Chapter 172: I Want to Believe

Pei Muyin accidentally obtained that black recorder when she was around four years old.

That was the day before her father's car accident.

She saw Da Fu half‑upright, clinging to the bookshelf, not knowing what it was scratching at, its paws incessantly digging.

"Whoosh."

A pile of books was scattered onto the floor by it.

"Mischievous Da Fu, you must not mess with Daddy's things."

Xiao Mu Yin hurried over, picked up the books, tidied them back onto the shelf, and noticed that one of them seemed obstructed and could not close fully.

Opening it, she saw a black object tucked inside; she curiously pulled it out, but before she could see what it was, footsteps came from outside the door.

By then, the sky outside the window had already darkened.

Xiao Mu Yin and her father had an agreement: at this time each day they would play hide‑and‑seek, she hid, he sought, and once found she had to honestly go take a bath and then rest.

The playful Xiao Mu Yin never wanted to sleep that early; each time she racked her brains for a hiding spot, and upon hearing her father's footsteps she instinctively shoved the thing into her pocket and hurriedly hid.

"Mu Yin, have you hidden well?"

Shortly after, a low, soft male voice sounded in the study.

Xiao Mu Yin replied without hesitation: "I've hidden well."

Pei Du turned his head, his gaze settling on a bulge in the curtain; the aloof young man walked over, raised his hand, and slowly drew the curtain open.

"Ha!"

Xiao Mu Yin made the sort of goofy sound she thought would scare someone: "Dad, you found me!"

"Mm."

Pei Du reached out his hand to his daughter; Xiao Mu Yin sighed again, and, conceding defeat, took hold of his two fingers.

While leading his daughter away, Pei Du also brought out Da Fu, who had been stubbornly opposing a closed book on the floor, and then closed the door.

It's not that Pei Du lacks observation; it's just that Da Fu is ordinarily too mischievous.

Who knows if dogs also have a rebellious phase—clearly obedient as a puppy, but after a few years it becomes obsessed with tearing up the house.

Other furniture doesn't matter.

Even if Pei Du could replace broken items at will, the study contains important documents that cannot be left to a dog's whim; today, not even his daughter, Da Fu had no chance to enter the study.

Pei Du handed his daughter to the maid, and after she finished bathing he took her hand and led her back to the bedroom.

Xiao Mu Yin has a good routine; despite not wanting to sleep early, when the time comes she naturally grows drowsy, and within five minutes she is sound asleep clutching her stuffed bear.

She completely failed to recall whether she had forgotten anything.

After tucking the covers for his daughter, Pei Du rose and went to the study to continue working.

At the same time.

The maid carried the bundle of Xiao Mu Yin's clothes she had taken off to wash, and before loading them into the washing machine she habitually checked the pockets, pulling out the forgotten recorder.

Knowing how much the employer doted on the young miss, the maid assumed it was her toy, gave it no further thought, and simply put it back into the young miss's playroom.

…

After her father's car accident and subsequent amnesia, before moving into the main residence, Pei Muyin came to the villa to pack up her belongings.

At that time Ms. Song still had the image of a "kind grandmother," and thoughtfully let Pei Muyin fetch her own toys.

But after her father's accident, Da Fu was gone, and Xiao Mu Yin lost interest in all her toys.

She stood dazedly in her toy room, at a loss, with nothing particular she wanted to take, only her gaze drawn to a black recorder in a certain basket, and then, as if compelled, she walked over and took it in her hand.

Moving to the residence.

One day Xiao Mu Yin experimentally pressed the button, and a melody played from inside; she did not know what tune it was, but after starting school and asking her music teacher she learned it was a violin piece.

Thereafter, Pei Muyin chose violin as her extracurricular interest, and only then did she come to understand the violin piece recorded in the pen.

This is a niche piece composed by a relatively unknown female musician abroad.

Written for her lover.

The piece is lively and buoyant, concealing a girl's slightly bashful love.

In short:

She met someone, she liked him, especially liked him—it was the kind of liking that made her want to hide him away, so that no one else could see him but herself.

This piece has never been formally published.

Yet it is circulated with this saying: if one day you meet a kindred spirit, play this piece for them, and God will bless you to walk onward together.

Actually it's a bit childish, also a bit superstitious.

But no one pays attention.

Because essentially, it is a pure confession.

Since Pei Muyin has had memory, she has lived in this villa, which is quiet, low‑noise, low‑air‑pollution, and especially suited for watching meteor showers.

The last sentence was told to her by her father.

Many times, her father held her as they sat on the balcony, looking up at the night sky.

But meteors never appeared, and Xiao Mu Yin curiously asked her father why he felt there would be a meteor shower here.

Her father said:

"Because I have seen it once."

"With Mom."

Xiao Mu Yin stared blankly at her father's profile; at that time she did not yet grasp the meanings of "love" and "care," she only knew that when her mother was mentioned, her father's expression became especially tender.

