532: Chapter 532 Today, you can simply be Lin Que

Lin Que's footsteps stopped three paces away from the shade of the trees.

The autumn wind swept up a few sycamore leaves, which landed on the hem of his light-colored trench coat.

Ye Xi took off her baseball cap, revealing a head of smooth, long hair.

She stood in the tree's shadow, her fingers resting on the rim of a paper cup, looking as if she had just stepped away from a round of applause, leaving only her most relaxed self for the person before her.

Someone on the tree-lined path recognized her and slowed their pace, their gaze shifting between her and the young man walking toward her, but in the end, they lowered their phone without rashly raising it.

Lin Que walked up to her.

Ye Xi took a paper cup of coffee from her trench coat pocket and handed it to him.

"The temperature is just right, Americano."

Her voice was light and carried a hint of teasing.

"How does our great writer Lin, who has been pushed into the spotlight lately, plan to spend his eighteenth birthday?"

Lin Que's movement of holding the cup paused for a beat.

He had almost let this day slip off his schedule again, just like that night many years ago that was so quiet only the candlelight remained.

These past few days, his mind had been filled with Chu Pengshu's deconstructions and Shen Jiangping's praise-as-a-trap, pushing the very concept of his birthday into a corner.

Watching his slight pause, Ye Xi's eyes curved, and she fished a blue card from her bag, waving it slightly.

"I made a visitor reservation in advance and have already registered."

"Will you show me around?"

Lin Que took a sip of the coffee; the bitterness was followed by a sweet aftertaste.

"Let's go."

He said softly.

The two walked side by side along the banks of Weiming Lake.

The ripples on the lake surface were shattered by the autumn wind, and the weeping willows on the shore had turned yellow.

Ye Xi did not mention the disputes on the forum, only chatting about the autumn rain in Jinling, and how she felt that when practicing Rach 3 recently, she could still press down a bit more in the bass section with her left hand.

When they reached a quiet bench, Ye Xi suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Que.

"Master Lin, the rhythm of your walk has changed."

Ye Xi's voice was very soft.

Lin Que looked at her.

"Before, when you walked, your pace was very steady, like an andante."

Ye Xi extended her finger and tapped twice lightly in mid-air.

"But today, walking from the school gate, your steps were a bit hurried, like a syncopated note that didn't land steadily in an allegro; it didn't sound chaotic, but it was clearly tense."

She looked into Lin Que's eyes.

"About those things online, you say it's fine, but your footsteps are already half a beat faster than usual."

Lin Que did not deny it.

He had indeed seen through the hands played by Chu Pengshu and Shen Jiangping, but the constant stream of malicious speculation and praise-as-a-trap still felt like a layer of noise pressed against his ears—not loud, but always slipping in between his breaths.

"Do you know what a conductor does first when everyone in a rehearsal is thrown off by noise from outside the field?"

Ye Xi asked.

Lin Que shook his head.

Ye Xi raised her hand and pressed down lightly in the air, as if holding the breath of an entire orchestra.

"That is to return to the score."

Ye Xi laughed.

"No matter how loud the outside noise is, it cannot change the notes on the score. You just need to hold your own bar lines and don't hand over the beat to them."

Lin Que's fingers holding the coffee cup tightened slightly.

This metaphor was very accurate.

He looked at the lake, his tone calm.

"Those noises online are just the prelude."

"The more they stir up the scene outside the field, the more it shows they dare not face the main text."

Ye Xi listened quietly without interrupting.

"What I am truly waiting for is that most rigorous judging table of the Kunpeng Award."

Lin Que's gaze drifted into the distance.

"The draft for the competition is already finalized, and the wind and rain of Muchuan Town are my trump card."

Ye Xi looked at his profile, her fingertips gently rubbing the edge of the paper cup, and the corners of her lips slowly curved upward.

"Now that sounds like our great writer Lin's own main melody."

Just then, footsteps came from the stone path not far away.

Chen Jiahao was half-dragging, half-hugging Dan Yi as they walked toward the lake, muttering about the scene he had just seen at the school gate, becoming more excited as he spoke.

"Do you think that guy Chu Pengshu lives on the forum? He has nothing better to do all day than stare at our Program drafts and tear them apart."

Chen Jiahao kicked a pebble on the side of the road in indignation.

Dan Yi lowered his head, his voice somewhat muffled.

"He did point out a few structural problems in the piece of mine he tore apart. But I always feel his motives aren't pure."

"Of course they aren't pure! Maybe there's someone behind it organizing and directing him, otherwise how could his timing be so precise?"

Chen Jiahao cursed, then sighed.

"But Master Que is truly steady; if it were me, I would have already jumped into the fray and torn into him."

"By the way, didn't Lin Que go out with you just now?"

Dan Yi changed the subject.

Chen Jiahao immediately winked and made faces, his voice lowered as if he had discovered a massive secret.

"Master Que, he..."

He looked up, and two figures were walking toward them directly ahead.

Dan Yi looked in the direction of his finger, and his footsteps halted.

Chen Jiahao pulled Dan Yi and quickened his pace, hurrying over.

"Master Que!"

Chen Jiahao shouted loudly, breaking the tranquility of the lakeshore.

Lin Que turned his head.

Ye Xi also turned around, her gaze landing on the two of them.

"Let me introduce you, my classmates, Chen Jiahao, Dan Yi."

Lin Que said.

