“Yes, I want to go for some coffee today and polish up my new work, making sure everything is well-prepared.”
“Eh?! Is it an ‘original’? Qing! Are you… are you finally coming back to our circle to release a new song!?”
“Haha, don’t get too excited. It’s not a new song. It’s something else.”
“Ah…”
For some reason, hearing him casually say, “I’ve given up on music” in such a calm tone always made Lin Mu feel a pang in her heart.
But she knew she couldn’t probe further at times like this.
She couldn’t ask.
Digging deeper might only irritate Qing.
After all, everyone has their “secrets.”
And if it’s a “secret,” it’s not something meant to be shared with outsiders. If you push too hard, they’ll only pull away.
Lin Mu understood that privacy is called privacy because it’s personal, not something for others to meddle in—unless the person themselves is willing to share.
“Alright, if it’s a coffee shop, I can recommend one… though I’m not sure if it’s too far from your place. If it’s too far, forget it.”
Lin Mu’s thoughts were shallow, almost entirely written on her face.
Compared to the other scheming girls in her grade, she had spent all her time and energy studying music, so her words and actions often lacked subtlety.
As for things like social etiquette, she had never bothered to learn, which quickly led to her being ostracized in her social group. People gossiped behind her back, calling her “a clueless thing who only knows how to grind and play the piano, with such expensive equipment.”
Malice and jealousy had washed over Lin Mu countless times, but she didn’t care.
After all, at this moment, Qing’s reply was as warm as ever, and that was more healing than anything else.
“Lin-chan, I’ve already gone out today, so it’s not very convenient. Let’s go to your shop next time, okay?”
“!”
In the bathroom, the little girl under the heat lamp widened her eyes, her heart leaping with joy.
Was this a promise?
Was this him accepting her invitation?!
But she hadn’t even said anything yet. How did Qing know she wanted to invite him to “Twilight Café”?
Could it be… could it be that he had searched for her location?
“Hehe… as expected of Qing, all-knowing and all-powerful. So good, so good!”
“And…”
“And the fact that he searched for my shop means he’s interested in coming to see me. So, he does care about me after all. He’s not planning to completely cut me off like I thought. Hmm…! We can still go back to how things were before.”
Lin Mu giggled foolishly for a while, but when she saw herself in the mirror still not having started her bath, she suddenly panicked and scolded herself:
“Oh no… I keep forgetting time and what I’m supposed to do whenever I talk to him. I’ve been standing in front of the mirror for half an hour without even turning on the faucet. I’m such a mess.”
“……”
Lin Mu felt stupid.
Especially when it came to matters of the heart, she couldn’t express herself properly.
She couldn’t convey her admiration and appreciation for him in a subtle and precise way.
Every time, she ended up speaking in a “low-EQ” manner…
Like the time she scared him off, and the hundreds of little essays she wrote after that…
All of them were heartfelt, with no linguistic finesse whatsoever.
It could be said she had no tact at all.
“Ah…”
“Is being too blunt going to make him hate me…?”
Lin Mu was a bit troubled.
Being blunt with others was fine—after all, she didn’t owe anyone anything.
But with Qing, she couldn’t be so direct.
Lin Mu wanted to gain more experience in social skills so that she wouldn’t make him feel pressured in their next conversation, causing him to leave her again.
“That’s right, Qing is fragile.”
“Others might not know, but I do. He’s poured it all into his songs.”
“The songs he listens to and practices are all meant to heal himself.”
“He’s a very sensitive person. I mustn’t carelessly step into his minefield. Even accidentally, I absolutely cannot. I finally got him to add me as a friend—I can’t make the same mistake again.”
Lin Mu thought seriously.
She wanted to solve this problem.
So she gathered her spirits and pondered:
“How can I practice the skill of ‘social tact’?”
“I don’t go out much, and the only person around me who’s good at this is my sister…”
“But she lives her life wearing a mask, and her smile is terrifying. She must have gone through a lot of hardships and compromises to develop that habit, right?”
“Plus, my sister doesn’t have time for me, nor the energy to teach me about social etiquette… Even just being around her makes me feel pressured.”
“If I ask GaoBan Weihua…”
“No. She’s a foreigner, so there’s an extra layer of barrier when it comes to domestic social norms. Even though she’s practically omnipotent in other areas, I feel like… she might misunderstand what I’m trying to learn.”
Lin Mu analyzed slowly, thinking it better to be safe than sorry.
GaoBan Weihua, though the most suitable person around to help her and solve all her needs, was also a double-edged sword because of her terrifying “investigative skills.”
If her sister wanted to know something, all she had to do was say, “Help me look into this,” and within 24 hours, GaoBan would deliver a thorough and well-documented answer.
This ability made Lin Mu wonder, “Has she been a spy or something…?”
Driving, handling affairs, investigating, tracking—there was nothing she couldn’t do.
This woman, in her twenties, looked like she was in her teens.
“Too scary, too scary. I can’t let her catch even a whiff of Qing. Otherwise, my sister would instantly take an interest in him, and then I’d be done for.”
People are always protective of what’s theirs, and Lin Mu was no exception.
Even though she knew her sister had never met Qing, she couldn’t help but worry that if her sister learned about his past, she might also be captivated by his charm, charmed by his personality,
and then go to any lengths to get him, find him, track him, or even imprison him.
Others might not do it, but her sister…
[She would definitely do it.]
Lin Mu saw it clearly.
So she wouldn’t let a single hint slip to Mu Xia.
—Her sister’s heart was like a black hole.
This wasn’t just a saying; the little girl had witnessed it firsthand.
“Forget it, I’ll figure it out myself.”
“I opened the shop today, so maybe some new customers will come in.”
“If customers come, I’ll serve them well and treat it as a trial, trying to learn ‘social experience’ from it, so I can become smarter and more socially adept.”
Lin Mu decided to take an indirect learning route, using interactions with strangers to improve herself until she could smoothly converse with Qing. Then, she’d use her newfound skills to invite him out for a meetup and play the piano for him…
Astonish him!
Tempt him!
Tease him!
Make him unable to resist, pick up his instrument, and engage in a soul-to-soul collision with her!
Achieving a dual spiritual fulfillment.
This was Lin Mu’s ultimate goal, and her core plan for the near future.
“Haha, so happy.”
“Having a goal is great. Life is just like practicing the piano—easy as flipping a hand.”
The rich little girl grinned at the mirror, raising her right arm and looking at her palm. With a flick, she turned it to the back of her hand.
Her smile grew wider.
Laughing, laughing.
Then her smile suddenly froze—
Her face fell into a pout, and she muttered angrily:
“Ugh, I’ve been standing here for ages without turning on the faucet. If I keep thinking like this, I’ll never finish my bath today.”
……
……