Chapter 4 - What to Do, My Enemy Thinks That My Roommate and I Performed On the Piano
“I have the highest grade,” Xiao Nian nonchalantly glancing at Wei Ru Song’s top quality puppy eyes. “This is for the welcoming feast tonight, I’m just looking at it.”
“Eh eh eh?! So cool!” Wei Ru Song was shocked. “Oh yeah, the girls mentioned that you can play 5 different instruments, is this true?”
“I guess so,” Xiao Nian actually considered it for a bit. “Piano, violin, guitar, cello, drums, saxophone, accordion, these are the only ones I know.”
“Only ones?! These are seven different instruments! How did you become the top scorer with such lousy mathematic skills? Shady, this is definitely shady.” Wei Ru Song wanting to be a majestic tiger could now only become Hello Kitty, unknowingly defeated again by Xiao Nian. He craftily pouted, “Why are you idolising the westerners? As a comrade there’s something wrong with your outlook.”
“I know a little Erhu and Hulusi, but I’m not proficient with them.”
“Not proficient?” Wei Ru Song immediately regretted saying that. He suspected that he was about to receive another shock from Xiao Nian, still he could not help but blurt it out. “What do you mean by not proficient?”
“I didn’t achieve the highest grading ah,” Xiao Nian replied naturally. “Without the highest grading how could I dare to say I can play?”
Wei Ru Song’s head hurt. These blows to his ego were definitely self-inflicted.
“Ok, I give up, I can only call you my master.”
Wei Ru Song could not help but imagine a Xiao Nian in a historical Chinese robe and a round pair of sunglasses, performing <The Moon Shadow in Er Quan> in bleak weather on a crowded street. He nearly bored a hole through Xiao Nian with his stare, and reflected that with his lack of imagination he could not depict that glum situation.
“Why do you have to perform <Flight of the Bumblebee>, it feels like you’re trying to act cool.”
Wei Ru Song admitted that his relationship with Xiao Nian was pretty good, after all they were both victims of a rumour. They were definitely on the same team, hence he spoke without thinking.
“The school council literary club senior gave me the score, and said this was played previously.”
“Bullshit,” Wei Ru Song exclaimed. “It was clearly a guitar the last time, you fool, he’s bullying you, wanting you to play till your hands cramp. Which senior? I’ll help you beat him up.”
“This piece is difficult, so I plan to practise in the piano room.”
“Wah, aren’t you sneaky,” Wei Ru Song winked and patted Xiao Nian’s shoulder. “The piano room’s on the first floor, with so many people passing by, there’s definitely quite a number of pretty girls, you…”
“I’m going at night, the piano room key is with me.”
“Eh hey, hey hey, hey hey hey,” Wei Ru Song could not help but gave a sly smile. “Right, good to have the key.” Wei Ru Song reminded Xiao Nian of a housefly rubbing its feet with glee. “Don’t you know that this is an ideal dating spot? Bring someone you like there, perform a piece for them, confess and all pieces would fall into place.”
“Then we’ll go together.”
“Eww what are you trying to do?!” Wei Ru Song sprung up, his arms crossing his chest like a virtuous lady. “I’m not gay ok. Just because you’re attracted to my looks and talents don’t think that you’ll be able to have a fruitless relationship with me. Ah, I’m a sinful man, leading my junior astray, oh god, please forgive my noteworthiness and my sins…”
“I just want you to cook supper for me, there’s a socket there which you can cook noodles with your electric stove.”
“…”
Fine, fine, I was thinking too much. Wei Ru Song rudely snorted and went to play video games, and thus missed out on Xiao Nian’s slight amusement.
Xiao Nian really went to the piano room to practise in the middle of the night, not expecting to become College A’s mystery in a few days. The occasional students returning late at night could hear music drifting out from the unlit piano room, giving them the shudders. At this point someone came up with a sad story – long ago there was a highly talented student couple, they were very much in love, and the model lovers that everyone envied. The girl was very good at the piano, especially <Flight of the Bumblebee>, and often played the piece in the piano room for her boyfriend. The boyfriend later was no longer in love with her, and in grief she hung herself in the piano room. However, her spirit never left the room, and continued playing <Flight of the Bumblebee> waiting for her boyfriend to return to her.
Now, our “grieving female ghost” Xiao Nian did not realise that Wei Ru Song had imagined such a story for him. Objectively speaking, this was also hard work for Wei Ru Song. For some unfathomable reason Xiao Nian insisted on playing in the dark, and Wei Ru Song, behaving like a parent accompanying their child that was studying for their college entrance exam, could only pathetically squat by the side and cooked the noodles with the light emitting from his phone, sneakily eating the noodles when Xiao Nian was not paying attention.
Sometimes, just as Xiao Nian stopped playing, a loud slurp could be heard vibrating through the otherwise silent room.
Or when Xiao Nian played till he forgot about eating, and Wei Ru Song could no longer stand his hunger, thinking, I’ll just eat 1 strand, not more than that, just 1 strand, Junior won’t find out about it. Who would have guessed that the quality of the instant noodle was so good, Wei Ru Song sucked up the strand till his jaw ached and it still did not break, and ended up with him eating all the noodles. He received a ridiculous comment from Xiao Nian, “Pretty good at sucking.”
