Still Have This Side – Chapter 18

That is fundamentally not an illness.

Jiang Zimin brought Yi Wanyue back to the room, politely inviting her to sit down.

Yi Wanyue saw her being so polite and noticed something, so she took the initiative to say: “Do you have something you want to tell Auntie?”

Jiang Zimin’s thoughts were seen through, and she smiled very shyly.

“I have a small question I want to ask Auntie…”

Yi Wanyue openly said: “Ask.”

With Qiu Baiyu as support, Yi Wanyue’s attitude was also so friendly, Jiang Zimin’s courage increased a lot, so she straightforwardly said: “Auntie, why did you suddenly come to teach me to play the piano?”

Yi Wanyue, after hearing this question, gently curved her eyes: “This is not sudden, it is because your father told Auntie that you want to learn to play the piano, so Auntie came to teach you.

“Auntie is very happy that you want to learn the piano.”

She likes the piano and is happy to see others willing to engage with the piano.

She is never stingy in teaching others what she has learned, sharing everything about music is something that brings her joy.

Jiang Zimin, hearing this, confusedly scratched her face and said in bewilderment: “But I never told Dad that I wanted to learn to play the piano…”

Yi Wanyue was taken aback upon hearing this: “You never told your father?”

Jiang Zimin hurriedly shook her head, her tone certain: “No.”

Yi Wanyue’s eyebrows lightly furrowed, she lowered her eyes and remained silent. After a moment, she gently pulled her over, gazed into her eyes, and asked: “Then do you yourself want to learn the piano with me?”

This was the second time Jiang Zimin heard a similar question.

The first time was when Qiu Baiyu asked: Do you yourself want or not want to?

One Qiu Baiyu, one Yi Wanyue, they would both ask her if she wanted to, making her face her own thoughts.

Her father wouldn’t do this.

She hoped Dad cared about her, but Dad didn’t care about her, and compared to the aunties, it was even more obvious.

— Fortunately, she had the aunties.

“I actually am a little bit willing,” she said honestly to Yi Wanyue, “because I like Auntie. That day at Auntie’s house, playing the piano with Auntie, I was very happy!”

The child’s innocent and pure smile was touching.

Yi Wanyue’s brows relaxed, gently caressing her face: “It’s good that you want to. Auntie can take you to try to get to know the piano. If you like it afterward, then we will continue to learn more.”

Then she continued: “But if something like this happens again, you need to tell me your thoughts in advance. If it’s something you don’t want to do, Auntie also doesn’t want to do it, okay?”

Jiang Zimin nodded: “I know!”

Under the dual emphasis of Qiu Baiyu and Yi Wanyue, she now understood: her thoughts are also important.

Don’t do things you don’t want to do just to make Dad happy; she herself is also important.

Then she cautiously and expectantly asked: “So Auntie, did you agree to Dad for my sake?”

In the past, she always hoped for Dad’s attention to fall on her, but the long-awaited fatherly love never came, leaving her stuck in a quagmire, not knowing how to save herself.

Until Qiu Baiyu’s “illness” got better, which let her taste the feeling of being protected for the first time.

Until Dad’s friend Yi Wanyue appeared, inviting her to visit for the first time and play the piano she had always been unable to touch.

She was still young, not knowing how to express her excited feelings, but she knew she hoped she was very important in their hearts, and hoped she wouldn’t be suddenly left behind.

Yi Wanyue slightly bent down, looking at her with a smile, and said unhurriedly: “What do you think yourself?”

Jiang Zimin thought and thought again, then mustered the courage to smile and said: “Yes, because, because Auntie likes me too!”

Yi Wanyue immediately laughed lightly, affectionately rubbing her little face: “That’s right, Auntie likes you too.”

Jiang Zimin immediately became even happier.

This was her second adult friend!

After Yi Wanyue put down her hand, she took out her mobile phone and said: “Do you have a mobile phone? Give Auntie your contact information, so in the future, if there is anything, you can communicate with Auntie in advance.”

“I don’t have a mobile phone, but I have a smartwatch!”

Jiang Zimin turned her head to the drawer to take out her smartwatch.

They saved each other’s contact information.

Yi Wanyue put away her mobile phone and brought the topic back: “So, is there anything you want to do now?”

Jiang Zimin said: “Learn piano with Auntie!”

Yi Wanyue smiled and pinched her cheek: “Besides this, is there anything you want to do or learn that wasn’t instilled in you by others, but that you want to do yourself?”

This question stumped Jiang Zimin.

She seriously thought for a while.

“There is!” she said, “I want to learn something that can protect myself!”

When she can protect herself, she won’t have to be afraid of bad kids like Liu Jianhui anymore, no matter how many Liu Jianhuis there are, she won’t be afraid anymore!

Yi Wanyue instantly understood.

Self-defense.

“If I learn, I can protect myself and no longer be afraid of being bullied at school!” Jiang Zimin said very seriously.

Yi Wanyue’s expression instantly became serious after hearing this: “Is there still someone bullying you at school now?”

Jiang Zimin immediately waved her hand and said proudly: “No, no one dares to bully me now, because my Auntie will protect me, she’s really awesome and cool!”

Although Qiu Baiyu said she would pick her up from school whenever she had free time, in fact, she basically comes to pick her up every day. Every time she walks out of the school gate, she can see Qiu Baiyu holding a sausage on a stick or some other snack, eating while waiting for her.

With Qiu Baiyu around, Liu Jianhui, who used to always bully her, now doesn’t even dare to touch her!

Mentioning Qiu Baiyu, Yi Wanyue unconsciously glanced towards the door.

She withdrew her gaze, with a hint of curiosity in her tone: “Has your Auntie always been this good to you?”

This time, Jiang Zimin didn’t answer so quickly.

She hesitated.

“No, in the past Auntie wouldn’t pay attention to me. We’ve only recently become familiar… Auntie was sick before, and that’s why she ignored me.”

“Sick?” Yi Wanyue frowned in confusion, her curiosity growing stronger, “Your Auntie was sick?”

Qiu Baiyu was sick before?

She heard that she once fell from upstairs; could it be an illness left from that time?

Ignoring people because of being sick, what kind of illness could that be?

Jiang Zimin nodded: “Yes, yes, that’s what Auntie said.”

“Oh?”

Yi Wanyue became interested.

“What did Auntie say exactly, can you tell me?”

Jiang Zimin thought that Qiu Baiyu didn’t ask her to keep it a secret, so it should be okay to tell Yi Wanyue. As she recalled, she said: “Auntie said that the illness made her eyes only able to see my dad, she couldn’t see anyone else, so that’s why she ignored me at that time…”

“Ah, so it’s this illness…” Yi Wanyue suddenly understood.

Seeing that Yi Wanyue actually knew, Jiang Zimin couldn’t help but curiously ask: “What illness is it? Auntie Baiyu didn’t tell me what this illness is called, Auntie Wanyue, do you know?”

Yi Wanyue patted her hair and smiled without saying anything.

That wasn’t an illness at all.

It was being lovestruck.