Chapter 74

"May I ask if you are looking for Roxie?"

A woman with long black hair smiled and stood there, softly asking.

"Who are you?"

"Ah~ I forgot to introduce myself."

She said, then lightly bowed to them.

"I'm Lin Ruoxiao, Roxie's sister."

She raised her head, a breeze blowing through her hair, and through the gaps in her hair, one could vaguely see her eyes.

Her clear pupils were like a replica of Roxie Lin...

...

A moment of silence.

"Sister?!"

Bell Tong widened her eyes, looking at the person in front of her who claimed to be Roxie Lin's sister.

"..."

Unheard of, when did Roxie Lin have a sister?

In her impression, she had almost never mentioned anything about her family, if she had to say, it would only be her somewhat rigid father.

"It seems she didn't tell you~"

Lin Ruoxiao smiled bitterly and sighed.

"Well..."

Raina Nan hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and then continued:

"Could you tell me about Roxie?"

"Who are you?"

"I... am her friend."

She hesitated for a moment, speaking softly.

"Are you Raina Nan?"

"Huh?"

She looked up, somewhat surprised at the woman in front of her.

"So it's you..."

Lin Ruoxiao whispered.

"Well..."

"Sure~"

The corners of her mouth slightly curved up, she took a step forward and walked up to her.

"If it's you..."

The two stood almost close to each other, her hand silently and effortlessly already extended to Raina Nan's face.

The jade bracelet on her wrist, with a cold temperature, touched her skin.

"..."

Raina Nan's mind went blank, looking at her pitch-black pupils, her body seemed to be being sucked in, unable to move.

Snap

A crisp sound.

"If you have something to say, don't be handsy."

Samson Nan opened her hand, pulling Raina Nan behind him.

"Brother, brother?"

Raina Nan seemed to suddenly wake up, looking up at his profile.

"Hehe~ So it's brother."

Lin Ruoxiao lightly clapped her hands.

"I was just greeting Raina Nan, please don't mind."

She said with a light smile.

"Is that so?"

There wasn't much expression on his face, he turned his head and looked at Raina Nan.

"Let's go, Yu Yu."

"Huh? Wait, I haven't..."

"..."

He sighed softly.

"Perhaps the questions you want to ask, this 'sister'... might not want to answer."

As he said that, he glanced at Lin Ruoxiao beside him.

"..."

Lin Ruoxiao still had a smile on her face, not answering.

Talking to this person was like talking through a thin veil, it seems they were expecting too much to hear something from her.

He remained silent, pulled Raina Nan's hand, and turned to leave.

...

"About Roxie"

At this moment, Lin Ruoxiao suddenly spoke up, her voice becoming somewhat deep.

"There's no need for everyone to worry about her, she's doing well here. In addition, as her sister, I also want to say one more thing..."

She raised her head, the smile disappeared from her face.

"Please don't be a stumbling block for my sister."

Her voice penetrated the heavy air in the alley, spreading to the surroundings.

...

Several people stood still, no sound was made.

After she finished speaking, she turned around, her gaze sweeping, lingering on Raina Nan for half a second, then moved away.

Walking, she disappeared into the alley.

...

"What was that about, that woman was so inexplicable!"

After a while, Bell Tong finally regained her senses. The strange atmosphere just now made her chest feel tight.

"Let's go, it's none of our business, let's not say anything unnecessary about other people's matters."Samson Nan walked past her and tapped the back of her head.

"Where are you from? You're intimidated by someone's good looks? Pathetic..."

"... "

Samson Nan ignored her and turned to look at Raina Nan, who remained silent.

"... "

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing..."

She turned her head and looked to the side.

What did that person mean by what they said just now? She didn't understand...

What is Ruoxi thinking?

...

She squinted her eyes and the path ahead seemed to sway. Was it an illusion?

...

"Yuyu, don't take that woman's nonsense to heart, okay?"

Bell Tong seemed to read her thoughts.

Seeing her bury her head without saying a word, she continued:

"You see, we did gain something. At least we know where Ruoxi lives now, for next time..."

Bell Tong was interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

Raina Nan's body was already leaning towards her, falling.

"Yuyu!"

...

...

"Mum, what's the matter?"

"Lower your voice."

Her mother came out of her room and gently closed the door.

"She has a slight fever. She took some medicine and fell asleep."

She said, calling Samson Nan to the living room.

"Samson Nan, how did you become her brother?!"

She slapped the table and questioned him.

"..."

"When you brought Raina home, do you know that her shoes and socks were completely soaked?!"

