TSIBAMS Chapter 53

He stepped on the pedal with his right foot, his slender fingers covering the keys.

This was a piece with a strong rhythm, his fingers dancing across the keys, each note full of power and momentum.

The onlookers were stunned, unknowingly captivated.

Only Qi Guang knew how difficult it was to play this piano. Out-of-tune notes were a minor problem. Some keys wouldn’t spring back immediately due to years of disrepair, and coupled with the fact that he hadn’t played in nearly two years, he occasionally hit wrong notes… He found it particularly comical and wanted to laugh, but he still insisted on playing the final note.

Immediately following behind him came a burst of applause, and Brother Xu’s exclamation.

Although this piece was full of mistakes, fortunately, the untrained ear couldn’t easily discern them. Qi Guang stood up, turned around, and smiled, “Brother Xu, let me give you a suggestion: find a tuner to fix it.”

“Okay, okay,” Brother Xu patted his shoulder, “I didn’t expect you to actually look the part when you play the piano!”

“That’s called charm,” Bai Shu said, “Xiao Qi, what other hidden skills do you have that we haven’t discovered yet?”

Ye Xing looked up at Qi Guang.

You bastard.

What else are you hiding that I haven’t discovered?

You said you had nothing!

“Nothing, nothing,” Qi Guang said with a pleading expression, “If Brother Xu hadn’t put the piano in front of me, I wouldn’t even remember I could play this thing.”

He looked at Ye Xing, who was still sitting on the sofa, looking thoughtful.

He walked over and sat beside Ye Xing, playfully nudging him with his arm, “Why aren’t you talking? Could it be that my piano playing has reached the point where listeners are heartbroken and tears are falling?”

“Put your big face away, Brother Qi!” Ye Xing rolled his eyes.

But he had to admit that this guy was something when he played the piano.

The moment he sat in front of the piano, the gangster vibe on him receded a lot, transforming from a rough-and-tumble street youth into a helpless little gentleman, making one’s heart flutter.

Oh, that damn charm.

That damn beast in disguise!

Brother Xu took a few cans of beer from the refrigerator and placed them on the table in front of them, smiling mischievously at Qi Guang, and asked, “May I ask if Ye Xing can drink today?”

Bai Shu handed over a can of cola, “No, I answered for him.”

“You guys are putting on a show, aren’t you?” Qi Guang said, amused. He naturally opened the cola, poured it into a glass with ice, and put it in front of Ye Xing, “Here!”

Even though he knew that Qi Guang was a very considerate person, Ye Xing couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased every time he did these little things. Although the cola was a bit cold, there was a trace of warmth when he held it.

Warm.

Very thoughtful.

What terrible lines…

“If you start drinking in the afternoon, you’ll be sleepy when the bar opens,” Ye Xing quickly changed the subject, “Don’t make any confused calculations then.”

Brother Xu frowned, “That makes sense. I didn’t even take a nap today.”

As he said that, he yawned.

When 1984 wasn’t open, the blackout curtains were usually drawn. In this not-so-bright environment, it really made one feel drowsy.

“I’ll go inflate the air mattress.” Bai Shu stood up to go to the storage room.

Brother Xu stopped him, “No, I’m going out for a smoke.”

Then, he looked at Qi Guang and raised his chin.

Qi Guang touched his pocket and said, “Forget it, I didn’t bring any.”

“Since when do you have to forget it just because you didn’t bring cigarettes?” Brother Xu leaned over to look at him, “Do you think I won’t even share a cigarette with you?”

He smiled and stood up.

Only Ye Xing could tell that he was acting a bit strange. He was hesitant and didn’t seem to want to go.

But on second thought, it was true that he hadn’t touched a cigarette in a long time. It was already odd enough that he didn’t see him going to the bathroom to smoke at school, and he didn’t even ask for one at his house at noon.

Oh, so he’s still seriously playing the part of a top student.

It seemed like Qi Guang couldn’t get rid of his actor role for the time being. But now, to Ye Xing, the word had lost any negative connotations.

Brother Xu patted his pocket, seemingly looking for cigarettes, but after searching for a while, all he pulled out was his phone and keys. However, Bai Shu, who was beside him, pulled out cigarettes and a lighter from his own pocket and handed them over.

Brother Xu took them and walked towards the door without saying a word. Everything was very natural.

Only Ye Xing, who had been sitting still from the beginning, was in a chaotic state of mind.

He had noticed earlier that the moment Brother Xu yawned, Bai Shu was going to help him set up the air mattress. Now, when Brother Xu made a gesture of looking for a cigarette, he immediately understood and took out cigarettes from his own pocket.

It didn’t seem like flattery towards a superior, but more like devotion.

The key thing was that Bai Shu didn’t smoke.

All the information told him that something was up.

Even though Brother Xu and Bai Shu both took good care of Qi Guang, putting aside Qi Guang, the scenes of the two of them together seemed too coordinated and practiced.

Ye Xing considered himself a laid-back person, but he didn’t know why he was so attentive and sensitive lately.

After the door closed, only he and Bai Shu were left in the dimly lit bar. He turned his head to look at Bai Shu, who was putting the beer back in the refrigerator and taking out a can of cola.

