As for Tao Lejie's words, Tao Lehua really didn't know what to say. He barely knew him—his grandparents didn't acknowledge Tao Lejie and wouldn't let him into the house for New Year's, so he rarely appeared in Tao Lehua's limited social circles. They had practically never met.
Tao Lehua rubbed his hands together, noticing his two younger brothers' displeasure, and changed the subject to smooth things over. "By the way, if I go abroad, will we still be friends?"
He had never attended school; everything he knew came from Butler Wang's accounts. When elementary schoolers move to junior high, their circle of friends changes because the environment shifts. If that happened just between different junior highs, what about different countries? Would that mean they'd never see each other again?
Bo Yuxu keenly picked up on the change. "What, is your mother planning to take you abroad?"
Tao Lehua couldn't gauge Wen Ni's earlier behavior. Maybe she was just joking, or testing his reaction. His voice was muffled. "Nothing's decided yet, just a hypothetical."
Bo Yuxu fell silent. He had no concept of going abroad—he'd never even left the country. He only knew it was a very faraway place, one you had to fly to. If a friend went somewhere like that, wouldn't each meeting be one fewer?
Ji Yanyi was more carefree. "It's actually not that different."
Tao Lehua was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Ji Yanyi gestured among the three of them. "I mean, you'll be in junior high while we're in elementary school. Your villa is as tightly guarded as an iron bucket, so we can't visit you anyway. No matter where you are, we'd only be able to talk by phone, right?"
Tao Lehua felt there was a difference, but he couldn't find a way to refute Ji Yanyi. Maybe he had a point. Tao Lehua lowered his head with a slight smile. He always tended to overthink, especially since his mother's plan might not even come to fruition. How exactly was she going to get him out of that villa surrounded by bodyguards?
Tao Lehua decided not to dwell on it. He took two bananas and handed one to each younger brother. Ji Yanyi eyed the half-peeled bananas—he'd never seen someone use his own gift to host him, and he didn't want a banana right now. "I'm actually a bit hungry. Can I have some ice cream here?"
Tao Lehua didn't know what ice cream was. "Sure, as long as it doesn't have a strong smell. The room smells bad enough with some spicy flavor."
Ji Yanyi felt a pang of pity for Tao Lehua—how could anyone go through a hot summer without ever having ice cream? But ice cream was too cold to share properly. They could enjoy it properly when he was better.
Tao Lehua asked a bodyguard to buy two servings. He watched Ji Yanyi eat, shaking his head and kicking his feet in delight at the first bite. Curious, he asked, "This costs only ten yuan, so your family can definitely afford it, right?"
Bo Yuxu ate slowly and with little interest. "Mom only lets him have ice cream three times a week, and he's already used up his quota."
Tao Lehua: "..." Wait, had he been tricked? Would Mrs. Bo come after him?
Bo Yuxu saw his worry and shook his head. "Don't worry. The ice cream has no smell, and there are no outsiders in this room. It's an absolute secret between heaven, earth, you, and us."
Tao Lehua's eyes lit up. After all, friendship often starts with shared secrets.
After finishing the ice cream, Ji Yanyi wiped his mouth and got ready to leave. Tao Lehua felt something off but couldn't pinpoint it, so he waved for the bodyguard to see them out. He lay down; after everything that had happened, he really needed rest.
Bo Yuxu left the ward. Knowing the route, he told the bodyguard to go back and protect Tao Lehua. It might not be necessary, but better safe than sorry. Back then, Bo Yuxu had sat in the front passenger seat—the one closest to Sui Dongsheng. The window was large and wide, and with just a slight turn of his head, he had etched that person's face into his memory. His mother, He Xiuyuan, and Ji Xingzhi had talked about this person for a long time alone. Bo Yuxu didn't understand why, but every time this man appeared, his mother's expression turned strange. He wanted to catch this person himself.
He looked up, paused, then stopped Ji Yanyi. "Did you see someone in a light blue plaid short-sleeve shirt and gray pants just now?"
Ji Yanyi shook his head. "No."
It was too fast—Bo Yuxu had only glimpsed him from the stairwell. He almost thought he was seeing things. It couldn't be that coincidental, and why would that person come to the hospital? It wasn't like he was looking for someone. The police were still in the hospital. Wouldn't that be walking right into a trap?
Bo Yuxu glanced toward the stairwell again, then walked over. Still no one. He decided to go to Tao Lejie's ward. When Ji Yanyi asked why, Bo Yuxu simply said, "Just follow me."
When they reached the ward, the police were gone. The bodyguard told them that Tao Lejie felt the police were treating him like a criminal, and he should have the freedom to accept or refuse their protection. So in the morning, he had dismissed them and kept only the family bodyguards.
Bo Yuxu had a very distinctive face—one that was hard to forget. As soon as he pushed open the ward door, a pillow flew at him.
