Got it, got it

There were positive emotions.

There were also negative emotions.

This music was so fast it made one's heart race, boiling with primal excitement.

That surge of passion.

That tension.

Part of it was positive, part of it was negative.

"Which school did Xiao Cao graduate from? Who was your teacher?" The Old Lady got straight to the point.

She had heard it.

Naturally, she thought a child with such skill couldn’t possibly have been taught by an ordinary teacher.

Nor could they have come from an ordinary school.

But,

the Old Lady racked her brain, straining to recall, yet she couldn’t remember any child surnamed Cao.

Logically, that shouldn’t be the case.

Though there were millions of children learning piano in the country, the top-tier circle was small.

If there was a young person of this caliber, she should have at least heard of them.

She was retired.

But not dead!

Unfortunately,

in the few seconds it took her to walk upstairs, she combed through countless memories but couldn’t think of a single match.

The most terrifying part was, the Old Lady couldn’t even place which score this piece came from.

Could it be an original composition?

This talent was simply unreal.

The Old Lady hadn’t taken on a student in years, but now she was tempted—even feeling a bit nervous, as if she might not be qualified to teach someone like this.

The distance earlier had been too far, and she hadn’t heard everything clearly, missing many details.

But even so,

she could tell this child’s skill far surpassed that of Lingling and Yue Ge.

They weren’t even on the same level.

Perhaps only at her own peak… no, even then, she might only barely compare.

Now, she couldn’t keep up.

Just the speed alone made her hesitate.

……

"I didn’t go to a professional music school, and I never had a formal teacher. I used to… learn at the children’s palace, and later I practiced on my own," Cao Cheng offered casually as an excuse.

Some things couldn’t be explained too much.

Pedigree and environment mattered greatly.

You couldn’t just claim to be self-taught.

Especially in this era, when online tutorials were scarce—unlike decades later, when many masters would offer online courses.

Those were genuine masters.

The masters of today? They kept to themselves.

"That… that can’t be." The Old Lady was stunned.

Of course,

Cao Cheng chuckled. "Well, I suppose you could say I wasn’t entirely self-taught. Later, I met an old man who taught me for a while. I never got his name—he was eccentric, loved smoking and drinking, always drunk…"

A flimsy excuse, but it would have to do.

The Old Lady nodded in realization.

Her mind began racing again, trying to figure out who this old man could be.

An old man… probably in his sixties.

Who could it be?

There were quite a few who fit the age, and some with peculiar temperaments.

"You little rascal… you… you…"

Ren Yuege seemed to finally snap out of her daze. "You’re actually this good?"

"Keep it low-key," Cao Cheng waved a hand dismissively.

Emotions kept bubbling up every few seconds, a mix of everything.

The Old Lady spoke up. "Could you play it again?"

"Uh, sure."

This time, Cao Cheng slowed it down.

A minute and a half later, the Old Lady slowly opened her eyes, a trace of melancholy in them. Indeed, this child’s technical skill was absurdly strong—rock-solid.

She wasn’t qualified to teach him.

Even at her best, she couldn’t match him.

And the piece was original!

"Would you be interested in further studies at the music conservatory?" the Old Lady invited.

She quickly added, "Your fundamentals are flawless, and your skill is already at a masterful level. Further study would just be a formality—it’d give you access to the school’s resources, making it easier to break into the international scene."

Ren Yuege listened intently this time.

Only now did she realize just how incredible this little rascal was.

"Little rascal, aren’t you going to thank the teacher?" Ren Yuege urged impatiently.

But Cao Cheng shook his head. "Thank you for the kind offer, but my ambitions lie elsewhere."

"……" The Old Lady sighed.

Ren Yuege was furious. "You little—!"

Though the teacher hadn’t said much or made grand promises, she knew just how rare this opportunity was.

He could ascend to the highest echelons.

At the very least, he’d become a globally renowned piano master.

And with original compositions? He’d be immortalized in history, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the legends.

"If,"

"you ever change your mind, come find me." The Old Lady recovered quickly—after a brief moment of disappointment, her expression softened back into kindness.

"Of course, teacher." Cao Cheng nodded, uncharacteristically serious for once.

After all, his rejection must have hit her hard.

She was truly disappointed.

……

The Old Lady left to prepare dinner.

Ren Yuege gritted her teeth and pinched Cao Cheng’s ear. "You little rascal, do you have any idea how rare this opportunity is?"

"Do you know how lazy I usually am?" Cao Cheng swatted her hand away irritably.

"……"

Ren Yuege was even angrier. "So you’re saying your ‘ambitions lie elsewhere’ just because you’re lazy? You’re wasting your talent!"

"You don’t get it."

Cao Cheng shook his head.

He understood the opportunity was valuable, but he had too many talents.

His greatest gift was collecting negative emotions.

As long as that path remained open, he’d master countless skills in the future.

There was no need to commit to just one.

Lingling hadn’t spoken the entire time, but the way she looked at Cao Cheng had grown peculiar.

He’s amazing!

The room fell into silence.

Negative emotions still drifted through the air, occasionally punctuated by positive ones.

This round had been a bountiful harvest.

Cao Cheng was content to relax. "You two have fun. I’ll go downstairs and help the teacher with the prep work."

Once Cao Cheng left,

Ren Yuege plopped onto the piano bench, fuming.

"This little rascal is too lazy for his own good."

Lingling spoke softly. "Big Sister, could you ask that brother to write a score for me?"

Ren Yuege blinked in surprise.

Lingling continued, "I want to learn the piece he just played."

Ren Yuege sighed. "I’ll ask him later. I’m too annoyed right now."

Lingling smiled. "Everyone has their own path. If his ambitions lie elsewhere, Big Sister can still learn from him, right? You could even ask him to compose original pieces for you. There’s so much potential!"

Ren Yuege froze.

Then her eyes lit up.

"You’re right!"

"That’s the way to go."

"This little rascal won’t get away with being lazy. I’ll make him write original piano pieces for me every day!"

She stood up. "Come on, let’s go negotiate."

Lingling was surprised. "You need to negotiate?"

Ren Yuege nodded. "Of course! You have no idea how infuriating he can be. And lazy? After graduating, he didn’t even get a job—just spent his days playing chess with old men in the square or mahjong with aunties in the parlors. Refused to earn money."

"And he loves teasing me."

"This little rascal will definitely set some annoying conditions if he knows I want original compositions."

Lingling grew even more curious.

If she had heard this earlier, she might’ve agreed with "Second Sister," thinking he was a good-for-nothing loafer.

But after witnessing his skill—though she couldn’t gauge exactly how high his level was, it was clearly far above hers—her first impression was cemented.

Now, hearing about his antics, she didn’t think of him as lazy or unambitious. Instead, she found it… interesting!

What a unique brother.

As the two headed downstairs,

they overheard voices from the kitchen.

The Old Lady exclaimed in surprise, "I never expected you to know how to cook! Those knife skills are quite impressive."

Cao Cheng replied modestly, "Just a little, just a little! But my ambitions lie elsewhere."

The Old Lady: "…"

Lingling: "…"

That line sounded familiar!

"…" But Ren Yuege's face darkened.

He actually knew how to cook?

At noon, that jerk said he couldn’t cook!

Wait—

Ren Yuege remembered she had said the same thing.

At noon, that jerk lied!

[Ding~ +20!]