My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 61 The Story Because of Her

As Cheng Shuangjiang rode the escalator downstairs, she saw the children who had been playing by the piano earlier following their parents upstairs, making a lot of noise, as if they were going to see a movie.

She glanced at the boy beside her. Even without careful observation, she could tell that he seemed a little nervous and uneasy, like a student about to take an exam.

To this day, Zhou Heming still hasn't given him a birthday gift.

Next, they'll probably wander around the mall, play some claw machines, and then go their separate ways to go home and prepare for the start of a new week of classes.

So, what exactly was the more meaningful moment that Zhou Heming chose?
The reborn girl was unaware.

Only the warmth emanating from the palms of the boy whose fingers were intertwined with hers made her feel at ease.

The claw machine was located in a shop on the first floor, so they made their way to the bustling first floor.

The transparent piano stood alone in the center of the mall, now completely ignored.

At this time.

Zhou Heming glanced at Lu Bai.

The girl wearing a beret immediately quickened her pace and took two steps toward the piano.

"This is a rare opportunity, let me play another piece."

She turned around and looked at Cheng Shuangjiang.

"Okay~"

Cheng Shuangjiang did not refuse and stood with Zhou Heming, Qiao Jinchen, and Xu Youyou near the piano.

Lu Bai sat on the bench in front of the piano and pressed a few keys.

Whether it was good luck or the staff's regular maintenance, the piano's pitch was quite good, much better than some old pianos in train stations or public squares.

Lu Bai raised his hand and glanced at Cheng Shuangjiang, as if seeking her confirmation.

The moment their eyes met, Lu Bai's fingertips fell.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" was the piece Zhou Heming played when he first met Lu Bai.

Compared to then, Zhou Heming felt that Lu Bai's playing level had improved significantly. He was more emotional, more relaxed and composed, and had added a lot of improvisational arrangements.

If her previous performances were like a student filling in standard answers in the boxes on an exam paper, then now, her performances are like a talented painter freely painting on a canvas, creating a masterpiece that will be passed down through generations.

The painstaking efforts of ordinary people may even touch a corner of genius.

As Lu Bai played, many passersby who weren't in a hurry stopped to watch, taking out their phones to take pictures and videos, or simply listening and becoming the best audience.

"You play so well!"

Qiao Jinchen couldn't help but sigh. He felt that he didn't understand music, but he could still feel the emotional impact of Lu Bai's performance. He thought that it must be a very, very amazing performance.

Xu Youyou remained silent, but quietly took Qiao Jinchen's other hand.

Zhou Heming glanced at the girl beside him. She was listening intently to Lu Bai's performance, completely absorbed in it. She seemed a little moved and blinked her eyes to keep the tears from welling up.

The song is over.

Lu Bai was slightly out of breath, her hand hovering above the black and white keys, swaying with her breathing.

Then, Qiao Jinchen led the applause, and the onlookers applauded for the piece and for Lu Bai's performance.

Lu Bai's lips curled up. She stood up, gave the audience an exaggerated bow, and then turned around to extend her hand to Cheng Shuangjiang and Zhou Heming.

"I?"

Cheng Shuangjiang was stunned, somewhat taken aback.

But Zhou Heming had already smiled and pulled her up, leading her to the front of the piano.

"We're with you."

The boy said this.

He and Lu Bai surrounded Cheng Shuangjiang in the middle.

Cheng Shuangjiang stared at the black and white piano keys in front of her, somewhat dazed.

She turned to look at Zhou Heming and saw herself reflected in his eyes: her right hand was severely injured, and her left hand had also undergone major surgery. She feared she would never be able to play the piano again.

But Zhou Heming said.

We're with you.

A slight soreness welled up in Cheng Shuangjiang's nose, and she nodded gently before sitting down.

Lu Bai sat to her right, and Zhou Heming to her left.

This was the first time she had sat down at the piano so formally since her injury.

The audience did not disperse, but instead curiously observed the three of them. Their gazes fell on Cheng Shuangjiang's injured right hand, but instead of questioning her, they expressed sympathy, sighs, and a little encouragement.

Cheng Shuangjiang felt those gazes.

In the past, she had faced more serious and solemn scrutiny on a broader stage, but she remained unmoved.

But now, these gazes made her somewhat uneasy, worried that she wouldn't be able to meet their expectations.

But Zhou Heming gently placed his left hand, which was holding hers, onto the black and white piano keys.

Then, he gently pinched her fingers and pressed the first note.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Bai on the right pressed the second note.

Zhou Heming immediately followed with his left hand, managing to connect the third note with some difficulty.

As a musical genius, Cheng Shuangjiang naturally already knew what piece they were going to play.

Canon in D major.

This was the first piece of music she learned.

This is the bond between her and her beloved grandfather.

This was her secret code with Zhou Heming. The moment her fingers touched the piano keys, a certain memory resurfaced. For the reborn girl, the piano, which she hadn't played for seventeen years, was now bursting forth with her own melody.

