Chen Gang held a cup.
In just one night, Xiangcheng was turned upside down.
“It seems you haven’t received the news yet,” he looked at Ren Qian, “The Li family got into trouble yesterday and was seized. A group of people from Jiangjing entered Xiangcheng overnight. The only thing I could find out was that this matter was related to Bai Lian and Master Chen.”
Chen Gang didn’t even see the Li family members. When he asked the relevant personnel, he always got the same answer—”It’s classified.”
Fortunately, his usual arrangements were in place. Finally, someone told him that one of the people involved was Bai Lian.
Only then did he seek out the Ren family.
He remembered that Bai Lian was Ji Shaorong’s niece.
Ren Wanxuan’s hand that was squatting down to tie her shoelaces suddenly paused.
“She has a connection with Master Chen?” Ren Qian also turned pale.
Regarding the Ji family, he had never put them in his heart. How could they possibly have anything to do with Master Chen?
Ren Wanxuan stood up and gripped her schoolbag. She suddenly said, “Maybe because she played Bai Yi Xing at the school anniversary event.”
Both Ren Qian and Chen Gang looked over.
“Bai Lian learned the zither before,” Ren Wanxuan lowered her eyes. Her heart was in turmoil, “That day during the school anniversary event, she deliberately played Bai Yi Xing. Everyone knows the Chen family likes that song. It must be because of this.”
After speaking, she left for school with her schoolbag.
Behind her, Ren Qian also reacted. He had said that the Ji family were ordinary people, how could they possibly have any connection with Master Chen.
If it was because of Bai Yi Xing, then it made sense.
So…
Ren Qian suddenly realized, Bai Lian was completely fine?
Not only was she fine, she had even obtained Master Chen’s appreciation?
Ren Qian suddenly took out his phone and directly called Ji Shaorong, but the call didn’t go through.
He sat blankly on the sofa. For the first time, he felt a little regretful. So yesterday, the Ji family didn’t actually want to ask him for help at all?
Then last night’s actions of his…
Ji Shaorong must have noticed.
“As you can see, I can’t contact Bai Lian either,” Ren Qian looked at Chen Gang and sighed, “I think you shouldn’t get involved in the Li family matter. It was just for show in the first place. Now that Master Chen has found out, avoid it if you can. As for Bai Lian…”
Ren Qian called his assistant Ren Jiawei again.
The two said a few words.
Only after hanging up did Ren Qian look at Chen Gang, “It seems they are looking for a zither teacher for Bai Lian.”
**
On Jiang Fu’s side.
Chen Ju had been waiting downstairs since before dawn.
When Jiang Fu appeared wearing a black shirt, he quickly stood up and respectfully handed Jiang He’s watch over, very ashamed, “Young Master Jiang, the Li family and all of Xiangcheng have been taken care of.”
Almost a complete change in personnel.
Jiang Fu just stood there, his cold eyes sweeping over him once.
Like the calm, gloomy sea surface before a storm.
Chen Ju’s body trembled.
Just as Chen Ju was about to cry, a lazy voice suddenly came from behind, “Where’s Jiang He?”
Chen Ju was overjoyed. He quickly turned his head.
He saw Bai Lian walking in unhurriedly from outside. She wore the simplest school uniform imaginable, her long hair tied up behind her head. With her back facing the rising sun, in her fair fingers she still held a string of red Chinese knots1.
Jiang Fu withdrew his gaze. Only then did he reach out to take the watch, “Upstairs not coming down.”
“I’ll go take a look.” Bai Lian put down her schoolbag. She had promised Jiang He to come see him yesterday, naturally she wouldn’t go back on her word.
Jiang Fu brought Bai Lian upstairs to see Jiang He.
Jiang He had received a shock yesterday. He had taken a tranquilizer and slept for the whole night.
He had woken up now and was sitting at a small table quietly drawing.
Bai Lian walked over quietly and stood behind him. Jiang He was drawing the city towers.
The Xiangcheng city towers.
It was also her profile picture.
“The lines here aren’t right,” Bai Lian watched for a while, then bent down, gripped his hand, and lazily helped draw a few strokes, “The city towers are in a state of disrepair…”
She held Jiang He’s hand and added soulful strokes to Jiang He’s meticulous painting.
Jiang Fu didn’t go near. He just leaned against the door and watched intently as she taught Jiang He how to paint.
The morning sun hadn’t fully risen yet. A few rays of light shone through Jiang He’s little window, quietly landing on the girl’s jade-like side profile. The flowing light turned, adding a touch of vitality to the room for no reason.
When one painting was done.
Jiang He looked at the vivid, perfect painting and raised his head to look at Bai Lian’s little face, full of immense admiration.
His mouth was slightly open, his big round eyes full of worship.
Jiang Fu came back to his senses. He didn’t expect Bai Lian could also paint.
So he walked over and bent down slightly to take a look.
