"Um~" Anna uttered softly, her mood visibly improving. The charming demeanor made Freya, who was sneakily watching from the side, almost want to rush over and hug her.
This Anna was simply too invincible!
Not sure how Louis managed it, but one phone call had Anna completely under control.
"Alright, alright, no more messy thoughts like this in the future, got it?"
"I'll upload the song to you later. Practice more these next two days. If you die prematurely before completing your apprenticeship, it'll be a slap in my face!"
"Chuckle~" Louis's voice continued to come through the receiver. Hearing these confident words, Anna couldn't help but chuckle. Who was this 'certain someone'? Anyone would think he's some historical figure! But that phrase about dying before success was quite good. Louis suddenly seemed so cultured.
"Okay, I want to see what kind of song you can come up with!"
Encouraged by Louis, Anna became more relaxed. Emerging from her previous frustrations, she no longer dwelled on the issue of dependency.
Once that tightly wound string relaxed, Anna immediately felt exhausted. Now, she was like a lazy cat, her voice coquettish with a hint of playful charm.
The impact of her voice was overwhelming, and Louis felt his scalp tingling.
"Cough, cough, go to bed soon. You need energy to practice singing properly."
Louis couldn't handle it; he just wanted her to hang up quickly.
Anna hummed in response. With a yawn, she walked into the bedroom, bidding Louis farewell before hanging up the phone.
Hearing the dial tone, Louis breathed a sigh of relief. Comforting his wife felt more challenging than comforting a child! But luckily, none of this was too difficult for him, Louis!
Louis glanced towards the living room. Cicc was still watching her favorite cartoon, not needing his company at the moment.
Time to focus on preparing the song.
Louis took out a pen and sheet music from the drawer, pondering over which song would be suitable. If others knew how conflicted Louis was, they'd probably be driven to madness. While others put all their effort into creating a song, he struggled to choose from among countless options.
It could be said that he was a disaster of indecision!
After much deliberation, Louis still couldn't decide. His mind was filled with too many good songs, all clamoring for attention, leaving his thoughts in disarray.
Feeling irritated, Louis opened the window. A cool breeze swept in, calming his frustration somewhat.
In the courtyard downstairs, a young couple was saying their goodbyes. The boy dragged a large suitcase, his face full of reluctance, while the girl's eyes were misty with tears, reluctant to part.
Witnessing this scene, Louis suddenly remembered a saying.
Love rises with the wind, but the wind's cessation is hard to reconcile.
They were parting now, but when the boy returned, would they still be together?
An unknown variable. But the boy had to go out and explore the broader world.
Thinking of this, Louis couldn't help but be taken aback. Then he hurried to the desk, picked up a pen, and wrote on the sheet music.
"Wind Rises"
Youth is the string, love is the wind. With a single gust, youth arrives, but it also sweeps her away.
Louis was now filled with memories of this familiar melody. When this song came out, how many people were unable to reconcile with their youth?
Unfurling the sheet music, Louis's eyes were filled with reminiscence. He slowly wrote various notes on it, completely immersing himself in this beautiful music. Unconsciously, he began to hum along.
After an unknown amount of time, it wasn't until Cicc's childish voice rang out that Louis snapped back to reality.
"Daddy! Hungry! Food!"
Not sure what influenced Cicc, but these past two days, she had been using reduplicative expressions, leaving Louis's ears feeling soft.
The problem was, even a heavenly being couldn't withstand such reduplications from a young child's innocent voice!
Louis immediately flashed a doting smile.
"My little darling, hungry? Daddy will prepare lunch right away!"
A daughter's words were like royal decrees. As a daughter servant, Louis didn't dare to delay for a moment. He tossed aside the pen and hurried to the kitchen.
As for that song, it had been finished long ago!
"As for those memories, let them go with the wind!" Two hours later, the father-daughter duo, having eaten their fill and quenched their thirst, slumped on the sofa, mirroring each other's reclining posture.
"Burp~" Louis burped, and Cicc giggled, not forgetting to rub her dad's belly.
Then she burped herself, and the father-daughter pair burst into playful antics.
At that moment, Anna's video call came in right on time. Her eyes still had prominent dark circles, clearly not having had enough sleep.
Seeing the lazy posture of the father and daughter, Anna couldn't help but envy them.
"Sigh~ While I'm out there working hard, you two are enjoying your time together at home. You're both heartless."
Anna rarely made such a pitiful expression, her almond eyes watery with accusation.
That one phone call seemed to completely disarm her defenses, allowing her to revert to a more feminine demeanor and bringing the two closer.
Louis couldn't withstand such a test and surrendered immediately.
"I've been busy too. The song is already written; I'll send it to you later."
Cicc also joined in, imitating Louis by raising her hands. Her pair of identical almond eyes were equally watery, as if competing with Anna over who was more pitiful.
"Cicc hasn't been idle either. Cicc watched two fewer episodes of cartoons today! And learned five more numbers!"
Anna immediately lost her composure, instantly defeated. She admitted she couldn't compete with this little imp!
"Alright! Our Cicc works the hardest! Quick, let Mommy give you a kiss, my little angel~"
The little one happily offered her tiny mouth, rewarding Anna with a kiss as well.
"Cough, cough! No reward for me???"
Louis coughed and shamelessly brought his face close to the phone, causing Anna's pretty face to blush visibly.
And to top it off, the little one was instigating on the side, asking Mommy to also reward Daddy.
In the end, Anna couldn't resist the enthusiasm of her daughter, nor Louis's thick-skinned request. She pouted and gave a symbolic kiss, but didn't make the sound of a horse.
With the reward received, Louis's face lit up with a smile. He quickly ran to the bedroom, handing the completed sheet music to the camera.
"See, I didn't lie to you. The song is really done! Your kiss wasn't wasted!"
Anna rolled her eyes in a charming manner, but inside, she was shocked beyond measure. It had only been a few hours? And he already wrote a song?
Feeling utterly defeated!
She had been thinking for so many days, unable to grasp even a bit of melody, yet Louis managed to produce a finished song in just a few hours!
This man was simply unbelievable!
The family chatted for a while longer before hanging up the call.
Louis photographed the sheet music and lyrics in their entirety and sent them to Anna. Then he tossed the phone onto the table and continued to lounge lazily with Cicc.
Anna received the Post message, feeling somewhat expectant as she opened the image.
A big title caught her eye.
"Wind Rises"