Chapter 113
Note: Early release, thanks to Sakuradahl's support on Ko-Fi! ʚ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)ɞ
The person standing in front of him leant slightly down at him.
His collar was a bit too wide, revealing his finely sculpted collarbones. As the violinist looked up, he got a full view. The young man's face flushed beet red instantly. He quickly stood up, luckily, the man was quick to dodge, or he would have bumped right into his jaw.
The violinist, blushing and slightly stuttering, extended his hand pointing at the side towards the violin, "You, you can use it."
The man didn't seem to realize the impact he had made on him; inwardly, he was grumbling about how easily the young man got embarrassed. However, faced with the newly vacated seat and the violin, he quickly brushed off this minor interaction.
The man, whose name was Mu Cai, took a seat at the principal violinist's position. Resting the violin against his neck, he held the bow in one hand and began to play.
The members of the symphony orchestra were scattered around the room; some were sipping tea, others were conversing, and a few were tuning their instruments. Although the music room was not deafeningly loud, it was suitably bustling.
However, all these sounds gradually dissipated after Mu Cai's first stroke on the violin.
The young man sitting in the first violinist's seat had soft black hair that rested on his ears, lit by the scattered light from the ceiling lamp overhead. His eyes were slightly closed, long eyelashes drooping, his posture rigid, poised, and elegant. His slender neck and lean shoulders cradled a violin. One of his slender, pale hands held the violin bow, while the other effortlessly pressed the strings. With this, a flow of intricate movements coalesced, and a stream of melodious music began to flow.
All eyes were on Mu Cai. They dared not even breathe, focusing solely on listening.
The sound of his music was crisp, like pearls falling onto a jade plate. The music rang loud and clear, like birdsong echoing through mountain valleys. The music from the violin seemed to have a magical power, pulling the audience into a dreamy valley. Amid trees, it feigned the smell of fresh air mixed with the scent of soil, the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves, and the babbling of streams underfoot. An unfolding landscape painting seemed to appear in their minds, capturing green forests, moist soil, and small, plump birds hopping here and there on their short legs.
The music had stopped indiscriminately.
Lin Ling was the first to snap out of the spell.
He glanced at Mu Cai, who was subtly smiling, and initiated a round of applause. As if waking up from a dream, the rest of the orchestra members joined him, clapping excitedly.
Mu Cai blushed, ducking his head, his face slightly hot. However, he was elated, very much so, as evidenced by the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling up.
Ever since he had joined the National Energy Extraction Department and started doing missions, Mu Cai had not touched the violin for a long time. The instrument was once his lifelong passion and pursuit. If not for his hand injury, he could have continued performing. Now he could touch this instrument again with his healthy fingers, and even though he had not practiced for a long time and the performance was not up to his satisfaction, Mu Cai was exceedingly happy.
Not to mention the encouraging applause that surrounded him.
Lin Ling, having finished clapping, stared with sparkling eyes at Mu Cai sitting in the principal violinist's position, as if admiring his own muse in art. "The Birdsong in the Mountain Brook by the famous Utopian composer Sdemery is a unique masterpiece on the high E string and widely acknowledged as one of the most challenging pieces for violin," he stated. "You played it brilliantly, just brilliantly."
He spoke these words with the air of a bard, deeply praising Mu Cai's superb skills and abundant emotion.
Mu Cai felt even more embarrassed being complimented like this. But it was clear to everyone that this young man was delighted - his shiny black pupils were sparkling like stars in the night sky.
Lin Ling looked at him and involuntarily took a step closer, "With your talent, why would you..."
Before he could finish, a sharp female voice echoed from the doorway: "Pervert!!"
Everyone in the room was startled and turned to see a flautist wearing a small skirt, who was about to go to the restroom, covering her mouth in shock as she stared at the figure standing at the door.
Lin Ling didn't make much of it at first, thinking that a real pervert would not stand so prominently by the bustling classroom door. But when he turned his head and saw the person, his expression changed immediately.
The one standing by the door was Pei Congliang, looking quite awkward.
How did he end up here? How did he know that their orchestra was training in this classroom?
Could it possibly mean that he had been stalking them from the beginning?
