Frivolous - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

The two of them arrived at the entrance of the recording studio. Chen Ran opened the outermost door, and the faint sound of an argument drifted from inside.

 

“Shi Muyang, if you want to smoke, go outside.” It was Su Ping’an’s voice, sounding utterly exasperated.

 

“Is it any of your business?”

 

Qiu Fang held up her phone. “You’re polluting the air. I’m filming this; if you ever get famous, this is going to be your ‘black history’ (scandal).”

 

But Shi Muyang continued as he pleased. With his cigarette half-burnt, he asked, “What’s the deal with Chen Ran’s inquiry? Are we just going to be dragged along like this? Our Captain Chen is so spineless that we can’t even get our album released—not even a single. I want to open a live house, go on tour, hold concerts.”

 

Su Ping’an warned him, “Hey, Shi Muyang, watch your mouth. Don’t go saying things you’ll regret.”

 

The sound of high heels echoed outside the studio door.

 

Shi Muyang was in the middle of exhaling a cloud of smoke when he saw Yu Lanzhou walk in. Panic-stricken, the cigarette butt fell from his lips onto his black T-shirt; he scrambled to stand up and brush it off.

 

“Conductor Yu,” Shi Muyang called out, the arrogance he displayed while smoking moments ago completely vanished.

 

Yu Lanzhou didn’t say a word. She simply stood there with her arms crossed. Shi Muyang instinctively crouched down to pick up the cigarette, hiding his hand behind his back.

 

“A flower on your wrist would probably look quite nice.”

 

“What?”

 

Yu Lanzhou leaned forward slightly, still holding her arms, her tone slow and deliberate. “I said, a flower on your wrist would look good.”

 

“Huh?” After the initial shock, a chill rose in Shi Muyang’s heart. He understood what she meant.

 

Still, he couldn’t believe it. He held the cigarette butt near his left wrist, making a vague gesture as if to confirm with his eyes: Like this?

 

Yu Lanzhou remained noncommittal.

 

Under the weight of her oppressive gaze, Shi Muyang was on the verge of pressing the glowing ember against his skin. Just as the cigarette was less than a centimeter away, Yu Lanzhou smiled thinly. “What are you doing?” The smile didn’t reach her eyes.

 

“Isn’t that what you meant?”

 

Yu Lanzhou stared at him fixedly. “What did I mean?”

 

It was a look that asked, Who do you think you are, trying to guess my mind?

 

“I’m sorry.” Shi Muyang exhaled a weak breath, not daring to meet her eyes. By the time he realized what was happening, his palms and neck were drenched in sweat. The hand holding the cigarette butt hung limp like a piece of dead wood. His hand was so stiff he could no longer hold it steady; the glowing red ember rolled into his lap, and he instinctively caught it with both hands.

 

He was burned, but he didn’t make a sound.

 

“I’m sorry, Teacher Yu. It won’t happen again.”

 

“What won’t happen again?”

 

Looking into the cold light in Yu Lanzhou’s eyes, Shi Muyang suddenly remembered a rumor. Years ago, when Yu Lanzhou’s father, Ming Changrong, was sentenced to life imprisonment, he didn’t die of illness in prison—he committed suicide. He was coerced into it by Yu Lanzhou’s mother, Yu Jijie.

 

As Shi Muyang looked up now, he realized: these two, mother and daughter, were truly alike. Like snakes.

 

“I won’t smoke indoors again. I’m sorry.” He put his hands behind his back, not daring to stand up straight, and bowed again. “I’m sorry.”

 

Only then did Yu Lanzhou turn her head to look at Su Ping’an. The woman standing before her looked slightly older than Chen Ran. She wore a finely tailored women’s suit, had long straight black hair, and her red lips complemented a mature, “big sister” (alpha) aura.

 

Chen Ran snapped out of the shock of Yu Lanzhou seemingly venting frustration on her behalf and took the initiative to introduce her. “Teacher Yu, this is Ping’an, our band’s keyboardist. She’s from Pingjing and graduated from the same university as you.”

 

Yu Lanzhou asked, “Pingjing Conservatory of Music?”

 

Su Ping’an blinked, lowering her posture as she replied, “Yes, Conductor Yu. I was also in the Conducting Department, Class of ’19. Professor Zhang often mentioned you in class.”

 

Yu Lanzhou looked directly into her eyes, and Su Ping’an returned the gaze. A subtle current flowed between the two.

