The Little Duck 52p2

Chapter 52 p2

The weather in early July was so hot that it made one’s whole body burn, but this hug was still full of reluctance to part.

But soon, Yan Lu came out of Jian Xin’s arms and reached out to touch the braid that was hanging on her shoulder—several of them, pink and black intertwined, thin, and the ends of the braids were even a gradient of pink.

“You dyed your hair?” Wouldn’t Auntie scold you when you go back?

“Of course it’s fake!” Jian Xin said with a grin, taking the fake braid from her head and waving it in front of Yan Lu’s eyes. Finally, she put it back on, adjusted its position, and looked up to ask, “Is it pretty?”

“It is!”

“I have more, I’ll get you one later!”

“I don’t need one…”

“Just dress up a little, don’t be so boring,” Jian Xin said, taking Yan Lu’s hand and walking towards the subway station.

She said that she had a roommate named Zheng Xinyue, and she was very amazing, her hands were so nimble, and she could braid many kinds of beautiful hairstyles—she had learned a lot from her in the past six months.

Jian Xin: “Let me see when we get back, which hairstyle suits you best.”

Yan Lu: “Isn’t that a little troublesome…”

Jian Xin: “How is it troublesome?”

Yan Lu: “I don’t go out much anyway, so this is fine.”

Jian Xin glanced at Yan Lu, who was wearing a single ponytail and a short-sleeved shirt with a cartoon image on it, looking like a junior or senior high school student on the street.

She couldn’t help but mutter, “You’re such a good girl.”

Yan Lu pursed her lips and didn’t dare to speak.

Jian Xin: “I’ll take you to see the world tonight!”

Yan Lu: “Huh?”

Jian Xin was a person who did whatever she thought of. She said she would take Yan Lu out to see the world, so she wouldn’t let Yan Lu say no.

When the two of them got out of the subway, it was just getting dark. Jian Xin took Yan Lu to the homestay she had found in advance and personally dressed her up.

Yan Lu had a quiet personality and was not suitable for a too-flamboyant style.

Jian Xin put on light makeup for her, chose a long dress she had just bought a while ago, and used a wooden hairpin to comb her hair into a half-updo with a scholarly air. A few strands of hair fell in front of her forehead to frame her face.

Her frame was a little smaller than Jian Xin’s, and the long dress was a little big on her. Jian Xin found a silk ribbon to cinch the waist, and arranged the pleats to be naturally fluffy, showing off her slender waist.

If her eyes weren’t so evasive, she would really look like a classical beauty who had stepped out of a painting.

“Look!” Jian Xin pushed Yan Lu in front of the mirror. “How is it? Is it pretty?”

Yan Lu looked at herself in the mirror, felt a little strange, and a wave of shyness rose in her heart. For a moment, she didn’t know where to look.

“Are you embarrassed?” Jian Xin asked, her eyes wide, tilting her head to look at her from the side.

Yan Lu unconsciously lowered her eyelashes. “A little… not used to it…”

“It’s very pretty, and you’re not used to it?” Jian Xin asked, and seeing that Yan Lu had buried her head even lower, she couldn’t help but reach out and press on the top of her head, and with a little force, she turned her head back to face the mirror, and said with a squint, “Yan Lu, you don’t know that you’ve always been very pretty, do you?”

“Am I…”

“You have to trust my aesthetic, okay!” Jian Xin said, patting her shoulder. “Don’t always keep your head down, and don’t be so evasive. Be confident!”

She said, then rested her chin on Yan Lu’s shoulder and asked her with a wink, “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? It’s my treat!”

“I’m fine with…”

“Anything!” Jian Xin answered first, stood up straight, and sighed. “I knew you were going to say that! Come with me, I’ll take you to eat something delicious!”

When they walked out of the homestay, it was around eight, and the night was already very dark.

Yan Lu would not comment on whether the food that night was good or not, but the price did startle her.

Two people, one meal, cost over three hundred.

Such a high consumption scared her so much that she didn’t dare to say a word and just ate silently with her head down.

Before the meal was even finished, she heard Jian Xin, who was across the table, start a voice call with someone.

She listened with her ears perked up. Jian Xin seemed to be gathering people.

She said that her partner had come, and she wanted to take her to a fun place to have a good time, and she asked if anyone wanted to come along.

They finally decided on a small entertainment club. It was said that there would be a music performance that night, and the two-person package was over one hundred and eighty, with a portion of fries and two glasses of lemonade.

“Isn’t that too expensive…”

“This is already very cheap!” Jian Xin said, pinching Yan Lu’s cheek. “Alright, it’s my treat!”

Yan Lu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but stopped.

The place Jian Xin had brought her to had a very exquisite decoration. Although the place was small, it looked very high-end, but the lighting was dim, and she felt a little unaccustomed.

At this moment, there was still more than half an hour before the performance began. There were not many people here for the time being, and it was very quiet all around.

The moment Yan Lu walked in, she saw the small, moon-like table lamps on every table.

The moment she sat down, her attention was drawn to this small table lamp.

Jian Xin: “Do you like it?”

Yan Lu nodded.

Jian Xin said, “I think I’ve seen them for sale online. I’ll buy one later and put it in the bedroom!”

Yan Lu blinked and said softly, “This light is very dim, and it’s not very practical.”

“As long as it’s pretty!” Jian Xin said with a laugh.

Yan Lu thought for a moment and felt that it was true—this seemingly dim light was actually very gentle, not dazzling, and could also illuminate a piece of darkness.

