The performance was a resounding success, earning the duo the most enthusiastic applause of the night.
Si Bin heard the surrounding parents and students whispering the names of Lin Murun and Li Menglai, and a faint sense of pride and uncontrollable joy welled up in his heart.
Under the spotlights, Lin Murun and Li Menglai bowed to the audience. Metallic streamers and sequins drifted down from above, landing on the youth’s shoulders. The light caught his soft, thick eyelashes and filtered into his light-colored eyes, like a breeze over water at sunset, stirring up ripples of amber light.
Si Bin gazed into his eyes—those beautifully shaped eyes were filled with a smile so captivating that one couldn't look away.
The stage lights were brilliant, the streamers danced in the air, and the audience was a sea of clapping hands.
The maximum horizontal field of vision for human eyes is 188 degrees, yet Si Bin’s vision held room for only one person: Lin Murun.
*The boy I like most is being celebrated by everyone on his seventeenth birthday.*
At that thought, Si Bin’s heart felt incredibly soft.
“Who is Lin Murun? How have I never heard that name before?” a girl in the front row whispered.
“I heard he’s a transfer student,” her companion replied. “He’s in Humanities Class 2 for our grade.”
“No wonder...” the girl murmured. “How could I not know a guy who’s this good-looking and plays the violin so well?”
“Do you have a crush on him?” her friend teased. “I know Li Menglai from Class 2; I can help you get his contact info.”
“What are you talking about?” The girl playfully swatted her friend’s shoulder. “Handsome guys are school treasures. Like Si Bin from Class 1—we just need to admire them from a distance.”
Gao Yuan, sitting behind them, suddenly felt mischievous and let out a deliberate cough.
The two girls turned around at the sound and finally noticed Si Bin sitting right behind them.
“Eek!” The girl who had just praised Si Bin’s looks turned beet red with embarrassment. she quickly turned back around, not daring to make another sound.
***
Having finished the performance, Lin Murun received a call from Lin Qingqing.
“Hello, Brother! Where are you?” Lin Qingqing asked.
“At the back door of the music building. Why?” Lin Murun replied.
“Stay right where you are!” Lin Qingqing said mysteriously. “I have something for you.”
“Okay,” Lin Murun said, but the line had already gone dead.
“Do you have something to take care of?” Li Menglai asked.
“No, it was just a call from my sister,” Lin Murun answered. “Why don’t you go to the restroom and change first? I’ll wait for her here.”
Before Li Menglai could respond, she heard Lin Qingqing’s cheerful voice.
“Brother! Happy birthday!”
“Oh?” Li Menglai said in surprise. “Is it your birthday today?”
“It is,” Lin Qingqing said, handing a beautifully wrapped gift box to Lin Murun. She smiled at Li Menglai. “I’ve been waiting for the performance to end so I could give him his gift.”
“Why didn't you say something sooner?” Li Menglai asked. “I didn't have time to prepare a gift for you.”
“There’s no need for all that trouble,” Lin Murun said.
“Exactly, no need for trouble. Just let my brother treat us to BBQ and we’re even!” Lin Qingqing said to Lin Murun with a grin. “Everyone is watching the show today, so the BBQ place definitely won't be crowded!”
Lin Murun smiled. “If you want to go, then let's go.”
“Li Menglai, you should come too,” Lin Qingqing invited. “Birthdays are meant to be lively!”
“This...” Li Menglai looked at Lin Murun hesitantly. “Would it be inappropriate for me to go?”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Lin Qingqing stepped forward and took her arm, then turned to Lin Murun. “Brother, invite a few more people!”
Twenty minutes later, the group arrived at the BBQ restaurant near the Star-Moon Violin Shop.
Lin Qingqing’s prediction was quite far from reality. Although many students and parents had chosen to stay at the school for the gala, the BBQ shop was as bustling as ever.
“Welcome! How many in your party?” a server came up to ask.
“Six,” Lin Qingqing replied.
“Eight,” Lin Murun corrected.
Lin Qingqing counted heads, puzzled. “There are five of us here, plus Shen Hao who went to buy milk tea. Isn't that exactly six?”
“Si Bin and Yu Wenbo are coming,” Lin Murun replied.
“Huh? My brother is coming?” Yu Qianyi asked.
“Yes,” Lin Murun replied. “Si Bin is coming with him.”
“Eight people...” The server said hesitantly. “There’s only one table for four left upstairs.”
“Oh?” Lin Qingqing blinked. “What should we do? Should we try somewhere else?”
“One table is almost finished,” the server said quickly. “If you’re willing to wait a moment, I can push the tables together for you once they settle the bill.”
