Chapter 1687 - 4: Cloud Boss and Little Cousin – Extra Story (Part 4)_2
Chapter 1687: Chapter 4: Cloud Boss and Little Cousin – Extra Story (Part 4)_2
Such a stunning face, it’s an instant knockout!
Fan Zhengyu’s breath hitched, and she could only stare blankly at him. No matter how you put it, she was just a normal person. Even though she had seen her handsome cousin from a young age, she never really thought he was an extraordinary sight every time they met.
Yun Hezhi was different...
His feminine appearance was not overly delicate or effeminate. As long as he didn’t speak or sing, with some makeup, he was a visual knockout.
She dared not breathe and forgot to avoid him, but just then, the autumn wind blew...
The branches of the osmanthus tree above shook, and the sun had already risen. As the branches swayed, soft sunlight cast glowing specks on Yun Hezhi’s face, and it was not just beautiful...
Fan Zhengyu felt like she might drown in his face, especially his eyes, which were more vibrant than those of ordinary people.
Just then, an osmanthus flower fell from the branch and landed on the side of Fan Zhengyu’s forehead.
The flower was weightless, falling lightly, yet it felt like it crashed into her heart, her pulse suddenly halted, realizing it was indeed impolite to stare at Yun Hezhi like that.
She was just about to look away, raising her hand to brush the flower off her forehead.
The person opposite reached over.
His hand was also attractive, unlike hers, which had grown calloused from years of archery and playing string instruments. His fingers were fair and slender; you’d hardly imagine such hands on a man.
The fingers lightly grazed in front of her forehead.
Barely leaving any warmth, seemingly just a brush.
Yet it felt like a harsh scrape on her heart.
She could clearly feel her forehead, where the flower had fallen, was a bit hot.
"Thank you." Fan Zhengyu quickly looked away, taking a deep breath.
She could feel her ears burning hot.
Yun Hezhi watched her ears gradually turn red, smirking slightly, "You’re welcome."
Fan Zhengyu felt her mind go blank, picked up the white porcelain kettle, grabbed the nearest porcelain cup, filled it with water and gulped down half a cup.
Her throat... was hot!
Her heart was hot, and her body was hot!
She needed relief.
"Miss Fan..."
"Hmm?"
"That’s my cup!"
"..." Fan Zhengyu looked at the cup in her hand. Earlier, Yun Hezhi had been checking the script, leaving the cup nearby without much thought.
What should she do?
Fan Zhengyu originally wanted to drink water to relieve her inner turmoil, but now, the warm water in her throat made her feel even hotter.
It was absolutely infuriating!
"Boss Yun, I’m really sorry, I..."
"It’s okay, you can use this cup." Yun Hezhi lowered his head to look through the script, "By the way, what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"
Fan Zhengyu was stunned; earlier... she actually wanted to ask him about his skincare routine, but given the situation now, where could she muster the courage to speak?
She remained silent, and Yun Hezhi didn’t make things difficult for her, instead he began talking about their collaboration:
"How about ’The Drunken Concubine’? Although it’s a familiar opera, this time it’s a fusion of East and West, surely giving everyone a different experience, sparking different kinds of chemistry."
"Sparking... chemistry?" Fan Zhengyu mumbled to herself.
She must be going mad!
Why did she stare at his face earlier, craving his looks and now making a fool of herself? Even the phrase ’sparking chemistry’ made her mind race with chaotic thoughts.
Fan Zhengyu, are you really abnormal?
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Yun Hezhi had no idea that in those few seconds, this young girl’s mind had spun a hundred different thoughts.
"No, no problem, I think it’s fine. I’ll start practicing then."
...
Fan Zhengyu realized later that she had dug a hole for herself.
She said she would practice, intending to find an excuse and shift her focus, but as soon as she started playing the piano, Yun Hezhi sat nearby, sipping tea and watching her intently.
She frequently made mistakes, the more nervous she became, the more prone to errors, until she had to set the instrument down and take a break.
"Didn’t sleep well last night?" Yun Hezhi examined her.
Fan Zhengyu’s heart skipped a beat; did he notice?
Yun Hezhi took performances seriously, she suddenly worried whether he would find fault with her.
As she fretted, he unexpectedly said:
"Your dark circles are heavy."
"..."
Dark circles?
Fan Zhengyu was taken aback, she had been quite happy leaving home, not really noticing the problem with her dark circles. Then, seeing herself in the mirror was an instant shock; had she really been facing him with such eyes under the osmanthus tree earlier?
On a normal day, she was quite meticulous. How did she end up like this during the first practice session?
Girls do care about their looks, so Fan Zhengyu was understandably a bit demoralized. The first practice was mainly about setting the opera.
Yun Hezhi sang while Fan Zhengyu played. They only did some initial adjustments and decided on the general cooperative tone. As for the piece, Fan Zhengyu would have to recompose it.
Yun Hezhi was quite impressed with the young girl in this respect.
Whenever he pointed out something unsuitable, she could immediately alter the tune, finding a spot comfortable for both of them.
The initial practice session lasted just one morning.
"I’ll go back and rework the piece. Next time we meet, I’ll play it for you again."
Yun Hezhi nodded.
**
Fan Zhengyu, excited to collaborate with Yun Hezhi, was naturally more focused and serious. In the afternoon, she accompanied her grandfather to fish by the river and snoozed a bit on Grandpa’s shoulder.
Grandpa had Alzheimer’s but seemed to recognize his little granddaughter, and he kept smiling.
Fan Zhengyu hummed ’The Drunken Concubine’ tune all the way home and spent the entire night rearranging the composition.
The next day, when she arrived at Yun Hezhi’s place...
The dark circles under her eyes were even worse!
That day Zheng Lansheng was also there, with no performance, wanting to observe how the two collaborated.
"Bro..." Zheng Lansheng nudged Yun Hezhi, lowering his voice.
"What is it?"
"How did you torture her?"
"Torture?" Yun Hezhi raised an eyebrow.
This word...
Had a bit of a risky implication!
"Meeting her for the first time, she was a spirited girl. How did she become so haggard in just two days, with dark circles evident? Wasn’t it your doing?"
"Did I do anything to her? Mind your words." Yun Hezhi cautioned him.
Avoid making dangerous statements!
"I’m just curious."
"Don’t be curious about things you shouldn’t be."
Zheng Lansheng shrugged, looking at Fan Zhengyu, finding the girl quite pitiable. He was very aware of Yun Hezhi’s strict ways—having been guided by him, Zheng Lansheng knew how demanding he could be.
This young girl falling into his hands, what good could come of it?
Sure enough, after just two days, she looked withered.
Someone came up with the idea of singing a tune, "What a truly—pitiful, lamentable sight!"
Fan Zhengyu frowned, looking at Yun Hezhi, "Boss Zheng, what’s up with him?"
"He often gets overly dramatic; just ignore him."
After a bit of interaction, Fan Zhengyu realized Zheng Lansheng’s character was entirely different from what she imagined.
She initially thought of him as a shining figure, a celebrated star, but privately—
He might be a total goof!
Zheng Lansheng initially came to watch the fun, but Yun Hezhi treated him like a servant, making him serve tea and do odd jobs, leading him to believe he came purely for suffering.
Even the cleaning work was tasked to him.
He was told to take advantage of the good weather to spread out some costumes for airing; Zheng Lansheng was utterly confused.
What on earth?
He came here, at least as a guest, right? How could things be like this?
But confronting Yun Hezhi’s dominance, someone dared not voice anger, his gaze drifting to the pair practicing nearby, surprisingly with the aura of a celestial couple, while he...
Was only airing clothes!
What happened next, now that was topsy-turvy.