And that tenderness, aside from her mother, would not appear for anyone else.

Pei Muyin noticed the recording's timestamp—it was from before her birth.

Thus, the two protagonists of the "confession" hidden in the recorder are her father and her mother.

Dad couldn't play the violin, and obviously he didn't know about the recorder's existence at that time.

So the person who recorded this piece was Mom.

Only Mom would know what piece was inside the recorder.

Night fell.

Pei Muyin lay in bed with her eyes closed, hearing the light switch click, then the faint sound of slippers on the floor approaching the bedside.

The other person thought she was asleep, gently brushed the hair from her face, and then whispered softly in her ear.

"Good night, baby, sleep well."

Moments later, someone lay down on the other side of the bed.

After a while, a soft, even breathing sound came through.

Pei Muyin opened her eyes, her peach-blossom eyes clear and bright.

A lamp remained on the bedside table, emitting a warm, cozy light that wasn't harsh.

She pulled her hand out from under the covers and looked at the black recorder again.

She examined the recorder over and over.

Pei Muyin finally confirmed that there were indeed no scratches.

No scratches existed, but the violin piece did——

In other words, this recorder wasn't hers, yet the person who could have recorded the violin piece was the same one.

And that person could only be Mom.

"Sis, you can play the violin too?"

"Yeah, I haven't touched it in a long time."

"I found this in the corner of the wardrobe; you must be misremembering—you didn't actually bring the recorder out yesterday."

The conversation with Shu Shu echoed in Pei Muyin's mind; she unconsciously held her breath, her thoughts drifting to older memories.

"I'm also allergic to peanuts."

"You're here, I'm especially happy."

"Nice to meet you, please take care of me~"

"That's a bit of a coincidence—I also feel that I must have done something good in my past life to meet such a cute Muyin."

"..."

Pei Muyin turned her head to look at Shu Shu, who was already fast asleep beside her, and at Shu Shu, who was about the same age as her.

Her gaze lingered on the girl's pretty face, lost in thought for a long time.

…

The next day.

Shu Lingchen watched Pei Muyin's tired expression across the table with puzzlement.

"Sis?"

"We found the recorder, so why…"

"... do I still feel like I didn't sleep well."

Pei Muyin explained with a normal expression: "Maybe it's because I'm too happy."

"Oh oh." Shu Lingchen had no doubts, thought the reason was fine, and said with a grin, "No worries—anyway, your band has the day off today; after dinner you can catch up on sleep."

"No thanks." Pei Muyin shook her head, paused, and said, "I want to learn to play games with you this afternoon, Brother—can I?"

Shu Lingchen exclaimed, "How did you suddenly become interested in games?"

Pei Muyin replied, "Because I saw the game highlights you posted on your social media—they looked really cool, so I want to give them a try."

"Ah, it's not that special—just, just kinda handsome." Shu Lingchen, puffed up with pride, immediately promised, "Sure, I'll take you gaming—we'll be unbeatable, sweeping through the game!"

"That's pretty catchy."

Shu Shu walked over with warm milk, naturally handing a cup to each of the two kids.

Pei Muyin reached out to take it, instinctively saying, "Thank you—"

But she swallowed the last two words, leaving them unspoken.

Shu Shu chuckled and replied, "You're welcome."

…

In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon.

Shu Lingchen and Pei Muyin sat on the living room carpet; he first had her download an app, then after it was installed, taught her to create a new account.

Shu Shu sliced two plates of fruit, watched the two kids play for a while, yawned, feeling a bit sleepy, and got up saying, "You guys play, I'm going to nap."

Shu Lingchen and Pei Muyin both looked up and replied, "Okay."

Pei Muyin listened for the sound of the bedroom door closing.

"Sis, let's start—quick, buy some starter gear."

"Mm-hmm."

Pei Muyin did as told, but her mind was no longer on the game; the girl casually asked, "Brother, have you and Sis—you and your sister—lived together for a long time?"

"No." Shu Lingchen's hand on the game controller paused, his mind turned, he rubbed his nose and said, "She only came to An Shi to study last year; her parents are busy with work, thinking we're about the same age and could look out for each other, so they simply had her transfer to my school."

Pei Muyin silently watched the boy's actions, then added, "I've known you for so long, yet I still haven't met your uncle and aunt."

"..."

If it were before, Shu Lingchen could honestly say he had no father—his father had passed away—but now…

So he said, "His work is also keeping him busy—busy enough to set his soles on fire."

Without rubbing his nose, Lao Pei is indeed just very busy.

"What about that aunt?" Pei Muyin asked: "I heard she's traveling outside?"

"……" Shu Lingchen rubbed his nose: "En."

Pei Muyin then asked: "Always traveling?"

"……" Shu Lingchen rubbed his nose again: "En, she has no other hobbies, just likes to travel a bit."

Pei Muyin: "You probably haven't seen each other in a long time, right? You don't miss the aunt, do you? It seems you haven't even talked on the phone."

