At six o'clock, Lin Yang arrived at Nanyuan right on time.
This was the most expensive villa area in Jiangcheng.
Anyone living here was either extremely wealthy or part of the elite.
The student Lin Yang taught piano to lived right here.
As it happened, Ruan Mi was the one who had introduced this job to Lin Yang.
There was a piano at the club. One day, after finishing his sparring shift, bruised, exhausted, and feeling intensely irritated, Lin Yang sat down and played a piece.
Ruan Mi happened to overhear it and was utterly mesmerized. Just then, a friend of hers was looking for a piano teacher for her daughter, so Ruan Mi recommended Lin Yang.
Standing at the entrance of Villa Number 8, Lin Yang straightened his clothes and pressed the doorbell.
Soon, the heavy gates slowly swung open, and Lin Yang strode inside.
Covering over two thousand square meters, the estate was built on a scale that defied the word "luxurious."
It was a dazzling display of wealth that could easily make one's head spin.
Aside from pavilions, gazebos, and landscaped gardens, there was even a swimming pool.
Every time he came to this villa, Lin Yang would feel a pang of envy so sharp it made him want to cry.
This was what life was supposed to be like.
Yet he struggled just to stay alive.
He made his way smoothly into the villa.
Seated in front of a million-yuan piano in the living room was a young girl of about seventeen or eighteen.
With her fair complexion, upturned delicate nose, and pale pink lips, she was breathtakingly beautiful!
She radiated a youthful, vibrant energy, looking as tender and fresh as a newly blossomed little white flower.
When she saw Lin Yang, the girl flashed a sweet smile.
"Good afternoon, Teacher Lin!"
"Good afternoon, Qianqian," Lin Yang replied with a smile.
The girl's full name was Bai Zhiqian. She was in her final year of high school, excelled in her studies, and only learned the piano to add a bit of joy to her monotonous academic life.
Although she had only started learning last year, she was blessed with natural talent.
She had picked up the basics very quickly and was already at a Grade 2 level.
To be frank, if her only goal was to bring some variety to her dry studies, she no longer needed a teacher.
She could easily have continued practicing on her own, but Bai Zhiqian insisted that Lin Yang keep teaching her.
Lin Yang was more than happy to oblige—after all, each lesson paid two thousand yuan.
He hadn't set the price himself. It was offered by Bai Zhiqian's mother after Lin Yang brought out his Grade 10 certificate and played a piece right in front of her.
Lin Yang was thoroughly satisfied with the rate.
The only regret was that he could only teach twice a week, for just one hour at a time.
"How is the piece from last lesson coming along?" Lin Yang asked with a smile.
Bai Zhiqian stuck out her pink tongue and said mischievously, "Not very familiar with it yet!"
"No worries, play it for me once so I can see where you're struggling."
"Okay!" Bai Zhiqian replied with a gentle smile.
With that, her slender fingers rested upon the black-and-white keys.
Say what you will, Bai Zhiqian's hands were truly made for the piano.
Slender, long, and exceptionally pretty.
Accompanied by the dance of her fingers, captivating music instantly filled the entire living room.
After listening for just a moment, Lin Yang realized that Bai Zhiqian had been far too modest.
She was hardly unfamiliar with the piece; she was playing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" with remarkable fluency.
The piano was not an instrument for showing off technical tricks; Lin Yang had always believed it was a medium for expressing emotion.
In this regard, Bai Zhiqian did exceptionally well.
Pleasing, melodious notes poured forth in a continuous stream as her fingers danced across the keys.
Lin Yang could hear clearly that Bai Zhiqian was in high spirits today.
As the piece came to an end, Bai Zhiqian looked up at Lin Yang with arched, smiling eyes.
"Teacher Lin, there are still some parts I'm not quite sure about. Could you play it for me once, please?"
"Alright!"
Of course Lin Yang wouldn't refuse Bai Zhiqian's request.
He had come here specifically to teach her the piano.
Sitting down on the bench, Lin Yang stretched his fingers briefly before beginning to play.
Even more joyful notes cascaded from the piano.
Entranced, Bai Zhiqian leaned her slender figure against the edge of the instrument, cupping her chin in her hands as she gazed at Lin Yang with sparkling, adoring eyes.
When the piece concluded, Bai Zhiqian was still left wanting more.
With a charming laugh, she coaxed, "Teacher Lin, play another one, won't you?"
Her voice was sweet, soft, and utterly delightful.
Yet it suddenly reminded Lin Yang of the tone Fu Hongli used when speaking to her future boyfriend over the phone.
It was the exact same vibe Bai Zhiqian was giving off right now.
A wave of melancholy washed over Lin Yang, and he let out a silent sigh, though he still smiled and nodded at Bai Zhiqian.
This time, Lin Yang didn't play anything overly difficult.
Instead, he played a simple, straightforward rendition of "Canon."
It was Lin Yang's favorite piece.
Because whether he was in a good mood or a bad one, this was a song he could always play.
And it had the power to heal any heart.
Back when his family had just gone bankrupt, when his deadbeat father vanished, when debt collectors showed up at their door, and when he and his mother were driven to the absolute brink of survival—through countless sleepless nights, Lin Yang had survived by holding onto this very melody.
For six months, he listened to it tens of thousands of times.
He couldn't understand why a perfectly fine family had suddenly gone bankrupt. He couldn't understand why the father who had always adored him and his mother had simply disappeared. And he understood even less why relatives and friends who used to be on good terms could turn into strangers overnight.
Yet he didn't even have the luxury of grieving; he was thrust into a grueling routine of working part-time, visiting the hospital, and going to school.
While others his age at eighteen or nineteen were recklessly squandering their youth, he had to shoulder an entire family.
At his lowest point, he and his mother lived on three bowls of plain boiled noodles a day without a single seasoning. He was too poor to afford a single pack of salt or a bottle of soy sauce, and even the noodles had to be bought on credit.
When the final note faded, Lin Yang remained lost in thought for a long time.
With a vacant gaze, he stared blankly at the piano in front of him.
It wasn't until the sound of Bai Zhiqian's soft sobbing pulled him back to reality.
Bai Zhiqian was crying.
Through the "Canon" Lin Yang had just played, she had felt an endless, overwhelming sorrow.
She didn't know what had happened in Lin Yang's past, but she could acutely feel the loneliness and grief wrapped around him at that moment.
"I'm sorry, was it too sorrowful?" Lin Yang quickly reined in his emotions and asked apologetically.
Panicking slightly, Bai Zhiqian used her delicate white hands to wipe away the crystal-clear tears, forcing a smile as she said, "No, it's just that it reminded me of some things. Teacher Lin, let me play a piece for you!"
Lin Yang smiled. "Alright."
He stood up and gave her the bench.
Bai Zhiqian placed her slender fingers back on the black-and-white keys, and the familiar melody of "Spirited Away" drifted into Lin Yang's ears.
She played with a light, brisk touch, instantly sweeping away the sorrow left behind by the "Canon."
Lin Yang smiled.
He realized that Bai Zhiqian was using her music to soothe his soul.
She had heard his hidden emotions within his performance.
What a wonderfully clever girl she truly was.