Chapter 14: Unwavering Devotion

Stepping into the cool night, the trio walked towards the dormitory.

Qi Youwei and Xu Yin walked side by side, with Lu Qi trailing behind, like a guardian angel, silently listening to their conversation.

Qi Youwei curiously asked Xu Yin, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“Hmm?”

“You were in the restroom for quite a while. When you weren’t there, Gao Minglang seemed to lose all his energy, like a wilted vegetable.”

“I ran into Duan Sili,” Xu Yin said with a smile.
“He usually looks so nonchalant, as if nothing bothers him, but he’s actually quite serious and responsible about his work.”

Qi Youwei observed Xu Yin’s expression.

Her lips were slightly upturned, revealing sweet dimples.

Before, she rarely mentioned Duan Sili.
Recently, the frequency seemed to have increased.

And whenever she mentioned him, her mood… was quite good.

“I just tried to add him on WeChat. He let me scan his code, but he hasn’t accepted it yet,” Xu Yin handed her phone to Qi Youwei.
“Look, is this his main account?”

In the search bar, there was the number “4.”
The profile picture was completely black, like a black hole, an abyss of gravity from which not even light could escape.

“That seems to be him.” Qi Youwei glanced at the phone.
“His WeChat ID isn’t a secret. Many girls add him, but most don’t get accepted. I’ve added him too.”

“Huh???” Lu Qi reacted, quickening his pace to walk between the two girls, asking warily, “Why did you add him?”

“It doesn’t cost anything to try. See if he’ll add me. What if he does?”

Lu Qi rolled his eyes dramatically.
“I suggest you just go to sleep. Your dreams will come true faster that way.”

“Just now, I said I wanted to join the presidium, and Duan Sili also said I’d have everything in my dreams,” Xu Yin said.

“That… you want to join the presidium for Duan Sili, huh?” Qi Youwei asked curiously.

“What else?” Xu Yin casually kicked a small stone by her foot, expressionless.
“You don’t think it’s for Gao Minglang, do you?”

The night wind blew gently, rustling the leaves.

Qi Youwei looked at the young girl beside her.
In the darkness, her silhouette was blurred, her expression indistinct.

“Are you currently… leading Gao Minglang on to get closer to Duan Sili?” The words came out a bit haltingly, afraid she might get angry.

But unexpectedly, Xu Yin admitted it frankly.
“Yes.”

“Ah…”

“Ah what.”

“That’s… very unlike you.”

Suddenly, Xu Yin stopped and asked Qi Youwei, “Why is it unlike me?”

Qi Youwei looked at the young girl’s face, obscured by the night, and swallowed.
“I thought… you were the kind of… very kind girl.”

“Is your friend that kind of person?”

“My friend?”

“Your childhood best friend who died,” she said directly.

“Uh, she… she was very good…”

“But she died.” Xu Yin continued walking forward, expressionless.
“In fairy tales, kind girls eventually get their Prince Charming. But in reality, kindness just gets you bullied.”

Her voice was low, yet every word resonated, as if made of metal and stone.
“After all these years, haven’t you been bullied enough?”

Qi Youwei froze slightly.

For the first time… for the first time, it was as if she glimpsed a corner of the truth hidden beneath this seemingly perfect girl’s flawless facade.

The truth… made her a little scared.

“I admit everything you said is true.” Qi Youwei took a few quick steps to catch up with her.
“But, Gao Minglang is very innocent, isn’t he?”

“Innocent how?” Xu Yin tilted her head to look at Qi Youwei.

The streetlight’s glow slanted across her features, making those almond eyes… exceptionally cool and clear.

“You want to say he fell in love with me at first sight, and I’m deceiving and using his feelings?”

“Isn’t that right?”

“He says he likes me without knowing anything about me. What do you think he likes?”

Qi Youwei opened her mouth, speechless.

Of course, Gao Minglang liked Xu Yin’s face—that stunningly beautiful… and cool-as-jade face.

“I won’t feel any guilt,” Xu Yin said in a low voice.
“Only weak people… feel guilt.”

