Chapter 1 The Sound of the Qin in Winter Snow (Part 1)

"Band practice room for rent:

Rent: 100 yuan/hour, if you sound great, I'll cut the rent in half.

Equipment: Top-notch, those who can't appreciate it should back off.

Address: Huating Garden, Hexi.

Contact: applewho@yeah.net."

It was winter, and the silent sunlight spread through the thin fog, staining Xiangcheng. There was no strong wind, nor had frost or snow fallen. Yet the unseen flowing air was still bone-chillingly cold.

A few boys walked through the Huating Garden estate.

In the afternoon, it was very quiet here. They became the loudest noise and an anomaly with their mostly denim jackets or hoodies, somewhat abnormal distressed jeans, the necklaces, bracelets, chains hanging from their pants... all clinking together, and their thin-soled shoes crunching on the ground, each one of them hunching their necks, shivering from the cold.

But they didn't care.

They stopped in front of a residential building by the street. The house was right there, conspicuously noticeable. It was a ground floor unit, with a small yard in front, planted with hydrangeas, roses, wild chrysanthemums, and even a row of leeks and small hot peppers. The green grass covered the ground, and although there were yellow hues, it felt warm. The entire entryway was painted a light blue, with white windows. The decor was modest but gave one a refreshing feeling to the bone.

Three boys stood in front of the yard, hesitating. One of them, a slender boy with short hair and fine features, said, "This place... why does it feel like there's a fairy vibe? Is it really here?"

The boy with long hair glanced at the doorframe and then at the information on his phone, saying, "No mistake, the address given to us in the email is Huating Garden, Building 5, Unit 107, right here——'Yusheng Music Studio'!"

Indeed, there was a sign hanging at the door with the character "Sheng" in clerical script framed inside. Although none of them understood calligraphy, they all unanimously felt that it was beautifully written.

The boy with long hair stroked his chin, revealing a cryptic smile: "Could it be a woman? What man would make his studio look like this, it's so effeminate!"

The earlier boy with fine features said, "If it is a woman, she's staged one hell of an X." He was referring to the ad on the internet.

They all laughed. The third boy, sturdily built with thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes, looked more composed and pressed the doorbell. The other two, unable to contain themselves, although they hadn't stepped in, were already reaching their hands into the garden, touching around, or craning their necks to peek inside the house.

The temperature was too low, light mist condensed on the windows. Xu Xunsheng stood in front of a table, wiping a musical instrument, and when she heard the doorbell, she just smiled slightly.

The ad for renting out the practice room had been up for three days, and only today did someone come to take a look. She wondered if her ad was too arrogant but was too lazy to revise it and simply waited. It turned out she was waiting for the destined ones, indeed.

Xu Xunsheng neatly folded the cloth she was using to wipe the instrument and put it back in its place before quickly heading to the door. As she opened the door, both parties were quiet. Then, the few irregular boys straightened up.

Zhao Tan, the boy who rang the doorbell, cleared his throat and asked, "Excuse me... is this where the band practice room is for rent?"

The other two sneered at him as if to say, you're not holding it together very well, bro, with a chick present.

Xu Xunsheng's face was serene as she answered unhurriedly, "Yes, are you the Chaomu Band?"

The boys all nodded vigorously.

Xu Xunsheng said, "Come in and have a look, it's on the basement level." She stepped aside and the boys walked in, unconsciously slowing their steps. Xu Xunsheng left the door wide open behind them, letting the cool chill sweep in, sending pages on the table fluttering, as well as the curtains. The boys couldn't help but look around; they saw the grey bricks and white walls, the wooden table shimmering, everything simple and clear. There were guqins and flutes on several tables, and a black and white piano in the corner. There were many photos on the wall of children learning the guqin and flute, presumably this woman's students.

The place was truly a music studio, but the boys' music... was not at all aligned with it.

However, when they followed Xu Xunsheng down to the basement, they were completely blown away.

Xu Xunsheng turned on the lights, and the whole space immediately became bright. The unadorned old walls, the mottled ground, the slightly damp air, everything became a backdrop for the instruments in the center of the room. It was a completely different world from upstairs, raw, full of a heavy metal vibe.

The long-haired boy rushed over first, touched the guitar but was too shy to pick it up immediately, blurting out, "Damn! A Fender Stratocaster! My wife!"

Zhao Tan, the bassist, walked straight to the bass, then turned back to look at Xu Xunsheng. With her nod, he picked up the bass, also smiling, and exclaimed, "Damn, this is good stuff!"

The drummer, Huizi, who was also the thin boy with narrow eyes, sat at the drum set, picked up the drumsticks, took a deep breath, then touched the drum skin and said, "Dixon... oh my god, just kill me! Can I give it a try?"

Xu Xunsheng laughed when she saw their expressions, nodded, and stepped back a few paces. The boys looked at each other, and Zhao Tan said, "Our lead singer hasn't arrived yet, he went to work this afternoon. We'll give it a try first. You have a set of equipment like this, so you must have a good ear too. Listen and see if we can meet the conditions for half your price. But honestly... with equipment this good, we're too embarrassed to ask for a discount!" He scratched his head while Huizi quickly glared at him, seemingly thinking it was a bit too honest to say that.

