Green plums cannot become lovers.

Hearing the boy's words, the girls, though a little reluctant, obediently agreed.

The young woman had many things to do, which was unavoidable, and all they could do was silently support her and not cause her any trouble.

An and Asuka smiled at them, then slung their guitars over their shoulders and headed out into the wind and snow.

He soon arrived at Kaori Miyazono's house.

—Anhe, I'm home.

The phone displayed the message the girl had just sent him. An and Asuka glanced at it before letting out a soft sigh, then reached out and pressed the doorbell.

ding dong~~~

The doorbell rang far in the silent snow. An and Asuka had just let go of each other's hands when they heard a tapping sound from inside the door. Then the door opened, bringing a warm breeze, and a girl's bright face appeared before them.

"Anhe, you're here!"

Looking at the girl before them, An and Asuka suddenly felt a sense of relief. It had been a month since they had truly seen each other.

"Yes, it's here."

An and Asuka nodded slightly and gave the girl a smile.

"Come in quickly!" Kaori Miyazono pulled the boy into the house without saying a word. She was very happy to see the boy again.

"I'm sorry, Anhe. I wanted to come back earlier, but I had too many things to do and it took so long."

The first thing the girl did upon entering was to apologize to An and Asuka. After all, she was the one who invited him to team up, and then he disappeared the very next day.

"It's alright, after all, it's understandable." An and Asuka remained calm, seemingly unaware of the girl's lie.

Kaori Miyazono didn't seem to want to say much more about the matter, as the more she said, the easier it would be to give herself away. So after apologizing, she put on a smile again.

"So our team is still around, right?"

"Of course."

An and Asuka knew what she meant, so they nodded.

"Then let's hurry up and go practice!"

An and Asuka asked, "Do you still want to participate in the competition?"

With only two days left until the official competition, they simply don't have enough time to practice, and even if they participate, they are destined not to win any prizes.

“Of course,” Kaori Miyazono said matter-of-factly. “I never said I was going to quit.”

In the hospital, she kept this matter as her goal, even before the surgery she kept thinking about it.

"Oh well."

An and Asuka smiled. Since the girl hadn't chosen to give up, he certainly wouldn't either.

What he needs to do now is to fully cooperate with the girl, and even if he can't get a good ranking, he can't let her down.

Besides, he's been preparing for this day all by himself for a long time. It would be such a waste to give up now.

Volume 1: Chapter 129 A Grudge Arose

Since that day when they took away the sheet music composed by the girl herself, An and Asuka have been taking it home and slowly revising it.

It took him more than a week to add a lot of color to the piece without changing its main melody.

He was confident that if they performed the piece well, they would definitely win first place.

"I brought you a gift to congratulate you on your return from afar."

An and Asuka, with their hands behind their backs, spoke mysteriously to Kaori Miyazono, a statement that successfully piqued the girl's curiosity.

She quickly asked, "What gift is it? Let me see."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look behind Anwa Asuka, and Anwa Asuka, seeing this, did not keep her in suspense and directly took out the sheet music in her hand.

"This," he said, waving the sheet music in front of the girl, "is your Christmas present."

“Christmas is long over,” Kaori Miyazono said, though she was still somewhat happy because of the boy’s words.

She reached out and took the item from the other person's hand, then looked down at it. After a short while, her eyes widened in disbelief.

This is a musical score, and it's the one she composed herself before. But compared to her original score, this one is clearly of a much higher quality.

"this......"

“I’ve made some changes,” An and Asuka said. “It sounds better this way.”

"..."

Kaori Miyazono quietly looked at the sheet music in her hand, liking it more and more as she looked at it. Finally, she couldn't help but look up at An and Asuka with excitement.

"Anhe, you are really amazing."

She gained a new appreciation for the boy's talent. At such a young age, he was proficient in various musical instruments, composed several pieces of music, and even improved his terrible compositions so much.

"What else?" An and Asuka were not modest at all, and readily accepted the girl's praise.

Kaori Miyazono liked it more and more as she looked at it, so she couldn't wait to say, "Then let's play it together quickly."

She really wanted to hear the new life that the song brought.

"no problem."

Knowing how excited the girl was, An and Asuka readily agreed.

He walked to the piano and sat down, while the girl picked up her violin and got into position.

The two exchanged a glance, and then soft, melodious music filled the small music room.

Kaori Miyazono grew to love the piece more and more with each listen. She didn't know how much time and effort the boy had put into improving it, but she knew he must have kept her in his heart.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to do such a thankless task. Even if he did nothing, no one would say anything, but doing these things would only make people like him more.

His gaze lifted from the shop and then fell on the boy.

Kaori Miyazono felt her mood soaring with the music.

When the song ended, she wanted to play another. An and Asuka were willing to accompany her until she was satisfied.

But after only two repetitions, the door to the music room was opened from the outside. The music club session came to an abrupt halt, and the girl's mother stood in the doorway.

"Xiao Xun, that's enough. Don't overwork yourself."

She first gently reminded the girl, then looked at Anwa Asuka, her tone unchanged: "Anwa-kun, take a break too."

"..."

Kaori Miyazono initially didn't want to give up, but after a moment of silence, she nodded, seemingly thinking of something.

"I see."

"Well, good."

The woman smiled slightly and left first. Then, Kaori Miyazono said to Anwa Asuka, "Anwa-kun, let's take a break, can we practice again later?"

