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When Zhu Xingyao returned backstage, she was already frozen stiff. She rubbed her bare arms vigorously, and suddenly, a weight settled on her shoulders—her own white down jacket.
She turned around in surprise to see Lu Ji standing behind her, tall and lean, wearing a black down jacket.
Lu Ji glanced at the delicate collarbone exposed by her dress and softly reminded her, “Go change quickly—you might catch a cold.”
“Thank you,” Zhu Xingyao replied, her voice trembling slightly from the cold.
She smiled at him and hurried off to change. When she returned, she noticed a small, exquisitely wrapped gift box sitting on her backpack. Holding the box, she looked around, her gaze locking with Lu Ji’s, who was still standing there. He raised an eyebrow and said something with a smile.
The backstage was noisy, so she couldn’t hear his voice clearly, but from his mouth movements, she could tell he had said, “Happy New Year.”
Zhu Yunping and Ding Yu came to pick her up. By the time she got home and finished showering, it was already one o’clock in the morning. Zhu Xingyao opened the gift box and found a custom-made wooden cello charm inside. It was incredibly detailed, and beneath it lay a small white card:
“I saw it by chance—you’ll probably like it.”
Signed: J
Was “J” Lu Ji’s code name? Zhu Xingyao picked up the card. Lu Ji really knew how to pick gifts. Last time, he had given her tickets to a cello orchestra concert she loved, and this time, he gave her a cello charm. She couldn’t resist anything related to the cello.
She adored the charm.
Lu Ji…
She thought of the clean-cut, sunny-faced youth, and a faint sense of fondness welled up in her heart.
Zhu Xingyao hung the cello charm on her photo wall.
After the gala came the weekend, along with a three-day New Year holiday, making for a five-day mini vacation. On the first day of the holiday, it rained heavily, and the weather turned bitterly cold. Zhu Xingyao stayed in her room online when Li Xixi’s QQ icon flashed a few times:
“Hurry and check the school forum! Half the posts are about you, and the other half are about Senior Song Yi confessing to Qu Wei and getting scolded by the discipline teacher…”
“Senior Song Yi is so cool—and so bold!”
“By the way, did you know Jiang Tu didn’t go to the gala last night? All that effort picking a piece for nothing.”
Zhu Xingyao froze and quickly typed, “Why didn’t Jiang Tu attend the welcome gala last night?”
Li Xixi replied, “I don’t know. Ding Xiang tried calling him all night but couldn’t get through.”
He didn’t answer the phone either?
Zhu Xingyao instinctively thought of Chen Yi. Had something happened at his house? She picked up her phone but then remembered she didn’t have his number, and neither did Li Xixi. She directly messaged Ding Xiang on QQ.
Ding Xiang quickly sent over Jiang Tu’s phone number and added, “Goddess, why do you need Brother Tu’s number? I called him all night last night, but couldn’t reach him. I just tried again—it’s still off…”
Zhu Xingyao hesitated for a moment before replying, “I need to ask him about a math problem.”
________________________________________
In Hexi Alley, the biting wind blew incessantly. The area was poorly ventilated, and the rain made everything damp and bone-chillingly cold.
Lin Jiayu stepped into Jiang Tu’s house wearing a thick cotton coat. Inside, the place had been cleaned up—the furniture repaired or replaced if irreparable. Jiang Lu sat alone at the dining table eating breakfast. Lin Jiayu approached him and asked, “Where’s your brother?”
“He’s inside.”
“What happened last night? Chen Yi and his gang have never been this bad before.”
Jiang Lu shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know. They were about to leave, but then someone mentioned going to Jiangcheng No. 1 High School to watch the gala… I don’t know how it escalated into another fight. My brother…” He glanced toward the room and whispered, “My brother went a little crazy last night. Maybe he’s under too much stress.”
Lin Jiayu sighed. “What about your dad?”
“Who knows? He wasn’t home last night, or things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.” He snorted, then turned to see Jiang Tu walking out. Shrinking his neck slightly, he called out, “Brother.”
“What are you doing here?” Jiang Tu looked at Lin Jiayu.