The group turned their gaze to Lin Murun, waiting for him to make the call.
“How many can we seat after pushing the tables together?” Lin Murun asked.
“It can seat eight, plenty of room!” the server replied. “If you squeeze a bit, we can even add two more.”
“Then we’ll wait,” Lin Murun said. “The three of them are already on their way. It would be inconvenient to change locations now.”
The server led them upstairs.
The crowd upstairs was no less than downstairs; even the small balcony was packed. The server brought them to a table that hadn't been cleared yet and said, “You can start ordering first, I’ll clean this up right away.” She handed over the menu and bent down to clear the dishes into a plastic bin.
“I want grilled fish!” Lin Qingqing leaned in and told Lin Murun.
Lin Murun nodded and handed her the menu and a pen.
“Eh? Lin Murun?” A familiar female voice came from behind. “Are you guys here to eat too?”
Lin Murun turned around and saw Wu Chuchu holding a skewer.
—And Teacher Li beside her.
The first reaction of most middle school students seeing their teacher on the street is definitely not joy.
Except for Lin Murun, the other four instantly stiffened. “Hello, Teacher!”
Seeing their reaction, the usually stern Teacher Li couldn't help but laugh. “Are you all here for BBQ too?”
“Yes,” Li Menglai said. “We didn't expect to see you here, Teacher.”
“I’m accompanying your senior,” Teacher Li said warmly. “Why don't you come sit over here?”
Yu Qianyi followed behind Li Menglai and sat down hesitantly.
The group sat in silence.
Sensing the students’ discomfort, Teacher Li picked up her bag and rose, saying kindly, “You kids chat with your senior. I have some things to do and need to head back to school.”
Yu Qianyi breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, “Goodbye, Teacher!”
“Don't stay out too late, remember to go back early. There’s roll call tomorrow morning, don't be late again,” Teacher Li reminded them before turning to head downstairs.
Once the teacher was gone, the atmosphere lightened instantly. Wu Chuchu proactively suggested merging the tables and shared the cranberry cookies she had just bought.
“What made you decide to get BBQ today?” Wu Chuchu asked.
“Today is Lin Murun’s birthday,” Yu Qianyi answered.
“Oh?” Wu Chuchu asked Lin Murun. “It’s your birthday today? I had no idea.”
“Yes,” Lin Murun nodded, helping to push the two tables together.
“Then this meal is on me!” Wu Chuchu laughed. “It’s a deal—I said I’d treat you next time we met. You’re all students, so don't try to fight me for the bill!”
Yu Qianyi asked, “Are you and Lin Murun friends, Senior?”
“That’s right,” Wu Chuchu replied. “What about you? Are you his friends too?”
“We’re good friends,” Yu Qianyi said. “And classmates.”
Wu Chuchu nodded, called the server over, and added two more plates of skewers.
Just then, Shen Hao returned with the milk tea. Seeing an unfamiliar senior, he proactively offered his cup. “Here, Senior, you have this.”
Wu Chuchu said apologetically, “I’m already quite full.”
“It’s okay, Senior, don't feel bad,” Lin Qingqing said. “I forgot to mention, my brother is lactose intolerant. He feels unwell if he drinks milk tea. Since there’s an extra cup, it’s perfect for you.”
The milk tea in front of Lin Murun was taken away by Lin Qingqing. He opened his mouth, hesitated several times, but ultimately didn't stop her.
“I’ll buy you a fruit tea later,” Lin Qingqing whispered to Lin Murun after handing the milk tea to Shen Hao.
“No need.” Lin Murun took a sullen sip of the plain tea provided by the shop.
Despite the crowd, the food came out quickly. Before they could say much more, the server brought out the first tray of grilled meat.
“Wow! We timed it perfectly.” Yu Wenbo squeezed in, carrying a gift bag. “Here! Top Student, happy birthday!”
“Thanks.” Lin Murun took the gift bag and shifted over to make room for Yu Wenbo and Si Bin to add chairs.
“Are they also in your class?” Wu Chuchu asked Yu Qianyi.
“No,” Yu Qianyi said, picking up a skewer. “The sturdy-looking guy is my brother, Yu Wenbo. The guy next to him is Si Bin. They’re both from Class 1 next door.”
Wu Chuchu nodded and couldn't help but steal another glance at Si Bin.
“He’s super handsome, right?” Yu Qianyi whispered to Wu Chuchu.
