Chapter 8 Pursuing Qualification
Translator: 549690339
Xu Xunsheng was woken up from a drowsy sleep by the noise.
The parent of the child who had a music lesson in the morning was late to pick them up, she hastily finished a bowl of rice and laid her head on the desk, hoping for a little rest. But she did not expect them to arrive so early.
"Bang—Bang Bang—Bang Bang Bang—" The sound of knocking on the window glass, yet no one pressed the doorbell. Xu Xunsheng opened her eyes and saw someone on the opposite window drawing a cat with their fingers. There were also a few blurred faces, swaying there.
Xu Xunsheng felt awkward, her hair was a mess and her face unwashed. But their knocking grew more urgent, and in the end, she rushed to the sink, hastily washed her face, and without even having time to fix her hair, she ran to open the door.
Zhang Tianyao was the first to walk in, followed by Huizi and Zhao Tan. Nobody else was there.
Xu Xunsheng asked, "What about the others?"
Huizi answered, "Brother Hai has some things to deal with and will come later, Xiaoye went to change money."
Xu Xunsheng, "Change money?"
Huizi said, "Yeah, to pay you the rent, a bunch of small bills. He said he'd change them into bigger notes for you."
Xu Xunsheng, "Oh."
Zhang Tianyao walked a few steps but then turned back, looked at her with a smile, "You look quite cute with your sleepy face."
Xu Xunsheng didn't respond, while Huizi and Zhao Tan wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile. Zhao Tan gave Zhang Tianyao a push, and the three of them went downstairs.
Zhang Tianyao's comment made Xu Xunsheng's face feel warm; she went to the mirror and carefully combed her hair. She had just pulled her hair back with the final loop of her hairband when she heard a movement behind her. Turning her head, she saw Cen Ye, who had appeared at the door at some point, leaning against the wall, looking at her with a calm gaze, yet not moving.
Xu Xunsheng walked back to her desk with an equally calm voice, "You're here."
He came over, holding a half-drunk bottle of soda, and very casually pulled out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and threw them on the table, "Went to buy soda, got here late. This is the money for this month's four training sessions."
Xu Xunsheng put the money away and suddenly remembered what Huizi had said earlier—Cen Ye had specifically gone to change the money into bigger notes for her.
She also recalled the figure of him struggling to move a pile of plastic chairs at the riverside square a few days earlier.
Last night, during their late-night snack, it seemed to be him who took the initiative to settle the bill, spending three or four hundred yuan.
This guy, does he not have any large notes left?
He had taken his soda and was swaggering downstairs.
Xu Xunsheng had a book on music theory to read today, she had only read half of it and planned to pick it up again in the afternoon. She left the door to the underground music room ajar, considering it background music. His singing was pleasant to the ears, which, in listening to, rather helped her relax and focus.
Just when she had flipped through a few pages, she became distracted as she heard him reaching the climax of the song. She had heard the piece yesterday and paused slightly. Lost in thought, she listened to him sing the entire song.
Xu Xunsheng thought about it and suddenly understood, then burst into laughter. Even his companions hadn't noticed the subtle difference. She felt drawn to open the drawer of a cupboard, which contained snacks prepared for the children taking piano lessons.
However, as she heard him begin the second and then the third song... finally, the other boys realized something was wrong. Zhang Tianyao's shout came from downstairs, "Xiaoye, why is your singing so lackluster today? Did you stay up late last night?"
Zhao Tan said, "No, he slept like a log yesterday."
"Then why do you sound like you're half-dead? Where's the passion?" Zhang Tianyao cursed, "Haven't you eaten?"
Cen Ye retorted, "You're the one who's half-dead. As the singing god, little Zhang Xueyou, I have my ups and downs too, it's your damn playing that's not hitting the right spot!"
The boys laughed and cursed among themselves.
Xu Xunsheng felt slightly helpless.
She listened to Cen Ye sing another song, and this time it was much stronger than the previous ones. Xu Xunsheng didn't quite understand how a man in his early twenties could not sing well on an empty stomach? When she was with Xun Zhi back in the day, his family was well-off, and he never went hungry even when he played music all day long.
After about an hour or so, Xu Xunsheng heard the music stop, and the boys were probably resting, so she went downstairs with a tray in hand, which held several cups of hot coffee and some boxes of cookies.
When she appeared, the boys were first stunned, then cheered. She smiled, placed the tray on a nearby shelf, and found a chair to sit down.
"Ms. Xu, you're too considerate." Huizi said, "Oreos? Nice, I'll have some since you brought them!"
"Thank you... Teacher Xu," Zhao Tan corrected himself, "Did we just eat snacks meant for little kids?" Xu Xunsheng thought he was actually quite clever despite being silent.
"Teacher Xu..." Zhang Tianyao savored the address with a smile, picked up his cup of coffee, and crouched on the ground to drink, neither too close nor too far from Xu Xunsheng.
After Xu Xunsheng came down, Cen Ye sat there the whole time, head lowered, strumming the guitar. He was the last to arrive, hands in his pockets, a casual air about him. He even reached out to pick from the snacks, eventually choosing the most plentiful bag and took a cup of coffee to squat next to Zhang Tianyao to eat.
