Han Xiao was half a professional singer, and she usually knew the quality of a song just by hearing the intro.
What’s more, the singing continued…
【Lovers on the bridge, paired up, in and out.】
【By the bridge, the red peony sighs at the long night.】
【The moon sways, people wander.】
【From the gondola, a song of parting sorrow drifts.】
The more Han Xiao listened, the more her breathing quickened.
Her mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word.
She just felt her heart pounding like a startled deer!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
It beat violently.
Where did this new song come from?
【Luzhou moonlight, sprinkled on my heart.】
【You under the moon, no longer as you were back then.】
【Too many wounds, hard to express my deepest feelings.】
【A sigh for that time, when it seemed so ordinary.】
A look of surprise appeared on Han Xiao’s beautiful face, slowly turning into enchantment.
Every word was beautiful, every word unique, every word rhymed.
Like an ancient poem.
Could this be lyrics and a melody written by a high school student?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
“Is that your brother in the room?”
Han Xiao asked, trembling.
Seeing Jiang Ran nod, her head felt dizzy, and her temples throbbed intensely.
“Do you have two brothers?”
Han Xiao found it hard to connect the person in the bedroom with the boy she remembered.
But Jiang Ran frowned unhappily, “What are you talking about? Of course not, there’s only one brother.”
The position of brother could only belong to Xu Huo.
She would turn hostile to anyone who tried to replace him, like an angry cat, ready to scratch anyone’s face.
“Then these lyrics?”
“He wrote them himself.”
“Didn’t hire a ghostwriter?”
“No.”
“…And the melody?”
“He composed it himself.”
“Didn’t he connect with someone online?”
“No, it’s just him, composing and singing by himself.”
For a moment.
Silence!
Dead silence!
The entire living room was completely quiet! Han Xiao’s eyes widened.
Although she had guessed, getting a definite answer was still difficult to accept for a moment.
【Luzhou moonlight, pear blossom rain cool.】
【Who is by your side now?】
【The moonlight of my hometown, deeply etched in my heart.】
【Yet, no tears from back then can flow.】
The song ended.
Jiang Ran looked at her with suspicious eyes.
Seeing her looking like she was doubting life, Jiang Ran inexplicably felt a little smug, thinking,
“My brother is so amazing.”
She lowered her voice and asked, “So, should I call my brother out now? Or do you need a little more time to calm down?”
Han Xiao nodded, taking a deep breath to compose herself.
Only then did Jiang Ran knock on the bedroom door again.
Dong!
Dong!
“Brother!”
“What?”
“Someone’s here for you, come out.”
“Who is it?”
Xu Huo stretched, let out a long breath, twisted the doorknob, and walked out.
He then saw Han Xiao standing in the living room, a bewildered and excited expression on her face.
It was strange; two completely contradictory emotions, yet they achieved perfect harmony on Han Xiao’s face.
Xu Huo’s mouth twitched, “How did you find your way here? Something wrong?”
Was he being spawn-camped?
Han Xiao didn’t rush to speak.
For a brief moment, she stared intently at Xu Huo.
After confirming that there really was no one else in the room, her eyes first widened slightly, then her small mouth unconsciously parted, from subtle to obvious.
A “seen a ghost” expression solidified on her face.
“Was that song just now your original?”
Huh?
Was I heard?
Damn it, how did Ranran let her in?
I always feel a bit ashamed being a plagiarist…
That’s what he thought, but after a few seconds of silence, he still nodded and immediately changed the subject, asking, “You didn’t come to my house in the middle of the night just for this, did you?”
“Liar!”
Han Xiao said with an indignant expression.
Xu Huo looked completely unfazed.
Was she cursing him?
It seemed so…
But he didn’t know why, upon hearing those two words, he felt his bones melt.
This reaction was like being called a “whore” in a specific context.
Xu Huo didn’t expect himself to be this kind of Xu Huo, judging people by their looks.
He also didn’t expect Han Xiao to be this kind of Han Xiao, making wild accusations.
Me, a new-era high school student who blushes when farting in public, a liar?
