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 they're alone, and the quiet one when among strangers.
That sounds a bit dramatic.
But Lin Yuan's demeanor while talking on the phone with his mother indeed was different from his usual reticence. He thought it was because he was intentionally imitating the original owner, but upon reflection, it was not solely that - because the emotions came from his heart.
He hesitated for a moment.
Lin Yuan decided to contact his sister next month. He didn't have enough money to buy his sister a new phone this month. Moreover, it took courage for him to communicate with his family - he isn't the real person they knew after all. He had to mentally prepare himself before he dared to talk to his mother.
What should he do next?
Lin Yuan decided to treat his friends to a meal.
As his two best friends, Xia Fan and Jian Yi always took good care of Lin Yuan. Now that he had earned some money, he naturally wanted to treat them to a nice meal. For this, Lin Yuan specifically reserved a rather upscale restaurant near the school, where the average cost per person was close to 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, thinking this place was too expensive. Unfortunately, their attempt to stop him failed. Lin Yuan's reasoning was that he now had a regular position at Starlight and was earning 10,000 yuan per month.
"Ah."
Jian Yi finally understood and then teased, "No wonder you disappeared as soon as it was the weekend last month. You were working at Starlight. Didn't a high-level executive offer to keep you? How can a student afford such a high salary?"
"Lin Yuan is very competent."
Xia Fan refuted Jian Yi. Regardless of his inability to sing, Lin Yuan had keen insight when it came to sound. However, she didn't probe further, simply guessing that Lin Yuan worked in a department like a recording studio, where his abilities would be well utilized.
Lin Yuan just smiled and didn't say anything.
Just then, Jian Yi suddenly nudged Lin Yuan's arm and pointed at a girl who had just taken her seat, "Hey, isn't that our school's Piano Goddess, Gu Xi?"
Lin Yuan followed Jian Yi's gaze and found that the girl was indeed the one who had criticized his "poor piano skills".
"Interested?"
Xia Fan teased, "She is the youngest pianist ever to perform in the Golden Hall and has been touted by industry insiders as a future piano master. The line of boys chasing her can extend from the school gate to this restaurant. You're not in her league."
Jian Yi relaxed, "The distance from the school gate to this restaurant is 3.45 km."
Xia Fan rolled her eyes, "Pedant."
Jian Yi said, "Weren't you the first to belittle me?"
"I'm going to get some ice cream."
Lin Yuan stood up, temporarily withdrawing from the battlefield.
Although this place was rather expensive, the ice cream was self-serve and quite tasty. He'd tasted a bit earlier and liked the flavor.
Arriving at the ice cream cabinet,
Lin Yuan discovered that the ice cream was almost finished.
Just as he was about to scoop some ice cream with his spoon, another spoon from across him reached in, bumping into his.
The two of them turned their heads up simultaneously.
Lin Yuan saw her face, recalling the name Jian Yi had mentioned just now, "Gu Xi?"
"It's you?"
Gu Xi also recognized Lin Yuan as the one who had used her piano without her permission. She raised her eyebrows and sarcastically said, "You're not pretending anymore? Weren't you saying you didn't know me the last time?"
Lin Yuan ignored her and went on to scoop some ice cream.
Gu Xi blocked his spoon, "I was here first."
Lin Yuan said, "But you didn't scoop."
Gu Xi got angry, "I was about to."
Lin Yuan thought for a moment, "Half for each of us then."
Gu Xi looked at Lin Yuan for a few seconds, then softly chuckled, "I'll let you have it."
"Thank you."
Without any hesitation, Lin Yuan scooped out all the remaining ice cream.
Watching Lin Yuan take away all the ice cream, Gu Xi was nonplussed.
When she said, "I'll let you have it", it was a strategy of retreating in order to gain an advantage.
A normal person's response should be, "No, you first."
But Lin Yuan didn't play by the rules!
Returning to his table, Jian Yi and Xia Fan had stopped squabbling, both looking at Lin Yuan in surprise.
Lin Yuan asked, "What's up?"
Jian Yi gave him a thumbs up, "Hidden depths!"
Xia Fan also chimed in, "Man, you've successfully grabbed her attention."
"Yes,"
Jian Yi smirked, "Since you came back from the ice cream, she's looked at you several times."
Lin Yuan ignored the two of them.
...
Gu Xi returned to her seat with a disconcerted look on her face.
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 in Lin Yuan's direction, "The one in white? He's pretty handsome. Do you know him?"
Gu Xi squinted her eyes, a hint of murderous intent in their depths. "He cheated me."
Her companion nearly choked on her drink in surprise.
Aware of the misunderstanding, Gu Xi added, "He used Xiao Li."
Xiao Li, the name Gu Xi had given her piano.
It was a piano that belonged solely to Gu Xi, but it had been used by Lin Yuan. Gu Xi indeed felt enraged, as if she had been cheated on.
Her companion laughed, "What kind of dramatic words are these?"
"Forget it, let's eat. We have an interview this afternoon."
Gu Xi scoffed.
...
In the afternoon,
A group of journalists entered the campus. The person they were interviewing today was a sophomore student - Gu Xi.
The atmosphere in Qin Continent was steeped in music.
Over the years, numerous musical geniuses had emerged, and among them, a girl called Gu Xi was one of the brightest!