The Little Duck 61p1

Chapter 61p1

Jian Xin was the kind of person who forgot the pain once the wound had healed. For her, it was as if there was no such thing as an overnight grudge in this world.

If there was, a good night’s sleep would solve it.

She had slept very well this time. Until she woke up, she was still tightly holding the person she had accidentally lost in her dream last night.

Yan Lu should have been awake for a long time, but she was afraid of disturbing her dream, so she hadn’t moved, just lay in her arms, her eyes filled with a smile, quietly gazing at her.

Now that she saw her open her eyes, her gaze knew to look away.

“How long have you been awake?” Jian Xin asked her softly.

“Not long.”

The curtains were not drawn very tightly, and a little light came in from outside, quietly falling on the foot of the bed.

It was already afternoon. They sat up from the bed.

Jian Xin replied to a message in the band group chat, ordered a takeout of Maocai, and the two of them squatted in front of the low coffee table and had a simple dinner.

Yan Lu was leaving tomorrow. She was a little reluctant, but thinking of yesterday’s argument, she still suppressed the desire to take Yan Lu out to play.

After dinner, Yan Lu suddenly said that she wanted to take Jian Xin out to see something.

Jian Xin was in a daze for a while. Seeing that Yan Lu had put on her going-out clothes, she also quickly grabbed a piece of clothing and followed her to the door.

Yan Lu led Jian Xin to the roof, opened a rusty iron door, and came to the snow-covered rooftop.

She pointed to a very large snowman by the edge of the rooftop, looked up at Jian Xin, and smiled faintly. “I made it!”

Jian Xin: “Last… this morning?”

Yan Lu: “Yeah.”

She replied, and with light steps, she ran to the snowman’s side and put on two purple eyes and a dark brown round nose for the snowman.

They were three lollipops that she had bought on the way back from breakfast this morning.

This thing was cheap, fifty cents a piece, and it was also easy to fix. All she had to do was stick the stick into the snow.

“I was wondering why you suddenly bought this yesterday when you don’t really like candy…” Jian Xin said, taking out her phone and taking a few steps back.

The afterglow of the sunset fell on the rooftop, like a layer of orange-gold mist, enveloping the snowman and Yan Lu.

The distant horizon was a mixture of light and dark sunset clouds.

A gust of wind blew, lifting a few strands of her long hair that were not held down by her scarf.

Jian Xin took a picture of this scene, freezing the morning they had missed.

Then they watched the sunset together, watching the orange-red gradually disappear from the horizon.

That night, Yan Lu was still typing until late at night, and Jian Xin slowly fell asleep to the continuous sound of the keyboard.

At noon on January 2nd, Yan Lu returned to Yuecheng.

Jian Xin saw her off at the airport and returned to school alone.

Zheng Xinyue was lying leisurely in the dorm. Seeing her push the door in, she couldn’t help but gossip, “Your beautiful little girlfriend is back?”

“Mmm!”

“How do you two make up after a fight?”

“We sleep,” Jian Xin said, putting the things she had taken out in her backpack back in their original places.

“Oh~~ you sleep it off!”

“There’s no problem that can’t be solved with a good night’s sleep,” Jian Xin said, looking up at Zheng Xinyue and smiling with her eyebrows arched. “If there is, then just sleep a few more times.”

“Eek, how did I turn yellow?” Zheng Xinyue said, and couldn’t help but sigh. “I was quite worried about you. You were so drunk in the early morning, and you still ran out so early.”

The roommate who was playing a game on the side suddenly laughed out loud.

“…”

“Aiya, I also saw someone rolling on the floor, crying and asking—why, why, why is she like this…”

“Alright, alright!” Jian Xin quickly rushed to the side of Zheng Xinyue’s bed and waved at her.

If Zheng Xinyue hadn’t immediately closed her mouth, she would have really climbed up to cover her mouth.

“I’ve figured it out. There’s no why. I just lost control of my emotions,” Jian Xin sighed. “Everyone has their own things to do. Who doesn’t need some of their own space? She gave me my space, but I didn’t give her hers.”