The long-haired boy, the guitarist Zhang Tianyao, had already strapped on a guitar and said, "There's also a Yamaha, perfect for Xiaoye later. Beauty, listen, we guarantee you'll be satisfied..."

Before he had finished speaking, Zhang Tianyao's long, slim fingers plucked the guitar strings. The sound burst forth instantly, and Xu Xunsheng felt her eardrums tremble slightly. The boys looked at each other and nodded; their demeanor changed. The guitar was fluid like a rushing stream, the bass was full like sparks off a blade, and the drummer Huizi followed their rhythm, tossing his head up and down, and then suddenly lifted his hand and the drum beat fell, "Boom, boom, boom..." It seemed like even the walls started to breathe in rhythm.

Xu Xunsheng tucked her hands into her dress pockets and listened for a while, then during a rhythmic break, all the boys looked up at her, grinning and full of satisfaction and excitement. Xu Xunsheng couldn't help but smile too and said, "You guys keep playing for a while, come up when you've had enough."

Zhang Tianyao: "Alright—"

Xu Xunsheng turned and went upstairs. The boys exchanged looks, their minds no longer pondering why a girl who played classical instruments would own such a badass set of equipment, nor were they concerned about whether they could get her half-price offer. They just wanted to be able to practice with this equipment in the future, even if it was only a short-term rental.

However, before starting another song, Zhang Tianyao couldn't help but say, "Don't you guys think this girl is pretty?"

Zhao Tan smiled and didn't say a word.

Huizi: "We're not blind!"

The soundproofing in the basement practice room was exceptional. As Xu Xunsheng closed the door and seated herself on the first floor, she could faintly hear them start another grand and passionate performance. Xu Xunsheng sat at a table for a while, poured herself a cup of tea, took a few sips, but still felt her heartbeat wasn't quite steady. That stirring rhythm continued to linger in her ears.

Moved, she sat down at the piano, lifted the cloth cover, dabbed some oil on her hands, and rubbed it on the strings. She gently raised and lowered her hands.

The deep sound of the guqin vibrated softly, the desk shook slightly. With a calm demeanor like the morning sun, her ten fingers moved from slow to vigorous, from sluggish to swift, plucking rapidly. The rock rhythms slowly faded from her ears, leaving only the sound of the guqin, spreading and merging in the growing twilight, and in the wind-blown curtains. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and for a moment she was so lost in the moment that she didn't even hear someone coming in.

This was the first time Cen Ye laid eyes on Xu Xunsheng.

A thin girl, wearing a thick, warm sweater and a long skirt, had her hair casually tied in a ponytail and sat there quietly. Her skin was very pale with a slight flush on her cheeks. Her face was not big but also not thin, rather a bit plump. Her eyes were particularly large and jet-black. This made her face seem attractively colored and radiant.

She lifted her slender fingers, the seven guqin strings scattered beautifully, the music intensely stirring but completely different from his rock music—one peaceful, the other dynamic, reminiscent of ancient battles and timeless vibrations.

Cen Ye listened for a few seconds.

He didn't have the patience to listen for very long: "Hey!"

The girl didn't hear him.

"Hey—"

Xu Xunsheng felt a shiver up her back; the guqin sound abruptly stopped, and she lifted her head to see a very tall boy standing in the doorway. The light was dimming, indicating he had rushed over and was still a bit breathless.

In this era, Xu Xunsheng had seen very few men who could pull off a center-part hairstyle. Clearly, he was one of them. He wore a blue thick hoodie, only slightly more clothed than his buddies, with two holes in the knees of his jeans. There was a black backpack slung over his shoulders.

His fluffy black hair parted effortlessly to either side, revealing a clean face with distinct features. His eyes were deep and long, seemingly hiding a cold gleam within their darkness. His nose was straight, and his lips were tightly shut. There was a small mole near his right eye. On an ordinary face, this mole might seem superfluous, but on his face, it was a beauty mark, adding depth to his refined features.

However, this handsome man with a center part was clearly a night owl, with deep dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were lively, but his entire demeanor was listless. Seeing that Xu Xunsheng had not spoken, he leaned against the door frame, lazily and sprawled like a tall sheep, with a corner of his mouth hooking up: "I'm asking you, are my brothers here?"

Xu Xunsheng nodded: "They're downstairs trying out the equipment."

Cen Ye listened carefully, indeed hearing the sound, which he hadn't before because of the woman's guqin. He straightened up: "I'll check on them."

Xu Xunsheng: "Feel free."

As he passed by her, she heard his faint voice: "You play the guqin well. Thanks."

Xu Xunsheng didn't reply, listening to his footsteps "thudding" down the stairs, and then the loud laughter and shouting of the boys. Xu Xunsheng sat back down, continued to drink her tea, but didn't resume playing the guqin, simply smiling to herself: Where did this greenhorn come from, acting all profound critiquing her guqin!