Lin Jiayu winced at the bruises on his cheek and lips. “I came to check on you guys.” Last night, Chen Yi’s group had caused such a commotion it was comparable to their first visit demanding debt repayment. If not for overhearing her mother gossiping with the neighbors earlier, she wouldn’t have known.
“What’s there to see?”
Jiang Tu showed no emotion as he walked to the door and changed into his sneakers.
Lin Jiayu watched him squat down to tie his shoelaces, his long and nimble fingers deftly knotting them twice. As he stood up to leave, she quickly called out, “Are you going to work today? Don’t go—take a break!”
Jiang Tu finished tying his shoes, straightened up, and turned to Jiang Lu, his voice cold. “Stay home and do your homework. If I catch you sneaking off to the internet café, I’ll beat you.”
Jiang Lu was unusually obedient today. “Okay…” After last night, he finally understood how ruthless his brother could be. His usual gentleness toward him now seemed like a facade.
“You’re injured,” Lin Jiayu urged anxiously. With visible wounds on his face, there were surely more hidden on his body.
“I don’t make a living off my looks.”
Jiang Tu tossed out the indifferent remark and left.
As soon as he stepped out of Hexi Alley, his newly powered-on phone rang. Pulling it out, he froze upon seeing the string of digits on the screen. Zhu Xingyao didn’t have his number, but he had memorized hers after seeing it once on a class registration form.
Ding Xiang had said he couldn’t reach him, but Zhu Xingyao got lucky—her call connected on the first try. Just as she thought it would disconnect, the line was answered.
Jiang Tu stood at the alley entrance, facing the wind. She heard the howling breeze and softly asked, “Jiang Tu?”
“Mm.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued walking. “What do you want?”
His voice was as cold and distant as ever, made even colder by the wind. After a brief pause, Zhu Xingyao said, “Ding Xiang said you didn’t attend the gala last night, and we couldn’t reach you. We were worried…”
Jiang Tu paused mid-step and lowered his head. “I had something urgent to take care of last night.”
Zhu Xingyao asked softly, “Was it those people?”
Jiang Tu didn’t want to tell her what had happened. Chen Yi was nothing but a thuggish troublemaker. If he truly saw her on stage, he would definitely harass her later.
“It wasn’t,” he lied.
________________________________________
When the New Year holiday ended, it was Thursday. Zhu Xingyao accompanied Li Xixi to buy breakfast at the school gate and nearly arrived late, running into the classroom just as the bell rang. As soon as she sat down, she heard Ding Xiang say, “Brother Tu, it’s such a shame you didn’t come that night—you missed seeing the goddess play the cello.”
Zhu Xingyao paused for a moment. Li Xixi turned around and asked, “Yeah, why didn’t you come? You were the only one in the class who didn’t show up.”
Jiang Tu brushed it off lightly. “Something came up last minute, so I didn’t go.”
Zhu Xingyao turned her head and froze. Her gaze fixed on the corners of his mouth and eyes. Jiang Tu hadn’t expected her not to notice. He looked up, calm and composed, and stared at Zhu Xingyao. “What are you looking at?”
Zhu Xingyao whispered softly, “I’m looking at your face. You’re handsome.”
Jiang Tu: “...”
Wow, when had the goddess ever complimented a guy like this?!
Ding Xiang and Li Xixi instinctively turned to look at Jiang Tu. Only then did Ding Xiang notice the slight injuries on the right corner of his mouth and eye—obviously several days old. He exclaimed, “Holy crap, Brother Tu, did you get into a fight?”
Jiang Tu: “No.”
Liar.
Zhu Xingyao looked at him. “Then what happened to your mouth?”
Jiang Tu was silent for a few seconds before looking up at her. “I fell. Do you want me to describe how I fell?”
Zhu Xingyao: “...”
This guy might be a man of few words, but he certainly knew how to shut people down. Feeling a little frustrated, she turned back to tidy her desk. There wasn’t much clutter inside—just a few greeting cards, very ordinary ones.
Cao Shujun entered the classroom to inspect. Taking advantage of his inattention, Zhu Xingyao wrote a small note, found Bach’s First Suite in G Major on her MP3 player, and quietly placed it on Jiang Tu’s desk. The note read: “I’ll assume you were in a bad mood. Here’s something for you to listen to.”
