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Lin Wangshu wasn’t an unreasonable person.
Thinking about what happened yesterday, she felt her words had been too harsh, and it was no wonder Jiang Congxian got angry.
“Um... my words yesterday were a bit harsh, I’m sorry.”
She truly wasn’t good at feigning emotions; both disgust and sincerity were clearly written on her face.
Jiang Congxian’s eyes, red with desire, showed a fleeting, imperceptible flicker of emotion taking root in their depths.
It was only for a moment, gone in a flash.
Seemingly displeased at being interrupted, he slapped her butt hard: “Noisy.”
By the latter half of the night, Lin Wangshu suddenly began to regret saying “whatever.”
She was so tired she fell asleep. Jiang Congxian put on his pants and went out to the yard for a post-coital cigarette.
Everyone in the town seemed to be asleep; there wasn’t a sound.
The moonlight illuminated the courtyard. Through the rising smoke, he saw Lin Yue standing in the corridor.
He was staring at him in silence.
Jiang Congxian chuckled, flicking off ash from his cigarette: “Not sleeping in the middle of the night, coming out to scare people like a ghost?”
Lin Yue walked over, rummaging in his jacket pocket for a long time before finally pulling out a palm-sized model.
It was a red Ultraman.
He handed the item to Jiang Congxian.
The latter glanced at it, frowning in distaste: “Get it away from me.”
Lin Yue remained silent, his hand still extended.
Though Jiang Congxian was bad, he wasn’t so cruel as to bully a sick child.
He could only take the Ultraman, which had dirt in its arm seams, from his hand, not knowing where he’d dug it up.
A rare hint of a smile appeared on Lin Yue’s face: “Protect sister, help me... you.”
Jiang Congxian helped him untangle the confused sentence: “You want me to help you protect your sister?”
He nodded.
Jiang Congxian smiled again: “Why should I help you?”
He was really treating him like a good person.
He remained silent for a long time, then pulled out several more different Ultraman figures from his jacket pocket.
“All... for you.”
He wondered why these cheap models, a handful of which could be bought for ten yuan, were so precious that they were hidden in the dirt.
Jiang Congxian had never experienced familial affection, nor could he feel their deep sibling bond.
To prevent him from stuffing all those dirty things into his hands, Jiang Congxian extinguished his cigarette butt and nodded impatiently: “Alright, I promise you.”
Anyway, it wasn’t his first time tricking someone.
He didn’t mind tricking one more.
________________________________________
The next day, Grandma insisted they stay for lunch before letting them go.
When the private doctor came to re-examine Lin Yue, he also changed the dressing on Jiang Congxian’s wrist wound.
Outside the door stood two men in black suits, Jiang Congxian’s people.
After the dressing change, he went out to speak with them for a few moments, then came back in.
Lin Wangshu was reluctantly bidding farewell to Grandma. Jiang Congxian waited nearby, leaning against the wall and smoking, occasionally glancing inside.
He wondered what there was to talk about; a goodbye had stretched into half an hour.
Grandma held Lin Wangshu’s hand, gently patting her back: “Alright, don’t neglect Xiao Xian too much. Get along well with him, don’t argue, understand?”
Lin Wangshu knew Grandma was worried they had argued again, seeing how little they’d spoken this morning.
To ease her worries, Lin Wangshu walked to Jiang Congxian’s side and affectionately linked her arm through his.
The hand that was smoking paused, and he lowered his gaze to the hand resting in the crook of his arm.
Seeing he didn’t respond, Lin Wangshu rubbed against him playfully, like a kitten, in a spoiled manner.
The young woman was usually cool and reserved, so when she acted spoiled, it was awkward and unfamiliar.
Jiang Congxian’s lips curved slightly, and he watched her compose herself with a relaxed air, not forgetting to smile and say to Grandma: “Grandma, then we’ll be going now. Please take good care of yourself. I’ll come back to see you and Xiao Yue next time.”
Seeing them reconcile so quickly, Grandma was also happy: “Good, Grandma will wait for you.”
The two men waiting outside entered the house and carried the luggage out.
Once they were out of the courtyard and sure Grandma couldn’t see them, Lin Wangshu released her hand, subtly putting distance between herself and Jiang Congxian.
Jiang Congxian chuckled: “Treating me like a tool, used and then discarded?”
Lin Wangshu apologized to him and didn’t retort.
Jiang Congxian leaned in, his deep voice falling into her ear, sounding like a threat, yet with a gentle smile at the end of his words: “Do you know what happens to people who use me?”
He always wore a lighthearted smile, appearing sufficiently kind to everyone.
But Lin Wangshu knew those were just his illusions.
She was afraid of him.
Her jacket sleeves were a bit long, covering her hands when hanging down.
She could feel her hand, hidden in the sleeve, trembling.
