Chapter 20: He 'Greened' Me

Everyone has four different faces:

The crazy face in front of friends, the perfect face in the eyes of lovers, the fragile face when alone, and the quiet face in a crowd of strangers.

It may sound a bit poetic, but the conversation between Lin Yuan and his mother was indeed different from his usual taciturn self. He thought he was imitating the original owner, but upon reflection, it was genuine, as these emotions came from the heart.

He hesitated.

After contemplating it, Lin Yuan decided to contact his sister next month. He had already run out of money to buy her a new phone this month, and communicating with family required courage. Lin Yuan had prepared himself mentally before calling his mother, as he wasn't the true original owner.

What should I do next?

Lin Yuan decided to treat his two close friends, Xia Fan and Jian Yi, to a meal. They had taken good care of him, and since he had earned some money, he wanted to treat them to a nice meal. He chose a relatively upscale restaurant near the school, where the average cost per person was around 200 yuan.

At noon, the three of them arrived at the restaurant. Before entering, Jian Yi and Xia Fan desperately tried to stop Lin Yuan, feeling that the place was too expensive, but they couldn't dissuade him. Lin Yuan's reasoning was that he already had a proper job at the company with a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan.

"Oh."

Jian Yi finally realized, "No wonder you disappeared on weekends last month. You were working at Starlight Entertainment. Did some high-ranking person at the company sponsor you? They're paying such a high price for a student."

"Lin Yuan is very talented," Xia Fan retorted. Even though he couldn't sing well, Lin Yuan had a keen ear for music. However, she didn't press for details and only guessed that Lin Yuan was working in a department where his abilities were a good fit.

Lin Yuan smiled but didn't say anything.

Just then, Jian Yi suddenly nudged Lin Yuan's arm and looked at a girl who had just taken a seat. "Hey, isn't that our school's piano goddess, Gu Xi?"

Lin Yuan followed Jian Yi's gaze and saw the girl she was referring to, the same girl who had criticized his piano skills.

"Interested?" Xia Fan asked. "She's the youngest pianist to perform in the Golden Hall, and she's considered a super genius in the industry. You have to qualify to even think about pursuing her. Boys trying to court her would line up from the school gate to this restaurant, and you're not even close."

Jian Yi calmly said, "The distance from the school gate to this restaurant is 3.45 kilometers."

Xia Fan rolled her eyes. "Smart aleck."

Jian Yi replied, "Weren't you the one who first belittled me?"

"I'm going to get some ice cream."

Lin Yuan stood up, taking a temporary break from their bantering.

Although this restaurant was a bit expensive, the ice cream was self-serve and quite tasty. Lin Yuan had already tried some before and liked the flavor.

He walked over to the ice cream counter.

Lin Yuan noticed that the ice cream in the freezer was running low. He picked up a spoon, ready to scoop, but the person opposite him also reached for a spoon, and their spoons collided.

They both looked up simultaneously.

Lin Yuan saw the other person's face and remembered that Jian Yi had mentioned her name earlier: "Gu Xi?"

"It's you?" Gu Xi recognized Lin Yuan as the guy who had used her piano without permission. She raised an eyebrow and teased, "Aren't you pretending not to know me? Didn't you say you didn't recognize me last time?"

Lin Yuan ignored her and prepared to scoop ice cream.

Gu Xi blocked his spoon. "I was about to scoop."

Lin Yuan said, "But you haven't scooped yet."

Gu Xi became irritated. "I was ready to scoop."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuan said, "Let's split it."

Gu Xi stared at Lin Yuan for several seconds, then suddenly smiled and said, "You can have it."

"Thanks."

Lin Yuan didn't hesitate and scooped all the ice cream.

Gu Xi watched in astonishment as Lin Yuan scooped all the ice cream. She was left bewildered.

When she said, "You can have it," it was just a strategy of retreating in order to advance. In a normal situation, the response should have been, "No, you go ahead." But Lin Yuan didn't play by the rules!

Back at their table, Jian Yi and Xia Fan had stopped their banter. They were both looking at Lin Yuan in amazement.

Lin Yuan asked, "What's wrong?"

Jian Yi gave him a thumbs up. "Well played!"

Xia Fan nodded in agreement. "You've successfully caught her attention."

"That's right."

Jian Yi said mischievously, "Since you came back from getting ice cream, she's been looking at you several times."

Lin Yuan paid no attention to these two.

...

Gu Xi returned to her seat with a frustrated expression.

Her companion asked, "Where's the ice cream?"

Gu Xi looked at Lin Yuan and said, "It was taken by a man with no manners."

Her companion looked over to where Lin Yuan was sitting and remarked, "The one in white? He's quite handsome. Do you know him?"

Gu Xi narrowed her eyes, a hint of resentment in her gaze. "He 'greened' me."

Her companion was almost about to spit out their drink in shock.

Gu Xi knew her companion had misunderstood, so she added, "He used Little Li."

It was a piano that belonged exclusively to Gu Xi, yet it had been used by Lin Yuan, which indeed gave Gu Xi the anger of being green.

His companion was dumbfounded, "What kind of tiger and wolf words are you using?"

"Never mind, let's eat quickly. We have an interview in the afternoon."

Gu Xi pursed her lips.

In the afternoon, a group of journalists entered the campus. They were here to interview a sophomore student at the school—

Gu Xi.

Qin Prefecture had a rich musical atmosphere. Over the years, many musical prodigies had emerged, and this girl named Gu Xi was one of the most outstanding!

Her most legendary experience was when she was fifteen, performing the piano piece "Wish" in the Golden Hall, shocking the entire music industry!