Jiang Tu stared at the words, his emotions complex as he gazed at her back. He had hidden the card inside the only music score tucked away in her desk, fearing it would get lost among too many cards. He also took the opportunity to dispose of some other cards.
Jiang Tu didn’t know when she would stumble upon the card, and he was somewhat distracted all day.
________________________________________
The next morning, Friday, after the morning reading session, Zhu Xingyao immediately noticed something tucked inside her music score when she took it out. When she saw the cello-playing girl on the greeting card, she froze.
She gently opened the card, her eyes scanning the familiar handwriting—
“My girl.
Happy New Year. May you always shine like the stars.”
The card was written on December 29, 2006, at 11:59 PM.
Signed: J
January 5, 2007, Friday morning. The weather was rainy, with temperatures at -3°C.
It was an ordinary winter day. Zhu Xingyao received her first love letter from the mysterious “J” classmate. The handwriting closely resembled the gift card Lu Ji had given her, especially the way the letter “J” was written—it was almost identical.
The cello charm, the cello-playing girl on the card—all written on the same day.
All signed by “J.”
Zhu Xingyao jumped to conclusions, attributing the love letter to Lu Ji. She never connected “J” classmate with Jiang Tu because on the night of December 29, during the welcome gala, Jiang Tu had been the only student in the class who hadn’t attended.
At that time, she didn’t know that this “J” classmate would continue writing love letters for over two years.
Every Friday, without fail, rain or shine.
And at that very moment, “J” classmate was sitting behind her, watching her open the card. His heart, which had been half-suspended, slowly settled, yet he felt a strange sense of emptiness. He stared out the window, lost in thought. Whenever he was like this, Ding Xiang always thought he was deep and unfathomable.
A deep and aloof Brother Tu.
Ding Xiang suddenly remembered something and excitedly asked, “Hey, Brother Tu, isn’t your birthday coming up soon?”
For boys’ birthdays, it was common to gather a group of friends for skewers, gaming, or karaoke. Ding Xiang had decent social skills and participated in most of the boys’ birthdays in the class. He had casually asked Jiang Tu about his birthday before.
Jiang Tu had vaguely mentioned January, without specifying the date—an obvious brush-off.
Jiang Tu nonchalantly withdrew his gaze. “Mm.”
Ding Xiang grinned. “So how are you planning to celebrate?”
Zhu Xingyao put the card back into the music score, closed it, and stuffed it into her desk. She pushed away Li Xixi’s nosy head and turned to look at Jiang Tu. Jiang Tu raised his eyes, silently gazing at her for a few seconds before lowering them. In a flat tone, he said, “I don’t celebrate my birthday.”
Ding Xiang let out a surprised sound. “Why…?”
Zhu Xingyao wanted to knock Ding Xiang’s head against the wall. Why… of course it was because he didn’t have money! Birthdays cost money! A group of boys celebrating a birthday could easily spend hundreds of yuan. Jiang Tu wasn’t like them—he didn’t have hundreds of yuan to spare for a birthday.
She patted Li Xixi’s hand, signaling her to remind Ding Xiang.
At times like these, Li Xixi and Zhu Xingyao had perfect默契 (chemistry).
Jiang Tu flipped through a set of physics competition problems. “I rarely celebrate my birthday.”
Just as Ding Xiang sighed, his foot was suddenly stomped on hard. He yelped in pain, his face contorting. “Ahh! Li Xixi, are you insane?!”
Li Xixi stood in front of him, smiling sweetly as she pulled her foot back. “Your foot was sticking out too far—it was in the way.”
Ding Xiang: “...”
Damn, violent woman.
After bickering with Ding Xiang, Li Xixi turned back and asked, “What were you looking at earlier? You seemed so absorbed—I didn’t even see anything.”
The bell rang, and the Chinese teacher walked in with the lesson plan. Zhu Xingyao pulled the music score out of her desk. Li Xixi leaned over, and she quietly opened it, whispering, “This.”
