Chapter 11 Xiaoye and the Gossips (Part 2)

Cen Ye descended the stairs with a cold expression and saw a few buddies sitting there chatting idly.

"What took you so long to take a dump?" Zhang Tianyao asked.

Cen Ye said coldly, "Can't a man have a heavy load?"

Everyone laughed, and Cen Ye pulled up a chair to sit down. Zhao Tan tossed him a cigarette, which he just placed on his ear. Lately, there had been more performances, so he had to take care of his voice and had almost stopped smoking. On this point, the guys actually admired him quite a bit, saying that when he decided to quit, he really did, his self-control was astonishing.

They were, as it turned out, talking about women again.

"Hai, you broke up with your girlfriend again?" Huizi asked.

Zhang Hai laughed, with quite the swagger, "That one didn't listen well, tonight I'm bringing a new chick over for you guys to see."

"Hey yo—"

"Hai, you must have slept with girls from every district in the city, north, south, east, and west, right?" Zhang Tianyao asked.

Zhang Hai said with disdain, "Then you really don't see Hai clearly, I achieved that small goal when I was 20. I'm now collecting chicks from all the famous bars."

Zhao Tan cursed, "Fuck, what a scumbag."

Cen Ye just kept his head down, idly plucking the guitar strings, not joining in on this topic.

"Xiaoye." Zhang Hai then turned to him, with a sly smile, "There are plenty of chicks who want to climb into your bed now, why are you holding back? Pick a pretty one to be your mare!"

Cen Ye laughed softly, his tone light, "Do you think I fancy those?"

"Damn!"

"Fuck!"

"Aren't you cocky!"

"Then what kind of girl would you take a fancy to?" Zhang Hai asked with considerable interest.

Cen Ye plucked a guitar string and said, "Don't know. Like I said, I'm here to play in a band, to make the best band in China. Wasting my strength and time on women, having to coax and accompany them, I don't have that Pacific Ocean's worth of time." He then hugged his guitar and kissed it, "This is my dear wife."

Everyone burst into laughter. After the laughter, Zhang Hai said, "Your name wasn't chosen wrong, Xiaoye, Xiaoye, among us, the one with the most ambition, the one who can be the cruelest, is actually you kid."

Cen Ye just glanced at him, their eyes met as if they could see through each other, but then they said nothing more.

However, Zhao Tan spoke up, "Then how can it be your wife? The guitar belongs to Teacher Xu."

Cen Ye responded, "Can't I have an affair with this Yamaha?"

Everyone laughed again. Huizi, though, asked Zhang Tianyao, "Every time Teacher Xu is mentioned, you turn mute. Buddy, you're not really going to keep being such a wimp forever, are you?"

Zhang Tianyao smiled mysteriously, glanced at Cen Ye, and said, "Xiaoye is right, those women, just play with them, they're not worth getting serious about. Someone like Teacher Xu, now she's worth it."

He leaned back against the wall with his arms behind his head and said, "Pretty and traditional, suitable for both home and hall. She looks smart, but sometimes she's a bit ditzy, very cute." He simply closed his eyes as if he were already in a beautiful dream, "In the future, when I chase her down, this equipment, this practice room, will be mine. You guys will have to call me boss when you come here to practice. I'll live in this apartment with her, double happiness..."

He didn't finish his dream when suddenly someone gave his leg a sharp kick, and it actually hurt! Zhang Tianyao's eyes shot open and saw Cen Ye calmly withdrawing his leg. Zhang Tianyao: "Fuck, why the hell did you kick me!?"

Cen Ye: "You're too goddamn smug!"

Everyone laughed out loud, and Zhang Tianyao laughed as well, not angry in the slightest, looking rather pleased with himself, as if amidst a wisdom beyond his years, he closed his eyes and continued pondering something.

Cen Ye reached for the cigarette behind his ear when he suddenly heard a low chuckle from Zhao Tan beside him. He looked up at his brother, "What are you laughing at?" Zhao Tan just patted his shoulder, not saying a word.

——

The next day, Xu Xunsheng was teaching a child to play the flute in the studio when Cen Ye came by himself.

As soon as Xu Xunsheng opened the door, he slipped inside, bringing with him a chill, and walked straight to the table to pour himself a hot cup of water, causing the child to stare continuously. Xu Xunsheng had to walk over and tug at his sleeve, "Don't just barge in like this, you'll scare my students."