 

Chen Ran didn’t care much about Shi Muyang’s earlier comments, but this current scene made her heart rate skyrocket. Anxious to change the subject, she pointed to the roast duck for four and the drinks placed on the stool by the door. “Teacher Yu bought us roast duck and fruit tea. Let’s take them back to the dorm later.”

 

“Thank you, Conductor Yu.”

 

“Thank you, Conductor.”

 

“Don’t mention it.” Just then, a call came in. Yu Lanzhou nodded slightly to indicate she was leaving, and the group bowed slightly to see her off.

 

After returning to the dorm and washing up, Su Ping’an pulled Chen Ran onto the balcony. “You didn’t take what happened earlier to heart, did you?”

 

Chen Ran shook her head with a faint smile. “No.”

 

“Good. Shi Muyang isn’t worth your concern.”

 

Chen Ran accepted her comfort. “I know.”

 

“I have a question… I want to ask you…”

 

“What is it? You look so serious.”

 

“What did you and Conductor Yu do?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Although she didn’t know what Su Ping’an meant, Chen Ran’s cheeks began to burn. In truth, her temperature hadn’t dropped since the moment Yu Lanzhou stood up for her.

 

“The two of you were in that office for so long, and when you came out, you were wearing the same perfume.”

 

“Chen Ran, you like women, don’t you?”

 

The call Yu Lanzhou received was from Yu Jijie, asking about the injury on her arm.

 

After getting into the car, Yu Lanzhou looked down at her arm. “It’s nothing, just a scratch. Hardly any blood.” At the hospital, a little girl had run headlong into her, and her arm was scratched by the sequins on the girl’s dress.

 

“It’s not their fault; I wasn’t paying attention,” Yu Lanzhou explained calmly.

 

Once Yu Lanzhou hung up, Xu Wan looked at her expression in the rearview mirror and explained, “President Yu called to ask me. You know I can’t hide anything from her.”

 

Yu Lanzhou closed her eyes, letting her body go limp against the seat. Xu Wan turned the music down slightly; it was a track from Chen Ran’s “Y” album.

 

Hidden in the half-shadows, Yu Lanzhou asked, “Does their band usually rest at the company dormitory?”

 

“Yes.” Xu Wan reacted quickly, knowing she was asking about Chen Ran.

 

“How many to a room?”

 

“Two,” Xu Wan added quickly, watching Yu Lanzhou’s expression. “Chen Ran and Su Ping’an share a room. They seem to have lived together before as well.”

 

Yu Lanzhou narrowed her eyes at Xu Wan. “Why so many words?”

 

Xu Wan fell silent.

 

Yu Lanzhou’s residence in Pingjing was a detached villa in a quiet area amidst the bustle. However, her own bedroom was small and cozy rather than spacious, providing a sense of security.

 

Walking into the bedroom, Xu Wan looked at the arm beneath Yu Lanzhou’s shirt. She stepped closer. “Teacher Yu, let me help you change the dressing.”

 

Yu Lanzhou nodded and removed her thin outer shirt. After washing her hands, Xu Wan brought over the tools and peeled away the layers of gauze, revealing a shallow wound on the outer arm.

 

“It’s a good thing we were at the hospital already. That kid was so careless.” Xu Wan still felt a sense of relief. Yu Lanzhou remained silent, so Xu Wan also stopped talking.

 

After finishing, Xu Wan stood up. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning, then.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

Looking at Yu Lanzhou sitting quietly under the light, Xu Wan actually felt a pang of pity for her. Then she shook her head; Yu Lanzhou had enough money to last hundreds of lifetimes—how could she be pitiable?

 

But she truly looked lonely. Returning home to a sweet child was her own life; Yu Lanzhou, arriving in Pingjing where Zhou Jingting was absent, seemed to have only herself.

 

Before leaving, Xu Wan used the record player in the room to play Yu Lanzhou’s “sleeping pill”—the newest kind, a “medicine” not yet available on other platforms.

 

That night, Yu Lanzhou dreamed of a sea of flowers and a meadow. A woman in a sacred white dress walked slowly toward her. She couldn’t see who it was, but her heart was filled with joy.

 

The next morning, Xu Wan asked, “Was the ‘medicine’ effective?”

 

Yu Lanzhou thought for a moment whether she meant literal medicine or the metaphorical kind. Then she lied calmly, “Somewhat. A little.”

