The Gentle Breeze Reflects in My Eyes - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The holidays always pass in the blink of an eye. After bidding farewell to National Day, everything returned to its normal track.

At noon, Gu Yitong picked up Xia Lusheng from Zhao Yasu’s training class. After having lunch out, she brought her back to the company.

Although Xia Lusheng had spent a month in the coffee shop downstairs, she had never actually come up. This was her first time visiting Gu Yitong’s workplace, and she was somewhat nervous.

As soon as they entered, Qi Die’s voice rang out: “Yitong, someone is looking for you. They’re waiting in your office—said they had an appointment with you.”

Gu Yitong nodded. The visitor was Xia Lusheng’s Braille teacher, who had called before arriving.

Seeing Xia Lusheng behind her, Qi Die suddenly became enthusiastic. She stepped forward and pulled Xia Lusheng inside: “Hey! Little Teacher! What did Teacher Zhao teach you today? Any new content?”

Because Xia Lusheng was teaching Qi Die the cello, Qi Die had started jokingly calling her “Little Teacher.” Over this period, Xia Lusheng had grown accustomed to the title.

“No, Teacher Zhao said that after several days without playing during National Day, my hands would get rusty. This morning was just for reviewing previous material, so Sister Qi should review as well tonight.”

Qi Die nodded with a hint of regret: “Alright, then.”

At this time, the Gourmet Society was still small, with only six people including Gu Yitong and Qi Die. The other four sat at the public desks, looking at Xia Lusheng with curiosity.

Gu Yitong took Xia Lusheng’s hand and said, “Let’s go to my office.”

A young woman sat on the office sofa, her wavy long hair draped casually over her shoulders. When Gu Yitong and Xia Lusheng entered, she was sitting there sipping tea.

Gu Yitong was momentarily stunned by the woman’s relaxed posture before asking, “Teacher Ye?”

The woman set down her teacup and stood up. She smiled at both of them and extended her hand: “President Gu, I presume? I am Ye Li.”

Holding Xia Lusheng with one hand, Gu Yitong reached out with the other to shake Ye Li’s: “Hello.”

Secretly, Gu Yitong gave the back of Xia Lusheng’s hand a little squeeze. Xia Lusheng understood immediately and spoke up: “Hello, Teacher Ye. My name is Lusheng.”

Ye Li looked Xia Lusheng over and said, “Hello, Lusheng.”

The three sat back down on the sofa, with Gu Yitong and Xia Lusheng sitting side-by-side opposite Ye Li. Gu Yitong looked at Ye Li and said, “I didn’t expect Teacher Ye to be so young. Since Principal Liu recommended you, I expected a veteran teacher in her forties.”

Ye Li tossed her wavy hair. “Age doesn’t represent much. Even if President Gu doesn’t trust me, you should trust Principal Liu. So please rest assured, I will teach Lusheng well.”

Gu Yitong smiled. “Class is two hours every afternoon. The first three days are a trial period with no fee. After three days, the fee will follow what Principal Liu and I agreed upon, paid weekly. Any objections, Teacher Ye?”

This had been settled beforehand; Gu Yitong was simply confirming it in person.

Ye Li didn’t hesitate and nodded: “No problem. I’ve brought everything needed for class today, so let’s start now.”

She’s a go-getter, Gu Yitong thought with a chuckle. After a moment, she said, “Alright. The room inside is my lounge. It’s quiet and private. Perhaps Teacher Ye can teach Lusheng Braille there?”

Hearing this, Ye Li stood up and lifted a bulging large bag. “Alright, Lusheng, let’s go to the lounge.”

As she spoke, Ye Li reached out to take Xia Lusheng’s hand. However, the moment her hand touched her, before she could even grip it, Xia Lusheng swiped Ye Li’s hand away and shrunk back, clearly unwilling to be touched.

Ye Li was taken aback for a second but quickly realized the situation. She shook her head with a smile and headed into the lounge carrying her bag.

Xia Lusheng’s reaction had been purely subconscious. Only after doing it did her brain catch up. She pursed her lips and hung her head.

