If You Could Hear My Heart

Chapter 31: He Is Intolerably Vulgar

Xu Zhaomu’s face turned red after she’d read the letter. She stuffed it back into the envelope hastily, before sandwiching it in her mathematics textbook.

Although it was an extremely ordinary love letter, she had to confess that there were two lines in it that had made her heart thump.

“My yearning for you is just like the full moon, shining from dusk to dawn.”

Luo Yanli was widely accepted to be a genius in their school. There were rumors that his literary skills were top notch. He also knew how to play the guitar and compose songs. Most important, he would always come in the top three for any examinations.

Xu Zhaomu did not understand why Luo Yanli had taken a liking to her.

She had to confirm that it wasn’t April Fools’ Day.

“Why is your face so red? What did he write? That genius Luo was the one who passed it to me.” Yu Weiwei had assumed that Xu Zhaomu would respond with great excitement. However, she seemed to have responded rather calmly.

There were so many people pursuing Luo Yanli in school, yet Xu Zhaomu’s reaction was rather unexpected.

“Nothing, nothing much at all. Stop engaging in gossip, and go and read your men’s health manual.”

“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to be treating me as your friend today. Didn’t we agree to go through blessings and hardships with each other?” Yu Weiwei said seriously.

“It’s not very exciting. He asked me to go see a movie with him tomorrow,” Xu Zhaomu replied indifferently.

“I’m so jealous, someone asked you out. Someone wants our Zhaomu. Go, go, go, you must definitely go. Look, that arrogant girl Yaoyue delivers love letters to Luo Yanli every day, and Luo Yanli ignores her completely.” Yu Weiwei suddenly felt very honored.

“You speak as though I had been an unwanted person.”

Yu Weiwei rolled her eyes. “If Luo Yanli wasn’t blind, you would truly seem like an unwanted person.”

“……” They had agreed to go through blessings and hardships together. She wasn’t supposed to hit her when she was down.

On Fridays, the last period was life science. Yu Weiwei listened enthusiastically, while Xu Zhaomu’s thoughts hovered back to the Shen family.

As the sky started to get dark, Old Chen came to fetch Xu Zhaomu.

“Uncle Chen, is Fourth Brother back yet?” Xu Zhaomu asked as she got in the car.

“Oh, no, not yet. Mr. Shen has to work overtime today. He might not be returning.”

“Not returning? Did he leave any message for me?”

“Mr. Shen seemed quite busy. He didn’t say anything to me. If you miss him, you can give him a call.”

“He’s so busy, I shouldn’t disturb him.” Xu Zhaomu couldn’t stop feeling upset.

To be honest, she had been quite unhappy since morning. He had injured her last night, and, in the morning, he had left for the Group without saying a word to her. There was a dance that night, but he had not mentioned it to her at all. She was the only person in the family who wasn’t going.

Now, he was using overtime work as an excuse not to come home.

If that was the case, she wouldn’t disturb him in case he accused her of being inconsiderate.

“Zhaomu is back, what a coincidence. We’re planning to leave very soon. Have you decided if you want to go with us?”

A large white cloak had been draped over Liu Rumei’s figure. She had donned a purple evening gown beneath. She had applied makeup, causing her to appear many years younger than she was. She carried a wheat-colored handbag and was on the way to the garage. When she realized that Xu Zhaomu had returned, she’d paused and smiled.

“I’m not interested in the dance. I have a lot of papers to finish. I won’t be going.” Xu Zhaomu didn’t even lift her head as she walked directly toward the house.

Liu Rumei tugged at her arm. “Are you afraid that you’ll be upset watching your Fourth Brother dancing with other people?”

“What does him dancing with someone else have to do with me?”

“Don’t say that. I don’t believe that you’ll ever feel happy watching him dance and party with someone else. There will be all kinds of women at this dance. If your Fourth Brother accidentally gets drunk, some other girl might take advantage of him.”

Liu Rumei had said this casually. However, her eyes remained fixed on Xu Zhaomu.

“He is an intolerably vulgar person. The more beautiful and sexy the girl is, the more he likes her. He’ll eagerly embrace a beauty!” Xu Zhaomu sounded quite jealous.

“To be honest, our Zhaomu’s appearance wouldn’t be inferior to any of those women when you dress up. They can’t compete with your youthfulness. You need to understand that your youthfulness is an asset.”

Xu Zhaomu curled her lips into a sneer without saying a word.

Liu Rumei took her hand and led her to her room. “Let me dress you up.”

Xu Zhaomu didn’t resist. To be honest, she was quite keen on going to the dance.

At her age, Shen Chi had never taken her out before. She hadn’t even ever had the chance to visit the Shen Group. She wanted to watch him dance, and she was even more keen on dancing with him.

Liu Rumei was an expert at makeup. Soon, she had applied a natural layer of makeup on Xu Zhaomu. Because Xu Zhaomu had a piece of gauze stuck on her head, she had even used a pink bow to conceal it.

She specially picked out a white off-shoulder evening gown for Xu Zhaomu. It fit her figure very naturally, while making her look lovely and fresh.

This was Xu Zhaomu’s first time wearing such formal attire. She almost couldn’t recognize herself as she stood before the full-length mirror.

She wondered how Shen Chi would react when he saw her.

“Put on this pair of heels.” Liu Rumei brought a pair of crystal-studded white heels over.

Xu Zhaomu hesitated for a long time. It would be her first time wearing heels, and she wondered if Shen Chi would scold her.

Whatever. Later at the ball, she would sit in a corner secretly and silently. She’d just watch him dance.

“Once we reach the ball, I will sit on the side. Don’t let Fourth Brother discover me,” Xu Zhaomu said to Liu Rumei.

“All right, we’ll do as you say. Just enjoy yourself.”

Xu Zhaomu only dared to put on the heels after she’d come to this agreement with Liu Rumei.

The sky had already darkened and the lamps at the Shen Villa were all lit up. When Xu Zhaomu walked out of Liu Rumei’s room, she resembled a little princess. Her bashful appearance could not conceal her beauty.

Unlike all the different types of beauties out in the world, she possessed a form of natural, unpretentious beauty.

As Xu Zhaomu sat in Liu Rumei’s car, she felt a little uneasy.

She wasn’t ready for Shen Chi to see her. Yet, she also wanted Shen Chi to realize that she was no longer the same little girl as before.

The ball was being held at a large hall. Colorful fairy lights decorated the exterior of the hall. It was a dazzling, brilliant sight. Fresh flowers lined the doorways, while subtle fragrances wafted in the air.

The silhouettes of men and women could be seen from outside the hall. They were all wearing formal suits, swallow-tailed coats, and evening gowns. There were so many brands that Xu Zhaomu couldn’t recognize them all.

She felt a little bit reluctant to enter. She felt like an inconspicuous, lackluster star.

Liu Rumei tugged at her hand. “Since you’re already here, don’t you want to see your Fourth Brother?”

“We’ve already agreed. I’ll sit in a corner. Fourth Brother must not see me,” Xu Zhaomu warned her for the umpteenth time.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. You can tell that there are a lot of people here. Later on, you can sit quietly in the corner. No one will notice you. You can watch him for however long you wish, without any worries. Don’t let someone else take him away.”

“It’s none of my business if he gets taken by someone else. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Xu Zhaomu was a little upset. She felt as though her inner feelings had been exposed.

“Got it, got it. Let’s go, I’ll take you in.”