Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1309, Section 529: Let's Be Honest: Monkey Moss is Online!

Was that bragging? No, it was a young boy's wish for summer!
However.-
Oh no, oh no, oh no!

How to do?
Little Tiger is really in trouble this time.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and practice, stop thinking about going out to play tomorrow!"

The teacher's urging voice came from the living room, and Wang Xiaohu responded by plucking the keys on the piano.

The sound of a piano filled the study, but his thoughts drifted back to a summer afternoon last year.

[Monkey: Wow! You agreed?]

[Wang Xiaohu: Not yet.]

[Monkey: Why don't I agree?! You described her so well!]

[Wang Xiaohu: She's just that good!]

[Monkey: Then why don't you agree? Don't you like her?]

[Wang Xiaohu: Hey, you don't understand.]

[Monkey: If I knew, why would I be asking you?! Tell me already!]

[Wang Xiaohu: In short, this kind of thing is not that simple; we are still too young.]

[Monkey: As expected of Tiger! Can I see her picture?]

Wang Xiaohu: No way.

[Monkey: Let me see! I don't even know where Shengli Street Elementary School is!]

[Wang Xiaohu: You should have seen her photo; I posted a picture of us together on my WeChat Moments.]

[Monkey exclaims in surprise: Is that your piano classmate?]

After a long silence, Wang Xiaohu nodded.

[Monkey: Xiao Bei!!]

[Wang Xiaohu: Are you crazy?! Xiao Bei is at Yudong Experimental School!]

[Monkey: Who else did you post about? Ah! It wasn't a car, was it? That's impossible.]

[Wang Xiaohu: Why is it impossible!?]

[Monkey: Didn't you say she was an intelligent robot that could only practice playing the piano?]

Wang Xiaohu: .

[Monkey: Did she really confess her feelings to you? I don't quite believe it.]

Little Tiger clearly remembers that when faced with the monkey's questioning, he nodded through gritted teeth.

Looking back on this now, he is very annoyed by his childish behavior at the time.

He doesn't yet understand that his behavior last year was a form of fantasy compensation—gaining emotional satisfaction that he lacked in reality through a fake "confession" scenario.

It is a form of self-affirmation and a way to alleviate cognitive dissonance.

All he wants now is to find a secluded spot, dig a hole, and crawl inside.
Just then, someone asked, "What are you playing?"

The teacher's voice came from the living room again, and Wang Xiaohu immediately stopped and stood up, "Teacher, my stomach is a little uncomfortable."

He then pretended to have a stomachache and walked out of the study, saying, "Teacher, I need to go to the toilet."

Li An, sitting on the sofa, glanced at Wang Xiaohu's sweaty face without saying anything, but simply raised his hand and waved it to signal him to hurry up.

"Thank you, teacher!"

Little Tiger rushed straight to the bathroom, startling Ba Wan, who was lying at the door.

Upon entering the bathroom, Wang Xiaohu locked the door and paced back and forth for a moment before taking out his phone to send a message to Monkey.

Sorry bro, it's not that I wanted to stand you up, it's just that you know way too much.

He couldn't continue editing the information halfway through.

Sure! I'm available anytime, it just depends on your schedule.

I still have 257 yuan left. My mom only gave me 500 yuan of my New Year's money this year, and I haven't spent it all except for buying a basketball last week. If it's not enough, I can use it when I go to my grandma's house for dinner the day after tomorrow. I know where she keeps her money.

Yesterday, Monkey gave him a very touching speech on the phone, mainly because he knew that Monkey was truly daring.

And what about him?
After much thought, Wang Xiaohu finally decided to confess to the monkey, intending to make up for his lie with concrete actions.

Ah!
He called the monkey after he finished practicing the piano!

Looking at himself in the mirror, Little Tiger nodded firmly.

"Wow—"

Rinse with water.
-
When Wang Xiaohu returned to the living room, Li An asked with concern, "Are you feeling better? Is it because you drank something cold earlier?"

"Okay, teacher," Wang Xiaohu shook his head and grinned, "I ate too much at noon."

Seeing that Wang Xiaohu was alright, Li An was relieved. "It's good that you're alright. Go practice."

For the next two hours, Wang Xiaohu was not disturbed by any emotions and even practiced with more enthusiasm than he had that morning.

Time flew by and it was 17:30 PM. Wang Xiaohu packed up his sheet music and left the study. "Teacher, I'm leaving now."

How are you going to your maternal grandma's house?

Ang Lee escorted Wang Xiaohu to the entrance.

“My mom’s driving,” Wang Xiaohu replied. “Goodbye, teacher!”

“Take this back to your uncle,” Li An said, picking up the paper bag from the entryway cabinet and handing it to Wang Xiaohu.

"Thank you, teacher!" Wang Xiaohu didn't stand on ceremony, took the bag, and glanced down to see that there should be two packs of cigarettes inside. "Teacher, are you going tomorrow?"

Ang Lee: "Then I'll go."

Wang Xiaohu: Uh

Lee An-lo: "He never tells the truth, not even once in a day."

Wang Xiaohu: "I didn't!"

