Volume 2 Chapter 60
by Need_More_SleepVolume 2 + Chapter 60: A Night Rendezvous For Two
At this moment, beside a secluded mountain pool, Bai Yuxuan stood alone, quietly gazing at the water’s surface. Her eyes were somewhat hollow. The reason she had slipped away from the bonfire gathering was that the jubilant atmosphere there felt far too dazzling for her. Although she outwardly seemed indifferent, the lively, cheerful energy surrounding Ouyang Qianxue still stirred within her a faint, inexpressible ache.
After all, as someone once said, the loneliest thing in this world is not having no one by your side, but rather standing alone while everyone else around you gathers in pairs, laughing and chatting together.
At that moment, Bai Yuxuan extended her hand toward her reflection in the lake, and ripples immediately spread across the water’s surface.
Whenever she had troubles that she could not untangle, she would habitually come to the lakeside to sit quietly for a while, gazing at the bright moon reflected in the water.
“Since that day, I’ve formed this habit,” she murmured, before sinking into her memories.
She still remembered, it was a night more than ten years ago, when she had been dining with her father.
“You still have the nerve to sit here and eat?” Just as Bai Yuxuan was about to pick up her chopsticks, she heard her father’s icy voice. A wave of fear accompanied his words, spreading through her entire body and making her tremble.
“Take a look at yourself, this is your in-class test score from today’s private lesson!” As he spoke, her father crumpled a test paper into a ball and threw it in front of her.
“Master, please forgive the young master. After all, the young master is not even seven years old yet. Making him study middle school material already is too much for him, isn’t it?” the old butler at the side tried to persuade him.
“If it were an ordinary person, of course I wouldn’t demand so much. But she is the future heir of the Bai family. If she cannot even meet this standard, how will she inherit the foremost wealthy family of Xijiang City?”
“But…”
“No ‘but’! And since when is it your place, you old fool, to lecture me on how I educate my child? If you don’t want this job, just say so!” Faced with the furious patriarch, the old butler could only fall silent.
“Regarding this score, what do you have to say?” Her father turned toward Bai Yuxuan and questioned her.
“I…” Confronted with his rage, Bai Yuxuan stammered.
“Did that old fool just now make you think it’s only natural that you can’t do it? Do you feel wronged? Do you think I’m too strict with you?” Her father leaned forward, bracing his hands in front of her, glaring at her as he demanded.
“No! Father, I…”
“I can’t hear you! If you’re my child, speak louder!” he roared.
“I’m sorry, it’s because I couldn’t keep up with the teacher’s thinking during class…”
“Fine. Go out into the courtyard right now and reflect on yourself! You are not allowed to enter the house tonight!” With that, Bai Yuxuan was driven out.
Because she lived in a luxurious estate, the courtyard was vast. With nothing to do, Bai Yuxuan wandered aimlessly within it. When she grew tired, she sat down beside the artificial lake. At that moment, her heart was filled with grievance, children her age were far less outstanding than she was, yet their parents still gave them encouragement and affection. Only she…
From time to time, she glanced toward the villa’s main entrance, then back at the moon in the lake. Suddenly, she would turn around sharply. How she wished that when she turned, her father, or someone, would be standing behind her, offering comfort and bringing her back inside. Yet the head of the Bai family was cold and unfeeling, and the household servants dared not anger him on her behalf. Thus, each turn of her head was met only with disappointment.
By then, the October night wind was no longer gentle. It swept fallen leaves across the courtyard, and chilled the young girl’s heart.
“I’m always so foolish. Every time I come to the lake to watch the moon, I expect someone to appear behind me and comfort me. But in the end, it’s only the moon in the water that has always kept me company.” Returning from her memories, Bai Yuxuan looked at the full moon in the lake and let out a cold laugh.
Yet just then, a familiar streak of golden light entered her field of vision. It was as if this golden hue possessed magic, instantly brightening the dim night and adding a trace of warmth to the desolate beauty of the scene.
Bai Yuxuan quickly turned her head.
“I saw you suddenly disappear earlier. The mountain path is quite dark. I was worried, so I came to check on you.” Standing behind her was none other than Ouyang Qianxue.
At that moment, such a simple sentence made Bai Yuxuan’s nose sting, and an urge to cry welled up within her.
(Why… why do you always appear in front of me at times like this!)
The loneliness and grievance she had endured for so long made her desperately want to pour out all her pain to Ouyang Qianxue. But she held back, recalling what he had said on his birthday.
(Ah, this girl betrayed me too, she told me to keep my distance from her!)
Thus, suppressing the impulse in her heart, she cast him a cold glance and ignored him.
“What a beautiful place,” Ouyang Qianxue continued when she did not respond.
“The scenery here is indeed beautiful, but it feels a bit too desolate,” he added, sitting down beside her.
“Well? Don’t you want to talk with me?”
“There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“I see…”
A trace of regret appeared on Ouyang Qianxue’s face.
“But simply admiring the moon’s reflection in the lake is a bit monotonous.” As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and took out a double-reed harmonica.
“Let me add a bit of mood to this tranquil scenery.” With that, he began to play.
The piece Ouyang Qianxue played was called Mirror Night. The lake at night resembled a clear mirror, reflecting a star-filled sky and the shining moon. The meaning of the piece perfectly matched the scenery before them. The melody was ethereal and flowing, yet not sorrowful or melancholic in the slightest. Bai Yuxuan soon became immersed in it.
When the piece ended, she found herself still wanting more. She longed to ask him to continue playing, but after a moment’s hesitation, she did not voice it. Unbeknownst to her, Ouyang Qianxue had already noticed the expression on her face. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Then I’ll play Böhm’s Fountain next.” With that, he continued playing.
Compared to Mirror Night, this piece had a very different style, light and lively throughout. Before long, Bai Yuxuan realized that the sorrow in her heart had been completely swept away. When the piece ended, she even felt her body had become much lighter.
“By the way, Bai Yuxuan, you ran away from the bonfire gathering.”
“So what? I wasn’t interested in that kind of activity anyway!”
“But you didn’t inform the teacher or the class committee. It was clearly stated that during the excursion, students must follow the school’s arrangements. As the student council president, aren’t you setting a bad example by breaking the rules?”
“Hmph.” Bai Yuxuan merely let out a cold snort and gave no answer.
“If I reported this to the teacher, would it cause you trouble?”
“Did you come here just to pick a fight?”
“No. I just have a proposal. Right here, right now, let’s hold a make-up gathering that belongs only to the two of us.” Ouyang Qianxue said this with a playful yet earnest expression.
P.S. A harmonica version of Mirror Night can be found at: [http://5sing.kugou.com/fc/15312862.html](http://5sing.kugou.com/fc/15312862.html). A harmonica version of Fountain hasn’t been found yet, you can listen to the piano version instead. (This section’s word count has already been excluded, the author is not padding!)
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