At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

Even after many years, it still lingers.

Upon careful consideration,

It was the tail end of a summer when I was practicing the piano in the twilight.

Very faint human voices could be heard coming from outside the balcony.

The voice was so captivating that I put down my instrument and was drawn in.

I got up, went to the balcony, and opened the floor-to-ceiling window, which was similar in structure to the entrance of the Livehouse.

Peeking out, I looked in the direction the sound was coming from.

The one next door on the left,

A figure leaned against the railing, holding a sunset-colored xylophone in his arms.

Her black hair flowed freely, and she hummed softly.

I still remember my hair moving gently in the breeze under the dappled sunlight of the setting sun.

By now, the other person's face has become a blur.

What was she wearing?

It appears to be a very pretty dress, knee-length, both conservative and refreshing.

How much older is she than me?

One year old, two years old?

Su Che couldn't remember.

He simply looked up at her,

An endless sense of inferiority welled up inside me.

—That kind of inferiority complex, scorched by the sun and shrouded in its radiance.

...

Too many years have passed,

He grew from a half-grown boy into a lewd man.

Now that I know the name of that instrument,

The Gibson J45 is the most beautiful and best suited for playing and singing.

The strumming is crisp and ethereal, and your eardrums are highly likely to be impregnated by its sound.

I learned that the melody the young lady was humming was original, and the harmonic improvisation flowing from her fingertips was original.

Knowing that such a beautiful dress was likely from Rojita, or perhaps the top designer Lizlisa—

But, but back then...

There were no other emotional fluctuations, nor any inappropriate feelings of excitement.

Because Su Che knew this from a young age,

"A person who is ignored by everyone should not, and is not worthy of, having any aspirations for beautiful things."

But the other person's age, the other person's melody, the other person's naturally gentle voice that could melt glaciers...

But like a brand, it was deeply imprinted on the stagnant depths of my heart.

And then...

What happened later?

[I've been searching for a similar voice.]

I've watched countless live performances and listened to countless songs.

Her fingers scrolled through the complete profiles of various musicians with similar voices, but none of them were exactly like her from back then.

The reason why Zhang Cong said that Yu Xuejie being a certified musician held no appeal for him was...

It's because I achieved originality seven years ago.

But what good is that?

Parents who are rarely home, a maid who suddenly disappears—everyone has their own life.

I was just a guitar enthusiast who started working hard after being stimulated on that day, and I can't even be considered a "professional".

He casually plays the piano and inexplicably appears in places like TianLive, playing like a zombie.

My parents are clearly from a musical family, but surprisingly, aside from having an exceptional talent, I chose a non-music-related university without much thought.

The reason given was, "My family has no money, so I'll just go with the flow when it comes to university."

"Haha, that's good too."

Su Che smiled as if possessed.

It's good that we're growing further and further apart from people from the past.

You'll feel much lighter once you give up.

As long as you don't pursue any particular level of achievement, you can continue like Old Yang from Grammy Piano Shop, retiring to a quiet life in Tianhai.

When I'm old, I'll find a quiet corner, sip some Longjing tea, and listen to storytelling every day, just like Grandpa Fang.

Everything is fine.

Everyone is doing well.

Su Che was happy.

Looking at the dark clouds on the horizon,

My mood strangely shifted from dark to light.

Qin Nan was right when we were drinking last time; he said Tianhai City is full of hidden talents and powerful figures.

I initially thought it was just rambling after indulging in a lot of food and drink, but considering my own experience, it's definitely true.

He was surrounded by exceptional individuals, like dragons among men and phoenixes from heaven.

I am the only bat in the cave.

Now, there's a cat waiting around the house.

Injured birds from outside the area are seeking advice on how to fly.

Even though I am a bat, I can still fly with little birds, a difficult flight.

If necessary, she can also kill the hunters who want to snipe her.

Drain their blood.

Bite their throats off.

"That's great."

Su Che suddenly understood.

My mood was like walking into a paradise, where everything seemed bright and new.

My rollercoaster-like mental state has been the root cause of my constant visits to top-tier hospitals seeking a cure.

Director Yan, who was in his fifties, once said something that I still remember vividly—

He said, "I have been practicing medicine for over thirty years. I was recently promoted from deputy director to director because I have handled countless extreme cases throughout my career."

"Xiao Su, if you don't listen to me, don't take your medication, and keep thinking you're doing fine, don't blame me when you suffer a double blow. I'll use you as a prime example in a report, and who knows, I might even get promoted to expert professor when I'm 70. Do you understand what I mean?"

The director, sipping his iced Sprite, launched into a sarcastic and humorous attack.

Su Che found it funny.

I bought the medicine I needed, but whether I take it or not is another matter.

Anyway, I am different from my idol. My idol wrote in his book that he suffers from cluster headaches and has many other illnesses that are incurable.

I don't have that much of a problem; at most, I'm a bit emo, and I usually look like a dead person walking around.

what happened?

"Hehe, interesting."

Su Che walked downstairs to his apartment building and, as usual, glanced at his phone.

I feel like my phone vibrated several times in my pocket just now.

as predicted,

Upon opening, a Feixin message immediately came into view—

[Yu Xi has requested to add you as a friend, with the message: Junior, hurry up.]

[Ayaki has requested to add you as a friend, with the message: Senpai... I... I'd like to add you as a friend...]

[Lulu has requested to add you as a friend, with the message: "Bro, I'm impressed. You're amazing, bro. Please accept."]

[“Xiaoxiao” has requested to add you as a friend, with the message: Hello.] ...

Su Che's eyes widened, and he immediately scrolled to the bottom of the notification message.

Sure enough, the bottom one, the first one sent, was a message from my roommate Zhang Cong—

"Dude, a lot of girls just asked me through connections what your signal number is. I figured I couldn't just give this away for free, so I went for the ridiculous 500 yuan each. That's 7000 yuan in profit. I'll keep 70 as a tip, and the rest is all yours. I knew you'd be able to crush the Seven Schools the moment you showed up. Haha."

You have received a transfer of 6930 yuan from a friend. Please click to receive it.

……

……

Chapter 49 Is lust enough?

Sometimes, Su Che couldn't tell whether his roommate was a real dog or just humorous.

It's impossible to say this guy is short of money, since he buys all the official versions of games. Every time I glance at him when I go back to the dorm, he's either researching some super expensive adult game website outside the Great Firewall, or he's buying ASMR audio discs from voice actors.