Chapter 10

Realizing that the topic had drifted a little far, Bai Muxi belatedly brought it back.

“I remember your message just now said… there was something you wanted my help with?”

When she had first seen the message, she had been wondering whether Shen Zhong had also heard the rumors Lin Bei had mentioned during the day, so she listened with her heart hanging. Who would have thought that what Shen Zhong brought up had absolutely nothing to do with that? The person on the other end of the phone put on a very serious tone and said solemnly, “As you know, I’m a permanent mentor on The Flower Season and You. I should provide some guidance to the trainees.”

With Shen Zhong’s foundation in dance, even if she was not currently working professionally in dance, there should be no problem with her giving pointers on the basics to trainees whose abilities varied greatly. Bai Muxi was thinking this in confusion when she heard Shen Zhong continue softly, “…But I really don’t have much experience when it comes to singing, so I wanted to ask a professional for advice.”

“…”

Bai Muxi reacted for a moment, then instinctively asked, “Singing?”

“Mm.” Shen Zhong’s tone was calm, and she sounded very sincere. “You know I’m rather amateur in this area.”

It was true that Shen Zhong had never formally studied singing, but—but why would Shen Zhong need to guide the singing portion?

Bai Muxi was a little lost. Even as a newcomer to the entertainment industry, she could still figure out that a large part of what The Flower Season and You valued in Shen Zhong was her popularity and how rare it was for her to appear on variety shows. Her popularity was among the highest even out of the three permanent mentors. As long as they released the news that Shen Zhong would be a mentor, it would bring in a constant stream of attention.

From this angle, for Shen Zhong, whose actual profession was acting, being able to offer opinions on dance already counted as an unexpected bonus. Besides, the program itself had specialized vocal [stolen content]and dance teachers, and the other two mentors they had invited were both idols who had officially debuted and become hugely popular before. The burden of this kind of instruction most likely would not fall on Shen Zhong.

Although Bai Muxi knew that Shen Zhong’s personality was such that if she was going to do something, she would want to do it seriously and do it at her best, this still seemed not quite right. After hesitating for a while, she asked uncertainly, “So what you mean is… you want me to teach you how to sing?”

“…Mm.” Shen Zhong’s answer came a little late. Beneath her calm tone, there was a rare trace of lacking confidence. “If you could teach me an instrument or something too, that would be even better… Is that okay?”

“…”

What was she talking about? Just now, she had said she wanted to learn singing, and now she had suddenly turned to learning instruments. What use would learning an instrument have for guiding people in singing?

…Taking ten thousand steps back, even if Shen Zhong wanted to make up for her weaknesses across the board so she could help the trainees with guidance, starting to learn now—and learning instruments too—no matter how she thought about it, there was absolutely no way it would be in time for a variety show that would only last a few short months, right?

Bai Muxi did not speak, so Shen Zhong fell silent too. For a moment, all that was left in the phone was Shen Zhong’s quiet breathing. For some reason, Bai Muxi seemed to hear a hint of nervousness in it, making her own heart tighten along with it.

Bai Muxi had not really seen Shen Zhong nervous before. She was naturally calm and had always been someone who considered things thoroughly. Compared with Bai Muxi, who would only charge forward full of passion, Shen Zhong was much more meticulous in everything she did. Even before her first audition for a film crew, she had been calm. Instead, Bai Muxi had been the one so nervous for her that she could not sit or stand still. In the end, Bai Muxi’s own stomach had started hurting, causing Shen Zhong to comfort her late at night while rubbing her stomach, and also casually stop her from angrily pouring stomach medicine into her own mouth out of frustration.

Later, of course, that audition had succeeded without any suspense. Bai Muxi had been happy for her, while also feeling that she herself was truly embarrassing.

And now, this proposal, which Bai Muxi could detect something wrong with after just thinking about it casually, had actually been made by Shen Zhong. That in itself was something very unusual. Not to mention that Shen Zhong was also nervous.

What was she nervous about? Bai Muxi thought. Was she afraid Bai Muxi would discover that the real purpose of this proposal Read on BaiLianTaleswas not to guide contestants at all?

Sometimes, Shen Zhong would speak to her in a roundabout way.

