Saturday afternoon, at the Music Academy.
Teacher Zhou Muyuan’s practice room was on the third floor. It was spacious and luxurious.
The walls were covered with certificates and trophies, along with photos of him and famous figures from both home and abroad.
When Lin Mo accompanied Su Ran inside, Zhou Muyuan was playing the piano.
It was Bach’s *Goldberg Variations*. He played very well, his technique flawless, but the way he played made people feel uncomfortable.
It was too deliberate. Every movement seemed meticulously designed, as if he were performing for an audience.
After finishing the piece in self-intoxication, Zhou Muyuan stood up with a smile. “Su Ran, you’re here.”
He only noticed Lin Mo standing beside her after the greeting. The smile he had just formed faltered for a moment. “And this is?”
“He is my classmate, Lin Mo. He’s here to listen to my lesson.”
Su Ran had already returned to her flawless, expressionless doll-like state. Her tone was somewhat cold.
Just one second before entering the room to see Zhou Muyuan, she had been blushing while thinking about what excuse to use for today’s hand-holding, and whether they could take things a step further.
She was even wondering if she should book a hotel room in advance tonight.
“A classmate?”
Zhou Muyuan sized up Lin Mo, his gaze scrutinizing. “A regular classmate, or…”
Lin Mo took over the conversation. “A friend. A very good friend.”
Zhou Muyuan smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach his eyes. “Su Ran rarely brings friends here. You must be special.”
It sounded like a compliment, but Lin Mo could hear the probing hidden within.
“Let’s begin the lesson.”
Zhou Muyuan walked to the piano. “Su Ran, play the competition piece once.”
Su Ran sat down and began playing Bach’s *Italian Concerto*.
Lin Mo sat on the sofa in the corner, observing Zhou Muyuan.
The man was certainly professional.
Every time Su Ran finished a section, he could point out subtle issues: this note wasn’t clean enough, that pedal was pressed too deep, the handling here could be more dramatic…
The verbal guidance seemed fine, but during the instructions, Zhou Muyuan would always place his hand on Su Ran’s shoulder or reach out to grab her hand.
One could argue he was correcting her posture, but as Lin Mo watched, he felt very uncomfortable.
The first time, he endured it.
The second time, he endured it again.
When Zhou Muyuan prepared to reach out a third time—to hell with that!
Lin Mo suddenly stood up, squeezed past Zhou Muyuan to get there first, and naturally placed his hand on Su Ran’s shoulder while bracing against her lower back. He cleared the situation with a reprimanding tone. “How many times has the teacher told you? Sit up straight. How are your hands positioned? Don’t you understand that every detail affects the performance?”
The moment her waist was touched, Su Ran’s body stiffened. She almost wanted to pull out a knife.
Fortunately, seeing Zhou Muyuan sitting there in shock, she quickly relaxed.
Feeling the solid warmth coming from her lower back and hearing Lin Mo’s indisputable voice, her reaction became a bit sluggish. she felt a sense of longing for Lin Mo’s touch.
Zhou Muyuan was always strict, and his teaching process could be called meticulous, yet he failed to notice Su Ran’s abnormality at this moment.
He looked at Lin Mo with some surprise. “Does Student Lin Mo study piano as well?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s a pity. Music is a bridge that connects souls.”
Zhou Muyuan adjusted his glasses. “If you’re interested, I can teach you.”
“No need. Listening to Su Ran play is enough for me.”
Lin Mo placed both hands on Su Ran’s shoulders, acting protective, almost pulling her entirely into his embrace. His tone was a bit domineering.
Zhou Muyuan’s smile faded slightly. “Su Ran is indeed very talented. She is the most promising student I have ever seen, so…”
He paused and looked at Su Ran. “Su Ran, I hope you can focus your energy on the piano. Other matters can wait until after you’ve succeeded.”
These words were obviously meant for Lin Mo.
Su Ran had just started to like “weekend piano lessons,” but hearing Zhou Muyuan’s words, she suddenly snapped back to reality. “Teacher, the piano is important, but life is more than just the piano. That is a truth I’ve only recently understood.”
Zhou Muyuan froze. “If your mother heard those words, she would be heartbroken.”
