Chapter 14: Spiral (Part 2)

  He Mu Yang fell silent for a moment, and a faint glow flashed in his eyes, which was the etiquette that a butler had to follow. So, he replied seriously, "Ironing newspapers can kill bacteria on them, while drying the ink on the paper to prevent the master from getting his fingers dirty after reading."

  "It's so complicated!" A hint of confusion flashed in Chu Lian's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She took hold of Gu Tianxi's arm and giggled, "Tianxi Gege, I'll take you to see my room! BOBO, MOMO, and NONO are all waiting to meet you!"

  Gu Tianxi wanted to pull out his arm, but when he saw He Muyang shaking his head at him, indicating that he should maintain the demeanor of a gentleman, he could only suppress the discontent in his heart. "Muyang, you can leave now."

  "Yes, young master." Hei Muyang silently sighed in his heart, bowed and retreated a few steps before turning around to leave.

  "Brother Tianxi, hurry up! Hurry up!" Chu Lianyou said while pulling on Gu Tianxi's arm and shaking it, coquettishly saying "I still have so many fun things to show Brother Tianxi!"

  Gu Tianxi smiled lightly, "Afterwards, may I ask you to take me to visit Xiaoli's room?"

  "Xiao Li's room is so boring, there's nothing to see except for a piano, it's cold and uninteresting." Chu Lian said with a snort, "Tian Xi brother, you don't know, Xiao Li hates those Barbie dolls and stuffed animals the most. I bet if her room wasn't too small, she would rather put up ten pianos than bookshelves or painting easels... Ah, I just finished drawing a picture, Tian Xi brother, let me show it to you!" As she spoke, she let go of his hand and ran off quickly.

  Will his sister dislike Barbie dolls and plush toys?

  Will his sister dislike reading books?

  If it wasn't that his memory was problematic, then it must be that his sister's life here was as desolate and helpless as Mu Yang had said.

  This is his fault, this is an unforgivable mistake he made because of his selfishness...

  Pushing open the door, it was a very large room with pink-painted walls. Victorian-style furniture, blue and gold ceiling painted with white little angels, pink silk drapes, and a big double bed covered with a pink satin bedspread trimmed with ruffled lace.

  However, in Gu Tianxi's eyes, Chu Lianyou's room gave him a first impression of being messy. On the floor, on the sofa, on the bed, on the dresser, on the desk, on the shelves, and on the windowsill, there were all sorts of dolls everywhere.

  "Tianxi brother, this is MOMO, this is BOBO, and this one is their little sister, NONO." Chuluan pointed at the three cats lying on the windowsill, introducing them one by one. "Don't look at how lazy they seem now, actually, they all won awards at the cat show!"

  "Is that so?" Gu Tianxi smiled faintly and slowly walked into Chu Lianyou's room. To be honest, he had no interest in visiting a little girl's boudoir at all. More importantly, he liked things to be neat and tidy, so when faced with his overly enthusiastic cousin, he pressed his index finger against his brow, seeming extremely tired.

  Pushing aside the plush toy rabbit on the sofa, Chu Lianyou invited Gu Tianxi to sit down. Then, she ran off quickly and soon returned with her sketchbook and a newly drawn picture.

  "Tianxi brother, do you think I drew well?" Chu Lianyou stood beside him, nervously fidgeting with her hands and feet, as if she was a thousand times more nervous than when she heard the art teacher's evaluation or participated in the school painting competition.

  It was unexpected for Gu Tian Xi that Chu Lian You indeed had a talent for painting, although his brushstrokes were slightly immature, but his grasp of color was just right. He flipped through Chu Lian You's sketchbook with great interest, the light and shadow rolling lightly on the outline of the sketch paper, as if it were a faint ink dotting clear water. "You draw very well." Gu Tian Xi was not stingy with praise for others, although he didn't have the ability to depict beauty himself, but he still had the ability to appreciate beauty. Moreover, in his opinion, when facing someone else's excellence, one should sincerely offer praise from the heart.

  Is it gone?

  Is it just these five simple words?

  Chu Lian pouted in disappointment, originally thinking she would receive many flattering words, just like the ones she had received before. After all, painting was the one thing she was good at and could surpass Gu Huanli in.

  Gu Tianxi placed the sketchbook on the milky white solid wood round coffee table, flipped open a page with her hand, and slowly stroked the silver ginkgo forest on the sketch paper with her slender fingers. "This place looks very familiar, is..."

  "It's that silver ginkgo tree path at the north gate of Baiyuan Park!" Chu Lian's eyes suddenly lit up, and she clapped her hands together, laughing. "I heard my mom say that she booked Tianxi's return flight for the day after tomorrow. Why don't we go to Baiyuan Park with Xiaoli tomorrow? It'll be like revisiting an old haunt."

  Gu Tianxi's amber-colored eyes, like the depths of a deep pool, shrouded Chu Lianyou in front of him. He said quietly, "Does Aunt often take you to the park to play?"

