127: Beethoven who freeloaded meals

The heavy soundproof door closed, cutting off the noise from the conference center as neatly as if slicing through tofu.

The heating in the lounge was very strong, almost stifling.

Following a soft "click" of the door lock, Ye Xi, who had been as elegant as a white swan on stage just moments ago, instantly collapsed into the fabric sofa, looking completely drained of her bones.

She let out a long breath, sliding down until she was slumped in the same posture as Ge You.

"I was scared to death... truly scared to death..."

Ye Xi patted her chest, her eyes, which had been cool and noble under the spotlight, now wide with fright.

"When that teacher stood up just now, I felt my heart stop for two seconds. It felt like he was going to rush up the next second."

Lin Que leaned against the doorframe, watching the internationally renowned pianist in her current unburdened state, and couldn't help but laugh.

He poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her.

"Drink some water to calm down. Rest assured, although Teacher Yan is fierce, he hasn't trained in parkour."

Ye Xi took the water and gulped down two large mouthfuls.

She looked up, her bright eyes fixed on Lin Que:

"Just now... thanks, volunteer classmate."

"A verbal thank you?"

Lin Que raised an eyebrow, pulled over a chair, sat on it backward, rested his hands on the back of the chair, and propped his chin on his hands while watching her.

"That situation earlier was high-risk work. According to the labor market rates, you have to pay extra."

"I'll pay, I'll pay, I'll pay!"

Ye Xi waved her hand generously.

"For tonight's barbecue, not only will I treat you to kidneys, but I'll also allow you to order two extra skewers of grilled chives!"

Lin Que: "..."

This girl's obsession with barbecue was probably deeper than her obsession with Chopin.

Jokes aside, Lin Que looked at Ye Xi, his gaze becoming slightly more serious.

"But seriously, you really have guts. Referencing 'soul ferry' on an occasion like this, aren't you afraid that Minister Zheng would turn against you on the spot?"

Ye Xi held the water cup, her fingertips unconsciously tapping a rhythm on the cup wall, her playful expression slowly fading.

"Actually... those words just now weren't entirely impulsive."

She stared at the rippling water in the cup.

"Do you know that feeling? Every day when I open my eyes, it's practicing the piano; when I close them, it's sheet music. Sometimes, sitting on the piano bench, I don't feel like a person, but like a precision metronome. As long as I play one wrong note, the eyes of the people around me look like the sky is falling."

Ye Xi turned her head to look at Lin Que, a rare clarity and resonance in her eyes.

"When I read that chapter of 'ghost detective', I really cried my eyes out. A-Zhe can choose not to be reincarnated for the sake of a case, and Zhao Li can violate the rules of the underworld for justice. That spirit of 'even if there are thousands, I will go' is just too cool."

"I thought, if I could be like them, even just once, to break those rules and regulations, to play the music I want to play, to live the life I want to live, that would be truly living."

Lin Que was slightly stunned.

When he wrote 'soul ferry', he had indeed incorporated his thoughts on rules and human nature.

But he hadn't expected that this rich young lady, who seemed to live in the clouds, could so accurately empathize with that repressed longing.

She understood it.

Not understanding the ghost story, but understanding the free will hidden beneath the horror.

"I couldn't tell."

Lin Que smiled, a touch of sincere appreciation in his tone.

"The piano goddess is actually a rebellious girl at heart."

"That's right!"

Ye Xi lifted her chin proudly.

"You think my screen name Fugitive Beethoven is just for show? The point isn't Beethoven, it's the word 'Fugitive'!"

Just as the atmosphere between the two was improving.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The lounge door was suddenly knocked.

It was very rhythmic, unhurried, but at such a time, every sound felt like it was hitting one's nerves.

The moment the knocking sounded, Ye Xi sprang up from the sofa as if electrocuted.

Back straight, legs together, hands folded on her knees.

This set of movements was smooth, completely muscle memory engraved in her DNA.

By the time Lin Que turned back, she already had that impeccable standard smile on her face.

The speed was so fast that Lin Que was amazed.

"Uh, please come in."

Lin Que stood up and straightened his red vest.

The doorknob turned.

The person who pushed the door open was none other than Yan Fang.

The air in the lounge instantly froze.

Ye Xi's fingers on her knees tightened, and she instinctively wanted to stand up.

Yan Fang was still wearing those thick-rimmed glasses, and although her face wasn't as livid as it had been in the venue, it certainly didn't look good.

She was holding a thermos, standing at the door, her gaze sweeping over Lin Que and Ye Xi.

"Teacher Yan..."

Lin Que took half a step forward, quietly blocking in front of Ye Xi.

"Are you... here to inspect work?"

Yan Fang glanced at Lin Que, ignoring his joking.

She walked straight to Ye Xi.

Ye Xi just wanted to speak:

"Teacher Yan..."

Yan Fang raised her hand to interrupt her.

The old lady pursed her lips, seemingly doing some psychological preparation.

After a few seconds, she placed the thermos on the table, the action not gentle, even making a soft "thud" sound.

"It was quite noisy in the hall just now. You are a piano player, you should be used to a quiet environment."

"Teacher Yan... what do you want to say?"

Lin Que saw that Yan Fang had something to say, so he couldn't help but ask directly.

"Oh, it's that, I think student Ye plays the piano often, her hands are precious. This is brown sugar ginger tea I just brewed, it hasn't been drunk."

Ye Xi was stunned.

