two

His politeness took Xia Chan by surprise. As she sat down, she discovered that this was actually a converted underground music studio. The space was spacious yet chaotic, covering several dozen square meters, with various musical instruments placed around. The walls were covered with photographs, the wooden floor was carpeted, and clothes were haphazardly piled on the lazy sofa.

Then, he went to open the small refrigerator door: "There is coffee, cola, and mineral water, what would you like to drink?"

Xia Chan looked at the address on her phone again, walked out of the alley, and took the bus to the vicinity of Times Square. She was not familiar with the area, and the phone navigation indicated that No. 78, Zhiwei North Road was accessible only through a single alley.

The sound of footsteps ascending the staircase was steady and powerful, striking at the heart with each step. Xia Chan wearily opened her eyes and, upon seeing the visitor, was left with a look of shock and panic frozen on her face

Xia Chan let out a soft "oh," not wanting to discourage him, and forced a perfunctory smile.

Hearing her affirmation, Monet smiled happily, the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifting: "This is an old house of my father's, it's empty and unoccupied, so I tidied it up to make music. Don't be fooled by the fact that no one is here now; in the future, it will be the cradle of a famous rock band."

... ...

Monet, disregarding Xia Chan's piercing gaze, walked over, picked up the guitar, and approached the microphone. With a flamboyant yet arrogant expression, he fixed his eyes on her, leaned towards the microphone, and smiled: "My favorite rock song, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' by The Beatles, is dedicated to the beautiful Miss Xia in the audience"

His shirt collar was slightly open due to the recent exertion, and from Xia Chan's angle, she could see a thin layer of sweat beads on his beautiful collarbone

The wind blows, and the world is silent

With a puff, Xia Chan sprayed half of her coffee out, the remaining half choking in her throat, unable to go in or come out, and she began to cough violently. Monet hurriedly got up to hand her a tissue and to pat her back.

Monet smacked her lips, thinking that this was her first time being punished for skipping class, and it was all his fault, which inevitably made her feel displeased. He leaned on the railing, gazing at the distant azure sky, and said: "I’m sorry for getting you into trouble"

"Jianghuai South, I have something to attend to right now." Xia Chan said a bit anxiously

Xia Chan stood up, raised her chin, and spread her hands: "I have come to find you. Where is the school badge?"

I would like to tell you something

His dark and expressive eyes gazed at Xia Chan, carrying a mischievous smile, with a gentle warmth rising between his thick brows. The rhythm of the music was lively and joyful, his singing voice rich and magnetic, while his glossy black hair swayed up and down with the movement of his body

Monet, seeing her agitation, fell silent, leaning against the railing and smiling as he gazed at her profile

"Do not call me Asha." Xia Chan leaned wearily against the pillar

Monet rushed in front of her, bent down to take a serious look at her, and exclaimed, "Asha?"

He seemed to think of something and looked at her strangely: "By the way, you climbed the wall today as well, could it be..."

The large and bright glass window directly opposite features a desk by the window, with a computer turned on. Scattered across the desk are books, unopened instant noodles, haphazardly placed ornaments, and a chaotic assortment of A4 papers. Beneath the window stands a wooden guitar, accompanied by a row of green plants, several of which are blooming with pink flowers

Subsequently, Monet took the initiative to suggest returning to school together for the final class, and he also returned the school badge to her

Monet tilted his head back and took a sip of coffee, laughing as he said, "Just now, my buddy told me that he encountered a peculiar classmate today, and it almost scared him into losing control. Guess what? After he finished in the men's restroom and hadn't even pulled up his pants, he looked up and saw a girl looking at him from the wall. Hahaha!"

When I say to you

Unexpectedly, he resorted to his old tricks again, a smug expression on his face as he stood before her, pointing at the guitar by the window, and changed the subject: "Since you're here, let me sing you a song"

The "Cold-faced Yama" mathematics teacher was originally using a triangle ruler to explain a geometric analysis problem when he was interrupted by two reports. He stretched his neck, pointing at Xia Chan and Mo Nai, wishing he could devour them: "You dare to come back after skipping class! Get out!"

