Chapter 48#
“Do you want to do something bad?”#
When Jian Yunchen woke up, the clock hand was already slowly moving toward the number 11.
The automatic curtains had detected sunlight and opened. The rain had stopped at some point, and it was a rare clear day outside. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, brightly illuminating every inch. Half of the blanket over Jian Yunchen had fallen to the floor. He blinked in confusion, slowly coming to his senses.
He had been “picked up” and brought home by Qin Mu again.
Since the day he met Qin Mu, he had never succeeded in pretending in front of him. All of his embarrassment and schemes were laid bare before the other man, revealed layer by layer. Qin Mu was like a deep swamp covered by a thick layer of moss; one sank into it unknowingly, and by the time one realized it, they were already trapped deep within, unable to struggle.
Even though it wasn’t his original intention, Jian Yunchen had to admit that not having to pretend in front of Qin Mu made him feel much more relaxed.
He let out a silent sigh of relief and subconsciously looked around for Qin Mu’s figure.
Jian Yunchen got out of bed barefoot. There were many rooms on the first floor, all with doors tightly shut. He walked across the tiles, checking them one by one.
“Where are you going?”
A laughing voice suddenly sounded behind his ear. Jian Yunchen whipped his head around to see Qin Mu leaning against the doorframe, a bright light shimmering in his eyes.
Jian Yunchen was suddenly dazzled by the sunlight, and his throat felt inexplicably dry.
Qin Mu was smiling, arms crossed. His gaze swept over Jian Yunchen’s messy hair from sleep and the faint pink mark on his cheek. Looking startled, Jian Yunchen’s rounded pupils widened, and his movements froze as he stared blankly at him.
He pressed his fist against his lips to suppress a laugh, but the curve of his mouth was impossible to hide: “Why are you rushing around? Were you so eager to find me the moment you woke up?”
His tone carried a blatant, ambiguous teasing.
He expected to be met with Jian Yunchen’s strong opposition or fierce bristling, but to his surprise, the other man actually nodded along with those words.
“Qin Mu.” He stepped forward and grabbed the hem of Qin Mu’s clothes.
“Where did you go? I didn’t see you just now.”
Qin Mu’s smile faded slightly, and his eyes shifted down to see the bare feet on the floor. He frowned slightly: “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”
Jian Yunchen looked down. The overly long pant legs covered half of his instep, and his remaining toes curled inward awkwardly, trying to hide.
He suddenly hooked his arms around Qin Mu’s neck, stepping onto Qin Mu’s shoes. He frowned and complained softly: “It’s because I was in a hurry to find you. Where did you go?”
He seemed particularly obsessed with Qin Mu’s whereabouts.
Qin Mu casually wrapped an arm around Jian Yunchen’s waist. The other man cooperated obediently, wrapping his own legs around Qin Mu’s waist as he was lifted up. Jian Yunchen even tilted his head and subconsciously rubbed against the tip of Qin Mu’s ear.
“I took a phone call. This is my house, where could I possibly run off to?”
“Hmph.” Jian Yunchen let out a soft snort. “That’s not necessarily true. If a beautiful person had an appointment with you, you might really run off.”
While speaking, Qin Mu carried him back to the sofa. With a release of his hands, Jian Yunchen was dropped back onto the couch. He let out a muffled groan and looked up at the “culprit” with dissatisfaction.
Qin Mu had a smile on his lips: “Stop being so sarcastic. What ‘beautiful person’? What nonsense are you talking about? Qin Zhao was the one who called me. Are you even jealous of a child?”
“Oh…” Hearing Qin Zhao’s name, Jian Yunchen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he stopped talking.
Just then, the phone tossed on the other side of the sofa lit up. A string of messages flooded in instantly. Jian Yunchen picked it up and swiped the screen. As his gaze fell upon them, his expression gradually became solemn.
［Ding! Detected entry into the main storyline: ‘National Youth Arts Competition’］
The system’s notification sound suddenly appeared.
Qin Mu’s movements paused slightly. The arts competition…
In the original plot, Jiang Yunhan would make a name for himself in this competition, earning the appreciation of the renowned music connoisseur Atos Hall, and would be taken in as his final disciple, becoming one of the top musicians in the country.
However, because of Jian Yunchen’s jealousy, he would interfere, causing Jiang Yunhan to miss out on the championship and deviate from the original plot trajectory.
[The villain will attempt to sabotage the original plot. Please, stop him!!]
This time, the so-called multiple-choice question didn’t appear; instead, it was a mandatory option.
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow silently.
“Why is a romance urban novel trying to butt into the music genre?”
【……】
【This is the protagonist’s innate talent.】
Got it.
To highlight the protagonist’s aura.
Stop him?
A trace of a smile spilled from the corners of Qin Mu’s lips, and amusement filled his eyes, looking as if he were waiting to watch a good show.
He leaned forward. Sure enough, on Jian Yunchen’s phone was the introductory brief for the competition.
Since the last time he had embarrassed himself with the piano at the banquet, he had privately researched a lot of related information. Therefore, he understood the weight that “Atos Hall” carried.
Jian Yunchen’s fingertips tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning slightly white. This was as if the heavens were paving the way for Jiang Yunhan. Jiang Yunhan had possessed startling talent in piano since childhood, and now there was such a direct shortcut laid out before him. Strength, luck, and opportunity—Jiang Yunhan held them all.
Perhaps talent wasn’t the only way. He could rely on hard work and diligence to make up for it. He could use all his spare time to learn and strive. Given time, he wouldn’t lack the ability to perform on this stage.
But that required time.
Where was there a shortcut to take now?
Talent built up over time feared nothing more than having no time.
Jian Yunchen’s fingertips paused. The page had been scrolled to the bottom, where it was clearly written that the competition was set for one week later.
There was simply no time.
He lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting a somber shadow on his cheeks, concealing the emotions churning within him.
“Jian Yunchen.”
Qin Mu’s voice suddenly rang out.
He looked up, meeting a pair of smiling, bottomless eyes.
“Do you want to do something bad?”
Qin Mu’s voice was very low, like a feather stroking the deepest desires of the heart, or like a demon tempting humans to commit a crime.
“You only need to use a few small tricks to ensure Jiang Yunhan doesn’t win the championship.”
“……Want to try?”
In a daze, Jian Yunchen seemed to see little demon wings fluttering behind Qin Mu, and even demon horns sprouting aggressively.
He slowly furrowed his brows.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t had those dark thoughts, but when these words actually came out of Qin Mu’s mouth, the first emotion that welled up in his chest was a intense sense of indignation:
“You don’t believe in me?” His voice was tight, and a flame ignited in his eyes.
“You think I definitely can’t beat him? You think he’s destined to be number one?”
He glared at Qin Mu indignantly, though with his hair sticking up on one side, he didn’t exactly look very threatening.
Qin Mu couldn’t help but laugh again.
He leaned in close, his forehead almost touching Jian Yunchen’s. In the space of their shared breath, he whispered:
“Then prove it to me.”
“Show me how you are going to win.”