Rich people’s cars were indeed something.
That was Lu Yu’s first thought after getting in.
The AC hummed comfortably, a gentle breeze blowing, shutting out the summer heat beyond the window.
The genuine leather seat was almost too soft—if you ran your fingers over it slowly, you could feel the delicate grain of the hide.
Lu Yu sat perfectly straight, her smooth legs pressed gently together, hands resting lightly on her skirt—impeccably proper.
Probably the most proper he’d ever sat in his life.
Though the backseat was spacious, he still squeezed himself against the window, gaze fixed on the bustling street outside.
Fiery sunset clouds faded along the western horizon; the sun was nearly down.
From the rearview mirror up front, the woman’s gaze—faint yet persistent—pricked at him. He grew too uneasy to enjoy the passing scenery.
“I heard from Teacher Gao your piano kept going out of tune yesterday. Anything troubling you lately?”
The woman showed faint concern for her daughter. Her sharp eyes held both piercing intensity and a trace of warmth.
Earlier that noon, Lin Beixing had told Lu Yu her mother loved her deeply, always giving her the best—just strict.
Lu Yu had asked why she didn’t resist. To him, if life felt hard, he’d change it.
He couldn’t grasp this self-made cage.
Life was short. Youth, even shorter. With resolve to face consequences, nothing mattered more than pleasing oneself.
That was Lu Yu’s belief.
But this was Lin Beixing’s home. Every family had its struggles. He said nothing, only nodding quietly that he’d cooperate.
“Beixing?”
His brief distraction displeased her.
Her tone sharpened; the last hint of maternal softness vanished from her eyes.
Lu Yu straightened instantly.
“No, Mom… I’m fine.”
“Is your wrist tenosynovitis still hurting?”
He lifted his hands, rubbing his wrists lightly.
No real pain…
An idea flickered.
“A little,” he replied.
He’d hoped claiming pain would skip today’s practice.
Instead, she said calmly:
“Then cut practice by half an hour. Just review yesterday’s sheet music a few more times.”
Her sharp eyes scanned his face through the mirror, watching for tells.
Lu Yu kept his head down, sighing inwardly. Parents could be ruthless—even admitting pain wasn’t enough.
He understood wanting a child to excel.
He understood prioritizing senior-year studies.
But this extra practice felt unnecessary…
Words rose, then sank back.
He barely knew Lin Beixing’s home life.
Right now, he was only playing her role. Maintaining her persona already had him racking his brain—he wouldn’t risk trouble by defying her parents.
“I understand, Mom.”
“Good. Your bag looked heavy today. Lots of homework?”
“Just review tasks.”
“Then review well. I left two sets of past exam papers in your room. Finish them tonight.”
Lu Yu: “…”
*At my level,* he thought, *I couldn’t even handle a freshman workbook.*
Aloud, he answered obediently:
“I know.”
Only then did the woman in the passenger seat finally look satisfied, her gaze shifting away.
The car turned a few corners into a quiet villa district, far from the city’s glow.
Lu Yu watched the vine-covered Western-style house ahead and felt a quiet knot of nerves for what came next.
………………
Meanwhile.
Lin Beixing followed Lu Yu’s directions, walking slowly toward the alley’s end.
Everything felt utterly new. She glanced curiously left and right, eyes drifting between shopfronts.
The neighborhood was old. Nestled beside the school, dismissal time meant crowded streets—electric scooters and bicycles brushing past her.
Watching two girls ahead walking hand in hand, Lin Beixing felt a quiet pang.
Since childhood, her commutes had been by private car. She’d never wandered freely through streets like this.
Uneasy, yes—but this novelty… wasn’t unpleasant.
The two girls suddenly turned back.
They glanced at her, whispering.
Mimicking Lu Yu’s usual lazy after-school stride—schoolbag slung over his shoulder—Lin Beixing offered a gentle smile.
The girls froze, then quickly looked away.
From her new 180cm vantage point, she saw their flustered faces, ears tinged pink.
Only then did it click:
That reflexive, friendly smile? On Lu Yu’s face, it was dangerously charming.
No denying it—Lu Yu was strikingly handsome.
Especially at Jiangshui No. 1 High School, packed with top students, boys like him were rare.
The girls had already fled in flustered retreat.
Lin Beixing watched them go with a helpless smile, stopping at the compound gate.
Her memory was sharp. Following Lu Yu’s description, she found it exactly.
“Unit 2… Unit 2…”
No guard at the gate—just an old man in a tank top reading a paper in a rattan chair.
She slipped inside, scanning the three units.
Outside Unit 2 sat sun-wilted potted plants. In a patch of soil smaller than a square meter, scallions and cilantro grew. A faint herbal scent lingered by the door.
Clotheslines crisscrossed the tiny courtyard, damp laundry dripping freshly washed.
Every corner breathed lived-in warmth. Stir-fry aromas drifted from a first-floor window—so vivid, so real.
Yet to Lin Beixing, it felt unreal.
At this hour, she’d usually be home—stepping into her gilded cage. The chair would trap her; endless exercises would chain her there.
Now, that routine was broken.
Heart thumping with quiet unease and hidden thrill, Lin Beixing stood before Room 301.
The iron door was rust-streaked. She pulled the key from her pocket and turned the handle gently.
