Chapter 178: Who are you?

Three days before the winter break ended, Shu Shu and the two kids returned to An Shi.

After this semester started, it was the only remaining term of high school for all graduating students, and everyone threw themselves wholeheartedly into final review.

During this period, the school had something honorable.

In Class 1 of the graduating class, a student named Shi Jin won gold medals in two consecutive provincial math competitions, was recommended early to a well-known science and technology university, and the school specially held a celebration ceremony for him.

Because Shu Lingchen had his awakening late, although he progressed rapidly, his stability was weak, and he occasionally showed subject bias in several tests.

He wanted to make up for what he had fallen behind on, so Shu Shu and Pei Muyin took turns catching him during weekend evenings and evening self-study to fill the gaps.

Meanwhile, Pei Du's free time suddenly increased; he stayed in An Shi, no longer traveled for work, and handled any work online.

Thereafter, the routine was basically Pei Du driving the three to school in the morning, waiting across the road after their evening self-study, and on weekends preparing three meals a day upstairs while they stayed home.

The temperature rose day by day, as their thick down jackets gradually turned into thin short sleeves, and the graduation exams arrived in the noisy, hot summer of cicadas.

The three-day exams ended in a stretch that felt both long and fleeting.

The graduating students raised their snow-white draft papers and loudly announced they had reached the end of their high school journey.

That evening.

Class 12 held a full-class gathering.

In the KTV, Bo Luo Zai sang 'Brother Hug,' his heart-wrenching singing hurt the ears, prompting everyone to unable to stand it and rush up to beat him.

After finally finishing the song with some stumbles, Bo Luo Zai grabbed the microphone, and his sincere voice amplified from the speakers, saying the thing he was most grateful for was meeting Shu Lingchen.

"During that time I was sick and taking medicine, skinny as a monkey, stopped by upperclassmen demanding money, scared half to death, it was you, Brother Chen, who punched them away with a few blows—really, Brother Chen, I, Zhao Heping, will never forget you as a brother!"

"..." Shu Lingchen listened with a look of disdain: "Damn, those who don't know might think you're trying to send me off."

Everyone laughed together: "Hahahahaha."

Bo Luo Zai hurriedly said: "No, I mean, Brother Chen, your kindness means a lot to me—"

"Ah, fine." Although he complained with his mouth, Shu Lingchen openly put an arm around Bo Luo Zai's shoulders: "I get what you mean, tch, why all this mushy stuff? It's not like we'll never see each other again after today."

He paused, his tone turning somewhat serious, and added: "Even if we can't see each other every day like now in the future, we'll always be good buddies, good friends, got it?"

After today, everyone here will embark on the same or different new starting points; regardless of whether we continue to cross paths later, we won't forget having met.

"So, let's raise our glasses and wish each other well!"

The gathering ended not too late, and Pei Du came to pick them up.

Parking lot.

The boy who had just been carefree didn't even get in the car before hugging Pei Du's arm and wailing loudly.

"Lao Pei, I feel awful; I used to think time passed slowly, wishing I could manually split seconds—how did it just blink and graduation happened?"

"From now on, after class we can't go to the snack shop together anymore, and no one will snatch my braised pork..."

Shu Shu explained: "He's drunk."

Probably because the end of the graduation exams signified becoming adults, everyone tacitly cracked open some beer.

The silly roe deer is just reluctant to part with friends.

Pei Muyin also drank a little beer; compared to Shu Lingchen's noisiness, she quietly and obediently leaned on Shu Shu's shoulder.

Pei Du pulled out a tissue to wipe his son's tears; Shu Lingchen cooperatively turned his face, speaking in a muffled voice: "There are still two eyes here, thanks."

"Come, turkey baby, look this way."

Shu Shu's free hand somehow pulled out a phone, aimed it at Shu Lingchen; the boy who was called immediately twisted his head from the front passenger seat, his eye corners still wet, seeing the lens, he instinctively made a 'yeah' gesture.

"Click."

"Record son's crying moment +1."

Pei Du looked at Shu Shu, his dark eyes slightly thoughtful; Shu Shu, intrigued, was appreciating the photo on her phone, sensed his gaze, she lifted her eyes, paused a second, and blurted:

"You, want one too?"

Before Pei Du could respond, Shu Lingchen grabbed his hand, the boy lifted the man's two clearly knuckled fingers together and again made a 'yeah' gesture toward the camera, grinning widely.

"Hehe, eggplant~"

Crying and laughing, he really is quite drunk.

…

Returned to Imperial Scenic Garden 1600.

Pei Du brought his son into the bedroom to settle him, and just as he closed the door he ran into Shu Shu, who was also coming out of her room.

Shu Shu silently walked toward the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?"

Pei Du asked while following her, rolling up his sleeves, and asked what she wanted to eat.

Shu Shu: "Not hungry, make honey water."

