The moon once again plunged into the clouds, and the mist churned in the breeze.
Huo Rou hummed twice, her face flushing crimson at Qin Ningyi’s words, "What are you talking about!"
Qin Ningyi let out a muffled chuckle, "I was talking about that kiss just now."
Under the bedside lamp, he looked at Huo Rou’s suddenly bashful expression and teased, "Otherwise, what did A'Rou think I was talking about?"
"Nothing..." Huo Rou's voice was husky and broken, evoking immediate tenderness. "I didn't think of anything else."
"Mm," Qin Ningyi responded lazily. "Then take good care of it."
He deliberately emphasized the word "take," and Huo Rou, her thoughts wandering somewhere else, blushed even deeper.
The night felt long.
It wasn't until noon the next day that Huo Rou finally got out of bed, rubbing her slightly sore waist.
There were already sounds of movement downstairs. As soon as she opened her room door, she heard the housekeeper directing people below, "Be careful, be careful!"
"Put this in that room..."
She glanced down from upstairs and saw her guzheng instruments that had been stored in the countryside. She had only given Qin Ningyi the verbal passcode to the key last night, and today these items were already here.
And judging by the scene, it looked like everything had been moved.
She held her forehead; having helpers was really good.
After breakfast, Qin Ningyi massaged her waist and explained, "Since you have so many instruments, you must have loved them before. It's not like I don't have space here. Why keep them in storage?"
Huo Rou then watched as her guzheng instruments, casually piled in the storage room, were now encased in exquisite glass covers, displayed like museum pieces in a newly organized room.
She looked at one of the guzheng instruments and nodded inwardly. This was good; it saved her the trouble of secretly sending someone back to retrieve them. This was meant to be a surprise for Qin Ningyi.
An An had already found his spot in the room. He sat on the floor with a small handkerchief, polishing his own guzheng.
"Mom! Dad moved my guzheng too!" An An exclaimed happily, waving his handkerchief.
He wasn't particularly passionate about the guzheng; he had rarely touched it since learning the pieces Huo Rou had written. This time, at Qin Ningyi's suggestion, he had finally found his instrument again, intending to practice a birthday song for his grandmother, whom he had never met.
"Dad, I've already memorized the songs Grandma likes," An An boasted to Qin Ningyi. "An An will be able to play them soon!"
In the afternoon, Huo Rou sat before a guzheng, a carving knife in hand, engaged in her secondary creation. An An, meanwhile, practiced his music in a corner of the room.
Amidst the light and bright melody, the embryonic form of a "Shou" character began to appear under Huo Rou’s hand.
The peace and warmth of this room were completely disconnected from the clamor outside.
Ever since the news about Master You had been released, the entire guzheng community was stunned.
The older generation still remembered Master You's exceptionally talented young disciple from years ago, and the younger generation, though they hadn't seen her, had largely heard of her.
"Genius girl Gu Yue" was the public's assessment, but in the guzheng world, there was only one true genius girl everyone universally acknowledged: Master You's young disciple.
Master You's Weibo account had been flooded.
[Oh my god, Master You, is she your little disciple?]
[This person looks a bit familiar...]
[So, her name is Huo Rou, the Huo Rou I've heard of?]
[Upstairs, what Huo Rou have you heard of? Is there a story here?]
[For those who can't figure out the gossip, come to my homepage.]
After someone provided directions, everyone flocked to engage in the gossip.
Returning from their gossip-digging, many found themselves at a loss for words as they stared at their keyboards.
Was this some kind of divine being?
The r-composition controversy, the questioned ringtone incident, and the challenge by Gu Yue on the spot... looking back now, what were all those events about?!
[So, the truth behind the ringtone incident was that she played the ringtone herself?]
[I screen-recorded the ringtone part from the video back then. I didn't dare to post it, fearing criticism. I never expected it was the person herself playing it!]
[Upstairs, please share the audio!]
[Audio please +1111]
As someone who actively embraced new things, Master You quickly joined the gossip.
She cheerfully commented on a netizen's post:
[Little Rou has always been brilliant at composition! She could adapt music for me when she was little!]
Her words were filled with pride, making netizens exclaim with envy. Huo Rou's ringtone incident became widely circulated within the guzheng community, and people even initiated guzheng playing challenges.
For a time, the guzheng, as an instrument, entered the public eye.