Su Ling's One Strike, One Hit

"Senior, you play the piano so well... you must have passed level 10 already, right?"

"Haha, do I even need to take the exam? Think about it, junior. Do the guitar masters you follow get a level 10 certificate before becoming masters?"

"! You're right, they don't."

"~ Exactly."

...

...

Fragments of memories from the past flickered like scattered cotton in his mind.

As Lu Qing walked down the street with Su Ling, he found himself recalling this scene for some reason.

"Brother, why aren't you watching where you're going?"

Seeing him distracted, Su Ling asked softly.

Usually, it was Lu Qing who led her, but today, he seemed absent-minded, as if preoccupied with something else.

This naturally caught her attention.

"Ah..."

Lu Qing snapped back to reality and said, "I don't know why, but I just remembered some things from my childhood. Don't mind me."

He tightened his grip on his sister's hand, shielding her from the gust of wind brought by the passing cars.

"Who were you thinking about?"

Su Ling was still curious.

Nowadays, she no longer kept her questions to herself.

She had abandoned her old strategy of "figuring things out about her brother on her own" and instead adopted a new one: "asking her brother directly whenever she had a question."

This new approach suited their sibling dynamic perfectly.

Seeing her straightforwardness, Lu Qing didn't hold back either. He shared his childhood memories openly, saying:

"I often can't remember people or things from my childhood. But certain moments keep flashing in my mind like slides. Just now, I remembered some regrets from my middle school days."

"Regrets?"

"Yeah. In my second year of middle school, a senior passed down a crucial school club to me."

Lu Qing's eyes grew distant as he reminisced. "But after she left, in my third year, I couldn't find a suitable successor."

"...Huh? Brother, what do you mean by successor?"

"Someone who could carry on the legacy of the club, someone who could continue playing in the music hall alone, keeping the sound alive."

Lu Qing frowned, visibly troubled:

"Every time I think about it, I feel like I let my senior down.

She was such an amazing pianist, the one who founded that wonderful club. Every day, she played beautiful music for the hardworking, exhausted students, healing their hearts.

But I lied to her, saying I wanted to get into a music conservatory, and took over the club she had worked so hard to establish. After she left, I practiced under her name for a whole year... but I couldn't pass it on to anyone else. In the end, I was the only one left."

"I don't know what happened to the club after that. I don't even know if it still exists.

But every time I think about it, I feel uneasy.

It makes me feel like there's a stain in my life, an imperfect, dark side."

"I blame myself."

Lu Qing said.

"...Brother."

At this moment, Su Ling looked at Lu Qing's pained expression and realized that, compared to herself, there were times when he was the one who needed comfort and understanding.

【If a person constantly radiates positive energy while absorbing negativity without releasing it—

that negative energy will fester deep within, growing and spreading like a parasite.】

In the end, it becomes an inescapable shadow.

Su Ling understood this all too well.

That's why she could immediately sense—

「Danger.」

Her brother was in danger.

【He was already at a breaking point.】

【When he said he needed to go to the hospital for his eyes, it probably wasn't just about his eyes.】

【Could it be that he's experiencing psychosomatic symptoms?】

【His recent state has been terrible. He's easily distracted and can't focus on anything.】

【Is he about to have an episode?】

——「Role reversal.」

...

Amidst the chaotic noise of the city center, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of traffic, Su Ling stopped in her tracks.

She turned around,

stepped in front of her brother—

and cupped his pained face in her hands.

"Brother."

"...Hmm?"

"Look at me."

"Ah."

"Look into my eyes."

Su Ling raised her small face, her expression serious:

"Listen to me."

"Okay."

Lu Qing nodded.

Su Ling stood on her tiptoes—

and spoke softly:

"Do you know? Sometimes, I feel like you don't take care of yourself at all."

"Huh?"

"Every time I see you, you're always busy. Always rushing, always occupied."

"..."

"I know you have to be like this, that you have to push yourself and sacrifice for so many things."

Su Ling continued, "But while you're giving strength to others, your own nerves are constantly on the verge of breaking. Have you noticed that, brother?"

"..."

"Your body, your expressions, the stiffness in your posture when you walk, the numbness in your senses, the way you wolf down your meals in ten minutes—"

She pursed her lips, her face filled with concern.

"Every time I see you like this, it breaks my heart."

"Su Ling..."

"Brother, I want you to know that I'm the only one who's always by your side, watching over you, paying attention to you."

"..."

"When you sleep, the tendons in your neck are all tensed up. Have you noticed? Your cervical spine is in bad shape, isn't it?"

"..."

"When you listen to music, even though you have headphones on, your gaze drifts elsewhere. Brother, how long has it been since you truly listened to a song?

—Reading the lyrics, feeling the melody, immersing yourself completely in the music?"

"..."

Lu Qing took a sharp breath.

【That's right...】

A chill ran through him.

—The last time he truly listened to a song was Lin-chan's original composition.

—The time before that was when his sister secretly played Jun Qing in her room.

As for anything further back, he couldn't even remember.

【Have I stopped paying attention to music?】

Have I lost the ability to「appreciate」?

Reading the lyrics, feeling the interplay of instruments, sensing the rhythm of emotions, connecting with the composer's feelings—

Something that used to be as natural as breathing, why has it been so long since I last experienced it?

Su Ling was right.

Is the reason I can't remember the key moments in my life because I'm too focused on everything around me, neglecting the「present」?

If I keep looking toward the distant future without paying attention to the「present」, won't every「present」moment turn into ashes, scattered by the wind, leaving no trace behind?

——「The future is made up of countless present moments.」

Lu Qing furrowed his brows and stopped in his tracks.

He closed his eyes tightly, then opened them forcefully, trying to see through the increasingly illusory world with his numb eye muscles.

It was futile.

...

"Brother."

Su Ling spoke again:

"Your birthday is December 21st, right?"

"...Yeah."

He nodded.

At the same time, he tried to recall Su Ling's birthday.

He had secretly noted it in his phone: June 2nd.

Next year.

Su Ling narrowed her eyes like a black cat spotting prey in the night and leaned closer:

"Brother, on your birthday, I want to give you a gift."

"What gift?"

Lu Qing, still in a daze, was curious.

He knew that he was always the one spending money on Su Ling, only for her to use that money to buy things for him in return...

This time, he wondered what she had planned.

As he pondered, she said:

"I want to play a song for you, to try and heal your body and mind."

"A song..."

"Yes. But this song is a duet for two guitars. So, if my performance is good enough, could you play it with me afterward? Let's bring this beautiful piece to life together. Consider it a way to acknowledge my efforts in practicing lately."

"Sure, okay."

In his muddled state, under his sister's gentle gaze, Lu Qing agreed without hesitation.

...

...