Chapter 54

Unaware that the Guinaifen around her seemed to have bumped into something, she lost her balance and fell backward the next second.

Just as she was about to fall heavily onto the cold ground, a pair of warm and strong hands caught her waist in time.

"What are you doing? You're a grown adult, why are you acting like a child? You should at least be mindful of your safety."

Despite her seemingly Oblivious to Romance expression, as if looking at a child, the Guinaifen's heart still pounded uncontrollably, her chest burning with an intense heat. She couldn't utter a sound, and even forgot how to breathe.

The plot is so cliché, but... why do I have this inexplicable feeling about it?

Chapter 78 The first crow plants the tree, the second bird enjoys the shade (4k3)

"Mommy, Mommy, what are those older brothers and sisters doing over there?"

"Shh! Come here quickly, don't disturb them."

Some people were secretly observing the two, while others were whispering among themselves. Upon noticing the numerous gazes and whispers around them, Bai Jun immediately released his hand from the Guinaifen's waist, casually ending the delicate situation that had just occurred.

Only then did the Guinaifen snap out of her daze. To hide her rising shyness, she quickly took a half step back and looked up at Bai Jun with her big, watery eyes behind her sunglasses.

But the feeling she just experienced overwhelmed her completely, making it impossible for her to maintain a calm demeanor.

To avoid thinking about what had just happened, the Guinaifen even abandoned any thoughts of joking and desperately tried to put its inner turmoil to the back of its mind.

"Thank you..."

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the Guinaifen felt her cheeks burning and waited for a while before finally smiling softly.

"Don't worry about it, just be careful." Bai Jun waved his hand and smiled in return.

For a while afterward, the two fell into a brief silence, gazing silently at the distant scenery. Time passed slowly, and they only felt each other's presence.

"Awoo--!"

The silence around them was suddenly broken by a scream. Turning around, they saw that one of the children playing nearby had tripped and fallen heavily onto the muddy ground.

And the fall was quite severe; not only were his knees scraped, but his nose was also bleeding uncontrollably. Tears gradually filled the child's large eyes, threatening to spill over just as they were about to overflow—

The Guinaifen was faster than Bai Jun and the child's parents in stepping forward and helping the fallen girl up.

Are you alright? Does your wound hurt a lot?

The Guinaifen was completely unconcerned about the filth on the muddy ground. He knelt down, gently embraced the girl, and tenderly wiped away the blood from her nose with a handkerchief.

"But don't worry, big sister knows a spell to make wounds stop hurting, okay?"

Despite her desperate attempts to hold back her tears, the girl still cried in her arms.

"Adjust your pace, sway to the music, raise your hands, and embrace the person you aspire to be. We are climbing, touching the heights yet to be reached..."

The Guinaifen raised its fair hand and gently stroked the girl's back, patting it softly and humming a fragment of a song.

The beautiful voice quietly emanated from a corner of the Synwood Pavilion, Guinaifen's face was filled with a gentle smile—no, perhaps it would be more accurate to describe that smile as kind.

Whether drawn by her smile or surprised by the familiar melody and voice of the song, everyone present was captivated by this scene and remained mesmerized for a long time.

"Tell your sister, does the wound still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, thank you, beautiful lady."

When she came to her senses, the girl's tears had stopped, and upon seeing the Guinaifen's gentle smile, she smiled too.

The Guinaifen now has none of the airs of a big star; she's gentle and approachable, like a friendly older sister next door. Seeing this, Bai Jun unconsciously pursed his lips and smiled, just like everyone else present.

"Is it... is it that Guinaifen?"

Someone nearby seemed to recognize the Guinaifen behind the beret and sunglasses, and pointed at her with a trembling voice.

Upon hearing this voice, everyone present belatedly realized what was happening. After all, the beautiful melody and voice were truly distinctive, and apart from the robin, who had recently gained immense Guinaifen, it seemed that few others could match it.

And so, the previously peaceful and gratifying scene gradually began to stir...

"Let's go! If we stand still any longer, we might not have a chance to leave!"

Before the crowd erupted in shouts and screams, Bai Jun ran to Guinaifen's side, took her wrist, and led her quickly away through the gap in the crowd.

Seemingly feeling that this wasn't fast enough, Bai Jun simply pulled her into his arms in a princess carry. The Guinaifen's shy exclamation was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples in the crowd that was about to erupt.

"Whoa! It's Guinaifen! She actually came to the Synwood Pavilion to play!"

"She's a superstar! I can't believe I got to be so close to her!"

"Hey, hey, hey, please don't go! Please give me your autograph, Miss Guinaifen!"

