Everyone has four different faces: the crazy one in front of friends, the perfect one in the eyes of a lover, the vulnerable one when alone, and the quiet one in a crowd of strangers.

It sounds a bit pretentious.

But Lin Yuan’s demeanor when talking to his mom on the phone was indeed different from his usual silent and reserved self. He thought he was deliberately imitating the original owner, but upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely that, because those emotions came from his heart.

He hesitated for a moment.

Lin Yuan decided to contact his sister next month. He didn’t have the money to buy her a new phone this month, and communicating with family required courage. Lin Yuan had to mentally prepare himself before calling his mom, after all, he wasn’t the original owner.

What to do next?

Lin Yuan chose to treat his friends to a meal.

Xia Fan and Jian Yi, as his close friends, had always taken good care of Lin Yuan. Now that Lin Yuan had earned some money, he naturally wanted to treat them to a nice meal. He specifically booked a relatively upscale restaurant near the school, where the average cost per person was nearly two hundred yuan.

At noon, the three of them arrived at the restaurant.

Before entering, Jian Yi and Xia Fan tried hard to stop Lin Yuan, complaining that the place was too expensive and not wanting him to spend so much. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. Lin Yuan’s reason was that he now had a proper position at the company, with a monthly salary of ten thousand yuan.

“Ah.”

Jian Yi suddenly realized and then teased, “No wonder you disappeared every weekend last month. Turns out you were working at Starlight. Could it be that some high-level executive at the company is keeping you, giving a student such a high salary?”

“Lin Yuan is very capable.”

Xia Fan defended Lin Yuan. Even if he couldn’t sing, Lin Yuan had a keen insight into sound. However, she didn’t press further, only guessing that Lin Yuan worked in a department like a recording studio, which suited his abilities.

Lin Yuan smiled without saying anything.

At this moment, Jian Yi suddenly nudged Lin Yuan’s arm, looking at a girl who had just sat down: “Hey, isn’t that our school’s Piano Goddess, Gu Xi?”

Following Jian Yi’s gaze, Lin Yuan saw the girl Jian Yi was pointing at. It was the same girl who had previously criticized his “poor piano skills.”

“Interested?”

Xia Fan laughed, “She’s the youngest pianist to perform at the Golden Hall, hailed as a future piano master. The boys chasing her could line up from the school gate to this restaurant, and you’re not qualified.”

Jian Yi leisurely added, “The distance from the school gate to this restaurant is 3.45 kilometers.”

Xia Fan rolled her eyes, “Nitpicker.”

Jian Yi replied, “Weren’t you the one who belittled me first?”

“I’m going to get some ice cream.”

Lin Yuan stood up, temporarily leaving the battlefield.

Although this restaurant was quite expensive, the ice cream was self-serve and tasted pretty good. He had tried some earlier and liked the flavor.

At the ice cream counter.

Lin Yuan found that the ice cream in the freezer was almost gone.

He picked up a spoon and was about to scoop some when another spoon reached over from the opposite side, colliding with his.

Both of them looked up simultaneously.

Lin Yuan saw the other person’s face and remembered the name Jian Yi had mentioned earlier: “Gu Xi?”

“It’s you?”

Gu Xi also recognized Lin Yuan as the guy who had used her piano without permission last time. She raised an eyebrow and sarcastically said, “Not pretending anymore? Didn’t you say you didn’t know me last time?”

Lin Yuan ignored her and prepared to scoop the ice cream.

Gu Xi blocked his spoon, “I was here first.”

Lin Yuan replied, “But you didn’t scoop.”

Gu Xi got angry, “I was about to.”

Lin Yuan thought for a moment, “Then let’s split it.”

Gu Xi stared at Lin Yuan for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled slightly, “I’ll let you have it.”

“Thank you.”

Lin Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony and scooped all the ice cream.

Watching Lin Yuan scoop all the ice cream away, Gu Xi was dumbfounded.

When she said “I’ll let you have it,” it was meant as a strategic retreat.

Seeing a lady make the first concession, a normal response should be, “No need, you go first.”

But Lin Yuan didn’t play by the rules!

Back at the table, Jian Yi and Xia Fan were no longer bickering. They were both looking at Lin Yuan in surprise.

Lin Yuan asked, “What’s up?”

Jian Yi gave a thumbs up, “Deeply hidden!”

Xia Fan nodded in agreement, “Man, you’ve successfully caught her attention.”

“Indeed.”

Jian Yi whispered sneakily, “Since you came back from the ice cream counter, she’s looked at you several times.”

Lin Yuan ignored these two jokers.

…

Gu Xi returned to her seat, looking frustrated.

Her companion asked, “Where’s the ice cream?”

Gu Xi glanced at Lin Yuan and said, “It was taken by a man with no manners.”

Her companion looked over at Lin Yuan’s table, “The one in the white shirt? He’s quite handsome. Do you know him?”

Gu Xi squinted her eyes, a hint of hostility in them, “He betrayed me.”

Her companion almost spat out her drink in shock.

Gu Xi knew her companion misunderstood and added, “He used Xiao Li.”

Xiao Li was the name Gu Xi had given to her piano.

That piano was exclusively Gu Xi’s, yet Lin Yuan had used it, making Gu Xi feel a sense of betrayal.

Her companion chuckled, “What kind of wild words are you saying?”

“Forget it, let’s eat quickly. We have an interview this afternoon.”

Gu Xi pouted.

…

In the afternoon.

A group of reporters entered the campus. Today, they were here to interview a sophomore student—

Gu Xi.

Qinzhou had a rich musical atmosphere.

Over the years, many musical talents had emerged, and this girl named Gu Xi was one of the most dazzling among them!

Her most legendary experience was at the age of fifteen when she performed a piano piece called “Wish” at the Golden Hall, stunning the entire music circle!