Seeing that Ye Xing was looking at him, he smiled, “There has to be one sober person.”

“I envy you, being able to always stay sober,” Ye Xing replied with a smile.

Bai Shu understood that his words had a deeper meaning. If it were someone else, Bai Shu would first determine whether the other person had good or bad intentions before seriously considering the implications of their words, but the person in front of him was Ye Xing, which made things much easier.

He had met countless people, good people, bad people, simple people, careful people, arrogant people, and tyrannical people… Some people didn’t write their emotions and intentions on their faces, but they would more or less reveal clues in their actions. He had also long developed the survival skill of quickly judging whether a person was trustworthy or not.

But Ye Xing was genuine.

Even if he was hiding some emotions, it wouldn’t make people feel uncomfortable.

Otherwise, Qi Guang wouldn’t be so protective of him.

Although Bai Shu didn’t understand, he thought Qi Guang’s protection of Ye Xing was about protecting that sense of authenticity. Maybe Qi Guang himself had never thought about it carefully.

Bai Shu sat down beside him, poured the cola into a glass, and tossed in two ice cubes, “What do you want to say?”

“The person you told me about last time, it’s Brother Xu, right?” Ye Xing leaned back slowly, finding a comfortable position on the sofa, “If I guessed wrong, just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Bai Shu was stunned. Although Ye Xing didn’t specifically point out which time the last time was, or what the premise of that person was, he was very clear about what Ye Xing was talking about.

He hadn’t told anyone about this matter, but the people around him all knew it and tacitly agreed not to mention it. He hadn’t expected Ye Xing to ask him so directly.

“That’s right.” Bai Shu answered without the slightest hesitation.

Ye Xing wasn’t surprised by this answer. Instead, he felt that his reaction time was too slow, and he was only realizing it now.

In fact, too many things were very obvious, but before he truly realized he had fallen in love with Qi Guang, he had never given it much thought.

Of course, he also hadn’t cared.

“Then does he know?” Ye Xing asked.

Bai Shu smiled, but the smile was a little bitter, “Even you could see it, what do you think?”

“So, Brother Xu, he…” Ye Xing suddenly felt that he was being a bit presumptuous, but since the topic had reached this point, he had to keep going in this direction. “Has he ever…had a girlfriend before?”

“No, I know what you want to ask, but I’m not sure,” Bai Shu took a sip of cola, the coldness making him smack his lips, “I’ve known him for so long, and he’s never talked to me about that kind of thing. But…”

“But you think he has someone he likes?” Ye Xing saw that he was hesitating and couldn’t help but interject.

He looked at Ye Xing, his gaze suddenly wandering off, not knowing where his thoughts had drifted.

Just when Ye Xing thought he wouldn’t answer anymore, Bai Shu suddenly spoke, his tone much slower than before, “When I was in junior high, I encountered a robbery at the shop I was working at. He happened to be passing by and helped me chase the people away. That was the first time we ever talked. I remember it very clearly. He said, ‘You look very much like a friend of mine. If anyone bullies you in the future, come find me, and I’ll take care of them.'”

“A friend…” Ye Xing frowned. When he first met Bai Shu, he had thought that his eyes and eyebrows looked somewhat familiar. He immediately realized, “He was talking about Qi Guang?”

Bai Shu didn’t confirm or deny it, and continued, “They knew each other in their humble beginnings. Brother Xu has always valued him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so nice to me just because I looked a bit like him.”

“It’s a fact that they have a good relationship, but Brother Xu is good to you,” Ye Xing paused, and then said seriously, “It must also be because there’s something about you that he appreciates.”

“Do you really think so?” Bai Shu smiled.

Ye Xing was a little confused by his smile, “Do you suspect that Brother Xu has feelings for Qi Guang?”

Bai Shu interrupted him before he could finish, “Don’t worry, I won’t hold a grudge against Qi Guang because of this. But since I’ve chosen to follow Brother Xu, I won’t leave before he truly finds a partner and establishes a relationship.”

Summer came unexpectedly. All the previous warming up could only be considered gentle tests. At this moment, Ye Xing truly felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. His upper body was starting to sweat from the heat. He had no choice but to admit that summer had really arrived.

Great, he had only been making wild guesses about Bai Shu and Qi Guang before, but now, even though he had dispelled the doubts, he had a bigger boss to worry about. It was difficult, so difficult. Why did loving someone make him so jumpy?

It was all because of this damn summer.

Especially when he saw the two who had finished smoking come in while chatting away, he felt even more annoyed.

He didn’t say much for the rest of the afternoon, but Bai Shu was the same as always, always able to hide his emotions, and always taking care of everyone.

I really envy you, being able to always stay sober.

His assessment was really spot on.

Because there was a band performance on the weekend, people had started coming in early to claim their spots. Ye Xing didn’t have much interest in the performance, but he stayed behind to help out, not so much to help, but because he wanted to spend a little more time with Qi Guang before he left.

One more look was a win.

He had only told Qi Guang that he was leaving next week, but he didn’t tell him that next week was actually tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Monday, sunny, I will leave you.

Hey, why did I just start singing?

It was obviously such a sad thing!