Chapter 15

It was morning rush hour. In front of the two grand, classical gates of Jingyang School, students in Jingyang school uniforms shuttled back and forth.

Some had just gotten off the school bus line, others had stepped out of private cars. Groups of three or five surged forward like a swarm.

As usual, Cheng Yitan was squeezed off the bus by the crowd. His slim, frail body staggered a bit.

Right after getting off the bus, a tall guy had roughly bumped his shoulder. The guy didn’t apologize and instead cursed at Cheng Yitan in disgust. His shoulder still hurt a little now.

The crowd surged forward. Boys and girls walked in pairs or groups, their complaints about morning classes, digs at rival families, and occasional bursts of laughter floating above the throng.

Cheng Yitan kept his head down, like a strand of duckweed tossed into a ceaseless river, drifting along with the flow of the crowd.

His hair had grown quite a bit longer, falling above his nose bridge and narrowing his field of vision once more. But when he couldn’t see the world clearly, a sense of security began to grow in a dark way.

Amid the clamor of the crowd, a low-key luxury car controlled its speed and slowly drove into the tree-lined campus road, stopping in front of Jingyang’s magnificent gates.

Luxury cars lined up outside Jingyang’s gates, including some exorbitantly priced limited editions and even a few supercars. But the ones that always drew everyone’s unanimous attention were just a few.

Everyone looked over and whispered among themselves.

“It’s Zhou Jinsheng.”

“He feels later than usual today. Normally at this time, I never run into him.”

Someone nearby rolled their eyes. “Run into him and then what? Go up and recommend yourself? He’d be too lazy to even glance at you.”

The previous guy shook his head nonchalantly, disagreeing. “Nah, you’re wrong there. My dad’s company is riding the wave of favorable policies from above right now, momentum is strong. Who knows, we might collaborate in the future.”

“Hey—”

“What?”

“That’s not Zhou Jinsheng.”

Someone looked over following the voice.

A familiar face said uncertainly, “Shen Yu?”

“Shen Yu?”

Cheng Yitan’s movements froze. The clamor in his ears instantly receded like the tide.

He couldn’t help but grip his backpack strap tightly, his heart pounding. His mind once again flashed to the anonymous text he’d received not long ago.

Every time he tried to trace the IP of that text, it got blocked immediately. In the end, after spending days cracking it, the address he traced led back to his own neighborhood.

It had clearly been masked.

The text’s content was straightforward—

Want to teach him a lesson?

Don’t worry, no one will find out.

It didn’t say who, but everyone knew who.

Like a heavy hammer striking his heart precisely in an instant.

Cheng Yitan lowered his eyes, breathing rapidly. His slim body was jostled by the crowd, nearly causing him to fall.

The car door slid upward automatically. Shen Yu got out.

He wore the standard Jingyang Western-style school uniform set: a white shirt with black trousers, a long tie loosely wrapped around his slender neck.

Morning sunlight shone on his fair face, making his peach blossom eyes shimmer captivatingly, ethereal and otherworldly.

In the morning light, the young man slung a backpack over one shoulder, rubbed his sore shoulder impatiently, and shifted his body aside.

At the car door, Zhou Jinsheng stepped out with long legs, carrying his backpack lazily. He stood beside Shen Yu.

The two of them together were like a painting slowly unfurling, truly a sight for sore eyes.

Zhou Jinsheng raked the stray hair from his forehead back with one hand, a sharp, aggressive arrogance bursting from his brows and eyes.

The two exchanged a glance. Zhou Jinsheng’s hand landed on Shen Yu’s shoulder, lips curving as he teasingly pinched it, only to get swatted away mercilessly by Shen Yu.

The two exuded an intimacy oblivious to others, chatting and laughing as they headed toward the school gate.

The originally crowded flow of people parted to both sides, tacitly making way, and no one found it improper.

By the time Cheng Yitan reacted, he had already been squeezed to the front row.