Wu Chuchu shook her head. “I think he looks familiar, like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“Maybe the Honor Roll?” Yu Qianyi speculated while eating. “Or maybe some girl showed you his photo? No one in our school doesn't know him.”
Over there, Si Bin noticed Wu Chuchu’s gaze and gave her a polite smile. “Hello, Senior.”
Wu Chuchu quickly replied, “Hello.”
She really couldn't remember where she had seen Si Bin, and staring was impolite, so she stopped dwelling on it and focused on the food.
After they finished the skewers and milk tea, Yu Wenbo wanted to order a dozen beers, but Si Bin stopped him.
“We have school tomorrow,” he said. “Just stick to soft drinks.”
Yu Qianyi agreed. “Yes, yes, yes! We were already criticized during roll call for being late today.”
“I’ll go get the drinks. What do you all want?” Wu Chuchu stood up and asked.
“Senior, I’ll go with you,” Li Menglai said. “I just ate something spicy, I’m going to buy a few pouches of yogurt.”
The two of them headed downstairs one after the other.
Seeing Lin Murun only drinking the tea provided by the shop, Si Bin asked curiously, “Why didn't you get milk tea?”
“Lactose intolerant,” Lin Murun answered sullenly.
Si Bin smiled. “We had milk tea together just yesterday.”
Lin Murun slowly finished chewing and said, “Having it once in a while is fine.”
Though his tone was flat, Si Bin still sensed his low spirits. He was just like Little White when he was stopped from having an extra lick of nutritional gel—he wouldn't even show interest in his favorite cat teaser.
“I’ll treat you to a small cup tomorrow,” Si Bin decided to smooth his fur.
Lin Murun’s eyes lit up. “Okay.”
*He really is like a kitten...*
Si Bin laughed silently.
A moment later, Li Menglai and Wu Chuchu returned with drinks and yogurt. The server brought the freshly grilled fish to the table, sparking a scramble among the group.
Empty plates were cleared away, and new dishes were constantly served.
Lin Qingqing and Yu Qianyi were lively and competitive at first, but eventually, they ate so much they could hardly stand. Li Menglai looked refined and quiet, yet she was the last person at the table to put down her chopsticks.
Zhou Xuan was nearly asleep, leaning against his chair with half-closed eyes, not saying a word for a long time.
Seeing that everyone was finished, Lin Murun took the opportunity of going to the restroom to quietly head downstairs and settle the bill.
“Hello, that’s 753 yuan in total. Let’s just make it 750,” the BBQ shop owner said, bringing out the payment code.
Just after paying, Lin Murun saw Si Bin coming downstairs.
“Coming out for some air?” Si Bin said.
The two of them walked out of the BBQ shop, carrying the scent of smoke on their clothes.
“The BBQ here is pretty good,” Si Bin said. “I can bring Gao Yuan and my cousin here next time.”
“I think I saw Mr. Gao earlier,” Lin Murun asked. “He didn't come for BBQ?”
“He said he felt bad about letting 'Little Teacher Lin' treat him, so he asked me to bring his verbal well-wishes.” Si Bin pulled out a gift box.
“Happy birthday, Student Lin.”
Lin Murun took the small white box and asked, “What is this?”
“Open it and see,” Si Bin said.
Lin Murun did as he was told.
Inside the long white box lay a deep blue fountain pen with a fox face pattern.
Removing the cap, he saw the nib was engraved with the Little Prince and a fox.
“This is...” Lin Murun looked up at Si Bin. “The Montblanc Le Petit Prince fountain pen?”
“Yeah,” Si Bin said. “I thought you might like the story of the Little Prince and the fox.”
Lin Murun carefully placed the pen back into the gift box. “But this is too expensive. I can't accept it.”
“Take it, it’s fine,” Si Bin said. “You only turn seventeen once in a lifetime. If you don't accept it, this birthday gift loses its meaning.”
Since Si Bin put it that way, refusing further would seem overly fastidious. After a moment of hesitation, Lin Murun nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Si Bin smiled.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
文一班 | Humanities Class 1 | "Wen" refers to the Liberal Arts/Humanities track in Chinese high schools.
文二班 | Humanities Class 2 |
林青青 | Lin Qingqing | Lin Murun's younger sister.
申浩 | Shen Hao | A classmate/friend of Lin Murun.
吴楚楚 | Wu Chuchu | A senior/alumna of the school.
余文博 | Yu Wenbo | Yu Qianyi's older brother and Si Bin's friend.
周轩 | Zhou Xuan | A classmate/friend.
万宝龙 | Montblanc | Luxury brand known for pens.
小王子 | Le Petit Prince | The Little Prince (by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).