“She already knows, and she agreed.”
Zhou Muyuan’s expression shifted, but he quickly regained his smile. “Is that so? That’s good then. However, as your teacher, I must still remind you: talent is a gift from heaven. Do not waste it.”
“I won’t waste it.”
Su Ran stroked the keys, leaning back slightly in a defiant manner. “I will learn the piano, but I won’t give up on other things either.”
Her words were too direct, falling just short of saying, “I just want to be in a relationship.”
Unfortunately, Su Ran still couldn’t express herself that clearly.
The air in the practice room solidified.
Zhou Muyuan stared at Su Ran for a long time before finally nodding. “Fine. You have your own thoughts. I respect that as your teacher.”
During this lesson, Lin Mo stayed guarded right behind Su Ran.
Zhou Muyuan didn’t manage to touch her again.
Every time he was about to make a move, Lin Mo would “help” straighten her body or adjust her arms.
The lesson finally ended 2 hours later.
Zhou Muyuan saw them to the door. “Same time next week?”
“Okay. Goodbye, Teacher.”
Su Ran couldn’t refuse, so she responded politely.
Zhou Muyuan turned to look at Lin Mo. “Student Lin Mo, I’ll leave Su Ran in your care then.”
His gaze was very deep, deep like a well.
Lin Mo didn’t respond, thinking, ‘Who the hell do you think you are to “entrust” Su Ran to me?’
He grabbed Su Ran’s hand and walked straight out of the practice room.
As they walked, his strides were long and his pace was fast, like a dormant volcano that had been quiet for countless years suddenly coming to life, ready to erupt in a world-ending disaster at any moment.
Initially, Su Ran was overjoyed by the hand-holding, but after sensing Lin Mo’s abnormality, she followed silently behind him. When she couldn’t keep up, she would take a few quick steps to stay close.
It wasn’t until they walked out of the Music Academy and stopped that she looked at Lin Mo, struck by a sudden idea, and let out a long sigh.
As expected, Lin Mo nervously asked, “Did I walk too fast? Are you okay?”
Su Ran curled the corners of her mouth into a well-behaved smile and shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I just feel… every lesson is like a battle. Teacher Zhou is very skilled, but… the pressure is immense.”
“I’ll accompany you every weekend from now on,” Lin Mo said, still assertive.
Su Ran’s eyes instantly lit up, sparkling brightly. “Really?”
“Really.”
Lin Mo suddenly couldn’t maintain his forceful attitude anymore, his heart softening. “Please call me Teacher Lin, the great Teacher Lin who specializes in correcting your posture.”
Su Ran burst into laughter, her smile brilliant under the sunlight.
She quickly pursed her lips and said with a red face, “With you here, I’m not afraid of anything.”
Lin Mo smiled too, but his heart felt heavy.
Based on today’s contact, Zhou Muyuan gave him a very bad feeling, especially his eyes.
Although there was no evidence yet to suggest Zhou Muyuan was the culprit, Lin Mo had a feeling that the car accident from his past life would surely become a threat in this life.
Zhou Muyuan—whether it was him or not, he had to be careful.
***
Sunday morning, Lin Mo was woken up by the doorbell.
He scrambled to check his phone and saw it was only 6:30 AM.
The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten, matching his foul mood.
Lin Mo climbed out of bed in a daze. While getting up, he accidentally stubbed his little toe. The piercing pain almost made him die on the spot, and his morning grumpiness flared up instantly.
However, when he opened the door aggressively, he saw a rainbow waiting outside.
Su Ran stood at the door, holding a thermal bag.
Today, she wore a black dress adorned with some shimmering crystals. Her exquisite face was lightly made up, her long hair fell over her shoulders, tucked behind her left ear, radiating an air of intellectual maturity.
Paired with the small high heels on her feet, her figure looked even fuller, and her sexiness was overwhelming.
“You…”
Lin Mo couldn’t control himself. His gaze traveled from Su Ran’s face all the way down and then back up, finally settling on that tiny mole under her left eye. “You’re really beautiful.”
He had originally wanted to ask why she was here, but the words changed by the time they reached his mouth.
“Breakfast, for you!”
