She Adopted Me After My Biological Mother Passed Away - Chapter 32.1

Yu Xiu smiled thin lipped, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She turned to Shuxue. “What are you thinking about? Daydreaming again?”

Shuxue, who had been detached from the conversation, paused. “What time is it?”

“Which time zone do you want?” Yu Xiu teased.

Shuxue didn’t grace the joke with a reply and simply checked the time herself.

Just then, someone recognized them. Shouts erupted as several young girls wearing the band’s support T-shirts pushed through the crowd. Others held up their phones, cameras wobbling as they aimed at them. “Lingling! Xiu-jie! Tiangua! And Liulan!”

Song Liulan had specifically worn a bright silver cropped jacket today over a tight camisole and shorts that perfectly hugged her hips, cool and eye-catching. She flashed a smile at the camera, leaned her suitcase to the side, and swiftly pulled a marker from her bag’s side pocket to start signing the fans’ support boards.

“Come, come, don’t rush! Are you my fans? Doesn’t matter, I’m signing for everyone who came over!” Her playful banter made the fans laugh.

Someone noticed Shuxue standing nearby. She was small, wearing a black hoodie with the brim pulled low. At first, they thought she was staff, but upon closer look, they realized this was the “fifth member” of Screaming Goldfish, Shi Shuxue.

Shuxue saw Song Liulan’s suitcase starting to roll down a slope and lunged to grab it. A fan hesitated before approaching. “Excuse me, are you the little Shuxue?”

Hearing the nickname Chi Yeyu used made Shuxue freeze for a second before she nodded softly. “It’s me.”

“You’re so cute. You look even younger than you do on screen, so delicate,” the girl praised. She added, “Are you performing today? I’m looking forward to it. Good luck!”

Shuxue replied, “I’m not qualified yet. I’m just here to watch.”

The girl thought she was being too humble. “Not at all! Everyone can see your progress. I’ve replayed that cover clip from last time so many times. Can I have your autograph? Future Little Bass God.”

She handed over her phone case and a marker. Shuxue stared at the transparent case, not taking it. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” The girl looked at her with a smile.

Despite it being mid-summer, there wasn’t a drop of sweat on Shuxue’s face. Her dark eyes and pale skin gave her a cool, detached aura, making the space around her feel a few degrees cooler, disconnected from the sweltering, bustling street.

She took the phone case, uncapped the pen, and signed her name.

The girl smiled warmly as she saw the signature. Her companion, having finished getting an autograph, hurried over and grabbed her arm. “Ready to go? What are you looking at… wait, is this Shi Shuxue?”

Seeing the girl’s face, the companion recognized her immediately and shouted, “Oh right! When is Chi Yeyu coming back? You must know more than we do, right?”

The words felt like a needle pricking Shuxue’s brain. Her expression shifted, but she couldn’t say a word.

“Ah, Xiao Xue, her internet is slow, she doesn’t know anything, don’t mind her!” The first girl immediately pulled her companion away, laughing awkwardly. She whispered to her friend, “You’re so stupid! Stop asking, let’s go.”

Ever since Chi Yeyu left the band and went abroad, there had been a lot of speculation online. People said they had a falling out, why else would Chi Yeyu never log into that account again, and why would Shuxue avoid all topics related to her? Shuxue had even pointedly avoided all the old songs associated with Chi Yeyu during her bass practice.

Various fan factions had argued online many times, and in person, there was a tacit agreement not to mention it. The companion was just here for fun today and didn’t know the context, accidentally stepping on a landmine.

“I… did I say something wrong?” the girl stammered, her face turning red as she realized something was off.

Song Liulan reacted quickly, stepping forward with a smile to subtly block the fans’ view of Shuxue. She spoke in a lighthearted tone to smooth things over. “You mean God Chi? She’s busy doing ‘big business’ abroad! Little Shuxue is at an age where she needs to spend money, if Chi doesn’t make more, how is she going to support this family?”

“Oh… oh…”

Yu Xiu placed an arm around Shuxue’s shoulder and smiled at the fans. “They’re calling for us over there, we have to hurry. See you at the stage in a bit.”

Li Lingling was still immersed in chatting with the fans, accepting several snacks they offered. Tiangua dragged her away as she reluctantly said goodbye, following the other three to the backstage area.

A commercial district performance was usually “short and sweet.” It wouldn’t be as long as a dedicated concert. The organizers had chosen three of their most popular songs that fans were familiar with. This wouldn’t bore the audience, and old fans or passersby would be easily drawn in by familiar melodies.

With an hour until they took the stage, Yu Xiu sat before a tuner in the temporary backstage rest area, cradling her guitar to test the sound.

She plucked the strings, tilted her head to listen, then shook her head at the sound engineer. “The high frequencies are still a bit piercing. Can you compress them a bit more?”

Before getting a response, she strummed a chord progression. “No, that’s too muffled. Outdoor sound doesn’t travel well, it’ll get eaten up.”

An outdoor stage didn’t have the sound absorbing qualities of a closed venue. Li Lingling walked over and teased her about being too demanding. She plugged her bass into a nearby speaker and played a smooth solo. “I think this cabinet sounds fine.”

On the other side, Tiangua had her headphones on, completely immersed in adjusting preset tones, oblivious to the conversation. Song Liulan was kneeling to check her cymbal stands, testing the height with her wrists.

