Chapter 46: Who Saved Whom

Li Wanbai tilted her head slightly. What did any of those words have to do with her?

Yu Baichuan didn’t pursue the topic further. He stroked the guitar strings, then raised his hand to continue the melody he’d left unfinished earlier.

Melodious, enchanting notes flowed from his fingertips, weaving a song of youth. Li Wanbai propped her chin in one hand, her thoughts drifting. Su Chengzi was wrong—Yu Baichuan would certainly become an outstanding singer, a true musician.

His music spoke with its own voice.

As Yu Baichuan’s mind shifted, so did his hands; from the exuberance of youth, a trace of sorrow crept into the melody.

Li Wanbai was momentarily stunned. This wasn’t the same music she remembered.

The overall feeling was still vibrant, brimming with passion, yet it was different from the version she’d heard before—this was the chapter of youth that Yu Baichuan, in his youth, composed for himself.

If she hadn’t heard the original version, she might never have noticed how Yu Baichuan had altered the piece.

She gazed at his handsome, earnest profile, moved in her heart.

A stirring in her heart always led to a stirring in her hand.

Li Wanbai quickly drew out her sketchpad and began to sketch rapidly.

Attracted by both Yu Baichuan himself and his music, the audience around them grew larger.

Every camera from the crew was now trained on Yu Baichuan; at that moment, all attention was fixed solely on him. That was Yu Baichuan’s greatest charm.

Ye Xiruo, standing beside him, rolled her eyes, then suddenly stepped forward to Yu Baichuan’s right and began to dance.

Calling it dancing might be generous; it was more as if she was keeping time to the music, spinning, and adding a few lively, youthful movements to echo Yu Baichuan’s playing.

From the perspective of Ma Xu, a professional, Ye Xiruo’s dancing was poor—chaotic, even. But from the standpoint of someone in the entertainment industry, she was brilliant; who said she wasn’t good at catching the eye?

She did it effortlessly.

He glanced curiously at Li Wanbai, who was quietly drawing nearby. Wasn’t it said that she was the one most adept at riding Yu Baichuan’s popularity? But today, it was clear that Ye Xiruo was the true expert at it!

[What is Ye Xiruo doing? Is she performing together with Baichuan?]

[Honestly, these two look better together than that so-called BaiBai couple! One plays, one dances—absolutely perfect!]

[Leave our little Ye out of your shipping. Can't they both shine on their own?]

[Add Xiao Ma singing and the three of them could debut as a group!]

[Am I the only one who thinks Ye Xiruo's behavior is unethical? This segment was supposed to be Yu Baichuan’s solo, what’s it got to do with her? She just ran up there to dance. What about us fans who only want to see Yu Baichuan?]

[That’s way too selfish! As Baichuan’s fan, shouldn’t you care about him? Someone finally understands his music and joins in, you should be happy, not jealous. Fake fan, maybe?]

[Anyway, I think Ye Xiruo is a hundred times better than Li Wanbai. Such beautiful music and Li Wanbai just sits there doodling like a grade schooler—so annoying!]

[When will that pig realize she’s old and stop pretending to be young!]

[Baichuan’s never played such beautiful music for us before.]

[Just because he never played it for us doesn’t mean he never played it for lwb.]

[She’s the real sister-in-law—of course she hears all the music first. She just won’t let Baichuan hold concerts or let us hear it.]

[Love is exclusive. Someone wanting Baichuan all to herself is only natural. Let’s all root for this kind of love, shall we?]

[…]

Li Wanbai was oblivious to the flurry of comments. Her entire being was focused on the charcoal pencil in her hand, slowly outlining the spirit of a person.

She finished her sketch at almost exactly the same moment Yu Baichuan played his final note. Ye Xiruo, on the other hand, hadn’t expected the music to end so abruptly, with no warning, and awkwardly drew back her outstretched right foot.

Ye Xiruo glanced around quickly, relieved to see no one mocking her awkward ending. She turned to Yu Baichuan with a smile. “Mr. Yu, what did you think of my dancing?”

Yu Baichuan glanced at her indifferently, but before he could reply, his gaze was drawn to the sketchpad in Li Wanbai’s hands.

Li Wanbai gently blew away the charcoal dust. There was no joy of completion in her eyes, only a sense of profound relief.

Quan Hao had somehow come up behind her and snatched the paper from her hands. He looked at the figure on the page and sneered, “Who’s this supposed to be? Yu Baichuan? Can’t tell at all.”

“Nonsense! Back in art school, I got full marks every time for figure drawing!” Li Wanbai retorted.

You could say she wasn’t much at singing or dancing, or that she lacked professionalism, but you could not say her portraits were unrecognizable!

“I didn’t say it’s not a good figure,” Quan Hao replied, scoffing. “It’s just hard to tell who it is. You started drawing after hearing Yu Baichuan’s music, right? So is it fair to say his song inspired you? But your drawing and his song are worlds apart.”

Hearing this critique, Ye Xiruo let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She’d thought so! Li Wanbai had never studied art before, and suddenly decided to show off—how good could it be?

Just drawing a human figure was already impressive!

Ye Xiruo smiled consolingly. “Xiao Bai, it’s alright. Drawing is a skill. Maybe your work isn’t beautiful now, but one day you’ll be Picasso!”

Saying this, she stepped forward to glance at the sketch in Quan Hao’s hand—and her expression changed.

At that moment, the camera also zoomed in, capturing Li Wanbai’s drawing.

It wasn’t bad at all; in fact, it was remarkably vivid and lifelike, almost instantly recognizable as Yu Baichuan—playing his guitar, immersed in his musical world.

With just a single charcoal pencil and one shade, Li Wanbai had rendered sunlight and notes.

Sunlight and musical notes floated around “Yu Baichuan.” In terms of elements, the entire composition was harmonious, yet that was precisely the issue. While the elements fit, the arrangement was strange.

The sunlight strangled him, the music saved him.

Unlike the music Yu Baichuan had played, the sketch was filled with sorrow.

For a moment, Ye Xiruo didn’t know whether to be pleased or upset.