If You Could Hear My Heart

Shen Chi stood at the back with his arms folded, quietly watching the extraordinary bustle.

The summit was very open, surrounded by many people. Xu Chaomu��s little hands also hung with bracelets full of bells, which rang non-stop with a ��clang, clang, clang�� whenever she clapped her hands, sounding crisp and melodious, very pleasant to the ear.

The bonfire burned in front of them, its red flames dancing as if waltzing gracefully.

Xu Chaomu tugged on Shen Shihan��s arm, ��Big Brother Three, teach me to dance.��

��You don��t need teaching, you��re so smart, you��ll get it just by watching,�� Shen Shihan said with a smile.

��Right, you have a point, I��ll watch it one more time, and I��ll surely get it!�� Xu Chaomu, unashamedly and shamelessly, also smiled.

Some people were dancing in front, and Xu Chaomu silently memorized their steps.

Sure enough, after a while, she stood up, and perhaps due to excitement, the wreath on her head fell to the ground. She bent over to pick it up and put it back on again.

She joined the line of dancers, moving her hands and feet with vigor.

The small bells ��ding-dinged�� as she occasionally winked at Shen Shihan, making a face and shamelessly asking, ��Big Brother Three, do I look good dancing?��

��You look great!�� Shen Shihan applauded.

Shen Chi, with his arms still folded, let out a cold snort, muttering to himself, ��Like a monkey.��

However, even though she danced like a monkey, he watched the ��monkey��s�� dance without blinking.

Xu Chaomu laughed very happily, her small face brimming with enthusiasm, her little white teeth glistening like pearls.

The light of the fire illuminated her face, where one could see no sadness, no melancholy, nothing of the calmness from the night before.

Shen Chi��s lips gradually formed a shallow curve, deepening more and more�� ��Chaomu, are you tired? Come have a drink of water!�� Shen Shihan waved her over.

Xu Chaomu was indeed sweating profusely from the dance, but she couldn��t have been happier. She could not remember when the last time was that she had played so freely and unbounded.

She hopped and jumped over to Shen Shihan, took the bottle of purified water from his hand, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

Then she sat down next to Shen Shihan, who took a paper towel and wiped the sweat beads from her forehead.

��Look at you, all sweaty. Just make sure you don��t catch a cold, a cold means catching a bug and taking medicine,�� Shen Shihan said.

��I won��t, Big Brother Three, you��re here.��

��I��m not a god; if you catch a cold, I can��t do anything about it.��

��Look, there��s no wind on the mountain right now, I definitely won��t catch a cold. Big Brother Three, keep me company for a chat! It��s still early, I don��t want to go back to sleep.��

��Sure, you talk, I��m listening.��

��I��ll tell you a story about a little white rabbit. I have so many stories, but no one to listen to them�� Will you listen?�� Xu Chaomu pouted, a hint of loss in her eyes.

��Sure, I��m all ears.��

��Won��t you find me childish?�� Xu Chaomu looked up at Shen Shihan, hopeful expectation in her eyes.

There was someone who always called her childish. She really wanted to tell stories to him, but how could a man like him waste time listening to very childish stories.

He would get impatient.

��Of course not, I haven��t listened to someone tell stories in a long time, let me hear what your little white rabbit story is like,�� Shen Shihan said with an expectant expression.

However, not far away, Shen Chi, upon hearing Xu Chaomu��s words, let out a cold laugh, ��Childish.��

��Then I��ll begin!�� Xu Chaomu was overjoyed, raising her voice excitedly.

��One day, a little white rabbit went to the river to fish, didn��t catch anything, and went home. The next day, the little white rabbit went fishing at the river again, still didn��t catch anything, and went home. On the third day, as soon as the little white rabbit arrived at the river, a big fish jumped out of the water and yelled at the little white rabbit, ��If you dare to use carrots as bait again, I��ll flatten you!’��

Shen Shihan burst into laughter, not so much because the joke itself was funny but because Xu Chaomu��s deadpan delivery was particularly amusing.

At that moment, the little girl was especially adorable, making one want to pinch her little cheeks.

Shen Chi also laughed, his gaze fixed on Xu Chaomu��s face, lingering there for a long time.

��Big Brother Three, is the story I told funny? It��s not childish at all, right!�� Xu Chaomu rested her chin on her palms and squinted her eyes.

Shen Shihan��s laughter grew louder, but he still praised her, ��Very interesting, tell me another one.��

Xu Chaomu was exceptionally happy, feeling a sense of camaraderie with a fellow hero.

��Big Brother Three, I knew you were the best to me. Let me think, I have so many stories about the little white rabbit�� Let me think, think����

Xu Chaomu��s eyes rolled around, looking up at the sky, then at Shen Shihan, then fiddling with the little bells on her wrist.

��I��ve got it!�� Her eyes brightened, ��Big Brother Three, I��ll tell you.��

��When the little white rabbit was in school, she was a very outstanding bunny. She could answer almost all of the teacher��s questions, which made everyone admire her greatly. One day, the teacher gave a very difficult question, no one knew the answer, so they all looked to the little white rabbit. The little white rabbit asked, should I answer in Chinese or in English? Upon hearing this, everybody admired her even more, no one knew the answer, but the little white rabbit knew how to answer in English. So, the teacher said, ��Let��s go with

Chinese first,�� and the little white rabbit said, ��I don��t know.�� The teacher asked,

��How about in English?�� and the little white rabbit said, ��I don��t know.����

Xu Chaomu was dead serious while telling the story, not joking around, but once she was done, she burst into chuckling laughter herself.

She shook Shen Shihan��s arm, ��Big Brother Three, Big Brother Three, is it funny or not?�}��

��It is funny; I had no idea Chaomu you were so good at telling stories.��

Shen Shihan was amused by Xu Chaomu��s expressions; he admitted that her stories weren��t amusing at all.

Just as Shen Shihan was about to speak, Shen Chi approached from behind the trees. His voice was deep, yet carried the power to penetrate the air.

��What��s so funny, it��s not original.��

Xu Chaomu was taken aback and turned around.

This voice was all too familiar, if not Shen Chi then who could it be.

The luster on her face dimmed instantly; she knew this man, who never spared ivory from his dog��s mouth. Killed the mood, ruined the scene.

Also, why was he here?

In the moment Xu Chaomu was lost in thought, Shen Chi had already come to her side, sat down next to her without waiting for her consent.

��It wasn��t meant for you, what��s it to you whether it��s original or not,�� Xu

Chaomu retorted.

She then looked up at Shen Shihan with her little face, ��Big Brother Three, you agree, right?��

��Yes, Chaomu, you do have a knack for storytelling,�� Shen Shihan said with a smile. Was this girl using him as a shield?

��See, Big Brother Three has taste. A good story should be told to someone who appreciates it, otherwise, it��s like playing the lute to a cow,�� Xu Chaomu persisted.

Shen Chi felt a bit helpless inside, she was indirectly scolding him.

Before Shen Chi could respond, Xu Chaomu disdainfully scooted away from him.

��What are you doing now?�� Shen Chi wasn��t annoyed, watching her ever-childish antics with arms folded..