42. New Shoots Sprouting from the Cracks

Li An ate the mutton without expression.

Beside him, Chen Xuan asked in surprise, "Do you know which anime this song is from?"

"Nodame Cantabile," Li An replied, then continued to scoop up a strip of tofu skin and chew it thoughtfully.

He honestly didn’t care much for cartoons, but once, the daily recommendations pushed this piece of music to him.

He found the music beautiful, and thus discovered the anime.

After watching two episodes, he realized it was actually quite good…

After all, the protagonist played piano like him, and both dreamed of studying abroad.

Swallowing his food, Li An met the astonished gazes of the other three. "Can’t I watch anime?"

It wasn’t that he couldn’t; it was just odd to imagine Li An watching anime.

Li An explained, "Anything related to piano—movies, dramas, anime, stories—I enjoy. If you’ve seen anything good, recommend it to me."

"Shine, it’s worth watching," Xu Hongxin suggested.

"Your Lie in April, it’s amazing," Chen Xuan declared, almost brandishing her fork.

Ma Tao loved novels and had once followed one dedicated to piano: "I recommend a novel called My Piano Is a Trick. The protagonist plays piano, and the classical music content is quite rich."

The title alone was intriguing—could a piano deceive? Li An’s interest was piqued.

Xu Hongxin asked, "Is there a character who plays trumpet?"

Ma Tao thought for a moment and shook his head. "There’s a character who plays flute."

Cueing the professionals, Chen Xuan became curious—she’d never heard of a novel about classical music. "Is the character a brilliant performer?"

Ma Tao pondered the plot. "According to the story’s development, the character should become a performer. The author’s been on hiatus, so I don’t know for sure. The music is really well-written, but the romance is a mess. If you don’t mind, you can try it."

Li An didn’t mind. If the romance was confusing, he could just skip those parts.

He was interested in the piano scenes.

...

Young people always circle around those few topics.

Life, love, entertainment, work.

Tonight, thanks to this gathering, they deepened their understanding of each other.

For example, Chen Xuan’s first love was still ongoing.

"Yes, I just never met anyone I liked before."

Xu Hongxin and his girlfriend were middle school classmates.

"She had to chase me first, obviously," he joked.

Li An’s habit of sleeping early was due to exhaustion from work.

"I’d prefer not to sleep so early, but every night when I get home, I can’t resist the urge to sleep."

Ma Tao had secretly liked Xu Nana when he first arrived.

"I really liked her then, but now, I don’t feel anything."

As they ate and drank, the conversation turned to work, to Qin Yong, to the upcoming assessment for outstanding teachers.

Three hours slipped by. The hotpot soup was nearly gone, and two cases of beer had dwindled to just two bottles.

Ma Tao was done, Xu Hongxin was almost finished, and Chen Xuan had broken her usual rule by drinking three bottles—her head now spun fiercely.

Only Li An remained, unaffected, still moving his chopsticks, savoring spicy tofu with mouthfuls of beer, thoroughly enjoying himself.

He realized among the three colleagues, only Xu Hongxin could really handle his liquor.

...

At half past nine, Xu Hongxin and Ma Tao called a car and left. Chen Xuan wanted to help Li An tidy up, but he stopped her.

"You can barely stand—go home, sleep off the alcohol."

Li An accompanied Chen Xuan to 2502, helping her onto the sofa.

Though dizzy, Chen Xuan was still clear-headed; Li An, supporting her only by the arm, led her through two doors.

"Does your head hurt?"

Chen Xuan nodded against the sofa cushion.

"Do you have honey?"

She pointed woodenly at the tea table.

Li An wiggled two fingers before her eyes. "How many is this?"

Chen Xuan laughed, "That’s you."

Li An turned, found the honey, poured a glass at the water dispenser, and handed her honey water. "You can handle at most two beers. Next time you go out, remember that."

His words held a gentle concern that warmed Chen Xuan’s heart. "The last time I drank was at the graduation party in college—just two glasses. I don’t drink normally."

Li An blew on the glass and returned. "That’s easy for you. Here, sit up and drink—no need to worry, it’s not hot."

Obediently, Chen Xuan sat up and downed it in one go—the temperature was perfect.