Su Ran handed over the thermal bag with both hands, unnaturally avoiding eye contact.
Lin Mo reached out to take it, feeling a bit dazed. It took him a while to realize he should step aside. “Want to come in and sit?”
Su Ran peeked inside the house, looking a bit tempted, but after hesitating, she shook her head. “I have to go back and practice the piano.”
As she spoke, she withdrew her gaze and lowered her head with a red face, just in time to catch a glimpse of the boy’s “morning secret” through his boxers. She couldn’t look away.
From an angle Lin Mo couldn’t see, her pupils gradually contracted, and her breathing quietly stalled. Her slightly tensed fingers fought back the urge to reach out and touch.
“Your mother let you come?”
“Yes. I told her I was bringing you breakfast. She didn’t object, but she told me to be back within 30 minutes.”
Su Ran’s voice was very soft and thin, but Lin Mo could still hear a slight tremble in her tone.
He couldn’t tell if it was nervousness or shyness, but either way, it was quite cute.
Seeing her small hand clenched like a white claw, Lin Mo couldn’t help but reach out and hold it. “I’m not blaming you. Although it was quite a surprise, I’m very happy. This is the first time a girl has ever brought me breakfast. Thank you.”
His hand, warm from just waking up, instantly melted Su Ran’s stiffness.
She couldn’t help but take a small half-step forward. As she looked up, she took a subtle sniff of Lin Mo’s scent, then turned around and hurried away.
Before Lin Mo could react, she walked a couple of steps and looked back. “One of those is lunch. Bye-bye.”
With that, she ran toward the elevator, her dress and long hair leaving a charming fragrance in the morning breeze.
She came, and she left.
It was as fast as a dream.
Even after Su Ran was out of sight, Lin Mo remained stunned in the hallway. Only after a long while did he look down at the hand he had held hers with and the thermal bag in the other.
Then, his boxers suddenly caught his eye, along with that little morning secret.
“Uh…”
Lin Mo’s face turned bright red.
So that was the problem.
No wonder she ran away extra fast today…
Closing the door and returning to the living room, he opened the thermal bag.
There were three layers.
The first layer was an egg sandwich. The egg was a tender yellow, the bread was toasted just right, and it was layered with lettuce and ham.
The second layer was a fruit salad. Apples, bananas, and grapes were all sliced very neatly.
The third layer was a deep blue bento box.
Lin Mo opened the bento box and was instantly stunned.
The rice in the box had been shaped into a panda, with seaweed used for the eyes and ears.
Beside it were sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried shrimp with broccoli, and a small portion of pickled radishes.
Every dish was arranged exquisitely; it was clear a lot of effort had been put into it.
There was a sticky note on the bento lid:
‘Eat breakfast even if you sleep in.’
‘Eat lunch before 12 PM, otherwise it will get cold.’
‘PS: If you hate it, you can throw it away. You don’t have to tell me.’
It was a typical Su Ran style note—thoughtful yet cautious.
Lin Mo took a bite of the sandwich.
It was delicious.
So delicious he wanted to cry.
He immediately took a photo and sent it to Su Ran: ‘It’s delicious. Thank you.’
Su Ran replied almost instantly: ‘Really? You’re not just comforting me?’
‘Really. The panda rice is very cute.’
‘I’m going to practice now.’
Even through the screen, Lin Mo could feel Su Ran’s lack of composure.
She was a teenage girl, after all. Bringing breakfast to a boy early in the morning was a very bold move.
But the price would likely be dying of embarrassment for the next few days whenever they met.
Putting down his phone, Lin Mo slowly ate the sandwich.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting bright spots on the dining table.
Suddenly, he remembered a detail from his past life.
One day, when he was working late into the night, a bento box had suddenly appeared on his desk. It had the same panda rice inside.
At the time, he thought some female colleague had left it there. He didn’t eat it and threw it away.
Looking back now, she probably waited downstairs for a long time before finding a chance to slip into his company.
Unknowingly, the entire sandwich had already been eaten.
He wondered what time she had woken up to make this.
Lin Mo licked his fingers with lingering satisfaction, then suddenly froze.
Damn it, I forgot to brush my teeth.
***