When she wanted to go to school together, she would not directly say, “Do you want to walk together?” Instead, she would say, “If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be late.” When she wanted Bai Muxi’s attention to turn back to her, she would not say, “Stop playing games.” Instead, she would say, “Why won’t this jar open?”

She never directly said what she wanted Bai Muxi to do. She always acted as if nothing had happened, as if it had to seem like Bai Muxi was the one taking the initiative to move closer. After spending enough time together, Bai Muxi gradually came to understand her personality. She could understand the words Shen Zhong hid without saying, and she was also willing to follow her wishes.

And now, Shen Zhong must know many singers who had debuted earlier than Bai Muxi and sang better than her. Yet she had specifically made this kind of request to Bai Muxi, one that required long-term communication. Right now, the only apparent point of connection between the two of them was The Flower Season and You, so Shen Zhong had forcefully dragged it over to serve as a clumsy excuse, giving herself a way to bring it up properly. As if doing this could make Bai Muxi feel that Shen Zhong was only doing it for work, not for anything else.

This was the second time. Bai Muxi silently counted. Since their reunion, this was the second time Shen Zhong had actively reached her hand out to her.

“…Why come to me?”

Bai Muxi did not want to misunderstand. Misunderstandings were terrifying things, so she simply asked directly, “If you want to learn, wouldn’t it be better to hire a specialized teacher?”

“…”

The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment. When she spoke, her tone was light.

“I just wanted to ask you.”

There was no decorative flourish to that frankness, making it very easy to mistake the words for a line of love. But Bai Muxi knew Shen Zhong was not that kind of person. The more Shen Zhong said it like this, the more it proved that her words were clear and innocent, without any unspeakable selfish desire. Just like now, from the other end of the phone, she said openly to Bai Muxi, “I feel like I can talk to you more easily than a specialized teacher.”

That was right. If she asked a friend to teach her, it should be more comfortable than finding an unfamiliar teacher.

“Okay.”

Bai Muxi said softly, “I can teach you.”

The breathing on the other side of the phone paused for one beat. Then Shen Zhong’s cool and gentle voice came through. Her tone seemed as calm as always, but Bai Muxi could hear the smile in it.

“Then it’s settled.”

“Are you free tomorrow?” Shen Zhong quickly continued pushing the topic forward. After saying it, she seemed to remember something and added, “…The variety show records every day, so time is rather tight. I may have to trouble you quite often.”

She knew she was being urgent, but she still remembered to patch up her words a little. Bai Muxi smiled soundlessly. After thinking about her own schedule, she frowned.

“Tomorrow during the day probably won’t work…”

Rather, for the foreseeable future, she probably would have difficulty freeing up time during the day. A currently popular idol singer was incredibly busy. Aside from all kinds of large and small schedules, she also had to squeeze in preparations for her new song whenever she could. Thinking about it that wa read the original at bailiantales.com y, she actually was not very suitable to be someone else’s teacher right now.

But since she had already agreed, Bai Muxi thought for a moment and proposed a solution.

“Would evening work? I’ll send you some materials first. If you have time during the day, you can look at them first. If you don’t have time, that’s fine too. We can look at them together at night.”

She had not realized it before saying it, but once the words left her mouth, Bai Muxi immediately discovered that this was an extremely novel experience.

Amazing. She was going to be Shen Zhong’s teacher!

When had she ever had a chance like this before? Shen Zhong was three years older than her. In every sense, Bai Muxi had always been the one being taught. Now that she had unexpectedly welcomed her first experience in life, Bai Muxi, who had still been a little stiff while talking to Shen Zhong, became somewhat inappropriately happy. For a moment, she failed to suppress the slight leap at the end of her sentence.

“…No matter what you want to learn, I’ll teach you seriously.”

Shen Zhong clearly heard this feeling of hers. A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone, and Shen Zhong followed along with her words.

“I’ll learn seriously too. Thank you in advance, Teacher Bai.”

Being called that by Shen Zhong in such a gentle, unhurried tone made Bai Muxi feel her spine go numb. She shivered like a little dog and retreated in the face of difficulty.

“…Don’t, don’t call me that. Just call me like usual.”