Pei Du stood beside Shu Shu, lowering his gaze to look at her with a hint of inquiry; he had this same look in the parking lot earlier.

As if understanding Pei Du's meaning, Shu Shu kept her usual expression: "I'm not drunk."

Pei Du spoke up to remind: "Yinyin, you're holding salt."

"Really?" Hearing this, Shu Shu was surprised, immediately lifted the cup into which three big spoonfuls of salt had been scooped, held it up to examine closely, and muttered to herself: "I said, why does this honey look so white."

"Let me do it."

Pei Du extended his hand toward Shu Shu; she hesitated, blinked, then asked seriously: "Um, do you know honey?"

"... Mm."

Only then did Shu Shu hand the cup to Pei Du and walk out of the kitchen.

Boiling the water would take only a few minutes; after Pei Du brewed the honey water and came out, he looked around—everything was empty—and finally found the person in the unlit living room.

On one side of the sofa, the person who claimed not to be drunk was curled up on a pillow, breathing evenly, already asleep.

Pei Du walked over, bent down, and spoke softly: "Yinyin."

The original intention was to shout to wake them and have them go back to the room to sleep, but Shu Shu didn't respond.

Pei Du glanced at the indoor thermometer; the reading was comfortable, so he walked over, pulled the blanket from the side of the sofa, and was about to cover Shu Shu with it.

The wrist was grabbed.

Pei Du lowered his gaze and met Shu Shu's cold, peach-blossom eyes; he heard her utter two words, full of caution: 'Who are you.'

"Pei Du."

As the words fell, the restraint on his wrist instantly loosened; she withdrew her hand, closed her eyes again, and continued to sleep.

"……"

Pei Du's hand hovered in the air for several seconds, then he covered Shu Shu with the blanket.

He half-crouched beside the sofa, his gaze calmly studying her peaceful, fair side profile; his mind replayed the image from just moments ago after he spoke his name, when her guarded look faded in her eyes, his eyelids twitched, and an unfathomable emotion stirred in the depths of his dark pupils.

The spacious living room had only the bright kitchen light as its source of illumination; all around was quiet.

After a long while, he tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"If it's Pei Du, then it's fine, right?"

No one answered, but… perhaps no answer was needed.

One week after the graduation exam ended, the performance troupe for Mr. Mingzhuo's work entered formal rehearsal.

Besides the violin, the opening section also includes piano.

Pei Muyin met the piano teacher—Su Yuexian, a renowned piano performer; she is not a member of the Berlin Su Orchestra, and it is said that Mr. Mingzhuo specially invited her after three visits for this performance.

Su Yuexian is forty-one years old this year; her resume from childhood to present can be described in four words: 'radiant and brilliant'.

She is one of the few internationally renowned female musicians, yet she has no pretension, speaking softly and slowly, especially like a kind-hearted older sister next door.

Upon their first meeting, she gave Pei Muyin a friendly hug.

The initial stage of rehearsal did not go very smoothly.

When practicing alone, Pei Muyin was completely fine, but problems arose in the part where she had to coordinate with Su Yuexian.

Mr. Mingzhuo rested his palm on his chin and called for a stop four times in a row, each time saying it was not right.

Su Yuexian patiently cooperated with Pei Muyin over and over, and also comforted her, saying not to rush, to take it slowly.

Pei Muyin understood the importance of the opening and did not want to hold back the group; after returning home, she used all her free time to repeatedly practice along with Su Yuexian's recording.

"Sis, you've lost weight."

At the dining table, Shu Lingchen stared at Pei Muyin.

Pei Muyin froze for a second: 'Really?'

"My eyes are the ruler." Shu Lingchen made a makeshift magnifying glass with his hands, placed it before his eyes, and told his sister: "You've definitely lost weight; if you don't believe me, ask Mom."

Shu Shu looked at her daughter and asked: 'Has the rehearsal schedule been very tense lately?'

"Not bad."

Pei Muyin shook her head, saying it was her own problem; her rhythm was slightly off, unable to keep up with the ensemble's pianist teacher.

Shu Shu's expression became thoughtful.

The next day, an extra piano appeared in the home music room.

Pei Muyin wondered: 'What is this?'

"Practicing with a real person should be a bit more immersive than practicing with a recording." Shu Shu sat at the piano, lifted the lid, and smiled: "Baby, let me try practicing with you."

"……" She had thought that knowing her mother could play the violin would be enough to surprise Pei Muyin, but she hadn't expected her mother to also play the piano.

"I haven't touched it in a long time, so I'm quite rusty."

Not at all.

Pei Muyin silently denied it in her heart, watching her mother's familiar motions as she lightly touched the piano, her slender hands fluttering like agile butterflies across the black and white keys.

A graceful, delicate piano sound drifted slowly forth.

Shu Shu had asked her daughter for the name of the ensemble's piano teacher; online there are many videos of Su Yuexian collaborating on violin, and she downloaded some to listen to.