Behind them, Lu Qi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“All love at first sight is based on looks and isn’t worth cherishing. So what if you use it? Nothing wrong with that.”

He stared fixedly at Qi Youwei, adding, “Only someone who knows your best and worst sides, and still loves you with unwavering devotion, is true love and should be cherished.”

Qi Youwei seemed to be burned by his intense gaze.
She hastily averted her eyes and mumbled, “You two both have great philosophies, making me look like a bleeding heart.”

Xu Yin smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair, her voice softening.
“You’re fine just the way you are, worthy of being loved by a certain someone with unwavering devotion…”

After saying that, she deliberately glanced at Lu Qi.

“Hey!” Qi Youwei’s face flushed red.
She pushed her angrily and turned to run towards Jing Shu Lou.

Lu Qi stood rooted to the spot, a little unsure what to do.

Xu Yin waved goodbye to Lu Qi and chased after Qi Youwei.

“You, you’re like a little ostrich.”

That night, as Qi Youwei was putting on a face mask in front of the mirror, Xu Yin leaned against the doorframe, chatting idly.
“And you said I wasn’t kind. He confesses every three days, proposes every five, and you don’t accept him, but you don’t actually refuse either…”

“I have refused, but it was no use,” Qi Youwei said.

“You don’t like him?”

“…”

Qi Youwei didn’t answer directly, only saying, “Being with him would only drag him down.”

Xu Yin was about to press further when her phone rang.
It was a call from her elder brother, Xu Yan.

“Dad’s here.” His voice was low in the receiver.
“Come home now.”

Xu Yin’s expression subtly darkened, then she quickly adjusted her mindset and replied, “Understood.”

“I’ll be at the Pu Jing school gate, waiting for you.”

Hanging up the phone, Xu Yin grabbed her backpack and told Qi Youwei, “You’ll be sleeping alone tonight. I have to go home.”

“Go ahead,” Qi Youwei said, having applied her mask.
“You go home every Friday. I’m prepared.”

Xu Yin rushed out the door without even having time to put on a jacket.

At the school gate, Su Wan’an’s Porsche was flashing its hazard lights.
Seeing Duan Sili and Gao Minglang emerge, she leaned against the car door, chewing gum, and waved to greet them both.

Duan Sili mounted his matte black heavy motorcycle.

The motorcycle had sleek lines and a dark red flame pattern.
He started the engine, and a roar erupted.

Gao Minglang asked with a smile, “School Belle, waiting for Master Si?”

Su Wan’an’s gaze drifted towards the motorcycle as she smiled and said, “Yes, aren’t we all meeting up to play billiards later? It’s been a long time, I’m a bit rusty.”

“It’s okay, let Master Si teach you.”

Su Wan’an only smiled without speaking.

Every Friday, she would go to great lengths to arrange gatherings, bringing her friends and Duan Sili’s friends together…

“I’ll ride my bike over,” Duan Sili told them.

Su Wan’an knew his motorcycle never carried passengers, but she couldn’t help but ask the superfluous question—

“Master Si, could you give me a ride?”

Duan Sili put on his goggles.

The gray-black lenses reflected the streetlights.

His gaze swept past Su Wan’an, landing on the street not far away.

Xu Yan was putting his jacket over Xu Yin’s shoulders, his arm naturally wrapped around her slender shoulders, leading her towards a car.

After a few seconds of silence, Duan Sili suddenly said, “Get on.”

Su Wan’an’s eyes suddenly lit up.
She almost couldn’t believe her ears, glancing at Gao Minglang in surprise, as if confirming she hadn’t misheard.

Gao Minglang was also grinning foolishly, winking at her.

She quickly sat sideways on the back seat, holding onto the edge of the seat, her heart pounding like a drum.

Her ears were flushed red.

With a roar, the motorcycle sped off.

It kicked up a sharp, biting wind as it brushed past Xu Yin and Xu Yan.

Xu Yan instinctively turned sideways, fully shielding the young girl in his embrace.

That was close!

In the rearview mirror, those two figures intimately overlapped.