She instinctively took a step back. Even though her face was pale with fright, she still forced herself to maintain a calm expression.
Jiang Congxian found it a bit amusing.
She really held that worthless dignity more important than anything.
He had enough patience to destroy her worthless pride, and then watch her pitifully grovel at his feet.
“Tonight, clean yourself up and wait for me to come back.”
Lin Wangshu had just barely managed to control her trembling hands due to fear. She frowned: “So, your punishment for those who use you is to sleep with them?”
Jiang Congxian’s smile remained gentle: “Are you jealous?”
Lin Wangshu didn’t know how he misinterpreted her reaction as jealousy.
She simply found it disgusting; she couldn’t accept his casualness.
He coaxed with a smile: “You’re the only one who’s dared to use me so far.”
As he got closer, his voice grew softer, his thin lips hovering by her ear, his deep, magnetic voice making her eardrums tingle: “Your virginity was taken by me. What’s there to be jealous of, hmm?”
Lin Wangshu’s face flushed crimson at his words, especially with two tall, burly men standing nearby.
She said, “What nonsense are you talking about!”
Jiang Congxian noticed her gaze and straightened up.
Flicking off cigarette ash, he asked them, “Did someone just speak?”
They all shook their heads: “No.”
Jiang Congxian shrugged: “See? No one heard.”
To avoid attracting attention, Jiang Congxian hadn’t brought many people with him this time; these two were previously arranged near Lin Wangshu’s grandmother’s house.
The mess her father left behind was a bit tricky and would take more time to handle.
Although this place was remote, there was no telling when it might be targeted.
He gave a few simple instructions and then let them go.
The driver drove to the airport, a two-hour journey.
________________________________________
In the airport’s VIP lounge, Lin Wangshu sat alone.
Jiang Congxian had gone out to take a call; he seemed very busy, with endless calls after being away from Beicheng for only a day.
She had specifically taken two days off to return to Qing City. The professor had just sent over the course schedule and practice times.
The final selection was in another week.
She lowered her head and calculated the days. Although she wasn’t 100% confident, she still felt she could at least try.
Bored in the waiting room, she put on her headphones and watched videos to pass the time.
It was the Xilan Symphony Orchestra’s performance at Carnegie Hall last month.
A flight attendant brought coffee in and accidentally spilled it on a man’s suit, which looked expensive.
The commotion nearby caught Lin Wangshu’s attention. She took off her headphones and saw the apologetic flight attendant reaching out with a tissue to wipe him.
The man’s face showed no anger; he smiled faintly as he took the tissue from her hand: “I’ll do it myself.”
The flight attendant’s expression froze for a moment, struck by his handsome appearance.
The man wiped the wet hem of his suit, then, seeing she hadn’t moved, asked: “Is there anything else?”
The flight attendant straightened up, quickly shaking her head: “No, nothing. You can call me if you need anything.”
Lin Wangshu watched several times before confirming the man’s identity.
Sheng Lin, the principal cellist of the Xilan Symphony Orchestra.
He was also the protagonist in her phone video, the man gracefully playing the cello.
This symphony orchestra was highly renowned both domestically and internationally, and tickets were already hard to come by.
Lin Wangshu never expected to meet her idol here. She took several deep breaths of excitement before daring to gather her courage and greet him: “Hello, Senior Sheng, I... I’m Lin Wangshu, a student from... from Beinan University, Western Music major.”
Sheng Lin paused for a moment, seemingly surprised to be recognized in such a place.
Even more so to encounter one of his fans.
The young woman was so nervous she was a little incoherent.
He smiled gently: “No need to rush, take your time.”
Lin Wangshu felt a bit ashamed of her reaction, lowering her head and tightly clutching the armrest of the sofa.
After several deep breaths to calm herself, she looked up again: “I’ve watched several of your performances; they’re amazing.”
He was a very famous cellist; the school had even shown his documentary before.
He started learning cello at age four, was appointed principal cellist of the Xilan Symphony Orchestra at eighteen, and graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music.
In the eyes of those students, he was a senior with an aura of prestige.
“Thank you for your liking.”
The man glanced at his wristwatch, then smiled regretfully: “However, my flight is about to take off.”
He handed her a business card: “There will be a performance in Beicheng next month. You can come watch if you have time.”
Lin Wangshu reverently took the business card: “Thank you, Senior.”
He stood up, slowly buttoned his suit jacket, and bid her farewell with a gentle smile.
Lin Wangshu watched him leave until he was out of sight, then carefully put away the business card.
The joy of meeting her idol briefly immersed her in happiness.
She repeatedly took out the business card to look at it, only remembering at last that she should save the phone number first.
Just as she took out her phone, the business card was pulled away.
“Sheng Lin, principal cellist of the Xilan Symphony Orchestra.” Jiang Congxian looked at the lines of text and offered a rather uninspired comment, “Nice name.”
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