“Troublesome?”
Li Xin repeated the two words coldly, a trace of sarcasm in her tone.
“I’m afraid the one who’s troublesome is you, Teacher Ling Yue. Don’t forget your role—you’re just a teacher. You have no right to interfere in my affairs.”
The air was thick with tension, sharp as drawn swords.
Mu Xi sat before the piano, uneasily watching the two.
She hadn’t expected such open hostility between Ling Yue and Li Xin.
“Alright, Li Xin.” Mu Xi spoke softly, attempting to ease the atmosphere.
“Why don’t you go make some tea? I’m a bit thirsty.”
At Mu Xi’s voice, the coldness in Li Xin’s eyes instantly melted away, replaced by a hint of gentleness.
She glanced at Mu Xi once, then bit her lip and turned toward the adjacent Tea Room.
“Mu Xi really is considerate.” Ling Yue watched Li Xin’s retreating figure, her words loaded with implication.
Mu Xi ignored Ling Yue’s sarcasm, her gaze settling on Ling Yue with a hint of inquiry.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Ling Yue was acting strangely today, seemingly trying to send Li Xin away with some unspoken purpose.
Taking advantage of Li Xin’s absence, Ling Yue stepped up to the piano and grabbed a pen and paper from the table.
She quickly scribbled a line, then quietly slid it over to Mu Xi.
Mu Xi picked up the note with curiosity.
When she read its contents, her pupils suddenly dilated, and her heart seemed gripped by an invisible hand, her breathing growing rapid.
The note read: [There is a recorder in the Practice Room, installed by Ye Lan. Be careful what you say.]
Mu Xi’s mind went blank in an instant, overwhelmed by shock, fear, and unease flooding in waves.
She had always thought the Practice Room was just a simple rehearsal space, but it turned out Ye Lan had installed a recorder there!
Everything she and Ling Yue had said in this room—had it all been monitored by Ye Lan?
She suddenly recalled the conversations she had with Ling Yue here before, and a cold sweat drenched her back.
Fortunately, fortunately, they hadn’t spoken any true secrets.
Otherwise… Mu Xi didn’t dare think further, her scalp tingling, her whole body chilled.
Just as she was trying to steady herself, Ling Yue wrote a second line and slid it over again.
[Do you want to come with me? Leave this place, leave Ye Lan’s control. Nod if you want to.]
Mu Xi stared at the note, her mind buzzing as if a thousand bees were flying wildly inside her head.
‘Leave? Go with Ling Yue?’
The thought struck her like lightning, instantly clearing her haze.
She abruptly lifted her head, staring at Ling Yue in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief and doubt.
Ling Yue had brought this up again—was she sincere?
Or… was this another of Ye Lan’s schemes?
Another test?
Mu Xi’s heart tightened once more.
She didn’t dare trust Ling Yue so easily, nor make a rash decision.
She feared this was another trap, feared she would once again be toyed with by Ye Lan.
She hesitated, reluctant to nod, her eyes complicated and conflicted, like a stormy sea before the tempest—waves surging, dark currents swirling.
Mu Xi needed time to think, time to judge.
She could no longer blindly trust anyone as before.
She had to make the most cautious choice for her future.
At that moment, Li Xin returned with the tea.
Ling Yue’s hands were quick and deft, hiding the note in her palm as if rehearsed countless times, without making a sound.
Li Xin didn’t notice Ling Yue’s subtle action.
Her full attention was on Mu Xi as she gently placed the cup on the table beside the piano.
Her tone was warm, “Miss Mu Xi, here’s some tea.”
Mu Xi fought to suppress the turmoil inside her as she took the cup.
Her fingertips trembled slightly; the steaming tea seemed to burn through the cup’s wall and scorch her skin.
She took a sip, the tea’s faint bitterness matching her mood at that moment.
Forcing herself to remain calm, she offered Ling Yue a strained smile, trying to hide the waves beneath.
After drinking, Mu Xi resumed her seat at the piano.
Her fingers touched the keys but were absent-minded; the notes scattered like broken pearls, lacking melody.
Her thoughts had already flown far away, completely consumed by the message on Ling Yue’s note.
‘Recorder. Ye Lan’s control. Leave…’ These words exploded like heavy bombs in her mind, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
Ling Yue stood quietly beside her, eyes calm as she watched Mu Xi, as if waiting for a response or simply admiring a beautiful painting.
The atmosphere in the Practice Room grew silent once more, broken only by the occasional discordant notes and the silent undercurrents flowing between them.
It wasn’t until night fell and the Manor’s lights gradually came on, outlining the Gothic Architecture’s silhouette, that Mu Xi snapped out of her trance.
She stood, reaching out to Li Xin with a slightly coquettish tone, “Li Xin, I’m tired. Can you carry me back to my room?”
The hardness in Li Xin’s eyes immediately melted away, replaced by tenderness.
She carefully lifted Mu Xi, her movements gentle as if cradling a fragile treasure.
Mu Xi leaned into Li Xin’s embrace, feeling the warmth radiating from her body, a strange feeling stirring in her heart.
Back in her room, Mu Xi lay on the soft large bed, gazing at the intricate patterns on the ceiling, her mind still swirling.
She turned her head toward Li Xin, who was preparing her nightclothes, and suddenly asked, “Li Xin, do you know the old me? I’ve lost my memory—I can’t remember anything.”
Li Xin paused in her movements, apparently unprepared for the sudden question.
She turned around, her expression complex as she looked at Mu Xi, and after a moment’s silence, she slowly shook her head.
“I don’t know you from before, Miss Mu Xi. I only met you after you arrived at the Manor.”
“I see…” Mu Xi’s voice was low, tinged with subtle sadness.
She pressed on, “Then do you think Ye Lan… the Mistress, knew me before?”
Li Xin hesitated, seeming to weigh her words carefully before deciding to be truthful.
“She should have known you. I’ve heard some of the elders in the Manor say that you and the Mistress… had some kind of grudge before, and your relationship wasn’t good.”
“A grudge? A bad relationship?”
Mu Xi muttered these words, fragments of hazy images flashing through her mind—broken and scattered like nightmares that refused to fade.
She remembered a dream she had once had: a woman with a twisted expression, covered in blood.
That face vaguely resembled Ye Lan.
Could it be that Ye Lan was truly her enemy?
That she had slaughtered Mu Xi’s family, then imprisoned Mu Xi here, treating her like a pet?
The very thought sent waves of fear and unease crashing over her.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and looked at Li Xin again, her eyes full of both probing and longing.
“Li Xin, can you help me get some medicine? The kind… that can restore memory.”