194: Chapter 194 A New Beginning

Everyone let out a kind laugh; the joy seemed to dilute the sadness of parting.

Or perhaps everyone had a tacit understanding to mask their own emotions.

They hoped to face the departure with smiles, making it the beginning of their next reunion.

After finishing the meal, everyone sat in the living room, but no one knew what to say.

"I'll head out first," Jiang Miaozhu spoke first. She opened the car door and efficiently tucked her suitcase into the trunk.

Turning back to wave at everyone, her smile was as bright as ever, but it lacked the unrestrained spirit of last night, replaced by a layer of hidden melancholy.

"Everyone, until we meet again in the world!"

"Um, I'm leaving too." Lin Xi stood up to say goodbye to everyone.

Then, one by one, others followed.

Chi Zhao said to Chen Yu, "I'll take making music seriously, and... I'm sorry, and thank you!" Chi Zhao had shed his usual flamboyance; even his hairstyle looked much more serious.

"It's fine. In the future... keep it up!"

"Xiaxia, we should get going too." Xiao Wenhan pulled on Xia Ningle's sleeve.

"Su Su, we're leaving too. Hey, let's have a hug!"

After Xia Ningle and Su Lingyin hugged, she followed Xiao Wenhan out of The Cottage, looking back with every few steps.

"Alright, enough talk. Let's get together when we're free. We'll keep in touch on Green Bubble," Shen Yanzhou said breezily.

But he still couldn't resist giving Chen Yu a hug.

"Brother!"

"Take care on your way!"

Shen Yanzhou punched him playfully and cursed with a laugh, "Get out of here!"

Finally, only Chen Yu and Su Lingyin were left in the room.

We should leave too.

...

The car drove smoothly on the way to Chen Yu's basement apartment.

A unique atmosphere filled the car, a mixture of slight awkwardness and sweet silence.

The end of the show made them feel out of place, as if they had left a comfortable circle.

Now back to the reality of life, everything was full of unknowns and... expectations.

Chen Yu was driving, taking Su Lingyin to help him pack his room; this was what they had agreed upon.

Su Lingyin leaned her head to look at the street scenery flashing past the window, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Chen Yu was moving into Su Lingyin's spare room.

He had originally wanted to pay rent, but Su Lingyin refused no matter what.

"Do we really need to draw such a clear line between us?"

That's what she had said at the time, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness and a sense of "it's only natural" that she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Besides, that house is just sitting empty. If you don't stay there, I don't want to rent it to a stranger at all. Just think of it as helping me look after the place so it feels lived-in."

She knew Chen Yu too well. Almost the instant his brow furrowed slightly, she guessed what he was going to say next.

It would be nothing more than polite platitudes like "This isn't right," "It's too much trouble for you," or "Let's stick to the market rate."

So, before he could speak, Su Lingyin beat him to it, throwing out a proposal she thought he couldn't refuse and that would preserve his male pride.

She looked at him with sparkling eyes, a hint of mischief in them. "How about this! I'll come over to eat with you whenever I'm free, and you'll be in charge of the meals. My food expenses will count as rent. Is that okay? I think it's very fair."

Chen Yu was clearly stunned. Looking at her bright and somewhat persistent face, the words of refusal rolled around in his throat a few times before he finally swallowed them back down.

He smiled helplessly, but his eyes were full of indulgence. "Alright, whatever you say. Come over whenever you want to eat."

And so, the "rental agreement" was reached in an extremely un-businesslike manner.

At this moment, sitting in the passenger seat, Su Lingyin was in a very good mood, even humming a tuneless song softly.

Meanwhile, Chen Yu, who was driving, focused his gaze on the road ahead, but his knuckles tightened slightly on the steering wheel, betraying that he wasn't as calm as he appeared.

Although the matter was resolved and the method was nearly perfect, a lingering, subtle feeling always haunted his heart.

That feeling... was a bit like being a "kept man."

When this word popped into his head, Chen Yu himself felt it was a bit absurd and exaggerated, but upon careful reflection, it wasn't entirely without reason.

As a man, he had moved into her house, she stubbornly refused to take money, and finally, they settled it with this "meals for rent" method that was almost like a joke.

Financially, he had paid almost no actual cost; instead, it seemed like he had given her a legitimate reason to come find him at any time.

This made him feel a bit uneasy, as his traditional male sense of responsibility was acting up.

But on the other hand, it was Su Lingyin who proposed this plan. The sincerity in her eyes and the intimacy of "we shouldn't distinguish between each other" made a soft warmth rise in his heart.

These contradictory feelings were intertwined.

On one side was a slight embarrassment and a challenge to his self-esteem; on the other was the enjoyment and heart-fluttering feeling of her total trust and closeness.

He let out a soft breath and took a quick sideways glance at Su Lingyin, who seemed to be in high spirits. Ultimately, that bit of unease was suppressed by the stronger emotion she evoked.

Forget it.

Chen Yu shook his head to dispel his stray thoughts.

In any case, the new life was still full of expectations!

Every day, he would not only be able to see the sunlight but also Su Lingyin.

...

The car stopped downstairs at Chen Yu's rental unit.

The two went "down" into the building and pushed open the door.

Although Chen Yu was usually quite tidy, he hadn't cleaned much lately, so the room still looked a bit cluttered.

Several cardboard boxes were scattered on the floor, containing some books and miscellaneous items.

The most conspicuous thing was the set of music production equipment placed against the wall.

MIDI keyboards, sound cards, studio monitors, a mixing console, and several microphones that looked quite expensive. The cables were neatly wound, waiting to be properly packed.

"There really is quite a lot of stuff."

Su Lingyin looked around, her gaze finally landing on the pile of equipment. "Especially these, we have to be careful."

"Yeah, the tools of my trade," Chen Yu nodded, his tone carrying the special cherishing a musician has for their tools.

The two began to pack.

"Thanks for the hard work, Su Su."

Su Lingyin said with a smile, "I think it's great. Being able to participate in your life is quite an interesting experience."

Before they knew it...

The movers Chen Yu had booked in advance arrived quickly and professionally began moving the large pieces of furniture and the already packed boxes downstairs.

During a break while the movers were busy, Chen Yu looked at the slightly empty room he was about to say goodbye to and felt a bit emotional.

He took out his phone and filmed a short video.

The camera panned over the packed cardboard boxes, gave a close-up to the equipment, and finally swept across the empty room.

He lowered his head to quickly edit it and added a caption: [Saying goodbye to the old nest, changing environments, working hard to earn a living, the music never stops.]

Then he casually posted it to his social media account.

As soon as the video was posted, it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up an enthusiastic response from fans.

Comments and bullet chats began to refresh rapidly:

[Nice, nice, nice. Chen Yu must have made a lot of money lately, he doesn't even want his home anymore!]

[This is clearly going to live off a woman (doge face). So shameless, I want to live off a woman too!]

[Handsome and skilled. Young ladies who like me, please send a DM. (Manual doge for protection)]

[Holy crap! Chen Yu's equipment is worth a fortune! Those microphones cost more than several months of my salary! Looks like we all misunderstood him; compared to him, I'm the poor one! So he's actually eating soft rice with a hard attitude?]