Due to being filmed several years ago, the video’s pixel quality wasn’t high, yet He Heng was still immediately captivated by the figure of the young man in the center of the stage.
There’s no doubt that he was the focus of attention for the multitude.
At that time in the video, Shi Shuang was only eighteen years old, with a face still carrying a lingering innocence. He was dressed in an immaculate white suit, seated in front of a black grand piano. The well-tailored suit perfectly outlined the slender waist of the young man.
Shi Shuang’s bangs were lifted, revealing a high and clean forehead. His legs, encased in suit pants, were straight and long. Under the spotlight in the center of the stage, he shone so brightly that it was impossible to look away, resembling a noble little prince.
Accompanied by the resonant piano notes, those attractive and slender hands moved swiftly across the keys. The young man’s long eyelashes, like raven feathers, lightly trembled. His half-closed eyes revealed a mesmerized and immersed expression. The beautiful shoulder blades, resembling butterfly wings, undulated with the piano’s melody.
At that time, Shi Shuang was entirely lively and radiant, unlike the day He Heng saw him on the rooftop, where he seemed to have broken wings, and his eyes held only a stagnant pool of dead water.
On a weekend evening, the two of them drove and dropped Shi Mu off at school.
This time, He Heng didn’t have the driver come; instead, he drove himself.
Every Sunday evening, the traffic at the entrance of the boarding school campus would suddenly become congested, filled with the figures of parents picking up their children.
Shi Shuang accompanied Shi Mu all the way to the school gate, while He Heng found a temporary spot to park, so they could only exchange a few words, unable to linger for too long.
“Brother, it’s fine to drop me off here,” Shi Mu said as she took her suitcase from Shi Shuang.
Shi Shuang nodded, about to advise her to stay safe at school when suddenly, Shi Mu, with a mysteriously curious expression, leaned in close to his ear, as if prying for gossip.
“Brother, I don’t think your relationship with your Alpha is as bad as people say outside.”
“Although I didn’t quite understand the math he taught, I think he’s okay, really. At least he’s not boring.”
“But brother, why haven’t you let him mark you yet?”
At this question, Shi Shuang’s neck suddenly started to heat up, and a blush spread across his ears. He furrowed his brows, looking a bit awkward. He opened his mouth as if to say something but seemed unsure.
Seeing Shi Shuang’s awkward expression, Shi Mu decided not to tease him any further.
“Brother, it’s getting late. I’ll go ahead. Bye!” With that, she swiftly ran off with her suitcase.
After seeing off Shi Mu, as Shi Shuang walked to the school gate, he spotted the particularly conspicuous silver Porsche in the pitch-black night.
Approaching the parked Porsche on the roadside, he saw through the car window a man inside, gripping the steering wheel with one hand, leaning back in the seat, his gaze fixed in Shi Shuang’s direction.
Outside the car, lights flickered, and people moved about. The starlight in the sky, dimly visible against the bustling city streetlights, paled in comparison to He Heng’s profound eyes, which shone even brighter in the darkness.
In this moment, there was only one thought in Shi Shuang’s mind:
Someone is waiting for him across the road.
Since his mother’s death, Shi Shuang has been chauffeured to and from school by a driver, and Shi Shaowen is hardly involved in their lives.
The driver is always punctual, but everything is cold and devoid of warmth.
Whether it’s commuting to school or going anywhere else, it feels like an emotionless routine, a daily journey from one place to another, back and forth.
So, when Shi Shuang witnessed He Heng parking the car on the roadside to wait for him just now, he felt a corner of his heart being touched.
At the same time, a bold thought flashed in his mind.
The person in front of him is not the original “He Heng.”
Although he knew this idea was absurd, the feelings in his heart were genuine. Moreover, various strange signs over the past month pointed in this direction. For example, he gradually couldn’t recall the original “He Heng’s” height, appearance, and pheromones—basic information.
But one thing he could confirm was that the original “He Heng’s” pheromones were definitely not lime-flavored.
With a jumble of thoughts, Shi Shuang walked up to the car, opened the door, sat in the passenger seat, and fastened his seatbelt.
He Heng turned his head and looked at him. “How was it? Does she think I teach math well?”
He seriously doubted whether Shi Mu had just been bragging to Shi Shuang about his excellent teaching skills. In just one day, her math skills had improved dramatically, surpassing even her math teacher.
“She said,” Shi Shuang paused, “you teach pretty well.”
He couldn’t tell He Heng that his sister said he wasn’t boring, could he?
“Of course,” He Heng’s lips curled slightly, and he confidently turned the key, starting the car.
On the highway at night, it seemed open and quiet. Shi Shuang rolled down the window a bit, letting in the slightly cool evening breeze. He turned to He Heng and said, “Thank you for driving her to school today and helping her catch up on lessons this weekend.”
In that moment, the car entered a tunnel, and Shi Shuang’s profile alternated between light and shadow within the tunnel’s changing illumination. His slightly lowered brows and eyes appeared exceptionally gentle.
Simultaneously, an electronic mechanical sound resonated in his mind,
[The protagonist’s blackening value has decreased to 60.]
“It’s nothing,” He Heng turned to look at him.
Under the dim streetlights,
In those beautiful eyes, there was a hint of fireworks, the pupils shining brightly. The beauty mark below the corner of his eye made Shi Shuang’s elongated eyes more enchanting, and his slightly curved lips regained their natural color. A silver restraint ring adorned his slender neck, and the faint scent of strawberries lingered in the car.
