Frivolous - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Yu Lanzhou had to admit that Chen Ran suited her tastes perfectly.

Her looks suited her, her proactivity suited her, and her words—”I’ll do whatever you want”—suited her. Even the music played during their intimate moments suited her perfectly.

Right now, in this narrow but cozy bedroom, the song Deep Sea was playing. Yu Lanzhou felt as if she were floating on a nighttime sea, yet it wasn’t dangerous at all. The tide was warm, and she could see a full moon in the sky.

At least when it came to music and physical intimacy, she and Chen Ran were two pieces of jade that fitted together perfectly. No one was a better match than Chen Ran.

The tiny veins on Chen Ran’s temples throbbed slightly, and her eyelashes were damp with moisture. She whispered in Yu Lanzhou’s ear, “Sister, was it forced this time too?”

This was Chen Ran in a sober state. And it was herself in a sober state.

The sudden change in address made Yu Lanzhou’s body tense. She gripped Chen Ran’s waist tightly to keep herself from making a sound. But Chen Ran didn’t let her off. Her hands continued their assault while she kissed her with extreme tenderness, turning Yu Lanzhou’s lips a bruised, vivid red. Between breaths, she asked, “Sister, who am I?”

“Sister, are we going to act like nothing happened this time, too?” Chen Ran asked without a hint of grievance. It was as if she were prepared to ask again next time if Yu Lanzhou wasn’t ready to answer now.

It felt as if they had many “next times” ahead of them.

“I’m still waiting for an answer. I can wait as long as it takes. I just want to tell you that I will always wait.”

Asking repeatedly, until the lover is willing to be held in my arms.

Yu Lanzhou didn’t give a direct response. She simply raised her hand to stroke Chen Ran’s sharply defined jawline, thinking dazedly how someone could be so beautiful as exquisite as a doll. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, dotted with faint freckles. The light cast shadows downward from her brow bone, making her eyes appear deeper, and they were filled entirely with devotion.

Yu Lanzhou’s posture in bed was conservative. As Chen Ran’s arms embraced her for the first time, gently stroking her back, her breathing suddenly hitched when her fingertips brushed against the faint scar in the center of Yu Lanzhou’s spine. She felt the scar was at least two centimeters long, looking like a mark left by a dagger.

Yu Lanzhou lifted her body, instinctively preventing Chen Ran from further touching that scar the origin of which she herself was unclear about. Then, she sat up coldly. Chen Ran withdrew her hand, her gaze remaining intense and filled with pained tenderness. This was the first time Chen Ran had touched Yu Lanzhou’s “wound.” How could she have been hurt? She desperately wanted to kiss that scar.

But seeing Yu Lanzhou’s sudden guarded expression, Chen Ran had to change the subject. She picked up a nearby beer and took a few sips, then asked the quilt-wrapped Yu Lanzhou, “Water or this, Sister?”

“Water.”

Chen Ran got out of bed, opened the refrigerator to get water, sat back on the edge of the bed, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her. As Yu Lanzhou took the bottle, she noticed the skin on the back of Chen Ran’s hand was a translucent white, with the underlying texture and veins faintly visible. After taking a few sips to soothe her throat, she handed the bottle back.

Chen Ran took a drink from the same bottle and then leaned in to kiss Yu Lanzhou again. The older woman turned her head slightly away.

“What is it, Sister?” Chen Ran asked.

Yu Lanzhou choked slightly on the water, her throat suddenly feeling dry. “Don’t call me that.”

“Oh, okay. Should I call you ‘Lanzhou’ or ‘Zhouzhou’? ‘Teacher Yu’ or ‘Auntie Yu’?”

“Lanzhou. Teacher Yu.”

A long time ago, “Zhouzhou” was her childhood nickname, but later Yu Jijie only called Yu Tingzhou “Zhouzhou.”

Seeing her lost in thought, Chen Ran leaned in to entwine with her, calling out with cloying tenderness, “Lanzhou. Yu Lanzhou. Teacher Yu. Yu Lanzhou,” punctuating each name with a sneak kiss.

Yu Lanzhou couldn’t dodge in time, her lips covered once more. She let out a few muffled protests before giving up all resistance.