Even Abigail, the composer of “Wish,” praised Gu Xi’s level.

A top piano master in Qinzhou publicly stated:

Gu Xi’s piano performance level was just a hair’s breadth away from being a master.

In Qinzhou.

There were multiple top music stages.

And the Golden Hall was one of the most prestigious stages in the hearts of countless musicians.

To perform on such a stage at fifteen was already legendary, and to receive so much recognition from industry leaders was even more remarkable!

So the title of “Piano Goddess” was not an exaggeration when placed on Gu Xi.

However, Gu Xi generally did not accept interviews. Today, the school persuaded her to do so to enhance the influence of Qinzhou Art Academy.

The interview location was not far from the piano room.

Because it was convenient to take photos of Gu Xi with her piano afterward.

“I heard you’ll be invited to the Golden Hall for the second time next year. What do you have to say about that?”

The reporter focused on this piano prodigy who was hard to interview.

“I’m very grateful for the recognition from the Golden Hall.”

Gu Xi answered according to the interview script.

The reporter asked again, “Last time you performed ‘Wish.’ What piece do you plan to perform next time?”

“I haven’t decided yet this year.”

This was true; Gu Xi indeed hadn’t decided.

The reporter smiled, “Many composers in the industry have publicly expressed their admiration for you. Have you considered inviting a piece from any of them?”

“There are many, but it’s not convenient to disclose.”

Master composers are notoriously difficult to please, and a compliment is already the limit.

Before becoming a piano master, no one would genuinely pay attention to her, even if she was the so-called “Piano Goddess.”

That’s the reality.

Even masters have to strive for the top composers!

Because there are far more masters skilled in performance than top composers.

This is determined by the industry’s ecosystem.

The creative talent of master composers is only fifty percent effort; the remaining fifty percent is enviable talent that makes people drool!

Piano masters are different.

Talent is important for piano masters, but continuous practice is necessary to maintain their touch.

In the industry.

If one doesn’t practice well before performing on a stage like the Golden Hall, even a master pianist with peak performance skills can have mishaps.

After all.

Those who attend concerts at the Golden Hall have very discerning ears, and even a slightly off note can be detected.

However, there are exceptions to everything.

There are those who can amaze the audience whenever they play the piano, but Gu Xi is still far from that level.

“Can you tell us which master’s works you’ve been listening to recently?”

The reporter pressed on.

Gu Xi was about to answer according to the script when she suddenly heard a somewhat familiar tune in her ear—

It was the one she heard last time!

That person was in the piano room again!

Overjoyed, Gu Xi didn’t care about the interview anymore. To everyone’s astonishment, she dashed towards the piano room, her face full of excitement:

“I finally caught you!”

The first time she heard this unfamiliar piece last month, Gu Xi’s ears were captivated.

She didn’t know if the performer was the original composer, so after returning home that day, Gu Xi searched all over Blue Star for new works by master composers, but found nothing similar—

She wasn’t surprised by this result.

Whenever Blue Star’s master composers released new works, Gu Xi would be the first to listen and learn.

There had never been a case where a new work was released, and Gu Xi hadn’t heard it.

So, after confirming that the piece she heard was an unreleased original, Gu Xi began her daily stakeout.

Because she was sure the person playing the piece was a master composer—

Yes.

Since that day, Gu Xi had been coming to the piano room every day, hoping to encounter the performer of that piece again.

But unfortunately, after many days of waiting, Gu Xi hadn’t found the person.

Who knew that today, that mysterious master composer would appear again!

At this moment, she had no time to waste with the reporters.

“Finished already? Why so fast?”

Before reaching the piano room, the unfamiliar piece had already ended. Gu Xi couldn’t help but panic, running with all her might, using every ounce of strength.

“Bang.”

She bumped into someone.

Lin Yuan rubbed his chest, which hurt from the collision, and looked at Gu Xi, a bit helpless. Was it necessary to retaliate over a bit of ice cream?

“Sorry, sorry…”

Gu Xi quickly apologized, but when she saw Lin Yuan’s face, she paused, her steps slightly faltering.

This guy again?

She gave Lin Yuan a fierce glare and said nothing, rushing towards the piano room. Compared to this guy, the master composer was the priority!

Lin Yuan frowned.

Fleeing the scene?

After encountering Gu Xi at noon, he thought of the piano, so on a whim, he came to the piano room this afternoon to play for a while. Unexpectedly, he encountered Gu Xi’s retaliation.

But considering the ice cream, he didn’t say anything and turned to leave.

Gu Xi, on the other hand, rushed to the piano room like the wind.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

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 master composer she was looking for. Even after asking around, she didn’t get any useful information. These people hadn’t realized that a master composer had been among them, though many were eager to approach her.

“Ah!”

She rubbed her head vigorously, her hair turning into a mess, feeling lost for a moment: “It’s all that guy’s fault for blocking the way!”

The master composer’s visits to the piano room were too infrequent!

She didn’t know how long it would take to encounter them again!

If it weren’t for that guy’s obstruction, she might have met the master composer!

At this moment, the school’s teachers and reporters also arrived, panting: “What’s wrong, Gu Xi? Why did you run so fast?”

Gu Xi immediately became vigilant.

The existence of the master composer wasn’t something these ordinary people could know about!

Ever heard of the saying, “The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first”?

This matter couldn’t be spread.

That was her master composer, hers!

No one else could take it away!

Suppressing her frustration, Gu Xi patiently said, “Sorry, I just remembered I left something in the piano room and came to get it.”

“Oh.”

The reporter patted his chest, “Can we see your piano? It’s said that you only use one piano for years…”

“You can take pictures, but don’t touch it.”

Gu Xi specifically reminded them.