Best Actress A and Her White Moonlight - Chapter 9

“You’re right, it’s just that my Xingxing was too eager to see you.” Lin Wanchun smiled. With just a few words, she skillfully shifted the blame for being early onto Gu Chenxing.

Gu Chenxing stared at Lin Wanchun, who was lying through her teeth. She opened her mouth to protest but ultimately decided not to undermine her in front of a stranger.

“Oh, Gu Xingxing is there too?” The voice on the other end softened instantly. “Then drive carefully. I want to see Gu Xingxing sooner, too. See you soon.”

Without waiting for a reply, and seemingly afraid of delaying the meeting further, she hung up immediately.

Gu Chenxing was speechless. Why did it feel like she had woken up in a world where everyone knew her nickname was “Gu Xingxing”?

She pouted and put the phone back, her eyes locking onto Lin Wanchun’s face, silently waiting for an explanation.

“Wu Huasheng.” Lin Wanchun dropped the name as she exited the speed-limit zone, stepping on the gas to accelerate. “She wants to talk to you.”

Those three famous words hit Gu Chenxing like a physical weight. She sat bolt upright, pointing at herself in disbelief. “Wu Huasheng? Meeting me?!”

Who was Wu Huasheng? Anyone aspiring to a career in music knew this near-omnipotent musical genius.

She was only forty-six, yet the awards she had won in the music industry couldn’t be counted on two hands. Why would someone like that come to an obscure, third-tier small city to meet a high school student?

What was the catch?

“She wants to take you on as a disciple,” Lin Wanchun added, seeing Gu Chenxing’s dazed expression. “I sent your original composition to her email yesterday.”

Gu Chenxing still felt like she was in a trance. “How did you have my original composition… No, wait, you sent my song and she just showed up to make me her student?”

Was she really that good?

“It’s just an opportunity,” Lin Wanchun said calmly. “It’s about a ten-minute drive. Use the time to look over the score.”

One song wouldn’t have been enough to move Wu Huasheng on its own. Lin Wanchun stared at the open road. Having suddenly returned seventeen years into the past, her future connections were gone; the only things she could use were the items in her luxury flat and her own wits.

Wu Huasheng was indeed an artist of high integrity, but the people around her weren’t nearly as clean. By using information she knew from the future, a mix of threats and inducements was enough to sway those close to Wu Huasheng, ensuring she would notice that anonymous email.

However, Lin Wanchun had no intention of telling Gu Chenxing about these methods.

Underhanded tactics only bought the chance to get the score in front of Wu Huasheng. If Gu Chenxing didn’t have the talent, no amount of effort from Lin Wanchun would have made Wu Huasheng agree to the meeting.

Hearing this, Gu Chenxing stopped worrying about where the song came from. She was about to meet Wu Huasheng. If she didn’t even know which song they were talking about, she’d die of embarrassment!

Gu Chenxing opened the file and found that the piece Lin Wanchun had sent was a very familiar one, written during last year’s Spring Festival.

Due to financial and academic pressure, she hadn’t touched an instrument in a long time. She would still write occasionally in her spare time, but she hadn’t even played this particular piece herself. She had no idea how it would actually sound.

To think such a half-finished work had been placed before Wu Huasheng…

She shook her head, clearing out the distractions, and began to study the score on the screen seriously.

Lin Wanchun drove steadily. Gu Chenxing curled up in the passenger seat with the phone, tapping her right hand on her knee to simulate the rhythm.

Upon closer inspection, Gu Chenxing noticed subtle revisions. Her original score had been just a rough prototype, and because it was never tested, it was inevitably clunky in places.

But this version was visibly smoother and more fluid, with much richer emotional depth.

Did Lin Wanchun change it… or did the future me?

She zoomed in on the score. The high-definition image revealed small, elegant handwriting at the edges. It was her own handwriting. Without a doubt, the score Lin Wanchun sent to Wu Huasheng originated from “herself.”

She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Future her and Lin Wanchun must have been incredibly close if she even trusted her to keep her scores.

They arrived shortly after. The small town was remote and underdeveloped, so it naturally had no airport. The old train station was clean and spacious. Since it wasn’t a holiday or school break, the foot traffic around the station was sparse. Lin Wanchun spotted Wu Huasheng almost the moment she stepped out of the car.

Lin Wanchun looked back at Gu Chenxing, who was still staring at her phone even as she exited the vehicle. She walked around the front of the car to Gu Chenxing’s side.

She took the phone away and, placing her hands on Gu Chenxing’s shoulders, forced her to turn halfway toward the smiling woman in the distance. “Teacher Wu is here. Go say hello.”

“I…” Gu Chenxing’s hand remained in the position of holding the phone, looking visibly panicked. After a moment of hesitation, she confessed: “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Lin Wanchun patted Gu Chenxing’s head. “She’s very satisfied with you, otherwise she wouldn’t have come here in person.”

“Gu Xingxing.”

The gentle voice fell on Gu Chenxing’s ears like a soft whisper between lovers, accompanied by a faint scent of soap.

She said, “You can do this.”

Gu Chenxing bit her lip. “But I haven’t…”

She hadn’t practiced her fundamentals in a very long time.