  "Xiao Li didn't like to go! She had to practice piano at home every day." Chu Liu Yu took out her favorite photo album from the bookshelf and handed it to Gu Tian Xi, while telling him about the interesting things that happened during their travels.

  Very happy, at least on the surface, this is indeed a happy family.

  The only doubt is - as if someone had never existed in this family at all.

  Gu Tianxi closed the photo album in her hand and smiled, "It's getting late, I think you should get some rest early."

  "Aww, come on! I still have a lot of photos to show Tianxi Gege!" Chu Lian muttered to herself as she glanced at the time, her face turning pale with shock. "Oh no! It's already so late, if Mom finds out, she'll definitely scold me to death."

  "So, goodnight, sweet dreams." Gu Tianxi stood at the door, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes, which was then shrouded in a thin mist of detachment. "By the way, you forgot to tell me where Xiaoli's room is."

  "The third floor is all her room." Chu Lian rubbed her eyes and said softly, "Because Mom said that Little Li likes quietness, and practicing piano requires good sound insulation, so the entire third floor was renovated and assigned to Little Li. Hmm, Tian Xi brother, I won't accompany you up there, goodnight."

  "Good night." Gu Tianxi nodded and quietly closed the door behind him as he left.

  Through the straight corridor, along the spiral wooden staircase to the top floor. With each step up, Gu Tianxi's gaze added a layer of chill, until the door lock opened with a click.

  As he pushed open the door, the expression in his eyes warmed up bit by bit. Having imagined it countless times, he found that this warm and cozy room was exactly as it should be.

  On the light yellow wallpaper, a carefree rose is sprawling. That's its color.

  Then what? Against the wall, there were two rows of white solid wood shelves. Each compartment was neatly filled with CDs. The lines of the bookshelf were simple and clear, which was its hierarchy.

  Behind a white carved screen, a white princess bed with delicate carvings, covered with soft and thick embroidered lotus leaf edge white bedding, on which two pure white pillows were placed. A moon-white lace canopy hung above the bed, casually tied up with ribbons of the same color. Pure and lovely, this is its tenderness.

  The air is filled with a sweet fragrance of peaches and coconut mixed together, like a cake shop, that's its taste.

  A thick, pure white circular woolen rug with a sheepskin cushion sat beside the floor-to-ceiling window. Gu Tianxi walked over to the white triangular piano and lightly pressed the keys with his pale fingers. As the night wind drifted outside the window, the fine bangs on his forehead obscured the expression in his eyes.

  Gently stroking the black and white keys of the piano, Gu Tianxi sat on the piano stool, muttering to himself, "When I was young, I once told you that when I grew up, I would become a great pianist. But I don't need you to fulfill those vague dreams." As he finished speaking, the smile on his face gradually faded away, and his slender fingers tried out a few notes before nimbly dancing between the keys, his eyes filled with sorrow.

  The melody flowed freely with his fingertips, soft and serene. Upon closer inspection, the piano keys under his hands seemed to be imbued with a subtle sorrow, just like the space between his eyebrows. As the elegant music accompanied his thoughts, they gradually drifted away, all the way back to that sunny summer day.

  At that time, he was ten years old and Xiaoli was only four. For him, learning piano was just one of many skills to learn, but as time went by, it gradually became his favorite thing. During the breaks between classes, he would sit in front of the piano, letting the smooth music flow out from the gaps between his fingers, like a babbling brook, and his heart seemed to calm down with the melody.

  And Xiao Li, always followed him like a little tail, looking up at him with an adoring gaze. When he was in a good mood, she would climb onto his lap and ask him to teach her how to play the piano. If he refused, she would randomly press the keys with her index finger, playing discordant notes that were neither melody nor harmony.

  At a young age, she should be at the stage where she has no patience for anything, but unexpectedly, she persisted in learning to play the piano with unwavering dedication.

  Gu Tianxi thought to himself, he had never tried playing a four-hand piano piece before, although he had once hoped to. However, being busy with his studies, he had long given up on such unrealistic fantasies. Hopefully, it's not too late for him to revive his dreams...

  Thinking of this, the pain in his heart slowly spread. Gu Tianxi's fingers suddenly stopped. He let out a low sigh and smiled slightly at Gu Wenjuan who was enjoying with her eyes closed. "Auntie, are you satisfied?"

  "It's not just satisfactory." Gu Wenjuan smiled slightly and muttered to herself, "You siblings are really alike, both having extraordinary talents for music. Unfortunately, the boys in the Gu family are not allowed to take the path of art. And Huanli's hand was injured... I hope heaven will bless her, don't let her only dream be taken away."

  "Dreams can be created." Gu Tianxi lazily raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with a hint of a smile, as the sound of the guqin once again wafted gently through the room, from soft to deep, until it gradually faded away. "Even if she lost her dream related to music, I just need to create another dream for her."