As the final note of the sheet music faded away, Lu Yunze finally stopped all his movements and lowered his somewhat sore and numb fingers.
“Not bad, even better than I expected.”
The man who had been standing behind him listening nodded slightly.
“I remember you could never quite get the hang of this piece, right? Did your brain finally clear up after being discharged from the hospital?”
“Ah haha, maybe that’s just it.”
A week ago, Lu Yunze had been riddled with mistakes playing this piece, but after being discharged, perhaps because his fingers had relaxed in the hospital, he quickly mastered it.
He first got into Piano after he stopped training in various self-defense techniques. Suddenly, he had a lot of free time and didn’t know what to do. One time, he saw a live broadcast of a Piano Competition on TV and immediately became interested.
One great benefit of living with the Luo family was never having to worry about money for hobbies. Even a real Piano—he could buy one with a bit of saved-up allowance, and he didn’t have to worry about not having space at home.
Though he started a bit late, Lu Yunze spent half of middle school and all of high school learning Piano. After entering university, it was only natural that he joined the Music Club, so he could keep playing at school.
The man who had been listening to him just now was Wu Xuan, the current president of the Music Club.
Because of his injury, Lu Yunze had stayed in the hospital for two days, missing classes. Wu Xuan and the others were worried about him. Seeing him return not only able to play, but even having improved, finally put their minds at ease.
“We were all worried you might have injured your fingers.” Wu Xuan joked half-seriously, “If you really couldn’t play anymore, we’d have to replace you at the Celebration.”
“Now that I’m back, that performance slot is still mine.” Lu Yunze patted his chest with confidence.
In this club, Wu Xuan was the one Lu Yunze was closest to. Wu Xuan had played various instruments since childhood and had given Lu Yunze plenty of guidance on Piano—he was like a half-mentor on his musical path.
The two talked about everything—not just music, but all sorts of daily topics.
But midway through the conversation, Wu Xuan glanced at his phone and gave an apologetic smile:
“The Guidance Counselor called me over for a bit. You can practice some more on your own. If you leave, remember to lock the door.”
“Alright.”
Once Wu Xuan left, Lu Yunze was the only one left in the classroom.
It was still early, so he planned to practice a bit longer.
The school’s Celebration was coming up soon, and it was said that professionals in the field would be attending. If he performed well enough, he might even get discovered as a talent.
Lu Yunze didn’t dare hope for that kind of outcome, but he definitely couldn’t let down those who had high hopes for him.
After playing for a little while, Lu Yunze stopped again—he kept hitting wrong notes ever since earlier.
Was he in poor condition because he hadn’t had any water since arriving at school and was feeling thirsty?
There was a water dispenser in the classroom, but it was empty and they hadn’t bought a new bottle yet.
The nearest Small Convenience Store to the Science Building was over ten minutes away—going there and back would waste a lot of time.
After last month’s cold weather, it was gradually heating up, starting to feel as hot as summer.
Lu Yunze let out a breath, stood up, and planned to go to the restroom to wash his face and hands. His fingers were sweaty and sticky on the keys, which felt really uncomfortable.
Just as he turned around, a smiling face suddenly filled his entire field of vision, startling Lu Yunze so much he nearly landed right on the Piano keys.
“Jiang, Jiang Sui?!”
“Young Master’s attitude is really too much. Am I really that scary?”
“What are you doing here?”
“If I say Miss told me, would you believe it, Young Master?”
“…No.”
Luo Yao knew Lu Yunze had joined the Music Club, but she had never asked where the club room was. And with Luo Yao’s personality, even if she knew, she definitely wouldn’t tell anyone so easily.
Even after being refused, Jiang Sui didn’t look hurt at all—her smile only deepened:
“Look, it’s so hot today, and I brought you some water, Young Master. It’s even chilled.”
“Can I refuse?”
“Of course, I won’t force you, Young Master.”
Jiang Sui sniffed and wiped away imaginary tears.
“If Young Master is cruel enough to make this maid, who owes a million, throw away this bottle of water I spent a fortune on…”
“I’ll drink it, I’ll drink it, okay?!”
Lu Yunze quickly cut her off.
Although it wasn’t entirely of his own volition, Jiang Sui’s bottle of water really came at the perfect time. After gulping it down, Lu Yunze felt completely refreshed, like he’d been rescued from a steaming oven.
After screwing the cap back on, Lu Yunze noticed Jiang Sui’s gaze had been fixed on him the whole time, giving him the creeps.
“You didn’t just come to bring me water, did you?”
“Young Master is so perceptive.” Jiang Sui paused for a moment, “You might not believe it, but I used to dream of starting a band too.”
“Huh?”
She wasn’t lying.
Back when she was still a young student in her previous life, Jiang Sui had some unrealistic dreams—like learning a cool-looking instrument, starting a band that everyone envied, and living off her hobbies.
Unfortunately, she never got to take the first step before harsh reality crushed those dreams. Besides homework, there was only more homework—no extra time to do anything else.
And her family back then didn’t have the money to support such an expensive hobby.
Compared to that, Lu Yunze was much luckier—he could learn whatever he wanted. Piano, street bikes—he could just buy them without worrying about money.
Hearing her say this, Lu Yunze was stunned for a moment, and then—
“Pfft!”
“…Just laugh if you want, Young Master.”
Even though she just smiled faintly, Jiang Sui still managed to freeze the expression on Lu Yunze’s face, and he even felt a chill run down his spine.
“Sorry, I just never imagined you’d have that kind of dream.”
“It was just a dream, that’s all. I used to know a wealthy classmate who loved playing instruments—his family bought a bunch. I loved going to his house to play and sneak in some instrument time.”
“And then?”
“After a while, he changed. He didn’t want me touching his Piano or anything anymore, and wouldn’t let me come over.”
“What did you do to his instruments…?”
Jiang Sui sighed softly.
“So, Young Master, could you grant me a small request?”
“Something to do with music?”
“Since you play Piano so well, I just want you to teach me a little.” Jiang Sui replied, “I have some basics, I just want to have a bit of fun. It won’t take up much of your time.”
Her eyes weren’t filled with their usual mischief—she was serious.
Lu Yunze had grown up with everything he needed, so it was hard for him to truly understand how she felt.
But refusing wasn’t even an option—after all, this was Jiang Sui. If not for her, he would have died at Li Ren’s hands on that rainy night.
She had always been helping him. If he couldn’t even grant her this small wish, Lu Yunze couldn’t forgive himself.
“Alright, let’s just treat it as a practice session for me, too. Come and sit.”
Before Lu Yunze could even get up, that lightly fragrant figure had already sat down next to him. Their shoulders were so close he could feel the faint brush of her clothes against his, and her light purple eyes were full of anticipation.
“I’m sitting, so what do we do next, Young Master? Or… should I call you, Teacher?”
As soon as she finished, she burst out laughing, her excited knees bumping into Lu Yunze’s leg from time to time.
Lu Yunze felt his face getting a bit hot. He could only give an awkward smile and force himself to calm down.