Despite the car window being open, He Heng felt the temperature inside the car continuously rising, making the atmosphere somewhat stifling and breathless.
Seemingly aware of the other’s gaze, Shi Shuang lifted his eyes, and the two locked eyes in that moment.
The tunnel was somewhat dim, and an amber light illuminated the car’s interior. In the exchange of glances, it felt as if a subtle electric current passed between them.
If the gazes of the two could materialize into tangible objects at this moment, they would undoubtedly feel warm upon contact.
The next second, He Heng averted his eyes, looking straight ahead again. He cleared his throat and casually brought up a topic, “You and your sister have a good relationship, right? She mentioned that she used to love singing when she was little, and you would always accompany her on the piano.”
“Yes.”
Thinking of those memories, a smile would unconsciously appear in Shi Shuang’s eyes.
“But we would occasionally have disagreements; we used to argue a lot when we were kids. Sometimes when she couldn’t win an argument, she would run to my piano and start randomly pressing keys. It would drive the old butler at home crazy.”
He Heng listened quietly as Shi Shuang recounted those past events. His emotions were also influenced by the other’s storytelling, and a smile involuntarily formed at the corner of his mouth. Then he asked, “Do you still want to continue playing the piano?”
The car emerged from the tunnel, and suddenly, the atmosphere became quiet.
Shi Shuang’s pupils trembled. He parted his lips slightly but couldn’t find the words.
Just when He Heng thought he wouldn’t hear the other’s answer, a very subtle sound emerged beside him.
A glint of light flickered in Shi Shuang’s eyes.
“I do.”
These days, He Heng was particularly busy, and each day, he could only have the driver take Shi Shuang home first. Because in the following week, Tian Sheng had to host a product launch for the upcoming new product.
On this day, Shi Shuang left work at the usual time. However, when he reached the underground garage through the dedicated elevator to the basement, he didn’t see the car the driver usually used.
While Shi Shuang hesitated, a silver Porsche drew an elegant arc on the ground, stopping in front of him.
He Heng rolled down the car window, revealing a cold expression. He uttered two simple words to Shi Shuang, “Get in.”
Since the last warning from the system, He Heng understood that occasionally inserting a CEO script into life could reduce out-of-character occurrences, especially when being good to the protagonist.
In simple terms, pretending to be clueless.
“Early today? Aren’t you busy?” Shi Shuang opened the car door and sat inside, looking somewhat surprised.
He Heng smirked, “What’s wrong? You’re not satisfied with seeing me?”
Shi Shuang shook his head. Sometimes he was grateful that He Heng looked handsome; otherwise, who could tolerate these oily words every now and then?
“Today’s afternoon is relatively free,” He Heng started the car and added.
However, He Heng wasn’t entirely truthful. He was actually swamped, but he had dealt with a bunch of things in advance a few days ago and postponed a few less important meetings to the next day, just to squeeze out an afternoon.
Shi Shuang nodded and didn’t doubt his explanation.
After the car parked in the underground garage, He Heng suddenly halted Shi Shuang, who was about to enter the villa from the basement, and let out a disdainful snort, “Hmph,”
“A mere basement? Is that worthy of my noble status?”
“Huh?” Shi Shuang was taken aback. Wasn’t it normal to enter the house through the basement when driving home?
Though confused, he still followed He Heng through the main entrance on the first floor.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, at that moment, a clear piano melody emanated from the spacious living room in the distance.
It was a brief musical note, fleeting but caught by Shi Shuang.
The entire living room was adorned luxuriously, resembling the golden halls of Vienna.
Shi Shuang’s steps came to an abrupt halt. His pupils trembled slightly, and he turned to look at the man beside him, somewhat incredulous.
He Heng had his hands in his pockets, turned his head with a nonchalant look, “From today onwards, you’re in charge of playing the piano to please me.”
“Can I go take a look then?” The Omega’s voice was very gentle.
Shi Shuang’s cautious demeanor made He Heng feel a subtle flutter in a certain part of his heart. “Sure.”
With the other’s consent, Shi Shuang eagerly walked in that direction. With each step he took, the piano melody became clearer.
In the end, in the sun-filled spacious living room, he saw the black grand piano placed in the corner. A maid was cleaning the area nearby, and a piano tuner sat beside the piano, using tools to adjust the sound.
He Heng didn’t understand the piano or music, but a while ago, he had several knowledgeable piano technicians introduced to him. Eventually, at an auction, he bid three and a half million for this limited edition grand piano.
He wanted Shi Shuang to rediscover something he once loved.
And just then, the piano tuner set aside his tools, closed the piano lid, slowly stood up, and smiled at He Heng and Shi Shuang. “Mr. He, the piano is in tune.”
Shi Shuang stared straight ahead, his breath catching. The image of the piano would appear in his dreams countless nights, but he never thought it would manifest before him on a random day like this.
Sunlight poured in through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa. Shi Shuang still felt somewhat unreal as he walked towards the grand piano. Midway, he suddenly turned around, flashed a smile at He Heng, his eyes crinkling at the corners. A few strands of pale golden sunlight sprinkled on the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, casting a layer of golden foil on his fair face.
Shi Shuang’s smile appeared so vivid and vibrant in the sunlight. He curled his lips, looked at the man in front of him, and said, “Thank you.”
He Heng was somewhat stupefied.
Damn it.
The Omega’s smile was unexpectedly sweet.
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