In the high-end acoustically designed piano room, Mu Xia finished the last note in her princess-like black evening gown.
The lingering notes echoed.
Her hand caressed the black and white keys, gently lifting her fingertips from the Mosse piano, and she closed the lid.
— "Playing the piano requires a sense of ceremony."
Even for practice,
For Mu Xia, it was a task that demanded her full attention.
She had to bathe,
do finger exercises,
be in the right mental state,
and wear attire that matched the piece.
Today's blue sky called for "Blue II";
last night's dim stars led her to choose "Night Walk" or "Hibernation."
In such matters, Mu Xia's attention to detail was far from trivial.
Of course, she occasionally chatted with the piano.
…
“Xiao Mu, come in.”
At this moment, she rose with a smile, turning to look at her little sister who had been waiting at the door for some time.
“Um… Sister, long time no see, here.”
Lin Mu walked into the piano room timidly, obediently taking out a gift from her bag.
— Two cups of hand-poured coffee in a paper box, and homemade chocolate cocoa cookies in vacuum-sealed bags.
“Oh, you brought me a gift? Really, why so formal?”
Mu Xia adjusted her long dress, gracefully pacing on the spotless marble floor.
For her,
seeing her sister ranked far above preparing for concerts or releasing new albums.
Lin Mu spoke nervously:
“I know sister doesn't usually eat much, and never drinks before playing. So… I made some things casually, not sure if they suit your taste.”
Her voice was soft.
In fact.
Every time she saw her sister, she felt uneasy.
Even when they were at home, she never dared to enter her sister's room.
The number of times she spoke to her sister could hardly be counted in hundreds.
Lin Mu knew her sister was too busy, rarely staying in one place for more than a few hours, which was quite exaggerated.
She often shuttled between major concert halls, major studios, top-tier instrument stores, major record companies, and even during the school term, while others were in class, she was above the sky—
on a plane.
Yes, for Miss Mu Xia, going abroad for masterclasses, attending music salons was as common as going shopping.
Now, she focused her gaze on her sister.
…
"Hehe, Xiao Mu is still so adorable, and you really listened to me, dressing up so beautifully today! Mmm~ Truly, you are worthy of being my sister. Come here, let your sister touch you."
Mu Xia's nearly flawless face blooms with a warm smile.
One of her favorite things was to gently stroke and rub her sister's hair with her palm.
Because Lin Mu's hair was so silky, with an excellent feel.
Like a fox in the snow,
It could relax tense nerves and slowly melt a frozen heart.
“Oh.”
Lin Mu obediently approached her sister, then slightly bowed, actively placing her head against her beautiful palm, rubbing it left and right.
“Ahh— this is truly healing. Xiao Mu, every time I see you, I forget all my worries of the past three months.”
Mu Xia revealed a relaxed and contented expression, her cheeks flushing with a drunken blush.
Every time this happened, it made her feel,
Having a little sister is nice.
In this cold, temperatureless world,
her sister's existence seemed to be one of the only two reasons she continued to move forward.
She took her sister's hand and walked together towards the tea room at the back of the piano room.
This room was specially built for the young lady to organize her attire, rest, and contemplate.
recently renovated at her request.
The two women stepped onto the red carpet, one in front and the other behind, ready to enjoy this rare and precious sisterly gathering.
Once Lin Mu was seated,
Mu Xia personally brewed a cup of black tea for her sister.
The hot water, which had been pre-boiled in the thermos, was joyfully used by the young lady to pour over the tea leaves.
After a series of elegant movements, she handed the expensive carved teacup to Lin Mu.
“Here, try mine.”
“…Um.”
Lin Mu obediently took the black tea, ignoring the steam rising from the cup, and took a sip.
“Delicious.”
She said, enduring the feeling of it being too hot to the mouth.
Since she wasn't very good at saying elegant things, she expressed herself with the simplest words.
“That's good~”
Mu Xia smiled and sat beside her, waiting for her to put down the teacup, then looked at her with a caring gaze, smiling gently.
