Kiss

After Bai Chen took his hands off the piano, not a sound could be heard. The place was filled with complete and utter silence.

Everyone in the store, except for Bai Chen, had shocked expressions on their faces.

Li Lin had her eyes wide and her mouth agape for a really long time as well.

Tears streamed from the old man Chou Mo’s eyes. He shut his eyelids, his face clearly weighed down with sorrow.

The shop staff could not stay calm down as well. Their eyes almost popped out and mouths were wide open.

Bai Chen slowly rose up from the piano stool. He stood up, holding Li Lin’s bag in his hand just like before.

He did not know the reactions of the other people in the shop. Bai Chen only turned to look at Li Lin.

As soon as he saw her, Bai Chen smiled at the hilarious sight. He found her cute face quite funny with that expression.

He walked up and stopped in front of her, waving his hand in front of her face. “Hey, what’s wrong, little girl?”

“Y… you!”

Li Lin snapped back to reality. Her face flushed slightly red. She felt very embarrassed and could guess that Bai Chen was probably laughing at her internally for her funny expression.

“What? You haven’t forgotten our bet, right?” Bai Chen said with a smile.

He licked his lips a little. His heart was also pounding in his chest when he thought about kissing Li Lin, this pretty girl.

Li Lin shuddered. Her facial expression froze and her face started to get warmer. Both of her cheeks were obviously flushed.

She had no idea what to say. It looked like she had lost this time. And when the outcome was like this, she would have to let Bai Chen kiss her because they had made a deal. This made Li Lin feel helpless.

She had seriously believed that she would have been the one to win this bet, not lose it!

It was obvious that Li Lin had not prepared herself for this situation at all!

“Your name is Bai Chen, right? You played really well a moment ago.”

It was then that Chou Mo approached Bai Chen. He had wiped the tears off his face.

What he said was the absolute truth. Bai Chen had played really well. The boy’s skills even surpassed Chou Mo, who was a professional pianist.

If Bai Chen chose the career path of being a professional pianist, he would surely be world-famous.

Bai Chen turned to look at the old man, Chou Mo. The boy had not been paying attention to him earlier, so he did not know that the old man had shed tears over his tune.

“Thank you for your compliment, sir.” Bai Chen smiled. He was especially happy now, so how could he not smile?

Chou Mo smiled as well.

“You’re a very talented young man. The song you played earlier is called ‘August Gloom’. By being able to touch the souls of your audience through music, you will rise to the top of the piano world.”

He paused for a bit before continuing in a solemn voice. “Do you want to be a professional pianist? I can get you into the field myself.”

“Thank you for your compliment, sir, but I’m not interested in being a career pianist.”

Bai Chen shook his head. He had no aspirations to become a professional pianist at all.

“What a shame.”

Chou Mo could only shake his head in disappointment, but he did not try to persuade Bai Chen to give it a second thought though. He knew that each person had different dreams.

Bai Chen gave Chou Mo an apologetic smile in response to his good intentions. After that, he turned to look at Li Lin.

But she was gone. Li Lin was no longer standing where she had been.

‘Fled, did she? She chose to run away?’ Bai Chen immediately realised this fact once he saw that she was long gone. She had probably decided to run away. The boy shook his head with a smile on his face.

“Grandpa Mo, I will have to excuse myself.” Bai Chen said goodbye to the old man before turning to ask a question of a male staff member.

When he learned that Li Lin had run out of the shop, the boy immediately left as well.

“Such a shame.” Chou Mo walked to the front of the store as well. He looked at Bai Chen who was walking away until he could see the boy no more. The old man sighed a little and walked sorrowfully back into the shop.

Actually, the song ‘August Gloom’ was the song he had written in remembrance of his late wife, who had passed away in August.

......................

Bai Chen quickly left the fourth floor. He took the escalator to the third floor but did not stop there. He proceeded to the second floor and then, down to the first floor. Before long, the boy had already exited Xing Yuan Department Store.

He looked around a little and suddenly saw Li Lin, looking to the left and right next to a vending machine with a cautious expression.

The corners of Bai Chen’s mouth curled up into a smile. At the same time, he rapidly approached her.

“You!” Seeing Bai Chen making his way towards her, Li Lin’s heart skipped a beat. She thought she had successfully escaped and had not imagined at all that she would be found like this.

“You lost a bet. Are you not keeping your word?”

Bai Chen stopped in front of her. His smile widened, showing his pearly white teeth.

“No!” Li Lin said with an extremely red face. She was acting like a bullied cat. “Who said I would not keep my word? Fine, it’s a kiss you want? What are you waiting for then?!? Kiss me!”

She closed her eyes and pouted her lips a little. Both of her cheeks were so rosy that they could not get any pinker. It was obvious that Li Lin was feeling extremely embarrassed.

Bai Chen looked left and right a little. When he saw that no one was around, he placed both hands on Li Lin’s small, trembling shoulders. The boy lowered his head… and placed his lips on Li Lin’s.

The sensation of a soft and gentle touch, together with a sweet scent, bathed his lips at that moment.

Bai Chen’s heart raced faster with this sensation that he had never felt in his life. He found kissing very pleasant.

End of Chapter 28