Chapter 15 Laozi Admits His Mistake (Part 1)

The next day, when Cen Ye first stepped into Xu Xunsheng's studio, he didn't notice anything amiss.

She sat quietly in front of the piano as usual, with a steaming cup of tea emanating warmth, her skirt fluttering attractively. As they pushed the door open and entered, she nodded blandly, without her usual faint smile.

Cen Ye paused slightly.

It was an exceedingly subtle feeling, and for some reason, he just sensed it.

Zhang Tianyao went up to brag about how amazing he was yesterday, asking why she hadn't come. She explained calmly and apologized, and no one paid much attention. Only Cen Ye felt that there was something off about her today. Her words and manners were seemingly the same as always, but they all seemed slightly different. Her brows were not relaxed, she sat unusually straight, and her fingers pressing on the piano strings were secretly exerting force, so much so that they left fine red marks.

And also her piano, which clearly hadn't been properly wiped this morning, had a bit of dust at its tail. And the museum shelf inside the room, which was usually tidy every single day, wasn't as neat today, and he could almost picture her absent-minded state as she tidied it this morning...

Cen Ye stood behind everyone, fixated on her. She acted as if she hadn't noticed and didn't even glance his way. This was strange. Usually, she was very sensitive, and every time Cen Ye stared at her unguarded, she would almost immediately sense it, and her water-like gaze would momentarily slide over him, then indifferently move away. Today, however, it was as if that connection had been severed; she suddenly became blind to any of his looks.

At this time, Cen Ye hadn't yet realized that her "disconnection" was directed only towards him, feeling just that her entire demeanor seemed quite off.

Had she been wronged? The thought crossed Cen Ye's mind, temporarily following the others downstairs without mentioning his thoughts. However, as he stepped down, he stole a glance and felt that the woman sat even straighter in the daylight, her slender waist nearly taut as a line, not looking back at him, her profile revealing only a cold light in her eyes.

Cen Ye descended the stairs quietly, without a fuss.

In fact, by this morning, Xu Xunsheng's mood had completely calmed down. She had also put last night's incident out of her mind, focusing on teaching children the piano in the morning. Only a few wrong notes had been played, unnoticed by the students.

By noon, as the time for the band rehearsal approached, her mood gradually worsened. She played several soothing pieces before she felt a bit more tranquility settling in.

When Cen Ye stepped in, she had resolved not to deal with him anymore. But the gall of this guy, to just boldly keep his gaze on her all the time. Xu Xunsheng didn't understand what he meant – after doing what he had, he still acted as if nothing had happened, his expression casual. How shameless could he be?

And she also felt the slightly irritable sensations in her heart from last night, like wild grass, had come back to life. Thus, she was even less inclined to pay him any attention.

When everyone went downstairs, Xu Xunsheng originally wanted to read but after flipping through pages for a while, she had to admit she couldn't focus; her mind was full of various accusations against Cen Ye. Washing her hands, she played the piano again, turning a serene tune into a thundering battle cry without mercy. Sighing, she simply got up, closed the piano, locked the door, and went out.

Xu Xunsheng walked around the neighborhood for five or six laps before she felt her mood settling down. It was around three or four o'clock, the perfect time to enjoy the winter sun, warm on her body but crisply cold as she breathed it in. When she returned to her yard, she saw someone crouching in the garden—a tall figure squatting in front of a row of chives like a child, resting his arms on his knees, lost in thought.

Xu Xunsheng stood still, remaining silent.

Sometimes, when you glanced over, just like now, Cen Ye really seemed like nothing but an incredibly pure and innocent big boy. His face was fair, his black hair soft, his eyes clear. He squatted there, his eyes seemingly empty of everything. Just like a lost child—utterly different from the man he had been on that night. Seemingly amused by a thought, he revealed a trace of a smile, extended a long finger, and flicked the chives she had planted. Then he began twisting them in his hand, abruptly tearing one apart and throwing it to the ground, reaching for a second one.

Xu Xunsheng: "..."

He must have noticed the shadow on the ground, for he suddenly dropped the battered chive from his hand and tried to cover it up by stepping on it. Then he stood up as if nothing had happened, stretched out lazily, and said, "Where did you run off to? Haven't seen you for half the day."

Xu Xunsheng's face darkened, and she passed by him without mercy, stating coldly, "It's none of your business." Before her words had fully fallen, her arm was grabbed. Xu Xunsheng looked up and saw those boyish eyes instantly transform into the eyes of a man, deeply gazing at her.

"What did I do to upset you?" he asked.

Xu Xunsheng was at a loss for words and tried to break free, but he wouldn't let go. When she looked up, she could see the corner where they stood last night. But now, he acted as if none of it had happened, actually asking her what he had done to upset her.

As anger began to rise in her heart, an unbelievable thought emerged within her. Because she saw clearly in his eyes—they were filled with the openness, arrogance, and confusion of youth.

"Have you completely forgotten what you did the night before last?" she said icily.

This time, Cen Ye was genuinely confused. He thought hard and then said, "Give me a hint. I drank too much the night before last, and when I woke up, I was at home." He even laughed, saying, "Miss Xu, I didn't come over to your place, did I? Could it be that I treated you unfairly without your knowledge?"

It was a joke, but Xu Xunsheng's heart trembled as a multitude of emotions surged through her, uncertain whether to be angry or resigned. That guy had been so unruly that night, fierce and dominating, and now he had forgotten everything.

Still, Xu Xunsheng had her composure. After a moment of silence, she said lightly, "Bully me, would you dare? You ran into my yard, into my house, vomiting and jumping around and throwing things, even singing. I've never seen someone so annoying."

Cen Ye suddenly "understood." So that was what had happened. No wonder Zhao Tan said he didn't know where Cen Ye had gone that night. He had done something so tasteless. He touched his nose, looked at Miss Xu who was usually calm and collected, saw her face become flushed with anger, found it amusing, but still didn't let go of her arm and said quietly, "Then don't be mad, I'm sorry. I'll never dare to do it again."

Even Xu Xunsheng herself hadn't realized when Cen Ye had started speaking to her with this tone. Was it since that early evening, when they'd just met, and he ate the skewer of meat she disliked for her, saying lowly, "Put it in my bowl"? Or was it when he had no food to eat, she consistently fed him, and he lazily began to respond?

But Cen Ye didn't understand that his attitude would trouble any woman. Once he pleaded, she softened, yet her anger remained unreleased, especially having been wronged. So she pulled her arm back and left him with, "I don't want to talk to you right now," before entering her house on her own.

Cen Ye stood in the yard for a while, hands in his pockets, tilting his face up to the sun, and for some reason, he wasn't in a bad mood at all. He smiled and walked into the house as well.

True to her word, Xu Xunsheng guarded herself well and went to her own bedroom, not staying in the living room. Deliberately humming a song, Cen Ye knew she could hear him, and then he went downstairs.

His mood was unexpectedly light and comfortable. The others were resting, and, upon seeing him, Huizi asked, "What took you so long? We thought you went off to have fun by yourself."

Cen Ye said, "Can't I take a walk?"

Zhang Tianyao asked, "Where are the cigarettes you bought?"

Only then did Cen Ye remember he had gone up under the pretense of buying cigarettes. He paused, laughed, and said, "Damn, I forgot."

The group cursed him out, but Cen Ye didn't mind; only Zhang Tianyao watched him, asking, "What did you actually go and do, forgetting all about buying cigarettes?"

Cen Ye didn't answer.