Cen Ye glanced at her and slowly said, "With my cute looks, how could I ever scare little kids?"

Xu Xunsheng: "..."

"I want to discuss something with you." He leaned toward the edge of the table, propped himself up with his arms, still with that lazy, dawdling demeanor.

"Speak."

Cen Ye took a big gulp of water, his slender fingers wrapped around the rim of the glass. Xu Xunsheng, for some reason, found her gaze drawn to his hands, watching them for a while. When he put down the glass, she immediately averted her gaze.

He said, "This year, Shuangma Video is holding a national band competition, and the preliminaries start next week. We want to enter and would like to borrow your instruments."

Shuangma Video is one of the largest video websites in the country, and it had produced various variety shows before, making many newcomers famous overnight. For a new band like Chaomu, it also counted as an opportunity.

Xu Xunsheng nodded decisively, "Okay."

A faint smile flickered across Cen Ye's eyes, he finished the water in one go and handed the cup to her, "More, please."

Xu Xunsheng's voice was cool, "Pour it yourself."

Cen Ye raised an eyebrow but obediently went to refill his glass, only to hear her say from behind, "However, you guys need to take care of them. We're almost friends now, and it'd be a shame if you damage them. Those pieces of equipment are very important to me; they belonged to someone I knew."

Drinking water, Cen Ye looked out the window at the sunlight and asked, "Your boyfriend's, right?"

Xu Xunsheng didn't try to hide it and answered, "Hmm."

Cen Ye glanced sideways at her with a laugh, "Then why have I never seen him around?"

Xu Xunsheng paused for a moment before saying, "We broke up a long time ago."

Cen Ye suddenly scoffed, "He leaves and dumps his stuff on you, like a lingering ghost, huh."

Xu Xunsheng didn't expect his sudden venom and her expression darkened as she said, "Don't talk nonsense, he... never had the chance to take it with him."

As soon as Cen Ye got home, he pulled out his phone and started searching.

He had considered before that those instruments might have once belonged to a certain band. The fact that Xu Xunsheng's ex-boyfriend was also a musician excited and agitated him for some reason.

The guitar he used had the character "Zhi" carved on the back, but Cen Ye hadn't delved into it before. Now that he thought about it, wasn't that character carved with ink Xunsheng's distinctive calligraphy?

This woman charges 2,000 bucks for carving a seal, yet here she carved such a big one on someone else's guitar, so generously!

With the clue of the guitar, Cen Ye quickly found the man online.

Xun Zhi, lead singer of the Guman Qingshou Band. Cen Ye realized he had heard of this band before. They debuted five years ago, rose to fame rapidly, and were regulars at major music festivals. They even went on several tours, their future seemed limitless.

Three years ago, the lead singer Xun Zhi died on the spot in a car accident caused by drunk driving. The bass player was also in the car, seriously injured. The band was destroyed overnight. Like a meteor falling into an already vast desert.

There were plenty of photos of Xun Zhi online. Surprisingly, Cen Ye found that the 28-year-old Xun Zhi was a tall and handsome man, with short hair; he was somewhat good-looking, but honestly, even Cen Ye thought his aura was quite outstanding and comfortable. Cen Ye looked at a photo of him among the fans and couldn't spot Xu Xunsheng anywhere. But looking at Xun Zhi, he felt an indescribable feeling.

Cen Ye quickly identified that feeling.

It was familiar, a sensation.

On Xun Zhi, there was a distinct quality similar to Xu Xunsheng. With clear and bright features and steady eyes. Even when standing under the spotlight, amidst crazed fans, he resembled the lonely figure in front of the ancient zither.

Fuck.

Cen Ye tossed his phone aside, feeling bored with himself for digging into Xu Xunsheng's gossip. Yet, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, three to five years ago, that man was 28 years old, how old was Xu Xunsheng when she was with him? Had she graduated from university?

When Zhao Tan came back, he saw this guy sprawled out on the bed, looking cranky. Zhao Tan asked, "What's on your mind?"

It wasn't until after Zhao Tan washed his face that he heard Cen Ye say somberly, "I was thinking that I definitely need to become more fucking awesome."

Zhao Tan had long been accustomed to his vanity and responded irritably, "More like fucking dumb."