Duan Sili’s eyes darkened, and with a “snap,” he flipped the mirror away.

Xu Yin returned to the Huguangyu villa at 8 PM.

Xu Yin saw her father, Xu Yuting, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

He wasn’t in the living room, nor the study, nor on the balcony…

He was in her room.

Sitting by her canopy bed, he slowly flipped through Les Misérables, the book Xu Yin had been reading recently.

He wore a moon-white, new Chinese-style collared shirt.
His features somewhat resembled Xu Yan’s, but his expression was more severe.
His cuffs featured delicate embroidered patterns.

Despite being dressed in the most casual home attire, he exuded a sharp, intimidating presence.

Xu Yin hesitated for a few seconds, then walked in, calling out, “Father…”

Xu Yuting closed the book and looked up at her, his stern features softening.
“Yinyin, come here.”

Xu Yin walked over with stiff steps.
Xu Yuting took her hand.
“Father missed you very much.”

She almost trembled.

“I… I missed Father too.” Xu Yin evasively turned towards the desk, tidying the books that Xu Yuting had disturbed.

“Studies and life, everything going well?”

“Mmm, all good.”

Xu Yuting stood up and stepped forward.
Xu Yan quickly moved to block between them.
“Dad, I’ve had the chef prepare dinner. Let’s eat and talk. You must be tired from your journey today.”

“Move aside.”

Xu Yan and Xu Yuting stood in silent confrontation for a few seconds, the air heavy.

Finally, Xu Yan stepped aside, the back of his shirt damp with sweat.

“I’ve taught you the rules,” Xu Yuting pinched his daughter’s chin with two fingers, his rough fingertips quickly reddening her fair skin.
“What address should you use before speaking to me?”

“Father… I… I forgot just now, I’m sorry.”

The middle-aged man smiled, but his smile was chilling.
“You can forget anything, but how can you forget that I am your father?”

“I’m sorry,” Xu Yin trembled, her voice almost breaking.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Xu Yuting suddenly released his grip.
“Go on, play a piece for Father to listen to. Play your best ‘Paganini’.”

Xu Yan quickly said, “Now? Dad, how about we eat first? The shad fish will get fishy if it cools down.”

Xu Yuting gave him a cold glance.
“You’ve talked too much today.”

Xu Yan immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word.

Xu Yin lowered her eyes and obediently went to the walk-in closet.

In the innermost, rarely opened cabinet of the walk-in closet hung a complex, classical European-style dress, rose-pink—a color a little girl might like, but not quite suited to her temperament.

Before she played the piano, Xu Yuting would always make her wear this kind of dress.

She mechanically put on the crinoline, tightened the corseted ribbons, the pearl buttons pressing tightly against her waist.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she was, indeed, like a delicate doll.

A body manipulated by invisible threads, no longer her own.

Walking out of the room, she entered the piano room.

Xu Yuting sat stiffly by the desk, his fingers lightly tapping the surface.

Xu Yin sat down at the black Steinway piano, her slender fingertips touching the keys, and began to play Brahms’ “Variations on a Theme by Paganini.”

As expected, at the cross-rhythm section of the second variation, where she was most prone to error, she made a mistake again, hitting a wrong note.

Xu Yuting’s expression subtly changed.

Xu Yan quickly said, “Dad, Yinyin has been too busy with her studies lately. Her piano skills might be a bit rusty.”

Xu Yuting seemed somewhat dazed, murmuring, “My Yinyin would not make a mistake. She shouldn’t make this kind of mistake. Her teacher said she had perfect pitch when she was little. She has never made a mistake playing here before.”

“Dad, she’s not entirely…”

“Smack,” a crisp sound.

Xu Yuting backhanded Xu Yan across the face, without any warning or preamble.
Xu Yan’s cheek instantly bloomed with finger marks.

Xu Yin abruptly stood up.
“Dad! Why did you hit him!”

“Yinyin, continue playing.” When he looked at Xu Yin, Xu Yuting’s eyes shifted from sharp to gentle, but his voice was cold.
“Play until you no longer make mistakes.”

