She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 31

Part 1: The Passing of Time and a Cold Reunion

“Chi Yeyu stopped caring about me a long time ago.” / The End of the Gaokao.

On a humid night during the spring and summer rains, fine mist drifted through the glow of streetlights, pitter-pattering against the ground.

A slender figure carrying a black umbrella walked unhurriedly through the rain. She had intentionally let her hair grow, her former bob now fell past her shoulders, tied loosely into a low ponytail that brushed against the black bass guitar bag on her back.

The doorbell rang. Li Lingling got up to open it. Outside the security door, Shi Shuxue stood waiting quietly. The voice activated light in the hallway was still broken, leaving half of her face submerged in shadow. She looked like an exquisite doll emerging from the night rain, her skin as white as snow.

Wrapped in the damp air, her pupils were as deep as ink, hiding all emotion. Li Lingling, accustomed to this, ushered her inside. Shuxue tossed her umbrella outside the door, watching the water droplets slide down its surface.

Since Chi Yeyu’s departure, the band’s activities had paused for a while. Soon, a new drummer joined, and the leadership of “Screaming Goldfish” passed to Yu Xiu. Li Lingling and Tiangua, being local college students, remained in the band, with the former occasionally teaching Shi Shuxue how to play the bass.

Tonight, Yu Xiu was also there, sitting by the windowsill writing lyrics. She turned her head in surprise at the sound of the door. “The Gaokao (College Entrance Exam) is almost here, and you’re still practicing?”

Shi Shuxue carefully placed her guitar bag against the wall. “Relaxing.”

“Fair enough,” Yu Xiu chuckled.

Li Lingling brought her a hot drink from the kitchen and pointed toward the “melancholy” figure by the window. “She had a fight with Tiangua and came here to cry to me.”

“We didn’t fight!” Yu Xiu argued.

“What’s the difference?” Li Lingling teased. She turned to Shuxue to explain: “Yesterday, Tiangua was editing a live stream for Yu Xiu and caught this idiot smoking on camera again. Tiangua is trying to build popularity for a solo show, and Yu Xiu keeps ruining the band’s image.”

Yu Xiu countered, “She could just cut the smoking parts out. She’s too controlling.”

In the past, Chi Yeyu never bothered her, in fact, Chi was wilder than she was. Now that Chi was gone, Yu Xiu had become Tiangua’s primary target. Having been kicked out yesterday with her only two packs of cigarettes confiscated, Yu Xiu was now craving nicotine badly. She sighed dramatically, “Sigh, Chi Yeyu, please come back soon.”

“There’s someone who wants her back even more than you do,” Li Lingling noted.

Shi Shuxue’s face remained expressionless. Licking a milk stain off her lip, she said coldly, “She’d better not come back.”

Part 2: Scars and Rumors

Months ago, after Chi Yeyu’s final performance before leaving the band, she had brushed past her fans to find Shi Shuxue. At the time, both were caught in a misunderstanding, and the tense, argument like scene was captured by fans and uploaded online.

In the photo, Chi Yeyu had her hand braced against the wall next to Shuxue’s ear, looking displeased, while Shuxue turned her face away, eyes seemingly glistening with tears. Initially, people assumed it was just the “former captain’s daughter” being upset about Chi leaving the band.

However, their intimate posture, combined with Chi’s non-heteronormative style, sparked wild rumors about a hidden romantic entanglement. Fortunately, after Chi went abroad, she vanished from the public eye, and the gossip eventually cooled down.

But her name was never truly forgotten. Fans still checked in on her “Super Topic” daily, and her performance videos continued to rack up views. She wasn’t just a member of a band, she was a highly-regarded drummer in the scene. If she were to return, it would be like throwing a stone into a still pond.

“The netizens have basically imagined them as ‘enemies caught in a sea of hate and love,'” Yu Xiu joked. “If Chi Yeyu comes back and they perform together… the hype would be insane.”

Shi Shuxue remained indifferent, sipping her drink with a straight back, her eyelashes lowered. She was the polar opposite of the slouching, unruly Chi Yeyu.

Li Lingling asked, “Do you want to take the stage?”

She felt Shuxue’s skills were now good enough to replace her for a show, but she hadn’t brought it up before because of Shuxue’s studies.

“I want to practice more,” Shuxue replied. Despite being a frequent face on the band’s live streams, she never considered herself a true member, not even a substitute. She felt her skills paled in comparison to Chi Yeyu’s.

Later that night, Shuxue stayed for dinner, instant noodles with a century egg added by Li Lingling. “Eat up, or Chi Yeyu will say I’m mistreating you.”

Shuxue poked at the noodles. “She stopped caring about me a long time ago.”