As an outsider, Shuxue sat quietly on a crate a short distance away, legs dangling as she watched them.

Finally, Yu Xiu checked everyone’s cables one last time. Li Lingling, finished with her prep, stretched her arms to reach for a box of osmanthus cakes on the table. Five pieces were neatly arranged in the pink box. She had just eaten one, her mouth filled with a sweet fragrance.

Usually, if Chi Yeyu that sweets fanatic, were here, she’d be fighting over them, chasing her around backstage. Now that she was gone, the others didn’t even look at the snacks.

Li Lingling picked up another piece and popped it into her mouth. The glutinous rice was chewy and infused with the sweetness of osmanthus, she could even taste some fine nut fragments mixed in.

Having no one to share with, she walked over and nudged Shuxue with her elbow. “Want one? It’s delicious,” she asked, her voice muffled by the food.

“I won’t eat,” Shuxue shook her head, reminding her, “Eating too much glutinous rice can cause indigestion.”

Li Lingling didn’t care and licked some sugar from her fingertip. “It’s fine. The osmanthus flavor is so authentic, and it’s not all glutinous rice. It’s quite healthy.”

Shuxue glanced at the cakes in the box. They were topped with peanut crumbles. She suddenly remembered that Chi Yeyu was allergic to peanuts. Chi had once told her a story about being sent to the hospital at 1:00 AM because of a peanut drink her mother had made.

“Sister Lingling, are you allergic to peanuts?” she asked.

Li Lingling laughed. “No, I’m fine with peanuts. But I can’t eat raw sesame, if I do, I get a rash and my stomach hurts like crazy.”

Hearing this, Shuxue noticed Lingling’s lips were looking redder than usual. She snatched the box away. Amidst Lingling’s cries of “Hey, don’t waste food!”, Shuxue crushed a piece of cake. “This white stuff inside, is it raw or toasted sesame?”

“What raw or toasted… there isn’t even sesame in… ah, wait. Seriously? There is sesame?!” Li Lingling looked closely. The crumbs were indeed raw sesame.

The aroma of sesame comes from roasting. Raw sesame has almost no smell, while toasted sesame has a rich nutty scent and a darker, golden-brown color. If you tasted a bit directly, the difference would be obvious, but hidden in a sweet cake, the flavor of osmanthus and sugar masked most of it.

Li Lingling’s brow furrowed. She felt the internal changes, a long-forgotten yet familiar cramping pain began in her stomach. The pain radiated downward, spreading through her. She leaned against a makeup table, cold sweat forming on her forehead.

“What’s wrong? Did you eat something bad?” Tiangua turned around, saw her pale face, and hurried over.

“She’s having an allergic reaction to sesame,” Shuxue said, frowning.

Yu Xiu quickly pulled out a bottle of warm water. Li Lingling waved her hand, unable to speak clearly, her eyes filled with panic. “Dammit… we’re about to be introduced… it’s my fault for not looking…”

Soon, staff brought hot water and a towel for a warm compress. Shuxue stood by, watching Lingling hunched over in pain. She looked at the bass on the floor, suddenly crouched down to pick it up, and adjusted the strap over her shoulder.

“Sister Lingling taught me the bass parts for the three songs today. I should be able to do it.” She looked at Yu Xiu, her voice calm.

Li Lingling’s stomach was churning, the cramps getting worse. Let alone standing up to play bass, she didn’t even have the strength to stand straight. She was worried about the performance, but hearing Shuxue’s offer, she felt hesitant. It wasn’t that she feared Shuxue would play poorly, she just feared this debut was too rushed and haphazard.

Moreover, of the three songs today, she had only fully taught her two. Pink Snow Swing was difficult; after Chi Yeyu left, she worried that teaching it would remind Shuxue of her like rubbing salt in a wound. She had planned to teach it later, so Shuxue’s knowledge of it was still based on what she’d picked up while Chi Yeyu was still around.

“How much of what I taught do you remember?” Li Lingling asked weakly, her breathing uneven.

Shuxue’s long lashes lowered slightly. She tightened the bass strap and parted her lips. “All of it.”

The event organizer heard the news of the sudden replacement and rushed over, phone in hand. After getting the gist of the situation, his eyes rested on Shuxue for a few seconds. He nodded. “Fine. But today’s performance will be recorded in full and posted online as promotional material.”

“If you mess up, this will be a lifelong ‘black mark’ on your record,” he warned. “The internet can be vicious. Little girl, this is your first time on stage, have you really thought this through?”

Song Liulan reached out and gently patted Shuxue’s arm. “You’re making it sound so serious! Online news changes faster than you can turn a page. Our little band’s performance will sink to the bottom of the feed in two days. How could it be a lifelong black mark?”

“I won’t mess it up.” Shuxue looked up at him, her eyes showing no fear, only a quiet, steady determination.

Yu Xiu stood at the front. Hearing the host introducing them on stage, she turned back and gave the signal. “No problems, right? Let’s go!”

Song Liulan walked toward the side of the stage. As she passed Shuxue, she tapped her arm. “Don’t be nervous. Just follow my drum beats.”

Shuxue nodded. Her fingertips rested on the bass strings. The stage spotlights were blindingly bright, and the sound of the crowd surged like a tide. The sound of the host announcing “Screaming Goldfish!” made her heart begin to race uncontrollably.