She couldn’t help but reach out and touch it, feeling the somewhat rough texture.

When she came back to her senses, Jian Xin’s friends had already arrived.

Jian Xin stood up with a smile and waved at Zheng Xinyue and Xiang Yuanyuan at the door. “Here, here!”

Yan Lu followed Jian Xin’s gaze and saw two beautiful girls in very trendy and casual clothes walking towards them.

“Jian Xin, is this your legendary girlfriend?” Zheng Xinyue exclaimed loudly before she even sat down. “Where did you get the luck to find such a beautiful girlfriend?”

She said, then sat down and said to Yan Lu with a smile, “Hello, Yan Lu—it’s a pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m Jian Xin’s roommate, Zheng Xinyue. You can just call me Yue Zi!”

“Ah… hello.”

“She’s timid, don’t scare her,” Jian Xin said, holding Yan Lu’s hand and introducing her to the friends she had called. “Zheng Xinyue, the founder of our band!”

“This is Senior Xiang Yuanyuan, our band’s drummer! She usually talks even less than you, but she’s a great drummer. We have a performance in a few days, and I’ll take you to listen then!”

“Hello,” Xiang Yuanyuan said softly.

“Hello!” Yan Lu replied a little nervously, her gaze unconsciously lingering on Xiang Yuanyuan’s purple-gray, inexplicably cool short hair for a moment.

People who make music, even their hair color is so unique.

With this thought, a short while later, all the people in Jian Xin’s band had arrived one after another.

They all seemed to be very familiar with each other, and they started to chat and laugh as soon as they met.

Jian Xin was afraid that Yan Lu would be bored and would occasionally throw her a conversation starter, but at such a lively table, no one was really the main character.

Yan Lu really couldn’t understand their topics and could only sit on the side and watch silently.

The performance started soon. It was a small, five-person band.

They stood on the small stage, introduced the theme of today’s performance, and everyone who had been chatting enthusiastically stopped and looked up at the stage.

Jian Xin lowered her head and sent a message to Yan Lu on her phone.

She said that this kind of small performance was mostly by some campus bands or recent graduates—everyone was looking for opportunities, and even though they knew they wouldn’t earn much money, they still wanted to stay in a big city with many opportunities and try their luck.

But the skill level was somewhat uneven.

For example, this small band today, the lead singer was a little unstable from the first line, and her stage presence was also a little lacking. Her ability to stir up emotions was weak. If it were a slightly more high-end place, she probably wouldn’t have a second chance after this trial.

Yan Lu asked curiously—what about you guys?

Jian Xin proudly lifted the corners of her mouth and typed back—we’ve been here many times, and the owner here has even actively invited us a few times.

Lu: So amazing!

It’s Xin Xin: This place is still too small! Count it, including the seven of us, there aren’t even thirty people. If there are other places to go, there’s no need to come here.

Lu: Then how many people will be at the place you’re going to in a few days?

It’s Xin Xin: Over a hundred, I guess? The venue is much bigger than here, but it’s not a very lively place.

Lu: Over a hundred, that’s very lively!

It’s Xin Xin: I really want to have a concert one day, the kind with a lot of people!

Lu: How many is a lot?

It’s Xin Xin: For the first time, let’s say eight or nine hundred?

It’s Xin Xin: I heard that it’s a little troublesome to get approval for over a thousand!

It’s Xin Xin: Our band now has over a hundred thousand followers on all platforms. When it grows a little more, I wonder if we’ll have a chance to have one before graduation.

Yan Lu secretly glanced at Jian Xin and replied with a smile—you will!

It’s Xin Xin: You have to come then!

Lu: Mmm!

It’s Xin Xin: I’ll let you know a long time in advance. You, this busy person, have to clear your schedule for me. Otherwise, if I don’t see you then, I’ll get angry at you when I get back!

Lu: Okay!

Yan Lu replied, then looked up at the small stage that was lit by a spotlight.

Jian Xin had said that their performance was not good enough, but in her eyes, this was already very amazing.

She couldn’t help but think, if it were Jian Xin, what kind of light would it be?

She hadn’t thought of an answer yet when the person beside her started to drink.

Jian Xin asked her if she wanted to try. She looked at the menu with some curiosity and saw that even the cheapest drink was twenty or thirty yuan, and she immediately shook her head.

But in the end, she still had a taste, the one Jian Xin had ordered.

It was light blue, and she didn’t know the name, but it was very pretty.

Before she took the first sip, she also had a hint of anticipation in her heart, but when she really tasted it, she felt that it was just so-so.

She really didn’t understand why Jian Xin and her friends loved to drink such expensive and not-so-good-tasting drinks, and would get drunk every few days.

The song adapted by the small band on stage seemed to be very high-energy. Some in the audience were indifferent, and some were also enthusiastic.

But Jian Xin was right. This kind of performance was indeed not very good.

She thought, she still liked to stay at home.

Quiet, it was very good.

Yan Lu knew that Jian Xin wanted to give her her liveliness, that it was a flower Jian Xin had encountered on her journey.

But in her heart, there was no soil to accommodate it.

She was not Jian Xin after all, and she couldn’t enthusiastically blend into such an environment. The shoulders that occasionally touched hers were always warm.

The lighting here was dim, and the air conditioning was very strong.

In her ears was the collision of instruments and human voices, and beside her was her beloved, who was intoxicated by it.

—She just felt cold.