Bai Xing's request wasn't excessive.
For once, she didn't push her luck.
With her eyes gently closed, she savored the moment.
She savored the warmth that was hard to come by.
In front of Room 1901,
under the obscured surveillance,
separated by a door,
she secretly absorbed
the body heat that symbolized "care."
—It was both a longing and a repayment.
"So, this is the warmth Su Ling gets to experience every day?"
Bai Xing poured all her strength into
cherishing these few, priceless breaths before her.
Little did she know, in Lu Qing's memories,
the real answer was that even his younger sister had never experienced such prolonged closeness.
—"The warmth through a blanket doesn't reach the heart."
...
...
...
Until they returned home.
Neither of them mentioned what had just happened.
It was as if it had been erased from their memories or buried deep,
leaving behind a vivid recollection in Bai Xing's heart.
Lu Qing, too,
added another slide to his mental album.
……
"Brother, you're back?"
"Yeah, still practicing?"
"Yes, I got stuck on a technique. My fingers just wouldn't cooperate. I only managed about 9 hours before I lost control and couldn't nail the details."
Su Ling pursed her lips, holding a Fender landscape painting limited edition green pick (20 yuan) between her teeth, and swiveled her chair to face the door.
"Oh? What technique are you working on? Let me hear it."
Lu Qing completely forgot the contradictory persona he had built in front of his sister—"the theoretical master, the talker who knows everything but can't play a thing"—
driven solely by curiosity, he washed his hands and waited for her to begin.
"Ah... it's this part."
Su Ling narrowed her beautiful eyes, turned on all the effects on her pre-prepared amp, and stepped on the Clean pedal with her jade-like toes, switching to a ripple-like tone.
Then, in front of him, she slowly—painfully slowly—demonstrated
a highly iconic riff from a song.
(A section of a piece formed by the most recognizable phrases.)
...
The amp was set to 3 o'clock on the dial.
She played four chords, repeating them twice.
In that instant, Lu Qing froze.
After hearing his sister play a total of eight chords, he felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest.
—What was that?
Though played slowly,
wasn't that Jun Qing at 0.75 speed?
—"A Sunny Day Just for You."
A song she once loved.
A song I've listened to over 1,980 times.
Why?
"Why are you practicing this?"
"Where did you find the sheet music?"
Suddenly, Lu Qing's eyes darkened, his voice turning eerily cold, his expression blank.
"Brother..."
Su Ling was clearly startled.
She had only wanted to test if he could recognize the slowed-down version of Jun Qing, but before she could even finish the intro, he had such a strong physical reaction.
As expected,
this song held extraordinary significance for him.
[Perhaps it holds secrets about "her."]
Su Ling treaded carefully.
She stopped playing, put down her black cat, and calmly replied:
"I found it in an online tutorial. The UP used this part to demonstrate a technique, and I thought it sounded nice, so I took a screenshot and copied it for practice."
Her answer was flawless.
She had even prepared a backup—a corresponding video demonstration.
Even if her brother didn't believe her and decided to investigate, she could show him the video, completing her test for the day and having solid evidence to clear herself.
"Alright."
Lu Qing didn't press further, but the pain in his brow eased at that moment.
It was as if not hearing the song allowed him to continue deceiving himself,
as if, as long as his sister didn't play it, the 1,980 wouldn't tick forward to 1,981.
Seeing him like this, Su Ling felt a chill.
[He doesn't truly love this song.]
[His favorite piece might not even be from Yorushika.]
[Even if he treasures Yorushika's sheet music, it's unclear whether he's listening for someone else, trying to read their heart through some extreme method.]
[Brother, your expression has betrayed you.]
[No one understands you better than I do.]
[So, you're still running away, aren't you?]
...
...
Su Ling's preparations were flawless.
Now dressed in her pajamas, she collected her brother's coat and the laundry.
Lu Qing pulled out a reference book and shared a video on his phone, saying:
"Just follow the person in this video for the technique. Their movements, the angle of their fingers on the strings, the close-ups of their fingers, and the relaxation of their muscles—replicate those, and you should be able to play it."
Well, well.
Su Ling looked at the account named "Yin Ci P."