"I... didn't notice."

He lowered his head and bit his lip.

It was raining heavily today, and they were so focused on finding Roxie Lin that they completely missed Raina's unusual condition.

"This week we have final exams at school, and of course something like this happens at this time!"

Her mother frowned and tapped her foot.

"Lao Nan, can you take a day off tomorrow?"

She turned to ask her father, who was sitting next to her.

"Me?"

"Yes, I'm extremely busy at the end of the month and can't leave. Raina probably won't get better anytime soon, so someone needs to stay at home and take care of her, right?"

"Well, if there's really no other way, I'll..."

"Mom, I'll take care of Yuyu."

He interrupted his father's words and said softly.

"You? Are you capable..."

Her mother squinted her eyes and looked at him with some doubt.

"I can handle cooking porridge and such, and besides..."

He said, lowering his voice.

"I'm also responsible for this matter."

"Is that so?"

Her mother paused for a moment. After being told this, she didn't have much else to say.

"Then come over early tomorrow and observe her condition. If Yuyu doesn't show any improvement, take her to the hospital immediately. Your dad and I will be back at night."

"Understood."

He said, getting up.

"I'll go upstairs to check on her."

"Be quiet! Don't wake her up!"

"..."

He fell silent and walked upstairs.

Gently opening the door to her room, it was dark inside as there was no light. With the faint glow from the streetlamp outside, he could barely see her face.

He walked to her bedside.

Getting closer, he could faintly hear her uneven breathing.

It must be uncomfortable with a fever...

He bent down, gently held her hand, which was slightly damp from the cold sweat that comes after a fever.

Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow...

Thinking this, he stood up and prepared to leave.

"Brother."

A faint voice.

He paused, thinking he misheard.

"Brother."

She called again.

"I'm here, I'm here."

He quickly crouched down and leaned closer with his ear.

Her voice was so soft that he couldn't hear it clearly unless he got closer.

...

Half a minute passed and her voice disappeared again.

Was it sleep talking...

"..."

Her lips moved slightly, as if she was saying something again.

He perked up his ears.

"Ruoxi, school's over..."

"......"

"You silly girl."

He fell silent, softly saying as he brushed away the strands of hair stuck to her forehead by sweat.

Looking at her slightly furrowed eyebrows, he stood up again after half a second.

......

He walked out of the room, closed the door, and leaned against the back of it.

Silent, thinking about something.

Ding ding ding...

The phone suddenly rang.

He snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the words on the screen.

"Hello."

"Samson Nan!"

On the other end of the phone, William Wei's loud voice came through.

"What is it?"

He asked somewhat weakly, having been exhausted from a day of running around.

"Have you found Roxie Lin?!"

"Ah..."

He hesitated for a moment, it seemed that Bell Tong had already informed him of today's events.

"I was just about to tell you about it, she's okay... doing fine..."

When he said she's okay, it was just confirming her safety.

But it seemed like she won't be coming back, this was something she said herself...

"That's good, that's good..."

William Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Kun Ge found some information about Roxie Lin."

"About Roxie Lin?"

Upon hearing this, his previously drowsy eyes suddenly brightened.

"Ah, are you interested?"

His reaction surprised William Wei a little.

"Tell me about it."

"It's not something that can be explained in a short while... why don't you come over? I'm still at Lo Jia's place."

"Now?"

Glancing at the time, it was already ten o'clock at night.

"Sure, I'll come over right away."

He said, and hung up the phone.

"......"

William Wei scratched his head with the phone, when did this person start caring so much about other people's business?

Strange...

...

When he arrived at Jocelyn York's house, it was already half an hour later.

"Uncle Yun, sorry for the late visit."

"Not at all, come on in~"

Uncle Yun looked at Samson Nan bowing down to change his shoes and said:

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since you last came to our house, right?"

"Not too long ago, didn't I just come recently? Did you forget?"

He thought for a moment and smiled.

"Not too long ago... ah! Right, you're right, I must be losing my mind, it's about this time, right?"

"Ah...yes..."

He remembered that day when he sent the unconscious Jocelyn York home, it was around this time.

"Hehe, speaking of that, Uncle Yun has a question for you~"

He smiled at Samson Nan mysteriously and said:

"That day, you and Jia'er..."

"Dad!!"

Jocelyn York's voice interrupted what he was about to say.

"Samson Nan is here to discuss business, stop interfering!"

"But I was just about to ask about that day..."

"Get lost!"

Without a word, Jocelyn York grabbed his clothes and pulled him out of the foyer.

