Backstage, the host who had just finished energizing the crowd stepped down from the stage, breathing heavily, while chatting with a boy approaching him.
“Have you found a substitute pianist yet?”
“Found one. They’re already on stage. But Chen-ge, wasn’t the original pianist supposed to be Yang Moli from Class 7, Grade 10? Why was there a sudden change?”
“Yang Moli got hospitalized. I heard she went drinking with a few close girlfriends last night, and then this morning, she was hit by a female driver. She’s still in the hospital now. We can only rely on this substitute you found to save the show. Just hope this solo performance ends quickly.”
“Damn it! The school’s leadership are a bunch of useless fools! Always so pretentious! Why piano of all things!”
The host cursed under his breath.
But when he heard the words “solo performance,” the boy’s expression suddenly shifted slightly.
“Hm? Why do you look so weird?” The host suddenly noticed the boy’s strange expression and couldn’t help but ask.
“Well… Chen-ge,” the boy hesitated, “I actually sent up a duo.”
“What?!!”
……
At that moment, on the vast stage, Ji Yueni frowned tightly when she saw only a single chair placed next to the grand piano.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a duet? Why just one chair?
She was about to signal the backstage crew to quickly bring another chair.
But suddenly, Jiang Chi bent down and swiftly, unexpectedly, picked the girl Ji Yueni up in his arms.
Ji Yueni hadn’t anticipated this at all and let out a short, startled gasp, her fair hands instinctively clutching Jiang Chi’s neck tightly, as if afraid of falling.
The audience below was momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, but then erupted like a tide with enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause.
The girl in the emerald costume’s face instantly flushed bright red. She glared at Jiang Chi with mock scolding, but under the watchful eyes of thousands, she couldn’t lose her temper and could only quietly chide him.
“What are you doing! This is a live broadcast! There are at least ten thousand people watching!!”
“Got it,” Jiang Chi replied calmly and confidently. He walked to the chair and sat down heavily, letting her settle steadily on his lap.
“Now, do I fit your image of a domineering, strong boyfriend?”
Damn it!
I wanted you to be strong and domineering, not make me lose face in front of tens of thousands!
But under so many watchful eyes, she couldn’t lash out. Otherwise, Ji Yueni might have just slapped Jiang Chi hard.
“Don’t move, Qingchan~” the boy whispered softly near her ear.
Ji Yueni’s body stiffened instantly.
Because she was hastily pulled up as a substitute, there was no time to change out of her emerald-green ancient costume.
That also meant… that warm breath gently blowing on the tender skin of her neck brought an irritating tingling sensation. But all of that was nothing compared to the strange burning sensation under her hips.
She could very clearly feel something pressing tightly against her little bottom—and it was slowly growing harder…
Does Jiang Chi have that much capital?
The future girlfriend might end up as a cream puff~~
Hiss!
This guy is terrifying!!
Countless complaints bubbled up from Ji Yueni’s mind, along with numerous inappropriate images.
She bit her lip hard and whispered fiercely, “Jiang Chi, I don’t care what you want to do, but there are tens of thousands of people watching. If you embarrass me in front of all of them, I swear I’ll stab you afterwards!”
“I’m still underage!”
Those words sounded like they were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
However, the boy paid no attention to the “death threat” from the girl in his arms. His hands naturally rested on the black and white keys of the piano as he glanced down at the blushing girl he was “bullying.” A very unusual thought appeared in his mind.
Am I a bad man right now?
Before he could dwell too long on the thought, his attention was drawn to the boy backstage wildly signaling the “Solo Performance” sign.
Jiang Chi glanced indifferently, then gently pressed his hand over the girl’s small hand poised to begin playing, and concentrated all his attention on the piano before him.
The boy’s grumbling words still echoed in his ears:
“Just play a few random tunes. ‘Two Tigers’ is fine. It’s all to fool the school leaders—they don’t understand a damn thing about art!!”
Just a few random tunes?
Jiang Chi thought for a moment and searched his clear memories for the only fully played piece he knew.
With that in mind, the boy sat upright at the piano. His legs looked especially long as he held the girl, body leaning slightly forward. His fingers slowly descended on the keys, his movements smooth and graceful.