“Didn’t you just practice?” Lin Wanchun nudged Gu Chenxing forward. The warmth from her palm seeped through the coat onto Gu Chenxing’s shoulder, seemingly transferring her relaxed mood as well. “You played Für Elise very well. Don’t worry.”

Under the gentle reassurance, Gu Chenxing’s nerves finally began to settle. She even had enough mental space to realize: So, making me play earlier was preparation for this?

“Teacher Wu.” Lin Wanchun walked over with her hand on Gu Chenxing’s shoulder. “Sorry to keep you waiting. This is Gu Chenxing.”

Wu Huasheng pushed up her thick glasses. Her gaze lingered on Gu Chenxing’s face for only a moment before she turned to Lin Wanchun and praised, “What a well-behaved child.”

The blunt praise made Gu Chenxing flush with embarrassment. She instinctively wanted to take a half-step back and hide behind Lin Wanchun, but Lin Wanchun’s hand on her shoulder prevented any retreat.

She could only stand there like a child being introduced to a relative by her parents, dazed and silent.

However, Lin Wanchun wasn’t a typical “parent.” Without any humble deflection, she smiled and replied, “I think she’s well-behaved, too.”

The two exchanged a look and laughed together, leaving the confused Gu Chenxing looking back and forth, not understanding what was so funny.

“I’ve already booked a hotel for you, Teacher. Should we head over?” Lin Wanchun let go of Gu Chenxing and took the initiative to pick up Wu Huasheng’s luggage. “The conditions here might not be the best; please bear with it, Teacher Wu.”

“Listen to you.” Wu Huasheng shook her head and let out a theatrical sigh. “For your sake, I could even tolerate living under a bridge.”

She took two steps, then turned back teasingly: “Xiao Lin wouldn’t actually make me stay under a bridge, would she?”

“How could I?” Lin Wanchun blocked Gu Chenxing as she tried to dive back into the passenger seat. She opened the rear door and patted Gu Chenxing’s shoulder. “Go and have a good chat with Teacher Wu.”

Gu Chenxing looked at Wu Huasheng, who was already seated inside. Seeing her smiling expression, Gu Chenxing felt the fear one feels when facing a “smiling tiger.”

The conversation made it sound like Wu Huasheng and Lin Wanchun were very close, but… something felt off.

Despite her inner doubts, she obediently sat beside Wu Huasheng.

Even if Lin Wanchun didn’t say it out loud, she knew it must have taken a lot of effort to get a figure as legendary as Wu Huasheng to come here in person.

Furthermore, Lin Wanchun was from seventeen years in the future; her future connections and status were currently useless. Gu Chenxing was no ingrate; she knew Lin Wanchun had invited Wu Huasheng for her sake. So, no matter how timid she felt, she would brace herself and face it.

Fortunately, Wu Huasheng didn’t intend to make things difficult, asking only about mundane details of her life and studies during the drive.

Lin Wanchun listened idly, fulfilling her role as the driver and following the GPS toward the booked hotel.

The hotel wasn’t the best in town, but it was the best choice overall. There was a music store directly across from it, which would make things much easier if Wu Huasheng wanted to test Gu Chenxing’s skills.

“Why don’t you two just wait for me downstairs? My partner is far too clingy; she insisted I call the moment I arrive to let her know I’m safe.” Wu Huasheng took her room card and reclaimed her luggage from Lin Wanchun. “I’d hate for you to see it; it’s embarrassing.”

Though she said it was “embarrassing,” her eyes held a soft glint of joy. She was clearly humble-bragging about her relationship.

Lin Wanchun nodded. “Of course, Teacher Wu.”

Once Wu Huasheng had gone, Lin Wanchun led Gu Chenxing to a sofa on the left side of the hotel lobby. “So, what do you think?”

“About what?” Gu Chenxing held a glass of water, her clear eyes filled with confusion.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion beforehand.”

A faint look of apology appeared on Lin Wanchun’s face. She was used to acting unilaterally, and even with Gu Chenxing, she had forgotten to restrain that habit. Seeing Gu Chenxing’s current bewilderment, she realized her approach might have been improper.

Her actions were rooted in wanting the best for Gu Chenxing. She chose Wu Huasheng because the future Gu Chenxing had expressed admiration for her, but she had forgotten to ask what the current Gu Chenxing thought.

“Wu Huasheng—what do you think about having her as your teacher?” Lin Wanchun’s expression was relaxed. Coupled with her captivating fox-eyes, she easily stirred the hidden palpitations in one’s heart.

Gu Chenxing quickly looked down at the steaming plain water in her hand and answered in a muffled voice, “It’s great. I never would have even dreamed of something like this before.”

How could an ordinary high school girl from a small town imagine that one day she would become the student of someone she had only seen on TV and in the news?

It felt like a dream just thinking about it.

However, Lin Wanchun misinterpreted her tone. Wu Huasheng was indeed a distant figure for the current Gu Chenxing; it was only natural for the girl to feel immense pressure and self-doubt.

“Don’t feel burdened, Gu Chenxing.” Lin Wanchun lightly tapped the glass tabletop. The crisp sound successfully drew Gu Chenxing’s gaze. “If you don’t like it, I can decline on your behalf.”

Her tone was flat, as if declining was a very simple matter. “Wu Huasheng is indeed incredible, but if you don’t like it, then it isn’t the ‘best’.”

She wanted to give Gu Chenxing the absolute best.