After walking a few steps, she turned back.

With slightly flushed cheeks, she looked at him.

"Samson Nan...come in, come in..."

"Oh..."

He smiled awkwardly, followed behind, and walked in.

...

"Oh, so fast."

William Wei was already waiting in the living room.

He was lying on the sofa, even without shoes on.

This guy really treats this place like his own...

"Hey, I have to ask what medicine you took today, so proactive?"

William Wei said, nudging him with his elbow.

"What did you find out about Roxie Lin?"

He sat down and went straight to the point.

"Don't ignore me..."

"Let me explain."

Uncle Yun on the side said as he poured tea into glasses.To be honest, a couple of days ago, when William Wei mentioned the name Roxie Lin to me, I felt like I had heard it somewhere before, but I just couldn't remember. I was wondering if I confused it with someone else's name, so I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. But today I happened to come across this in the cabinet..."

He said, taking out a photo and placing it on the coffee table.

It was a group photo, with several children who looked around 6 or 7 years old standing side by side. Judging from the time written on the bottom left corner of the photo, it was from 10 years ago.

"What's this?"

"A group photo taken during a zither competition held in the city 10 years ago. This is the award presentation for the children's group."

"A zither competition?"

Yunkun said, taking a sip of tea.

"Yes, because of my piano business, I had some dealings with the city's music association, so I was invited to watch this competition. But honestly, I didn't really understand much about the zither. I couldn't tell who played well and who didn't. I was almost falling asleep sitting there..."

"..."

Come to think of it, not many people know how to play the zither, let alone appreciate its music...

"Until later, when a little girl came on stage, she made a deep impression on me. After she finished playing that piece, I got goosebumps."

"She played well?"

"Well... it's hard to say."

Yunkun showed a somewhat strange expression.

"I remember the thunderous applause in the whole venue at that time. Just think about it, even someone like me, who knows nothing about it, thought it was amazing. She must have been something special."

Talking about that performance from ten years ago, it seemed fresh in his memory.

"..."

"So when I saw this photo, everything suddenly came back to me. I even went to ask the girl what her name was, just to make sure... Roxie Lin, that's her name."

He said, pointing to the girl on the far left of the photo who was slightly lowering her head.

Unlike the other children in the middle, who were smiling brightly, the girl had no trophies or certificates in her hands. She stood there expressionless, like a background cloth.

"She didn't win any awards?"

"No, I was quite puzzled about it at the time, so I asked one of the judges I knew. She played so well, why didn't she receive anything? Later, he told me quietly that it was because the girl had altered the piece herself. According to the rules, this would lead to disqualification."

"..."

Samson Nan raised his head in surprise and looked at Yunkun.

"In fact, before participating in this competition, I had heard of this Roxie Lin. There was a very famous zither association called 'Lin Yin Ge.' I don't know if you've heard of it. Their students were all outstanding. At that time, 'Lin Yin Ge' was almost synonymous with the zither. And Roxie Lin, she was the daughter of the head of 'Lin Yin Ge.' But unfortunately..."

Yunkun sighed and continued with regret.

"Just when everyone thought that this talented girl would naturally inherit 'Lin Yin Ge,' something like this happened... Since then, I haven't heard the name Roxie Lin anymore. As for the reason, there are different opinions... Some say she was discouraged and stopped playing the zither, while others say there were internal conflicts within 'Lin Yin Ge.' But... like most people, after a long time, I forgot..."

"Did 'Lin Yin Ge' stop operating after that?"

Yunkun shook his head and waved his hand.

" 'Lin Yin Ge' didn't disappear because of that... The head of the association, the big sister, had another daughter."

Just as expected...

"I heard that this other daughter has won several awards one after another, barely bringing 'Lin Yin Ge' back from the edge of public's attention. But well, I also specifically went to listen to the performances of this older daughter..."

"How was it?"

"To be honest, she played well, but compared to her sister's music... something felt lacking. Of course, I can't say for sure—I've already admitted that I'm an outsider."

Yunkun said, laughing to himself.

"Now I understand a bit more about the situation in Roxie Lin's family."

William Wei let out a sigh.

"With Samson Nan confirming that Roxie Lin is fine, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.""Uncle Yun, what's this?"

Samson Nan noticed an old CD in the box containing photos.

"Oh, that's the recording of the match at that time. Not sure if it's still working..."

Uncle Yun carefully took the CD and blew off the dust on it.

"Can I borrow this?"

Samson Nan suddenly said.

"Huh? Are you interested?"