Han Xiao blinked, her long eyelashes trembling, and asked, “Do you lie without even preparing? Out of the ten sentences you’ve spoken since we met, was even one of them true?”
Xu Huo held up three fingers and swore, “My name really is Xu Huo!”
Han Xiao pursed her lips, unwilling to give in.
How could such a shameless person exist in this world?
“Besides, I acted out of necessity. You don’t need to show up at my doorstep, do you?”
“So, I’m being unreasonable?”
Han Xiao said, a look of awkward, apologetic amusement on her face.
Xu Huo frowned, gazing at the girl before him.
The ancients often used “clever smile, beautiful eyes” to describe a beautiful woman, meaning she smiled playfully and gracefully, and her sparkling eyes were captivating.
But he didn’t want to praise Han Xiao’s beauty right now, because her expression gave him a very uneasy feeling.
All girls, including Ranran, basically turn mischievous once they show that expression.
But Han Xiao seemed to be an oddball.
After realizing her gaffe, she took a deep breath to compose herself and calmly said, “Anyway! Today’s jumping incident was a mutual misunderstanding. I never intended to jump; I thought you did!”
“…Then I apologize.”
“I didn’t come here for an apology.”
Han Xiao shook her head, her attitude sincere, “I’ll be participating in a show later, and creating this kind of fuss now has a very bad impact. Many people are saying I’m using this to create hype. Tomorrow, could I trouble you to record a clarification video with me?”
“Why not now?”
Jiang Ran pressed.
“I need time to organize my words, otherwise people will find fault. Besides, me clarifying alone isn’t very convincing.”
“Alright.”
“Please! I can help you with pixelation…”
Han Xiao was ready to continue her plea, expecting Xu Huo to refuse, as few ordinary people want to be on camera.
But to her surprise, Xu Huo agreed immediately.
This strong contrast made her momentarily dazed, and for a while, she didn’t know how to react.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Huo frowned.
“Nothing! Nothing! So it’s settled then? I’ll pick a time to find you tomorrow. I owe you a favor.”
“Forget the favor, just do me a small one.”
“What favor?”
Han Xiao readily agreed, “If it’s within my ability, I’ll definitely help you.”
Xu Huo pointed at the trash can nearby, “When you leave, could you please take the trash out for me?”
Han Xiao’s face showed a look of shocked disbelief, “You want me to take out your trash?!”
“…Uh, is it inconvenient?”
In that instant, Xu Huo felt a sense of danger, as if he were about to be struck by a blade.
How could she make such a fierce expression with such a beautiful face?
Han Xiao’s expression was odd.
I said I owe you a favor, right?
Although I didn’t plan on sacrificing myself, you should at least ask for something more…hormonal, shouldn’t you?
Like adding me as a friend, she wouldn’t mind that.
“No! It’s very convenient!” she said, gritting her teeth, “And then, that…”
“Hm?”
“Never mind.”
Clang!
Han Xiao left, taking the household trash with her.
This made Xu Huo very satisfied.
Jiang Ran, who had been standing there as a background all along, finally came to her senses. Her eyes blinked as she asked, “Did she really come all this way just for that little thing?”
“Maybe she thinks it’s very important.”
“Then why didn’t she clarify those other things before?”
“God knows! Hurry up and sleep, you must be tired from the car ride today, right? Since you’ve got direct admission, don’t stay up late.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Ran felt a warmth in her heart and didn’t say much more, heading into the bathroom to wash up.
Soon, the sound of trickling water could be heard from inside.
Xu Huo also tidied up, lay on his bed, and closed his eyes, pretending to nap.
He had been in this world for over ten years, and after the initial doubt about life, he had calmly accepted the reality of not having a system dad.
Fortunately, the entertainment industry in this world was vastly different from his previous one, so he somewhat had a cheat code, though it hadn’t materialized into cash yet, which was a bit of a pity.
Just then, light footsteps could be heard outside the door.
Jiang Ran didn’t knock, whispering furtively from outside.
“Brother? Are you asleep?”
Like a thief.