Chapter 52

After finishing up the stage, the girls moved the instruments, and the boys returned the school equipment. By the time they were done, it was already past eleven. Before dispersing, Qi Qingnuo suggested a gathering the next afternoon, but Yang Jingxing said he had no time.

Qi Qingnuo put her arm around Yu Xinting's shoulder and threatened Yang Jingxing, "I'm going to bully her."

Yang Jingxing laughed, "Have fun."

Yu Xinting asked, "Is it Tao Meng?"

Yang Jingxing nodded, "I'm free in the morning."

Yu Xinting quickly said, "You don't need to pick me up."

Yang Jingxing said, "8:30, remember to bring the apple."

After getting home, Yang Jingxing went online and apologized to his friends. Lu Lin and Zhang Yang both scolded him, saying that because Yang Jingxing wasn't there, they had to find random players to team up with in the game, and it ended in a disaster.

Yang Jingxing had already installed the game and logged in with the account Lu Lin gave him, only to find his character was named "Xing Ge Ge," almost making him vomit.

After entering the game, Yang Jingxing interacted with his friends. They jumped around and enjoyed the scenery for a while. Lu Lin felt it was too boring and insisted they go kill some monsters to let Yang Jingxing experience the charm of the game.

The team's healer was Du Ling, but she was already asleep. Lu Lin didn't care and called Du Ling to wake her up. Du Ling really did get up, but said she wouldn't heal Yang Jingxing and let him die.

Although Xing Ge Ge was already max level, Yang Jingxing didn't understand anything and spent a long time looking at the skill list to get a basic understanding.

The five of them went to a dungeon together. Du Ling wasn't really that stingy and still healed Yang Jingxing. After finishing the dungeon, the friends sat together and chatted. Xu Wei revealed that Lu Lin had found a wife in the game, and she looked great in the photos. Du Ling said that the boys in college were too annoying, like flies. Zhang Yang said that flies love certain things, and then Du Ling and he started arguing, saying that even flies wouldn't bother with Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang, in a fit of anger, said he already had a girlfriend, and she was beautiful. Then Lu Lin urged everyone to be honest and reveal any developments. Xu Wei said he had his eye on someone but hadn't made a move yet. Yang Jingxing quickly said he was still clean and had nothing.

Du Ling didn't say anything, so the others pressed her. When pushed, she said, "I like Xing Ge Ge, didn't you know?"

Yang Jingxing asked, "Are you trying to make Zhang Yang angry? You like me but not him?"

Lu Lin privately messaged Yang Jingxing: "Du Ling said you never play with her?"

Yang Jingxing replied, "No time."

Xu Wei said in the team chat: "Then you might as well say you like me."

Lu Lin continued to privately message Yang Jingxing: "She might really like you a bit."

Yang Jingxing replied, "A bit, maybe she likes you a bit too."

Du Ling said in the team chat: "Yang Xing, I don't know what you do all day. I want to check, but you won't let me."

Zhang Yang said, "Performing a concert, everyone in Jiu Chun knows. My mom asked me several times."

Xu Wei said, "I know! I have an opinion! I can't understand, but I can still show up, right?"

Yang Jingxing said, "That's just extra-curricular work. Do you want to come all the way to help me with homework?"

Lu Lin said, "Sure, I wouldn't go even if you invited me!"

Du Ling said, "New Year's Day, want to gather?"

Zhang Yang was surprised, "New Year's Day! You really have plans."

Du Ling asked, "Do you forget your friends once you have a girlfriend?"

After chatting for a while, Xu Wei said the dorm was about to lose power, so they all logged off to rest. Yang Jingxing didn't dare play the erhu at night to scare people, so he spent more time watching and listening to others' works, hoping to learn from the best.

At 7:30 on Sunday morning, Tao Meng called Yang Jingxing to confirm the time and place for their afternoon meeting, and asked him to pay attention to his appearance because her grandmother valued it a lot.

Tao Meng was very organized and planned: "I estimate it won't take long for my grandmother to look around, then we'll take her for tea. By around 4 PM, we can go buy gifts."

Yang Jingxing said, "Okay, I'll follow your lead."

Tao Meng added, "When you talk to my grandmother, be careful and don't joke around."

Yang Jingxing said, "Your grandmother isn't as young and beautiful as you."

Tao Meng was furious, "Shut up! Don't ever say that!"

Yang Jingxing picked up Yu Xinting on time. Yu Xinting gave him an apple and asked, "Where are you going to play this afternoon?"

Yang Jingxing said, "It's a secret."

Yu Xinting still wished him well, "Have fun... You look handsome today."

Yang Jingxing said, "To match you from yesterday."