Xu Yin’s eyes were filled with defiance.
She bit her lip, unmoving.

Beside her, Xu Yan’s eyes were filled with worry.
“I’m fine, Yinyin…”

He didn’t finish, but Xu Yin knew what he wanted to say.

Suddenly, the young girl finally sat back down, playing the piece.
If she made a mistake, she started over.
If she made another mistake, she started over again.

It was like an endless, deadly loop.

Her fingers became stiff, and sweat fell onto the piano keys.
The food on the outer table had all grown cold.

Xu Yuting’s dark eyes remained fixed on her, his mind lost in thought.

She didn’t know how many hours passed, or how many times she played.

It wasn’t until Xu Yin perfectly rendered the piece that Xu Yuting finally rose and left.

There was no praise, no joy.
He returned to his room without a word.

In the dead of night, Xu Yin submerged her reddened fingers in cold water.

Steam blurred her reflection in the mirror.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, forcing a certain emotion… to be suffocated back.

The door was gently pushed open, and Xu Yan entered, carrying a meal box.

Xu Yin lay on the bed, curled up like an infant, hugging herself.

“Eat something.” He put down the meal box, walked over, and his hand hesitantly touched the young girl’s trembling shoulder.
“Yinyin…”

“I’m not her… I have no musical talent, no perfect pitch.” Xu Yin’s emotions were on the verge of collapsing, yet she still desperately held back.
“I can’t learn it… and I hate the piano even more…”

“You’ve gotten through all these years. You know how to deal with him…” Xu Yan gently embraced her from behind, comforting her.
“He won’t stay for too long.”

“But he comes every week, every week…”

“I’m here. I’ll be with you.”

He would be with her, whether in the abyss or in hell…

After a while, Xu Yin’s breathing finally steadied, and her emotions calmed down a bit.

Having chosen this path, she had no retreat.
She could only face it head-on.

This was nothing.
She harbored a deeper hatred.

“I can’t stay too long. He’s not asleep yet.” Xu Yan whispered close to her ear, his warm breath caressing her neck.
“I have to go.”

“Mmm,” she mumbled in response, burying her face in the pillow.
“I’m fine, brother. Don’t worry.”

Xu Yan looked lingeringly at the girl curled up on the bed, fragile as grass.

But he knew she wasn’t.

She was the most vigorously tenacious girl he had ever seen… a thorn bush that wildfires couldn’t burn away.

Outside the door, the conversation between father and son faded into the distance.
For Xu Yin, it felt like it existed in another world.

She suddenly threw off the covers and dumped all the food from the meal box into the trash can.

After sadness, only anger remained… She kicked the trash can far away.

Venturing the disgusting emotions in her chest.

Just then, her phone rang abruptly.
Xu Yin jumped and answered it.

It was Gao Minglang’s cheerful voice.

“Yinyin, we’re at the billiards club. Want to come play?”

“No, thank you.” Xu Yin coughed lightly.

“What’s wrong?” Gao Minglang immediately noticed something amiss.
“Who bullied you? Tell me, I’ll kill them!”

On the other end of the phone, laughter and noise were chaotic.

Xu Yin told him, “I’m fine.”

“Your voice sounds off. Are you crying?”

Under the cold light, Duan Sili leaned over, poised to strike a ball.

His black shirt sleeves were rolled up, white light illuminating his cool, lean wrist.

The white ball, which should have gone smoothly into the pocket, veered off course, hitting the side of the table.

It made a dull, thudding sound.

Xu Yin gave Gao Minglang a perfunctory reply, then went to take a shower.
The hot water washed over her body, but it couldn’t dispel the lingering vexation in her chest.

Her fingers still ached.
She walked out, drying her hair, and her stomach uncooperatively rumbled.

She stared at the trash can.

She had thrown the food away so proudly just now, but now she regretted it.

She wanted to pick the meal box out of the trash can, but it felt too pathetic…

Just as she was agonizing over whether her hunger or her pride was more important, her phone made a “ding-dong” sound.

In the chat window, the system notification popped up—

[Duan Sili accepted your friend request.]