Then give it a try

After a long while.

Lin An'an finally lifted her gaze from the paper and let out a heavy sigh.

Then she turned to Xu Mo beside her, her tone serious as she asked,

"Xu Mo, did you compose this song long ago? And the previous two as well?"

Only this explanation made sense.

Improvising a composition?

Yeah, right.

She, Lin An'an, wasn’t some naive little girl who’d easily believe such nonsense!

Xu Mo smiled faintly. "Does it matter?"

Lin An'an’s chest rose and fell noticeably. Compared to foolish women, Lin An'an was far superior in this aspect—specifically when measured against Shen Manni.

As for others?

She was just average.

"It matters! Of course it matters!" Lin An'an replied matter-of-factly.

Feeling that wasn’t enough, she added,

"It proves I’m not a failure."

This was the truth!

Back in her prime, Lin An'an could write hits effortlessly.

But she had never reached Xu Mo’s absurd level—where every impromptu composition became a hit.

Just write, and it’d blow up.

Even Lin An'an wouldn’t dare dream of that.

Xu Mo thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Right."

A cunning outsider!

If no one had done it before, Xu Mo would be the first.

Fundamentally, it wasn’t borrowed from anyone else.

Boom!!!

Lin An'an felt as if struck by lightning.

Comparisons were truly disheartening.

"How do you think the song is?" Xu Mo asked with a chuckle.

This was his own composition.

He thought it was fine, but he wasn’t sure how others would perceive it.

Hence, he sought the opinion of someone in the industry.

Lin An'an snapped back to reality, first glaring at the man who had effortlessly outshone her, then answering with reluctant sincerity, "It’s incredibly well-written!"

With that,

Lin An'an took the sheet music and walked over to the piano.

She placed it carefully on the stand,

cleared her throat—

Cough, cough—

and adjusted herself to her best state.

She sat down firmly,

her hands resting on the black-and-white keys.

First, a few tuning notes.

Ding-ding-dong…

The piano’s melody filled the air.

Xu Mo’s song seemed to carry an inexplicable magic,

constantly teasing at Lin An'an’s mental limits.

In this moment,

she had cast aside all other thoughts,

focusing solely on pouring her heart into singing this piece!

Logically,

wearing different shoes for the piano pedals would’ve been more comfortable.

But you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Not wearing high heels would’ve ruined the vibe.

Wait, no—

She wanted to present her best self to Xu Mo.

Discomfort be damned.

She’d endure it.

She’d get used to it soon enough.

Dee-dee-da-da—

After playing the prelude, Lin An'an began singing softly.

Her voice carried a unique magnetism,

a distinctive quality that set her apart from other singers.

This was innate talent,

something many vocalists could only envy.

Their voices might be pleasant,

but too generic.

That’s why those with unmistakable vocal identities thrived,

rising above the competition.

"Meditations on Life" flowed from Lin An'an’s lips.

Xu Mo listened quietly.

Honestly, it matched his expectations.

If Lin An'an could sing it well,

it was like a professional race car driver—

just tell them which path to take,

and they’d navigate it at top speed without crashing through like a reckless fool.

Roughly every minute or so,

Lin An'an had to pause,

flipping through the sheet music.

Naturally—

she wasn’t the original composer.

Expecting perfection on the first try?

That was pure fantasy.

It was just the initial adjustment period.

With repetition, she’d improve.

And that was exactly Lin An'an’s current state.

Over and over,

back and forth.

After about half an hour,

Lin An'an finally synced with Xu Mo’s rhythm.

But thanks to her high heels,

her delicate feet were exhausted.

She had no choice but to stop.

"This song of yours is truly amazing!"

Beads of sweat glistened on Lin An'an’s fair forehead.

Physically tired, but mentally invigorated—

no, downright exhilarated!

This touched on deeper philosophical questions.

Everyone is born with a purpose.

For instance, the same task might drain one person mentally while invigorating another—even if their body is weary, they lose themselves in the passion.

Take top students, for example.

They can study tirelessly,

whereas ordinary folks find textbooks dull.

Not that they’re useless, of course.

During the annual school sports day, homeroom teachers still rely on the back-row champions for the 100-meter dash and long-distance relay.

The bookworms? They’re sidelined.

Every talent has its place.

Xu Mo smiled. "Glad you like it."

Lin An'an raised a hand, panting slightly.

"I really want to keep singing!!!"

"Alright then, I’ll accompany you."

"……??"

Lin An'an blinked, staring at Xu Mo with a mix of shock and confusion.

"You… you play piano too?"

"Not really. It’s been a while—I’m rusty. But I can manage the violin."

Xu Mo didn’t want to crush her further,

so he pointed to the violin resting nearby.

Lin An'an’s eyes widened like saucers.

Xu Mo worried that if he pushed any harder,

she might snap and attack him.

Ah… how lonely it is at the top!!!!

Sometimes, being too talented

isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

As for why Xu Mo knew these instruments?

It all traced back to his childhood,

when the system gifted him photographic memory

and enhanced physical coordination.

The system’s reasoning was simple:

"What goes around comes around."

These talents weren’t meant to make him the protagonist,

but to ensure he didn’t derail the plot.

Back then, the system worked hard to keep things on track!

Unlike now, where it had completely ghosted him.

Lin An'an studied him for another long moment,

then finally relaxed a little.

"Fine, give it a try."

Her mood improved because Xu Mo claimed to be mediocre at piano.

But seeing his playful smirk,

she resorted to self-delusion, convincing herself that Xu Mo wasn’t actually that omnipotent.

It was all in her head.

Fear stems from the unknown.

Familiarity breeds comfort.

"Alright, let me warm up first." Xu Mo picked up the violin and began tuning it.

Nothing in Lin An'an’s home was cheap,

let alone her professional equipment.

Every piece was top-tier.

Money wasn’t an issue—

only the best would do!

As Xu Mo played,

Lin An'an’s eyes shimmered, reflecting his figure.

At first, he seemed a bit unsteady.

Perhaps it was because of the bow being too tense.

But that discomfort vanished in an instant.

Soon after, a beautiful melody began to play.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Come on, An'an is the female lead, isn't she? What's the rush?

Shouldn't you defeat her in the field she excels in?

Use music to conquer music.