Ang Lee: "I've already told your mom. I might take you there tomorrow, or she might. We'll see. You can ask Hou Ruizhe later, but you must let his parents know."

Wang Xiaohu: "Don't worry, teacher! Goodbye, teacher!"
-
On the way to his maternal grandmother's house, Wang Xiaohu texted Monkey and chatted with his mother at the same time.

Monkey: Happy Valley? You dare ride the roller coaster?

Wang Xiaohu: Stop talking nonsense! Just tell me if you're going or not!

Monkey: Go for it! I haven't been there in ages! Then I won't be able to play ball or watch movies!
moment.

Wang Xiaohu: Where are you now?
Monkey: My grandma's house, where are you?

Wang Xiaohu: What a coincidence, I'm also going to my grandma's house soon. Let's play a game at Xinglong tonight?

Monkey: I'm going home to get the ball now!

Wang Xiaohu: No need, I have a ball. You should quickly ask your dad if he agrees to let you go tomorrow!
Monkey: My dad said he'll take us there tomorrow!

Wang Xiaohu grinned: I've already talked to my mom, she'll take us there tomorrow, see you at Xinglong at 7:30!
After putting down his phone, Tiger let out a long sigh. He planned to have a good chat with Monkey after playing basketball that night.

Xu Li: "Why didn't Liu Fengrui go?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Like Xiao Bei, he has to attend summer school in the afternoon, so I guess he can't go."

Xu Li: "What about Qiao Zhizhi?"

Wang Xiaohu: "She went to Guangzhou to see some art exhibition and won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

His mother reminded him that Wang Xiaohu felt he still needed to ask around in the group.

Before asking any questions, he had to send Arlene a message to "smooth things over" first.

One minute later.

Wang Xiaohu: Thank you, Car God!!! Did you ask Xiao Bei and the others?
Ten minutes later, Wang Xiaohu finally received a reply.

Lin: Xiao Bei has tutoring this afternoon, Zhi Zhi isn't in Chengdu, and my senior sister needs to prepare her repertoire for her teacher's exam. Ask A Liu and Ma Ke.
Wang Xiaohu: Okay! You two are done practicing?
Lin: Not yet, let's continue after we finish eating. Are you no longer being difficult?

Like being struck by a cold arrow, Wang Xiaohu felt a chill run down his spine; he thought he had gotten away with it.
Wang Xiaohu: I admit I was wrong, okay?!

Then I selected a pleading emoji and sent it over.

moment.

Seeing Arlene's reply with the emoji of the little rabbit angrily throwing a carrot, Wang Xiaohu instantly relaxed.
-
Tonight's dinner is exceptionally lavish.

The feast was so abundant that Wang Xiaohu couldn't help but wonder what day it was.

There was so much chicken, duck, fish, and meat on the table that it was almost overflowing.

"Eat quickly, aren't you going to play ball later?"

Before Xu Li could finish speaking, Xiao Hu's grandmother objected, "Why are you rushing him?" She then turned to her grandson and smiled again, "Eat slowly, there's no rush."

"Grandma, you've worked so hard," Wang Xiaohu said, picking up a piece of pork rib and putting it in his mouth. The familiar taste made him grin. "Grandma's pork ribs are still the best!"

"Eat more if you like it," Grandma Xiaohu said, feeling a pang of sadness as she watched her grandson wolf down his food. The thought of not seeing him again soon made her feel even worse.

Recently, the old lady has been dreaming about her grandson during her afternoon nap.

Upon learning that her grandson was coming over for dinner, the old lady got up early and started preparing all the dishes her grandson liked.

"Mom, you should eat too," Uncle Xiaohu quickly reminded his mother when he noticed she was a little out of sorts.

"Eat, eat," Grandma Tiger said, picking up her rice bowl. "Let's take a family photo another day."

Grandpa Tiger exclaimed, "Great idea!"

Aunt: "Wasn't the last time we took these photos the year before last?"

Xu Li: "I almost missed my flight."

Wang Xiaohu: "You left your suitcase at the photo studio."

The whole family laughed.

Uncle Xiaohu: "It's time to take a picture, let's go then."

Xu Li: "Mid-August, after his summer camp ends."

Wang Xiaohu: "I'm fine with anything, I'll be in Chengdu this year anyway."

Grandma Xiaohu: "Listen to your mother, wait until your summer camp is over."

Wang Xiaohu: "Okay, Grandma."

Although the dishes were all his favorites, Wang Xiaohu was preoccupied with tomorrow's schedule. After finishing a bowl of rice, he got up, wiped his mouth, and prepared to leave.

"I'll serve you more rice," Aunt Xiaohu said, standing up as well.

"I'm full, Auntie," Wang Xiaohu patted his stomach, "I'm off!"

Grandma Tiger: Be careful while playing!

"OK!"

A door slammed shut, and a brief silence fell over the dinner table.

Grandpa Tiger: "Eat, Ailing, have some more."

Aunt Xiaohu: "Hey, Dad, let me go heat up the soup again."

Xu Li stood up: "Sister-in-law, I'll eat. You eat yours."

Just then, Grandma Xiaohu sighed, "How about we wait another year, or even half a year?"

