Chapter 75: As Expected
Seeing Yu Xin and Jiang Chuchu, Yu Yuan immediately stopped playing the piano and crossed her arms. “Dad, Mom, and my brother are all out… let me, let me properly host you.”
Of course, this was a lie—Yu Wenli had said not to disturb them.
So what? Yu Yuan felt both guilty and self-righteous. Just as Gu Qinghuan had said, she was also a member of the Yu family. Hosting guests wasn’t just natural—it was her duty.
Although she found Yu Xin annoying, she could ignore her! As long as she hosted the guests properly, that was enough.
Jiang Chuchu, coming back to her senses from the scene of “Yu Yuan getting along harmoniously with Gu Qinghuan,” also thought this situation, though initially shocking, made perfect sense on reflection.
If Gu Qinghuan could get along with Xia He’s friend, Yu Yuan couldn’t possibly be more dangerous or harder to approach, right?
She said calmly, “Why don’t you continue playing?”
“Exactly,” Gu Qinghuan added. “Wasn’t it beautiful just now?”
Jiang Chuchu gave Gu Qinghuan a glance. Just from that one line, Gu Qinghuan seemed like the sycophantic sidekick in a movie who cheers on the villain while they threaten the heroine.
Yu Yuan pressed her lips tight. Even if Gu Qinghuan enjoyed the music, she had no professional understanding, so she wouldn’t appreciate it from a professional standpoint.
Jiang Chuchu was different. As the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, she had likely attended countless concerts growing up. She could casually point out a hundred issues.
She didn’t want to be criticized in front of Yu Xin.
The question was: how could she even bring that up? Saying it outright would make her seem cowardly.
“Chuchu, do you know what she said just now? Chopin Etude OP… what number was it again? Do you know it?” Gu Qinghuan interjected.
“No,” Jiang Chuchu answered frankly. “I don’t really listen to classical music.”
Yu Yuan suddenly lifted her head.
“Huh?” Gu Qinghuan was a little puzzled. “I thought someone like you, a big lady of the family, would go to concerts often and know a lot about these things.”
“I’m not very interested in Western music. I prefer traditional music,” Jiang Chuchu shrugged. “As I said, my grandmother taught me calligraphy since I was little, so I lean toward traditional arts. Also, my favorite traditional instrument is the suona.”
“Suona?!” Even Yu Xin was shocked.
“Yes! Because it’s so commanding,” Jiang Chuchu said enthusiastically. “When it plays, no other instrument can compete. Isn’t that powerful?”
“I actually learned it for a while when I was little, but I had no talent, so I gave up,” she added with a hint of regret.
Yu Xin touched her forehead. She really hadn’t expected Jiang Chuchu to be like this.
Yu Yuan clearly hadn’t expected it either. She paused for a moment and suddenly felt that the things she had worried about earlier were trivial.
She placed her hands back on the piano keys, lifted her chin, and said, “Fine, I’ll play. What do you want to hear?”
Gu Qinghuan immediately requested, “Canon!”
Yu Yuan nodded. “Alright.”
The beauty of a classic piano piece is that everyone knows it. Even if they don’t know the title, the familiar melody immediately identifies it.
Jiang Chuchu and Yu Xin sat on the sofa, a little distance away from Yu Yuan and Gu Qinghuan.
The piano music echoed through the living room, with the rain outside forming a sort of background accompaniment—seemingly noisy, yet strangely harmonious.
Yu Jinxi, at home, felt a little worried.
He knew Yu Yuan didn’t like Yu Xin. Frankly, he didn’t care much for this “younger sister” either.
He remembered the day their parents brought Yu Xin home. She wore ill-fitting clothes, looked skinny and frail, like a dead twig, and stood awkwardly in the living room.
How could such a person be his sister? How could he introduce her to his friends without losing face?
Yu Yuan, by contrast, was cute, well-behaved, could play piano, and had won many awards.
He preferred a sister like Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan not liking Yu Xin was completely normal in his eyes.
Suddenly learning that she was a fake daughter, that everything that once belonged to her was irrelevant, it was natural for her to feel resistance out of fear. That’s why he had always protected Yu Yuan. Recently, even the relatives had started favoring Yu Xin because of her grades, so he was even more determined to side with Yu Yuan.
But he also had his own matters to attend to and had to leave temporarily. Fortunately, the situation was not complicated. Now that it was handled, he hurried home, secretly hoping that Yu Yuan and Yu Xin wouldn’t have any conflict.
It would be humiliating if the prized daughter of the Jiang family witnessed internal disputes in the Yu family.
But as soon as Yu Jinxi stepped into the house, he heard the chatter of several young girls.
Gu Qinghuan said, “Next, play Castle in the Sky! I want to hear this!”
Yu Yuan: “I don’t have the sheet music!”
Jiang Chuchu: “You can just find it online, right?”
Yu Yuan: “The phone screen is so small! If I try to play and look at it, I’d have to press my face against the screen!”
Jiang Chuchu: “What about a tablet? Don’t you have one?”
Yu Xin: “I have a printer in my room. I can print it out.”
Yu Yuan: “I have a tablet! Don’t need your help!”
Yu Jinxi was stunned, shocked and confused. How did they get along so well in just the short time he was away?
He couldn’t help speaking: “Yu Yuan.”
The living room fell silent. The girls all stopped talking and turned to look at him.
Yu Yuan, whose brow had been furrowed but lips slightly upturned, froze, then quickly lowered her gaze. “Brother.”
“What are you all making a fuss about?” Yu Jinxi asked. “It’s so noisy.”
Yu Yuan clenched her fists. “I….”
“It’s not noisy,” Gu Qinghuan interrupted. She smiled at Yu Jinxi. “We’re just playing, chatting lively.”
Yu Jinxi wasn’t asleep, so why would he describe this as “so noisy”?
Moreover, the four of them barely made any sound. Even a slightly louder phone video could cover it—hardly “noisy.”
Yu Jinxi hesitated, his expression sour. He forced a smile. “I was just worried you’d disturb others…”
Even he felt that explanation was unreasonable.
Disturb anyone? The neighbors? With the distance between apartments and the building’s soundproofing, the neighbors wouldn’t even notice. If they could, it’d be like running a construction site in the neighborhood.
Jiang Chuchu took over the conversation, politely smiling. “In that case, we can just move inside to chat.”
Annoyed by Yu Jinxi’s mood, she didn’t want to stay in the living room, bothered by just seeing him.
Jiang Chuchu led the way upstairs. Yu Xin, seeing Yu Yuan still at the piano, hesitated, then reached out and held her arm.
Gu Qinghuan followed Jiang Chuchu. Since Yu Xin had made the decision, all she needed to do was take care of herself—otherwise, she suspected Yu Jinxi might target her.
Yu Yuan shivered, staring at Yu Xin in disbelief.
“You come too,” Yu Xin said. “Qinghuan probably still wants to talk to you.”
She didn’t mention herself. Given Yu Yuan’s current mood, she probably felt embarrassed in front of her and didn’t want to face her.
But Yu Xin knew well that feeling alone under scrutiny was familiar.
Qinghuan had once helped her, so now she wanted to help someone else.
So she borrowed Qinghuan’s name; Yu Yuan should accept it.
Yu Xin guided Yu Yuan tentatively, and after a slight stumble, she followed.
