Chapter 76: Surprised Or Not?
“Writing songs, calling parents, what’s the relationship between these two?”
Regarding Wang Heng’s question, Pei Ningle thought about it and found it hard to describe in words. So she handed the notebook to Wang Heng.
On the notebook were many numbers, some with black dots above or below them—clearly this was simple notation, with dots above indicating high octave and dots below low octave. Most of these numbers were heavily crossed out with thick pen strokes, marked as invalid. Only a small portion of the melodies survived.
Wang Heng wasn’t very sensitive to melodies to begin with, and this messily scribbled sheet only left him baffled.
However, though he couldn’t read the sheet music, he understood Pei Ningle’s creation method.
This girl didn’t like writing songs by following strategies, didn’t like clichéd love songs, and had a strong desire for honest self-expression. Every song she wrote seriously expressed her own emotions and thoughts. Perhaps because of this, although her skill grew deeper over time, she never became hugely popular, remaining just a niche singer.
And at this moment, Pei Ningle was still just a bar resident singer attracting audiences with her voice. Gazing at the young man before her, she asked somewhat nervously, “What do you think?”
Wang Heng returned the notebook and chose the most conservative option as his answer: “I can’t understand it at all. Anyway, you’re going to call Mom and Dad, right? Then call them now. It’s not good to keep hiding it from them.”
However, Pei Ningle wasn’t willing to end the topic just like that. In the dozens of days since running away from home, she had met many people, but the only one she felt might understand her thoughts was the young man before her.
“Did you forget? I told you… I like music that honestly expresses the self, so…”
The girl hurriedly tried to explain, but when the words reached her mouth, she couldn’t find the right ones for the moment.
Seeing her like this, Wang Heng couldn’t help but feel anxious for her and summed it up for her: “You mean words and actions in unison, right?”
Pei Ningle’s eyes lit up: “Yes, words and actions in unison! Writing a song is like writing a story. I need to complete that melody, just like a story needs an ending. The beginning of the story is my parents stopping me, so the ending of the story also needs them… I need to tell them what I’ve done, and then their reaction to me…”
“Their reaction, the mood change it brings you, is the final ending of this song?”
“Exactly!”
Wang Heng clapped and said: “As expected of you, this train of thought is straight out of an artist! Then don’t hesitate. It’s not even ten yet, not too late. Hurry up and call them!”
Hearing “now,” Pei Ningle couldn’t help but feel a bit timid: “I was planning to call tomorrow…”
“Finish today’s business today, do it now!”
Joking aside, how could Wang Heng let her delay? If Wang Heng had her parents’ phone number, he would have called two weeks ago to have someone take this girl back! Since Pei Ningle finally had the awareness to walk into the trap herself, of course he had to urge her properly.
Pei Ningle shrank her neck: “Suddenly feeling a bit regretful…”
“No no no, be brave,” Wang Heng encouraged her kindly, “Since you’ve decided to take the path of real feeling in creation, bravely keep going, don’t give up halfway. Without a complete structure and real feeling, how is the song you write any different from the ordinary stuff on the market?”
These words struck the girl’s heart.
Pei Ningle took a deep breath, her youthful face growing more determined: “You’re right, I’ll call them now!”
Wang Heng nodded gratified: “That’s right. By the way, do your parents know you’re in Rongdu?”
The girl answered: “They know. I told you, when I ran away from home they reported it to the police. I went straight to the police station as soon as I arrived in the Imperial Capital! Later the police confirmed I wasn’t trafficked, so they arranged a train ticket to send me back, and then I slipped away at the train station…”
Wang Heng slapped his forehead, finally understanding why this girl was so skilled at skipping that flight back then—she had a prior record! You know, in the first playthrough, Wang Heng had never heard of this dark history after meeting her in the Imperial Capital.
Pei Ningle continued: “So later, I still had to contact them every day to keep them from reporting it to the police again. But I didn’t want to call them, so they didn’t know my situation…”
Wang Heng frowned, realizing the oddity in this.
He asked: “You’re an 18-year-old girl running away from home, and they don’t care about you? Since you can send texts and contact them, why don’t they come find you or give you money?”
Pei Ningle pouted: “I didn’t let them come find me, didn’t tell them where I was. I deleted their persuasive texts without replying.”
Wang Heng: “What about the money? They don’t care about your living expenses?”
Pei Ningle: “I told them I’m working at a convenience store and don’t need their living expenses. They seem to think that as long as I work outside long enough and suffer enough, I’ll go back on my own…”
Wang Heng, however, felt the facts were probably not as the girl imagined. But he didn’t speculate further and just said: “Then call them.”
Pei Ningle nodded, took out that old button phone, and dialed the number.
A few seconds later, a slightly irritable middle-aged woman’s voice burst out. Although Pei Ningle hadn’t turned on speakerphone, the other side’s voice was loud, and this old mobile phone’s earpiece volume was high, so Wang Heng could hear clearly too.
“You still have the nerve to call! Where the hell have you been, you brat!”
This voice was sharp and piercing, making Wang Heng frown slightly.
Pei Ningle instinctively shrank her neck and said weakly in a small voice: “Mom, I’m in Rongdu…”
“I know you’re in Rongdu!” Mother Pei interrupted, “Your dad and I are here too, we’ve been watching you for days!”
Pei Ningle’s eyes widened in surprise, her mouth agape, not knowing what to say.
Mother Pei continued scolding: “You’re not a little kid anymore, think those words can fool us? Working at a convenience store? Working at a bar, you mean!”
Pei Ningle: “You… saw?”
Mother Pei: “We even went in and had drinks! Got some nerve, huh? Singing songs, partnering with the bar to deceive people! When did your dad and I get divorced? When did you get an older brother?”
Pei Ningle was completely speechless now.
At this point, the voice on the other end changed; probably Father Pei had snatched the phone.
“Xiao Le, have you come to your senses now?” Father Pei asked. “Are you still at the bar? Should we come over now?”
“Okay… sure…”
Pei Ningle dazedly hung up the phone.
Wang Heng crossed his arms over his chest and smiled: “Surprised? Happy surprise?”
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