A while later, Xu Xunsheng went upstairs.
When dusk fell, the music stopped once again, perhaps the boys were tired too. Xu Xunsheng had an electric heater, which was now switched on by the table. She browsed the internet for various things. It was quiet all around, gray clouds piled up in the sky, looking as though it might snow again tonight.
Suddenly someone asked from behind, "What are you looking at, Teacher Xu?"
Xu Xunsheng turned around to see Zhang Tianyao standing there, a soft smile in his eyes. He was the only one who came upstairs.
Fairly speaking, Zhang Tianyao was also a good-looking boy. His long hair was too eye-catching, giving him a wild aura. But when his hair was tied back like now, the contours typical of a young man were quite pronounced. He played the guitar so well, indeed he had the capital to be confident and unrestrained. When he wasn't being as loud and chatty as usual, it was like he became another person, a bit indifferent, a bit profound, very talented, and somewhat aggressive.
"Yarn? Are you planning to make your own scarf?" he asked.
"Hmm..." Xu Xunsheng answered, "Just looking around."
They did not continue on that subject. With him standing there, Xu Xunsheng had no choice but to push away the keyboard and slowly sip her tea, asking, "Would you like some tea?"
Zhang Tianyao pulled a chair over and sat next to her, saying, "No need, I just finished the coffee you gave me. Thanks."
Xu Xunsheng smiled silently.
Zhang Tianyao raised his head to look at the many photos of kids hanging on the wall and for no reason said, "Have you always liked taking care of people?"
Xu Xunsheng said, "It depends on my mood."
Zhang Tianyao laughed, turned his head, but saw her calm brows, her eyes shining with subtle mirth, as if hiding a gleam. It was then that Zhang Tianyao felt his heart skip a beat; suddenly, he had a strange feeling that this moment was extraordinarily beautiful. Although it was just the two of them sitting quietly in a room, the orange light overhead, the darkening sky outside, the room full of musical instruments and wooden tables, and the photos covering both walls, all felt so lovely.
He had been around, seen too many colorful women. Yet today he learned that simplicity and quiet were another kind of direct beauty.
It was as if a kitten was scratching at his heart. Zhang Tianyao felt warmth in his face, and after a moment, in a slightly husky voice, he asked, "Do you mind if I smoke?"
Xu Xunsheng let out a light sigh and said, "I don't mind much."
Zhang Tianyao laughed, finding her flat, dull speech rather interesting. He said, "Then I'll smoke." He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "There is a nationwide band competition coming up soon; we want to sign up. Teacher Xu, could you come cheer for us when the time comes?"
But he saw Xu Xunsheng idly fiddling with a small potted plant on the desk as if deep in thought or as if she hadn't heard. About to speak, a rush of joy and apprehension roiling in his heart, he instead heard her gently say, "Zhang Tianyao, do you have feelings for me, are you planning to pursue me?"
Even the experienced and self-styled master of the romantic scene, Zhang Tianyao, was surprised. Any woman could be so direct, but he had never imagined it would be her—the demure fairy-like woman who seemed to step out of a painting. Shouldn't she be shy, bashful, and speechless, so that all he needed was a little more audacity and she'd be at a loss?
Zhang Tianyao felt very unsettled, trying to read from her face whether she was pleased or displeased. But he soon realized it was impossible. This woman's proficiency was too deep; having seen through his little thoughts, her question was neither sad nor happy, not even a flicker in her eyes.
Feeling utterly unsure facing a woman was really not a good sensation. Zhang Tianyao steeled his heart, stepped forward, rested a hand on the table beside her, and looked at her sideways: "What if I do?"
Xu Xunsheng's tone was still unfazed: "Then don't pursue me, I have no plans to date."
Zhang Tianyao was taken aback, his heart sinking with a heavy, suffocating pain. Seeing she had already turned away, heading to the piano, avoiding him, he asked, "Why?"
Xu Xunsheng seemed to look at him with a hint of surprise: "Why does there have to be a reason? I don't want to date just because I don't want to. Do I need a reason not to want an orange today?"
Zhang Tianyao truly felt complex emotions. Because of Xu Xunsheng's words, he found himself amused and exasperated, yet his heart still ached.
He thought, this woman obviously still did not understand men because her reason for rejection was precisely the kind that made men most reluctant to accept.
Zhang Tianyao simply began to act shamelessly, following her, and though he dared not boldly grab her hand, he gently caught a corner of her skirt and said in a low voice, "Teacher Xu, it's okay if you don't want to date now. I can wait in line. Just give me the chance to pursue you, okay?"
Xu Xunsheng tried to pull her skirt from his grasp but couldn't. The boy had a playful smile, but his deep gaze unsettled her, leaving her feeling somewhat helpless.
"Teacher Xu, Teacher Xu..." he called softly.
Xu Xunsheng sighed again, smiled faintly, and said, "Fine, if you want the chance, win the Xiangcheng championship first, then we'll talk."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone