Sometimes, Lu Qing feels quite troubled.
He feels troubled by the keenness of his intuition.
Although he hasn’t slept all night,
Although the vein above his temple is throbbing wildly,
This doesn’t stop him from picking up on the subtle clues that reveal—
The whereabouts of "Lin-chan."
The true identity of "Lin-chan."
"..."
It’s not like I wanted to dox her.
It’s just that your videos provided too much information.
It’s a coincidence.
A pure accident.
Lu Qing sighed inwardly, a look of helplessness on his face.
Who would have thought that the person he wanted to save
Would turn out to be a bratty girl who enjoys berating him??
And who could have guessed that her offline and online personalities are completely different??
"No, she said she went to her sister’s shop."
"That day, Bai Xing and I went to 'Mosse.'"
"By extension, 'Mosse' is her sister’s shop."
"Holy crap, what kind of goddess is her sister???"
Huh?
A simple logical equation made Lu Qing immediately shake off his drowsiness.
He was a bit stunned.
Bratty girl = Lin-chan.
Lin-chan’s sister = A top executive at Mosse?
And Mosse is… the family business of Master Mu Zhicheng.
Therefore, Lin-chan’s sister’s surname is Mu.
Considering that Li Mingshi once mentioned that the Mu family has only one heiress and successor, Senior Mu Xia…
Then it can be deduced that,
Lin-chan’s sister = Senior Mu Xia.
"..."
"I’m a freaking genius."
Lu Qing was impressed.
Now he finally understood.
Where did that bratty girl get her confidence from?
Why did she feel entitled to ignore customers who hadn’t done anything wrong?
"This kid is truly a rich loli."
If she’s Mu Xia’s sister, doesn’t that mean her money is practically endless??
Her equipment…
She buys them without even blinking an eye,
A guitar worth tens of thousands, she just buys it on a whim.
A $200 effects pedal, while others save up for months to buy one, or even hunt for second-hand deals on Xianyu;
She buys a whole set brand new, straight up assembling a matrix.
Looking back now…
"Yikes."
Terrifying.
Lu Qing understood.
He completely understood.
Just how terrifying Lin-chan’s family background was.
Behind her stood a black hole-like "shadow."
This shadow also existed within his school,
Though few ever encountered it.
Or rather, few were even worthy of encountering it.
"..."
Lu Qing went to the bathroom to wash his face.
Looking at his bloodshot eyes in the mirror, he continued to ponder.
"In that case, Lin-chan should also have the surname 'Mu,' right?"
"But if that’s the case, would her name be 'Mu Lin'?
That doesn’t sound great.
It’s a bit weird."
He mused,
"She mentioned at the beginning that I could note her as 'Lin.' This usually means her name definitely includes this character. If she’s not Senior Mu Xia’s blood-related sister, does that mean she might be a distant cousin?"
Hard to say.
Blind guessing is pointless.
Might as well just ask Old Li directly.
Thinking this, Lu Qing took out his phone, found Li Mingshi’s Feixin contact, and directly called him.
[Beep— Beep—]
Li Mingshi answered instantly.
"Oh yo! Qing, what’s the emergency?! Did the sun rise from the west today? You’re actually calling me?"
Old Li seemed to have never seen Lu Qing take the initiative to call before,
At this moment, his background noise was filled with the complaints of women.
"Boss Li, who is that? Is some vixen bothering you so early in the morning?"
"Get lost. My buddy’s calling me, all of you, scram! Go!!"
He cursed at the women behind him, then laughed heartily as he continued the call, "Qing, what’s up? Let me hear what you need. Whether it’s gathering people or getting into trouble, I’m your guy."
"Um…"
Lu Qing was already used to Li Mingshi’s habit of always being at a foot massage parlor, no matter the time or place, and didn’t beat around the bush,
He directly asked, "Well, I just wanted to know if there’s a girl in the Mu family’s younger generation with the name 'Lin.'"
He wanted to fully understand the relationship between Lin-chan and Mu Xia.
So that when he takes "measures" against her in the future, he’d have a better grasp of the situation.
Originally,
Lu Qing had thought of saving the trapped "Lin," helping her find a glimmer of light in the darkness of her confusion.
Like a sugar flower, catching his attention, and him reaching out to pull her up.