"What are you here for?"
Bo Yuxu glanced around. The room was empty. "I came to see how you're doing."
Tao Lejie wasn't buying it. He remembered that Bo Yuxu was Tao Lehua's friend. "You're here to see if I'm dead, aren't you?"
Bo Yuxu confirmed there was no one else in the room, but he felt a strange unease that he couldn't explain or articulate. "I really did come to check on your recovery. But since you're so loud and spirited, you're obviously fine."
At that, Ji Yanyi pulled Bo Yuxu and left, rolling his eyes at Tao Lejie. Tao Lejie fumed and threw another pillow at them. Ji Yanyi quickly closed the door with a loud bang.
He didn't understand. "Why do you care about him? Look, your kindness is wasted on a jerk. He's just like Tao Lehua—he probably thinks everyone's out to get him."
Bo Yuxu didn't get it either. Someone so timid and cowardly had refused police protection. Did he think the police were less reassuring than his own bodyguards? "I was just curious to take a look." He patted Ji Yanyi's shoulder, admitting he had wasted some time. "Let's head home quickly, or we'll miss our curfew."
Bo Yuxu and Ji Yanyi always set a return time when they went out; if they were late, their mother would contact them everywhere, making it harder to go out alone next time.
They arrived home just in time. He Xiuyuan had already left. Bo Xin was standing at the door, where occasionally advertising flyers were stuck. This time, the piano competition organizers had inserted information about the top ten contestants. Bo Xin scanned the basic info: in terms of age, Bo Yuxu was indeed the youngest.
This competition was the final round. The schedule was tight, with multiple rounds packed into each day, testing the young contestants' endurance. But piano players often practiced over four hours daily, so it wasn't too tough for them.
The competition day was still a weekend. If it lasted all day, Bo Xin yawned in advance, already feeling tired just thinking about it. Her music appreciation skills were virtually nonexistent... She numbly closed her eyes as the date on the calendar approached, then irritably looked away.
Bo Xin went to bed early that night, feeling full of energy in the morning. But the moment she sat down in the audience, she was already tired. She propped her cheek with a loosely clenched fist, listening to the host. Then she opened her eyes, alert.
The host said, "Regrettably, our previous first-place winner has not arrived. If he doesn't show up within half an hour, we will consider Tao Lehua a withdrawal."
Bo Xin squinted, scanning the area but not spotting Wen Ni. Was it because he was too ill to come, or some other reason? The answer came quickly. Ji Xingzhi approached with a water bottle, his brows raised in barely concealed excitement. "I heard that kid insisted on competing. Tao Wanchun couldn't talk him out of it and relented. But as soon as they left the hospital, the kid vanished—Wen Ni had someone pick him up and fly abroad."
Bo Xin: "..." What kind of plot was this? Was that even mature? Snatching a child like this? This was outright kidnapping! It took her a while to find her voice. "What's Tao Wanchun doing now?"
Ji Xingzhi chuckled with schadenfreude. "He's rushing to catch the next flight."
Bo Xin scratched her head to cover her speechlessness. What was this, 'she runs, he chases'? If he couldn't win custody, he'd still have to send the child back lawfully. Doing it this way without a solid legal basis depended entirely on the father's moral standards. But from what she knew of Tao Wanchun, including his stubbornness over Tao Lehua, there was no way.
As she mulled it over, she gradually began to understand the maneuver. She dropped her hand and looked at Ji Xingzhi. "...Do you have to laugh so smugly? Does seeing others' misfortune make you that happy?"
Ji Xingzhi explained, "That 'others' specifically refers to Tao Wanchun."
Sometimes, disliking someone is an inexplicable chemistry—like between Ji Xingzhi and Tao Wanchun. They had taken an instant dislike to each other from their first meeting, and every subsequent interaction only made it worse.
In the audience, the other contestants heard the news even more clearly. The isolated practice room was empty, lacking Tao Lehua's fluid piano playing. Except for Bo Yuxu and Wen Qiaozhe, most contestants were delighted.
Bo Yuxu rested his chin on his hand, annoyed. "I should have seen this coming. I wish I'd asked earlier."
Wen Qiaozhe opened the door and glanced out. "Even if you'd known in advance, you couldn't have affected their plan. Flights abroad are scarce. To leave, it had to be now. And this is the final round—afterward, Tao Lehua would hardly be able to step outside."
Bo Yuxu crossed his arms. He understood but still felt displeased—didn't this mean he couldn't compete against Tao Lehua? Even if he won first place, it would feel undeserved.
Wen Qiaozhe pointed at himself, suddenly recalling something. If the first-place winner didn't participate this year, he still couldn't take first. He was doomed to be labeled 'eternal runner-up' by the media. How embarrassing.