Lanling finally saw this beautiful mentor in the flesh.
She was an extraordinarily alluring woman. Her face possessed the exquisite elegance of an Eastern woman combined with the seductive glamour of a Western one. She had purple hair and enchanting emerald-green eyes.
She was another mixed-blood woman. Her temperament appeared very serene and restrained, yet her eyes brimmed with the unrestrained romance typical of Western women.
These two utterly contrasting qualities coexisted on her body, giving her an extraordinary allure.
Her skin was as fair as a Westerner’s yet as fine and delicate as an Easterner’s, smooth like milk.
She was tall, over one metre seventy, with a slender figure and an especially long, slim waist. Yet whether it was the curve of her chest or the swell of her hips and buttocks, everything was strikingly voluptuous and captivating. Even her loose long skirt could not conceal the outline of her curvaceous form.
If one were to compare her to an Earth celebrity, she resembled Sophie Marceau somewhat, yet even more bewitchingly beautiful.
In short, she was a woman whose figure and appearance would make any other woman burn with jealousy.
After the initial shock, Niya’s heart surged with anger, ice-cold fury, and just a faint ripple of emotion stirred by old memories.
Yes, she had once been intimate with Suo Lun, but two years had passed. Suo Lun’s shadow had gradually faded from her heart. After all, he was merely a rather superficial man. For a woman as wise as she was, it was difficult to truly fall deeply in love.
“You already ruined my previous life. Are you now going to ruin my present life as well?” Niya stared at Lanling, her voice filled with hatred.
Then she turned to the sturdy matron beside her. “Matron, quickly drive him out.”
Although Lanling had already won the trust and affection of these matrons, Niya was their true darling and goddess. Upon hearing her words, they did not hesitate. They stepped forward at once to push Lanling out.
Lanling hurriedly said, “Mentor Niya, just let me say one sentence. Only one sentence.”
Niya took a deep breath and said, “Fine. Speak. Just one sentence.”
Lanling said, “Vice Principal Rogge has expelled me. If this stands, I will be unable to inherit the title, and the Suo clan will lose everything. Please help me.”
Lanling employed no clever tricks. He made only the most direct request.
Because he felt that, at this moment, what Niya least wanted to hear was praise or apologies. Both would seem especially superfluous and hypocritical.
Whether she would be willing to help depended entirely on the depth of her lingering feelings for Suo Lun. If those feelings ran deep enough, this single sentence would be sufficient to awaken her pity. If the feelings were shallow, no amount of words would make any difference.
Yet it seemed he was going to be disappointed.
Because after hearing him, Niya’s expression and eyes showed no change whatsoever. She merely said coldly, “Very well. Your one sentence is finished. Now leave.”
Lanling was stunned. Then he gave a slight bow in apology, his expression desolate, and turned to walk away.
Niya was surprised. Was this not the thick-skinned Suo Lun, the master of pestering and refusing to give up? How could he abandon so easily? Or was he merely putting on an act?
Only when Lanling had walked out of the Benevolent Relief Society did she finally fail to hold back. She called out, “Wait.”
But the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She silently cursed herself for being weak-hearted, for falling for his trick once again.
Lanling turned back, looking at Niya with hope shining in his eyes.
“You want me to help you, to make the principal retract the expulsion order?” Niya asked.
“Yes,” Lanling replied.
Niya said, “I can help you, but you must agree to one condition.”
Lanling said, “Very well.”
Niya continued, “In the past, you used the pretext of learning the harpsichord from me to seduce me, and you swore you would compose a special piece just for me. Now I want to hear that piece. If it can satisfy me, if it can shock everyone here, then I will help you.”
By saying this, Niya was essentially rejecting him.
Although she had once loved Suo Lun, that was two years ago. Suo Lun might have had a sweet tongue and knew how to please women, but inside he was hollow. For a woman of talent, it was difficult to truly fall deeply in love with such a man.
Thus, although a faint ripple of emotion still existed in Niya’s heart towards Suo Lun, it could hardly be called deep love. Moreover, at the critical moment two years ago, Suo Lun’s performance had left her deeply disappointed.
Two years earlier, when Suo Lun had studied music under Niya, his results were abysmal. His talent in music was mediocre at best, and he showed no real enthusiasm. He did not even grasp basic music theory.