Yu Xinting giggled, "Should I learn to wear makeup?"

Yang Jingxing said, "But if you wear makeup every day, I'd prefer your natural look."

Yu Xinting said, "I see Tao Meng doesn't wear makeup, but her clothes are nice."

Yang Jingxing said, "Just being pretty is too simple. You should be like you—pretty, kind, cute, and pure."

Yu Xinting was so flustered she was scared, "No, no, you're exaggerating."

After dropping her off, Yu Xinting said Yang Jingxing didn't need to pick her up again. Yang Jingxing said Tao Meng would come at 1:30 PM, so he could go to school for lunch.

At noon, Qi Qingnuo and the others gathered first, about twenty people waiting at the school gate for Yu Xinting. Cai Feixuan's boyfriend butted in, asking, "Do you live off-campus?"

Yu Xinting was startled and shook her head, "No! I'm a tutor, I live in the dorm, ask them!"

Yang Jingxing said, "I'm just passing by, I'll drop her off. Have fun, don't drink..."

Qi Qingnuo said, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Yang Jingxing nodded and smiled, "Then I'll hold you responsible."

Yu Xinting reassured him, "It's fine, go ahead."

Yang Jingxing went to the cafeteria alone for lunch. Around 1:20 PM, Tao Meng called, and he hurried to the school gate to welcome her.

It seemed the third daughter of the Chen family was very particular. She arrived in a Rolls-Royce, which parked twenty meters west of the school gate. It wasn't cold, and Tao Meng was wearing a beautiful white fitted trench coat, waiting with her elegantly dressed grandmother.

"Grandma, welcome to our school," Yang Jingxing said, following Tao Meng's instructions, paying attention to his appearance and language.

The old lady looked up at Yang Jingxing and smiled, "Thank you for being our guide."

Yang Jingxing put on a serious face, "What you see ahead is the entrance to our school, the Puhai Conservatory of Music, founded in 1927 by Cai Yuanpei and Xiao Youmei. It's from your era, then called the National Conservatory of Music, the first higher music institution in our country."

The old lady was delighted, "Yes, yes, Cai Yuanpei, remarkable! My father often spoke of him in his later years, his achievements in philosophy and aesthetics were extraordinary."

Yang Jingxing said, "Grandma, I'll be your school guide, and you can be my history guide."

The old lady was happy, "Sure, are you interested?"

"Yes," Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing.

The old lady started talking, "Cai Yuanpei was the first to admit female students to universities..."

The old lady was very knowledgeable, and her stories flowed like a river, leaving little for Yang Jingxing to do. She spoke about her aunt, a prominent woman of that era, the patriotic women's school in old Puhai, and the enlightened ideas they embraced... She was truly nostalgic.

Yang Jingxing asked, "Grandma, does Tao Meng resemble you when you were young?"

The old lady laughed, "Times have changed. Mengmeng is more independent and has more opportunities, and her family environment is different... Boys of your generation, you need to work harder."

Yang Jingxing was dissatisfied, "You can't put the pressure of her excellence on all of us."

Tao Meng was dismissive, "Is that so? You feel pressured?"

Yang Jingxing asked, "I'll step aside."

After slowly touring the school for an hour, the old lady said it was small but praised it, saying, "Talents and elites are few, so teaching according to individual aptitude is right."

Yang Jingxing didn't dare contradict the old lady and just smiled.

The old lady said, "Oh, I've talked a lot today, I'm thirsty."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Do you want some water? I'll go buy it."

Tao Meng scolded, "Grandma can't drink tap water!"

The old lady asked Yang Jingxing, "Do you have time? Come have tea with us."

Yang Jingxing was happy, "I haven't heard enough of your stories."

The old lady invited, "Let's take our car."

Tao Meng disagreed, "He'll drive himself."

The old lady scolded, "Mengmeng!"

Tao Meng explained, "He has to go back to school later."

"We'll drop you off."

"We have other things to do, we need to buy gifts."

The old lady agreed.

They went to the 57th floor of the Jinmao Tower. Yang Jingxing parked the car and helped Tao Meng support the old lady out of the car. The old lady looked at Yang Jingxing and recalled, "Mengmeng's grandfather was about your height."

Tao Meng laughed, "Grandma, not even close."

The old lady said, "When he was young!"

Yang Jingxing was honored, "Then I'll support you."

The old lady was pleased, "Good, good."

After sitting down on the 57th floor, the old lady continued to tell Yang Jingxing stories, like an old lady telling stories to a child. Both the storyteller and the listener were very engaged. Tao Meng, who had heard these stories before, was bored.

When the old lady mentioned that she was the first daughter in her family to be engaged, Yang Jingxing couldn't help but say, "You must have been a great beauty when you were young."