“Xiao Mu, tell sister, what's bothering you?”
“Ah?”
In an instant.
Lin Mu's hand trembled slightly.
Her expression froze.
“Is there... is there?”
She looked at Mu Xia.
“Yes, tell me more?”
Mu Xia smiled, observing her sister's face with an impeccable expression.
“……”
Lin Mu's heart sank, realizing something was amiss.
The inevitable had come.
In fact, every time,
every time it was like this.
In front of her sister, her secrets seemed to be ripped open and torn apart by an irresistible force,
revealed after being unraveled, exposed under the scorching sun.
Only one thing remained hidden at the bottom of her heart—
only「he」,
had been preserved intact so far, unexplored and unobserved by Mu Xia.
"I can't tell sister about this, or she will investigate. No, I can't bring more trouble to Yin Ci Sang, and I definitely can't let him be disturbed in real life, to the point where he would dislike me or even hate me more. No, absolutely not."
She thought this, and couldn't help but recall the memories about "him".
Clearly, regarding his disappearance, Lin Mu had made various guesses.
One was health reasons, Yin Ci Sang had fallen ill and had to give up music;
Due to life reasons, Yin Ci Sang had hit a low point and couldn't afford to continue making music;
There were realistic reasons, as Yin Ci Sang had urgent matters and didn't have time to focus on music.
No matter which reason, Lin Mu had carefully analyzed and deduced, even cross-combined.
However, no matter how she thought about it, it didn't explain why he had completely disappeared for three years, especially given that he was confirmed to be alive.
Lin Mu was confused.
She knew that in this world, very few people loved music as much as Yin Ci, to the point of near madness.
Talking to his guitar, sleeping with his qin, writing songs while looking in the mirror, crying listening to his own recordings, flying abroad specifically for inspiration and creation... Who could be sick to this extent?
But this… are all stories that Yin Ci P himself has recounted on his private Weibo account, like a self-talk, narrating precious memories to himself.
“No, I can't.”
"「He」 is my secret,「He」 must have a new life now."
"I absolutely must not, must not tell sister about him. Otherwise, everything will be ruined."
At this point, Lin Mu decided to change the subject and deceive her sister.
Even if her sister were to find Yin Ci, she didn't want to interfere with「his」life through such means, completely losing him.
She knew,
Under her sister's observation, her emotions had already been exposed, and her unhappy feelings were impossible to hide. Denying it was meaningless.
So, she had to settle for the next best thing…
— choosing to talk about the "playboy" incident.
…
“Ah, it's nothing, just met an acquaintance at the door, wanted to play a joke on him, but he had such a big temper, couldn't take even a little joke, and left with his partner… so I felt a bit annoyed.”
Lin Mu muttered softly, recounting the incident at the door truthfully.
After all, even if she didn't say it, Gao Ban would probably mention it later, so hiding it was pointless.
“Hmm? Acquaintance?”
Soon.
Mu Xia caught the keyword in her sister's words.
She looked at her sister,
at her sister's expression.
After a moment of thought.
「Acquaintance」?
「Partner」?
「Annoyed」?
Hmm.
For the young lady, discerning her sister's thoughts was as effortless as threading a needle through a ball of yarn.
So easy that it would even bore her.
Easier than practicing the piano.
“Well, Xiao Mu, can you tell sister his name?”
Mu Xia asked with a smile.
“Eh?”
Lin Mu, though annoyed by Lu Qing's attitude earlier, felt that directly telling his name to her sister somehow felt like betraying him…
The severity of this felt like— even if she cursed him, it would be better than revealing his name to her sister.
"Come on, sis, he's just a guest. We'll probably never see him again. Why bother asking his name?"
Lin Mu tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
However...
"Hmm?"
"Guest?"
"Never see him again?"
For some reason, the smile on Mu Xia's lips widened slightly.
After a few seconds of silence, she murmured, "Today, Gao Ban told me that a guest was supposed to visit at one o'clock."