 

Was it effective? It was actually very effective.

 

Hearing Chen Ran’s familiar voice again—and not just those few songs she had listened to a thousand times—was powerful. She had always known the greatness of music, and Chen Ran’s voice could be described as great. Among the newly created tracks, there were occasional grand melodies of brilliance that made the soul tremble involuntarily. There were also soft chants that soothed her heart like gentle hands.

 

In terms of music, Chen Ran was indeed her medicine.

 

“Teacher Yu, Boss Yu (Yu Tingzhou) asked me to remind you of something.”

 

“Remind me of what?”

 

“Chen Ran… isn’t exactly ‘honest’.”

 

Yu Lanzhou tapped her fingers on the desk and smiled. “I know.” She knew exactly what Chen Ran’s true purpose for approaching her was. But she didn’t mind Chen Ran occupying her life with such schemes.

 

At ten in the morning, Chen Ran knocked on the door and placed a cup of milk tea on Yu Lanzhou’s desk. “Teacher Yu, regardless of everything, I wanted to thank you for helping me and for buying us food.”

 

“What’s this?” Yu Lanzhou didn’t even look up. She saw the extra cup on her desk with condensation beading on the sides and questioned Chen Ran’s intent.

 

“It’s light milk tea. Try it; it’s not too sweet. They didn’t have this in Pingjing before. It’s different from the fruit tea last night.” Chen Ran scanned Yu Lanzhou’s office—vintage desk, American furniture, and an exquisite agarwood pen holder carved with plum blossoms.

 

A thing like milk tea appearing on Yu Lanzhou’s desk looked out of place after all. But Yu Lanzhou wasn’t used to tea or coffee; she usually only drank purified water. Chen Ran wanted her to taste something new.

 

“You’re thanking me with this?”

 

“No…” Chen Ran instinctively protested, but currently, she truly had nothing else of status to offer. Except for that thing. But that thing couldn’t be given away yet. “Anyway, please try it. The first time I drank this, I felt a sense of happiness.”

 

Happiness was rare for Chen Ran, but with a broader mind, it was also easy to obtain. A sunny day, a sunset, a cup of milk tea. Or—a faint smile from Yu Lanzhou. Chen Ran rarely saw her truly smile; it was usually for business pleasantries or a release after a stage performance.

 

“A cup of milk tea makes you happy?” Yu Lanzhou picked up the cup, carefully reading the name of the drink. It was “West Lake Longjing Spring” with a milk foam topping.

 

“Because I have to protect my voice, I can’t have too much sugar.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“You can try it first. If it’s not to your taste, you can throw it away. It’s okay.”

 

“I understand. You can go.”

 

After Chen Ran left, Yu Lanzhou took out the straw. The light fragrance of tea combined with a sweetness that wasn’t cloying was actually quite good.

 

When Xu Wan entered and spotted the empty milk tea cup in the trash, she was stunned. Yu Lanzhou actually drank milk tea… This shattered her long-held perception. She found it hard to imagine Yu Lanzhou biting a straw. Usually, she drank milk tea behind her back; it seemed she didn’t have to hide anymore.

 

“Oh, it’s from this shop? Didn’t it just open? I saw posts saying you have to wait in line for two or three hours.”

 

Yu Lanzhou tapped her finger on the desk, thoughtful.

 

The next morning, Xu Wan saw the fatigue that light makeup couldn’t hide on Yu Lanzhou’s face. “Teacher Yu, did you stay up late? Do you need a new ‘medicine’?”

 

“No. It’s fine. Not too late.”

 

Xu Wan said, “It might be the light milk tea. I’ve had it before; I didn’t fall asleep until 4:00 AM.”

 

No wonder.

 

With dark circles under her eyes, Yu Lanzhou asked Xu Wan, “Do I look ugly like this?”

 

Xu Wan shook her head violently. “Not ugly at all! Whoever says you’re ugly must be blind.”

 

“Why so agitated?”

 

“Really, Teacher Yu, it’s not ugly. It looks like aegyo sal (under-eye fat); it makes your eyes look deeper, like someone could fall in and never climb out.”

 

Yu Lanzhou gave a light snort and said nothing more. The quiet office was filled only with the sound of turning pages. There were still matters to handle in Pingjing, which was why she hadn’t left yet.

 

Later, Chen Ran didn’t appear before them for many days, and Xu Wan actually found herself feeling a bit unaccustomed to it.