But who knew, "Lin" turned out to be the bratty girl herself.
The one who berated him, obstructed him, and ruined his "assignment" for the first time, the bad loli who took his first failure.
Now, "saving" had turned into something else.
Even if it didn’t become "punishment," the "investigation" and "retribution" in between were definitely necessary.
"Whoever wrongs me, I’ll repay tenfold."
This was Lu Qing’s principle.
You treat me well, I’ll repay you doubly.
But I helped you so much, and you ruined my assignment, humiliated me to my face!
You even complained about me, saying I’m annoying!
No.
You came to me to complain, saying I’m annoying.
—?
Perfect.
Lu Qing smiled brightly.
Listening to Old Li’s reaction on the phone.
"Huh? The Mu family, younger generation? Which Mu family?"
"Senior Mu Xia’s family."
"!"
Li Mingshi was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise.
"Damn, Qing, you’ve finally given in and decided to set your sights on Senior Mu Xia, huh?"
"Don’t joke around, I’m asking about her younger generation, if she has a sister. Don’t jump to conclusions."
"Oh! Got it, Qing, I see now. You’re taking a roundabout route, planning to start with Senior Mu Xia’s sister and then work your way up, completing the double kill of the sisters.
Damn, high-level play, high-level play."
Li Mingshi, being the seasoned playboy he was, spoke with the wisdom of experience, "I never thought of that before… Qing, now even I have to look at you in a new light."
"...Stop it."
Lu Qing was a bit speechless.
But he knew Old Li well.
Li Mingshi loved making dirty jokes and telling risqué stories.
From his reaction, it was clear that Mu Xia did indeed have a sister, and their relationship might be quite close.
Li Mingshi, as one of Tianhai’s top young masters, with a network of connections among the city’s drifters, had a fairly detailed information network.
Though he claimed he wasn’t worthy of interacting with Senior Mu Xia, he still had a basic curiosity, so he had sent his underlings to investigate the "Mosse" family situation long before giving up on pursuing Mu Xia.
Lu Qing guessed as much.
Sure enough, Old Li spilled the answer almost immediately, "Let me tell you, buddy,"
He lowered his voice, "The Mu family is quite complicated."
"Master Mu Zhicheng is getting old and is close to retirement. The current head of the family is his son, named Mu Xianchun."
"Mu Xianchun?"
"Yeah."
Old Li nodded, "This guy, apparently, is a business whiz. He’s developed many new channels for the 'Mosse' guitar brand, unmatched in operations and promotions, earning the old man a lot of money.
But in terms of music, he’s far inferior to Master Mu’s former protégé, Lin Lin."
Li Mingshi sounded like he was reading from a dossier, recounting the details:
"From what I know, this Ms. Lin is a prodigy who studied guitar-making under Master Mu.
Her talent was so extraordinary that Master Mu valued her highly, so he pushed his son out and forced him to marry Lin Lin, aiming to strengthen the family business and secure a bright future for 'Mosse.'
Thus, Mu Xianchun and Lin Lin became a nominal couple. But Qing, you should know, such relationships are inherently shaky, especially since Lin Lin already had a daughter before joining the Mu family.
—Her name is Lin Mu."
"Wait, what?????"
Lu Qing was completely dumbfounded.
What the hell, this circle…
Is this messed up?
"Hold on, Old Li. If I’m understanding correctly, are you saying that Senior Mu Xia’s sister is her father’s temporary partner’s daughter from a previous relationship? Named 'Lin Mu'??"
"Yeah, basically, Mu Xianchun is just a stepdad.
He was raising someone else’s daughter, so it’s said that he never treated Lin Mu well. While it didn’t escalate to domestic violence, he never showed her any kindness, eventually driving her out of the house. This is what my younger brother told me.”
“……”
Lu Qing’s brain was slightly overloaded, but he managed to catch a hint of something unusual.
“Then, what about Mu Xia…”
“Mu Xia is the daughter of Mu Xianchun’s previous wife.”
Li Mingshi explained, “His first wife was an Italian musician. After giving birth to Mu Xia, she divorced Mu Xianchun because she looked down on his musical talent. Before leaving, she bluntly told the old man that Mu Xianchun was ‘short and incompetent,’ which became one of the Mu family’s most infamous scandals.”
