Chapter 32: Is This the Voice Coming Out of My Mouth?

For the next few days, however, Su Siyun didn't receive any more news from Chen Ye, not even through Jiang Xin. She heard he had returned to his hometown in the countryside.

When she tried to find him on QQ, she learned from others that Chen Ye was actually using a basic PHS mobile phone that didn't even support the app. As for his phone number, it seemed no one in the class actually had it. The only one who probably knew was Weng Jilin, but that wealthy young master, who usually had more money than sense, had surprisingly wised up for once and refused to give it to her.

Left with no other choice, Su Siyun could only temporarily suppress the indignation and shame brewing in her heart. Taking a deep breath, she chopped her knife hard onto the cutting board, her gaze shifting toward Jiang Xin's room.

Having just finished a set of math test papers, Jiang Xin was getting ready to rest. She didn't have many hobbies. Whenever she had free time, she would focus on doing practice papers; immersed in math problems, she would completely forget the passage of time. Usually, she would sit there, and two hours would pass by in the blink of an eye.

Without even checking her answers, Jiang Xin put the test papers away and got up to sit at her computer desk. But just as her finger brushed the power button, her eyes were unavoidably drawn to the pale red harmonica sitting next to the monitor.

A few days ago—the night Chen Ye had left her home—she had opened his gift after eating dinner and taking a shower. Inside was a Yamaha harmonica. Su Siyun had only come over to take a quick look before being called away by the Class Representative, Yu Mengmeng. Jiang Xin, on the other hand, had stared at it all night. She had even suffered a rare bout of insomnia, which resulted in her not getting out of bed until nearly ten o'clock the next morning.

Biting her lip, Jiang Xin hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out and pressing her hand against the harmonica. The cold texture transmitted through her fingertips made her tremble slightly.

"Why did Chen Ye give me a harmonica?" she wondered.

This was the reason behind Jiang Xin's sleeplessness the previous night. She had pondered over it for hours, eventually recalling the contents of the love letter Chen Ye had written to her: "Your silence, to me, is like a scream..."

She couldn't speak, so Chen Ye wanted her to use this harmonica to make a sound that belonged solely to her—a sound carrying her unique rhythm and emotion. Furthermore, a harmonica was one of the easiest wind instruments for beginners to learn.

At this thought, the cold touch against her fingertips suddenly seemed to grow warm. A current of heat flowed from her fingers straight to her chest, warming Jiang Xin's heart.

"Chen Ye... really does care about me," she realized.

Picking up the harmonica, Jiang Xin brought it to her lips, imitating the movements she had seen in TV dramas, and blew into it gently.

"TOOT!"

A pure, crisp sound echoed through the spacious bedroom as the reeds vibrated, reaching her ears.

"Is this the sound coming from my mouth?" she thought.

For a fleeting moment, Jiang Xin's nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. But she quickly regained control of her emotions. Pursing her lips, she blew into a hole on the other end. A second later, a soft, long, and delicate "WOOO" resonated in the room.

She played a few more notes in succession before slowly putting the instrument down. Looking down at that splash of red, a faint smile graced her fair, tender face.

But just then, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and Su Siyun poked her head inside. Her long, high ponytail slipped from her shoulder to her chest, the ends swaying gently.

"What do you want for lunch? If we eat at home, I can make black pepper beef spaghetti. Or I could cook some rice, stir-fry the beef, and make two vegetable dishes. If all else fails, we can just go downstairs and—" Su Siyun's voice trailed off as her gaze landed on the harmonica.

So, Jiang Xin had been the one making those sounds just now. But... that harmonica was supposed to be Chen Ye's gift to *her*!

The girl couldn't help but recall the words Chen Ye had said to her on the Ferris wheel that night, as well as his coldness—even utter disregard—toward her. A wave of indignation instantly flared up in her heart.

Her clearest memory, however, was the sensation of hugging his arm against her chest. It had felt firm and searing hot, like a red-hot iron rod, scorching her cheeks and... and *that* place until they burned. Feeling her face heat up all over again, Su Siyun hurriedly shook her head to toss the thoughts from her mind, her high ponytail bouncing cheerfully.

Looking back at Jiang Xin, she took a deep breath. She wouldn't take her anger over a harmonica out on her sister. Jiang Xin was completely oblivious; the true culprit of all this was Chen Ye. She knew that very well. Moreover, they were sisters. They couldn't let a man drive a wedge between them and turn them into enemies.

Besides, seeing an unprecedented look of being "moved" on that small face—a face that rarely expressed any emotion—and noticing she looked like she was about to cry, Su Siyun roughly guessed the situation.

"Compared to me, maybe this harmonica is a better fit for Jiang Xin," she thought.

"What do you want to eat?" Su Siyun asked, flashing a smile once more.

Jiang Xin hastily set the harmonica down. Tilting her head slightly, she raised her right index and middle fingers to her chest and crossed the two slender, pale fingers over each other.

She signed, "Whatever."

"Then spaghetti it is. Cooking rice takes too long." Su Siyun nodded and returned to the kitchen.

Soon after, Jiang Xin also got up, followed her sister into the kitchen, and took the initiative to help cook.

Usually, Su Hongshan had to go out for business, and Liu Tinglan had to work at the health clinic. Neither had time to look after them. However, Su Hongshan never left them short on allowance, so Jiang Xin and Su Siyun had complete freedom during their holidays. Su Hongshan was also very reassured when it came to his two daughters.

As Su Siyun pan-fried the beef strips, she looked over at her sister. "I'm going to swimming practice later. Do you want to come?"

Jiang Xin clearly hesitated. The swimming practice Su Siyun mentioned involved a private pool and a personal trainer, completely devoid of random strangers. This made even the reclusive Jiang Xin somewhat tempted.

But before she could decide whether to agree, the phone in her skirt pocket began to ring. It was a ringtone—someone was calling her.

A trace of confusion flashed across Jiang Xin's face as she pulled out her phone to check. However, upon seeing that familiar name, her body gave a slight tremble, and she nearly dropped the device.

Chen Ye!

"Why is he calling me again?!" she panicked internally.

He had been completely silent for the past few days, leading her to believe he had given up. She never expected him to call again.

"Should... should I answer? Does he have another outrageous demand? Should... should I agree to it?" she agonized.

Just as Jiang Xin was struggling with her thoughts, Su Siyun suddenly asked, "Who's calling you? Why aren't you answering?"

Startled by the question, Jiang Xin jumped slightly, a hint of panic flashing across her face. It would be best if her sister didn't find out about this again. If Su Siyun realized that Chen Ye wanted to come over, she might skip the pool entirely this afternoon just to wait at home to ambush him. Her sister seemed to be very prejudiced against Chen Ye.

She hurriedly extended her index and middle fingers, backs of her hands facing up, and waved them back and forth parallel to her chest twice. Immediately after, holding the phone, she turned her palms inward and made a gesture like reading a book.

She signed, "A classmate."

Su Siyun had seen this gesture many times, so she quickly understood what Jiang Xin meant. She didn't suspect Jiang Xin of lying to her, but judging by the expression on her sister's face, the caller definitely wasn't just an ordinary classmate.

"Could it be... Chen Ye!" Su Siyun realized.

After all, Chen Ye was a classmate too!