129: Our friends are a little different.

Tao Yan still hadn't figured out why even after leaving the office.

Why would the donor specify Ni Zixin? Over the past three years, that girl had never shown any sign of having a powerful background!

"What's wrong, Xiao Yan? You suddenly ran out and gave me a fright!"

"It's nothing."

"Don't take it to heart. It's just a piano. What's the big deal if she plays it? At worst, I'll buy one for you later."

Tao Yan didn't speak, instead doing her best to calm her emotions.

What she wanted right now wasn't actually that piano, but her dream.

That piano was the embodiment of her dream, but Su Hang didn't understand this. Even though he loved her, in his eyes, it was just an object—something optional.

"Xiao Yan, you were indeed a bit too tense just now. That's your school's piano, not yours. Arguing with others over such a small matter isn't like you."

"It's nothing."

She was indeed a bit too tense. After all, it felt as if her dream had suddenly been touched by someone else, and that was something she couldn't bear.

"Xiao Yan, it's okay. Even if they don't let you play, so what? The person on stage might not play as well as you. Once you graduate, there will be plenty of opportunities like this."

In the afternoon, inside the broadcasting hall.

Shen Qian walked into the hall with his three roommates. Being outsiders, they were quite conspicuous.

"Who is he?"

Su Hang quickly spotted Shen Qian. He didn't care about the others, but the one leading them—perhaps because he was so handsome—gave him an inexplicable sense of crisis.

"His name is Shen Qian, a first year freshman," Tao Yan replied.

"A first year? Is he from your school?"

"No. I'm also curious why he's appearing here today."

"Did no one stop them?"

At that moment, Song Shulu stood up from the front row and immediately smiled upon seeing Shen Qian. Shen Qian nodded back as a greeting, and then he and his three roommates found four seats and sat down.

Ni Zixin, on the stage, also saw Shen Qian. She felt both excited and moved, and the smile on her face was uncontrollable.

Shen Qian looked at Ni Zixin from below. He hadn't seen her for a few days, and she seemed to have become a bit prettier. Whether for men or women, confidence really is the best cosmetic surgery.

He waved toward the stage and then made no further movements. However, his action was caught by Tao Yan, and a suspicion quietly formed in her mind.

But she immediately dismissed the thought.

"How could that be? Shen Qian is clearly handsome and rich. Why would he donate such an expensive piano for Ni Zixin?

Unless he's a fool, he wouldn't do something like that."

She didn't doubt Shen Qian's financial strength. Although he only drove a bmw worth over two hundred thousand, she just felt that Shen Qian had that kind of ability. After all, his violin skills were so high that even if he wasn't a Second-generation rich, he could probably earn quite a bit teaching others the violin.

And even if he were to spend a fortune, the object of such spending shouldn't be Ni Zixin.

She used to be a nobody... The more her mind tried to deny this suspicion, the more it kept popping up.

It wasn't until Ni Zixin sat down at the piano and her fingers touched the keys that her attention returned to the stage.

The performance lasted about an hour before ending. As soon as it was over, Ni Zixin rushed off the stage excitedly and ran toward Shen Qian.

"How was it? Did I play well?"

The girl's action of coming up and hugging Shen Qian's arm left the rest of the roommates stunned, and they silently sized her up.

She was pretty, yes, but still a bit behind Tan Xinxin. She could only be considered mid-to-lower tier in the School of Arts, though her spirit and energy were much stronger.

Song Shulu watched silently from behind, feeling a bit sour. If she weren't married, and if she were as young as Ni Zixin, could she also rush forward and hug Shen Qian like that?

She hadn't noticed that, unconsciously, she no longer resisted contact with Shen Qian because of her married status. In the past, this would have been a very dangerous signal, but now, she didn't want to care about that.

"Old Third, this is..."

"Are you Shen Qian's roommates? Hello, I'm Shen Qian's good friend."

The three men's minds reeled. 'Friend'? Looking at the softness pressed against Shen Qian's arm, they immediately felt that Shen Qian's 'friends' seemed a little different from their understanding of the word.

"Junior Shen, long time no see~"

Several people walked over. They had all seen Shen Qian when he came here to rehearse before. Their gazes first swept over Shen Qian and the three people around him, then landed on the arm Ni Zixin was holding.

"I was wondering why Zixin has been looking more and more different lately. It turns out someone has been 'recharging' her."

"Not bad, Zixin! You've found some premium food and you've been eating it in secret!"

The group was talking and laughing, while Tao Yan and Su Hang walked right past them. Shen Qian glanced at this Boyfriend who had never appeared before.

He thought about it for a moment.

This man's appearance wasn't outstanding. If it were for money, Tao Yan shouldn't be that shallow. Or rather, if it were for money, this guy would have likely been eliminated long ago; there must have been other, more powerful Second-generation rich guys chasing Tao Yan.

"Strength unknown, continue observing. Looking at Tao Yan's expression just now, this move wasn't a mistake."

Thinking this, he put his arm around Ni Zixin's shoulder and looked at his roommates, who were staring blankly.

"Since the seniors are all here, why don't we go out for a meal together? My roommates also happen to like musical instruments. Maybe everyone can discuss and exchange ideas."

"We..." Gao Haitao was about to say they didn't give a damn about instruments, but he immediately recalled the tricks Shen Qian had taught them and changed his tune.

"That's right, we especially like instruments, especially the piano. And we're very interested in piano tuning. We'd like to ask the seniors for advice on how exactly a piano is tuned."

It had to be said that these words were a bit blunt and greasy, but with Shen Qian standing there, it didn't seem quite so greasy.

"Sure, we don't have anything else to do anyway. Why not go for a drink?"

They naturally weren't interested in these three silly boys; Shen Qian, next to Ni Zixin, was their real target. They had a hunch that Ni Zixin's performance on stage this time was mostly thanks to this junior. Yet this junior was keeping a low profile, driving only a bmw worth over 200,000.

They could use these three roommates to probe into Shen Qian's background.

As they were talking, Song Shulu also walked over from the front row. The others didn't notice her until she was close, but Shen Qian was different. The moment this woman walked over, their gazes had already met and intertwined.

"Zixin, you played well. Keep up the good form."

She said only that and then left. No one noticed that at the moment she left, her pinky finger lightly brushed against the back of Shen Qian's hand.