The two passed right by him. Shen Yu’s eyes held a smile as he turned his face to speak to Zhou Jinsheng. Zhou Jinsheng frowned, yanked the guy’s shoulder into his arm, blocking Shen Yu’s line of sight that was about to land here.

Cheng Yitan heard Shen Yu’s question: “What are you doing? Hands all over the place.”

“We’re gonna be late. Walk faster.”

Zhou Jinsheng replied lazily. The corner of his eye seemed to glance this way, or maybe not.

Light as a wisp of willow fluff, landing in the dust underfoot.

Shen Yu’s music class wasn’t the same period as Zhou Jinsheng’s. The previous music teacher was a foreign old professor full of romantic and artistic flair, but due to a routine hospital checkup conflicting with the schedule, he had notified the school and teaching secretary for leave.

So the grade director combined the two music classes.

There were quite a few familiar faces in the classroom. Chen Jinyang and Chen Miaomiao were there too. Shen Yu greeted the siblings and sat beside Zhou Jinsheng.

It was a piano lesson.

The instructor was a young woman with long hair and fair skin, wearing a pure chiffon dress. She stood gracefully, her long hair tied to one side and cascading down her neck, faintly revealing a pretty collarbone.

She didn’t look much older than the students present. She had just graduated from the neighboring music conservatory and transitioned from internship to full-time.

She stood by a piano that was clearly worth a fortune, facing a group of rich kids. Her teaching style was still a bit green, but her presence was steady. She spoke eloquently, but unfortunately, the students below weren’t interested—few were listening.

Only when she talked about her specialty did some classmates react.

“Teacher, play one.”

“Play one, play one—”

This group of young elites were bold. They all egged the female teacher on to play a piano piece.

The teacher couldn’t resist the urging from the students and didn’t realize the impropriety of being pushed into the role of a performer. Thinking it was just student antics, she smiled shyly and lifted the piano lid.

Shen Yu frowned.

The music teacher had no intention of showing off. Her fingertips flowed into a Canon.

Halfway through, Shen Yu grabbed a violin from nearby and went on stage.

A ribbon like flowing water was tied to the bow, fluttering lightly.

For BLESS Instrument Shop’s centennial, they had issued a complete commemorative instrument set worldwide. Among them, a special edition of one hundred sets wasn’t for sale or distribution—mostly for musicians, shops, or museums. Jingyang’s set was one complete collection.

The moment the violin sounded, the fingers on the black-and-white keys paused. But her rich performance experience let her quickly catch this gentle, romantic encounter.

The violin’s rich, varied tones turned into faint light sinking into the sea, resonating in harmony with the piano’s melodious, slow melody, forming a beautiful movement.

For a moment, the music lingered softly, like mist in the clouds, flowing gently in the illusory space.

It made people calm, immersed.

The duet ended abruptly, the music stopping and pulling everyone back to reality.

The previously rowdy crowd couldn’t help but look toward Shen Yu on stage with the violin at rest.

The young man stood tall and jade-like, his temperament aloof, untouched by worldly dust.

Yet those eyes always rippled with approachable warmth, making him irresistibly captivating.

This group of second-gen heirs had little direct interaction with Shen Yu. Most knew his name through others, and some had seen familiar faces at Blue Sea Bay.

But circles turned over fast; they’d likely forgotten him long ago.

At this moment, they were all drawn unanimously to the natural romance emanating from the young man.

Pure, passionate, free, beautiful.

Someone asked the person next to them, “Who’s that? Never seen him before.”

“Shen Yu.”

“No way, the one who offended Zhou Jinsheng?”

Chen Miaomiao overheard and leaned in, deliberately raising her voice. “Get lost, you surfing on 2G or what? This news is eight hundred years outdated. Look at them sitting together—do they look like they’re on bad terms?”

“Yeah, yeah, Sister Chen’s right.”

Zhou Jinsheng sat in the front row, his gaze fixed on Shen Yu. He rarely stared at someone so intently from this upward angle.

