Green plums cannot become lovers.

"you......"

The woman wanted to say something more, but An and Asuka didn't give her the chance.

An and Asuka took a step back and said, "Unless it is Miyazono's wish, I will not leave her."

With that, she bowed to the woman and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Auntie. Well then... goodbye."

Having said that, An and Asuka turned and left, ignoring the woman's expression.

A light snowflake fell gently from the sky, merging into the already blanketed white snow. Footprints, some deep, some shallow, were imprinted on the snow.

The cold wind was biting, and the snow fell heavier and heavier, eventually burying all the footprints.

An and Asuka snuggled into bed, looking at the messages the girl had sent them on their phones. The messages were complaints about her mother's abusive behavior of not letting her go out, and her longing to participate in tomorrow's violin competition.

An and Asuka glanced at the world on their phones. January 14th. Tomorrow was indeed the day of the violin competition. They had clearly made a promise before, but after so many things had happened, that promise could no longer be fulfilled.

The girl's mother wouldn't let her go out in such cold weather, and he hadn't seen her even during school hours.

As An and Asuka looked at the messages and emojis the girl had sent them, they could already picture her expression.

Resentment, helplessness, sighs, longing... a young girl's expressions are always very rich.

Faced with this situation, there was nothing he could do but chat with her on his phone every day.

Suddenly, the girl, who had been silent for a while, sent another message.

Miyazono-kun: Anwa-kun, I have some new insights to share!

Looking at the message on his phone, An and Asuka couldn't help but smile. The girl had said something like this several times in the past few days, and her so-called insight was the piece of music he had given her before.

She seems to have been studying it the whole time these past few days.

"Are you practicing again?"

An and Asuka sent a message, and the girl quickly responded.

Miyazono-kun: Yeah, it's so boring staying at home, this is all I can do. (The last part is a string of seemingly random characters and doesn't translate directly.)

Miyazono-kun: Ah, I really want to participate in tomorrow's competition! I think if we perform together on stage, we'll definitely win first place!

I don't know where the girl got the confidence to say that, but it's impossible to defeat so many excellent competitors with just one song.

However, An and Asuka didn't dislike her confidence.

They chatted for a while longer, and it was already 10 p.m. when An and Asuka finally said goodnight to the girl.

After turning off their phones, An and Asuka got out of bed and went to the window in their pajamas.

The wind and snow are howling outside; if this continues, tomorrow's transportation may be affected. It would take about an hour to walk from the girl's home to the competition venue, but only half an hour by bike.

An and Asuka unconsciously calculated the time and distance in their minds, and then, as if they had thought of something, they ran back to the bedside, picked up their phones, and sent a message.

—I'll come back to pick you up tomorrow.

Let's go to the competition together.

He didn't want to do this initially, to take care of the girl's health. But she also didn't want the girl to feel disappointed, because they were partners now.

Volume 1: Chapter 131 The Agreed-Upon Agreement

Looking at the "Goodnight" message the boy sent her on her phone, Kaori Miyazono felt no joy, only a deep sense of loss.

She wanted to go out and participate in the competition with the boy; it was something they had agreed upon, and she had even extended the invitation herself.

She had already lied to the boy once after what happened. If she were to break their promise again, she wouldn't be a good friend.

Besides, the boy must have been really looking forward to participating in the competition, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of modifying his terrible piece and rewriting it for himself.

She didn't know how much time the boy had spent revising it, but it must have taken a lot of effort, so she didn't want his hard work to go to waste.

She wanted to compete, to play the song the boy wrote for her in front of everyone, to let everyone discover his talent, and to express her feelings.

Similarly, she also wanted her own freedom.

Her parents locked her in this house, making her feel like a princess in a tower. But she wasn't a princess, nor did she want to be one; she just wanted to do her own thing.

She had asked her parents many times, but each time they refused on the grounds of "rest and recuperation." Of course, she knew that her parents meant well, but if she kept herself "locked up" like this, perhaps her body would recover, but her heart would be sick.

So she wanted to go out and leave this place, even if only temporarily.

But she couldn't do it alone, or rather, she didn't have the courage to. Because she wasn't nearly as brave, fearless, cheerful, and optimistic as others imagined.

Lying on her side in bed, looking at the wind and snow outside, Kaori Miyazono was at a loss for what to do.

The match is tomorrow.

Just when she couldn't think of a solution and was about to give up, her phone suddenly rang.

She picked up her phone again and looked down, only to see that it was a message from the boy.

—I'll come back to pick you up tomorrow.

Let's go to the competition together.

Upon seeing this message, Kaori Miyazono's eyes widened instantly, followed by a hint of surprise.

--I'm waiting for you!

At this moment, the girl's heart was filled with anticipation.

The next day, Kaori Miyazono got up very early.

When she got up, it was barely dawn outside, but when she looked at the time, it was already past seven o'clock. She quickly washed up and came to the living room, and she didn't show any nervousness when she saw her parents.

"Xiao Xun, why are you up so early today?"

"Going to bed early and waking up early is good for your health."

"Then come and eat. I was hoping you could sleep a little longer."

"it is good!"

Kaori Miyazono sat down at the table, picked up a bowl, ladled some porridge from the pot, and ate it in small bites, leaving the other side dishes untouched.

As the girl ate her porridge, her eyes would occasionally drift towards her parents, then quickly return to their faces, pretending nothing had happened.

But how could her appearance escape the notice of her parents?

The woman and her husband exchanged a glance, and she already knew what her daughter was thinking.

