My Heart Beats - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Xueman rolled her eyes at Yin Chi and angrily walked out of the cafe again. Hmph! What’s the big deal, if you don’t want to talk, then don’t! Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Henry. “Hello, Xueman, come to the recording studio tomorrow. Teacher Huiyuan wants to see you…” Teacher Huiyuan? The top music producer from Taiwan? Oh my god, he’s finally agreed to see me. Happiness came too suddenly, and Xueman, who was in the process of selecting songs for her first album, could hardly hide her excitement. “Great! I’ll be there on time tomorrow! Thank you, Henry.”

Close to midnight, Xueman stood on her balcony at home, staring blankly at the starry sky. Thinking about how her band, which had been formed less than a year ago, had dissolved, she felt a sense of emptiness. Dear bass, guitar, and keyboard players, you are all now pursuing paths that are not related to music, and only she, the lead singer, still held onto that small dream of singing. Xueman looked down and smiled. No matter what, tomorrow was a new beginning, and she was determined to shine brightly in this beautiful city.

Suddenly, the balcony next door was illuminated by the indoor light. The previous tenant had moved out two weeks ago. Had a new neighbor moved in today? She vaguely saw a tall figure in a white shirt busy inside. It was a little far, and she couldn’t clearly see their face, but it looked like a slender, handsome young man. Well. Tomorrow, after returning from Henry’s, she would go over and say hello to him. The long night stretched ahead, and she wasn’t sleepy at all. She went inside, turned on the stereo, and listened to the tracks she was scheduled to audition with tomorrow.

Yin Chi struggled to carry all the cardboard boxes into the apartment. For the convenience of her future work, she had specially moved from Huangpu District to Tianhe District. This downtown area was not only close to her newly established studio but also just two blocks away from the cafe. She changed into a medium-sized white shirt, rolled up her sleeves, and started unpacking and organizing. Yin Chi’s luggage didn’t contain a surprising number of clothes and shoes; it was almost entirely composed of the records she treasured as her life. To store these CDs, which she had collected from all over the world, she had specially custom-made an oversized record shelf that almost took up the entire wall. After a busy night, she took a shower and was sitting on the edge of the bed in her bathrobe, blow-drying her hair. Her eyelids were starting to disobey her, threatening to close at any moment.

Suddenly, she heard someone singing next door—it was bel canto. She looked at the digital clock on the bedside table. It was already 11 p.m. Who was this? Making noise late at night. Yin Chi suppressed the annoyance in her heart and continued to blow-dry her hair. When her hair was dry, the beautiful—no, at this moment, the “disruptive” bel canto was still going on. This first night in her cozy new home was disturbed by such a sound, shattering the peace it should have had. She had a meeting early tomorrow and needed a good night’s sleep. Yin Chi took off her bathrobe, haphazardly threw on a shirt, and without even putting on pants, she angrily rushed out in her flip-flops.

“Ding dong,” she pressed the doorbell. No reaction. “Thump, thump, thump,” three extremely forceful knocks on the door.

The door finally opened. Huh? Isn’t this the girl from the afternoon? What was her name? “Ye Xueman!” Yin Chi blurted out. “Why are you here? What do you want?” Xueman looked at Yin Chi wearing an oversized white shirt, her long, slender legs bare and crossed. Was she the slender figure? But, at this moment, she stood with her arms crossed over her chest, just like in the evening, projecting a particularly arrogant look.

“Hey. Do you know what time it is now?” “Now? It’s only 11 o’clock, right?” What? You know it’s 11 o’clock. Seeing her take it for granted, Yin Chi’s anger rushed to her head. “It’s the middle of the night. Even if you sing well, you shouldn’t be singing, right? Besides, you’re not singing that well.” Hearing this, Xueman’s temper also flared up. “Who are you calling ‘Hey’? Don’t I have a name? What business is it of yours if I sing in my own home!” Yin Chi remained silent, scrutinizing her carefully. Young, but quite a temper. Looking at her face, her long, straight hair, pale complexion, slender eyes, prominent nose, thin and sexy lips, and a sharp chin line. She was truly beautiful. Her singing was also pleasant.

But so what?! “That kind of voice you have isn’t singing; it’s noise. Try singing one more sentence, and I’ll call the police immediately!” “You!” Xueman was so angry she was about to go crazy, but she was momentarily speechless. Just as she was about to open her mouth to argue, Yin Chi reached out and made a blocking gesture. “Alright, no need to apologize. Just don’t sing late at night from now on. I’m tired; I’m going to sleep first.” Finally, she turned around, unlocked her door, and said, “Good night, good neighbor.” She gave a maddeningly smug smile.