During those few days, Wei Ru Song reflected on the comment while cooking the noodles and found the comment weird. Why did it sound like Xiao Nian was playing a trick? Was he pointing it out on purpose? Recalling Xiao Nian’s usual behaviour, his cold attitude towards girls, nowadays who would still want to be in a “cold male god fall in love with me” scenario… Wei Ru Song confusedly looked at the piano playing Xiao Nian, despite the dark, the moonlight reflected upon Xiao Nian, just like an angel with a laurel crown, with such moving melody coming from his long and delicate fingers, comfortable and warm, Wei Ru Song then only realised that Xiao Nian had changed the piece he was playing to <Fur Elise>.
“Why did you stop playing <Flight of the Bumblebee>?”
Wei Ru Song placed the stainless steel pot on the table, waiting for Xiao Nian to eat. Recently Xiao Nian had been practicing till very late, afraid that he would be hungry, Wei Ru Song added an egg and a sausage.
“I cannot memorise the score.”
– Wow what a straight forward answer, so honest, so worthy of admiration! As a senior, Wei Ru Song patted Xiao Nian’s shoulder solemnly, full of encouragement and indulgent.
“Even if you performed <Twinkle Twinkle Little Star>, I’ll never forget your impressive image of playing <Flight of the Bumblebee>.”
“… Thank you very much.”
One day left to the welcome dinner, Xiao Nian stayed up all night, hiding in the piano room to practice. Done with the noodles and feeling bored, Wei Ru Song strolled listlessly around the room, only to return to his seat and start calling out.
“Ah ah ah Xiao Nian’s so cool!”
“Ah ah ah ah Nian Nian’s so talented!”
“We will support Nian Nian forever!”
“Are you crazy?”
Xiao Nian’s tone was a little cold, resulting in Wei Ru Song immediately stuttering.
“No, No I’m not, I, I just wanted to let you get used to tomorrow’s conditions, let you forget, and not get shocked.”
“…”
Xiao Nian was actually not ignoring Wei Ru Song most of the time, he only did not know how to react to him.
“Angry?”
“No,” Xiao Nian was only slightly irritated by Wei Ru Song, but he did not express it. “Let’s return.”
“Junior, I’ll like to sing a song for you.”
“Sing.”
“Missing your smile, missing your coat, missing your white socks and your smell, I miss your kiss…”
“Shh!”
Xiao Nian yanked Wei Ru Song over, Wei Ru Song fearfully covered his mouth to protect his first kiss. No no no I didn’t really want your kiss! Despite being tall, Xiao Nian was surprisingly agile. After pull Wei Ru Song to hide behind the piano, the door opened and a ray of light entered.
“Strange, I clearly heard some disturbance coming from this corner.”
It was the security guard, he stood at the entrance of the piano room sniffing.
“What smells so good? What’s glowing over there? Electric stove? Which punk did I catch cooking noodles here? Ah it’s still piping hot, damn!”
Xiao Nian finally stopped the wildly struggling Wei Ru Song with a lot of strength. Wei Ru Song was about to lift the piano and fight with the guard. That’s the stove I just bought this semester! I’ve barely used it myself compared to the number of times I’ve used it for Xiao Nian! Scram you’re pissing me off ah! Xiao Nian quickly mouthed to Wei Ru Song: “Life is like a game, it’s fate that allowed you to meet. To accompany each other till old is not easy, therefore it should be treasured more. Senior, I’ll buy you a fully automatic one.”
Only then did Wei Ru Song obediently waited for the security guard to leave before standing up.
“Fine, since it’s you I won’t be calculative-“
“Hold on don’t stand up yet – “
Xiao Nian wanted to grab Wei Ru Song’s waist to pull him to the ground, but we all know that Wei Ru Song is a sturdy straight man, standing so straight that the only curved thing on him was his belt. Of all things to grab on Xiao Nian grabbed his belt and yanked him down, and the security guard happened to return as he forgot to look the door.
This night, the moon shone brightly, and the only thing brighter than the moon, was Wei Ru Song’s snow white buttocks.
Those were perfectly shaped buttocks, with pale white skin, a perfect curve, under a flashlight it was basically a sculptor’s masterpiece, so beautiful that it brought tears to one’s eyes.
“Who’s there?!”
Wei Ru Song hurriedly turned his head, panicking till he forgot whether to cover his face or his buttocks. With his actions, he also ended up exposing Xiao Nian who was half-kneeling on the ground. With the security guard’s age, his eyesight was not very good, and seeing two guys in the middle of the night in the piano room, one without his pants and the other half-kneeling, no matter how he looked at it and how he thought about it, this was a problem, and a very big problem at that.
Actually Wei Ru Song secretly had a deviant anticipation, would the rumour this time become “Xiao Nian gave Wei Ru Song a blowjob in the piano room in the middle of the night”? If so Wei Ru Song would be quite willing…
However, the masses’ creativity would always far exceed Wei Ru Song’s imagination. Just before Xiao Nian entered the stage, the school council literary club’s senior Lin Kai Jie suddenly showed concern for Xiao Nian. He patted Xiao Nian’s shoulder and enigmatically asked.
“Xiao Nian, did you press Wei Ru Song on the piano and performed <Flight of the Bumblebee>?”
Xiao Nian had yet to reply, and Wei Ru Song appearing out of no where starting beating up Lin Kai Jie. Fuck you still dare to bully my junior? Don’t you know who’s supporting him? Wei Ru Song smiled coldly.
“He did perform <Flight of the Bumblebee>, other than bullying people what did you do?”
Everyone backstage fell into silence. Wei Ru Song still thought that he said something really cool, not knowing that everyone was paying attention to the first part of his statement, including Xiao Nian.