Chapter 2 The Sound of the Qin in Winter Snow (Part 2)

Cen Ye came downstairs and tossed his backpack onto the ground. Seeing the equipment in front of him, he was full of pleasant surprise, and he grabbed the guitar that was left for him and tested the tuning. Zhang Tianyao hooked his arm around Cen Ye's shoulder and, surprisingly, the first thing he said was, "Hey, isn't the chick upstairs pretty hot?"

Without looking up, Cen Ye replied, "I'm here to train, not to pick up girls."

"Ouch, ouch... you, a guy always messing around with the ladies, are starting to act all decent!" Zhang Tianyao shrieked, retracting his arm.

"She might appreciate our music," Zhao Tan suddenly said.

"No, she's not one of us." Cen Ye blurted this out without any preamble, then lifted his head, grinned, and said, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

It was the same tune as before. With the addition of another guitar, the melody was even richer. Xu Xunsheng held his cup of tender green Longjing tea and listened quietly.

"I've counted the clouds drifting across the sky,

One, two, three, four,

Wanting to gift you one, it secretly caught fire.

Red like my eyes,

Deep like your lipstick,

Hiding near the horizon, it slowly disappears.

I've walked along the frozen Songhua River,

My heart solid as ice, never making a sound,

Water flowing deep and long, fish shuttle through time.

I leave love on the left bank,

Lost confusion on the other side,

Leaving only lonely me, walking toward the distance.

My home is north of Beijing,

Yet I've run away to wander in the south.

They ask me why I always look around,

Because I don't know if the path at my feet,

Leads to the future where you are.

Oh...

The sky is still so blue,

Stretch out a hand, and you could touch its edge.

The sea is still so deep,

Always silent behind me.

Silent like me, at a loss of what to do.

Dear girl,

I'm willing to drift,

I'm willing to wander.

I've never truly indulged,

Please, don't truly forget.

Bravely sketching my name in the sky,

Listen to me sing boldly for you from afar.

..."

Xu Xunsheng had not expected that he would have such a voice: clear, pure, like a cluster of bright fireworks gently rising in the twilight. At the climax, it naturally carried a certain heavy power, even bursting with a hoarse tremor.

His companions' music had been extremely good. But when he put all of his energy into singing the defiant notes of "I am willing to wander, willing to roam...", all the instruments became lackluster in comparison, and only his singing voice, piercing through the air and walls, reached her ears and her heart.

Suddenly, Xu Xunsheng thought of an ancient zither he had once seen at his father's friend's home. It had been through many years, full of patterns but still shone like new. When you gently stroked its strings, it would produce a sound that was clear, heavy, and trembling, just like this.

He was a born singer.

Xu Xunsheng truly didn't expect that by whimsically renting out a rehearsal studio, she would attract such a promising band, such a young and talented lead singer. Although now in Xiangcheng, they seemed not to have much fame yet.

At the end of the song, Xu Xunsheng heard the boy laugh softly into the microphone, then loudly say, "Thank you, everyone! I'm so happy to have won the championship today! Yay... Thank you to all our fans, our bandmanager Mr blah blah blah, thank you to everyone! Please remember our name, we are from Xiangcheng—" The boys yelled in unison, "Chaomu Band! With you through days and nights!"

Xu Xunsheng looked out the window to the twilight rising and the first lights coming on. A light smile played on her lips, although her expression remained indifferent.

They ascended quickly.

It was Zhao Tan who was pushed forward to finalize the rent with Xu Xunsheng. Cen Ye put on the hood of his hoodie and walked at the back, looking unconcerned.

They didn't expect that as soon as they reached the top floor, they would find Xu Xunsheng had already brewed four cups of tea, looking up with a smile. Even though the boys rarely drank tea, they could still sense the tea's subtle fragrance from the little celadon cups, just like her.

"Um... beauty," Zhao Tan said, scratching his head, "we would like to rent this place."

Zhang Tianyao couldn't hold back, rushing forward with a brilliant smile that carried a hint of rascality: "Miss, half-price for us, okay? You've heard my guitar, haven't you been conquered? And our lead singer, isn't he awesome? Drummer, bassist, isn't each one impressive? The keyboardist isn't here today, but he will definitely not disappoint you!"

All the boys laughed, and the one called Huizi swore, "F**k, Yaozi, well said, very down-to-earth."

Maybe it was because Cen Ye was the tallest and also the quietest, Xu Xunsheng's gaze settled on him immediately. His hood covered half of his face, head lowered, only revealing a smile that was confident yet seemed teasing.

Xu Xunsheng smiled as well: "You've been practicing for half a day, have some tea first." This was basic hospitality.

"Oh." The boys stepped forward, picked up the tea cups, and downed the tea like water. Cen Ye walked over leisurely and picked up a cup as well, glancing at Xu Xunsheng. Xu Xunsheng, however, was looking down, pulling out a two-page contract from the drawer, not noticing his gaze.

"I'll rent it to you," said Xu Xunsheng warmly, "50 yuan an hour, but you must take care of the equipment—it's my prized collection. You can use it twice a week, preferably in the afternoon until before 10 p.m."

"Yay!"

"Cool! You could say very cool!"

"Miss, you rock!"

The boys expressed their excitement with admiration, the only exception being Cen Ye who leaned against the wall, the empty cup already placed on the table, silent and still.

"Take a look at the contract," said Xu Xunsheng.

Zhao Tan read it over and found no issues, asking, "Who signs?" The boys looked at each other, as none of them had ever signed any contract. Zhang Tianyao was about to reach out when Cen Ye suddenly stepped forward, picked up a pen from the table, and without even reading the content, hesitated upon seeing the name "Xu Xunsheng."

Even a primary school student could tell—this woman's handwriting was super cool.

Cen Ye's expression did not change. He signed next to her name, with a scribble that did not lose out to a child's. It was flamboyant and as messy as chicken scratchings.

Xu Xunsheng took the contract, glanced at it, her expression unchanged, put it in the drawer, and said, "You can pay the rent next time you come to practice. You can pay in installments or all at once, it's all good."

Cen Ye nodded, "Okay."

At that moment, Zhang Tianyao said with a grin, "Miss, you're so nice, have great taste, and a good eye; you're practically our noble patron! If we happen to join a competition or perform publicly next time, could we... borrow your equipment?"

The boys all quieted down, looking at Xu Xunsheng. Xu Xunsheng answered naturally, "We don't really know each other now, isn't it too soon to talk about this?"

Today, this woman had been easy to speak with, almost responding positively to every request, and had generously given them a 50% discount on the rent. Zhang Tianyao didn't expect her to refuse so straightforwardly and was taken aback. But then he thought, it seemed right what she said. Thus, he harbored a notion secretly: This woman, although seemingly easy-going and good at conversation, was not that simple after all.

It was at this moment that Cen Ye slapped Zhang Tianyao's head and said, "Let's go, I've already signed the contract. Why make needless connections?"

The boys left the studio and discovered that fine snow had begun to fall from the sky, scattered and endless.

Cen Ye stretched out a hand, catching a few flakes, holding them in his palm. The others had already huddled up against the cold. Night had fallen, the cold deepened, and the surrounding high-rises began to light up with warm lights, yet they remained far from the likes of them. But tonight, the boys felt an inexplicable excitement.

"Ah—" Cen Ye was the first to let out a loud yell, lighting up the sensor lights of several buildings, followed by Zhang Tianyao, Zhao Tan... each one hysterically screaming. Before the security guards of the residential complex could come to stop them, they ran off into the snowy night.