Ye Nan's vision began to blur. The world dissolved into darkness, leaving only Su Wanwan aglow at its center. The once-overlooked village girl, whom he had never held in high regard, now shone with resplendent brilliance—flawless and radiant. Her aura of confidence was magnetic, impossible to ignore.
When he had first set his sights on Su Wanwan, it had been her stunning face that drew him in. But her indifference, her plain attire, her deliberate distance—none of it appealed to him. Over time, her shortcomings began to outnumber her charms. Then Su Nian approached him first, and in a moment of weakness, he yielded. Men, after all, are creatures of flesh. To gaze and never touch—impossible. Ye Nan was certain no man could endure such a test. That he lasted a year was, in his eyes, already remarkable.
But now…
His heartbeat thundered in his chest, every sense pulled helplessly in Su Wanwan's direction. With eyes half-closed, she played in perfect harmony with Fu Liangmu, her fingers dancing over the keys without once needing to glance down. In the sacred temple of music, they performed piece after piece, without pause or breath. And yet, not a single person in the two-thousand-seat auditorium stirred. Even more enraptured than they had been by Luen's performance, the audience was utterly spellbound.
Jealousy nearly spilled from Su Nian's eyes. She trembled violently in her seat, nails digging into the armrests until one cracked with a snap. Her pupils reddened, veins surged across her eyes, and the muscles in her neck strained beneath pale, ghostly skin lit by the faint glow of the stage.
"Brother Nan… I… I suddenly don't feel well. Why don't we leave?" she ventured, clinging to a desperate hope.
But Ye Nan sat frozen, eyes glazed, nearly drooling.
"Brother Nan?" Su Nian's heart plunged into an abyss.
She knew she wasn't as beautiful as Su Wanwan. But she had always believed she lived better, had greater skills—and that gave her confidence. And now, Su Wanwan had chosen this very method to humiliate her. To declare, That piano you take pride in? I can play it too—and I can play it better.
Su Nian could already foresee it—Ye Nan would rekindle his feelings for Su Wanwan.
"Brother Nan? Brother Nan!" she called again, panic rising in her voice, on the verge of tears.
Finally, someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore. Being pulled from the trance of the music was agonizing.
"Miss, if you don't want to listen, then please leave. But could you stop disturbing the rest of us?"
Tears welled in Su Nian's eyes. She looked to the speaker, hoping to stir a protective instinct. But the man didn't even glance her way. With a woman a hundred times more beautiful and infinitely more talented right in front of him, only a blind fool would waste pity on Su Nian.
She stopped calling. Instead, she tugged at Ye Nan's sleeve.
He snapped impatiently, "If you're unwell, go see a doctor. I'm not one—I can't treat you."
Su Nian's tears fell in a torrent. She bit her lip in helpless humiliation. Neither leaving nor staying seemed bearable.
Xia Kelan, quietly observing from afar, curved her lips into a smug smile.
Tsk. With those pitiful skills of hers, Su Nian still dares compare herself to Wanwan? Utterly foolish.
At last, the final note of the performance faded. Su Wanwan and Fu Liangmu rose and walked to center stage, bowing with effortless grace.
Applause thundered from below.
Fu Liangmu leaned slightly toward her. "Shall we?"
"Mhm," Su Wanwan replied, extending her hand—intending for him to escort her.
To her surprise, he strode ahead, his pace even faster than hers. She bit her lip in silence.
Forget it. I'll walk myself.
She remembered the stage floor had felt slightly slick on her way up, and wearing high heels only made it worse. Her steps wavered—and just as she thought it might be nothing—
Her foot slipped.
Her body pitched forward, completely out of control.
Just ahead, Fu Liangmu's tall figure moved away.
The crowd gasped, rising from their seats as the vision of Su Wanwan hurtling toward the floor played out before them.
She shut her eyes tightly.
But Fu Liangmu, as if sensing it, turned in a heartbeat, stepped forward, and caught her with arms outstretched.
Bang.
Su Wanwan's forehead slammed into his chest. Stars exploded behind her eyes.
A familiar scent tickled her nose—cool and clear like mountain spring water, laced with a chill that nevertheless seeped into her heart.
Above her, his voice came low and husky, deliberately restrained. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
The audience erupted in excitement.
Su Wanwan's lashes fluttered in panic. Whether it was his embrace or that familiar scent, her heart pounded so hard her ears rang with the sound of her own pulse.
Fu Liangmu, mistaking her shock, gently rubbed the back of her head.
Startled by the intimacy, she was just about to protest when—
He bent down and swept her into his arms in a princess carry.
"The floor's slippery. Let me carry you back before you fall again."
Her cheeks burned crimson. She opened her mouth, but no words came. Her breath, though, came hot and fast.
Only when their figures finally disappeared backstage did the audience reluctantly tear their eyes away, chattering excitedly about what had just transpired.
Backstage, Luen rushed forward, shoving Fu Liangmu aside.
"Go on, get away from my precious student!" he barked, eyeing Fu Liangmu with suspicion.
What is this man up to now? He claimed he was married, had no interest in Wanwan—and now he's done nothing but contradict himself since the moment she arrived.
Could it be… he's simply lusting after her beauty?
"If we're going by seniority," Fu Liangmu said calmly, his eyes deep and unreadable, fixed on Su Wanwan, "I am her senior."
Su Wanwan avoided his gaze, her own eyes flickering uncertainly.
"Old man, come on, F was just helping me," she muttered.
Luen clicked his tongue, then bent over, grumbling like a disappointed father. "You silly girl. Don't let that man fool you!"
"You don't even know—he's a married man!"
"He may be handsome, but don't you dare fall for him!"
Su Wanwan let out a long oh, as if a great weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.
"Old man, you really don't have to worry."
Luen huffed, beard bristling. "And why not?"
"Because I don't trust you!" he snapped.
Su Wanwan met his eyes with a calm expression.
"No need to worry," she said quietly.
"Because I'm married too."