Mud beads

The first thing Yu Zhu learned at school was not to block the way.

The corridor is wiped down every day. Before the first class in the morning, there's a smell of disinfectant and wax mixed together on the floor. Girls walk past her, their skirts short, their hair fragrant, their school shoes making no sound of mud on the ground.

Yu Zhu's school uniform is different from theirs.

The shoulder line dropped, the cuffs covered her knuckles, and the skirt was longer. She was too thin; Aunt Wang altered the waist of the skirt, but it still looked loose. She tried to tie her hair into a low ponytail like the girls at school, but her hair was slightly curly, with dry, yellow ends, lacking the silky smoothness she remembered.

She dared not look in the mirror for too long.

The longer the photos were taken, the more different she became from others.

Moth

There is a glass corridor between the junior high and senior high schools. On sunny days, people's reflections can be seen in the glass. Echizen Toru often walks by there, his school uniform jacket draped over his arm, and there are always people talking to him.

Yu Zhu would lower his head every time he heard someone call his name.

She remembered him saying, "Don't look, it's too much trouble to explain."

But she can hear it even without looking.

"Did his family donate a new concert hall to the school?"

"It's not his family, it's his grandfather's. The black box theater in the high school also belongs to the Yue family."

"His dad's abroad, right?"

"Yeah, it seems his mother is gone."

The voice will drop for a moment after this sentence.

Yu Zhu held the pen, the tip pausing on the paper. She knew what "gone" meant. People in the village often said that—whose man had passed away, whose elder had passed away. But when those words were spoken about Yue Jianche, she always felt they shouldn't have been used.

He doesn't seem like someone who would lack anything.

After a while, someone else started talking about the music teacher.

"Does anyone know what Teacher Fang is doing now?"

"She'll probably stay unemployed. She's just being neurotic, who can she blame?"

"Hahaha, the old cow still wants to eat the school heartthrob."

"That's ridiculous."

Yu Zhu didn't know if they were talking about the incident in Qinling. She only understood one thing: a teacher surnamed Fang had left, but Yue Jianche remained at the school. Everyone thought he was innocent.

She felt the same way.

After the second period, the homeroom teacher asked Yu Zhu to go to the administration building to submit some materials.

The transparent file folder contained student registration forms, medical examination reports, temporary guardianship instructions, and several stamped sheets of paper. The homeroom teacher handed her the folder, saying, "Don't lose it."

Yu Zhu accepted it with both hands and nodded.

The administration building was next to the high school. Her shoes smacked softly on the floor as she walked past. At the end of the corridor was a photo wall displaying pictures of past competitions and college admissions. She couldn't recognize all the English names, only Etsuya Toru's name.

In the photo, he is wearing a white shirt and standing next to a black cello. The ballroom lights illuminate him, making his cuffs appear as white as fresh snow.

The description section ends with the words "Gold Award".

Yu Zhu didn't dare to look for long.

She remembered the black violin case in his room; she realized he played the violin so well.

She clutched the file bag tightly and continued walking forward.

The door to the rest area on the second floor of the administration building was ajar, and someone was making a phone call inside.

Yu Zhu walked by and heard Yue Jianche's voice.

"Going abroad?"

She stopped walking instinctively.

The voice on the other end of the phone was a man, and it was hard to hear clearly through the door: "I'll have someone take care of the paperwork. You can go there to study next semester. The school is all arranged. I'll talk to your grandfather."

Echizen Toru chuckled: "You want to talk?"

"A change of environment will be good for you."

"Stop acting."

The corridor was empty, and the materials room was right next to the lounge. Yu Zhu didn't dare to knock on the door, afraid of disturbing Yue Jian Che, so she could only stand in the shadows beside the door.

Koshima Toru's voice was slow and deliberate: "You want to send me away not because I need a change of scenery, but because I'm under Grandpa's watchful eye. You don't like me, but you don't dare to say it yourself."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

The man said, "Toru Koshima, I am your father."

"So?" he asked, "Will this sentence get through customs?"

Yu Zhu didn't understand the second half of the sentence. She only heard that he was laughing.

The laughter was soft, gentle, and clean, without any particular emotion.

The man's voice grew harsher: "If your mother were still alive, she wouldn't want to see you like this."

The room was silent for two seconds.

Yu Zhu raised her head.

She thought he would be sad.

But Toru Koshima only said, "When you miss her, you always choose occasions where others can hear you."

There was no response on the other end of the phone.

"The flowers at the cemetery this year, were they also ordered by your secretary?" he said casually. "The 'Forever Remembered' on the card is quite nice. It was the same last year."

Yu Zhu stood outside the door, her heart beating faster and faster.

She couldn't understand the connection between the cemetery and the secretary, but she felt she had uncovered his secret. However, Echizen Toru remained indifferent throughout, as if he were talking about someone else's business, and the word "mother" didn't even make him pause.

The man on the other end of the phone finally spoke: "What exactly do you want?"

"I don't want anything," Toru Koshima said. "It's you who wants something."

"Your grandfather won't protect you forever."

"He doesn't need protection," Toru Echizen said. "As long as he's alive, you have to keep acting."

The phone was disconnected.

Through the crack in the door, Yuejian Tetsu didn't immediately put away his phone.

Yu Zhu saw him glance down at the call duration on the screen. For a very brief moment, the corner of his mouth seemed to be slightly tugged by something, but it quickly disappeared.

She couldn't explain what it meant.

But at that moment, she suddenly realized that the person who had just been scolded wasn't him.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Yu Zhu held her breath, wanting to leave before he came out.

But the door was pulled open.

Standing inside the door, Toru Echizen wasn't surprised to see her.

He was wearing his school uniform, his tie loosely hanging down, revealing his beautiful collarbone.

He glanced at the file folder in her arms, then pointed his thumb toward the door beside him: "Materials room?"

Yu Zhu nodded.

"Let's go in."

She dared not move.

Toru Koshima looked down at her: "Did you hear that?"

She immediately shook her head.

He smiled.

"Yu Zhu, don't shake so hard when you're lying," he said. "It sounds fake."

Yu Zhu instinctively hugged the materials in her arms tighter.

She whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to apologize for?" Toru Echizen turned aside to let her in. "It's not like you're the one causing my dad so much trouble."

The office was empty; the administrative staff had probably gone out temporarily. Yuejian Che hadn't left; he was still leaning against the door, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure.

Yu Zhu carefully placed the file bag on the teacher's desk.

She wanted to go out, but with Yuejian Che in the room, she dared not move.

"What's with that expression?" he asked. "Are you pitying me?"

Yu Zhu shook her head.

She didn't know if she felt sorry for him. Yuejian Tetsu had so much: a cello, a house, a car, gold medals on his photo wall. But the way that man on the phone just now said "it's for your own good" reminded her of Liu Guizhen.

Liu Guizhen said that when she wanted what was best for her, she would ask her to give up her bed to her younger brother.

When Yu Dahai said he was doing it for her own good, he would raise her price.

Echizen straightened up and made way for the doorway.

"Never lie to me, understand?" he said.

Yu Zhu lowered her head: "I understand."

Echizen Toru smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly reached out and tapped the top of her head with his knuckles.

"Good boy," he said. "Go on."

Yu Zhu fled in panic.

When school was over, some students left the classroom and then ran back in.

A boy shouted excitedly, "Hurry to the school gate! Xiao Fang is looking for Echizen Toru!"