Tao Meng, who hadn't said much all day, finally got her chance, glaring at Yang Jingxing, "There you go again! How many times do I have to tell you!"

The old lady, who was just getting happy, looked at Tao Meng and scolded, "Mengmeng, how can you talk to Yang Jingxing like that?"

Yang Jingxing complained, "Grandma, you don't know, I'm used to it. If it were your era, what would you do with a girl like this?"

Tao Meng slammed her spoon on the plate, trying to intimidate Yang Jingxing with her eyes.

Yang Jingxing, feeling he had found a supporter, complained to the old lady, "Grandma, look at her."

The old lady really did scold Tao Meng, "No, you can't do that."

Tao Meng was aggrieved, "Grandma, he's like this... cunning!"

The old lady still scolded, "Don't talk nonsense." Then she said to Yang Jingxing, "Mengmeng is polite to the nanny at home."

Yang Jingxing said to Tao Meng, "I demand nanny treatment."

Tao Meng was fired up, "Not a chance!"

The old lady smiled and mediated, "Friends should also be considerate and respect each other."

Tao Meng was aggrieved, "Every time, he doesn't respect me!"

The old lady was fair, "I haven't seen it... How many years have you been classmates?"

Tao Meng didn't speak, and Yang Jingxing answered, "Three years of high school, she was class president for two years, and she got addicted to it."

The old lady laughed, "Were you mischievous?"

Yang Jingxing was sad, "Grandma, you're still favoring her."

Tao Meng was smug, "She's my grandma, okay?"

The old lady laughed happily and then asked Yang Jingxing, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Yang Jingxing said, "No, just me."

The old lady praised, "You're like a big brother."

Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing.

Next, the old lady asked Yang Jingxing to tell stories. Where did he study when he was young? Who were the people in his family? Were his parents strict?

The old lady compared the two, saying, "Mengmeng's father is very busy and can't come home often, but Mengmeng is very sensible and hasn't caused us much worry."

Yang Jingxing said, "My mom wants to put a satellite on my head, but I still cause them a lot of worry, it's just my nature."

The old lady said, "Boys should be more active, they'll mature eventually, and now you're doing well."

Tao Meng couldn't help but say, "He's doing well?"

The old lady said, "Mengmeng, that's not good, even jokes should be in moderation."

Tao Meng threatened Yang Jingxing, "You're feeling smug now."

Yang Jingxing pleaded, "Grandma, you have to protect me."

The old lady laughed, "How did you two get together? Playing the piano?"

Tao Meng said, "I was wrong about him!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Luckily, I wasn't wrong."

The old lady praised, "Boys should be more generous." Then she scolded Tao Meng, "Girls should also have a sense of propriety."

Tao Meng was unfriendly to Yang Jingxing, but the old lady was very happy, chatting and eating some snacks. Time passed quickly, and Tao Meng checked her watch and urged, "Grandma, it's five o'clock."

The old lady said, "It's time to go home, do you still need to buy something?"

Tao Meng said, "A friend's birthday, preparing a gift."

The old lady nodded, "Eat at home tonight... Yang Jingxing, you should come. Mengmeng, call Xiao Xiang to prepare."

Yang Jingxing said, "Grandma, no need."

The old lady said, "You have to send Mengmeng back."

Yang Jingxing said, "Don't worry. But I have to go back to school."

Tao Meng asked, "Why go back to school? Grandma invited you!"

Yang Jingxing said, "If Grandma invited me, then let's agree, you have to be nice to Grandma's guest."

Tao Meng was annoyed, "Whatever."

The old lady was sincere, "You must come, call Xiao Xiang and tell him."

Tao Meng said, "I don't want to go back there."

The old lady hesitated and asked, "Can we stay here?"

Tao Meng said, "It's not an important guest." Then she called, "It's me, I'll be back with Grandma for dinner tonight, and there's a guest, prepare... just a regular guest... very regular!"

Going downstairs, Yang Jingxing helped the old lady into the car and said goodbye, then looked at Tao Meng and said, "Trouble."

Tao Meng was still unhappy, "What's wrong?"

Yang Jingxing pulled his left foot out of his shoe and showed Tao Meng a big hole in his sock.

Tao Meng laughed angrily, "What's wrong with you, you have time to buy gifts for others! Get a new pair later."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Do you have X-ray vision, did you see it earlier? Why are you so unhappy today?"

Tao Meng said, "I know you're unhappy? It's not because of this."

"Then why?"

"Nothing!"

"I'll tell you a joke..."

"It won't work... even if I laugh, I'll still be unhappy!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Then I won't waste my time."