She bit her tongue.
—[Brother is trying to make me learn from his past self.]
Is that it?
"Interesting."
Su Ling's smile deepened.
No one could escape her intelligence network.
She already knew the meaning behind every move her brother made.
But she didn't expose him.
Instead, she changed the subject: "Not sleeping again tonight?"
Watching him open his tablet, she silently counted: It's been three consecutive nights of staying up...?
"Yeah, the next two days are important. I can't afford to waste time. I'll catch up on sleep during class if I need to, so don't worry."
Lu Qing set up his equipment, opened the website, logged into his Lubia account, and changed his nickname to "Mei Biya."
"...Working so hard?"
Seeing that he was already in work mode, Su Ling naturally didn't disturb him. She simply sat on the sofa bed, leaning against him, not sleeping either, just watching the screen as he typed away on the keyboard.
Lu Qing didn't mind.
When he worked, she was free to watch. He wouldn't shut her out completely, let alone push her away.
Because, in a way,
he felt his sister had potential.
Not the kind of potential Bai Xing had—being a VTuber, able to captivate hearts with pre-prepared personas—
nor the kind Sugar Flower had, effortlessly mesmerizing with every pose and gesture.
But she could definitely absorb some "nutrients" from his projects, see things she needed or wanted to understand.
Lu Qing believed his sister had the potential to work behind the scenes.
If, in the unnamed guild he had built—
Bai Xing was the "face," the center stage, driving the revenue through gifts;
then Sugar Flower was the "middle stage," not only serving as a backup but also acting as the core, enhancing the face's appeal and pushing revenue even further, irreplaceable;
offstage, Yang Zi served as the "support," weeding out the trolls and troublemakers;
onstage, Wen Le was the "controller," handling issues Yang Zi couldn't resolve, and like a DJ, keeping the atmosphere alive, a one-person super hype machine;
backstage, he himself was the "coach," the strategist of the entire team.
With him, the team stayed on track, making sound decisions.
But this seemingly perfect system had a flaw—
what if, one day, [he collapsed]?
Could they keep running smoothly without him?
Could they move forward seamlessly in his absence?
Who among them had the ability to plan, handle music, make decisions, resolve conflicts, and adapt on the fly?
Lu Qing thought and thought, and suddenly realized—
[Su Ling could.]
...
Su Ling, who had even tackled the most challenging aspect—music—starting from zero, was progressing at an astonishing rate, on the verge of turning professional.
In this elusive, talent-driven field, she was advancing with her own methods, self-motivated and disciplined, without needing his guidance.
Lu Qing knew very well that to truly master music, one needed at least the following essential qualities—
Calm, composed, patient, unflappable in solitude, and unbothered by haste or frustration. When faced with challenges that seem "utterly impossible" or "completely unplayable," she doesn’t turn and run at the first sign of difficulty. Instead, she tackles them point by point, relentlessly pushing forward.
Su Ling possesses every quality a musician should have.
On top of that, she carries traits like "obsessiveness," "aloofness," "extremism," and "emotional numbness"—attributes that might be seen as flaws in ordinary people but serve as double-edged swords that enhance her musical prowess.
Thus, she embodies a personality that is 【mysterious】, 【unfathomable】, and 【profoundly calculating】. If nurtured properly, she could one day step in at a critical moment to replace someone...
—Hiss.
Is it possible?
Could she be groomed to become a 【mastermind】?
“...”
Lu Qing took a deep breath.
—【It’s possible, isn’t it?】
“Su Ling.”
He paused what he was doing, turned his head, and spoke.
“Hm?”
“Are you tired?”
“Not at all, why do you ask?”
She smiled softly, her eyes meeting her brother’s as if she had long anticipated this day.
“It’s nothing much.”
Lu Qing hesitated, his gaze shifting away.
“It’s just that tonight, I want to teach you something. If you’re interested, pay close attention. But if you’re tired, just let me know, alright?”
“Of course.”
Su Ling smiled gently.
Her eyes softened as she said:
“Whatever you say, brother, I’ll always listen.”
“Whether it’s today or in the future;
Whether it’s out of reason or necessity.”
“Everything is fine with me.”
……
……