She continued, "But now that the time has passed, the guest hasn't shown up. Little Mu, the 'guest' I mentioned, is he the same 'friend' you were talking about?"
Leaning her fair elbow on the sofa armrest, she propped her delicate chin with one hand, while the other tapped silently on the solid wood tea table. She crossed her porcelain-like legs and continued to gaze at her sister with a smile.
"Ah...?"
It was only then that Lin Mu realized—
Yes, her "guest" was also her sister's "guest."
Could it be that...
She had scared away her sister's "guest"?
"Uh..."
A sense of unease crept into her heart.
This was a relationship she had never anticipated. Fortunately, the problem wasn't too big; she was confident that her sister wouldn't get angry with her over something like this. After all, in front of outsiders, her sister always spoiled her.
"Alright, his name is Lu Qing. I don't know if he was your guest."
Lin Mu said hesitantly.
"Lu Qing?"
Upon hearing the name, Mu Xia pondered for a moment. It seemed vaguely familiar, but not quite.
The impression came from the interview that her agent, Gao Ban, had mentioned. However, she felt like she might have encountered him in another context.
At school?
Impossible.
Although they both attended Tianhai City Arts Academy, it was precisely because of this that Gao Ban had agreed to let him come for the interview. But there was something... missing.
Mu Xia furrowed her brows slightly, then returned to her smile:
"Well, little Mu, if you scared him away, then so be it. After all, keeping you happy is the most important thing." She smoothly changed the subject, as if she didn't care at all.
"Oh..."
Lin Mu felt a bit relieved and cautiously nodded, shifting her gaze elsewhere.
Her posture was very restrained.
She only occupied the front half of the high-end sofa with her hips, her body straight and forward-leaning, her arms close to her sides, and her fingers intertwined in the center of her knees.
Even when alone with her sister, she treated herself as an "outsider."
"Little Mu, you've been practicing the bass intensely again, haven't you?"
Mu Xia suddenly focused her gaze on her sister's fingers, as if casually bringing up the next topic.
"Ah... it's fine."
Lin Mu curled her fingers inward, trying to hide the thick calluses on her fingertips.
The strings of a bass are thicker than those of an electric guitar, and even thicker than those of a folk guitar, so playing and practicing can cause significant damage to the fingers. In Mu Xia's eyes, this was a form of "wear and tear."
Pianists and rock musicians are different—pianists need to protect their hands the most. They can't afford to have calluses like Lin Mu's, which make the fingers feel numb and stiff, unlike Mu Xia's own soft fingertips.
Some piano masters even insure their fingers.
"Little Mu, it's okay to practice, but your fingers are already red and swollen. Don't overdo it." Mu Xia reminded her.
"Mm-hmm."
Lin Mu nodded.
Clearly,
She wouldn't listen to her sister on this matter.
After all, what's the point of being a bassist if you don't practice?
Especially for someone into ACG music, it's even more essential.
Many don't know that Japanese rock songs often have tempos close to 200 BPM. This concept can be explained with a simple math problem:
BPM = 60 means one beat per second (a quarter note is one beat), and 120 BPM doubles that. However, in ACG music, most songs start at 180+ BPM, and each beat might contain eighth notes (2 notes per beat), sixteenth notes (4 notes per beat), or even thirty-second notes (8 notes per beat), which are far from being easy for beginners.
Question: In Lin Mu's song "Tokyo Teddy Bear" (BPM = 204), how many eighth notes would she need to play per second? (10 points)
Under such intense pressure, asking Lin Mu not to practice was akin to asking her to give up the bass.
After all, top-tier musicians maintain their finger dexterity through daily practice. Missing a day could result in a 10% drop in skill; three days, a 30% drop; a week, a 50% drop;
If she didn't practice for a month, her calluses would peel off, and if she ever wanted to pick it up again, she'd have to start over from scratch, experiencing the pain of fresh hands all over again.
—This is the pressure of string instruments.
Mu Xia knew that this kind of advice wouldn't get through, so she just nodded and moved on to the next topic.
