Volume 3: High School Arc - Mirror Game
When I first saw so many options, I was a bit overwhelmed too, but in the end, the choice was quite simple.
Of course, I wasn’t going to pick martial arts.
After all, I didn’t want to become a teacher.
So after thinking back and forth, I decided to learn a musical instrument, to cultivate myself a bit more.
In my memories, there were naturally some people who had learned instruments.
But most of them were dabblers, not truly skilled, some even complete amateurs, knowing only a few songs and nothing else.
Musical instruments, huh...
Right now, I only picked folk guitar.
This interest class can be changed later, but it’s required to stick with any elective for at least three months before switching.
Bai Juanjuan also picked the same department as me.
Actually, I wasn’t too supportive of her choosing this elective at first.
But seeing her persistence, I didn’t say much more.
After all, these are personal choices.
Sometimes, "it's for your own good" can also become a burden.
After breakfast, I sat in the Maybach in silence.
Shao He was, as usual, talking to me.
I could only respond half-heartedly.
In the end, Shao He had nothing more to say, so she simply quieted down and focused on driving.
The atmosphere in the car became somewhat heavy.
Shao He and I both sensed it, yet neither of us said anything.
Maybe this created a bit of a rift between us?
Once we got to school and got out of the car, many students were walking in this direction.
At a school like this, most students came by car.
Of course, there were also some whose parents bought houses right at the school entrance.
So a portion of students walked to school.
Others got dropped off on another street.
There weren’t many who got dropped off right at the gate like me.
After all, that almost counted as showing off.
Everyone came from wealthy families.
We all knew the value of keeping a low profile.
So most didn’t flaunt it too much.
That made me a rather special case.
But I didn’t care.
After getting out of the car, I told Shao He I wanted to eat lobster in the afternoon.
She nodded and went to make preparations.
The students who came this morning were all here for music class.
So things looked quite peaceful.
Everyone had smiles on their faces, walking over from a distance.
Just as I got out of the car and finished speaking with Shao He, I turned around and saw her.
That silly girl Bai Juanjuan was already at the school gate without me knowing.
She was leaning on the gatepost, waiting for me.
“Yunyan～～”
The moment she saw me, a smile suddenly lit up her somewhat lonely face.
Waving her hand, she called my name.
Her gesture instantly attracted everyone's attention.
I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile bitterly.
I walked over and knocked her lightly on the head.
“Ow! Yunyan, why did you hit me again!”
Bai Juanjuan covered her forehead with both hands, looking at me with a pouty, playful face.
“Heh... Alright, stop acting cute. Let’s go.”
Tightening the strap of my guitar bag, I noticed that this silly girl also had a guitar on her back, but it looked like a much smaller model.
Because of my height, I chose a standard-sized guitar, while she picked a smaller one due to her own height.
“Mm!”
As we walked through the campus on a Saturday, I saw each student carrying their own instrument.
Some instruments were quite large and needed to be carried by others.
Behind the main school building were two buildings specifically for interest classes.
Most students would go there for whatever they needed to study, and we were no exception.
Listening to Bai Juanjuan chatter by my ear, the two of us made our way to the classroom.
As girls, most would choose elegant instruments like the guzheng, pipa, or piano.
Girls like us learning guitar were really rare.
Once we entered the classroom, about ninety percent were male.
A quick scan of the room told me that aside from Bai Juanjuan and me, only three other girls were learning guitar.
Seeing the surprised looks from others, I didn’t pay them any mind.
I walked into the classroom, found a seat, and waited for class to begin.
There wasn’t much to say about the lesson itself.
The classrooms here were soundproof, so we didn’t disturb others.
After three periods in the morning, my fingers were already sore.
And Bai Juanjuan was even worse off.
That girl never had much stamina to begin with.
By the second period, her fingers had almost stopped responding.
She had to put her guitar down and turn on a recorder to note the teacher’s key points.
“That’s it for today’s lesson. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to call the teacher. Online teaching is available, but don’t call after six in the evening. Teachers have their own lives too.”
With that, the teacher tidied up the materials.
He was a fairly decent-looking man.
Just looking at Bai Juanjuan’s shy expression made that pretty clear.
After class, quite a few students started getting to know each other.
After all, this was the interest class for first-year students.
Second and third years were in nearby rooms, and people of the same age had more to talk about.
Some boys even tried to come up and chat.
But I turned them all down.
Bai Juanjuan didn’t say much either.
She was still a bit scared of boys.
Maybe it was because she hadn’t had much contact with them before?
After packing up, I put away the Brazilian rosewood guitar.
Gong Lianyu had heard I signed up for guitar class and bought it specially from London.
It was said to be made of Brazilian rosewood.
I didn’t know the specifics, just that it was handcrafted by some artisan and cost over three hundred thousand RMB.
I didn’t really have anything to say about that.
Spoiled?
Rich!
Hiahia!
Strapping the guitar bag on my back, I chatted with Bai Juanjuan about what the teacher had just taught.
While ignoring a male student’s attempt to strike up a conversation, we walked straight out of the room.
But just as I stepped out, I saw someone… someone whose approach I couldn’t refuse.
“I need to talk to you. I wonder if Liu Yunyan has a moment?”
Hearing that casual tone, I already knew who it was.
Turning back, I said to Bai Juanjuan,
“Juanjuan, wait for me at the gate. We’ll go together in a bit. Didn’t you say you were free this afternoon? Come eat at my place. We’re having lobster for lunch today. Oh right! I remember you’re not allergic to seafood, right?”
Asthma is something that depends on specific conditions.
Many asthma patients are allergic to seafood.
But Bai Juanjuan was a bit different.
Her asthma was hereditary, along with some heart issues.
So there weren’t many foods she avoided.
But she did have to watch her emotional state.
“Mm, it’s fine.”
Bai Juanjuan responded softly, then hid behind my back.
She peeked sneakily at Lu Haochen and then turned to me, winking mischievously.
That look seemed to say, “I won’t be the third wheel～”
I couldn’t help but twitch the corner of my mouth.