Chapter 19 What are you nervous about, Teacher Shen?
Zhou Yili sat in the living room for a long time.
Come to think of it, he never really could stand it when that person glared at him; whether it was anger or sadness…it could easily unsettle him.
It was like a part of his heart had collapsed.
Soaked, soft, and sour.
Perhaps his nerves were numbed by the alcohol tonight, and once again he fell into his memories, going against his own will.
“…Twenty years old?”
Pale golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the piano room.
A boy in a blue jersey, holding a basketball, leaned against the doorframe, his breath slightly ragged, looking inside.
The young man at the white piano slightly raised his eyes.
He seemed not to have understood, “What?”
“What are you pretending?” the boy tilted his head and sneered, his forehead damp with the humidity of the summer day; he casually patted the basketball in his hand and walked towards him step by step.
“Are you really twenty years old?”
This aloof, world-renowned genius tutor.
He seems younger than him.
The sound of the basketball hitting the floor brought a tremor, somehow matching someone’s heartbeat.
Shen Jixing’s gaze fell on the black and white keys of the expensive white piano, a treasure that would be cherished wherever it was placed.
The boy didn’t seem afraid of accidentally damaging it with the basketball.
His eyebrows were unrestrained and arrogant, with the arrogance unique to his age.
“Mr. Zhou has already seen my profile. If Young Master Zhou has any questions,”
Shen Jixing said calmly, like flowing water, “You can find time to ask Mr…”
“Let me see it.”
“…”
This young master was clearly not playing by the rules.
Shen Jixing looked at him with clear eyes, “What?”
The lazily smiling boy walked in front of him.
His long fingers casually rested on the white keys; his slender and beautiful fingers, with distinct knuckles, were stained with dust from the basketball. He casually pressed two notes.
“The profile, let me see it.”
“…”
Shen Jixing looked at the white piano soiled by his fingers.
“I didn’t bring it.”
He tried to end this meaningless topic.
He stood up to make room for him, “Time’s up, you should start the…”
A strong hand pressed on his shoulder, preventing Shen Jixing from getting up.
Zhou Yili reached out to grab his black music score bag.
Shen Jixing’s eyebrows changed slightly, “What are you doing?”
Before his restraining hand touched anything, it was held by a hot, powerful palm and pressed onto the black and white keys.
The piano emitted a chaotic and muffled impact.
“Don’t move,” Zhou Yili looked down at him.
His damp forehead hair was wet with sweat and flowed downwards; his eyes were dark, bright, and moist, “Just a look, what are you nervous about?”
“Teacher Shen?”
Shen Jixing felt his breath.
Falling on his pale, clear earlobes, this close proximity made him extremely uncomfortable.
The moment Shen Jixing frowned and tilted his head, Zhou Yili directly overturned the music score bag—
Chaotic white paper musical notes floated to the ground, mixed with a profile with a photo ID.
“Pat.”
The last ID card fell to the ground.
Shen Jixing’s fingertips curled slightly at that light sound.
An unintentional movement grazed the boy’s palm, like thin snow falling into boiling lava.
Zhou Yili froze and let go of him.
He bent down to pick up the profile and ID card, lowering his head and looking at them leisurely—
Name: Shen Jixing
Gender: Male
Age: 20 years old
Other information: Height 185cm, weight 64kg, currently studying piano at Venus Royal Music Academy, sophomore year…
Another ID card—
Name: Shen Jixing
Gender: Male
Date of birth: December 25, 1997 (18 years old)
Home address: No. 1 Villa, Endless Long Street, Rainy District, Qinghuai City
Zhou Yili lightly rubbed the thin card with his palm, his eyebrows slowly rising into a humorous arc.
“Oh, the real and fake Monkey Kings?”
Shen Jixing: “…”
He calmly closed his eyes; he gave up.
Zhou Yili wasn’t so easily letting him go.
“One is twenty years old, and one is eighteen.”
He seemed interested in looking at the pale-faced beauty, “How old are you exactly, Teacher Shen?”
Shen Jixing was silent for a moment and calmly replied, “Anyway, older than you.”
Zhou Yili: “…”
Damn it, he really is.
“World genius?” Zhou Yili looked at the profile, his long eyes scanning his height and weight. He felt that this person didn’t eat every day.
Not much shorter than him, but too thin.
“Sorry, I hate liars.”
He placed the profile and ID card on the piano and withdrew his hand without interest.
Once upon a time, Zhou Hengyang also sweet-talked his mother.
Didn’t he still change to a new love later?
