My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 38 Old Times, Roasted Marshmallows
"!"

The moment Cheng Shuangjiang appeared, the DVD playback was paused.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to, I really didn't know."

Lu Bai put down the remote control and looked over somewhat guiltily.

"Maybe I should go back and get some equipment to check it myself."

She got up to take out the disc.

"It's okay, let's watch it together."

Cheng Shuang responded with a smile.

"We're so lucky! We even got to see Ah-He play the piano!"

"."

Not a lie.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bai stopped what he was doing, sat back down in his chair, and continued playing.

Under the spotlight, Cheng Shuangjiang's hair was pulled up, with only a few strands falling beside her ears, complementing the pearl earrings on her earlobes. She wore only light makeup, yet she was so dazzling that even with the DVD's somewhat poor picture quality, it was hard to look away.

She wore a light blue strapless gown that revealed her beautiful collarbones. The double-layered, semi-transparent skirt showed off her slender calves, paired with a pair of dark blue high heels adorned with cornflowers, and the red rope wrapped around her ankles was faintly visible.

Cheng Shuangjiang's expression was arrogant and confident, with a dazzling brilliance that was hard to look directly at. In fact, Zhou Heming felt that even if the power went out in the Grand Theater and the spotlights went out, she would still shine brightly.

I stole a glance at the girl beside me; she was gentle, bright, and cheerful, completely different from the girl on stage.

However, her scarred left hand quietly grasped Zhou Heming's right hand.

Without hesitation, he grasped her hand, their fingers intertwined, their ten fingers clasped together, thus giving her the strength to face the past.

Ultimately, there are still some things that are hard to let go of, aren't there?

On television, after bowing to the audience, Cheng Shuangjiang sat down at the piano.

In the center of the grand theater, where thousands of audience members, including leaders and celebrities, gathered, the sixteen-year-old girl began her solo performance.

The song is titled "A Maiden's Prayer".

The prelude, like the solemn tolling of church bells, begins, followed by gentle arpeggios and vibrato that outline a melodious tune, like that of a beautiful young girl—joyful, clear, and innocent.

The performance continued, variations appeared, and the melody became deeper, like the melancholy of youth, inexhaustible and unsolvable, like weeping and lamenting. At times, cheerful rhythms would emerge, but it was ultimately not as carefree as at the beginning.

Then, accompanied by a triplet, the passionate, stirring, and profound melody resounds once more, like the sky clearing after the rain, pushing the entire piece to its final climax. Immediately following, an octave legato, like a young girl's cry, encapsulates all the emotions within, before returning to silence.

As the music ended, the girl froze in place, and the entire audience fell silent.

Without a doubt, her playing was so beautiful that even the gods were impressed.

Immediately, applause rang out, and Cheng Shuangjiang in the film stood up, greeted the crowd, and walked off the stage.

"The Maiden's Prayer, a piano piece composed by the Polish musical genius Badadewska when she was eighteen years old."

Lu Bai muttered to himself.

On the television, the concert was still going on, but Lu Bai seemed to be still immersed in the performance and was a little lost in thought. It wasn't until the end of another piece that she managed to squeeze out a somewhat relieved smile amidst the applause.

Even Zhou Heming, who knows almost nothing about music, could tell that Cheng Shuangjiang's performance was absolutely flawless, even though the sound was somewhat distorted due to the DVD compression.

She seemed to have become that innocent young girl, and the piano was her long-awaited lover. Her fingers fell on the black and white keys, not to play, but to caress.

Even without knowing the background of the composition or who the composer was, Zhou Heming was able to depict the scenes conveyed by the music and the longing it contained.

Only then did he truly understand why Cheng Shuangjiang and Lu Bai had disagreements about the performance.

in short.

Cheng Shuangjiang can do it.

She can fully unleash all the thoughts in the music, completely drawing the audience into the melody. These pieces are all timeless masterpieces, and even a simple reproduction of them is enough to move people's hearts.

As a mortal, Lu Bai can only please the audience and gain praise and recognition by playing melodies that suit their tastes.

Even so, Lu Bai probably tried his best to figure it out, think about it, and practice.

however.