Shen Zhong gave a slightly puzzled hum and said, “Didn’t you call me Teacher Shen before too?”

Bai Muxi took quite a while to realize that Shen Zhong was talking about when they were recording onstage yesterday. She did not know how this person could remember such a small thing so clearly. At once, she very stiffly changed the topic and began honestly explaining her recent schedule, drawing out lesson times.

Shen Zhong did not cling to the topic either and cooperatively told Bai Muxi her own schedule as well. In the end, she directly said, “I’ll try my best to keep my evenings free.”

She said “try my best,” but Shen Zhong’s tone was very certain, as if it had already been decided. Bai Muxi hurriedly said, “You don’t have to force yourself to keep them free.”

She paused, but still said it out loud.

“…It’s okay to take it slowly. There’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

Bai Muxi knew that Shen Zhong had definitely understood what she was saying, because after Shen Zhong was silent for a little while, she answered softly and did not continue bringing up things like the short recording time for the variety show.

Even after the call ended, Bai Muxi still felt a little dazed. At the beginning of the call, the true aim had been far too obvious. In her impression, Shen Zhong was not someone who became this impatient.

Lin Bei’s nonsense from earlier abruptly rang in her mind. Bai Muxi shook her head hard as if facing a great enemy, swiftly classifying that memory as a demon’s whisper. She resolved to seal it away in the deepest depths of her mind and, preferably, never think of it again.

There were not many people who could be called Shen Zhong’s friends to begin with, and read the original at bailiantales.comshe luckily counted as the one who had been there the longest. So it was very normal for Shen Zhong to care this much and put this much thought into it.

She could not misunderstand again. Not like before. This time, she had to do this properly.

Bai Muxi swallowed dryly. Thinking of Lin Bei’s words, she gave up on herself, put down the dry towel, and flopped sideways onto the sofa with her half-dry hair.

…Spring on tenterhooks. That phrase was clearly more suitable for the past.

Running away was a very useful choice in the short term. But after going abroad to study, Bai Muxi quickly realized that Shen Zhong had occupied too large a weight in her previous life. Once she was suddenly cut out, it left behind a jarring blank space. The climate, food, and living habits abroad—this time, Bai Muxi had to fumble through and adapt to every aspect alone. On a night when she had already adjusted to the time difference but was inexplicably unable to sleep, Bai Muxi suddenly thought: Shen Zhong had taken care of her like that before, so now that someone like Bai Muxi was suddenly no longer by her side, would Shen Zhong also feel even the slightest bit unused to it?

And during those days in the past when they had been close, Shen Zhong had rarely said much, but in her actions, she had truly indulged Bai Muxi too much, as if she would allow her anything. Sometimes, Bai Muxi would think that Shen Zhong probably never would have imagined that this indulgence would nurture those kinds of feelings in her. After realizing her own emotions, every day by Shen Zhong’s side had been spring on tenterhooks. She had taken Shen Zhong’s special treatment as proof of □□. She simply could not hide her feelings. She was almost parading them openly through the streets. Lin Bei knew about those feelings, her friends knew, even Shen Zhong’s friends knew. Perhaps the only person who did not know was Shen Zhong herself.

But that was not Shen Zhong’s fault.

…What kind of feeling was it to suddenly lose a friend you had known for many years and treated like a younger sister?

And so, like a migratory bird, Bai Muxi returned here. She decided that she would no longer love Shen Zhong. If no one would be happy because of it, then she would stop doing this.

She had been an adult for so long now. In the end, she had to be much more rational.

Her phone screen lit up again. Shen Zhong had [bailiantales.com]sent her schedule, immediately followed by another message: Sleep early. Good night.

Bai Muxi also carefully sent back “Good night,” then let out a long breath. An absurd thought uncontrollably popped into her mind.

…With such an obvious intention and such clumsy concealment, who knew whether Shen Zhong was afraid Bai Muxi would see through it, or afraid she would not?

Author’s Note:

A reminder first: our Shen Zhong currently doesn’t have any emotional awareness in the romantic sense. She’s basically just following her instincts and trying to close the distance between herself and Bai Muxi, who has been very distant from her after returning to the country. This symptom will probably continue for quite a while.