Niya’s attainment in music was extremely high, and her standards were naturally exacting and picky. Creating a piece that could satisfy her was incredibly difficult. By setting this condition, she was indirectly refusing him.
Yet Lanling had already prepared for this.
Because Niya loved music above all else, the thing most capable of touching her soul and rekindling the flame in her heart was naturally music.
Lanling had majored in the arts at university, specifically screenwriting. He chose that major because it was relatively inexpensive. In truth, he was also highly skilled in both painting and music.
His music had been taught to him personally by his sister Lan Kou. When their foster parents were still alive, the family had been quite well-off. Lan Kou had begun learning piano from childhood and possessed great talent. Her piano skills were exceptional.
Of course, due to family misfortune, Lan Kou had stopped formal piano lessons at fourteen. Yet by then her level was already very high, and she continued to self-study. At seventeen, she supported herself and Lanling by teaching children to play the piano.
Before teaching other children, Lan Kou had to learn how to teach, so she used Lanling as her guinea pig. That was how Lanling was taught.
In fact, Lanling had not originally been very interested in the piano. But to grow closer to his sister, he persisted. To earn her praise, he studied diligently and became quite good. Once, a university professor had even suggested he switch to the music department, but to save money he declined.
This world had no pianos, only the more primitive harpsichord. The Tianshui Earl’s residence possessed a relatively high-grade one.
During his seclusion in the residence, whenever memories of those happy times with his sister Lan Kou on Earth surfaced, Lanling would go and play a piece. Gradually, he adapted to the differences between the harpsichord and the piano. Especially since the layout of this world’s harpsichord was almost identical to a piano.
And the piece he had prepared for Niya was the famous composition “Adelina by the Water”. It was a romantic piece celebrating love, telling the story of a king who fell in love with a beautiful statue, prayed to the heavens to grant it life, transforming it into a real and beautiful woman, and lived happily with her ever after.
And one of Niya’s favourite things to do at Wangcheng Academy had been to stand by the river, gazing at the water in quiet contemplation, like a statue.
“If you cannot do it, then leave. Never come and disturb me again,” Niya said.
The children, however, looked at Lanling with eager anticipation, hoping he would succeed. In their short time together, they had already come to believe this big brother was capable of anything, because he could even tell such wonderful stories.
Lanling took a deep breath and sat down in front of a harpsichord inside the room.
Even the cheapest harpsichord in this world was extremely expensive, costing at least dozens of gold coins. The Benevolent Relief Society could never afford one. Clearly, it had been provided by Mentor Niya herself.
Placing his hands on the keys, Lanling closed his eyes to calm himself. Then he opened them and said, “I am beginning.”
Instantly, the room fell completely silent. All the children, Niya, Ye Jingyu, and the matrons of the Benevolent Relief Society widened their eyes and held their breath, staring at Lanling, waiting for the first note.
There were considerable differences between the harpsichords of Earth’s history and modern pianos, but in this world the harpsichord’s layout was almost the same as a piano’s, with only a single manual of keys. Thus, Lanling felt almost no discomfort playing it.
Ding…
With the first note, the beautiful melody flowed from Lanling’s fingertips like water.
Ye Jingyu and the matrons of the Benevolent Relief Society merely became a little more attentive in expression.
But Niya’s face changed completely.
Amateurs watch for excitement; experts watch for technique. The moment Lanling finished the first phrase, Niya felt her heart jolt violently, followed by a faint sensation of goosebumps rising on her skin.
This wastrel Suo Lun before her eyes was undoubtedly an expert. His performance level was already extremely high.
And most crucially, this piece was one she had never heard before. Yet after hearing just a short segment, that indescribably wonderful feeling had already rippled through her ears and into her heart.
As the performance deepened, Lanling’s hands danced with incredible dexterity across the keys.
Niya had already closed her eyes completely, utterly immersed in the piece. The sensation was simply too marvellous, too exquisite. It was as though the melody that followed was filled with both familiarity and endless novelty.
And what moved her most deeply was the flavour within the music: a quietness infused with romance, even with passionate emotion.
Was she, Niya, not exactly such a person? Outwardly cold and restrained, yet inwardly filled with yearning for freedom and romance.
By the latter part, Niya even felt as though her very soul had been drawn out through her ears by the beautiful notes, drifting and swaying in the air along with the music, unable to settle back down.
It was truly too beautiful, too marvellous, too intoxicating.