City S has many of these old, undemolished alleys, varying in width, scattered across various corners of the city, resembling scars that are incongruous with modern construction. Xia Chan cannot understand what Monet is doing in such a place; from the information she has gathered about him, he does not seem like someone who would live in this area

As the song concluded, Monet set down his guitar and strode confidently in front of Xia Chan, asking: "How did I sing?"

Xia Chan frowned; she did not want to be addressed in such a manner by others

我想握住你的手

I believe you will understand

"I have something to say." Jiang Huainan walked up to her with a sullen expression, taking her hand to signal her to follow him

Monet turned around and brought a lemon-yellow round stool from the corner, placing it in front of her: "Please sit first"

当我说某件事情时

The two of them stood in the corridor with a sense of understanding. Monet nudged her with his arm, his voice filled with joy: "Asha, let's stand in punishment together"

我想你会理解

Here, Monet's influence is fully realized; he is confident that she will not refuse him

我会告诉你一些事情

"What happened? Skipping class? Standing in the corner?" Jiang Huainan's tone was filled with deep disappointment, his hostile gaze sweeping towards her side. "Ella looked for you this afternoon, but you weren't there. When she called to ask me, I was just as confused. I asked your teacher, and they said you didn't attend class. I even made up a reason for your absence. I thought something had happened to you." He withdrew his gaze and said, "Did I interrupt your date?"

"No, I won't." Xia Chan couldn't help but raise her voice

He said with annoyance, "You don't need to make such a big fuss."

Monet looked at her with a hint of disbelief

Since we are already here, we might as well visit this attraction

But I have no regrets, he said with a smile

"You sing very well," she admitted candidly

The alley is deep and quiet, with each door numbered. Perhaps it is during the afternoon break, as there is no one outside, and occasionally a few barks of dogs can be heard. She watched for a while before walking inside, and after walking for a while, she could still hear someone singing opera from a nearby house, with a melodious and unique charm.

Xia Chan walked down the stairs and saw Mo Nai laughing exuberantly while holding his phone. Upon noticing Xia Chan's slight surprise, he hurriedly hung up the call, saying, "Let's talk next time, I'm hanging up now!"

I want to hold your hand

I am not thirsty

Jiang Huainan's expression was somewhat serious. Summer Chan saw that he was angry and anxiously tugged at his sleeve, trying to pull him away: "Alright, let me clarify things with you"

Xia Chan simply closed her eyes

In fact, this is a mistaken decision

Xia Chan's face turned red from holding her breath, and after a while, she finally caught her breath, her expression resembling that of someone who had just swallowed a fly

Monet sighed softly, and Xia Chan felt a tightening in her heart, responding to him with a faint "mm".

He was left all alone again. He smiled bitterly, took out his phone, put on his earphones, turned the volume up to the maximum, and then leaned against the pillar that Xia Chan had leaned on, closing his eyes.

Until the two of them disappeared together in the stairwell, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and a deep sense of desolation appeared on his face

The him who sings is completely different from his usual self; it is a kind of free and unrestrained charisma that emanates from the depths of his heart, strikingly handsome in a lethal way. He seems to possess an invisible magnetic field that attracts people, making Xia Chan feel that he is incredibly cool

As they left, Monai whistled and gave a meaningful smirk. Jiang Huainan turned back and looked at him with disdain, while Monai shrugged indifferently

After closing my eyes, the world became much quieter, and all I could hear was the sound of my breathing, which made the surroundings incredibly silent

Let me tell you a joke, it made me laugh so hard! Monet walked over with two cans of coffee and opened one to hand it to her

The destination unexpectedly opened its doors wide. Upon entering, Xia Chan discovered it was a hall, decorated in an antique style, though it appeared somewhat empty. A staircase on the left led directly underground, from which loud voices could be heard, the voices sounding very familiar.