Su Yuexian's performance style is like her music—gentle yet carrying a layered, penetrating resonance that seeps in silently, moistening all things.

Shu Shu guessed that for smooth practice, her daughter must have listened to plenty of Su Yuexian's audio; when they reached a certain interlude, she lifted her eyes to meet her daughter's gaze and smiled.

What she meant to convey went without saying.

Pei Muyin's expression was dazed; as if encouraged, the light in her eyes gathered and brightened, she raised her hand, placed the bow on the strings, and drew it.

Originally a solitary piano note, halfway through it met the violin sound; they merged without any hindrance, lightly and freely.

Ensemble playing is the mutual touching of souls between musicians.

Having heard her daughter play the violin, Shu Shu knew that the point where she likely got stuck was due to her lack of experience playing alongside pianists; from the start, she was either facing a famous musician or a renowned pianist, leaving no room for laxity.

Sometimes, when facing an important matter, the more one strives to do well, the more their nerves tighten, causing them to lose the precious sense of ease that comes from relaxation.

Shu Shu felt that her daughter merely lacked a bit of confidence.

So she helped her find it.

This is not a solemn, grand theater; it's at home, where Pei Muyin forgot all constraints, leaving only the melody in her mind and ears.

The two people in the music room were single‑minded, fully absorbed, failing to notice that a pair of eyes was watching them.

To be precise, it was a pair of eyes and a camera.

Shu Lingchen held up his phone, transmitting the scene before him to the other end of the video; both sides silently maintained their quiet, afraid to speak and disturb.

"…"

Night fell.

Pei Muyin's heart remained unsettled for a long time; after lying down for a while she still felt no sleepiness, her gaze clear.

Shu Shu asked: 'What's wrong?'

Pei Muyin embraced Shu Shu's arm, stayed silent for a moment, then softly lamented: 'There's a feeling of great regret.'

She said, "Mom, do you know? When you were just playing the piano, your whole person seemed to be glowing, especially radiant."

Only by appearing on stage and receiving attention could such radiance be justified.

Otherwise, it would truly be a pity.

After hearing her, Shu Shu said to her daughter in a relaxed tone: "I remember when I was learning piano and violin, the teachers I found were all very professional; I studied seriously, practicing day and night, and my classmates and friends thought I was training like that to compete and win awards."

"Actually, I never had that idea; I just wanted to learn it."

"Mastering a skill doesn't have to be demonstrated in front of people to be meaningful; take piano, for example—some learn it to play for those they cherish, some to cultivate their temperament, and of course some to step onto the stage and gain attention."

"In short, no matter what the reason—" Shu Shu helped her daughter tuck the hair by her cheek behind her ear, then told her: "As long as it pleases yourself, it's meaningful; just do what you want to do."

…

From that day on, Pei Muyin's rehearsals with Su Yuexian became visibly smooth.

Mr. Mingzhuo's brows relaxed more each day than the day before.

After the ensuing twenty-day closed-door rehearsal, the entire performance troupe headed to M Country.

That day.

The Central Music Hall, famed as having the world's top-tier sound equipment, was splendid and packed to capacity.

The girl wore a suit dress, her hair tied into a low ponytail at the back, her slender arms holding the violin and bow; her violin sound alternated between soft and powerful, blending intensely with Su Yuexian's piano, and finally became an inseparable part of the whole performance troupe without any sense of incongruity.

She stood under the spotlight, with no trace of the timidity and shrinking she had shown over a year ago.

Her whole person was bright and radiant.

After this splendid performance, many people will remember "violinist Pei Muyin."

…

The performance ended.

Pei Muyin almost burst into tears as she flung herself into Shu Shu's embrace—"Mom, I did it!"

After they finished hugging, Pei Du handed her a bouquet; the upright man with dark eyes gazed warmly, his lips curved, and congratulated her: "You were amazing."

"Thank you, Dad!"

Pei Muyin smiled and took it with both hands.

Shu Lingchen was even more excited than she herself: "Sis, if the occasion had been appropriate, I would have cheered for you—you're simply fantastic!"

"Thank you, big brother!"

Shu Lingchen said: "Such a moment worth commemorating must be photographed!"

Saying that, the youth pulled out his phone and called for a group photo.

"Adults stand in the back, kids in the front."

Then he and his sister went to stand in the front row themselves, and he asked a passerby to help take the picture.

Pleasemoveclosertogether.

The passerby kindly reminded them that the four of them could stand a little closer.

"Click."

The passerby lowered his head to look at the photo and couldn't help exclaiming, saying it was truly a pleasing family.

After the four of them finished taking the group photo.

They began discussing where to go later to eat something delicious to celebrate.

Just then, Pei Du's phone vibrated with a work call; he raised the phone to signal, stepped slightly aside, and answered.

All that could be heard was the excited, somewhat incoherent voice of his special assistant Zhou Zhi: "Pei, President Pei, my father has been found; we're now on our way out—"