she chose her own path, and any consequences, even bitter ones, are what she should swallow. She has also enjoyed the bonus by relying on things that don’t belong to her, so exposing her is what she deserves. But Feifei thinks you should be told about this, and you can judge.]

The squeezed toothpaste smeared on the edge of the brush, didn’t stick, and slid into the sink.

Lu You was about to squeeze again when Yue Yunxi walked over, unintentionally glancing at her phone screen.

The interface of the chat window was hanging with a long white background with black characters.

Looking up at Lu You again, she looked absent-minded, and the toothpaste wasn’t squeezed out properly again.

Yue Yunxi couldn’t stand it anymore, took the toothpaste and toothbrush from her hand, squeezed the toothpaste onto the toothbrush, and handed it to her. “Who are you chatting with, so absent-minded?”

Lu You came back to her senses and said, “lonicera.”

Yue Yunxi raised her eyebrows and glanced at the phone on the table again.

It was already off.

“What were you chatting about?” Yue Yunxi asked.

Lu You brushed her teeth, vaguely saying, “Um, it’s about Tao Xin.”

Yue Yunxi brushed her teeth at almost the same frequency as her, looking at each other through a mirror. The black pupils were calm.

As if she didn’t care.

“Tao Xin gave me a letter before,” Lu You said.

Yue Yunxi blinked her eyes slowly, making it impossible to tell whether the ripples at that moment were caused by her eyelashes moving or by emotional fluctuations.

“Oh, illicit rendezvous.”

Lu You elbowed her, both speechless and amused. “Illicit rendezvous my ass… Aren’t you curious about what she wrote to me?”

Yue Yunxi didn’t say anything for a while, rinsing her mouth and washing her face.

In the gap, she didn’t hear an answer, and Lu You took a peek at her from time to time.

Until Yue Yunxi began to slowly apply water and lotion, Lu You couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you curious at all?”

Yue Yunxi turned sideways, moved closer to her, her lowered gaze fixed on her lips. “You’ll tell me.”

Softly, enchantingly.

Even though she didn’t kiss her, Lu You had the feeling of being kissed on the lips by her voice. She swallowed and thought about whether she should have a kiss first, or confess first.

The cuckoo sound of the doorbell suddenly rang, the takeout had arrived.

Lu You: “…”

Very well, there were still people cutting in line.

–

They were still eating by the fireplace. Yue Yunxi sat in front of the coffee table, arranging the dishes. Lu You went back to the bedroom and took out Tao Xin’s letter.

“I think it’s better if you read this letter too.” Lu You sought her opinion. “Do you want to read it?”

“Yes, my girlfriend said it’s better to read it.” Yue Yunxi wiped the oil stains on her hands with a wet wipe before taking the envelope. “You didn’t remember to bring your pajamas, but you brought the letter with you.”

So sour, but she still respected the other party’s envelope so much.

“Wow, there’s ajiācān; extra meal!”

“Where?” Yue Yunxi curiously hooked the packaging bag and glanced inside, empty.

She had just checked the takeout order, it was exactly the right amount.

Looking up, she saw Lu You staring at her meaningfully, and said, “You,cù pàodàn; pickled egg in vinegar.”

Yue Yunxi was silent for a few seconds, and the corners of her lips turned up, with a bit of helplessness.

Lu You explained: “Originally, I wanted to question you with this letter, so I put it in the bag I carry with me, but later I couldn’t bear to treat you like this.”

Using the last sentence in the thief’s letter to question Yue Yunxi, putting the two in the same category, was too humiliating for Yue Yunxi.

Hearing this, Yue Yunxi was a little curious about the contents of the letter.

Her lunch was lighter, so she simply ate while reading Tao Xin’s letter.

Lu You sat beside her, eating two bites and glancing twice, observing Yue Yunxi’s expression.

As calm as she was when brushing her teeth, her long eyelashes were drooping slightly, blocking her eyes, making it impossible to see the emotions contained within.

Until she saw the end of the letter, Yue Yunxi frowned, lightly and quickly, like a nerve twitching.

If Lu You hadn’t caught it, she wouldn’t have been able to find even a trace of it.

Yue Yunxi put down her chopsticks and letter, wiped her hands clean, and folded the letter back into the envelope.

Lu You called up the message that Yun Zhu sent, and pushed the phone to Yue Yunxi.