Chen Jiahao immediately straightened his posture, the gossipy smile on his face receding slightly, replaced by an expression he considered most appropriate.

"Hello! You must be Ye Xi, right? I watched that final of the Xinghai Cup! You played the piano so well!"

Ye Xi was not coy, nodding with a natural and graceful smile.

"Thank you, hello everyone, I am Ye Xi."

Her voice was gentle and her articulation clear; there was no sense of distance from the stage when she greeted them.

Dan Yi stood behind Chen Jiahao, silently observing this girl.

He didn't understand the ins and outs of the literary circle, but he was very sensitive to auras.

The aura about Ye Xi was very clean, like a melody that had been polished repeatedly—the notes were light, but the landing was steady.

Dan Yi suddenly understood that those people around Lin Que who seemed quiet all carried significant weight.

"Today is Lin Que's birthday, why don't we all go together?"

Ye Xi initiated, her tone sincere.

Lin Que nodded and looked toward his two roommates.

Dan Yi opened his mouth, just about to agree.

Chen Jiahao grabbed Dan Yi's arm, squeezing an extremely exaggerated smile onto his face.

"Oh my."

"What a coincidence! Dan Yi and I just remembered there's one last serving of sweet and sour pork ribs in the cafeteria; if we're two minutes late, it'll be gone."

"Right, Dan Yi?"

Dan Yi glanced at him, silent for half a second, his eyes clearly saying: The cafeteria doesn't even have the smell of sweet and sour today.

Chen Jiahao ignored Dan Yi's surprised expression and raised his hand to point behind him.

"Master Que, we'll go first..."

Lin Que looked at Chen Jiahao's clumsy performance and smiled faintly.

"Alright, let's gather another time."

"Got it! Happy birthday, Master Que, you guys have a good time, we're taking off!"

"Happy birthday, Lin Que."

Chen Jiahao pulled Dan Yi and slipped away as if he had greased the soles of his feet.

Watching their retreating figures, Ye Xi chuckled.

"Your classmates are very interesting."

"Let's go, Master Lin."

Lin Que tossed the empty coffee cup into the trash can.

"Where to?"

Ye Xi blinked, the corners of her mouth curling into a mysterious arc.

"Today's time is arranged by me for you."

Lin Que looked at Ye Xi's mysterious expression and nodded.

The two walked out of the Qingbei school gate.

A black business car was parked quietly on the side of the road; the driver saw Ye Xi approaching and got out to open the car door for them.

Lin Que got in; the space inside the car was spacious, isolating the noise of the outside world.

A file bag was pressed beside the seat, and half a familiar title was exposed at the opening: "qin opera" Excerpt.

Lin Que's gaze swept over the stack of manuscript papers, his heart stirring slightly.

That was the part of the plot he had sent her to read a few days ago; he had only sent a few pages, so he didn't expect it to all be printed into a hard copy.

Lin Que's gaze lingered on that file bag for two seconds, and he suddenly felt that the car interior was excessively quiet, as if even his thoughts, which had been tense for these past few days, had been gently pressed down by someone.

The car drove steadily into the traffic of the capital.

"Where to next? Teacher Ye."

Lin Que asked.

Ye Xi leaned against the seat back, watching the receding streetscape outside the window.

"You'll know when we get there."

Lin Que did not press for an answer.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, his thoughts just about to habitually slide back to that chessboard of public opinion.

"You don't have to carry everything on your own shoulders."

Ye Xi's voice sounded in the quiet car.

Lin Que opened his eyes.

"Today is your eighteenth birthday."

Ye Xi turned her head, her gaze clear.

"The literary circle has its chessboard, and the outside has its schemes, but your eighteenth birthday cannot—at least not today—be entirely surrendered to them. You can just be Lin Que."

Lin Que looked at her, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted.

"Okay."

Half an hour later, the car stopped deep in a quiet hutong.

The depths of the hutong were paved with blue bricks, grey tiles pressed low under the eaves, and a few old locust trees sifted the light and shadow in front of the door into fragments.

A private kitchen restaurant serving regular customers was hidden behind greenery, its facade very low-key, with only an old palace lantern hanging under the eaves.

The environment was secluded and highly private.

Ye Xi led Lin Que inside, not stopping in the lobby, walking straight through the corridor toward the private room at the end of the hall that had been reserved in advance.

Several old ink paintings hung on both sides of the corridor, the mountains and rocks rendered with light ink, and two vermilion seals were stamped on the blank spaces.

Lin Que followed behind her, watching her nod and greet the manager skillfully, and a trace of warmth welled up in his heart.

The manager did not ask much, only confirming the private room and the dishes in a low voice.

Lin Que looked at Ye Xi nodding, suddenly realizing that this meal was not some spur-of-the-moment decision.

She said she was handling everything, but behind the scenes, she had smoothed out every detail that would distract him in advance.

This feeling of being properly cared for caused the string that Lin Que had kept taut for the past few days to finally loosen by an inch.

Walking outside the door of the private room, Ye Xi stopped.

She turned around, her hand resting on the heavy wooden door handle.

"Are you ready?"

Her gaze revealed a hint of playfulness.

Lin Que nodded.

Ye Xi pushed the door open, stepped aside, and made a gesture of invitation.

Lin Que stepped into the private room.

The moment he saw the two familiar figures by the round table, the fingers Lin Que used to grip the door frame tightened abruptly.

The next second, he even stopped breathing for a beat.