Staring long enough, he almost felt like one of the masses, only able to watch Shen Yu from such a distance.

It felt strange.

Two seconds later, Zhou Jinsheng raised a brow, lifted his hand, and started the applause.

Everyone snapped to, and soon the classroom filled with praise and claps. A bold girl even whistled teasingly and long at Shen Yu, quickly stopped by her ladylike friend beside her.

Shen Yu bowed to the audience, his posture relaxed and elegant in curtain call, then hopped off the stage with a smile.

He had a natural magic for drawing love, like a magnet pulling gazes. If anyone else pulled this stunt, they’d get labeled as attention-seeking, but on him, it felt perfectly fitting.

This world was a vast wilderness, and he was the free breeze upon it.

Shen Yu placed the violin back on the stand and, under the varied gazes, sat back beside Zhou Jinsheng.

Shen Yu took a deep breath: 【I get it now.】

007 asked: 【?】

Shen Yu said solemnly: 【I get why Zhou Jinsheng acts so pretentious. The thrill of nailing a show-off moment is just too good. I was wrong about him before.】

Shen Yu steadied himself back at his seat, pulled out his phone to play, and casually tapped the latest financial news.

The top one popped up: things weren’t looking good lately, policies coming thick and fast from above, storm brewing. Several companies faced financing issues. The company name—

Mingrui?

Shen Yu’s scrolling finger paused.

Why did this name look more and more like the one the original body’s cheap parents had registered?

Shen Yu tapped into the company page.

Sure enough, it was.

“What are you looking at?” Zhou Jinsheng glanced at him.

Shen Yu closed the phone, spun it in his hand, and said casually, “Nothing, just some short videos.”

Zhou Jinsheng hadn’t seen it clearly but knew it wasn’t videos. His tone rose in dissatisfaction. “Shen Yu, you really think I’m blind? A string of characters like that and you call it short videos?”

“Can’t a guy pause his videos in peace?”

Shen Yu reopened the phone and flashed it at Zhou Jinsheng—a paused video of sheet music.

Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze swept from the phone screen to the music teacher ahead. Long hair, fair skin, looks not outstanding but unique aura. Standing there, serene as time stood still—

Definitely the type to stir spring feelings in young boys.

Zhou Jinsheng frowned. “Looking at sheet music for what? Planning to show off later too?”

Shen Yu leaned in. “You’re like the sea, minding everyone’s business.”

Zhou Jinsheng threatened, “Can’t I?”

“You can, you can.” Shen Yu hadn’t thought of an excuse yet, his eyes turning. He put on a mysterious air. “But it’s a secret for now. Can’t tell you.”

Zhou Jinsheng couldn’t hold back and kicked him.

Then got kicked right back by Shen Yu without mercy.

Music class was the last period of the afternoon.

When the bell rang, the music teacher didn’t drag it out and let everyone go.

Students left in groups of three or two, chatting about the latest hot news from Shangjing.

A tall, handsome black-haired young man reached the door. His peripheral vision caught Zhou Jinsheng still in his seat, hands in pockets. He stopped.

Light and shadow traced back. He turned his body slightly, profile sharp and stern.

Shen Yu quickly recognized him.

The original story’s protagonist bottom Yu Tingsi’s older brother, Yu Xiao. His looks were fifty percent similar to Yu Tingsi’s.

But with narrower eye spacing, brows and eyes connected smoothly to the bridge, his contours were sleek and sharp, lacking Yu Tingsi’s near-gorgeous delicacy.

The Yu and Zhou families interacted often. Perhaps from early involvement in family business, or as the older brother, Yu Xiao’s temperament was stern and reserved. But being young, his words and actions still carried youthful vigor.

Yu Xiao glanced at Zhou Jinsheng, his sharp brows lifting. “Zhou Jinsheng, not leaving?”

Zhou Jinsheng lifted his gaze lazily. Their eyes met, undercurrents surging.

