Jing Yang had just returned to the Mooney home when he saw Faith standing in the hallway and staring at him. In his heart, he thought, I left for several months, I definitely didn’t provoke you, and also didn’t go provoke Corrica. If you want to cause trouble for me again, don’t blame me for saying something unpleasant.

“You should still remember what kind of identity you have?” Faith glared at him and questioned.

Jing Yang looked at him, .”What kind of identity do I have ah? I really don’t remember, please tell me.”

“You are an engaged person, and actually go out alone with another man for so long, not even making a single call back. Do you know what restraint is? Even if he is your teacher, you should still know what avoiding arousing suspicion means.”

“Restraint? Suspicion?” Jing Yang felt that him saying these words was truly especially amusing. He questioned back, “What qualifications do you have to lecture me? And what qualifications do you have to make a request of me?”

“Because I am your fiancé, I naturally have this qualification!” Faith loudly said.

“Don’t disgust me!” Jing Yang furiously responded. “I have already said before that my engagement with you is invalid. Please never claim at any time or at any place to be my fiancé, because you are not, and you don’t deserve to be.”

Faith’s face turned green, angered to the point of not being able to speak.

Jing Yang continued, “You yourself always hug and hold Corrica—when you guys are being all intimate, why do you never feel that your behavior isn’t being restrained? When you are being intimate in public in front of so many people, why do you not know to avoid suspicious behavior? Now I have already agreed to what you both wanted and canceled the engagement, and you actually still have face to come criticize me. Where do you have the self-confidence to have such a double standard? Living under the same roof as all of you for even a second really makes people disgusted.”

Jing Yang pulled his luggage and turned around to go downstairs. Susan, who had heard the sound of arguing and run over, wanted to stop him. “Avi, you just returned, where are you going now?”

“I’m returning to my own home!” Jing Yang avoided Susan and quickly ran down.

“Avi…” Susan wasn’t able to stop him, and hearing that he wanted to return to his own home, she thought that it was just next door and not too far, so she also didn’t go chase after him. She walked to Faith. “Didn’t I already tell you? I told you to get along properly with him, but he had just returned home and you already started quarreling with him. If you really made him angry and run off, our family will be done for, did you know?”

During the period when Jing Yang had left, Susan had Faith for a very long time. In order for the Mooney family to not go bankrupt, and in order for Corrica to be able to continue to learn piano, she told him he had to get along well with Avi no matter what, and also let Avi and agree to marry him.

Faith had listened to Susan’s words, and wanted to try to get along well with Avi, but he had already decided to try to treat him well, yet Avi actually left for several months with another man, not even making a single call back. How could he not be angry.

Susan saw that her son’s angry expression was quite unpleasant and immediately felt heartache for him. She held his hands and quietly consoled him, “For the Mooney family, you just need to endure some more, and first compromise with him for the time being. For everything else, you can wait to discuss after you two get married.”

Jing Yang didn’t want to live with the Mooney family, and used this argument with Faith as an opportunity to return to the Deere home to live. He would also be more comfortable there.

At the end of each year, the Cherty Conservatory of Music holds a major music competition, known as the Cherty Music Cup. For the music world, this competition holds considerable weight, and is an extremely difficult competition.

The first place every year would not only receive a large amount of prize money and a full year of tuition free, but would also have his picture hung up in the conservatory’s Hall of Honor for an entire year. This was an extremely high honor. For the students who received first place four years in a row, their picture would be permanently hung in the Hall of Honor. The Cherty Conservatory of Music had been established for several hundred years, and only five people’s pictures were permanently stored, of which one of them was Hai Weixiu.

Even though the Cherty Music Cup only allowed the conservatory’s students to participate, as a world-class school, the students here would naturally also be world-class musicians.

For the final, the school sold tickets to the public, and the performance hall which could hold thousands of people was sold out immediately. Of those who could come and watch, besides the famous musicians invited as judges, they were all wealthy and respectable people who were not only rich but also understood music.

As third place among the ordinary students, Corrica entered the final. The three members of the Money family came to watch the competition, and also accompanied Corrica for a while in the waiting hall, encouraging him to perform well and try to fight for a place. If he could enter the top three in an event where privileged students of famous teachers were also participating, he would also have the opportunity to become a great teacher’s privileged student. How glorious would it be if the Mooney family had two privileged students of great teachers.

As the Mooney couple constantly added pressure to him, Corrica still maintained his slight smile, and expressed that he would definitely do his best and perform well.