Shu Lingchen: "……"

"Because I want to learn independence, always clinging to Mom isn't independence, so we agreed not to contact unless absolutely necessary!"

Shu Lingchen felt he was really smart; this was practically a perfect answer.

As expected of him.

The next second.

Pei Muyin: "Do the older sister's and the older brother's mothers look alike?"

"……" Shu Lingchen gave a dry laugh: "They're biological sisters, so they definitely look alike."

Pei Muyin: "She must be as beautiful as the older sister."

"Haha, about the same, about the same." Shu Lingchen pointed at the fruit on the coffee table: "Sis, want a piece of fruit? This orange is especially sweet, try it."

"Okay."

Pei Muyin did as told, picking up a fork and eating two pieces of orange; she watched Shu Lingchen lower his hand from his nose, recalling what he had once told her.

"Actually I'm older than you, you have to call me bro, got it?"

"What I mean is not counting by years, but by the exact moment of birth."

"I just know I'm older than you, you have to call me bro!"

"Just knowing—so certain."

"I think after changing to black hair, bro and dad look alike."

"……"

Pei Muyin chewed the fruit in her mouth until finished, then suddenly spoke up, shouting: "Brother."

After that basketball bet, Pei Muyin had always called Shu Lingchen "bro," but this was the first time she shouted "Brother."

Although both terms mean the same thing, for this moment the latter is different from the former.

Shu Lingchen hadn't yet realized the deeper meaning behind that difference; he only felt that hearing it made his heart bloom with joy, and he felt he deserved that joy.

"Ah."

Just a few seconds after "letting go."

Pei Muyin: "Does Brother follow the aunt's surname, or does Uncle also have the surname Shu?"

Shu Lingchen blurted: "I share my mother's surname."

That amounted to denying that his father's surname is Shu.

The next second.

"Then what surname does Uncle have?"

Shu Lingchen restrained the urge to slap his thigh: "!"

"Damn, I was careless!"

"Can't say haha, it's actually a coincidence that my dad and your dad share the same surname."

"If I had known earlier, I would have said he also has the surname Shu!"

"Uh he……" Having offended Lao Pei, Shu Lingchen gritted his teeth and, in a panic, blurted: "Surname Zhang, Zhang—Zhang Tieqiang."

Once a lie is spoken, it's like a wild horse that's broken free—you can't rein it back in.

"It's a bit hard on the ears, sis, don't hold it against me." The boy rubbed his nose and said: "Back then, older people were more superstitious; my dad wasn't in great health, the wind could blow him away, even dogs couldn't catch him, so they gave him a name that sounded stronger."

Probably out of guilt toward his biological father, Shu Lingchen added: "So now he's especially strong."

Pei Muyin shook her head and said: "I won't hold it against you."

Shu Lingchen also lost the mood to play games, unintentionally glancing toward Shu Shu's bedroom.

His inner self was collapsing—Mom, please don't sleep anymore; if you keep sleeping, he really won't be able to hold it in and will spill the beans!

"Sis, what's going on?"

"Why did she suddenly turn into a 'hundred thousand questions'!"

Just as Shu Lingchen feared his sister would ask him another life-or-death question, Pei Muyin didn't ask anything else and turned her attention back to the game.

It seemed as if all of that had merely been a fleeting curiosity.

Shu Lingchen let out a sigh of relief.

After fumbling through that round, he said he was going to the restroom.

Pei Muyin put down her phone.

She watched the boy's disappearing direction; regarding the doubt in her heart, she already had a rough assessment.

In this world, there has never been unconditional, selfless good for no reason.

It's nothing more than two possibilities.

Either malicious intent with an agenda, or unknown kindness.

Pei Muyin unhesitatingly ruled out malice, leaving only kindness.

…

That evening.

While on a business trip abroad, Pei Du received a phone call from his daughter.

"Muyin."

"Dad, are you busy?"

Pei Du held the phone without lifting his head, made a gesture for a ten‑minute break, then got up and went to the partition.

"Not busy."

"……"

The line fell silent for several seconds; Pei Muyin didn't speak, and Pei Du didn't urge her, just waited patiently.

"Dad."

The girl's confused, tiny voice came through.

"Suppose one day you encounter something extraordinarily unimaginable, so unimaginable it's beyond belief, yet undeniably true—what would you do?"

It was daytime on Pei Du's side.

The man stood tall by the floor‑to‑ceiling window, his dark eyelashes flickering; in an instant, the shift of emotion in his eyes seemed to make him understand something.

Soon after, he spoke.

Specific questions usually have a targeted nature; others' answers have no reference value, Muyin—you must go with your own answer.

Pei Muyin's answer—

"I want to believe."

"Then firmly choose to believe."

Again, silence fell for a moment.

Pei Muyin asked, "Dad, did you already know?"

No blame intended.

"Believe that Muyin already had an answer before asking this question."