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Simply resorting to extreme measures wouldn’t do; she knew deep down that she had to present a beautiful facade.
“Here, have this, I heard it’s good for you… And this too, I heard it’s also good for you…”
“There’s nothing healthy in this bowl…” Pei Xingyan’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. ‘As if he didn’t already know how unhealthy a ten-yuan bowl of fish noodles could be?’
Everything in this meal was artificial; not only was the fish pre-made, but even the noodles might have been fake.
If one didn’t lack the funds for a lavish meal, nor the means to cook for themselves, who would bother to painstakingly decide what to eat at a restaurant?
“Then I’d advise you to get a commuter pass. Staying at my place would be so much more convenient~”
“It’s not really appropriate, and it’d be hard to arrange… I’d rather not deal with the advisor…” Pei Xingyan began to prevaricate.
‘Unless he had lost his mind, he would never spend another second at Ye Zivi’s house. Who knew if there was a basement built just for him there, waiting for him to fall into the trap…’
He picked up a piece of fish that was clearly pre-made and placed it in Ye Zivi’s bowl. She smiled happily, her lips curving, and continued to eat even more contentedly. Pei Xingyan took advantage of this moment to shift his attention to Lin Xiaoyu, who sat beside them.
This “God of Wealth” had now become his lifeline. Regardless of the reason, Pei Xingyan was determined to first resolve her psychological issues and then secure the final payment.
He cast a cautious yet meticulous glance her way.
The other girls chatted and laughed, eating with gusto. Only Lin Xiaoyu seemed utterly uninterested. She poked at her food a few times with her chopsticks, looking as if she had no appetite whatsoever. Several attempts failed to bring a single morsel to her mouth. Then, she sighed silently and reluctantly placed her chopsticks back on the plate.
She was indeed a girl burdened by psychological sorrow, lacking even the appetite to eat.
Pei Xingyan found himself feeling an unconscious surge of sympathy. Though he, too, found the cafeteria food utterly unpalatable, for someone to display such distress, it clearly wasn’t merely an issue with the food itself.
He continued his observation, and noticed a small detail.
From the moment Lin Xiaoyu set down her chopsticks, her fingers had been incessantly tapping on the tabletop. And though her posture remained unchanged, it was evident that her shoulders and neck had stiffened considerably—she was tensing and bracing her back with effort.
Pei Xingyan nodded inwardly. He happened to recognize this posture. It was a subtle habit of piano players. Not every pianist possessed it, but anyone who did certainly played the piano.
He recalled the last message Lin Xiaoyu had sent moments ago. The image of this girl was becoming considerably clearer in his mind.
He continued to observe.
Lin Xiaoyu was performing a phantom practice with her fingers. Completely engrossed, her fingers danced lightly across the tabletop.
Pei Xingyan wouldn’t claim his musical accomplishments were profound, but from the rhythm, he could roughly deduce that Lin Xiaoyu was practicing Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” It was an exceptionally beautiful piece, and no work bearing the name “Moonlight” was ever anything less than exquisite.
Yet her brow remained tightly furrowed, and her closed eyes were strained with effort, wrinkles etched at their corners. From any angle, there was not the slightest hint of artistic pleasure in her expression.
It was only when she paused, as if hitting a wrong note, that her expression shifted from sorrow to despondency.
She bit down hard on her lip, as if she intended to tear the flesh from her own mouth.
What astonished Pei Xingyan even more was that he distinctly saw Lin Xiaoyu’s fingers reflexively retract, as if flinching from something unseen.
‘That must have been muscle memory, flinching from the disciplinary ruler used to correct her mistakes.’
In an instant, Pei Xingyan realized many things, as numerous details clicked into place.
The girls around Lin Xiaoyu had just finished their meals and were boisterously preparing to leave. Consequently, she, too, abandoned her plate of almost untouched food, and rose to depart.
The other girls, however, did not forget to show concern for their friend who lacked an appetite. Yet, she merely offered a faint smile, then lowered her head without a word, and disappeared into the throng.
‘No wonder her psychological pressure was so immense she no longer wished to live…’
Pei Xingyan couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her plight. Even if he couldn’t yet pinpoint the exact source of her affliction, he had still gleaned a significant amount of useful information merely from her outward demeanor.
Just from the detail of her subconscious flinching after hitting a wrong note, he knew his conjecture was entirely correct: Lin Xiaoyu’s home environment must be oppressively abnormal. Only years of relentless, pressure-filled education could shape a person this way.
Beyond that, there was no other particularly useful information.
Fortunately, however, this was a promising breakthrough. Armed with the details he had observed today, he had conceived a method to swiftly bridge the distance between himself and Lin Xiaoyu.
The easiest bond to forge was one born of shared hardship and empathy.
Pei Xingyan had dabbled in a few musical instruments during his childhood. He was, by all accounts, a decent performer.
The problem, however, was that he no longer possessed a single instrument. Not even a harmonica remained. All those valuable possessions had long since been sold off, to settle his parents’ debts.
Pei Xingyan subtly glanced beside him. Unlike Lin Xiaoyu, the girl next to him was cheerfully devouring her meal, showing no resemblance to a gaunt, emaciated girl.
Ye Zivi always possessed an uncanny ability to pinpoint gazes directed at her, especially Pei Xingyan’s. She abruptly lifted her head, and their eyes met.
“Is there something on my face?” Ye Zivi inquired.
“No…” Pei Xingyan shook his head.
Just a moment ago, he had a fleeting thought: to borrow Ye Zivi’s violin. It was the instrument he excelled at, and also the one that best complemented the piano.
But the instant he saw the flickering flame of ambition in her eyes, he entirely abandoned the idea.
It would be better to borrow his roommate’s cheap guitar, which was more akin to a kindling stick. That fellow always hoped to use it to pick up girls. But in this day and age, could one truly earn a meal simply by strumming a guitar and singing?
Alternatively, there was the eccentric “Two-Dimensional Brother” from the next dorm room. He had impulsively bought a bass guitar after watching numerous band anime, and it might prove useful. That guy couldn’t even read sheet music, so the instrument was practically brand new…
****
Escorting Ye Zivi out of the cafeteria proved to be a challenging task. Such a crowded environment was fraught with danger for a girl with impaired mobility. Pei Xingyan had no choice but to keep his arm securely around her shoulders, preventing any mishap.
“Xingyan-gege, you don’t need to see me any further. This is fine~” But Ye Zivi pulled away from his protective embrace, gently pushing him as if to separate.
“Alright then, be careful…”
“Okay~”
Ye Zivi waved sweetly with a smile. But the moment she turned away, a distorted expression, akin to that of a malevolent spirit, instantly warped her features.
‘She had so desperately wished to be escorted by her beloved Xingyan-gege, especially with them pressed so closely together. But alas, it was a pity, such a pity… She could no longer hold back.’
‘She yearned to expose that vile creature who had disrupted her plans. There were so many people in the world who needed money, so why did *they* have to be the one to offer Xingyan-gege work?’
‘She wished she could skin them alive.’
‘But she absolutely could not reveal such an expression in front of him, even though the raging desire to keep him bound by her side was fiercely burning within her breast, threatening to consume her from the inside out…’
‘That wouldn’t make her a good girl…’
Ye Zivi limped away into the distance. The gentle breeze gradually intensified, sending vibrant green leaves fluttering from the branches.
‘She had to find that vile thing that had ruined her plans.’
‘But she had to be careful; he mustn’t discover her true intentions.’
‘In front of him, she still had to remain a good girl…’