Chapter 145: A Journey of Three

In the conversation between Xia Yu and Liu Manman, the one whose mood fluctuated the most was not either of them, but Yan Wei standing beside them.

At first, seeing that Kong Hanyue knew Liu Manman, a sense of foreboding flickered in her heart.

Then, when it was confirmed that Xia Yu also knew Liu Manman, Yan Wei’s sense of unease deepened.

When Liu Manman invited Xia Yu to go abroad together for some competition, alarm bells started ringing loudly in Yan Wei’s mind.

Such a scenario—going to a foreign land and striving together—was the most likely to lead to inappropriate relationships; that’s how it was always portrayed on TV.

Only when Xia Yu rejected Liu Manman’s invitation did Yan Wei finally relax a little.

However, Liu Manman then brought up Ning Qiuer, making Yan Wei’s heart tighten again.

Unlike Xia Yu, Yan Wei was into fashion trends. Although there had been no news about Ning Qiuer recently, she had once truly been a national idol.

Fortunately, Xia Yu rejected the suggestion without hesitation.

After experiencing two emotional highs and lows, Yan Wei took a sip of tea to calm her heart.

She thought she should find a way and the right timing to tell Liu Manman that Xia Yu already had a girlfriend with whom he was planning to attend Huada University.

That way, she could eliminate this potential romantic rival.

She could tell that Liu Manman currently didn’t have any special feelings for Xia Yu, but she firmly believed that, given enough time together, feelings would definitely develop.

Xia Yu and Liu Manman’s conversation continued.

Rejected, Liu Manman let go of Xia Yu’s hand and lost her enthusiasm: “Then forget it.”

Calling a waiter, she ordered a cup of coffee and then asked Xia Yu: “Do you have Anyansi’s contact information?”

Xia Yu became alert: “Why are you looking for Anyansi?”

“You really have Anyansi’s contact info?” Seeing that Xia Yu didn’t deny it immediately, Liu Manman looked at him in surprise.

“No,” Xia Yu shook his head.

“You definitely do! Don’t think you can fool me!” Liu Manman’s intuition told her that Xia Yu was lying.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Yu felt that there was no harm in telling Liu Manman, but he needed to know her purpose first: “Tell me first why you’re looking for Anyansi?”

“You wouldn’t go with me, so I can only go with Anyansi,” Liu Manman replied.

“Piano and guzheng duet?” Xia Yu couldn’t think of any piece suitable for piano and guzheng together.

“I heard Anyansi plays the violin, and I also play the changxiao (Chinese long flute),” Liu Manman explained, noting that these instruments could indeed perform together. “Originally, I wanted to rope you in first, then invite Anyansi. Then we could play the guzheng, and Anyansi could play the violin, or I could skip the guzheng and play the xiao instead.”

Sighing again, Liu Manman felt that the chance of successfully inviting Anyansi was quite slim.

At this moment, Xia Yu’s voice came again: “Actually, I’m not entirely against going.”

Hearing this, Liu Manman lifted her head, her face regaining its enthusiasm: “Besides Ning Qiuer, I know other young artists too; I can introduce them to you!”

“That’s not the condition I meant,” Xia Yu shook his head. “You go and invite Anyansi first. If she agrees, then I’ll go with you.”

So, the condition was Anyansi?

Realizing Xia Yu’s intention, Liu Manman couldn’t help feeling annoyed. Xia Yu refused her invitation but would willingly go as soon as Anyansi accepted. Wasn’t that implying she was inferior to Anyansi?

“Tsk, if I can get Anyansi to come, what do I need you for?” Liu Manman retorted, pretending to be indifferent.

“My violin skills are currently better than your guzheng level, and I also play the changxiao, which I think is better than yours too,” Xia Yu said.

He didn’t know how to play the xiao yet, but Liu Ronglan could teach him, or he could learn on his own.

At level 5 mid-tier in music, learning new pieces had become relatively easy.

“Darn it, you’re such a genius!” Liu Manman muttered under her breath.

“What did you say?” Xia Yu asked.

“Nothing. I agree. Wait for my good news!”

With the matter settled, the two drank tea together.

The reason Xia Yu agreed to Liu Manman’s request was that he wanted to meet Anyansi.

It was necessary to confront Anyansi directly, but before that, he needed to test Anyansi’s attitude toward his real self to avoid the awkward situation of a failed meet-up.

The competition trip was just a few days away, and gaining fame in a global competition would help the girls from Dongzhi Township develop admiration and recognition, which would benefit the completion of his mission.

They reached a friendly agreement and were both fairly satisfied. However, Yan Wei on the other side felt a bit conflicted.

Who was this Anyansi? Why did you agree immediately after she came up?

Didn’t you say you already had a girlfriend? What about your plan to meet her at Huada?

Moreover, the scenario of two girls and one boy striving together for musical dreams seemed familiar, and even the season matched.

Big crisis!

Why did I choose to learn cooking instead of music back then?

Yan Wei felt discouraged.

After taking a few sips of tea, Kong Hanyue pulled them all to the balcony to take photos, and Xia Yu followed. He looked at the scenery below.

Light snowflakes were falling from the sky. In the distance, the horizon was blanketed in white, and the ground was already covered in snow.

Standing on the balcony, it felt as if they were standing in a white world, filled with a sense of tranquility and peace.

Now Xia Yu understood why Liu Manman wanted to come here to play “Ruins City”—it was to experience the emotions conveyed by the song.

After Kong Hanyue and the others finished taking photos, Liu Manman also packed up her guzheng. She slung the case onto her back and continued walking uphill with the others.

“Let me carry it for you,” Xia Yu reached out to Liu Manman. The guzheng was definitely not a light instrument.

“No thanks,” Liu Manman politely declined, precisely because the guzheng was so heavy.

“Then we can leave it here and come back to get it when we go down the mountain,” Xia Yu suggested.

“Right!”

Happily leaving the guzheng at the counter, Liu Manman excitedly patted Xia Yu on the shoulder: “What a great idea.”

Looking at her casual manner and recalling how she had grabbed his hand earlier while talking, Xia Yu mentally labeled her as someone who didn’t know how to keep a proper distance.

The group reached the mountaintop, toured a small villa, had lunch, and then headed down the mountain.

Rejecting Kong Hanyue’s suggestion to visit her home, Liu Manman turned to Xia Yu: “Now can you tell me Anyansi’s contact info?”

“She’s a student from Dongzhi Township. You can just ask any girl from Dongzhi Township, and you’ll get her information,” Xia Yu knew Anyansi’s phone number, QQ number, and address, but he didn’t mention them because it would be hard to explain how he got that information.

Only the information about Dongzhi Township was acceptable since Zhong Yunxin already knew about it.

“I’m going to Yaoguang now. Wait for my good news!” Waving her phone, Liu Manman left by car.

Xia Yu, along with the other three, and Yan Wei separated at a station near Yan’s home and returned to the villa.

It was already afternoon. Zhong Yunze was lying on the sofa in the living room, in a typical “Ge You” lazy posture.

He was still holding a can of something. Xia Yu looked closely and saw it was cola.

“What’s wrong?” Kong Hanyue asked.

“Nothing,” Zhong Yunze stood up and left the living room, returning to his bedroom.

Feeling something was off, Xia Yu, after resting for a while, pushed open the door to Zhong Yunze’s room.

Zhong Yunze was listlessly chugging cola, with five or six empty cans already on the floor beside him.

“Is the company doing badly?” Xia Yu asked.

“It’s not just about the company not doing well,” Zhong Yunze finally confided in Xia Yu.