"Wait a minute, why is there a man next to Miss Guinaifen?!"

"..."

The moon in the sky was covered by sparse clouds, casting a faint glow.

The night sky was so deep it seemed you'd be sucked in if you looked up, and the scattered, wispy clouds playfully obscured the starlight.

"Phew, I finally escaped..."

The continuous cheers and screams behind him gradually faded away as they moved further away from the Synwood Pavilion. Bai Jun breathed a sigh of relief and put down the Guinaifen in his arms. He never expected that the chase scene, which he hadn't been able to experience before, would actually happen here.

Bai Jun suddenly felt a bit empathetic towards Helen, after Guinaifen is the kind of celebrity who can cause huge commotion if she's not careful, so her security must be under a lot of pressure.

"Although I know this isn't your problem, I still need you to have a clear understanding of your own position beforehand... Are you even listening?"

"Huh? I... I was listening..."

The Guinaifen standing to the side blushed deeply, covering its face and not daring to look at Bai Jun's profile, emitting a slight trembling sound like a frightened little feathered beast.

Noticing that Bai Jun's gaze was fixed on her face, Guinaifen turned her slightly flushed cheeks and, in a fit of desperation, pushed Bai Jun's arm.

Feeling a wave of fatigue, Bai Jun initially wanted to offer some kind words of comfort to Guinaifen, but then he remembered that the purpose of tonight's itinerary seemed to be to ensure she had fun, so he abandoned the idea and shrugged with a wry smile.

"Seriously, Guinaifen are really good at soothing babies!"

"I used to be a teacher on a poor planet for a while, so I have a little experience with how to get along with children."

When asked about the answer to this question, Guinaifen slightly raised her chin, revealing a somewhat proud expression. In her eyes, being able to genuinely help a group of lovely children was far more remarkable than her so-called celebrity title.

However, under Bai Jun's gentle gaze, Guinaifen's cheeks, which had finally recovered, flushed slightly again. She turned her face away slightly and urged softly, "Okay, stop staring at me. Haven't you taken me for a walk Exalting Sanctum's streets yet?"

"Hey? Do we really have to go to the commercial street in Exalting Sanctum? Can't we go somewhere else...?"

Bai Jun didn't really want to go to the commercial street in Exalting Sanctum. Firstly, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, and secondly, because of Qing Que he had seen there before... he had a feeling that something very troublesome was going to happen.

"No!"

However, the more Robin saw Bai Jun's conflicted expression, the stronger Guinaifen curiosity became. She adopted an unprecedentedly tough attitude, dragging Bai Jun to the entrance of Exalting Sanctum's commercial street, and then walked a short distance forward.

Please wait a moment!

A woman who had set up a stall in a corner of the square suddenly called out to the two of them.

"You two look so well-matched! I bet you're a loving couple. How about buying some gifts? I sell matching jewelry for couples like you!"

Various ornaments were laid out on the cloak on the ground, and she was obviously an open-air vendor. Because he often worked in urban management and law enforcement at the Earth-Balance Commission, Bai Jun had a lot of contact with this kind of people, so his occupational habit kicked in and he subconsciously wanted to warn the woman not to set up a stall on the ground.

However, as soon as it heard the keyword "jewelry," the Guinaifen next to it immediately took the bait.

Let's go take a look!

Before Bai Jun could explain, the Guinaifen hooked his arm and pulled him over.

"Whoosh, these are all top-quality goods from Zhuming. You two should know Zhuming, right? It's the most famous manufacturing mecca in the entire world. Every creation from there is top-notch! We definitely have all the jewelry you need!"

"Oh~"

Seeing Guinaifen drag Bai Jun over, the woman immediately put on a smile typical of business people, rubbing her hands together and introducing the various pieces of jewelry on the ground to Guinaifen. Little did she know that her explanations sounded particularly clumsy in Bai Jun's eyes.

"For example, there's this ring that becomes invisible when it comes into contact with water; a necklace that changes color when it's stained with blood; earrings that light up when the wind blows; and so on..."

I have absolutely no idea what these things are for, and their retro designs are completely unappealing. In Bai Jun's eyes, these things might be barely acceptable for children, but selling them at such high prices... only a fool would buy them, right?

And let's not Guinaifen. Given her status and taste, these things are probably only slightly better than the non-recyclable items in the trash can. She probably wouldn't even want them if they were given to her for free.

"But my absolute favorite is this one, 'A Match Made in Heaven.' Two pieces of jewelry like this, and you see, they become one!"

Seemingly sensing the Guinaifen's growing disinterest beneath his smile, the woman immediately changed tactics, feigning a pained expression as she slowly took out a pair of aurora-colored silver ornaments from a small box behind her.