At 4:00 AM, Yu Lanzhou dressed, clicked off the floor lamp by the bed, and walked quietly out the door, closing it softly behind her.

When Chen Ran woke up at 4:30 AM, she slapped herself, taking a minute to confirm she hadn’t just had another unspeakable dream—that she hadn’t just dreamt of doing this and that to Yu Lanzhou. Only after smelling the scent of Yu Lanzhou on the quilt and pillows did she feel at ease.

Why did she leave so early?

Curling herself into the lingering scent of Yu Lanzhou, she sent a message:

Drive safely. I love you. I love you so, so much.

When Xu Wan came to the Yu house to pick up Yu Lanzhou, she noticed that Yu Lanzhou’s neck, collarbone, and ears were red again. She sighed helplessly to herself; time to buy more medicine. She really needed to have a talk with Chen Ran. The frequency of buying allergy medication for her boss lately was matching the total of the past few years combined.

“Have you taken your medicine?” Xu Wan asked with concern.

“Mhm.”

“That’s good.” Xu Wan felt relieved and added, “Everything is ready. I’ve told Chen Ran to report to the company at 9:00 AM tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“Mhm.” Yu Lanzhou responded faintly, looking at the messages Chen Ran had sent earlier.

A moment later, two more messages appeared: The guitar feels even better to use than before, thank you. I love you. Attached was a photo of Chen Ran looking down while playing: she was in a simple white T-shirt, her long pink hair draping unintentionally yet perhaps deliberately over her neck. She wore rose-colored lipstick, making no effort to hide the faint freckles on her pale face.

The corner of Yu Lanzhou’s mouth twitched into a faint smile. Was she expected to include an “I love you” in every reply now? She stared at the photo for a while and then replied: Tell Yu Zhou.

She didn’t specify what to tell her, but Chen Ran immediately “got” it.

Chen Ran replied: Okay.

She had only packed her bags at 10:00 PM the previous night. During the day, she had been too dejected to tell Yu Zhou. And now, she was so happy she had forgotten all about it. She hurriedly composed a message to Yu Zhou, saying she had moved out for a while to prepare for the integration with new band members and rehearsals for the music festival.

Yu Zhou didn’t have much of a reaction, only saying she would come to visit and telling Chen Ran to do her best.

The next day, when Chen Ran arrived at Yu Lan, she was personally led by Xu Wan to meet her new manager, Xiao Jiahe.

Chen Ran had a strong impression of this new manager, who was in her 30s. She had managed the top domestic rock band, Eden. After leaving Xingyao Entertainment, she moved through several companies, consistently producing new musical talents with impressive results.

“Teacher Xiao, hello!” Chen Ran shook hands with both of theirs. Seeing her in person, she felt the woman was much softer than the cool, edgy impression she gave off on her WeChat Moments.

“Just call me Jiahe.”

“Sister Jiahe.”

“Mhm.” After the handshake, Xiao Jiahe tucked one hand into her pocket and accepted the address.

“The other members of Song of Praise have found good places; you don’t need to worry about them anymore. The new drummer is Shi Qi, whom you know. The keyboardist is Wang Yin, and the bassist is Mao Jingzhi; they were with other bands before, and their skills have been proven on stage.”

“Great. When do we start practicing together?” Chen Ran needed to find something to do. Otherwise, she would check her phone eight hundred times a day, waiting for a new message from Yu Lanzhou or for her to give her consent.

“The music festival is still a while away, so there’s no rush. I’ll introduce you all today so you can get to know each other. You can all grab dinner tonight to get acquainted.”

“Okay.”

Xiao Jiahe scrolled through her phone and sent Chen Ran an address. “Also, starting this week, every Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:00 PM, you’ll go to this address for vocal lessons, two hours each time. Except when there are performances.”

Chen Ran clicked on the address for details; it was a villa in a famous wealthy district in Beijing. Ah…

“Can I ask who the teacher is?”

“Chen Xi.”

Chen Ran gasped. Good heavens.

The Chen Xi who swept multiple newcomer awards right from her debut? The one who held a high status in the music world for over a decade before suddenly moving behind the scenes? She was now a famous composer and a guest professor at the Beijing Conservatory of Music.