The thought enraged Lin Ling. He had been alerted by the delivery boy earlier, at which time he was busy guiding the orchestra's performance and only paid a fraction of his attention to the door. After a while, seeing no movement at the door, he let his guard down, only to find out now that the lewd man the delivery boy mentioned was none other than Pei Congliang!
Pei Congliang had initially felt a bit guilty for startling the girl, but the moment he saw Lin Ling's gaze, that guilt vanished into thin air.
What did Lin Ling mean by that! His gaze made Pei Congliang feel as though he had sunk into an orange!
He had yet to settle accounts with Lin Ling for tricking his boyfriend!
As Pei Congliang thought, his eyes started to move toward Mu Cai.
When he had been peeking through the door earlier, seeing Mu Cai immersed in music had made his heart race. That engrossed look, shining as if under a spotlight, was more captivating than when Pei Congliang had first laid eyes on him.
It was not because Mu Cai resembled Lin Ling that he was moved. Rather, it was because of Mu Cai's radiant and colorful personality, like a piece of good porcelain, that caused his heart to flutter.
Pei Congliang used to take comfort in seeing Mu Cai as an unreachable substitute for Lin Ling. Now it seemed that he must have been blinded by something then.
Clearly, Mu Cai playing the violin was far more moving than Lin Ling. How did he manage to merge the faces and postures of the two in his mind?
Unfortunately, he only realized this now, and it was too late.
Pei Congliang looks at Mu Cai, who turned away before their eyes met.
Obviously, Mu Cai didn’t want to see him.
After the flutist's scream, the music room fell eerily silent. The members of the symphony orchestra's eyes darted around, from Mu Cai to Lin Ling, then to Pei Congliang, and finally back to Mu Cai.
Though they didn't know the story that had unfolded over the past few days, the tense atmosphere and Mu Cai's avoidant attitude gave them enough of an intuitive understanding.
What a standoff!
Lin Ling stood on the stage, his gaze cold as he asked Pei Congliang, "How did you know we were here?"
The question hit the mark. Pei Congliang had originally not wanted to answer that question. However, seeing Mu Cai's beautiful profile and his seemingly indifferent attitude, he couldn't help but admit, "I've been following you."
Disdain immediately appeared in Lin Ling's gaze, "You're a stalker and you're admitting it? Do you think we'll overlook this?"
Pei Congliang didn't spare him a glance, he looked at Mu Cai and said, "Yes, I know I was wrong. But I couldn't help following you two."
With that said, he saw that Mu Cai still refused to look at him, and had no choice but to turn back to face the fierce Lin Ling on stage: "How could I rest easy with Mu Cai taken away by you, Lin Ling. Don't think I don't know the dark thoughts in your mind."
"Also," Pei Congliang's voice was firm, "please understand, Mu Cai is my boyfriend! Wherever he wants to go, it should be me accompanying him!"
The members of the symphony orchestra couldn't help but gasp.
Wow, is he the real boyfriend? When their senior brought Mu Cai over, they saw Lin Ling's attentiveness towards Mu Cai and thought that Lin was about to succeed. But it turns out their senior was still struggling to break up their relationship!
Lin Ling was confident and superior in the beginning. But hearing these words, he couldn't maintain his composure. His face changed from green to red and then to white.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, it was the truth. No matter how one sees it, Pei Congliang was still Mu Cai's boyfriend at the moment, so for him to come look for Mu Cai was justified! In contrast, it was Lin Ling who was trying to woo Mu Cai away inappropriately.
Of course, Lin Ling wouldn't back down. Just as he was preparing his rebuttal, he heard a sound clear and pleasant to the ear from the side, "He's not my boyfriend anymore."
On hearing this, Pei Congliang's face showed an expression of shock. He turned to look at Mu Cai, who finally deemed to look at him.
Mu Cai's delicate and soft appearance was as before, standing there like a slender pine tree, making one's heart flutter just by looking at him. Unfortunately, the words he spoke were not what Pei Congliang wanted to hear: "Congliang, I'm breaking up with you. I'm very happy today, I don't want to be a substitute for anyone anymore. I just want to live for myself."