Promises are cheaper than anything.
“Yes, I will resign from Mr. Zhou.”
Things had come to this point; Shen Jixing didn’t argue too much, only saying softly, “Sorry.”
The young master had achieved his goal.
He didn’t need a tutor, or rather, he just didn’t need him to be his tutor.
Shen Jixing bent down and knelt on the ground, picking up the scattered sheet music one by one and putting it back into the bag thrown on the floor by the boy.
His back was as thin as a butterfly wet with rain, as if he didn’t know where his path and destination were.
“Are you feeling wronged?”
Zhou Yili looked down at him from above, his tone carrying a strange and muffled feeling that he couldn’t explain, “You fabricated your identity to deceive people, and you want to blame me for exposing you?”
Shen Jixing: “?”
He looked up curiously, “When did I blame you?”
“…”
“Whatever, you don’t have the right to blame me.”
Zhou Yili coldly finished speaking, bent down to pick up his basketball and turned to leave.
“I didn’t fabricate my identity,” Shen Jixing stopped him.
In the moment Zhou Yili’s footsteps paused, he said in a calm and steady voice, “I am a world genius.”
“…”
Zhou Yili had never seen someone so arrogant in his life.
Yet, this person’s tone was so calm as if it were a trivial matter.
“I was admitted to Venus Royal Music Academy with the highest score in my professional course, breaking their highest ever entrance record.”
Zhou Yili turned his head back holding the basketball, “?”
Those who know a little about music know about Venus Royal Academy; it’s the top institution that all music students aspire to.
This person broke the entrance record?
Is he even human???
“But the tutoring website doesn’t accept minors. Your father’s requirement is twenty years old. I’m sorry, I lied about my age, but please don’t tell anyone…”
Shen Jixing was always like this, even when he needed someone’s help.
He still had a cold and beautiful face.
But at this moment, he was actually a little anxious; he desperately needed money, and was earnestly pleading.
Shen Jixing felt the young master looking at him, scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes.
And finally waited for him to speak.
The young master said, “You’re a minor?”
Shen Jixing: “…”
Is that the point?
Zhou Yili played with the basketball in his hand, as if he thought of something; he tilted his head and chuckled softly, “Then you’re not older than me; I’m seventeen this year.”
Rounding up, they are the same age.
Shen Jixing stared at him without speaking.
There seemed to be a hint of moisture in his eyes because of anxiety and teasing.
“Can you…”
Shen Jixing restrained his emotions and looked at him, “Don’t tell anyone; I still need to apply for other tutoring jobs.”
Zhou Yili looked at him, “Are you really that short of money?”
Shen Jixing was silent for two seconds; his long eyelashes cast a slender and beautiful arc.
He whispered, “Yes, I need to save for tuition.”
Zhou Yili felt a little strange.
Most people studying music are from well-off families. Although the cost of studying abroad is more expensive, for someone who lives in a villa area according to his profile, it shouldn’t be…
“Hey, I didn’t say I wouldn’t agree, why are you crying?”
Zhou Yili quickly dropped the basketball in his hand and took two steps to squat in front of Shen Jixing.
The arrogant and unrestrained boy had never experienced this before. Seeing his slightly red eyes, he felt a sense of helplessness and panic for the first time.
He anxiously circled the beautiful man.
“Oh my, look how wronged you are, it’s like I bullied you…why didn’t you say so earlier? I thought you were a liar.”
“How much money did my dad pay you? Is it enough for tuition?”
The little lion-like boy in a blue jersey knelt and squatted in front of him.
Tilting his head to look at him, “Should I add some more?”
Shen Jixing was slightly stunned and looked into his eyes, “You want to keep me?”
At that time, under his cold and arrogant exterior, Shen Jixing would occasionally have moments of emotional breakdown.
Zhou Yili saw the cold and wet traces in the corners of his eyes.
His fingers moved slightly as if he wanted to wipe it away, but his fingertips were stained with dust from the basketball.
He finally retracted his hand, afraid of dirtying his face.
The boy sat under the floor-to-ceiling window and piano, with a flamboyant smile in his eyes, lightly humming. His voice was as casual and unrestrained as ever.
“A world genius, who wouldn’t want one.”
——
A small note: Fabricating one’s age is wrong and should not be imitated!
The whole story is fictional, fictional, fictional. Xing himself has many things he can’t help. Even if it involves spoilers, I still need to clarify that Xing returned all the money in the end and didn’t go to study abroad; he is a good boy.
_______________
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