“No way. She used to nag you constantly. She must at least call you, right?”

“Last time I broke her drum and sent her a photo, she only replied with a two seconds voice note,” Shuxue said, lowering her head to eat.

“The custom set? The one that cost her nearly 100,000? How did you break it?” Li Lingling was shocked. “And she didn’t attack you with ten voice notes? What did she say?”

“The edge of the cymbal has a long crack. She just said, ‘It’s fine.'”

Yu Xiu glanced at Shuxue’s hand. “How did you hurt your finger?”

Shuxue touched the band-aid on her finger. “I cut it while choking the cymbal (stopping its vibration).”

Yu Xiu gave a knowing smirk. “When you sent that photo, you shouldn’t have aimed at the drum. You should have aimed at this.”

Part 3: The End of the Exam and the Unexpected Call

June arrived with scorching sunlight and the incessant buzz of cicadas. When the final bell of the Gaokao rang, Shi Shuxue capped her pen and walked out of the exam hall with the crowd.

Outside, parents held sunflowers and banners. Shuxue scanned the perimeter and spotted three familiar figures.

Li Lingling waved frantically. “Shuxue! Over here!”

Yu Xiu was holding a hand drawn sign that looked like a crude cross between a bass and a guitar. It read: “Congratulations to the soon to be college student on unlocking Bass Freedom.”

Tiangua handed her an ice-cold soda. “Hard work is over. Let’s think about how to spend the summer.”

“Let’s go get that hotpot we’ve been craving,” Li Lingling said, pushing her forward.

In the car, the three older girls chatted excitedly to liven the mood, but Shuxue remained calm, playing a mobile game and giving brief responses.

“Something on your mind?” Yu Xiu asked through the rearview mirror.

“Are you not happy it’s the holidays?” Li Lingling asked, hugging Shuxue’s arm. “You’re so quiet.”

“Haven’t I always been like this?” Shuxue replied, her eyes fixed on the screen.

“You weren’t this addicted to games before… Shuxue, has Tiangua corrupted you?”

“Hey! I’m a good influence,” Tiangua barked back. “I’m not like Chi Yeyu.” She paused. “Are you thinking about her?”

Shuxue muttered, “It’s 4:00 AM where she is. Why would I think about her?”

The other three shared a look. Yep, she’s definitely thinking about her.

“She messaged me last night asking if we were picking you up,” Yu Xiu laughed. “She even sent me money to make sure we treat you to a good meal. Let’s take a group photo later and send it to her.”

“No,” Shuxue said coldly.

“Come on, she really wants to see what you look like now.”

Shuxue snapped, “Then let her come back and see for herself.”

“Did she really not come back for the New Year?” Li Lingling asked. It had been a long time since they’d seen Chi Yeyu’s grinning, mischievous face.

“No,” Shuxue said. Her fingers suddenly froze on the screen. A WeChat notification popped up, a message from Chi Yeyu.

[Xue, are you out of the exam? You must relax now, don’t keep a long face all the time. Actually, I…]

Shuxue’s breath hitched. She exited her game and flipped her phone to vertical mode to read the full message, but Chi Yeyu had already retracted it.

Seconds later, a video call came through.

Shuxue answered. After a brief black screen, a blurry face appeared. Chi Yeyu seemed to be in the backseat of a moving car, with the dark scenery rushing by outside.

She was wearing black framed glasses that made her face look small and her chin sharp. She pushed the glasses down her nose to reveal her beautiful eyes and smiled. “Yo, where are you?”

“In the car with Li Lingling and the others,” Shuxue said.

Li Lingling leaned in. “Is that Chi Yeyu?”

Shuxue turned off her Bluetooth and switched to speakerphone. She asked Chi, “What did you just retract?”

“Nothing, just a long-winded rant,” Chi Yeyu said. “I regretted it right after sending. I figured you just finished your exams and wouldn’t want to read all that. What are your plans for tonight?”

Shuxue flipped the camera to show the road ahead. “Going for hotpot.”

“Hotpot is good!” Chi Yeyu shouted to the driver’s seat. “Yu Xiu! Shuxue can’t handle spicy food! Remember to order a non-spicy broth!”

Yu Xiu laughed. “Since when can I handle spicy food? Relax, we won’t mistreat your Shi Shuxue.”

“What about you, Chi Yeyu?” Shuxue asked. Why was she in a car at 4:30 AM?

“Me? Working, of course. My schedule is so tight I feel like I need toothpicks to keep my eyelids open.” She let out a yawn, her eyes bloodshot from a clear lack of sleep.

Shuxue said, “Then why are you calling?”

Chi Yeyu pouted. “To see you, obviously. But you won’t even show me your face.”