"Anytime is fine."

"Then let's rest. I'm a little tired too," Kaori Miyazono said, then, perhaps worried that the boy might be thinking about other things, she added.

"I've been extremely busy back home lately and haven't had a proper rest."

"Is that so? Then you really should rest, otherwise it would be a loss if you ruined your health."

An and Asuka didn't expose the girl's embarrassment; her body, still recovering from a serious illness, certainly needed rest. He didn't want to see her back in the hospital bed.

The two returned to the living room, where the girl's mother was sitting on the sofa, looking down at a magazine.

Kaori Miyazono led An and Asuka to sit in the kotatsu to warm themselves. She placed the sheet music she had brought out on the table and began to look at it. She was in a very good mood, and she couldn't help but hum a beautiful melody.

This piece of music is so good that she loves it no matter how many times she listens to it.

An and Asuka watched her silently without saying anything, but their eyes softened unconsciously.

The girl's soft humming added a touch of warmth to the room, but this warmth was short-lived and was soon broken by the girl's mother.

"Xiao Xun, you can't do this again like today, okay? Your body won't be able to handle it if you're too tired."

Hearing her mother's voice, Kaori Miyazono stiffened. She subconsciously glanced at the boy beside her, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he looked puzzled. She then quickly said to her mother, "It's okay, Mom. I know what I'm doing. Besides, we've only been practicing for about ten minutes."

"You're being unreasonable. If I hadn't called on you, you would have kept practicing, wouldn't you?"

"You need to know, your body can..."

"mom!"

Seeing that her mother was about to bring up her health again, Kaori Miyazono quickly interrupted, "I know, I'll be careful in the future, please don't say it again."

If the mother continues talking, the boy will definitely find out.

"You silly child, I'm doing this for your own good." The woman sighed, but ultimately didn't say anything more.

A brief silence fell, but the girl quickly regained her energy and began to actively ease the tension.

The mother and daughter had a very good relationship, and laughter could be heard from time to time during their conversation. An and Asuka would occasionally exchange a few words, but most of the time only the girl responded to them.

As for her mother, although she acted very kindly, he still sensed a distance between them. He had felt it when they were at the door of the music room, but at the time he thought it was just his imagination.

But now it seems that the girl's mother really hates her, and her attitude is completely different from when they first met.

An and Asuka thought about what they had done to offend her, and soon they figured out the reason.

Perhaps in the eyes of the girl's mother, her presence was an obstacle.

The girl would forget herself as long as she was with him.

Volume 1: Chapter 130 Because We Are Partners

An and Asuka left shortly after being watched by the girl's mother.

As they were leaving, the girl seemed to want to say something, so she offered to see him off. However, her mother stopped her, telling the girl to sit and rest, and personally escorted An and Asuka to the door.

The door was gently closed, temporarily isolating the inside from the outside world.

An and Asuka looked at the woman before them, but didn't leave immediately. They could tell that she had something she wanted to say to them.

The woman didn't keep him waiting long. After a brief silence, she spoke, "Anhe, could you please stay away from Xiaoxun in the future?"

"..."

The woman's words were as light as a breeze, chilling one to the bone in this icy and snowy landscape.

Before An and Asuka could respond, she continued, "Of course, I'm not threatening you to sever your friendship with Kaoru and go completely apart from her. I just want you to keep a little distance from Kaoru."

"Can you grant me this request?"

The woman spoke softly, her eyes sincere, and as she said, she wasn't threatening him. Yet, it was precisely this demeanor that made her so irresistible.

An and Asuka breathed a sigh of relief as they listened to the woman's words, and asked in return, "Auntie, is this what Miyazono-kun means?"

"No."

"Then I'm sorry, I can't do that."

An and Asuka shook their heads and refused. She knew what this woman was thinking. She thought that the girl always got carried away when she was with him, neglecting her health and causing her old illness to relapse.

Such thinking is extremely irresponsible, both for him and for that girl.

He didn't want to be the one who was wronged, and he didn't want to distance himself from the girl because of the fabricated charges against her.

Unless it was the girl's own wish.

Upon hearing An and Asuka's agreement, the woman paused for a moment, then her gentle gaze unconsciously turned stern.

"I'm not here to discuss this with you." Her voice turned colder, sounding even more chilling in the icy snow.

"As Xiao Xun's mother, I hereby order you to stay away from Xiao Xun from now on!"

The woman stared intently at An and Asuka, believing that he was the reason her daughter's old illness had relapsed.

If it weren't for him, Xiao Xun wouldn't have been constantly talking about him, so engrossed in composing that she didn't have enough time to rest and ended up in danger.

Xiao Xun underwent a major surgery this time. Although the surgery was successful, the doctor said that if it recurs, Xiao Xun might not be able to survive another surgery.

She didn't want to lose her daughter, so she wanted to keep her away from all danger. But in order not to hurt Xiao Xun, she didn't want their relationship to completely break down.

She simply didn't want their relationship to progress further, lest her daughter become obsessed with him. She couldn't bear another shock like that.

"I'm sorry, Auntie, I can't accept this." An and Asuka remained steadfast in their beliefs, even though doing so would make the woman in front of them dislike them.

Every time they spent together, the girl treated him with sincerity, so how could he possibly hurt her feelings? He couldn't do that, not even pretend.