"Little Mu, I've transferred 50,000 yuan into your card. That's your living expenses for next month." She said, "If you need to buy a new bass, just let me know, and I'll give you more."
"Huh...?"
"Oh, and your shop's rent is about to expire, so I asked Gao Ban to contact the landlord yesterday and renew it for 130,000 yuan. She also took care of the water, electricity, internet, and fire safety fees. So when you're at the shop, try to relax and enjoy yourself, okay?"
Mu Xia casually dropped these expensive words.
Hearing this, Lin Mu didn't know how to respond to her sister.
She just pursed her lips and quietly lowered her head slightly.
Her expression carried a subtle hint of guilt and inferiority.
She knew.
Her sister always did this.
Providing an overwhelming amount of support that far exceeded her needs.
For small things, her sister didn't have the energy to take care of everything, so she would have Gao Ban handle it, satisfying all her requests;
For big things, especially living expenses and daily expenses, her sister would endlessly swipe her card and send money,
And she would often ask what she liked, and as soon as she mentioned something, her sister would send the exact same item the next day, as if it were as simple as eating and drinking.
Last time, she had just mentioned how nice the new electric piano from "Mosse" looked...
And the next day, Gao Ban had brought two strong men to deliver it.
This incident left a deep impression on her.
"Little Mu, by the way, are you still in touch with your former band members?"
As she was thinking, Mu Xia suddenly smiled and looked at her sister's profile, asking.
"No."
Lin Mu replied, "After we fell out, I dropped out of school. I haven't seen them since."
Her expression darkened, triggered by memories of the past.
"Ah. Is that so? That's good."
Mu Xia smiled.
She knew that her sister's band had formed at Senyue Academy.
The reason for its disbandment had also been investigated by Gao Ban.
The conclusion was: "Lin Mu was bullied."
The reason was strange—
The other three members couldn't keep up with her practice and learning speed, so because Lin Mu was too strong, they ganged up on her, forcing her to leave.
Heh.
After hearing Gao Ban's report, Mu Xia was very displeased.
So,
With a simple command,
She had the three girls expelled.
...
"Little Mu, tell me, why does your café only open so infrequently? Can you even make money like that?"
Time flew by quickly.
Mu Xia continued to ask.
It seemed to be a topic of particular interest, as she adjusted her posture slightly, leaning forward a bit closer to her sister.
—She wanted to see her sister's eyes.
"Ah... there's no particular reason. I open it when I feel like it, and close it when I don't. I don't plan to make money from it."
Lin Mu avoided eye contact, unwilling to answer.
"Hmm?"
Mu Xia smiled and pressed further: "Then why is it that you open it every seven days?"
"..."
"And why is it always in the afternoon to evening?"
"..."
"Little Mu, you can't lie to your sister, you know."
"..."
This was the reason Lin Mu both wanted to see her sister and feared seeing her.
Every time they met,
Her sister would suddenly ask very sharp questions,
And these questions were likely ones that Gao Ban had investigated in advance, with results that were vague and tricky.
Lin Mu didn't like this.
She didn't like being probed.
After all, revealing that "7 days is the interval for the first private message reply from Yin Ci P" or telling her sister that "the probability of Yin Ci P posting a performance video is high between 4 and 6 PM" would be incredibly embarrassing.
For Lin Mu, these were undoubtedly like significant anniversaries, something she would never share with her.
Even if she did, her sister would surely scoff and, just like last time, try to arrange for Gao Ban to take her to a psychologist, all under the guise of "talking to a therapist can make you feel better."
No, that wouldn't do.
Lin Mu didn't like that.
So, she decided to lie again.
"Didn't you say you wanted me to return to school as soon as possible? Before that, I didn't plan to open the door to see any guests... But don't worry, I'll change this habit and shorten the intervals between openings, extending the time I'm available."
She lied, "I'll try to return to school next month."
"Oh?"
Mu Xia's eyes lit up, and she nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good." She said.
"..."
Lin Mu felt a chill in her heart, a bit nervous.
In fact, her social anxiety wasn't that severe.