The painstaking efforts of ordinary people cannot compare to the momentary whim of a genius.

"This makes me, who practices piano in the classroom every day, feel like I'm showing off my limited skills in front of an expert."

She said it with a self-deprecating tone.

He was truly broken down, but it was by the girl next to him.

However, Lu Bai did not become discouraged. Instead, he immediately took out his phone and began typing.

"what are you doing?"

Zhou Heming couldn't help but glance over.

"Record your feelings, sensations, micro-expressions, and body language at this moment, because that's our goal."

She grinned, revealing a genuinely happy smile.

Zhou Heming suddenly realized.

Cheng Shuangjiang is right.

He and Lu Bai are essentially the same kind of people.

Not a genius, but an ordinary person who can use the suffering and hardship he has endured as nourishment for his creations.

"Does it sound good?"

Then, the once-genius girl looked at herself with expectant eyes.

"It's so good that I'd want to be reborn in my first year of high school and knock on your door."

"Then you have to remember to give me the secret code, otherwise I might think you're a pervert when I'm sixteen."

"What's the code?"

"The first piece of music I learned was 'Canon in D Major'!"

The sound seemed to enter Zhou Heming's ears like an elegant piano piece.

I will never forget it.

Zhou Heming nodded.

"Tsk, tsk."

Lu Bai had just finished recording his performance notes when he heard the sweet nothings whispered between the young couple next door, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

She had a bag of cotton candy that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and she had just popped one into her mouth.

"Even these cotton candies aren't as cloying as you two. Do you want some?"

Lu Bai handed over the packaging bag and asked.

Zhou Heming originally intended to reach out and give one to Cheng Shuangjiang, but suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Speaking of which, is there anywhere around here where we can start a fire?"

"What?"

Lu Bai was somewhat confused by this seemingly random statement.

"Yes! There should be a barbecue restaurant on the other side of the square, with charcoal grills over there."

Immediately, Cheng Shuangjiang stood up, seemingly understanding Zhou Heming's intentions.

"Is this also your code?"

Lu Bai was completely bewildered.

Would you like to try some roasted marshmallows?

Zhou Heming also got up.

"Roasted marshmallows. Can you eat them?" Lu Bai looked at the marshmallow in his hand.

"Come on, give it a try, Ah Bai."

Cheng Shuangjiang had already grabbed Lu Bai's hand.

"Abai?"

Lu Bai couldn't refuse the girl whose eyes were full of expectation, so he could only let her lead him out of the used bookstore.

Zhou Heming nodded to the boss and followed.

As Cheng Shuangjiang said, on the other side of the square, near the main street, there was a barbecue restaurant, but it didn't seem to have much business. The owner was sitting idly next to the charcoal stove, scrolling through his phone.

"Boss, could I borrow your charcoal stove?"

Cheng Shuangjiang stepped forward without fear to inquire.

"It's not open for business yet."

The shop owner, who was in his forties, instinctively refused and looked up from the short video, but when he saw Cheng Shuangjiang and Lu Bai, he paused.

"We'll only use a little bit; if it's really not enough, that's fine too~"

The light and soft voice of a young girl is something even a forty-year-old man would find hard to resist.

"Then, you can use this."

The shop owner pointed to a barbecue charcoal grill near the outside, got up and lit it, making the charcoal glow red-hot.

Sitting back down in his chair, the shop owner glanced at Zhou Heming.

I felt a little envious.

How do you bake it?

Lu Bai was curious.

Zhou Heming took a new barbecue skewer, stuck a piece of marshmallow on it, placed it on the charcoal fire, rotated it slightly, and then immediately pulled it back to check its condition before continuing to stick it out, repeating the action.

"Where did you learn that?"

Lu Bai is from Sichuan. In winter, he usually roasts orange peels by the fire pit. This is the first time he has ever seen roasted marshmallows.

"Eating it can restore your blood."

Zhou Heming acted as if it were a serious matter.

"?"

Lu Bai had no idea what he was up to, but he saw that the cotton candy, under the high temperature, seemed to have a wonderful texture of being crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

"Here's your cotton candy, you try it first."

Zhou Heming handed the skewers to Lu Bai, and then grilled two more skewers in quick succession.

