And Lanling finally met this beautiful tutor in person.
She was an extremely seductive woman whose face boasted the exquisite beauty of Eastern women as well as the allure of Western women, with purple hair and captivating green eyes.
She too was of mixed heritage, her demeanor appearing calm and restrained, yet her eyes were filled with the wildness and romance characteristic of Western women.
These two distinct temperaments were present in her at the same time, endowing her with an extraordinary seductiveness.
Her skin was as white as a Westerner's, with the softness of an Easterner's, creamy like milk.
She was tall, over one meter seventy, with a slender figure and an especially lithe waist.
If she were to be compared to a female celebrity on Earth, she somewhat resembled Sophie Marceau, perhaps even more glamorous.
Overall, she was a woman whose figure and appearance could make others of the same sex extremely jealous.
After the initial shock, Niya's heart felt anger, coldness, and a slight tremor brought on by memories.
That's right, she had had an affair with Suo Lun, but two years had passed since then, and his shadow in her heart had gradually faded; after all, he was a rather superficial man. It was difficult for a woman as intelligent as her to truly fall deeply in love.
"You've already ruined my past life, do you also want to ruin my current life?" Niya glared at Lanling, her voice full of hatred.
Then, she turned to the sturdy woman beside her and said, "Nanny, quickly throw him out."
Although the nannies had come to trust and be fond of Lanling, Niya was their darling and goddess. Upon hearing Niya's words, they didn't hesitate to approach and started to push Lanling out.
Lanling quickly said, "Tutor Niya, I just want to say one thing, just one thing."
Niya took a deep breath and said, "Fine, speak, only one sentence."
Lanling said, "Vice Dean Luo Ge expelled me, and without the ability to inherit my title, the Suo Family will lose everything. Please help me."
Lanling didn't resort to any clever tactics, and he just made the most direct plea.
Because he felt that the last thing Niya wanted to hear at that moment was praise or apology, for both would seem particularly superfluous and insincere.
Whether she wanted to help depended entirely on her feelings for Suo Lun. If her feelings were deep enough, then this one sentence could evoke her pity. If the feelings weren't sufficient, then any more words would be in vain.
But it seemed that he was about to be disappointed.
Because after Niya heard his plea, her expression and eyes showed no change as she coldly said, "Alright, you've said your one sentence, now leave."
Lanling was taken aback, then he bowed slightly in apology, his expression desolate as he turned to leave.
Niya was surprised; wasn't Suo Lun known for his thick skin and persistence? How could he give up so quickly, or was he just putting on an act?
By the time Lanling walked out of the Ciji Association, she finally couldn't restrain herself and said, "Wait a minute."
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them, cursing herself as weak and falling for his trick again.
Lanling turned around, looking at Niya with hope.
"You want me to help you, to get the dean to take back his decision?" Niya asked.
"Yes," Lanling replied.
Niya said, "I can help you, but you have to agree to one condition."
Lanling replied, "Okay."
Niya said, "Previously, you seduced me under the guise of learning the piano from me, even swearing that you would compose a piece just for me. Now I want to hear that piece. If it satisfies me, if it can move everyone here, I'll help you."
Niya said this as if she were already refusing Lanling. Although she had loved Suo Lun, after all, it was a thing of the past, from two years ago. Suo Lun might have been sweet-talking and good at winning women's hearts, but he was ultimately fluff. It was hard for a talented woman to truly love such a man deeply.
So at this moment, Niya's heart still fluttered for Suo Lun, but to speak of deep love would be an exaggeration. Not to mention, Suo Lun's performance during a critical moment two years ago had deeply disappointed her.
Two years earlier, when Suo Lun was studying music under Niya, his achievements were a total mess. His musical talent was quite ordinary, and he showed no enthusiasm, not even clear on the basic music theory.
As Niya possessed very high musical accomplishments, naturally her standards were also high and demanding; composing a piece that would satisfy her would be extremely difficult. Her setting of this condition was essentially an indirect refusal.