Zhou Jinsheng scoffed. “Nosy much? Mind your own brother instead.”

“Who’s minding you.” Yu Xiao’s gaze swept over Shen Yu. Shen Yu smiled at him.

Yu Xiao paused, nodding slightly.

He said to Zhou Jinsheng, “Old Master Zhou asked me to pass a message to you.”

Zhou Jinsheng: “What message?”

Yu Xiao pondered. “In a few days, go back to Sihua Gardens once.”

Zhou Jinsheng frowned, brushing it off. “Got it.”

Zhou Jinsheng’s younger uncle, Zhou Mingli, had lived abroad for the past few years. Approaching forty, he had remained unmarried until recently, when news came from overseas that he had suddenly fallen head over heels for some Spanish girl who appeared out of nowhere. They had swiftly tied the knot, announcing plans to return home for a grand wedding banquet to invite guests from all directions.

Yu Xiao shifted his gaze away, aloof and cold like a heavy snowfall blanketing a pine forest.

He nodded to Shen Yu in farewell, then left through the door.

This was the first time Shen Yu had seen Yu Xiao—and it was also the last.

The vast music classroom was left with only Zhou Jinsheng and Shen Yu.

The clock hands crept forward slowly, as if frozen in place. Dusk light filtered in, the plants stood serene, the ivy outside the window quietly blanketed the wall, and even the wind held still.

Shen Yu said nothing, and Zhou Jinsheng naturally had no interest in speaking.

With the classroom emptied of everyone else, Shen Yu suddenly hopped onto the podium and sat down before the piano. His fingers brushed over the lid, flipping it open. He pressed down on a few keys, producing a discordant jumble of notes.

Zhou Jinsheng looked mildly surprised. “You’re good at the violin—piano too?”

“These instruments are all interconnected. It’s easy to pick up. If you’re interested, I can teach you sometime.”

These were, of course, just polite words. In his previous life, he had specially learned piano because of Zhou Jinsheng—and through piano, he had dabbled in other instruments as well.

Zhou Jinsheng didn’t respond.

Shen Yu wasn’t embarrassed. Lies came easily to him. “Right, I was just memorizing the score earlier. I planned to play it specially for you alone.”

His tone grew earnest, his eyes brimming with a smile as he emphasized the point with exaggerated seriousness. “Zhou Jinsheng—only for you to hear.”

Zhou Jinsheng froze.

Before he could react, the young man at the piano withdrew his gaze. A fluid melody, undulating like rippling water, poured from his fingertips. It filled the empty, silent space, echoing and reverberating back.

A few strands of breeze slipped in, lifting the fine black hairs on Shen Yu’s forehead and revealing his lowered brows and eyes.

The final note faded into the air.

The piece came to an end.

The young man sat at the piano, enveloped in wisps of light like drifting mist. Delicate flows of Heavenly Dao Power intertwined with the lingering sound waves of the melody, reluctant to part from him.

Sensing this subtle aura that seeped into the soul spirits, Shen Yu fell thoughtful.

007’s eyes widened. 【Host, your fortune… it’s deviated…】

Though it was only a tiny fraction—almost imperceptible—it was undeniably there.

Host and system exchanged a glance, pretending to weep tears of joy.

Motes of dust danced in the light.

The wind swayed the curtains. Shen Yu’s figure flickered in the play of light and shadow—now clear, now blurred.

Suddenly, the person on stage noticed Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze. He turned his head and smiled faintly.

Zhou Jinsheng watched him.

The ivy and flowers outside the window, previously still, began to grow wildly. Swaying beams of light leaped into the room, casting golden gleams that danced recklessly across the floor. The clock hands spun in frantic circles at an unprecedented speed.

All the stagnant time shattered in that instant, surging back into motion.

【Ding—】

At the same time, 007’s voice rang in Shen Yu’s ear.

【Detachment countdown: Ten days.】