“I can’t be like this next time,” she said to Zheng Xinyue, and also to herself.

“You don’t have to always find fault with yourself. In this situation, I would have been angry too,” Zheng Xinyue said, glancing at Jian Xin and comforting her casually. “This is just human nature.”

“This is not human nature, because Yan Lu is different.”

“No matter how different, two people together are for peace of mind and convenience. If you’re always arguing and in a bad mood, then it’s an unhealthy relationship,” Zheng Xinyue said faintly from a bystander’s perspective. “If you can’t find a good solution, you’ll break up sooner or later.”

Jian Xin didn’t say anything more, just climbed onto her bed and fell down.

She thought, Zheng Xinyue didn’t understand.

She and Yan Lu would not break up.

Even if they put aside their feelings, there was still a habit between them—a habit of many, many years.

A habit is not something that can be easily changed.

After lazing around for a while, she asked faintly, “Did they say we’re rehearsing tonight?”

“Yeah, it’s scheduled for after dinner. Xiao Yuan has a private lesson at night, so he’ll be a little late,” Zheng Xinyue said. “We’ve been playing with something new these past few days while you were away. I’ll show you tonight.”

“Okay!” Jian Xin replied, glancing at her phone.

One-thirty in the afternoon.

She felt a little tired. She had clearly slept enough last night, but she was still inexplicably tired.

It was probably because of the drinks. A little more sleep should be fine.

With this thought, she closed her eyes.

*

When she woke up, Jian Xin got a huge surprise.

This surprise was so big that it brought her some shock. She stared at the message in a daze for a long time and couldn’t come back to her senses.

A variety show called Musical Encounter had sent her an invitation.

This music variety show focused on the collision of different eras. It would invite a group of experienced veteran singers and a group of up-and-coming young singers to perform on the same stage, one-on-one or one-on-many, and adapt some popular or classic works—and there would only be a stage and rankings, with no elimination mechanism.

From the proposed invitation list sent by the production team, and the list of those who had already confirmed their participation, this would undoubtedly be a highly anticipated variety show.

Jian Xin couldn’t believe that such a good opportunity could fall into the lap of someone like her, who only had one representative work.

She could guess with her toes that with her fame, it was impossible for her to have such resources. It could only be that Yan Lu had once again asked that little fairy to help take care of her.

—She’s become a resource-rich person?

A little scared, and a little happy, what’s going on?

An opportunity, when it falls on you, no matter how it comes, if you can seize it, you’re worthy. If you can’t, you’ll be ridiculed by everyone.

Jian Xin took a deep breath and accepted this opportunity with great humility.

She read the contract sent by the other party over and over again, let out a slow breath, and sent a sticker to Yan Lu.

Picked Up a Heart: [Thank you, living Bodhisattva]

Perched by the Roadside: What?

Picked Up a Heart: A variety show suddenly came to me today, and it looks like a big investment.

Picked Up a Heart: I don’t even have to think about it. For such a good thing to happen to me, it must be because of your little fairy’s efforts.

Perched by the Roadside: I’ll ask.

Picked Up a Heart: [Eh?]

Yan Lu was a little confused. She didn’t remember mentioning anything like this to Lin Xiyu.

Regarding Jian Xin’s career, all she could think of was to find some bigger film and television projects for her to participate in. As for variety shows, she knew nothing about them.

She opened her private chat with Lin Xiyu and asked.

After more than half an hour, the other party finally replied, sending several voice messages in a row.

“Oh! You mean that! That, that, it was me. I mentioned it, and he really used it?”

“I know that director. I was a crossover guest on his variety show before. A while ago, it was just, just… he was asking in his own Moments.”

“I saw him asking if there were any, if there were any new generation, a little less well-known, but with good skills, musicians, preferably with some creative and adaptive abilities.”

“At that time, I thought, hey, isn’t your person a good fit? And then I sent him a private message and recommended her.”

“He said at that time that he would consider it. I wasn’t sure if it would work out, because this director, if you search online, you’ll know that his variety shows are all about quality. Not just anyone can be stuffed in as a connection.”