This time she saw Yue Yunxi’s expression clearly.

Like water under a thin layer of ice, it looked cold, but the deep layer was gradually warming up.

Yue Yunxi returned the phone to her, seeing that she had already put down her chopsticks. “Are you finished eating?”

Lu You nodded.

“What’s the next arrangement?” Yue Yunxi asked.

Lu You said, “Rest for a while, tune that piano, practice the piano, change the duvet cover.”

Yue Yunxi nodded. “Have you decided on the competition piece?”

“You reminded me.” Lu You picked up her phone and called up Zhong Shuyun’s WeChat. “Teacher Zhong dislikes the piece I chose.”

Yue Yunxi asked with a smile, “Why?”

“I suspect she’s unhappy that I didn’t choose classical music. Look! What did I say?”

Lu You flipped her phone and held it up for Yue Yunxi to see.

Zhong Shuyun: [The competition I signed you up for next year, no matter what kind, will prioritize classical music, then jazz.]

Yue Yunxi said, “Next time, choose Wedding in a Dream.”

Lu You laughed and gave her a thumbs up. “Good idea.”

Zhong Shuyun sent another message: [I heard from Yun Zhu that you went to Italy, don’t forget the competition at the end of the month.]

[Lu]: [I won’t forget]

The words “typing” were displayed for a while before disappearing. Lu You guessed that Zhong Shuyun probably wanted to talk to her about Zhang Wenyin, but for various reasons, she didn’t mention it to her in the end.

Lu You just pretended not to notice this detail, put away her phone, and started to clean up the table.

In the end, only Tao Xin’s letter was left on the coffee table.

Lu You sat on the single sofa, facing Yue Yunxi, hesitatingly asking, “This… Do you have any thoughts?”

“A bit chaotic,” Yue Yunxi said. “I mean my thoughts.”

It was really chaotic, even the language system was messed up.

No wonder, after reading it, she changed the subject.

Yue Yunxi: “Tell me your thoughts, let me refer to them.”

Lu You didn’t speak, leaned over, pinched the envelope, took it in front of her, and read it again.

Too much time had passed, and most of the contents were blurred.

Yue Yunxi didn’t urge her, waiting quietly for her to finish reading, waiting for her to hug the pillow thoughtfully.

Silence flowed slowly through the hands of time.

Lu You stood up suddenly and went to get the tuning tools.

While tuning the Steinway piano that was here, she asked Yue Yunxi, “Has she contacted you during this time?”

“Yes. She came to care about my situation and sent a few screenshots of her speaking up for me with a side account. To be honest, I was a little moved, but not much.”

Lu You expressed her understanding. “If it were me, I’d feel the same way as you.”

Yue Yunxi was not surprised by her standing on her side, smiled, and added, “Maybe she was too guilty to mention it, but she didn’t mention a word about you and that song.”

Whether she was pleased by her attitude, or had a sympathetic heart for Tao Xin, or both, Yue Yunxi’s tone was noticeably gentler when she said this.

Lu You was silent for a while. After listening to the sound of the tuning, she said what Chen Xiguan had told her, “Xigua said that her manager will discuss with the company giving up Tao Xin, and expose the fact that Shiye was written by her before the final of the show.”

“Discuss,” Yue Yunxi seized on the key point. “They’re preparing to discuss it, but it hasn’t been decided yet?”

Lu You thought for a while and took out her phone to confirm the chat history. “It should be like this.”

She suddenly realized, “You think their company may not announce this on the day of the final, right?”

Yue Yunxi en; hummed “sound”: “Forcing your own artist, the fans will be in an uproar, and the organizers won’t be able to explain it. It feels more like a way to stabilize Chen Xiguan.”

Lu You tuned the piano while thinking about this, “Then do you think the agency will expose this after the competition?”

“Not necessarily,” Yue Yunxi analyzed, “Chen Xiguan and Tao Xin are both at their company, why would their own artists fight each other?”

Lu You: “That is to say, when her musical dream wakes up, it’s all up to us to decide.”

Seeing that she was troubled, Yue Yunxi walked over and rubbed her head, saying, “It’s not a big deal, why are you so frowning? If you want to forgive her, we’ll forgive her, don’t worry about me, I don’t care about her, because I’m very happy now.”

Lu You pouted, her heart feeling like it was poked by something small and astringent.