Li Xixi already knew about the cello charm. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw it. “Wow, this must be from Lu Ji—the handwriting is exactly the same. ‘My girl’—so romantic. It reminds me of Lee Jun-ki again… Single-lidded eye actors really are more charming…”
Back in their third year of junior high, My Girl had been wildly popular. Li Xixi spent every day debating between Lee Dong-wook and Lee Jun-ki, flip-flopping back and forth over who was hotter.
In the end, single-lidded Lee Jun-ki won.
Because he didn’t end up with the female lead, he belonged to the audience.
From the podium, the Chinese teacher called out, “Class begins.”
Zhu Xingyao quickly closed the music score, stuffed it back into her desk, and stood up with everyone else to greet the teacher.
Jiang Tu observed everything quietly. He stood up, somewhat curious about what Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi had discussed. It seemed she didn’t plan to throw away the greeting card.
When he had written that blessing, he hadn’t expected her to respond in any particular way.
It was simply that his emotions had overflowed, needing an outlet.
________________________________________
At 6 PM on Sunday evening, as Zhu Xingyao crossed the small square with her cello on her back, she noticed a girl in a red down jacket standing at the intersection handing out flyers. Perhaps it was too cold—when no one was around, she would hop in place to keep warm.
Zhu Xingyao hadn’t yet seen Zhu Yunping’s car at the intersection. After a moment of thought, she walked over and tapped the girl on the shoulder. The girl turned around quickly, recognizing her, and her eyes lit up. “Ah, it’s you!”
Her face and nose were red from the biting wind, and she looked like she might catch a cold at any moment. Zhu Xingyao felt cold just looking at her and couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t you go somewhere more sheltered from the wind?”
“There are more people here,” Lin Jiayu said, sniffing slightly with some embarrassment. Seeing someone approach, she quickly turned to hand out a few flyers before glancing back at Zhu Xingyao. Zhu Xingyao was wearing a white down jacket and carrying a black cello case. She looked beautiful, soft, and elegant, exuding a natural grace. In contrast, Lin Jiayu, bundled up in a thick sweater under her puffy coat, appeared somewhat clumsy.
Seeing that Lin Jiayu had only a few flyers left and Zhu Yunping still hadn’t arrived, Zhu Xingyao didn’t rush to leave.
Perhaps it was Lin Jiayu’s imagination, but it felt like more pedestrians were accepting flyers after Zhu Xingyao stood nearby. Previously, only three out of ten people would take one; now, at least half did. Some even glanced back at Zhu Xingyao after taking the flyer.
Curious, Lin Jiayu asked, “You’re… not leaving yet?”
“I’m waiting for my dad. He hasn’t arrived yet,” Zhu Xingyao replied.
Lin Jiayu blinked mischievously. “If you stand here, I’ll finish handing out these flyers faster. It must be because you’re so pretty. Can you stay with me a little longer? Once I’m done, I can collect my pay and buy a gift for Jiang Tu.”
A gift for Jiang Tu…
Zhu Xingyao had never given a gift to a boy, nor had she ever considered giving one to Jiang Tu. Besides, Jiang Tu had said he didn’t celebrate his birthday. Even if someone gave him a gift, he might not accept it.
Yet Lin Jiayu spoke so naturally about giving him a gift—it was clear their relationship was close. Zhu Xingyao suddenly grew curious. “What are you planning to get him?”
“An MP3 player—he doesn’t have one.”
“That’s a great gift,” Zhu Xingyao said, recalling how he’d mentioned listening to Bach made him feel better. “He’ll definitely like it.”
“I think so too,” Lin Jiayu said, blowing warm air onto her hands. Smiling at Zhu Xingyao, she joked, “Do shopkeepers give you discounts because of your looks when you go shopping?”
Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”
The last time she went with Jiang Tu to get glasses, the shopkeeper had given them a discount.
Lin Jiayu blinked. “I wish I could bring you along.”
Zhu Xingyao: “...”
At that moment, a black van pulled up behind them and honked.
