Avoiding pressure is human nature, and seeking comfort is also human nature.
Ever since that day when Lin Xiaoyu, eyes sparkling, spent several hours enthusiastically explaining music theory, she seemed to have fallen in love with the feeling of being admired.
Every day, she would take the initiative to share little bits of knowledge with Pei Xingyan, sometimes about music theory, sometimes about technique.
Pei Xingyan could even tell that some of these tidbits were things she had just learned herself—she’d look up a few points, and then give him a special little lecture.
And honestly, there were some obvious mistakes in there.
He could only sigh—she really was a child who’d missed out on her childhood; just a little bit of praise was enough to make her dizzy with joy, to the point where she actively sought it out.
He could also see that she truly had no one to confide in.
She had so much bottled up inside, so many things she wanted to say, and finally she’d found a good opportunity.
Sometimes, she could talk on her own for a whole hour without stopping.
And at these times, Pei Xingyan would play the role of a good listener—no opinions, no judgments, just quietly listening.
Moments like these never needed any flashy encouragement; all she needed was to know that someone was listening.
And so, day after day, Lin Xiaoyu had almost come to treat Pei Xingyan as her personal confidant.
She was finally letting her guard down, gradually mixing in bits and pieces about her own life.
Pei Xingyan learned that, for Lin Xiaoyu, it wasn’t just piano—she was strictly controlled in every aspect.
She’d always lived under this kind of high pressure.
Actually, she was used to it; she’d been raised with strict demands since childhood, living a life of passive acceptance.
No matter how unreasonable the demands were, as long as she bowed her head and endured, she could make it through.
But only with the piano—by her own admission, “I’m just a kid with no talent”—no matter what she did, she could never live up to her parents’ expectations.
Even if she worked herself to the point of vomiting blood, it was useless.
Pei Xingyan completely understood.
That’s just how it is with art—talent is far more important than hard work.
Sometimes, no matter how hard someone without talent tries, they just can’t reach their goal.
That’s a chasm that can’t be crossed.
Not only that, Lin Xiaoyu complained about every part of her life.
She complained that she couldn’t live on campus, that she barely had any friends she could actually talk to;
She complained that her parents had enrolled her in the philosophy department for the sake of appearances, but it was a trash major and she’d never heard anything useful in class;
She complained that she didn’t like piano at all, and now, just sitting at the piano made her want to cry…
But even though her words were full of discouragement, her mood was getting better and better.
Having someone who listened to her endless complaints and never showed a hint of annoyance became her emotional safety valve.
Every time she vented, she felt much better, and gradually even started to laugh.
Sometimes, she’d even say:
“Chatting with you like this… it’s kind of addictive~”
*****
“Feels like you’re getting addicted~” Tang Xin pouted, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
For some reason, hearing that girl speak in a slightly coquettish tone made Tang Xin feel a vague, inexplicable irritation.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Pei Xingyan raised an eyebrow in rebuttal. “After all, you took a 30,000 yuan deposit from her—if you don’t put in some effort, be careful or she’ll ask for her money back. Miss Tang Xin, you don’t want to find out how hard the benches in court are, do you?”
“Well, that’s true, but you can’t let your relationship get all lovey-dovey, right?” Tang Xin refused to back down.
“Why not? In desperate times, this is a life-saving remedy!”
“Huh? You really have that kind of intention? No, no, no, no!” Tang Xin slapped her palm five times in rapid succession, waving her hands with vigor in front of Pei Xingyan.
“Why are you so worked up? It’s not like I’m dating you.”
“But, but…” She was tongue-tied for a while, then finally blurted out, “I’ve already sold you to the next client…”
“Huh?”
Pei Xingyan nearly fell out of his chair and into the flowerbed—he felt like he’d just heard alien language, not a single word made sense.
“What do you mean you’ve sold me?” He frowned. “You know human trafficking is illegal, right?”
“I know, I know…” Tang Xin hugged her chest guiltily. “I mean, the next client is looking for emotional comfort—the romantic kind…”
“Organizing prostitution is five to ten years, you know.” Pei Xingyan clutched his phone, turning into a merciless criminal law machine.
“Listen, it’s not what you think…” Tang Xin explained in a small voice. “I just landed a new client these last couple of days—she’s super generous, but her request is a bit odd… She wants to find a boyfriend…”
“So you agreed for me?” Every muscle in Pei Xingyan’s face twitched.
“It’s not really agreeing, I just took the deposit… I was going to discuss it with you! She wants a boyfriend, so it’s not like my word alone is enough…” Tang Xin said. “But listen, this girl is really pretty and has a great personality—you won’t lose out—”
“No, no, no, if she’s so great, why does she need to find a boyfriend this way? Anyway, that’s not the point. Tell me, how did an emotional support project turn into a boyfriend rental?”
“It’s not boyfriend rental! She said she just wants to experience what having a boyfriend feels like,” Tang Xin got more and more uncertain as she spoke. “She said herself, she’s never met a man she liked her whole life, but she’s desperate to try dating, so now she’s been diagnosed as psychologically unhealthy… I thought, with you being so outstanding, handling her would be a breeze, so I agreed…”
“……”
“Alright, alright, if you don’t want to do it, I’ll just refund the deposit. We’re partners, I can’t force you…” Tang Xin made a pained decision, but was still hedging her bets.
But when she saw the look on Pei Xingyan’s face, she immediately dropped to her knees in apology, “I’m sorry! I was just blinded by the total fifty thousand yuan reward… I’m sorry…”
“How much?”
“F-fifty thousand…” Tang Xin pulled out her phone, and a transfer record for fifteen thousand was right there.
Holy crap!
Pei Xingyan couldn’t help but suck in a breath to calm himself—this was a fifty thousand yuan gig.
If he pulled it off, he’d get thirty-five thousand all to himself!
Add that to Lin Xiaoyu’s job, and that was forty-two thousand—he’d almost have a tenth of the money he needed in one go.
He couldn’t help but be tempted, the corners of his mouth curling downward.
“So that’s how it is, Tang Xin. You’re sure there’s nothing illegal like selling myself involved, right?” He rubbed his hands together, grinning lecherously.
People blinded by money always look a little sleazy.
“No way! Absolutely not!” Tang Xin shook her head furiously. “The deal is, you provide emotional value and help the girl out of her predicament.”
“That’s good… hehe…” Pei Xingyan grinned, everything he wanted to say written on his face.
Tang Xin was stunned for a moment, then caught on, returning an even more lecherous grin. The people passing by were so overwhelmed by their aura, they all gave them a wide berth.
They had reached an agreement.
What organized prostitution? It’s just a referral fee and a little matchmaker’s red envelope!