Before Grandpa Xiaohu could speak, Xu Li spoke first, "No," and then took the soup bowl to the kitchen.

Uncle Xiaohu: "Go early and come back early. Besides, you'll worry if Lizi is with you."

Grandma Tiger: "Go early and come back early. What if he doesn't want to come back later?"

Uncle Xiaohu: "Isn't that a good thing? His major is only in demand abroad."

Aunt Xiaohu: "Don't say anymore, Mom. Don't worry. Nobody can predict the future. As long as he's okay and healthy, it doesn't matter where he is. Planes are so fast these days. You guys went there just like that last year."

Grandpa Tiger: "Alright, stop talking about it. Let's not discuss this today. Let's eat."
-
after an hour.

Xinglong Gymnasium.

Amidst the intermingling of players on several courts, Wang Xiaohu dribbled, accelerated, stepped onto the three-point line, turned, jumped, and launched a floater!
"Bang!"

The ball fell into the basket with a beautiful arc!
"nice shot!"

The monkey rushed up and gave Tiger a high five.

It's that easy!
Wang Xiaohu won another game in the 3V3 match, but he didn't feel a sense of accomplishment because the players on his court were all elementary school students.

"One more game?" The chubby guy on the other side was still not convinced after losing five games in a row.

But this time Wang Xiaohu refused, saying, "Next time, next time."

Raising your hand isn't an apology, it's a sign that you still have a lot of practice, little brother.

After the two left the court, they went to the rest area on the sidelines. Wang Xiaohu scanned the code and took out two bottles of electrolyte water from the freezer.

"It's so cool!"

The monkey was still a bit unsatisfied, saying, "Playing ball with anyone else is never as fun as playing with you!"

"What if we were opponents?" Wang Xiaohu chuckled as he tossed a bottle of water to the monkey.

"We can't possibly be a match for them!" The monkey took the bottle, unscrewed it, and gulped down a mouthful.

“That makes sense.” Wang Xiaohu sat down opposite the monkey, and after a moment, said, “Monkey.”

The monkey was taken aback. Seeing Wang Xiaohu's expression suddenly turn serious, he subconsciously asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Wang Xiaohu paused for a moment, then said, "There's something I need to apologize to you for."

An apology? The monkey was completely bewildered and asked again, "What's wrong with you?"

Wang Xiaohu: "There's something I shouldn't have lied to you about."

The monkey became serious: "Which one are you talking about?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Do you still remember Che Lin?"

Monkey: "I remember her, what happened to her?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Do you remember what I told you last year? About her."

Monkey: "Of course, you said she confessed her feelings to you."

Wang Xiaohu's cheeks flushed, and he forced out three words: "It's fake."

The monkey grinned: "I knew it!"

Wang Xiaohu: "Uh, why don't you believe me?"

Monkey: "When you said that, your tone was just like when you lied to your teacher. Usually, you're just bragging."

How to describe the relationship between the monkey and Wang Xiaohu? Simply put, they are so familiar with each other that they can communicate without language.

Wang Xiaohu: "Okay."

"So what happened? What happened?" Monkey didn't believe that Wang Xiaohu would apologize to him specifically for something like this.

moment.

Wang Xiaohu: "I haven't told you yet, but there are four of us going to Happy Valley together tomorrow."

The monkey instantly understood: "Besides Che Lin, who else could it be? Xiao Bei? A Liu? Or Marco? Could it be Sister Qiao?"

Wang Xiaohu: "No, it's the teacher's new student, named Tang Xiaoxing, a very capable female student. It's just the four of us. Don't joke about this tomorrow."

The monkey was speechless: "How could I possibly... but..."

Wang Xiaohu frowned: "But what?"

The monkey revealed a wise smile: "Why did you say back then that Che Lin confessed her feelings to you?"

Wang Xiaohu was momentarily speechless, and at that moment, the monkey's wide eyes caught what he wanted from Wang Xiaohu's face.

"unless--"

The monkey had transformed into a monkey Holmes, staring intently at his best friend who dared not meet his gaze, and then confidently pointed to the opposite side of the freezer:

"Unless you liked her at the time! And really liked her!"

moment.

Wang Xiaohu sighed softly. He had never intended to hide it from Monkey in the first place, and he even felt an indescribable joy when he heard Monkey say those words.

"Yes, you're right, I really liked her back then!"

As he spoke, Little Tiger went all out, "Not just back then, I still really like her now, I like her a lot, how so?"

The monkey shrugged: "I believe you. The fact that you dare to look me in the eye when you say that proves you're not lying."

Wang Xiaohu: "Aren't you surprised at all?"

The monkey stopped pretending, lifted its bottom, and sat down next to Wang Xiaohu: "Tell me about it!"

Wang Xiaohu pulled out a chair to keep his distance from the monkey and warned, "We'll talk about that later. For now, since you already know, you must be careful about your words and actions tomorrow."

The monkey sneered, "Don't worry, I know exactly what you're thinking."

Wang Xiaohu's anus tightened: "Get out! That's not what I meant!"

The monkey gave a wicked smile: "See? I knew what you were thinking. Leave it to me."