Seeing nothing amiss, Li An rose to leave. "Rest early. See you tomorrow."

He had just reached the door when Chen Xuan called him.

"Li An."

He turned. "Hmm?"

A sudden boldness overtook Chen Xuan; her clear eyes met his directly. "Who’s easy for you?"

Li An was taken aback, his heart skipping unexpectedly, then he smiled, "Just a slip of the tongue. Goodnight."

Back in 2501, his playlist still looped on the computer.

Li An, listening to music, began tidying up the dinner aftermath.

As he cleaned, he recalled Chen Xuan’s gaze, her pointed question, and the pristine floors of both apartments.

Was this a subtle expression of affection?

Reflecting on recent moments with Chen Xuan, Li An realized he’d consciously kept his emotions in check.

But with everything piling up these past days, a strange feeling had quietly grown within him.

Like seeing Chen Xuan’s busy silhouette this morning.

Perhaps it was the dream, but her figure kept appearing in his mind today.

He’d been in love before, and he knew this was the early stirrings of affection.

Honestly, he liked Chen Xuan.

To Li An, Chen Xuan was pure.

She had a clean appearance, a clean lifestyle, and genuine kindness in her words and actions.

He admired such character—something he’d never possess.

Yet Chen Xuan hadn’t isolated herself from the world; though he didn’t know her past, he could feel her effort to fit into her current life.

Sometimes, taking a step forward is truly hard, but Chen Xuan managed it.

From her early caution in the office, to now, raising her glass and declaring—

"Coming to Rongcheng was the best decision I’ve ever made. Thank you all for your care these past weeks."

How could such a girl not be lovable?

Lovable, indeed.

Perhaps being single for so long, Li An wasn’t sure what he felt at this moment.

After the violin, he hadn’t dated again; his busy life seamlessly bridged his two worlds.

Focused solely on earning money and changing his situation, he hadn’t prepared for a new relationship.

If Chen Xuan truly liked him, with his experience, he need only take a small step, create some little romance, show more care—and perhaps, with no prior relationship experience, Chen Xuan would fall into his arms in no time.

But could he catch her?

Li An wasn’t a casual person in matters of the heart. Even after the violin, his view remained: if I get involved with you, I must be responsible for your life.

Perhaps that view was outdated, but that’s who he was.

Besides, he just found Chen Xuan likable, a sort of admiration—not something substantial enough to call love. If he used such vague feelings to enter Chen Xuan’s life, what difference was there from deception?

Li An shook his head—what nonsense.

Maybe he was just overthinking after a few drinks.

Hmm—

No matter what, having such a friend was always comforting.

After washing the last dish, Li An cleaned the living room, showered, and lay on his new bed.

As soon as he settled, the alcohol hit him.

Tonight, he’d finished a whole case by himself.

He wondered if Eighty Thousand would feel lonely guarding the house—he was used to something furry on his pillow at night, and found himself thinking of Eighty Thousand.

Soon, he drifted off.

A little later, the phone on the computer desk lit up in the living room.

Yezi: Goodnight, I forgot to say it earlier

——

——

The next morning, Li An was awakened by the alarm in the living room. He got up and entered the room.

Looking at the results of their labor over the past two days, Li An felt a surge of satisfaction.

Finally done.

Three months, and at last he had a little corner of his own in this unfamiliar city.

He’d made three good friends and taken in four adorable students.

Picking up his phone to turn off the alarm, he found an unread message from Yezi.

He couldn’t help but smile—she’d forgotten to say it. Silly.

Perhaps because of last night’s emotional turmoil, after a good sleep, Li An’s mental state had subtly shifted.

Feelings should flow naturally; no need to force oneself. Last night, he’d drunk a bit and held his emotions too tightly.

Eighty Thousand One: Morning, did you sleep well?

A moment later.

Yezi: Yep, I heard your alarm clock

Eighty Thousand One: Is the wall really that thin?

Yezi: I don’t know, I just heard it. Anyway, I’m off to shower—smell like booze

Eighty Thousand One: Go on, go on

Putting his phone down, Li An walked to the window, drawn by the distant view.

Mist veiled the horizon, with faint rays piercing through the clouds.

Like the gray wall beside him—seemingly battered, yet new shoots still sprouted from the cracks.