She quickly glanced up.
Ling Yue was raising a water glass, taking an elegant sip, and the lines of her profile under the light were impossibly perfect.
Maybe she really had been overthinking things just now.
But just as Mu Xi let her guard down slightly, Ling Yue turned her head again, her gaze precisely capturing Mu Xi’s line of sight.
In those cold, clear eyes, there seemed to hide a faint, elusive trace of a smile.
“Don’t waste your talent, Mu Xi.”
Ling Yue’s voice was soft, yet it brushed against Mu Xi’s eardrums like a feather. “Some talents need to be seen, and cherished.”
Seen… cherished… Those words made Mu Xi’s heart clench violently, a chill creeping up her spine.
Why… why did she feel like Teacher Ling Yue’s words carried a hidden meaning?
And why did they seem aimed at her as a person, not her hands or her musical talent?
Mu Xi abruptly set down her fork, and the crisp clatter of silverware against the plate rang out, sounding somewhat jarring in the quiet dining hall.
“I’m full, Teacher.”
She didn’t dare stay any longer. She just wanted to escape this atmosphere that made her increasingly uneasy.
Ling Yue didn’t seem surprised by her reaction. She only gave a slight nod, still maintaining that unruffled demeanor. “Very well. It’s getting late. Rest early.”
She raised a hand in a subtle gesture, and the butler nearby immediately understood, stepping forward silently to begin clearing the table completely.
Mu Xi stood up almost immediately and followed Ling Yue out of the dining hall.
In the cold metal corridor, only the echoes of their footsteps reverberated, making the space feel empty and desolate.
When they reached the metal staircase leading to the second floor, they walked side by side, and their arms accidentally brushed against each other.
Mu Xi flinched as if shocked by electricity, instinctively shrinking away.
Ling Yue stopped, turning her head to look at her. Her cold, clear gaze seemed deeper and more unfathomable under the dim corridor lighting.
“You seem very tense.” Her voice was low, carrying a subtle trace of curiosity.
“N-no, I’m not.” Mu Xi’s heart leaped, and she quickly denied it, her gaze wandering as she dared not meet Ling Yue’s eyes. “Just a little tired.”
Even she felt that excuse was pale and weak.
Ling Yue didn’t press further. She simply watched her in silence for a few seconds, her gaze seeming to pierce through Mu Xi’s facade and see the panic buried deep inside.
After a long moment, Ling Yue spoke calmly. “Then get some rest early.”
With that, she turned around, walking up the stairs alone with graceful, composed steps. Her straight-backed silhouette quickly disappeared around the corner of the staircase.
Mu Xi stood in place, watching where Ling Yue had vanished, her heart still pounding fiercely.
She raised her hand and looked at her own palm, as if Ling Yue’s scorching gaze still lingered there.
That ex-girlfriend joke… Teacher Ling Yue’s strange words just now… and that gaze that made her feel so uncomfortable all over…
Was all of this really just a coincidence, just her being too sensitive?
Mu Xi shook her head forcefully, trying to dispel the chaotic thoughts crowding her mind.
Ye Lan loved her. That was beyond doubt.
Teacher Ling Yue was her beloved mentor, someone who had once tried to help her.
They shouldn’t have ended up in this state of suspicion and testing each other.
It must all be in her head.
Yes, that had to be it.
Mu Xi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and turned to walk toward her own room.
Yet that inexplicable chill clung to her heart like a stubborn parasite, silently refusing to leave.
She had a faint premonition that this aloof and noble Teacher Ling Yue might not be as simple as she appeared on the surface.
And the so-called past between her and Ye Lan probably couldn’t be brushed aside with just a joke.
Back in her room, Mu Xi leaned against the cold metal door panel and let out a long breath, but the heavy oppression in her chest didn’t seem to dissipate much.
Just now at the stairwell, Teacher Ling Yue’s deep gaze had been like a searchlight, nearly exposing all the panic and unease hidden in her heart.
“You seem very tense.”
Those words, like a spell, still echoed in her ears.
Of course she was tense!
Facing a woman with such a powerful presence, such unfathomable thoughts, who claimed to be Ye Lan’s ex-girlfriend—how could she not be tense?
Especially after the other woman had said those words with hidden implications.
Seen… cherished…
Mu Xi shook her head, trying to banish those unsettling words from her mind.
She walked to the bedside and sat down. The soft mattress sank slightly beneath her, offering a trace of trivial comfort.
This room matched the overall style of the Silent Language Building—simple, austere, carrying the cold quality unique to metal.
A bed, a small vanity, a wardrobe, and nothing else.
The walls were made of thick alloy panels that produced a dull sound when knocked on, silently proclaiming this place’s sturdiness—or rather, its imprisonment.
She raised her hand to her chest, where her heart was still beating a little too fast.
She must be overthinking things.
Teacher Ling Yue was a world-renowned musician, her esteemed mentor, a woman of noble status. Why would she develop those strange thoughts toward her, a girl imprisoned here by Ye Lan?
As for that ex-girlfriend joke, perhaps Teacher was simply appreciating her musical talent, sympathizing with her plight, and that was why she said those words.
As for the ex-girlfriend joke, it might have just been to lighten the mood.
Even though it had the opposite effect.
Yes, that had to be it.
Ye Lan loved her. She could feel that.
Although her love was domineering, obsessive, even destructive, that intense emotion was real.
Teacher Ling Yue was probably just a passerby, an elder who once tried to help her and now happened to appear again.
Mu Xi worked hard at her mental reassurances, trying to convince herself to stay calm and not let her imagination run wild.
Just then, a melodious piano melody, like liquid silver spilling across the floor, penetrated the thick walls and flowed silently into her ears.
It was Teacher Ling Yue playing the piano.
Her room was right next door, so the sound was so clear it might as well have been right beside her.
Mu Xi’s brow furrowed unconsciously.
Playing the piano at this hour?
An inexplicable irritation welled up inside her.
She had just endured a nerve-wracking dinner and conversation, finally returning to her own space to compose herself, and now piano music came from next door.
This music, without a doubt, forcefully dragged Ling Yue—this unsettling presence—back into her thoughts.
Really, this was rather annoying.
Mu Xi complained inwardly, even feeling a hint of petty resentment.
She pulled the blanket over her head, trying to block out the all-pervasive music, but it barely helped.
The piano melody seemed to possess the power to penetrate everything, still stubbornly and clearly lingering in her ears.
The music was sometimes gentle like flowing water, sometimes intense like a storm, with flawless technical mastery.
Every note seemed like a carefully polished gem—precise, crystalline, carrying a cold brilliance.
Mu Xi had to admit that even with her displeasure, she couldn’t deny the music’s beauty.
Teacher Ling Yue’s musical accomplishment was truly top-tier. Her command over melody and emotion was something Mu Xi could never hope to match.
She had once been Teacher Ling Yue’s student too, studying vocals and piano.
Back then, she had felt nothing but admiration and gratitude toward this teacher.
Teacher had not only taught her technique, but had also tried to help her during the earliest days when Ye Lan had imprisoned her, when she was at her most desperate and helpless, though that attempt ultimately failed.
But now, that admiration and gratitude seemed to have been replaced by something more complex, something harder to put into words.
The irritation gradually subsided, replaced by a strange sense of immersion.
Mu Xi gave up resisting. She pulled the blanket down and lay quietly in bed, listening to the heavenly music drifting from next door.