Zhu Xingyao turned around and immediately recognized the vehicle—Zhu Yunping had stood her up again. The person picking her up this time was Lao Liu. She pouted, took a few flyers from Lin Jiayu, and winked at her. “I’ll help you hand these out. Later, I’ll accompany you to use my ‘face’ for bargaining.”
Lin Jiayu: “...”
Ten minutes later, Lin Jiayu climbed into Zhu Xingyao’s family car and was dropped off at the designated electronics street along with Lao Liu.
This electronics street mostly sold second-hand goods, though there were some new items as well. Lin Jiayu had chosen it for its affordability. It was Zhu Xingyao’s first time here, and she looked around curiously. “Which store should we go to?”
Lin Jiayu rarely came here either. She glanced around. “Let’s walk ahead.”
After browsing along the street, they entered one of the stores since the owner was preparing to close up. Lin Jiayu knew from experience that deals were easier to make during the final transaction before closing, often at a lower price.
Zhu Xingyao learned something new and followed her inside.
The shop owner was a man in his thirties or forties. Seeing the two girls, he was friendly and brought out several MP3 players priced between 100 and 200 yuan for them to test and choose from.
Lin Jiayu looked at Zhu Xingyao hopefully. “Why don’t you help me choose? You know more about this than I do.”
The models the shopkeeper brought out were all cheap brands. After testing them, Zhu Xingyao found the sound quality lacking. Her gaze fell on a counter displaying second-hand items.
In the end, following Zhu Xingyao’s advice, Lin Jiayu chose a second-hand model from a well-known brand. Its price was comparable to the cheaper new ones. Thanks to Zhu Xingyao’s bargaining skills, they managed to reduce the price by 30 yuan, bringing the final cost to 180 yuan. They also convinced the shopkeeper to include an original packaging box, making it a presentable gift.
As they stepped out of the shop, Lin Jiayu felt a pang of regret and muttered softly, “I haven’t bought myself such an expensive gift all year.”
Zhu Xingyao hesitated for a moment. Her most expensive gift this year was a custom Italian cello worth over 300,000 yuan—a New Year’s gift from Zhu Yunping.
“Let me treat you to dinner,” Zhu Xingyao said. “I’m starving.”
“It should be me treating you,” Lin Jiayu quickly interjected with a smile. “You helped me so much today.”
Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment, pointing to a duck blood vermicelli shop ahead. “Then let’s eat there.”
For Zhu Xingyao, duck blood vermicelli was both affordable and delicious. As they ate facing each other, their faces flushed from the heat of the food, Lin Jiayu sighed. “Jiang Tu is already 17. Time flies so fast… I can still remember when we were in kindergarten together. He used to be so cute, but now he’s always cold and unapproachable, like he’s daring people not to bother him…”
Zhu Xingyao chimed in, teasing, “Sometimes I feel like he’s 27, way too mature for his age.”
Lin Jiayu burst into laughter, but after a moment, she sighed again. “If he could travel to being 27 years old, I’m sure he’d want to.”
“Why?”
“Hmm… He just really wants to grow up.”
Once he grows up, everything will be fine. He’ll have everything he needs.
________________________________________
By the time they reached Hexi Alley, it was already 9 PM. As Lin Jiayu got out of the car, Zhu Xingyao suddenly said while looking out the window, “Jiang Tu.”
Lin Jiayu let out a surprised “Ah” and looked at her blankly, unsure why she had suddenly called his name.
Zhu Xingyao pointed to a tall, lean figure briskly walking through the alley ahead. “He’s over there.”
Lin Jiayu looked and confirmed it was indeed him. She quickly stood on her tiptoes and shouted loudly, “Jiang Tu!”
The youth stopped in his tracks and turned to look back. His figure appeared almost surreal under the dim, yellowish glow of the old streetlights.
Lin Jiayu stepped out of Zhu Xingyao’s family car, her own presence feeling equally surreal.
She ran across the street and stood in front of him, her breath visible in the cold air as white mist. She glanced back toward Zhu Xingyao’s direction and waved enthusiastically. Zhu Xingyao lowered the car window and called out, “Bye!”
Only after the car drove away did Jiang Tu snap out of his daze. He looked down at Lin Jiayu. “How did you end up with her?”