Looking at the marshmallow on the bamboo skewer, Lu Bai took a bite with some skepticism.

"It's actually quite delicious."

The toasted marshmallows have a slightly hard exterior, like caramel, with a subtle bitterness. The interior melts a bit due to the heat, making them even sweeter.

Ordinary marshmallows, after being baked, have different layers of texture and flavor.

"Oops, it's burnt."

Zhou Heming's second attempt was somewhat unsuccessful; he didn't control the heat well, and one of the marshmallows caught fire, much to Cheng Shuangjiang's disappointment.

"It's okay, Lu Bai still has cotton candy."

Zhou Heming threw the burning cotton candy into the charcoal fire.

"You know it's my cotton candy, right?"

Lu Bai asked a question, but still handed one to Zhou Heming.

They say failure is the mother of success. With experience, Zhou Heming quickly grilled four skewers of marshmallows and even gave one to the barbecue shop owner.

The man in his forties frowned as he looked at the marshmallow on the stick.

But when he put it in his mouth and tasted it carefully, his expression brightened up again.

The three sat around the charcoal stove, each holding a roasted marshmallow.

"Unfortunately, this is not the end of the universe, and we are not Has people."

Zhou Heming chuckled softly.

Is this a scene from some movie?

Lu Bai took a bite of the skewer in his hand.

"It's a game called Outer Wilds. It's about rebirth, cycles, and exploring the universe."

Zhou Heming immediately launched into a long explanation without giving away any spoilers.

Cheng Shuangjiang looked at the boy, who was different from his usual socially awkward self and instead seemed a bit talkative. Dimples appeared on her face as she took a bite of the cotton candy in her hand.

Sweet, bittersweet, like the old days.

"That sounds really romantic. What's the name of the piece they played together at the end?"

Although Lu Bai doesn't play games, he still listened patiently to Zhou Heming's explanation. It can only be said that, after all, he is someone who can score 143 in Chinese. Even if he avoids the key spoilers, he can still make the story sound interesting and attractive.

Zhou Heming took out his phone, searched for music using a music app, turned off the phone's silent mode, and played music.

The melody, led by the banjo, immediately echoed around the charcoal stove.

Then, the sounds of piano, flute, hand drum, harmonica, and even whistling blended in, with simple melodies interwoven, like the grand end and beginning of the universe, and like the continuous stream of tiny miracles in every day.

Cheng Shuangjiang listened quietly, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Lu Bai was very focused, his expression serious.

As the piece ended, Zhou Heming looked at the two girls with some trepidation. After all, they had both been exposed to classical music, so it was hard to say what they thought of this kind of game music.

"Ah He really likes this piece of music!"

Cheng Shuangjiang revealed a smile even sweeter than a roasted marshmallow.

As for Lu Bai...

She remained silent, picked up her phone, and opened an app.

The next moment, a familiar banjo melody played from Lu Bai's phone.

Being able to memorize a melody after hearing it only once and reproduce it on the spot shows that Lu Bai is one of the more talented people, even among ordinary people.

Just as Zhou Heming was about to offer some emotional support and praise her, the same melody started playing on Cheng Shuangjiang's phone on the other side.

However, one uses the sound of a banjo that lingers on a broken star, while the other uses a piano belonging to the Norma.

In the game, this is the melody that plays at the beginning and the end.

Because it's just a music app on a mobile phone, it doesn't require any special skills, and Cheng Shuangjiang can play it smoothly using only her left hand.

Zhou Heming only regretted that he had no artistic talent and that his phone didn't have the corresponding software.

But he suddenly paused, and then, following the tune, began to whistle the melody that was coming from Wood Furnace Star.

The melodies of the three people intertwined and surprisingly harmonized.

The owner of the barbecue restaurant paused his short video, squinted his eyes, and listened quietly as he listened to the melody.

Until the ensemble ended and all was silent.

It was a leisurely and peaceful afternoon. Bright sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns. A gentle breeze blew, and sparks crackled softly from the charcoal stove.

If the end of the universe has a shape, Zhou Heming thought, perhaps it would look like this right now.

*
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(End of this chapter)