Spring Night Kiss.

In the afternoon, the young couple accompanied Zhou Yunqing to the Pingtan (a type of storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect) museum.

During Zhou Yunqing's hospitalization, she kept the museum in mind. Fortunately, the younger generation is now capable of handling things on their own, and everything at the museum is as usual.

The three of them walked slowly along the bluestone path. The air was fresh after the rain, carrying the scent of grass.

The door to the Pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing) hall was ajar, and raindrops clung to the brass ring.

Pushing open the door, the light inside the hall was dimmer than outside, and several young women were tuning their pipa around the stage.

Hearing the door open, a girl with a low ponytail looked up first. Seeing Zhou Yunqing, her eyes lit up: "Teacher Zhou, what brings you here?"

Zhou Yunqing smiled and said, "I came to see you all. You've worked hard these past few days."

"It's not hard at all!"

The girls put down their pipa and hurried over, chattering amongst themselves.

"How are you feeling? Didn't I tell you on the phone yesterday to rest for a few more days?"

"We were planning to visit you after practice this afternoon!"

Someone noticed Song Qingjia behind them, and the man beside her with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a handsome face like Pan An. The man's hand was around her waist, as if asserting his ownership.

"Qingjia is here too?" Her eyes darted back and forth between the two, carrying a strong sense of gossip.

Song Qingjia nodded and subtly reached for Xu Zhouye's hand, but Xu Zhouye grabbed her hand instead, and they intertwined their fingers.

Her expression remained unchanged, and she used her other hand to pinch his waist, but he grabbed it and forcibly pulled her to wrap her arms around his waist.

Song Qingjia: "..."

The person who started this acted as if nothing had happened, turning his head to look at her with a very smug smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

All eyes turned to them immediately, and Zhou Yunqing asked, "What's wrong?"

Song Qingjia said calmly, "It's alright, let's not stand at the door anymore, let's go inside."

As she spoke, she pinched someone's waist hard, showing no mercy. She felt the person beside her stiffen for a moment, and a smile curled at the corner of their mouth.

"Qingjia is right, Teacher Zhou, please come in quickly, it's tiring to stand."

Several girls surrounded Zhou Yunqing as they walked toward her office, with Song Qingjia and Xu Zhouye lagging behind.

The man looked down: "You were pretty ruthless."

"If you weren't ruthless, would you know how to restrain yourself?" Song Qingjia glared at him.

Xu Zhouye: "Aren't you afraid of breaking it?" He leaned close to her ear, "Don't you know a racer's back is very precious?"

"How precious is it?"

"The kind of precious car that would make fans all over the world hold you accountable if you broke it."

Song Qingjia scoffed, "They don't know I broke it... Or are you going to betray me?"

They act arrogantly even when they're in the wrong.

He just loves it to death.

Xu Zhouye squeezed her palm: "Then I can't bear it, I can't bear to see my darling say a bad word about her."

Song Qingjia glanced at him and said disdainfully, "Sweet talk."

Xu Zhouye took it as a compliment, and the corners of his mouth curved into a deeper smile: "But seriously, you really can't afford to break your back. If it does, how will I ever satisfy you?"

Fortunately, she lowered her voice, otherwise Song Qingjia would have been too embarrassed to stand in front of her sisters.

She gave a forced smile: "Then I'll twist it lighter next time."

The girls didn't stay in the office long; they had to go on stage that afternoon and there were many things to prepare. After carefully reminding Zhou Yunqing to get some rest, they all left the office.

As they passed Song Qingjia, one of the impatient people, grinning and winking, gently bumped her shoulder.

Song Qingjia could only feign innocence.

After everyone left, Zhou Yunqing beckoned Song Qingjia over.

"Come and look at the strings of this one." She took down a pipa, weighed it in her hand, and handed it over.

Song Qingjia took it, sat down in the chair, placed his fingers on the strings, and tried a note.

The sound of the zither spread out, clear and melodious.

Xu Zhouye had already sat down on the sofa without any politeness, propping his chin up as he watched her adjust the sound.

She plucked the strings a couple more times, then lowered her head to tune the strings, listening to the pitch. Her eyes were lowered, and her curled eyelashes cast shadows beneath her eyes, obscuring most of her clear, bright eyes.

He recalled the way she looked on stage in her cheongsam, gently kneading and stroking, and suddenly felt a thirst.

Just then, a glass of water was handed to him.

Zhou Yunqing sat down beside him: "Are you engrossed in watching?"

Xu Zhouye took the water glass and chuckled softly, "Yes."

Zhou Yunqing smiled too. This was the first time she had met such an open and straightforward young man.

That's good too. Qingjia is thoughtful, so she needs someone sincere and passionate to offer her their heart's desire.

"She was much more serious about learning the pipa when she was little than she is now. Back then, she was only this tall," she gestured a height, "sitting on a chair holding the pipa, her feet couldn't even touch the ground."

"Can't reach the ground?"

Xu Zhouye imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, she was wearing a white princess dress and had two little braids. Among all the students, she was the most diligent in her studies."

Xu Zhouye's gaze fell on Song Qingjia, who was bending down to tune the second string, her fingertips applying slight pressure.

But an image of a five- or six-year-old girl flashed into my mind, with bright eyes and white teeth, her little face serious as she strummed the strings of her instrument.

"Have there been times when she refused to study?" he asked.

"No," Zhou Yunqing shook her head, "I come every weekend, without fail."

Children are playful and often lose interest quickly, unable to sit still for long. But Song Qingjia is different; she has always been an exceptionally hardworking child.

She continued, "Her mother is busy with work, so her father picks her up and drops her off most of the time. Her father is a very meticulous person and takes excellent care of Qingjia."

Xu Zhouye listened attentively; he wouldn't let go of any opportunity to learn more about his girl.

"I remember once when it was drizzling, he took off his coat and wrapped it around the violin case before letting Qingjia get out of the car.

"That same day, she told me that she saw her father waiting for her at the door in the rain after class, and she suddenly felt that she must study hard and learn to be the best she could be."

Xu Zhou's ambition clenched, as if he had been struck by something.

The voice was somewhat low: "No matter what she does, she does it very well."

Zhou Yunqing sighed, "Yes, she has always been so outstanding. Her father is most proud of her."

Xu Zhouye didn't speak again, his fingers clenching and unclenching.

After tuning the last string, Song Qingjia tested a complete scale to confirm that the pitch was correct, and then put the pipa back on the stand.

Turning around, I saw Xu Zhouye sitting on the sofa with a glass of water in his hand, and Zhou Yunqing sitting next to him, seemingly having just finished a conversation.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she walked over.

The man grasped her wrist and gently pulled her to sit beside him. He then handed her a glass of water, saying, "Have some water first."

Song Qingjia lowered her head and took a sip to moisten her throat.

"We didn't talk about anything, just some things about you learning the piano when you were little," Zhou Yunqing said with a smile.

She felt both happy and gratified watching the two of them being so affectionate.

Song Qingjia believed Zhou Yunqing, but not Xu Zhouye. Her tone was somewhat doubtful: "Is it really just about learning the piano?"

Xu Zhouye raised an eyebrow: "Not just that."

"What else?"

His smile deepened, and Song Qingjia's alarm bells rang loudly.

"And then there's the time you couldn't lift the piano and fell on your bottom."