Lin Que was also stunned, raising his eyebrows as he looked at this notoriously rigid old teacher.

Yan Fang adjusted her glasses somewhat uncomfortably, her gaze avoiding Ye Xi's surprised eyes, looking at the wall beside her, her tone still stiff:

"Student Ye Xi, one thing is one thing, I still insist on my point of view. That so-called soul ferry, for students who are not mentally mature, will inevitably cause misleading. On this point, I will not change my opinion just because you play the piano well."

Ye Xi opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

"However."

Yan Fang's tone changed, she turned to look at Lin Que, her eyes becoming complicated.

"What Lin Que said on stage just now... does have some truth to it."

"I have taught for a lifetime, always thinking about stuffing the best, most orthodox things to the students, afraid that they will take a detour. But seeing those children applauding just now, seeing the light in their eyes..."

Yan Fang paused, laughing at herself bitterly.

"I suddenly realized that maybe I am old. What I call being good for them is perhaps just my wishful thinking. Literature, if it is dead, then it is indeed meaningless."

She looked at Ye Xi again, the sharpness in her eyes fading, leaving only the seriousness and sincerity of an elder.

"As a teacher, I shouldn't have interrupted the guest's speech on such an occasion, and even more so, I shouldn't have embarrassed you in public. This is not in line with etiquette, nor is it in line with teacher ethics."

Yan Fang took a deep breath and bowed slightly to Ye Xi.

"Student Ye Xi, about what happened just now, I was impulsive. I apologize to you."

With this bow, the lounge fell completely silent.

Ye Xi stood up at a loss, hurriedly waving her hands:

"No, no, no! Teacher, please don't do this! It was me... it was me who didn't consider the occasion when choosing the material..."

Yan Fang straightened up, waved her hand, and returned to her usual sternness.

Her gaze turned to Lin Que.

After a silence of two seconds, she seemed to want to say something complimentary, but swallowed the words back.

She raised her hand and pointed at Lin Que:

"And you, don't think you have a point just because you won by being glib. Sophistry is also reasoning, but grades are the hard truth. If you dare to score below 130 in this final exam, see how I make Teacher Shen deal with you!"

Throwing down this harsh remark, Yan Fang turned and left, her back still straight, like a stubborn old pine tree.

The door was closed again.

Lin Que looked at the door, and after a long time, laughed softly.

"This old lady..."

"Actually quite cute."

Ye Xi looked at the cup of brown sugar ginger tea still steaming on the table, and the complex grievance in her heart suddenly dissipated for the most part.

Lin Que nodded.

In this world, there are actually not many truly bad people.

There are more people like Yan Fang, stubbornly guarding their own small patch of land, using clumsy or even hurtful ways to maintain the values they believe are correct.

Only prejudice, no malice.

"Alright, drink the ginger tea while it's hot, don't let down the old lady's good intentions."

Buzz—

The phone in Lin Que's pocket suddenly vibrated, making a sound like some kind of insect flapping its wings in the quiet lounge.

He took it out and saw four large characters jumping on the screen:

"The Empress Dowager"

Lin Que's eyebrows jumped, and he answered the phone:

"Hello, Mom? What's wrong?"

Wang Xiulian's characteristic loud voice came through the receiver, accompanied by the roar of the range hood:

"Son! Are you coming back for lunch? Mom bought lean ribs today and made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs! There's also the newly launched water dropwort stir-fried with dried tofu, and your dad was just nagging for you to come back and nourish your brain!"

The voice was loud, and in this quiet lounge, it leaked a little sound.

Ye Xi, who was originally drinking ginger tea, immediately pricked up her ears.

The words "sweet and sour pork ribs" and "water dropwort stir-fried with dried tofu" clearly entered Ye Xi's ears.

She glanced at Lin Que, then at the direction of the canteen outside the window, her eyes gradually becoming resentful.

Lin Que sensed this gaze, turned his back, and lowered his voice:

"Mom, there's an event at school today, I'll just make do with a bite at the canteen, just..."

Before he could say he wasn't going back, he felt his shirt corner being pulled hard.

Lin Que looked back and saw Ye Xi with her hands together, making a pitiful expression, those eyes that were just talking about art and faith now full of desire for food.

She exaggeratedly mouthed:

"Can, teen, tastes, bad!"

Immediately after, she pointed to her stomach, then pointed to Lin Que's phone, nodding frantically.

The meaning was obvious: Take me with you! I want to eat ribs!

Lin Que glared at her, signaling with his eyes: That's a family dinner, what are you, an outsider, joining in the fun for?

Ye Xi was not to be outdone, pointed at the ginger tea on the table, then pointed outside the door, and mouthed: I am a guest! Hospitality!

Lin Que: "..."

This girl, using what he said to Yan Fang on stage to block him.

On the other end of the phone, Wang Xiulian was still nagging:

"What kind of oil and water is there in that canteen food? It's all MSG flavor! Don't you never eat in the canteen? Hurry back, it's only a few minutes away! It won't delay your afternoon activities!"

Lin Que was about to refuse, but turning to look at Ye Xi's shameless look of "if you don't take me, I'll starve to death for you to see", he sighed helplessly.

"Alright, Mom."

Lin Que rubbed his eyebrows, looked at Ye Xi, and the latter immediately made a "Yeah" gesture, her eyes smiling into crescent moons.

"That... then prepare an extra set of bowls and chopsticks. There's a... there's a classmate who wants to come over for a meal."

...