The Mooney couple wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to go see Avi and show their concern for him, but after looking over the waiting hall multiple times, they were still not able to see him.

Just as they were wondering, this competition is almost going to start, how has he still not arrived, they saw him walking in with Hai Weixiu surrounded by bodyguards. The Mooney couple had not had the time to step forward and talk to him when they had already crossed the hall and entered the VIP lounge.

Not to mention ordinary students, even other privileged students of famous teachers could not have this kind of attitude and grand style. The Mooney couple felt very complicated, they didn’t know whether they should feel happy for Avi, or unhappy. If Avi received Hai Weixiu’s assistance and could also help their Mooney family, they would naturally be very happy. But if Avi received Hai Weixiu’s help and thus couldn’t bear to see Faith anymore and no longer wanted to marry him, then they would be very unhappy.

Faith and Corrica were in equally complicated moods. Faith couldn’t even understand himself what kind of feelings he now had toward Avi, and Corrica was actually in a jealous mood, like a volcano almost about to erupt.

When the Mooney family was going to go back to the audience hall to sit down, Corrica quietly pulled at Faith. “If I get into the top 3, can you agree with one of my wishes?”

If it were like before, Faith would definitely immediately agree, but now he actually hesitated, thinking for a bit before saying, “As long as I am able to do it, I will agree.”

Faith’s hesitation stabbed at Corrica’s heart. During this period, he was always consoling himself that Faith had only compromised for the sake of the Mooney family, and not because he had really changed his heart, and Faith only had himself in his heart. But Faith’s changes were becoming more and more obvious, to the point that he could no longer continue to convince himself otherwise. He had used almost ten years of to finally be able to pull him to his side, but Avi actually only needed a few months in order to pull him back?

Then what the hell did ? What did all his years of effort count as? He couldn’t just give up like this, he still had opportunities, everything could still be saved. As long as he could just prove that he was better than Avi just like before, and prove that he could bring the Mooney family more benefit.

For this competition, he hoped that God could take of him, and let him perform past his limits, and let him be able to enter the top 3 places, and then become a privileged student of a famous teacher, thoroughly defeating Avi…

Jing Yang sat on Hai Weixiu’s lap, his hand resting on his chest. He raised his head to receive Hai Weixiu’s kisses, his tongue constantly being sucked with force, the numbing sensation making his heart itch and tremble.

Hai Weixiu was one of the main judges for the competition, so he wasn’t able to just keep staying in the lounge to accompany him. When he saw that it was almost time, he lowered his head to forcefully kiss his exposed chest, and then helped him button up his shirt. Placing him carefully on the sofa, he rubbed his hair. “Don’t be nervous, just perform normally.”

“En.” Jing Yang looped his arms around his neck and kissed his lips again before letting go of him. “You should go quickly, the competition’s going to start soon.”

The large audience hall was already full of people. The Mooney family had had to use their connections to be able to buy tickets for seats slightly closer to the middle. The first several competitors had done very well, worthy of students being able to enter the finals, their level was extremely high. When they saw Corrica go on stage, they inevitably held even more expectations for him in their hearts.

The songs Corrica performed were > and >, these two songs were somewhat more focused on skill and technique, which he was better at.

Corrica finished playing, and even though it sounded not bad, he was not better than those before him by very much. His skill and technique were displayed well, just that the emotions in his music were not able to reach the hearts of the audience. In the crowd of outstanding competitors, he was unable to leave the audience with much of an impression.

This made the Mooney couple unable to avoid being somewhat disappointed. They knew that Corrica spent a lot of effort and time to practice every day, and when they heard him practicing at home, they always felt that he had already played extremely well, but now comparing with the others, it seemed like the students in this school were all able to play at a higher level than him.

Corrica was unable to surpass his limits like he wanted, so he didn’t have much hope in entering the top three. Now he could only pray that Avi would mess up and place lower than him.

After Jing Yang went on stage, he first exchanged a glance with Hai Weixiu, who was sitting in the first row. Even though it was just a very fast glance, Jing Yang could still see his encouragement and smile in his eyes.

The first song Jing Yang performed was Hai Weixiu’s >. He had originally already really liked this song, and after Hai Weixiu brought him to immersively experience it, he liked it even more.

In the night, the forest was very serene, full of mystery. Here, even the slightest rattle would be extremely obvious, the animals were all sleeping, and the pale moonlight sprinkling through the leaves in the forest was peaceful and beautiful.

