Chapter 263 - 140: Su Ran: Both Are My Girlfriends

Chapter 263: Chapter 140: Su Ran: Both Are My Girlfriends

Wow~

My Su Ran really spoils me rotten.

This damn feeling of bliss is overwhelming.

...

After dinner.

Xiao Wanqing insisted on helping Auntie with the dishes, and the more Auntie watched her, the more she liked her. At the same time, she started in on Zhou Bailin, "Son, you need to learn from your cousin. He’s so down-to-earth, and the girlfriend he found is just as reliable and diligent. Now look at the girls you bring home! They sleep over for one night and are gone the next day, and I even have to wait on you both! Every time you bring one home, your father gives out a big red envelope. Tell me, how many of those have we given out in the past two years? It must be 30,000 yuan by now!"

Of course, Zhou Bailin didn’t dare say what he was thinking: ’Just you wait. Su Ran will bring other girlfriends around. My cousin’s even more of a player than I am, hahaha...’

Instead, he said aloud, "I’m not as lucky as my cousin. Xiao Wanqing is the undisputed otaku goddess of the Shanghai Dance Academy. The line of guys chasing her would stretch all the way from Lujiazui to Chongming Island, right, Xiao Wanqing?"

Xiao Wanqing shot Su Ran a tender look. "Not at all. I only like Su Ran."

"Wanqing, you study dance?" Auntie asked.

"That’s right. Do you know how to dance too, Auntie?"

"I learned a bit when I was young."

"No wonder you have such a great figure, Auntie."

"Hehehe, you’re such a sweet talker."

In the kitchen, the women chatted about their figures.

Out in the courtyard, Su Ran took an interest in his grandfather’s collection of musical instruments.

"Know how to play?" his grandfather asked.

"Some of them," Su Ran replied.

"I heard you’ve performed on stage for tens of thousands of people. You must be incredible. Since the whole family is here, why don’t you perform something for everyone?"

"Uh, would everyone like that?"

Xiao Wanqing was the most supportive, poking her head out of the kitchen. "Yes, please~"

"Alright, I’ll perform something, then. Uh..." Su Ran looked at the collection of instruments, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I’ll play the guzheng."

"What? You know how to play that?" Zhou Bailin couldn’t believe it. "I thought you played Western instruments! How do you know this too?"

"I know a little."

Su Ran took a seat. His grandfather lit a stick of incense and placed it on the corner of the table, saying, "The ancients always burned incense when they played the zither. It gives it a sense of ceremony."

Auntie and Xiao Wanqing stopped washing the dishes and hurried outside. They sat on small stools, becoming his personal fan club, their eyes fixed on Su Ran.

Su Ran nodded, his eyes on the guzheng. He rolled his neck, flexed his fingers, and let out a long breath. Raising his hands, he placed them on the strings. With a flick of his index finger—TWANG!—a resonant, ancient-sounding note filled the air.

Xiao Wanqing listened to the melody. ’This sounds so familiar... What ancient-style song is it? I can’t place it.’

"Two tigers, two tigers, run so fast, run so fast..." Auntie sang.

Well...

Everyone was speechless.

"I was just testing the sound," Su Ran explained.

Xiao Wanqing bit her lip and shot him a playful glare. ’Being mischievous again, are you?’

Su Ran smiled. "Alright, I’ll play a proper song for you now. Listen closely..." As he spoke, his fingers danced across the strings, and the music rippled out like waves on a pond.

TWANG! A classic, elegant melody, smooth and flowing, echoed through the courtyard.

With just the first few notes, the tone of the entire piece was set—mournful, but not heartbreaking.

His long, slender fingers plucked string after string.

The lingering notes of the zither echoed in everyone’s ears—so beautiful.

His gaze swept across the group, finally resting on Xiao Wanqing’s face. Her eyes were shining. The moment their gazes locked, she felt a jolt, as if from an electric shock. The frantic deer in her heart felt like it had been struck by an arrow. ’Sigh...’ Xiao Wanqing was exasperated with herself. ’To think I still get butterflies around Su Ran. It’s just ridiculous.’

He plucks his zither, and I... play his flute.

How embarrassing.

Auntie noticed the sparkle in Xiao Wanqing’s eyes, then looked back at Su Ran playing the zither. She felt a swell of pride. Her nephew was truly outstanding. It was no surprise he could capture the heart of a great beauty like Xiao Wanqing.

How gratifying.

She was happy for her sister, that her son was so exceptional.

...

By now, Auntie and Xiao Wanqing had recognized the song and couldn’t help but start humming along...

["The clamor of the world, I flee to the monastery, to the sorrow of all men.

My dreams grow cold, a life of turmoil, how many love-debts remain?

If you but nod, I will wait through life and death,

Wait as the years wither, ring after ring..."]

Their voices echoed in the small courtyard, warming the cold winter.

Just then, a card floated out of the guzheng and into mid-air.

Life is full of surprises.

You can get cards just by enjoying life.

’DING! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a Super Mysterious Card. Challenge: Perform "Galan Rain." The system will score your performance. Pass to unlock this card.’

Lyrics: Fang Wenshan

Music: Jay Chou

Challenger: Su Ran

"The rain falls soft and thick, on an old town where grass grows deep. I’ve heard that you’re still all alone."

’Score: 57’

Su Ran began to sing. From the very first note, his smooth, enchanting voice captured everyone’s attention. To Xiao Wanqing, it was pure auditory bliss.

’But... why is he playing "Galan Rain" for me?’

Xiao Wanqing knew the story behind the song "Galan Rain"...

It was based on the *Records of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang*, written by Yang Xuanzhi during the Northern Wei dynasty. The book describes the thousand-year-old capital of Luoyang, once prosperous to the extreme, which later fell into ruin and decay. The story tells of a royal general in Luoyang who has a chance encounter with a woman. They fall in love at first sight and pledge their lives to each other. However, the general is then conscripted by the court to fight on the border. During the long years of war and chaos, the Imperial Capital of Luoyang is reduced to a dilapidated ruin.

In the end, after waiting in vain for the general’s return, the woman cuts her hair and becomes a nun. By the time the weathered general finally returns and finds his way to the Galan Ancient Temple where she had taken her vows, she has already passed away. The people there tell the general that a woman had been waiting there for him all along.

It was a story of a woman’s unwavering love.

’So, is he playing "Galan Rain" to tell me I should be faithful to him?’

When a woman loves too deeply, she will ponder over her man’s every word and action for ages.

...

"On mottled city gates, old tree roots entwine; on stone slabs, the only echo is ’wait’."

’Score: 78’

The score kept rising...

Zhou Bailin, holding the husky, watched his cousin, feeling a pang of jealousy.

"In Galan Temple, listening to the rain, hoping for eternity."

The zither ceased, the music stopped.

The melody lingered in the air.

’Score: 96’

’Congratulations, Host, challenge complete. You have obtained...’