Today was the scheduled time for the competition, so it's pretty obvious what she was up to do so early.

However, neither of them exposed the truth; they simply ate their breakfast quietly.

"I'll go wash the dishes."

"I'm going back to my room to change my clothes."

Listening to her parents' words, Kaori Miyazono felt a surge of excitement. She hadn't yet found a chance to escape from her parents' watchful eyes, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

I just need to sneak out while Mom is changing clothes and Dad is washing dishes. By the time they find out, it will be too late.

With that thought in mind, Kaori Miyazono immediately ran back to her room. Without even putting on her scarf and gloves, she grabbed her violin and ran outside without stopping.

When she opened the door and felt the cold wind on her face, she took a deep breath, then carefully closed the door and ran towards the street corner.

The girl thought her actions were perfectly justified, but little did she know that her parents had returned to the living room the moment she left.

If they hadn't done it intentionally, how could their daughter have escaped from here?

They didn't want to do this; every minute they stayed outside in the terrible weather made them more worried.

The reason I'm choosing to let go now is simply so that my daughter will have fewer regrets when she leaves this city.

Yes, they are preparing to leave, to leave this small city for a larger city with better medical resources.

The doctor said that only in big cities would their daughter have a slim chance of recovering; otherwise, a relapse would surely kill her.

At the same time, leaving this place will also distance her from that boy.

Although they never knew where that love came from, their daughter really liked the boy and even changed herself for him.

They weren't afraid of their daughter's changes; they just didn't want to make those changes in a way that would harm her body.

Therefore, leaving sooner is the only way to prevent things from getting worse, even though it might cause my daughter temporary pain. But compared to temporary suffering, lifelong happiness and health are the most important things.

After several days of continuous snowfall, a thick layer has accumulated on the ground, so thick that it immediately covers the ankles when stepped on.

Kaori Miyazono, carrying her violin, hurried to the street corner. As soon as she arrived, she saw that familiar figure standing under a street lamp, with a new car next to him.

"Anhe, classmate!"

Kaori Miyazono waved and shouted happily as she ran quickly towards the boy. When she reached him, her face was filled with undisguised joy and excitement.

"Anhe, let's go quickly."

The girl urged him on, seemingly afraid of being discovered by her parents. But An and Asuka were in no hurry. He took off the scarf from his neck and wrapped it around the girl's neck, then did the same to put gloves on her.

"Remember to dress warmly next time you go out. 297?6 (1??) with?6"

"Hehe, it's just that I'm afraid my parents will find out if I stay too long."

The girl gave a silly smile, then took half of the scarf that was wrapped around her own neck and put it back around the boy's neck.

"That's good, neither of us is cold now."

"So how are we going to ride these bikes?"

An and Asuka asked, somewhat amused.

"Uh......"

"Never mind, let's take a car there."

As An and Asuka talked, they parked their bicycles at the roadside parking spot, and then took the girl's hand and walked towards the station.

The scarves between the two formed a bridge.

Volume 1: Chapter 132 Let's Say Goodbye

When the two arrived at the competition venue, the competition had just started. After showing their competition credentials to the staff, they hurriedly ran inside.

Aside from the participants, referees, and their families, there weren't many people in the venue in the dead of winter. Sitting in the audience, Kaori Miyazono's eyes shone as she watched the stage.

After all that happened, I thought I would never be able to perform on stage again, but somehow I ended up here.

Being able to stand on this stage and perform with the boy was her heartfelt wish. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and now that her wish had finally come true, she was very happy, especially after a serious illness, her anticipation was even stronger.

After all, if she misses this opportunity, will she really have another chance to perform on the same stage as the boy?

She didn't know the answer to that question yet, but she felt the chances were slim. Because of her health, she might suddenly leave this world one day.

Therefore, she really wanted to participate in this competition with the boy, so that even if she died in the end, she would have no regrets.

Mom and Dad must have realized they're missing by now, right? Maybe in a little while they'll guess I'm here and come looking for me, forcibly taking me home.

But by then their match was already over, so it didn't matter.

Kaori Miyazono looked at the stage, her hands unconsciously clenching together; she couldn't wait to go on stage.

"Next, please welcome Kaori Miyazono and Asuka An to the stage to perform."

As the announcement was made over the loudspeaker, the two people who were already waiting backstage exchanged a glance.

Looking at each other's expectant and encouraging eyes, the two finally nodded in unison.

Kaori Miyazono took a deep breath and smiled.

"Come up on stage, Anhe."

With that, the girl turned and walked toward the stage. An and Asuka watched her slender back, remained silent for a moment, and then followed her onto the stage.

The girl didn't say much, but simply gave a brief introduction to the songs they would be performing today.

"The song we're going to perform today is called 'Rain,' a song my partner wrote for me."

Upon hearing this introduction, An and Asuka, who had just sat down at the piano, were somewhat surprised and couldn't help but look at the girl. She, however, seemed to have anticipated his reaction, as her gaze had already fallen upon him.

The two looked at each other, and the girl winked playfully at him. Seeing this, An and Asuka sighed helplessly, but said nothing and simply looked away, placing their hands on the piano keys.

Kaori Miyazono's explanation was simply a statement of fact. While the piece was arguably her composition, it was the boy who truly made it better, so she couldn't claim all the credit.

Besides, she already considered this piece of music as a gift from the boy.

With that thought in mind, Kaori Miyazono also picked up her violin. Immediately, beautiful music filled the venue.

The melody is melodious and plaintive, as if it were a lament, instantly drawing the listener into a rainy day, carrying a faint sense of parting.