However, Lanling had been prepared for this, as Niya's greatest love was music. It was also music that could most profoundly touch her soul and rekindle her love.
Lanling majored in an arts program at university, specifically in screenwriting. He chose this major because it was less expensive. In fact, he was also very good at both painting and music.
His music education was personally guided by his elder sister Lancome. When his adoptive parents were still around, the family was quite well-off, and Lancome learned to play the piano from a young age. She was highly talented and achieved a great mastery of the piano.
Of course, due to a change in family circumstances, sister Lancome stopped her piano studies at the age of fourteen. But by that time, she had already reached a high level of proficiency and continued to self-study. At the age of seventeen, she supported herself and Lanling by teaching children to play the piano.
Before teaching other children, Lancome had to learn how to instruct, so she practiced on Lanling. That's how Lanling's musical abilities were honed.
In fact, Lanling initially had little interest in the piano, but to become closer to his sister, he persevered in learning and did well, in order to receive her praises. Some university professors had suggested that he pursue music at college, but he opted not to for the sake of saving money.
This world didn't have pianos yet, only rather primitive clavichords, and Count Tianshui's home contained a particularly high-grade one.
While in seclusion at the manor, whenever he recalled the happy times on Earth with his sister, Lanling would play a tune. Gradually, he grew accustomed to the differences between the clavichord and the piano, especially since the layout of this world's clavichords was nearly identical to a piano's.
And what he prepared for Niya was the masterful piece "Adelina by the Water," a romantic song that celebrated love, about a King who fell in love with a beautiful statue. He prayed to the heavens to breathe life into the statue, turning it into a real, beautiful woman who then lived happily ever after with the King.
And what Niya loved doing most at the Royal City Academy was to stand by the river, gazing silently at the water surface, as still as a statue.
"If it's not possible, then leave and never come to disturb me again," Niya said.
Meanwhile, the children looked expectantly at Lanling, hoping for his success. In their brief interaction, they already believed this eldest brother could do anything, for he could even tell such wonderful stories.
Lanling took a deep breath and sat down in front of a clavichord inside.
Even the cheapest clavichord in this world was very expensive, costing at least several dozens of Gold Coins—a sum the Ciji Association clearly couldn't afford. It was evidently provided by Tutor Niya.
Placing his hands on the keys, Lanling closed his eyes to calm himself, then opened them and said, "I'm starting now."
Instantly, the room fell silent. All the children, Niya, Jingyu, and the matrons of the Ciji Association widened their eyes and held their breath as they watched Lanling, waiting for the first note of his performance.
The clavichords in Earth's history were quite different from pianos, but the clavichords in this world had layouts not much different from pianos, and also only a single row of keys. Thus, Lanling didn't feel much discomfort when playing.
"Ding..."
With the sound of the first note, a beautiful melody flowed from Lanling's fingertips, like streaming water.
Jingyu and the matrons from the Ciji Association merely became a bit more earnest, but Niya's expression completely changed.
To laypeople, it was a spectacle, but to the knowledgeable, it was a mastery of skill. By the time the first string of notes had finished, she felt her heart violently skip a beat, followed by a slight tingling of goosebumps.
This dandy Suo Lun before her was without a doubt, an expert. His playing was already at a very high level.
And what touched her most was this piece of music. She had never heard it before but just a short segment in, and it was already rippling around her ears, stirring her heart with its incredible beauty.
As the performance deepened, Lanling's hands danced nimbly across the keys.
Niya had already completely closed her eyes, utterly lost in the music. The feeling was too wonderful, too delightful, as if the subsequent music was filled with both familiarity and infinite discovery.
What moved her most was the flavor of the music, a calmness filled with romance and even passionate emotions.
Wasn't Niya just like that? She appeared cool and reserved, yet her heart was filled with a longing for freedom and romance.
Listening further, Niya even felt as if her soul was being hooked away by the beautiful notes through her ears, floating with the music in the air, swaying gently, unable to touch down.
It was too beautiful, too wondrous, completely intoxicating.