Despite his weak strength, his voice still echoed.

Every time she pressed a key, Lu Bai's accompaniment always kept up, polishing the less-than-perfect notes into perfect chords.

Zhou Heming, on the other hand, clumsily and carefully filled in the gaps in Cheng Shuangjiang's missing hand, producing a low, resonant sound.

The three of them then played a piece that, while not as melodious as the previous one, was even more captivating.

Zhou Heming glanced at the girl beside him.

She kept sniffing and blinking hard, trying to appear calm, but her downturned lips, sparkling eyes, and slightly trembling shoulders revealed the turmoil in her emotions.

And this emotion is conveyed through the melody.

In the past, the girl, hailed as a musical genius, always played with the intention of restoring the most essential meaning of the piece. But now, her physical defect has forced her to play in this way. The melody, which should have been clumsy, unpleasant, and discordant, is now more moving than ever with the support of Lu Bai and Zhou Heming.

For a fleeting moment, the three of them seemed to return to that afternoon when they were roasting marshmallows; at that moment, it felt like the end of the universe.

Those were wonderful moments that made you want to linger.

Until the song ended.

The audience applauded again.

This time, the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic than before. Some girls were even moved to tears, covering their faces and crying, while some boys stared at them blankly, as if recalling the past.

As the lingering melody faded, Zhou Heming gently took Cheng Shuangjiang's left hand, then took a silver bracelet from his pocket and gently wrapped it around her wrist, locking it securely with a click.

The bracelet features a fox adorned with aquamarine gemstones and a rose with shimmering stamens.

Its name is Hope.

"Frost's Descent, this bracelet is actually more suitable to be worn on the right hand. I want to see you wearing it while playing the piano."

Zhou Heming whispered.

His birthday gift was a hope.

Cheng Shuangjiang stared blankly at the bracelet, lost in thought, the boy's words echoing in her ears.

She understood Zhou Heming, and therefore, she understood the implication behind his words.

In another timeline, Cheng Shuangjiang spent her eighteenth birthday in the hospital.

At that time, she lost the hands that could play the piano, lost the last thing her grandfather left her, and her suicide attempt also injured her neighbor Zhou Heming, who had saved her. The overwhelming malice from the mob caused more people to be hurt, becoming a sin that the girl could never repay in her lifetime, a sin that she felt guilty about.

Cheng Shuangjiang spent her eighteenth birthday in regret, remorse, guilt, and loneliness.

Perhaps, many years later, she has emerged from that quagmire of the past; perhaps, she and Zhou Heming have spent several happy and fulfilling birthdays, more joyful than ever before.

But none of those were her eighteenth birthdays.

Zhou Heming thought that everyone said that rebirth is to make up for regrets, but after Cheng Shuangjiang was reborn, she made up for all of Zhou Heming's future regrets.

So, what are her regrets?

They met too late.

Zhou Heming couldn't go back in time to save Cheng Shuangjiang in that car accident. He couldn't turn back time to stop her grandfather's death, and he couldn't possibly go back to the beginning to protect Cheng Shuangjiang's parents from that disaster.

They met too early.

Zhou Heming is just an ordinary student with mediocre grades. His family is heavily in debt and in dire straits. He is not someone who can face adversity with equanimity. He has not written any outstanding screenplays. Even when it comes to his feelings for the girl he likes, he has to be cautious and confirm them again and again.

However, their meeting was perfectly timed.

On that lingering, melancholy evening, the boy, waiting alone, encountered the reborn girl.

The butterfly flutters, and fate poses a question to the world.

So the boy gave his answer.

Heading towards a future full of challenges.

Creation, a story that exists because of her.

All Zhou Heming could do was play this clumsy yet deeply affectionate "Canon in D Major" with Cheng Shuangjiang on her eighteenth birthday, just like that, to stay by her side and tell her that in this world, there is at least one person who is looking forward to her playing the piano again.

All he could do was, on Cheng Shuangjiang's eighteenth birthday, give her a new family in the form of love he had once experienced.

All he could do was to be with her as much as possible, make up for their regrets, stay by her side, and witness the day she picked up the piano again.

Everything he did was to help her reclaim the pride that belonged to her.

"So, this counts as accomplishing something my future self couldn't do?"

Zhou Heming said with a smile.

"He didn't celebrate your eighteenth birthday with you."

"And I will not only be able to celebrate your eighteenth birthday with you, but also your nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first birthdays, all the way to your thirtieth birthday when we reunite, and every birthday after that will be happier than the last."

"This is a golden time that belongs only to the two of us and is worth preserving forever."

Hear the words.

"I'm sure now."

Cheng Shuangjiang looked at the boy whose eyes were full of her and smiled.

"Even if we met on an ordinary morning, I, at eighteen, would still fall in love with you."

"Because my soul says, I love you."

*
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(End of this chapter)