After seeing it, the Young Master Jiang who could only function as a printer was a little silent. He understood a bit why his art teacher had been trembling with fear when telling him he didn’t have the talent for painting initially.
Bai Lian lazily put down the brush. She leaned one hand on Jiang He’s desk and appraised the painting for a while.
Only then did she evaluate: “Little Jiang Bird, with your skill level, has your teacher really not been angered to death by you?”
Although only seven years old, Jiang He who had already won awards: “…”
Didn’t she come to see him today?
At this, Bai Lian suddenly recalled the cat in Jiang Fu’s notebook.
She tilted her head, “Teacher Jiang…”
Jiang Fu suddenly straightened up. He glanced at the time on his phone. His expression unchanged, his tone calm and aloof, “You have class soon. I’ll take you to school.”
At this time, taking the bus to school would definitely be late.
Bai Lian glanced at him. She didn’t reject it either, “Okay.”
Just that when the two were going downstairs, Bai Lian slowly following behind Jiang Fu spoke again lazily, “Teacher Jiang, other than not looking like a cat, your drawing was very good.”
Jiang Fu took the keys. He lightly sighed, he knew—
That notebook was no good.
Downstairs.
Chen Ju and Ming Dongheng stood to the side. Swept over by Jiang Fu’s cold gaze, they tried their best to pretend they didn’t hear anything.
Only after the two left did Chen Ju, who had narrowly escaped death, finally heave a sigh of relief.
He sat down on the sofa and poured himself a cup of cold tea to drink. Then he said to Ming Dongheng, “Miss Bai is my life savior. I can’t do without her.”
Ming Dongheng stood with his arms crossed, looking at him coldly.
It was hard to show disagreement.
“Right,” Chen Ju suddenly recalled something. He looked at Ming Dongheng, “You know the new god that made the leaderboard at the underground fighting ring right?”
Ximu Street underground fighting ring, the place where gods were made.
The Muay Thai boxing champion Nong-O had become a god here initially, gaining popularity worldwide.
The major powers all paid close attention to it.
Ming Dongheng shook his head.
Focusing on finding his master recently, he didn’t pay attention to this matter.
“This person didn’t use his real name, just a codename,” Chen Ju tapped the sofa with his fingers, “In just one week, he climbed from last place at the fighting ring to the top ten.”
Ming Dongheng was surprised.
The Ming family and Chen family both valued might. Anyone able to follow Jiang Fu was no weakling.
The fighting ring gathered experts from all over the world, including boxing kings like Nong-O. Even making it to the top ten would be difficult for him, “What codename?”
There were only so many top experts in the world that could make the top ten.
Ming Dongheng listed those people in his mind.
“His codename is very strange,” Chen Ju put down the teacup and looked at Ming Dongheng, “Called White Vest. Chen Jingyu might come to find him.”
“White Vest…” Ming Dongheng repeated the name silently.
What a cool name.
**
Bai Lian sat in the passenger seat.
She had lowered the window, lazily resting her elbow on it as she looked out at the retreating scenery the whole time.
She was as curious as the first time she rode in a car every time she sat in one.
“You haven’t done the app questions at all?” At a red light, Jiang Fu stopped the car and opened the app to take a look. Someone’s points were still at the bottom rank of “0”.
Bai Lian leaned loosely against the seatback. She propped up her cheek and said, “It’s too difficult Teacher Jiang. Isn’t 0 points very embarrassing for you?”
There was even biology and chemistry in it. She was very unlucky…
The first question she encountered this month was chemistry.
Damn it.
“No.” Jiang Fu glanced at her when the light turned green. He explained seriously, “They don’t dare.”
Soon, they arrived at the gates of First High School.
Jiang Fu parked the car.
Bai Lian waved at him before blending into the sea of people heading into school.
It was currently the rush hour for going to school.
Jiang Fu didn’t drive off immediately. He watched Bai Lian’s back until she disappeared into the crowd. It was evident she was very popular at school, especially after the school anniversary over the weekend.
Almost as soon as Bai Lian entered the crowd, the students erupted into cries of surprise.
Jiang Fu sat in the car, watching that group of students with an icy gaze, his expression frosty, sharp as a sword’s blade.
When Bai Lian reached Class 15, class hadn’t started yet.
“Yang Lin still isn’t here?” Bai Lian put her schoolbag down and looked at Yang Lin’s empty seat. She reached back to tap Ning Xiao’s desk behind her.
Lu Xiaohan and Zhang Shize were always late.
But Yang Lin would arrive at school by 6am almost every day.
Ning Xiao raised his head, “Not here. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Bai Lian took out her books one by one.
Her brows knitted together.
Yang Lin hadn’t come for the first two periods.
Bai Lian went to the office to ask Teacher Lu Lingxi about this. Upon hearing Yang Lin wasn’t present, Teacher Lu’s brows also furrowed slightly, “It’s fine, focus on your classes.”
