Back then on the field, there was a light drizzle and the faint scent of rice.

Li An’s right hand suddenly moved as if jolted by electricity, his wrist flicking rapidly. A cascade of vibrant, beautifully ordered piano notes poured from his fingers. In the blink of an eye, eight measures were over.

Beside him, Ji Yang felt as if a video had turned into reality before her eyes, leaving her especially astonished.

[Ji Yang’s Student-Teacher Index has risen to 18]

Silence.

As a piano teacher, Li An never hid his abilities when the time came to demonstrate. Seeing the high school girl’s surprised, slightly admiring gaze, he couldn’t help but feel a small, secret satisfaction as a performer.

Yet when he tried the same approach with Wang Xiaohu, the expressionless boy’s mind was filled only with cold, mechanical games.

Sometimes Li An wondered if teaching Wang Xiaohu was a waste of his own talent.

No appreciation for beauty.

Ji Yang, feeling her wrist no longer ached, asked eagerly, “When will I be able to play like that?”

Li An considered for a moment. “Pay attention in class, practice diligently after, use your mind, seek out methods and reflect often. There’s no other way.”

Ji Yang nodded vigorously. “Teacher, can you play the whole piece for me?”

This—

Seeing Li An hesitate, Ji Yang pleaded, “Please, teacher! I’ve never heard anyone play so well in person before—I usually just watch videos online. I love Chopin’s études, please, please!” She pressed her hands together at her chest, her face earnest.

Li An was surprised. With parents who cared this much, with such family circumstances, had she never attended a masterclass up close? Never heard a live concert?

He remembered just last month a Russian pianist had held a Chopin recital at the Rongcheng Concert Hall. He’d gritted his teeth and spent two hundred yuan for a good seat.

Afterwards, there were only two words on his mind: “Bravo!”

Seeing Ji Yang’s anticipation, Li An nodded.

She leapt from the piano bench. “I’ll go upstairs to get my phone—I want to record it!”

Li An thought: Even going upstairs...

Ji Yang skipped away, leaving only the two adults in the music room.

Hu Rong said, “Sorry, Teacher Li, she’s still so excitable at her age.”

Li An smiled. “She seems very focused when she practices.”

Hu Rong asked, “Are you from here, Teacher Li?”

Li An replied, “No, I came here for school.”

Hu Rong said, “Oh, so you started studying with Teacher Wei after coming here?”

Li An answered, “Yes. May I ask, how long has Ji Yang been playing piano? Has she changed teachers often?”

Hu Rong sighed. “Eight years now—she started in third grade. She’s had four teachers. She studied with Teacher Xu Qun at the Youth Palace for years, then after we moved here for high school, she started with Professor Yu.”

Li An nodded. “That’s good.”

As they spoke, Ji Yang returned with her phone. “Teacher, I won’t film your face so you won’t be nervous.”

Li An couldn’t help but laugh—he hadn’t even gotten nervous in front of cameras.

He lifted his hands and placed his fingers on the keys. Instantly, a confident and powerful aura radiated from him. With effortless grace, the rapid dance of black keys filled the entire room once more.

This piece meant a great deal to Li An. It was with this very étude that he’d won first place in the youth division of the province’s preliminaries during the 2022 Starfish Cup National Piano Competition.

He just hadn’t made it to the next round—he’d been “red-carded” out of the competition before he could continue.

As his world narrowed to black and white keys, Li An felt as if he were back at the competition. His hands flowed with a freedom and tempo unlike any demonstration.

Immersed, he didn’t notice the rapid rise in Ji Yang’s Student-Teacher Index.

...

Elsewhere, in another villa of Guanshan No. 1 Estate, Sun Yuman lay on her bed, bored, scrolling through short videos. After several days of drinking, today she’d decided to take a break.

Twenty minutes later, a call flashed on her phone. She brightened, switched to speaker. “Hello, hello! You’re done so early—how was it, darling? Did you have fun?”

The voice on the line was calm. “No, I’m at home. Not enough people showed up, so it was canceled.”

Sun Yuman was exasperated. “Who flaked this time?”

The voice corrected her. “They had to work tonight, okay?”

Sun Yuman recognized the voice—it was definitely the same flake as last time. “Honestly, people like that will never find a partner.”

Silence on the line.

“Alright, what’s up?” Sun Yuman prompted.

A brief pause. “Xiaoyu...”

She sensed something was off. “Hmm? What is it?”

Silence again.

After a moment, “I think something’s happened with me...”

“What the hell! The iron tree finally blooms!”

Sun Yuman jumped off the bed, frantically searching for her underwear. This was too explosive.

After a pause, the caller asked, “Are you free now?”

Sun Yuman started putting on her pants. “Cut up a watermelon and wait for me. Hanging up now, bye!”

Phone in hand, pants on, she dashed from the second floor to the living room, snatched her car keys from the table, and was about to leave.

Father Sun frowned. “Can’t you sit still for one day?”

She spun around, disgruntled. “I’m going to see Xiaomi.”

Hearing Xiaomi’s name, her father’s frown eased. “Just look at Xiao Chen, then look at you. How did your mother and I end up with a daughter like you?”

Sun Yuman grinned cheekily. “That’s a question for you two! What’s it got to do with me? Bye!”

She slipped on her shoes and pushed open the door, just as her mother returned from her walk.

“Heading out again?” her mother asked, not yet inside, as Sun Yuman hurried past, shouting, “Going to see Xiaomi, serious talk, no drinking, staying at her place tonight, I’ll drive safely, fresh juice for you on the second floor!”

“Bye, Mom!”

Her mother shook her head helplessly, thinking if only she were half as steady as Xiao Chen, she’d have no worries for the rest of her life.

...

9:20 p.m.

At the bus stop near the foot of Guanshan No. 1 Estate, Li An let out a long breath. He pulled a bottle of water from his bag and gulped it down, so hard the bottle crumpled in his grip.

Hu Rong had seen him to the gate, telling him to wait for a call on Monday. That probably meant he’d secured the job. Li An opened his panel for a quick look.

He hadn’t misheard earlier—Ji Yang’s Student-Teacher Index had surpassed everyone else on his potential student list, rising to first place.

Forty-three points.

Older kids really did understand things better.

Beep-beep—

A transfer notification from Hu Rong. Li An hadn’t expected to be paid for tonight’s trial lesson.

He tapped to accept. Two hundred and forty yuan arrived in his account.

No need for pretense with wealthy people—if you show your value, money isn’t an issue.

‘Thank you for the tea,’ he replied, then opened a ride-hailing app. Tonight, he’d splurge and take a cab home.

He just wanted to get home and sleep.

At that moment, a red Mustang sped past, heading into the night sky over Yudong. Through the window, he caught a glimpse of a pretty girl about his age in the driver’s seat.

Judging by the direction, she’d come from No. 1 Estate.

He watched the car disappear into the distance, the scent of exhaust lingering in the air, and suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.

For a moment, he stood there.

Come on, keep going.

He gave himself a quiet word of encouragement and hailed a shared ride.