“Generally speaking, when he chooses a person, it’s definitely after careful consideration and listening to a lot of the other person’s works.”

“So I just told him that this girl is very talented, can write and sing, and used to be in a band. There are a lot of live performance videos online, and she’s not the kind of recording studio singer, and her singing is very stable…”

“I said, um, the person is very capable, and now she’s not very famous, cheap, and easy to talk to… I’m using her in the new drama I’m filming recently, and she’s very economical.”

“I also said, I said—if you use her now, in the future, hey, if she makes it big, it will be easier to invite her for other programs you want to do…”

There was a lot of background noise on the other end of the voice call, a lot of noise, like on a film set.

Lin Xiyu’s words were a little messy, and she was also a little out of breath. It was clear that she had just filmed a rather tiring scene and hadn’t fully caught her breath yet.

But this did not stop her from chattering on for so long.

At this point, Lin Xiyu suddenly asked with a laugh, “How about it? Don’t I deserve some credit for this? To convince the director, I said a lot of good things about your person.”

Perched by the Roadside: Thank you for your hard work, thank you.

“It was just a few words, not hard work,” Lin Xiyu said loudly in the voice message. “The fight scenes in your novel are what made me tired! If there’s another chance to cooperate, find me a more down-to-earth one!”

Perched by the Roadside: Shouldn’t a little fairy be flying in the sky?

“Hey, I’ll talk to you later, the director is calling!”

Perched by the Roadside: I wish you an early wrap-up.

After sending the message, Yan Lu felt that it was a little dry. The other person had done her such a big favor and hadn’t mentioned it at all from beginning to end. It wouldn’t be right for her to react so flatly.

After some thought, Yan Lu copied a sticker from Jian Xin’s side.

Perched by the Roadside: [Thank you, living Bodhisattva]

Lin Xiyu: [Salty fish tears]

At this point, the conversation temporarily ended.

Yan Lu sat at her computer and thought for a moment, then seriously replied to Jian Xin.

Perched by the Roadside: Lin Xiyu knows the director and recommended you, but it was just a recommendation.

She said that this director has his own ideas when choosing people, and connections can’t be stuffed in. To be able to choose you, he must have listened to your works and made some serious considerations in his heart.

Since you’ve gotten this opportunity, you don’t have to think too much, just do your best.

Before she had sent these, Jian Xin was searching for information about this director and production team online. When she suddenly saw this kind of explanatory comfort, she couldn’t help but smile, her eyebrows arching.

Picked Up a Heart: I won’t overthink it!

Picked Up a Heart: You said it, an opportunity, no matter how it comes, just grab it with all your might!

Picked Up a Heart: I’ve always remembered it!

Perched by the Roadside: That wasn’t me.

Picked Up a Heart: Aiya!

Picked Up a Heart: Don’t worry about such details.

Picked Up a Heart: If it’s really from an unknown source, just throw it to Lu Xun.

At this point, there was no reply.

Jian Xin leaned back in her chair lazily, tapping her toes on the floor and spinning the chair a couple of times. Suddenly, a thought came to her, and she once again sent a message to Yan Lu.

Picked Up a Heart: When the sun is about to set and it’s a little cooler outside, can you come with me to print the contract?

Perched by the Roadside: Do you need me to come with you for that too?

Picked Up a Heart: Actually, I don’t. I know the way, I just wanted to ask you.

Picked Up a Heart: It’s like in school, when you go to the cafeteria, to the bathroom, or to get hot water, you always want someone to come with you.

As Jian Xin replied, she typed a sentence in the input box—if you’re busy, then forget it!

Just as she was about to press enter, Yan Lu replied.

Perched by the Roadside: I can, we can take a walk after dinner.

Jian Xin quickly deleted the message she had just typed and sat at her computer with a silly, worthless smile.

Picked Up a Heart: [Okay, duck!]

Picked Up a Heart: [Thank you, living Bodhisattva]

That day’s dinner was very simple. It was just the leftovers from last night, heated up.