At that moment, all the members of the orchestra couldn't help but gasp again.
He had come a long way to pursue his lover, only to be abandoned! This was a poignant end!
Having said that, Mu Cai couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
According to the original storyline, the protagonist hesitated for a long time after discovering that he was just a substitute for Lin Ling. He was unable to truly let go of Pei Congliang. It was not until by chance that he got the opportunity to perform in the symphony orchestra and felt a renewed sense of life that he really proposed to break up with Pei Congliang, who followed and regretted.
Although the timing, location, and people present seemed somewhat off, the condition to trigger this plot seemed to have been met and even accelerated the original progression. This benefitted Mu Cai in escaping sooner. After all, having previously spent months recovering in a nutrition pod, this time, Old Huang repeatedly stressed and even threatened that if he couldn't come out within two months, the head connection device would be forcibly removed. Mu Cai's only choice was to address this small world as soon as he could.
Maybe, in doing so, his lover could regain his memory sooner, and he could bid farewell to him.
Thinking about this, Mu Cai's gaze couldn't help becoming dim.
Pei Congliang did not anticipate such a reply from Mu Cai after his heartfelt confession, his face turned pale instantly. As he raised his head to look at Mu Cai's saddened face, his view was blocked before he could say anything.
Lin Ling stood in front of Mu Cai.
His heart was full of joy, and his face lit up with happiness. Although Mu Cai said that he wanted to break up with Pei Congliang, even though the latter appeared heartbroken and seemed unable to let go of his feelings, none of that mattered! Because it meant that he now had a chance! He could openly pursue him!
The thought alone made Lin Ling extremely happy. He was delighted to stand in front of Mu Cai without any reservation, blocking Pei Congliang's gaze. He was buoyant and radiant, a cold smile creeping onto his lips. "Did you hear that? Cai Cai wants to break up with you. Don't cling to him anymore, save some face for yourself and the Pei family."
Pei Congliang's eyes reddened. Before he could speak, a deep male voice came from the doorway:
"When did the face of the Pei family fall on him?"
Everyone looked up to see a man in a grey long coat walking into the room.
The man was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His jet-black hair was combed back, revealing a handsome face with high cheekbones and thin lips.
This face was not ubiquitous like a celebrity's, but everyone present recognized him.
Wasn't this Pei Jingyun, who had been the richest man in the country for many years and was now in charge of the Pei family?
Upon seeing him, Lin Ling's complexion changed. He saw him walking towards the stage, but he did not move out of the way. Instead, showing a humble expression on his face, he said, "Uncle Pei is joking. I was merely suggesting to Pei Congliang not to cling desperately, to avoid tarnishing his reputation."
He intentionally stressed the word "Uncle" with excessive force. Pei Jingyun paused for a moment but continued to walk forward. "I understand your kind intentions, but you don't need to worry about the face of the Pei family. He's just a good-for-nothing lad."
As he spoke, Pei Jingyun gave Pei Congliang an indifferent glance.
Pei Congliang was resentful in his heart, but he could only lower his head. His hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists.
Pei Jingyun seemed not to notice. He seemed not only to overlook Pei Congliang but also Lin Ling, who was standing stubbornly in front of him, and walked directly to Mu Cai.
Mu Cai raised his eyes to look at him.
With just one look, Pei Jingyun's heart stirred.
His melancholic appearance made Pei Jingyun's heart sink along with him. His lightly trembling eyelashes seemed to brush his heart, causing Pei Jingyun some discomfort.
Did he like his nephew this much?
Wasn't he good enough? Or was it because he was older than Mu Cai?
The thought of being called "uncle" left a bad taste in Pei Jingyun's mouth. However, his spoken words were still very gentle, "You've been out for a long time today, it's time to go back."
Mu Cai looked at him, "But I've already broken up with Pei Congliang."
A smile appeared on Pei Jingyun's face, "But you're still my guest."
Just as Mu Cai was about to speak, he lightly pressed his fingers against the lips of the man he had been longing for, "Well, don't forget that you still have to join my symphony orchestra."
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Author's Note:
Pei Jingyun: But you're still my guest (or, my captive).
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