Chapter 258 - 258 Shen Chi, come out
He walked step by step down the steps from the stage as if he had never been there.
On the other hand, Xu Chaomu, amidst the applause, rushed backstage right after coming down.
“Where’s he?” Xu Chaomu didn’t even catch her breath when she shouted.
The backstage teacher was stunned and casually said, “Xu Chaomu, who are you looking for?”
“The person who just played the piano.”
“The one who just played the piano, isn’t that you, Xu Chaomu?”
“No, he was just here, wasn’t he? Wasn’t someone just playing the piano backstage?”
“Sorry, we don’t understand what you mean.”
Shen Chi had already instructed them not to mention it. These people relied on Shen Chi for their livelihood, naturally, they would abide by his orders.
“Seriously!” Xu Chaomu stamped her foot in frustration.
He must have been here just now!
His fingering, his playing habits; she knew all of it. The person just playing the piano was him!
She had listened for eight years; she couldn’t be mistaken!
Ignoring Xu Chaomu, she dashed out of backstage on her own.
Running in high heels wasn’t fast, so she took them off and carried them as she ran outside.
The outside of the auditorium was desolate; no one was around, but the sun was particularly nice.
As Xu Chaomu ran out, she looked around but saw no one.
“Shen Chi, come out!” she called out his name, standing on the cold ground in her socks.
Why had he come to the auditorium? She always had a bad feeling in her heart, suspecting that he was saying goodbye to her in his own way…
Suddenly, she really wanted to take back something she had said a long time ago. One day, he told her he was going to South Africa and that it might be for a long time.
But she was in a huff and said, “How long is a long time? It would be best if you never came back.”
How could she say such a thing before he left?
Never coming back would only mean one possibility, that is…
Xu Chaomu shook her head desperately, no, it couldn’t be. He was Shen Chi, the President of Shen Group, a perfect god-like figure in her mind.
It was just a business trip, just a trip to South Africa; nothing would happen to him.
It definitely wouldn’t.
“Shen Chi… Fourth Brother… it was you just now, wasn’t it? Where are you?” Xu Chaomu shouted desperately, but the only reply was her own echo.
Shen Chi had not left; he stood quietly in a break room, watching through the window.
When he saw Xu Chaomu standing barefoot on the ground, he wanted to go out and scold her, but he didn’t; he just stood there in silence.
The sunlight draped over his dark shirt, and his eyes were deep and still like water.
The wind blew Xu Chaomu’s long hair; from his position, he could see her slender silhouette perfectly.
Her hair drifted gently; she was the greatest tenderness of his life.
Xu Chaomu stood there a long, long time, calling “Shen Chi” over and over, but she couldn’t find him, couldn’t see his shadow.
A lush jasmine tree stood beside the path; when the breeze stirred, petals fell on Xu Chaomu’s hair.
Standing beneath the tree, everything composed a beautifully picturesque scene.
She searched the entire campus but saw neither Shen Chi nor his Maybach.
Feeling forlorn, she returned to the dorm by herself; her roommates hadn’t come back yet. She took off the dress she had only worn for a few hours, grabbed a washbasin, and started to wash clothes.
She washed diligently, carefully scrubbing the cuffs and collar.
She thought about taking the clothes and shoes back to her room the next time she returned to the Shen family.
Only after Xu Chaomu returned to the dorm did Shen Chi leave the break room and drive to the group headquarters.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her, he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t have the heart to leave.
The day for his trip to South Africa was set for three days later.
In three days, he wouldn’t see her for over a month.
Of course, if something unexpected happened, it would be a lifetime.
This was her favorite piano piece. Before leaving, he played it for her once more.
During his time in South Africa, she had to be well and wait for him to return.
On the day Shen Chi left for South Africa, it coincided with Xu Chaomu’s midterm exams.
This was an exam Xu Chaomu had prepared for a long time, and it would also be her last high school exam.
Shen Chi had a flight early at seven in the morning, while Xu Chaomu had her exam at the same time. Shen Chi hadn’t expected such a coincidence and felt a sense of emptiness.
“President Shen, everything is ready; it’s time to go,” Old Cheng said while pulling the suitcase.
“Hmm,” Shen Chi walked out of Waterside Pavilion.
Halfway through, he remembered something and turned back.
Returning to his room, he found that ugly stuffed pillow.
He tossed it to Old Cheng, “Take this with you too.”
Old Cheng caught it, his face lined with bewilderment; if anyone found out, it would certainly make headlines.
“President Shen, is this Miss Xu’s?”
“Hmm, it’s hers, and it’s mine.”
“Oh.” Old Cheng was even more speechless.
Shen Chi sat in the back seat of the Maybach, the car slowly leaving Waterside Pavilion; he suddenly missed her very much.
He especially missed the times when she sat with him in the car, when she was always mischievous. One moment she’d be sitting, another she’d be lying down, then looking out the window, and the next climbing on him.
She was never settle, her little paws always liked to climb up his neck.
“Fourth Brother, smile for me.”
Back then, he would always keep a straight face and shake her off, “Go away!”
She would laugh even happier, hooking her little claw around his neck, “Fourth Brother, you always look so stern; you’ll age fast! Then, no one will want you. But it doesn’t matter, I won’t mind you. Sigh, I suppose I’ll reluctantly take you in then.”
“Xu Chaomu, if you dare climb on me again, I will throw you out!”
“You’re always cross with me. Can’t you speak nicely for once? Annoying devil.” Xu Chaomu would turn her head away in a huff every time this happened.
But, well, she was always fickle.
After three minutes, her little head would forget everything, and she’d bounce right back next to him.
“Fourth Brother, buy me a few new notebooks, I want to draw comics, the pretty ones!”
“Can’t you use the notebooks given out by the school? No!”
“So stingy, what are you doing with all the money you earn? Supporting a mistress?” She giggled, her eyes crescent-shaped with amusement.
“Xu Chaomu!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking, hit the truth, did I? Supporting a mistress isn’t something to be ashamed of; I can keep your secret.”
“If you keep spouting nonsense…”
“Oh, you’ll throw me out the window, won’t you?” Xu Chaomu was nonchalant; she had learned the script.
Back then, Shen Chi was always amused by her, and Xu Chaomu was such a chatterbox.
Whenever he sat with her, she’d chatter nonstop, switching topics every moment. He wondered where she got so many things to talk about.
After being scolded by him a few times, she would quiet down a bit. However, it didn’t take long for her to forget again.
For instance, she’d say, “Fourth Brother, you really need to earn more money.”