Although she had been traumatized during the initial bonding with her band members, she had been somewhat healed by Yin Ci P, so the wound wasn't too deep.
Come to think of it, she had started learning bass after watching a band anime and consulting him.
—【Qing Sang, I've been following you for a long time. I want to ask, what electric instrument is best for girls to learn? Guitar?】
【Yin Qing P: No, no, it depends on the individual. If you want to play ACG, I recommend Bass. Electric guitar is tough to start with, requiring all sorts of barre chords, and it's very theory-heavy;
Bass is different—it's easier to get into, and it only gets really hard in the later stages. It's more about rhythm and groove. You can slowly learn the theory later, with a smoother transition.
Most importantly... the bass is long, and when a girl swings it on stage, the charm it exudes can defeat everything.】
Thus, Lin Mu went all in on bass.
Under his guidance, she bought her first bass.
Under his advice, she embarked on her rock journey.
It's worth mentioning that
the Fender bass from her sister came later.
So,
he came first,
her sister followed.
...
The conversation was gradually coming to an end.
Lin Mu clenched her hands, her fingers trembling.
She always felt this way, sitting in front of her sister, feeling the pressure.
Even though her sister was good to her,
she always felt that the air around her became dangerous.
She would have the illusion of being in the abyss.
After all, answering every question from her sister required great caution.
She owed her sister too much.
It was a debt that was impossible to repay, even if she spent her entire life trying.
...
Lin Mu was very clear,
that even if one day her sister suddenly abandoned her like Yin Ci P...
there would be no moral or ethical issues.
—Neither Yin Ci P nor her sister "had to" take care of her.
The answers she got from Yin Ci P were free, taking up his precious time, consuming his emotions, and gaining his value;
Her sister was the same.
Her sister wasn't her biological relative, so even if she said, "From now on, figure out your own life," it would be completely within the bounds of morality.
Lin Mu understood this clearly.
Ever since her uncle abandoned her, her sister shouldn't have been like this, giving her 50,000 yuan every month without fail, arranging for Gao Ban to visit her once a week, and sending a constant stream of supplies.
Since the coffee shop rarely opened and had no customers, the unused ingredients often expired and had to be thrown away,
things like cream were obviously unusable, yet her sister still had Gao Ban prepare new ones continuously.
All the material needs were always met; the smart refrigerator, always stocked with various ingredients.
Her sister...
Ah.
Lin Mu sighed.
At that moment, a knock came from outside.
"Miss, it's about time. You should move on to your next appointment."
Gao Ban's voice was like an alarm, reminding Mu Xia of her schedule.
"Ah... time flies. A bit of a pity..."
Mu Xia smiled,
"But Xiao Mu, seeing you really made your sister happy."
She said, pulling her sister's hand and instructing her: "I might be very busy in the coming period, so when you're alone in the shop, try to be happy. If you have any problems, you can always contact Gao Ban, and she'll help you solve them, okay?"
"Um... thank you, sister."
Lin Mu nodded, thanking her as usual.
For some reason, the 15-minute end of their meeting felt like a relief and release to her.
"Then, we'll see each other again."
Mu Xia's smile grew even brighter as she opened the door and accompanied Lin Mu to the entrance of the piano room.
"Sister, take care of yourself. See you next time."
"Hmm."
The response was brief.
As she watched Lin Mu's retreating back,
Mu Xia's previously flawless smile,
suddenly froze on her face.
As the distance between her sister and herself grew,
the smile gradually, bit by bit, disappeared.
After it vanished, there was only darkness and oppression.
She turned and lowered her head,
ignoring the expensive dress dragging on the ground,
like the wind, she strode into the room, back to the tea table inside the suite,
with a condescending gaze,
glancing at the souvenir her sister had brought.
Then, suddenly stretching out her arm,
she grabbed the beautifully packaged bag containing a full cup of coffee and homemade heart-shaped cookies,
stepped to the black smart trash can,
opened it,
with a fiendish grin.
And threw everything—
【into it.】
...
...