Even the composer of "Wish," Abigail, praised Gu Xi's level, and a top piano master in Qin Prefecture publicly stated:

"Gu Xi's piano performance is just a hair's breadth away from being a master."

In Qin Prefecture, there was more than one top music stage, and the Golden Hall was considered one of the most prestigious.

To step onto such a level at the age of fifteen was already legendary. To receive recognition from many industry giants was even more exceptional!

So the title "Piano Goddess" was not undeserved for Gu Xi.

However, Gu Xi generally avoided interviews. Today, the school convinced her to accept this interview with reporters in order to boost the influence of Qin Prefecture Art Academy.

The interview took place not far from the piano room, which would make it convenient to take pictures of Gu Xi with her own piano.

"I heard that you will be invited to the Golden Hall for the second time next year. Do you have anything to say about that?"

The journalist fixed their gaze on the elusive piano prodigy.

"I am very grateful for the recognition from the Golden Hall."

Gu Xi answered following the interview script.

The journalist continued, "Last time, you performed 'Wish.' Do you have any plans for the next performance?"

"I haven't decided for this year."

This statement was true; Gu Xi had not yet made up her mind.

The journalist smiled and asked, "Many composers in the industry have openly expressed their admiration for you. Have you considered collaborating with any of them?"

"I have considered many, but I can't reveal them right now."

Music daddies were demanding individuals, and their praises were often limited. Getting one compliment was already a challenge, even if you were the so-called "Piano Goddess."

This was the harsh reality.

To receive praise from a Music Dad, even accomplished piano experts must work hard and compete for it.

This was shaped by the music industry's environment.

The creative talents of music daddies are only 50% hard work, and the remaining 50% are all talents that make people envious and can only drool!

Piano masters, on the other hand, had to put in endless hours of practice to maintain their skill.

In the industry...

For a stage like the Golden Hall, not practicing to maintain one's touch could lead to disaster, even for piano masters with peak-level playing skills. After all, those who perform in the Golden Hall have extremely discerning ears, and even the slightest mistake can be detected.

However, there are no absolutes in everything.

There are pianists who can amaze everyone with their skills anytime they touch a piano. But Gu Xi was still far from reaching that level.

The journalist continued, "Can you tell us which master's works you've been listening to the most recently?"

Gu Xi was about to answer by the book, but suddenly, she heard a somewhat familiar tune in her ear—the same one she had heard last time!

The person was in the piano room again!

In her excitement, Gu Xi couldn't care less about the interview. To everyone's astonishment, she dashed towards the piano room, her face full of excitement.

"I've finally found you!"

Since she first heard this unfamiliar piece last month, Gu Xi's ears have been captivated by it. She wasn't sure if the piece was an original composition or not. So after returning home that day, Gu Xi scoured the internet for works by various Music Daddies on Blue Star, but she couldn't find anything similar.

Gu Xi wasn't surprised by this result.

She always listened to and learned from the latest works of Music Daddies. Never before had she come across a piece that she hadn't heard.

So, once she confirmed that the piece she had heard was an unreleased original, Gu Xi started her daily vigil. She was convinced that the person playing the piece that day must be a Music Dad at the top of his game.

Indeed, after that day, Gu Xi came to the piano room every day, hoping to hear the piece again. Unfortunately, she hadn't encountered the pianist in all those days.

Who knew that today, the mysterious Music Dad would appear again!

At this point, she had no time for the interview.

"Is it over already?"

The unfamiliar piece had finished playing even before Gu Xi reached the piano room. She was anxious and ran toward it, putting in all her effort.

"Bang!"

She bumped into someone.

Lin Yuan rubbed his chest, which was sore from the impact, and looked at Gu Xi with a somewhat helpless expression. It was just some ice cream, did she have to retaliate like this?

"Sorry, sorry..."

Gu Xi quickly apologized, but when she saw Lin Yuan's face, she paused for a moment. It's this guy again?

She glared at Lin Yuan fiercely, but then she didn't say anything and continued running towards the piano room. That Music Dad was far more important to her than dealing with this guy!

Lin Yuan furrowed his brow. Is she trying to avoid me?

When he met Gu Xi at noon, it reminded him of the piano, so he had a sudden urge to visit the piano room this afternoon. He didn't expect to encounter Gu Xi's retaliation because of the ice cream.

However, he didn't say anything about it, and he turned and left.

Gu Xi, on the other hand, sprinted into the piano room.

She opened the doors of the piano rooms one by one.

But there were too many people in the piano room, and she couldn't find the Music Dad she was looking for. Even if she asked one by one, she didn't get any useful information. This group of people had no idea that a Music Dad had appeared among them, but many were eager to approach and strike up a conversation with her.

"Ah!"

Gu Xi rubbed her head vigorously, causing her hair to become a mess. She was in a daze for a moment, feeling lost. "It's all that guy's fault for blocking the way!"

The Music Dad's visits to the piano room were too infrequent!

How long would she have to keep waiting?

If it weren't for that guy getting in the way, she might have already met the Music Dad!

At this moment, the school's teachers and journalists also caught up, panting. "What's going on, Gu Xi? Why are you running so fast?"

Gu Xi suddenly became cautious.

Is the existence of a Music Dad something you mortals can know about?

Have you ever heard of the saying "near the water's edge, you get the moon first"?

This is something that can't be shared.

That's my Music Dad, mine!

Don't even think about snatching him away from me!

Gu Xi suppressed her frustration and patiently said, "I'm sorry, I just remembered that I left something in the piano room and came to retrieve it."

"Oh."

A journalist patted his chest. "Can we see your piano? It's said that you only use one piano year-round..."

"You can take photos, but don't touch it,"

Gu Xi gave a special warning.