A little painful.

Sensible children always forgive independently, but even the apologies that they deserve are never obtained.

“I just looked at what Yun Zhu sent, and I feel a little emotional. She worked very hard to be able to stand on a bigger stage and sing. And we didn’t know any of this.

So I’m a littlejiūjié; tangled, about the timing of exposing her wrong behavior.

I agree with what Yun Zhu said, she has to swallow the consequences of what she sewed.

She took things that didn’t belong to her and enjoyed many honors that didn’t belong to her, she is a thief who stole other people’s precious things.

Why should we forgive her so easily! That’s very unfair to you.”

Lu You’s voice gradually trembled, as if she was too excited, or as if she was already hovering on the verge of tears,

“I’m telling you, you’re not allowed to forgive her, she hasn’t even apologized to you yet!”

Yue Yunxi’s eyes flickered, and she gently embraced her. “Then what about yourself? So much time and emotion were wasted.”

“…At first, that’s what I thought, I resented her for wasting my time, but now, I have a different view.” Lu You stepped back from Yue Yunxi’s arms, and gazed at her eyes with moist eyes, saying, “I want to thank her for being a negative example, I know how to love you better.”

Yue Yunxi suppressed her breath, slowly and deeply, her hand holding her cheek, the touch of her palm soft and greasy.

Corresponding to the beating of the heart in her chest, surging like the sound of bells reverberating in the valley, the aftersound can cause the wind to tremble.

It’s not the wind that’s moving, it’s the heart.

“Then I want to thank you.”

Lu You fluttered her eyelashes twice. “Thank me for what?”

“Thank you for letting me know that emotions have weight.”

Lu You’s body trembled slightly.

Because Yue Yunxi’s warm lips, the kiss that fell, was branded on the wet corner of her eye.

And the next second, she tasted the wetness on Yue Yunxi’s lips.

A faint salty taste.

Lu You slumped on the piano bench, her back against the piano, her legs supporting Yue Yunxi, her fingers tightly clutching the fabric of her waist.

The orange knitted sweater, as soft as a ginger cat napping in the winter sun.

The more gentle the kiss, the more intense the desire that rises in the blood.

Thinking that this person was still injured and couldn’t do anything, Lu You was annoyed.

Before her desire reached the limit, the two pulled away a little distance.

She calmed down for a while, listening to Yue Yunxi’s heavy breathing brush against her ear. The more she calmed down, the more uncomfortable she felt, so she could only find a topic to distract herself, and asked about Tao Xin again.

“What do you think about exposing her after the final?” Lu You analyzed. “It’s also a way to respect the opportunity she’s fought for herself. If she really has the strength, there will always be abólè; talent scout who cherishes her talent. Maybe there will be development opportunities outside of the domestic entertainment industry.”

Yue Yunxi buried her head in her shoulder socket without saying anything.

“Or, do you want to do it before the final?”

Yue Yunxi said in a muffled voice, “Is it tooshāfēngjǐng; killjoy to mention her at this time?”

“…I think this is more killjoy.” Lu You waited for her to look at herself, and lowered her head to point to her injured area.

Yue Yunxi looked in the direction of her finger.

Lu You took the opportunity to lean to her ear and say lowly, “I want to…”

Yue Yunxi’s breath caught in her throat.

“But I can’t have it!” Lu You instantly returned to her normal volume. “Don’t you think it’s very killjoy.”

Yue Yunxi couldn’t help but cough lightly.

Lu You was laughing so hard that her body was shaking.

Yue Yunxi grabbed her hand, sat directly on her, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t weigh me down.”

Lu You couldn’t tell whether she was hot from laughing, or whether she was being teased by the slightly moist touch in her palm and the subtle feeling of this sentence.

She suddenly withdrew her hand and heard Yue Yunxi grunt.

Starting from her ears, her whole body started to burn.

Yue Yunxi took two deep breaths, and pressed against her forehead. “Let’s wait until the final of her show is over.”

Lu You twisted her fingertips in her palm, “…I also want to communicate with her face to face one more time, together.”

“Okay.” Yue Yunxi paused, her hand stroking her lips, “Then now, can we kiss properly? Quench our thirst, too.”

Lu You kissed her with a smile.

Indulging herself in the warmth, like being buried in the soft, sun-warmed belly of a ginger cat.