I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

The last day until the graduation party.

The music room.

Zhou Xiao finally finished organizing the final version of the sheet music and accompaniment tracks, and copied a copy to Jiang Ye using a USB drive.

"I've contacted the school's sound system. They'll be bringing an electric piano onto the stage for the party. The sound quality is much better than this old relic. Go and try it out beforehand."

"it is good."

Are you nervous?

"I'm not nervous."

Zhou Xiao looked at him suspiciously: "Your mentality is really not like that of a ten-year-old child."

Jiang Ye twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, right," Zhou Xiao suddenly lowered her voice, "I heard from the sixth-grade teacher that Xu Zhiyu's mother called to ask which program Xu Zhiyu was performing in, how long it would last, and whether she would be sitting in the front row."

Jiang Ye's fingers paused on the piano keys for a beat.

Looking at his expression, Zhou Xiao tentatively said, "You're close to Xu Zhiyu, and you should know about her mother, right?"

"learn."

As Xu Zhiyu became famous, her family naturally became known to everyone.

A controlling mother and a father who doesn't care about anything.

It's truly heartbreaking.

Zhou Xiao hesitated for a moment.

"So, do you think Xu Zhiyu will still be able to perform normally after she arrives?"

Jiang Ye did not answer immediately.

He took his hands off the piano keys, interlaced his ten fingers, and rested them on his knees.

Cheng Jinglan sat in the first row.

Xu Zhiyu stood on the stage.

When the lights shone down, everyone in the audience was just a blurry silhouette, but Xu Zhiyu would definitely spot her mother at first glance.

Then the sound of a timer would start playing in her head.

"Three minutes and twelve seconds."

"If you run out of time, start over."

Jiang Ye closed his eyes briefly.

"Teacher Zhou, could you please change the order of the programs?"

"How do I adjust it?"

"My piano solo is scheduled one before Xu Zhiyu's, right?"

"right."

"Don't interrupt with the host's remarks. After I finish playing, keep the lights on and go straight to her dance."

Zhou Xiao was taken aback: "You mean—"

"My music is her prelude. As long as the music continues, she doesn't have to face those few seconds of silence."

Those few seconds of silence are the most dangerous.

A quiet stage, bright lights, and hundreds of eyes watching from below.

What is merely waiting for others is an abyss for Xu Zhiyu.

Zhou Xiao was silent for a while, then made a few strokes on the sheet music.

"I'll change the last four measures of 'Breaking the Cocoon' to have a diminuendo but not a final stop, and hold the last note with the sustain pedal to transition directly into her dance music. Technically, there's no problem."

She looked up at Jiang Ye, her eyes holding something different, and smiled:

"Jiang Ye, you really care about her."

Jiang Ye stood up, took the USB drive, and put it in his pocket.

"She deserves it."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After school in the afternoon, Ji Xiaoxiao came running over, holding a crumpled piece of draft paper in her hand.

"Ah Ye, Ah Ye, look at this!"

Jiang Ye took it and looked at it—there was a crooked seating chart on the paper, with all the positions from the first to the fifth row marked, and Ji Xiaoxiao had drawn a big X in red pen on the middle position of the first row.

The sign next to it reads: Enemy Coordinates.

"What is this thing?"

"The battle plan!" Ji Xiaoxiao lowered her voice, her face serious. "Didn't you say we couldn't let Aunt Cheng influence Sister Xiaoyu? I've thought of a way!"

"What method?"

"First! Plan A! Stop Aunt Cheng from attending the graduation party!"

The chubby girl slammed her hand on the paper, her expression serious, much like a police officer analyzing a criminal case.

"When the time comes, I'll have my girlfriends pretend to walk past her by accident and spill their drinks on her, making her go home and change! She'll miss Sister Little Fish's performance!"

Because Ji Xiaoxiao has a great personality, most of the girls in the class are her girlfriends.

Jiang Ye sat up straight and nodded in approval.

"Yes, that works."

"But what if she arrives early? After all, the sixth-grade program is scheduled for the last few shows, so she'll definitely have time to go back and change."

Ji Xiaoxiao's expression froze for a moment, then she straightened up again.

"There's also Plan B!"

"My girlfriends and I sat in front of Aunt Cheng, blocking her view!"

Jiang Ye: "But she was sitting in the section for parents of graduating students; younger students aren't allowed to sit there."

Ji Xiaoxiao: "..."

She gritted her teeth.

"Then we have no choice but to implement the final solution!"

Jiang Ye looked at her with interest: "Oh? Officer Xiaoxiao, do you have any other brilliant plans?"

"Plan C!" Ji Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips.

"I'll go directly to Aunt Cheng and tell her—"

She cleared her throat and imitated an adult's tone.

"Hello Ms. Cheng, due to limited space, all seats for parents are full. Please come again next time!"

Jiang Ye looked at her for three seconds.

"Xiaoxiao".

"Um?"

"Why don't you give up being a policeman?"

Ji Xiaoxiao's momentum instantly deflated, like a balloon that had been pricked with a needle, and then continued to twist and turn.

"Ugh, what am I going to do?! I only have so much brain capacity!"

She looked down at her seating chart covered in red crosses, and the more she looked at it, the more unreliable it seemed. Finally, she crumpled the paper into a ball and stuffed it into her pocket.

Jiang Ye patted her head.

"Your plan isn't great, but your spirit is commendable. I'll treat you to ice cream later."

"real?!"

"Really."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

However, good times are always fleeting.

Plans are always subject to change.

That evening, Jiang Ye had just finished showering when a deafening argument erupted from next door.

At first, it was suppressed; the man's roar was muffled and indistinct, like the howl of a trapped beast.

Then came the sound of something being smashed to pieces.

Jiang Ye paused, the towel he was using to dry his hair stopped in mid-air, and he listened intently.

The walls were thick, but they couldn't block out that hysterical rage.

The Xu family.

The living room was a complete mess.

Several sheets of printed paper were tossed onto the sleek coffee table, then slid to the floor, scattered in disarray.

"Cheng Jinglan, what the hell is this thing?!"

Xu Hai pointed at the divorce agreement on the ground, veins bulging on his neck, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

"Divorce?! You fucking want a divorce?!"

He was like an enraged bull, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at the woman on the sofa.

"Tell me! Have you been seeing another man outside?!"

Xu Zhiyu hid in her room, hugging her knees and leaning against the door, listening quietly.

Outside, Cheng Jinglan sat there, not even glancing up at him, but slowly dusting off non-existent dust from the hem of her expensive dress.

That calm, almost contemptuous demeanor completely ignited Xu Hai's fury.

"Yes, so what?"

She finally raised her head, her face expressionless, but her eyes held a mocking icy glint.

"There is a man who is a hundred times better than you. He is willing to marry me and even help me pay off the debts I incurred because of you."