“…”
“Later, a humiliated Mu Xianchun started living with Lin Lin, and everything seemed fine for a while. But one rainy night, Lin Lin was killed in a car accident, leaving poor Lin Mu behind.”
“What?”
“Yeah.” Li Mingshi sighed slightly. “To be honest, Lu Qing, if you’re planning to pursue Lin Mu, I’d advise you to treat her well.”
For once, Old Li’s tone was serious.
“After all, I think this girl is quite pitiful. Not because she’s an orphan, but because of how she fell from heaven to hell—
From being part of a wealthy family to becoming an orphan, from a perfect start to hitting rock bottom. This surreal feeling, I think, would have been easier if she had never been connected to the Mu family or had anything to do with ‘Mosse.’
I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying.”
“…Yeah.”
After listening to Old Li’s words, Lu Qing rubbed his temples.
He pressed down on his throbbing nerves.
Recalling every moment of his encounter with that little brat.
Lin-chan.
Lin.
Lin Mu.
Twilight Coffee.
A lonely little girl sitting alone on the small stage in the twilight, playing the bass in front of the camera, with no one to rely on.
“Sigh.”
Lu Qing let out a soft sigh.
After thanking Old Li and hanging up the phone, he remained standing in the bathroom, facing the water-stained round mirror.
“…”
What should I do?
What on earth should I do?
Right now, she probably doesn’t know that I’ve figured out her identity.
—I’m in the shadows,
while she’s in the light.
She hasn’t replied to my message.
She must have fallen asleep.
She’s there, in that coffee shop.
For the past two years, she’s been alone,
staying up late in the coffee shop, playing her instrument.
Recording songs for me.
Recreating the red heart for me.
All the songs she plays are my favorites.
All the equipment she owns is what I personally recommended.
Her trust in me has reached an irreparable level.
Wait,
“trust”?
Is this “trust”?
Perhaps “faith” would be a more appropriate word.
Sigh…
“You little brat.”
You’re really giving me a headache.
…
Lu Qing held his forehead, feeling helpless.
The thought of “punishing” her that had once crossed his mind
vanished completely after hearing Old Li’s description of her family situation.
What a pity…
“I’m a person of extremes.”
“Since I’m not punishing her, I’ll have to reward her instead.”
No middleman taking a cut.
Of course.
This “reward” can’t be revealed openly.
Otherwise, when the little brat realizes that the person she’s been cursing through gritted teeth, the person she’s glared at with cold eyes, the person she’s ignored and left behind,
is actually the one she trusts the most, the one she’s been waiting for, the one she’s been thinking about and longing for day and night like a prayer,
wouldn’t that moment feel like the sky is crashing down on her?
Wouldn’t she feel that her image in my eyes is too different from the one she’s imagined?
Wouldn’t something like this pierce her heart, shatter her faith, and leave her with no motivation to continue on her musical path?
No.
“That absolutely cannot happen.”
Considering this, Lu Qing decided that he couldn’t let the little brat know the whole truth.
The best way to handle this was to stay in the “shadows” and continue pushing her forward.
As for a more proper plan, he would need to explore further before making a decision.
So.
“Su Ling?”
He suddenly turned toward the door and called out in the direction of the bedroom.
“Huh? Brother, what’s up?”
The girl, who had been up for a while, stopped playing “Black Cat,” ended her “morning practice,” and took off her monitoring headphones.
“Next Sunday, we agreed to go out, right? Is there anywhere you particularly want to go? Do you still want to go shopping or something?”
Lu Qing wiped his hands and walked out of the bathroom, his expression natural.
“Shopping…? No. I don’t want to be around too many people, brother.”
Su Ling said, “Besides, everything I need for daily life can be bought online, so shopping isn’t necessary.”
She shook her head, indicating that such things would only take away from her practice time.
“Oh, I see.”
Lu Qing nodded, guiding her to continue,
“Then what do you want to…”
“Hmm, I think it’s better to go somewhere familiar and quiet.”
Su Ling looked thoughtful.
A certain peaceful place came to mind.
“Really?”
“Yeah…!”
“Great.”
Lu Qing smiled.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Let’s go to ‘Twilight Coffee’ together, okay?”
……
……