Teacher Lu evidently knew something but didn’t say, only asking Bai Lian about yesterday’s incident.
Bai Lian told her what she could.
**
Zither teachers were as common as the hairs on a cow’s body in Xiangcheng.
But among them, only one was the most famous.
Teacher Yue.
Ren Jiawei took what Ji Shaorong said very seriously, especially since this concerned Bai Lian.
“It’s my fault,” thinking back to their first unpleasant meeting, Ren Jiawei felt a headache coming. At that time, in the secretary’s description, Bai Lian was like Shen Qing, causing her to have no good expression. “I’ll go find this zither teacher.”
However, Ren Jiawei also found it strange.
Although the zither wasn’t as expensive as the piano, learning the zither still required a certain family background and artistic cultivation.
She didn’t expect that Bai Lian actually knew the zither.
Ji Shaorong knew very little about Ji Mulan and Bai Lian. “Dad said she really likes the zither.”
As for performing, no one had seen it except Ji Hengnian.
Even Ji Hengnian said that.
“Bring Ah Lian to Wanhe Tower at noon,” hearing about it made Ren Jiawei err on the side of caution. Wearing sunglasses, she took her car keys to find Teacher Yue, “I’ll bring Teacher Yue there to wait for you two.”
Ji Shaorong didn’t even get a chance to speak.
Ren Jiawei had already sped off after stepping on the accelerator.
He could only take out his phone to send Bai Lian a WeChat message.
At noon, Ji Shaorong waited for Bai Lian at the school gates.
“Dad.” From afar, Ren Wanxuan already saw Ji Shaorong.
Seeing Ren Wanxuan, Ji Shaorong also settled down. After thinking for a while, knowing it was impossible to hide this from Ren Wanxuan, he explained, “I’m bringing Ah Lian to meet a zither teacher.”
Ren Wanxuan’s fingernails dug deeply into her palms. She lifted her head slightly, seemingly indifferent.
Bai Lian arrived very quickly.
Ren Wanxuan watched Ji Shaorong leave with Bai Lian, her gaze profound.
“A zither teacher?” Bai Lian pressed her vocabulary book with her fingertips, calmly following behind Ji Shaorong. She couldn’t help but lift her head. She thought Ji Shaogun and Ji Hengnian were joking yesterday.
They actually went through with it?
Bai Lian opened her mouth, originally wanting to say it wasn’t needed. But seeing Ji Shaorong’s eager appearance, she rubbed her nose and caught up.
“That teacher is Teacher Yue, the best zither teacher in Xiangcheng. But he rarely accepts disciples…” As they walked, Ji Shaorong introduced Teacher Yue to her.
As he spoke, he pushed open the door of the private room.
In the private room.
Ren Jiawei was chatting with Teacher Yue.
Seeing Bai Lian come in, Ren Jiawei stood up and introduced her to Teacher Yue neither humbly nor arrogantly, “This is the student I wanted you to meet, Bai Lian.”
Teacher Yue was over fifty years old, with slightly greying hair. His eyes were pitch black and turbid.
He held a teacup, subtly sizing Bai Lian up.
Bai Lian’s fingers were long, fair and delicate without a single callus.
Any zither learner would definitely develop calluses on their hands. Having no calluses was almost unheard of—
An outsider.
“I heard Boss Ren say you want to learn the zither,” Teacher Yue’s brows furrowed slightly. He looked at Bai Lian and asked, “Why do you want to learn it?”
Bai Lian was startled for a moment, but she had always been very polite to teachers.
After thinking about it, she honestly said, “Because my mo-my mother asked me to learn it.”
“Just because of this?” Teacher Yue’s brows twisted together. Seeing that Bai Lian didn’t seem to be lying, his expression grew even gloomier, “Then tell me, how many major schools are there in zither playing currently?”
There were schools of zither playing currently?
Bai Lian raised her brows.
In her past, there was only one faction.
Did the senior apprentice brothers and sisters split off?
Seeing Bai Lian’s expression, Teacher Yue immediately knew she was clueless. Any zither learner with a little foundation would know there were nine major schools. He pressed the table and stood up, “You don’t know anything, so how do you expect to learn the zither? Student, the zither is a sacred art, not something for you to show off with. Sorry Boss Ren, I can’t accept this student.”
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Ren Wanxuan standing outside. She was given a fright.
She subconsciously glanced at Bai Lian standing inside the room before softly calling, “Dad…”
Ji Shaorong suddenly recalled something. He took out his phone and opened a video, “Wait, Teacher Yue. I have a video here of Ah Lian playing the zither. Please take a look first?”
- ??? (zhong guo jie): A decorative handicraft that symbolizes good luck, unity, and harmony in Chinese culture. Link here if you want to learn more about these Chinese knots. ↩︎
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