Gu Yitong reached up and rubbed Xia Lusheng’s head. Without mentioning the incident, she simply stood up and straightened Xia Lusheng’s collar: “I’ll take you over.”

Xia Lusheng stood up silently and followed Gu Yitong into the lounge.

“Come, let Lusheng sit here.” Ye Li patted the chair beside her.

There was nothing on the table to begin with. Ye Li spread out a hardbound Braille textbook covered in raised dots.

Once Xia Lusheng was settled, Gu Yitong left the room to give them space. The lounge was well-soundproofed, so Gu Yitong couldn’t hear their movements from the outside.

Two hours later, Ye Li emerged from the lounge.

Meeting Gu Yitong’s concerned gaze, Ye Li couldn’t help but laugh: “Don’t be so worried, President Gu. Lusheng is a bright girl. Today’s lesson went much smoother than I expected. Don’t forget to give her a nice reward.”

Hearing this, Gu Yitong breathed a sigh of relief: “Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Ye.”

Ye Li waved it off: “You pay, I teach. It’s an equal exchange, nothing hard about it.”

Gu Yitong raised an eyebrow.

After seeing Ye Li out, Gu Yitong entered the lounge. Xia Lusheng was still sitting at the table, a small Braille book in front of her. She was tracing it intently, dot by dot.

Thirst for knowledge.

This phrase suddenly popped into Gu Yitong’s mind.

After watching her for a while, Gu Yitong stepped forward and said softly with a smile, “Teacher Ye praised you before she left. She said you’re smart and told me to reward you well. Is there anything you want?”

Xia Lusheng’s hand paused. She hesitated for a moment: “…Reward me?”

“Yes. Our Lusheng is so smart, of course she should be rewarded.”

After thinking for a while, Xia Lusheng actually made a request. Her tone was serious and slow, cautious as if she feared Gu Yitong might be unwilling: “I want to take a photo together with you.”

Gu Yitong’s expression froze. Looking at Xia Lusheng’s timid expression, she felt a sudden pang of heartache for some reason.

She slowly stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Xia Lusheng, and whispered: “Okay. But it might have to wait a few days. It’s busy right now just after National Day.”

Xia Lusheng knew very well that Gu Yitong was busy. It was peak season for dinner party orders and inquiries. Yet, to accompany her, Gu Yitong had chosen to work from home, often staying up until midnight these past few days.

Hearing her agree was enough to make Xia Lusheng beam with joy.

Seeing the smile on the girl’s face, Gu Yitong started smiling too.

…

That night, Gu Yitong put on her sportswear and stretched her limbs to warm up. She delivered a long kick to the hanging sandbag with a loud “thump,” causing it to swing violently.

Before it could stop, she nimbly stepped forward, striking the bag heavily with her elbow. She then retreated a step and lunged forward, using the momentum to leap into the air. She clamped her legs around the sandbag, spun around, landed steadily on the ground, and then slammed her knee hard into the bag.

The sandbag let out muffled “thuds,” swinging so violently it looked ready to burst.

The space in the small room was limited, so she couldn’t fully unleash her moves and could only practice a few forms repeatedly. Only when she was exhausted did she stop, lying spread-eagle on the floor, panting heavily.

After a long time, she crawled up, grabbed her phone from the bed, found Ye Li’s number, and dialed.

“Hello, President Gu?”

Gu Yitong lay back on the floor, holding the phone to her ear. She said, “It’s me, Teacher Ye. I have a favor to ask. Lusheng is learning the cello. I’d like you to help recommend some standard Braille music scores. I don’t understand Braille, so I have to ask a professional like you to pick them out.”

Ye Li agreed readily with a pleasant laugh: “What a coincidence. I had a student who studied cello before. I prepared Braille scores for her. I’ll bring them for Lusheng tomorrow.”

“Great. Thank you, Teacher Ye.”

After hanging up, Gu Yitong breathed a sigh of relief. Xia Lusheng had been learning the cello purely by having the teacher describe the score, listening, memorizing it by heart, and then digesting it bit by bit.

Once she learns Braille and can ‘read’ the scores, things should be much easier for her, Gu Yitong thought.