"This is my prized possession, something I don't usually show to others. Look, this pair of jewelry is divided into crescent and full moon shapes. When separated, one half can be used as a pendant for men, and the other half can be used as a hair accessory for you."

"Oh?"

The Guinaifen's eyes lit up; he was clearly intrigued and took the pair of ornaments from the woman's hands.

The jewelry uses natural seashells to represent the luster of the sun and moon, and the naturally formed texture presents a beautiful gradient of aurora colors. Moreover, through careful material selection and ingenious design, a pair of pendants together form a complete circle, with even the textures matching perfectly, just like its name, "A Match Made in Heaven".

"This is a very good item that can ward off bad luck and bring good fortune! If you'd like to buy it, I'll give you a discount!"

Although Bai Jun was well aware that no matter how hard the maker prayed, it was impossible for the ornaments to have the effect of bringing good luck and warding off evil, the Guinaifen, who squatted down to examine the ornaments curiously, did not notice this at all.

Rather, it seemed like her eyes lit up when she looked at it...

"Look at this handsome young man and beautiful young lady, they're such a perfect match! This would normally cost 300 coins, but I'll sell it to you for only 100!"

Before Bai Jun could even haggle, they immediately slashed the price in half, but Bai Jun still thought it was too expensive.

A full 100 dan, enough to feed Bai Jun for two years if it were steamed buns...

"Stare—"

The Guinaifen beside him stared intently at him, its gaze both expectant and deliberate, which froze Bai Jun's face.

To be honest, he didn't really want to buy it, not because he didn't have the money or found it too much trouble... First, the accessory wasn't worth the price at all, and second, he simply felt that buying it as a couple would create a kind of indescribable feeling.

However, Teacher Hanya had warned him that in this situation, he shouldn't consider the so-called cost-effectiveness; as long as it brought happiness to the woman, then everything was worthwhile.

Although it is said that as long as one has the will, one does not need to be attached to external material things, tangible objects are indeed what bring happiness.

Barely suppressing the urge to sigh, Bai Jun gave up resisting and, forcing a pang of heartache, pulled out his wallet from his pocket. "Then let's buy it."

Thank you for your patronage!

Bai Jun took the jewelry from the smiling shopkeeper and then handed it to Guinaifen.

Thank you, I will cherish it!

The Guinaifen gently touched the hair ornament, revealing a radiant smile.

Her hair ornaments, reflecting a pale light under the streetlights, were dazzling, but her incredibly happy and shy smile was equally striking.

Seeing her satisfied smile, Bai Jun suddenly felt that the money he spent was not meaningless.

Oh well, as long as she's happy...

"Here, this is half of Bai Jun's!"

The Guinaifen laughed as she split the "A Match Made in Heaven" into two halves, keeping the crescent-shaped hair ornament for herself and handing the full-moon-shaped pendant to Bai Jun.

No, no, no!

Bai Jun immediately shook his head vigorously. Giving something that symbolized a romantic relationship to someone else just didn't seem right!

"Huh? What's that sound over there?"

The Guinaifen, seemingly oblivious to his expression, shoved the pendant into his hand and then pointed curiously to a corner of the street where a crowd had gathered, asking...

The sounds of people and instruments drifted from the nearby streets. Following the sound, I saw a group of people wearing headscarves gathered around a small stage, playing music on instruments such as guitars, bass, and drums. Although there weren't many spectators, the band on stage was still very excited.

Those in the know can recognize this as a rock melody, but in the Xianzhou Alliance, rock music is considered a niche culture, so not many people understand it.

However, there are still some rock music enthusiasts who gather every now and then to hold small concerts to promote this music, but the Earth-Balance Commission requires them to hold these concerts in well-soundproofed venues so as not to disturb public Order.

So after all these years, rock concerts haven't attracted much attention. Bai Jun had heard of them before, and he guessed that with the recent popularity of their tour, they finally got the right to hold concerts on the streets.

"Rock and roll... Let's go check it out!"

After listening for a while, the Guinaifen quickly identified the type of music and eagerly led Bai Jun to take a look.

"It's getting late, I think we should—"

Seeing the Guinaifen's face, Bai Jun felt a sense of foreboding. He subtly moved a few steps to the side, trying to persuade her that it was getting late.

"Alright, just this once, let's go take a look together, my lord knight!"

Guinaifen took Bai Jun's arm and, despite his struggling expression, forcibly led him over.

Chapter 79 As long as the little bird is happy (4k3)

Music appreciation is a subjective matter.