Drink Together

"Translate for me, what does 'surprise' mean?

Goddammit, translate for me what the hell is this goddamn 'surprise' supposed to mean?

Don’t tell me you don’t understand—cough cough—"

Lin An'an was utterly stunned.

After hearing Xu Mo say there were nine more songs,

her mind was completely blown.

Is this a joke?

It must be a joke, right?

Even the fastest person in the world couldn’t be this quick.

Cough cough—

Lin An'an meant to say Xu Mo was too fast—wait, no, she meant Xu Mo produced them too fast, like, writing songs at lightning speed.

The songstress's petite mouth formed a perfect "O," her face painted with sheer disbelief.

After a long pause, she stammered,

"You... you... you really wrote nine more songs?"

Xu Mo nodded. "Why would I lie? If you don’t believe me, flip through those A4 sheets yourself."

Lin An'an froze for a second before hurrying over to the table.

When she first saw the initial song,

she thought Xu Mo had grabbed too many sheets.

Her attention had been completely hijacked by the first track, Meditation on Life,

assuming the extra pages were just accidental.

She hadn’t paid them any mind.

But now, hearing Xu Mo’s words,

how could she not be shocked?

At the same time,

Lin An'an’s heart was pounding wildly—thump thump—she didn’t even realize she was on the verge of—!!

She grabbed the stack of papers on the table and started flipping through them.

Song title: Tree Rings!

A deeply melancholic melody steeped in classical Chinese style.

With just a quick glance at the lyrics,

Lin An'an felt as if something had pierced her heart.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!!!

Her hands didn’t stop.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it now.

She sped through the pages.

The remaining eight songs were:

Redemption, Starry Sky, The Edge Where the Wind Ends, Mutual Devotion, True Affection, Sun and Moon as One, West Coast Island, Frigid.

Each song was a different genre.

The melodies spanned across time and cultures.

After a rough skim, the songstress was left speechless.

She stood there, frozen like a statue.

Earlier, she had just told Xu Mo to "throw something together."

Who would’ve thought—

Xu Mo did throw something together—but in the most outrageous way possible!

So "random" that not a single song repeated.

So "random" that every track was a one-in-a-million masterpiece, a timeless classic.

They say genius burns out,

but that clearly didn’t apply to Xu Mo.

He had written ten songs for her in an absurdly short time!

Well, except for the first one,

the others didn’t have the musical notation filled in yet.

But that didn’t matter.

Because if Xu Mo wrote them,

he could definitely compose the melodies too.

He probably just didn’t want to keep her waiting.

Thinking back to when he was writing,

she had been fidgeting restlessly, stealing glances at him,

only to be caught red-handed, leaving her flushed with embarrassment.

But let’s be real—

Ten songs. A full ten songs.

Each one distinct, each one extraordinary.

Lin An'an could no longer hold back. "How... how did you come up with all these?"

Xu Mo instinctively reached for his collar,

then corrected himself and pointed to his head.

"With your brain?" Lin An'an frowned.

Xu Mo shook his head, then nodded, then pointed back to his collar and grinned.

"Mostly with my heart."

Lin An'an felt the urge to smack him.

Hmph, don’t think your good looks will save you.

But fine, she’d forgive him—just because he could write songs like this.

"Can you keep accompanying me? I want to sing Tree Rings!"

Her cheeks were flushed, her pulse racing.

Her voice was soft, almost pleading, as she made this tiny request.

Before, her attitude toward Xu Mo had been casual.

But from the moment they started filming together,

up until now,

her understanding of him

had ascended to an entirely new level.

The Xu Mo standing before her now

was the perfect romantic partner she’d always dreamed of.

Between acting and singing,

she leaned slightly more toward music.

She’d considered finding a boyfriend before,

but as a woman of her caliber,

her standards were sky-high.

That alone eliminated 99.999999% of the population.

Just when she thought she was doomed to a life of solitude,

Xu Mo appeared—like the first light of dawn breaking through the night.

Xu Mo arrived.

And suddenly, she had a boyfriend.

Xu Mo arrived.

And the world of Lin An'an, the songstress, would never again be—

"Sunlit trees by Bright River, lush grass on Parrot Isle."

(Huh, a cultured fan.

Noted.

Good job.)

"Sure," Xu Mo agreed with a smile.

Lin An'an cheered internally.

She promptly refilled his glass.

"Thank you. Cheers, cheers!"

Xu Mo chuckled helplessly and clinked glasses with her again.

Once the champagne was gone,

Lin An'an went to the fridge and pulled out two more bottles, opening them both.

Then she strode to the center of the room,

ready to sing.

Under her watchful gaze,

Xu Mo didn’t pick up the violin this time.

Instead, he walked over to the piano and took a seat.

Lin An'an’s eyes widened.

"You... can you—?"

Ding—

The response came in the form of Xu Mo’s fingers pressing down on the piano keys.

"Ready?"

Lin An'an flustered, quickly scanning the lyrics in her hands.

Her voice, clear as a lark’s,

practiced the lines softly.

Xu Mo gave her space.

About ten minutes later:

"I’m ready."

"Alright."

Xu Mo responded simply, then began the prelude.

As the intro faded,

Lin An'an sang:

"Circles etched like fingerprints,

Pressed upon my lips,

The bitter taste of memories,

Roots of the tree..."

This was her first time singing Tree Rings.

But a diva was still a diva.

Her emotional connection was instant.

Her immersion, seamless.

Though reluctant to admit it,

the further she sang,

the more the lyrics

pierced her soul.

By the time the song ended,

two faint tear streaks

had appeared on Lin An'an’s cheeks.

For those few minutes,

she had been transported to ancient times,

becoming the lovelorn woman in the song.

And because it was Xu Mo—

Xu Mo, who had that femme fatale aura—

the immersion was even deeper.

In her heart, she’d already labeled him a heartless scoundrel.

So of course she cried.

It was only natural.

The song was a tragic classical piece, after all.

"Oh? Tears?"

Xu Mo stood up to fetch tissues, teasing her lightly.

Lin An'an took the tissue, dabbing at her eyes before shooting him a glare.

"Maybe think about who made me cry."

Xu Mo paused.

Oh.

Right.

He wrote the song.

Well, technically,

he had made her cry.

Not that he’d intended to.

"How’d you like the song?"

"Here, have some champagne first."

"No, I’m not drinking. I have to drive later."

"Oh. Then I’ll drink alone."

Lin An'an poured herself another glass.

She downed it in one go—

Or so it seemed.

In the next second,

she suddenly appeared right in front of Xu Mo.

Thanks to her high heels,

Lin An'an herself was already about 1.7 meters tall.

Then, taking advantage of Xu Mo's complete lack of guard, she went in for the attack.

Xu Mo's eyes were filled with utter confusion.

He had let his guard down!!!

No time to dodge!!!

And here he’d trusted Lin An'an so much.

The aroma of champagne drifted over.

Mixed with Lin An'an's own natural fragrance.

The two scents blended together seamlessly.

Without clashing at all.

How to describe it?

If forced to put it into words—it was like a qualitative leap.

"Tch, if we're drinking, we're drinking together."

---------------------------------------------------------