Lin Jiayu smiled mischievously. “This is a secret between me and the goddess.”
Jiang Tu: “...”
He wanted to pry open Lin Jiayu’s mouth and make her spill the details.
Even Lin Jiayu had secrets with her now. What was he supposed to say?
________________________________________
That night, Zhu Xingyao sat at her computer fiddling with the second-hand MP3 player. Lin Jiayu had asked her to help download songs, saying that Jiang Tu liked Mayday.
She downloaded all of Mayday’s songs, added some English vocabulary and conversational phrases, and finally, seeing there was still memory left, she transferred recordings of her own cello performances from past concerts.
On January 19th, Friday morning, just as Jiang Tu pushed his bike out, Lin Jiayu ran over and handed him a box with a grin. “Here, a gift. Happy birthday!”
Jiang Tu frowned. “Didn’t I tell you not to give random gifts?”
Lin Jiayu huffed and ran off.
Jiang Tu frowned, didn’t even glance at it, and stuffed the box into his bag before riding off.
It wasn’t until just before the class meeting that Jiang Tu remembered to open the box. When he saw the MP3 player inside, he paused for a moment. Frowning slightly, he eventually plugged in the earphones to test it, not paying attention to what tracks were playing.
It wasn’t until the familiar strains of Bach’s First Suite in G Major reached his ears that he abruptly looked up. Zhu Xingyao was resting her chin on her hand, looking at him. “Does it sound good?”
“...”
He didn’t speak.
“Lin Jiayu asked me to help download the songs. I transferred them from my own MP3 player.”
He silently stared at her, still not saying a word.
Zhu Xingyao, unfazed by his lack of response, smiled brightly. “Brother Tu, happy birthday!”
At that moment, Jiang Tu felt as if all he could hear was her voice. He gazed at her almost obsessively, feeling as if she was luring him into sin.
What he thought was an endless moment lasted only a few seconds.
“What? Happy birthday?” Ding Xiang suddenly turned his head to look at Jiang Tu. After Jiang Tu had said he didn’t celebrate his birthday, Ding Xiang stopped asking about the specific date. “Wow, it’s today?”
Li Xixi also turned around with a smile. “Brother Tu, happy birthday!”
Hearing the commotion, other classmates who overheard began to look over. Most of their impressions of Jiang Tu were of a cold, aloof student who didn’t get along with Zhang Sheng but had decent grades. Many of them rarely even greeted him when they passed by.
Now, hearing Zhu Xingyao and others wishing him a happy birthday, a few people chimed in with their own greetings.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.
Zhang Sheng glanced back, clearly dissatisfied. “When it was my birthday last month, none of you wished me a happy birthday.”
“Are we close?” Li Xixi shot back dryly.
“...”
Zhang Sheng shot a glance at Zhu Xingyao, then turned back with a bitter expression, sneering. “Everyone here is just overflowing with misplaced sympathy.”
The atmosphere became even more awkward.
Zhu Xingyao looked at Jiang Tu, trying to clear her name. “Don’t listen to him. I didn’t mean anything by it…”
Jiang Tu lowered his gaze to her. “I know.”
He lifted his head and gave a brief “Thanks” to those who had offered their wishes, then lowered his gaze again, plugging the earphones back in, shutting everything else out.
Zhu Xingyao watched him for a moment, realizing he truly didn’t care about others’ opinions of him. No matter how Zhang Sheng provoked him or how curious or disdainful others’ gazes were, he remained completely unfazed. She suddenly grew curious—what exactly did he care about?
During the class meeting, Cao Shujun emphasized, “There’s less than a month until the final exams. If you want to have a good New Year, it’s not too late to start reviewing now.” As usual, he didn’t waste words and let everyone begin studying after he finished speaking.
Everyone flipped open their books and started reviewing. Cao Shujun supervised from the podium for a while, then stepped out when he saw Xie Ya passing by.
With both homeroom teachers gone, the classroom immediately erupted into noise.
Zhu Xingyao bent down to organize her desk when a card suddenly slipped out of her Chinese textbook. It was one of those foldable cards, and the illustration on it was once again of the cello-playing girl. She froze for a moment.
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