From his impression, he wasn't someone who would be interested in these things.

"Well, sort of..."

"Then take it, it's not useful to keep it here anyway."

"Thank you, Uncle Yun."

He took the CD, glanced at the label for a while, then stood up.

"Well, I won't disturb you anymore."

"You're leaving? Stay a while longer."

"No, I have something to do at home."

He smiled lightly, waved his hand, and turned to leave.

"Is that so... Oh, by the way,"

Uncle Yun said, turning back.

"Jia'er, won't you see Samson Nan off?"

"Huh? Oh, right..."

Jocelyn York paused for a moment, then stood up.

"No need, Uncle Yun."

"It's fine, she doesn't have anything to do anyway. Going out for a walk would be good!"

"Heh, alright then..."

He smiled wryly, nodded.

...

After the two left.

In the living room, only William Wei and Uncle Yun were left.

"Jia'er, is it alright..."

"Don't bother, they've already gone far..."

The two remained silent, without any sound.

...

"Luojia, let's stop here."

He stopped, turned to look at her.

"Um..."

The street lamp flickered, emitting dim light from time to time.

She hesitated, trying to say something.

"Thank you for today."

He was the first to speak.

"I'll treat you and Uncle Yun to a meal next time."

"That's not necessary..."

She gently shook her head.

"Just being able to help Yuyu is enough."

"Huh? Did I mention it..."

He was momentarily perplexed.

"Who else could make someone run around tirelessly besides her?"

Only then did she show a faint smile, turned her face to the side.

A moment of silence.

"Anyway, thank you..."

After thinking for a while, she said so.

"Right, bye."

...

...

Early morning.

The sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting a light on the wooden floor.

It seemed that today was the first sunny day after the rainy season.

Outside the window, there was a bustling noise of people talking.

She groggily opened her eyes.

Looking left and right, the empty room seemed desolate without anyone.

She tried to sit up, and the wet towel on her forehead fell onto the bed.

Only then did she remember that she fell asleep as soon as she got home yesterday, and in the blink of an eye, it was already this time...

I really want some water...

"You're awake?"

Samson Nan walked in, carrying a cup of boiled water.

"Brother..."

Her head was still a bit dizzy, she lowered her eyelids, looking at him.

"Feeling better?"

He said, sitting down by the bed, leaning closer and touching his forehead against hers.

"Um... Ow?!"

She suddenly came to her senses, subconsciously lifted her head, and accidentally bumped her forehead against his.

"Ouch! I told you, little one, are you practicing iron head skill?"

He rubbed his forehead and said.

"It's, it's all because you suddenly..."

She blushed, murmuring softly.

"Where are mom and dad..."

"They went to work, I got you a day off from school. Stay at home today and rest, okay?"

"Oh..."

"Get up and drink this."

He said, bringing the porridge over from the table.

She looked into the bowl.

The white porridge was garnished with some green vegetables.

"You made this?"

"Who else?"

"..."

He never cooked at home, it's really amazing how he managed to make it look so decent...She picked up the spoon and gently scooped up a spoonful. When it reached her mouth, she stopped.

"What's wrong? Lost your appetite?"

"..."

She shook her head, as if thinking of something.

"..."

He looked at her, sighed, and said,

"I've heard some news about Roxie Lin."

"Really?"

Only then did she look up, wide-eyed, staring at him.

"Yes, drink the porridge and I'll tell you."

"..."

Without another word, she quickly finished the whole bowl of vegetable porridge.

"Finished."

She held the bowl up to show him.

"..."

He was speechless, glancing at her.

Then he told her what he had heard from Yunkun yesterday.

...

"How could this be..."

She sat on the bed, dumbfounded, unable to recover for a while.

She had never heard a word about it from Roxie Lin...

"Here, the video of that competition is still here."

He said, handing her the DVD.

...

"Do you want to watch it?"

He asked like this.

This DVD from ten years ago recorded Roxie Lin's past.

...

"Yes."

Her answer came without a moment's hesitation.

"Is that so..."

It seemed that asking this question was redundant.

He brought over the laptop on the table.

Inserted the DVD into the drive.

A few seconds of waiting...

The screen started to appear, fortunately, the DVD was not damaged.

The previous contestants performed their own pieces one after another, halfway through the time, but she hadn't appeared yet.

...

Suddenly, the audience's voices in the video became noisy.

The host read the list in his hand.

"Next up is... the 9th contestant."

"Roxie Lin."

"The piece she will be performing is..."

...

"Yaeyaegoromo."