Chen Ran felt her joy turn into fireworks, rising to the highest point and exploding in every direction. The happiness spread to every fiber of her being. Yu Lan would never hire such a teacher for her. But Yu Lanzhou would.

Xiao Jiahe tilted her head and said, “Let’s go. They’re in the other office.”

Chen Ran tried to contain her smile and followed her.

They happened to run into Yu Tingzhou, who was bringing her assistant to Yu Lan for a meeting to discuss artist invitations. Seeing Yu Tingzhou, Chen Ran bowed slightly and greeted her, “Boss Yu.”

“Mhm,” Yu Tingzhou responded flatly.

After the two parties were some distance apart, Yu Tingzhou’s assistant looked back at Chen Ran, who was following obediently behind Xiao Jiahe with her hands clasped in front of her. The assistant was astonished and remarked, “She doesn’t even seem like herself anymore.”

The Chen Ran who was a prickly rebel back at Fengjin, sour-faced and claiming Song of Praise would definitely disband, had become as obedient as a kitten since coming to Yu Lan.

Yu Tingzhou let out a cold snort. Probably because she was well-serviced by my sister. Though, she wasn’t sure who was “servicing” whom.

Yu Lanzhou had somehow injured her arm and didn’t tell her, yet still insisted on giving Chen Ran resources. If Chen Ran turned out to be a good person, fine. But if she dared to betray Yu Lanzhou, Yu Tingzhou would make sure she could never sing again.

At 10:00 PM, after the band members’ dinner ended and everyone said their goodbyes, Chen Ran received a message from Xu Wan: I am waiting for you in the car across the street.

Why the sudden use of the formal “you”?

Chen Ran had a little to drink and shook her slightly dazed head. Following the instructions, she found the Rolls-Royce and saw only Xu Wan in the driver’s seat. She pulled at the passenger door. It didn’t budge.

“Sit in the back,” Xu Wan said, her tone no longer overly polite toward someone who had been drinking.

Chen Ran sat in the back and asked, “Why are you here all of a sudden? Where is Teacher Yu?”

“I’m taking you to see her now.”

Chen Ran had a feeling something was about to happen. Every hour, every minute, and every second for the past few days, she had been waiting. The taste of waiting was not pleasant at all. It was like sticking her neck out with a guillotine hanging above, unsure of when it would drop.

Both sides remained silent along the way. Xu Wan brought her to a villa she hadn’t visited before, not far from Chen Xi’s residence. Before she got out of the car, Xu Wan said, “Teacher Yu is on the second floor, in the room with the lights on.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Wait a moment,” Xu Wan called out to her. Chen Ran stopped her movement to exit the car, waiting to hear what she had to say.

Xu Wan suddenly smiled bitterly, her tone a bit helpless. “Miss Chen, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Chen Ran grew alert at the formal address and asked, “Why are you speaking like that all of a sudden? Don’t talk to me like that.” She was genuinely a little afraid; Xu Wan’s tone was anything but friendly.

“Because it’s very important.”

Chen Ran listened intently.

“In the future, after you’ve been drinking, do not kiss Teacher Yu.”

Why can’t I kiss her after drinking? Why did Xu Wan use the word “in the future”? Why bring me here to talk about this?

Chen Ran was afraid to keep thinking; she feared her heart would jump out of her chest or explode. she looked up, her eyes full of questions, desperately hoping Xu Wan would give her more information.

Seeing Chen Ran’s burning gaze, Xu Wan instinctively cleared her throat and explained, “Teacher Yu is allergic to alcohol. Even the slightest amount.”

“Every time you kiss her after drinking, the redness on her neck doesn’t go away for a long time. She has to take medicine multiple times for it to subside.”

Chen Ran’s brow furrowed in deep remorse. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know… I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice. She blamed herself for being too careless. She hurriedly asked, “I’ll remember. Is there anything else I should be careful about?” A faint hope grew in her heart.

“Take good care of Teacher Yu. Don’t let her get hurt. The first layer of ‘taking care’ is not letting her get physically injured,” Xu Wan said, looking at Chen Ran solemnly and emphasizing, “Not even a scratch.”

“And as for the second layer of meaning, you should already know it.”

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