Then, a low, melancholic, and graceful melody flowed gently from his fingertips.
What?!
Ji Yueni’s black sapphire-like eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Jiang Chi.
Damn, you really treat him like family!
You even taught him your signature piece!!
But as she listened carefully, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
The tune was so lingering and sorrowful, like an invisible noose tightening around the throat—suffocating, saddening, painful.
Yet, to Ji Yueni’s inner feelings, the piece seemed to lack something. It was like an empty shell, devoid of any spirit.
Only the form, but not the soul?
As expected, it still needs me, Ji Yueni!
With a mix of annoyance and pride, the girl cast a sharp glance at the blue-eyed boy and lightly pressed her slender, fair fingers on the piano’s black and white keys.
She tried hard to recall the hazy childhood memories, where a beautiful woman called “Mother” sat beside the piano, teaching her hand in hand. Those vague but lively notes seemed to leap out from memory.
In an instant, the piece seemed to come alive, as if the hollow shell had been infused with a soul, becoming more tender, poignant, and intoxicating. She even took control of the performance.
At this moment, even Jiang Chi couldn’t help but look at the “Ji Qingchan” in his arms, a flicker of surprise shining in his eyes.
But two others were even more surprised than he was.
Let’s roll back the clock a few minutes to a spacious living room in an apartment building stacked with boxes.
A beautiful woman lazily leaned sideways on the sofa, her rose-red lips moving softly as if whispering secret and intimate words between lovers… but in reality, she was happily munching on a skewer of grilled octopus.
At the other end of the sofa, a man held a cold beer in one hand and grilled beef in the other, his eyes fixed on the live broadcast playing on the TV, his expression full of excitement and enthusiasm.
“Mom, look! That kid from the Jiang family and his girlfriend are on stage!”
“Holy shit! Isn’t Jiang Chi that aloof school heartthrob? Why is he so proactive!!”
“Mom, look! That Jiang kid is playing your signature piece!!”
Ji Haotong was so excited he almost jumped off the sofa. Gulping his drink, he shouted with exhilaration at the beautiful woman beside him.
It had to be admitted that even though the man was almost thirty, once his enthusiasm was fired up, he really maintained the youthful passion and impulsiveness until death.
Huang Qingchuan glanced up lazily when she heard her son but quickly lowered her gaze again. Then, stretching out languidly, she bit the tentacle of her grilled octopus with her delicate lips, mumbling indistinctly, “Tongtong, stop being so jumpy. You’re almost thirty. Learn from your father—stay calm no matter what, like a mountain collapsing in front of you without a flinch… W-what the hell!!!”
The woman suddenly sat upright, eyes wide open, staring at the big screen in disbelief.
On the screen, the ancient-dressed girl in the boy’s arms suddenly took over the piano’s lead, beginning to guide the rhythm.
Her playing wasn’t particularly outstanding, and she even hit a few obvious wrong notes.
Yet, the unique spirit she expressed during the performance couldn’t be concealed—she breathed fresh life into the boy’s hollow tune.
“How could she know this?!” Huang Qingchuan stared at the screen as if seeing a ghost.
Ji Haotong was startled by this sudden turn and nearly thought his mother had lost her mind.
He looked toward the girl in the boy’s arms on the screen, furrowing his brow slightly.
“Mom, this piece has been around for almost twenty years. Before you retired, you even published the sheet music. Isn’t it normal for people to play it?”
“But it shouldn’t be like this,” Huang Qingchuan was almost tearing her hair out.
“I know many people have tried to recreate my classic over the years, and many cover versions have become popular! But none of them have this kind of spirit!”
“That suffocating spirit is the soul of my piece, ‘Suffocate’!”
“They don’t have it, but the girl in Jiang Chi’s arms does. Do you know what that means?”
Huang Qingchuan asked excitedly.
Ji Haotong was confused and shook his head.
“Let me give you an example,” Huang Qingchuan bit her lip. “Fantasy novels always say, ‘False transmission through ten thousand scrolls, true transmission in a single phrase.’ In this world, I only personally taught two people hand in hand, which means only these two have the true transmission.”
“Those two people are you, and the other is Yueyue!”