This song was full of mystical beauty, luring the listener into wanting to learn more, to discover the secret behind the beauty. The forest in the night originally should have been dangerous and scary, but that pure and holy moonlight not only pacified their hearts but also gave them the courage to venture forward and explore.

The listeners seemed to be able to feel from the music that holy moonlight enveloping Jing Yang’s body, illuminating his pure and glossy skin, and making him look incomparably noble.

The second song Jing Yang played was ’s >. James Long was Hai Weixiu’s piano teacher, and thus Jing Yang’s grand-teacher.

The music turned into a vigorous and vibrant rhythm, and the listeners unconsciously smiled. This was the sight of a rising sun during dawn, bringing the sound of sea waves lapping on the shore and seagulls flying across the sea.

The Mooney couple were shocked. This child that they thought had no talent was actually able to perform such touching and emotional music, and use such difficult techniques so comfortably. It was only then that they understood, no wonder he was able to become Hai Weixiu’s student, no wonder he could receive so much attention from Hai Weixiu. Such talent, such proficient techniques, it was definitely not just because of luck.

Those who understand music would always unconsciously go listen for mistakes in the music, but the music that he played could make people forget to pay attention for right or wrong, and just experience the beauty of the music with their heart and soul.

If earlier it was pure and holy moonlight, then now it was golden sunlight. They seemed to be experiencing hallucinations, as if there were countless rays of light radiating from behind the pianist, endlessly dazzling, as if he was the son of the sun.

Or it could be said that he was the child of the sun and the moon, not only inheriting the noble holiness of the god of the moon, but also inheriting the dazzling and glorious image of the god of the sun. He was so that people didn’t dare to carelessly desecrate him.

Thunderous applause resounded throughout the concert hall, that was really an auditory feast. If this weren’t a competition but his personal recital, the audience would definitely shout in unison for him to stay on stage and play another song.

The result was that the five main judges discussed together with the 30 jury members to give a score, and Jing Yang easily took first place.

Hai Weixiu personally gave him the award. When the two people shook hands they exchanged a smile, endless emotions lingering in each other’s eyes. They used their gazes to communicate, one of them saying teacher I did it, and the other saying I am proud of you.

~

Naturally a private celebration was indispensable, and Jing Yang lay in Hai Weixiu’s arms after he drank too much, not even knowing when he was completely undressed.

Hai Weixiu tightly held the person in his arms, caressing him, possessing him, confirming that he was in his own arms, determining that he belonged to himself. Thinking of his performance that day, and then lowering his head to look at him sleeping defenselessly and tenderly on his own chest, Hai Weixiu felt his heart soften endlessly, and suddenly became inspired.

He took out some paper and a pen from the drawer next to the bed, and hugging the person in his arms, he quickly recorded down his sudden burst of inspiration on the paper.

Continuously writing several pages of sheet music, the sky had already started turning light. He lowered his head to kiss those rosy and alluring lips again and again until Jing Yang let out a dissatisfied noise. He finally smiled softly. “Dream a good dream, your dream needs to have me, my beloved little prince.”

After the competition, Jing Yang’s picture was hung up in the school’s hall of honor. By Hai Weixiu’s request, Jing Yang’s picture was placed right next to his. The two people were both dressed in formal wear, one standing next to a black piano, and the other standing next to a white piano. It looked like a complete wedding photo.

Jing Yang’s photo would be hung up for a year, and as for whether or not it would stay there for the next three years, and then be permanently stored there, he and Hai Weixiu were both very confident.

———

[1] – 莫名其妙, idiom, also means inexplicable

[2] – 苦口婆心, idiom, means earnestly advise, patiently persuade

[3] – 回心轉意, idiom

[4] – 費盡心思, idiom, means to rack his brains, take great pains

[5] – 算什麼, there’s not a good way to translate this but it’s just like it means it’s trivial, what’s the meaning of something

[6] – 索達, literally the pinyin, literal meaning could be searching for achievements?

[7] – 尼斯爾湖, 尼斯 is apparently Nice, a city in France, but I just used the MTL translation of the first three characters to Niesel

[8] – 中規中矩, this means conforming with the norms of society, but I find this hard to express very easily

[9] – 詹姆士朗, apparently this is a real person’s name, came up in Google

[10] – 海陽, a city in China?

[11] – 高不可攀, idiom, means too high to reach, unapproachable