141: Soul mate

"Of course…"

Jiang Che smiled faintly, nodded slightly, and after taking his seat, he adjusted the keys and began to play directly.

"Zheng!"

Clear and melodious notes burst from Jiang Che's fingertips, winding and lingering, stirring and resonant, as a rhythmic melody began to echo in the piano room.

The ethereal music, elegant and pleasing, could be called a masterpiece.

Xia Qingge subconsciously closed her eyes, listening intently to the beautiful melody.

In an instant, beautiful scenes automatically outlined themselves in her mind.

Under the setting sun, in the garden, a pair of lovers, deeply devoted, sweet and intimate, utterly infatuated with each other.

Accompanying the rhythmic melody, Xia Qingge's mood also began to fluctuate, her expression constantly changing: a foolish smile, sorrow, dejection…

Unconsciously, crystal tears slid down her beautiful cheeks, on the verge of weeping, like pear blossoms bathed in rain.

Good music can always touch the heart, evoke strong resonance, and unconsciously immerse people in it.

Jiang Che's piano mastery had long reached an unprecedented, unparalleled peak, truly the best in the human world.

Even improvised playing could quickly open Xia Qingge's heart, making her linger and willingly fall into its depths.

……………

After a long while, the piece ended.

It wasn't until the rhythmic melody gradually ceased that Xia Qingge, in a daze, slowly came back to her senses.

Slightly raising her gaze, Xia Qingge looked at Jiang Che with undisguised admiration, her starry eyes bright and radiant, as if illuminated by light.

Even though she had a certain expectation for Jiang Che's piano skills.

But after truly hearing Jiang Che play a piece, Xia Qingge realized that she had still underestimated the man before her.

Not to mention herself, even those world-renowned, famous international piano masters would pale in comparison to Jiang Che, losing their brilliance.

In the past, her family had specifically hired many international piano masters to teach her various playing techniques.

It can be said that Xia Qingge's remarkable achievements in piano at such a young age were inextricably linked to these renowned teachers.

Xia Qingge naturally acknowledged the piano mastery of those masters.

However, in her opinion, even her own teachers could not be compared with Jiang Che before her; they were simply not on the same level.

Jiang Che's piano music had an extremely strong sense of resonance, making Xia Qingge unable to bear missing even the simplest note or melody; she couldn't stop listening.

[Xia Qingge is full of admiration for you, Emotion Value +9999… ]

[Xia Qingge's mood fluctuates, Emotion Value +4422… ]

"Wonderful, truly wonderful!"

"I never expected, Young Master Jiang, that your piano skills would be so profound; it's truly an eye-opener!"

Xia Qingge sighed with a look of deep emotion, her smile as beautiful as a flower, her limpid eyes blinking, her gaze shifting, and a sudden surge of curiosity for Jiang Che arose in her heart.

It was hard to imagine what terrifying talent and brilliance one must possess to achieve such astonishing feats at the age of twenty-one.

In the past, Xia Qingge had once prided herself on being a favored daughter of heaven, believing that few young people could surpass her in piano mastery.

Now, reality had taught her a good lesson, and Xia Qingge deeply understood the principle that there are always people better than you, and there is always a higher heaven.

Indeed, in this world, there is no shortage of various peerless geniuses, and she was merely one of them.

"Oh?"

"Then tell me, how high is it exactly?"

Jiang Che raised an eyebrow, asked with interest, teasing her.

"Hmm… well~"

"Probably as high as three stories!"

Xia Qingge's big eyes rolled around as she thought seriously for a moment before speaking thoughtfully.

She stood on her tiptoes, extended her snow-white lotus-root-like arm, making a slightly exaggerated gesture that looked quite amusing and cute.

In fact, Xia Qingge had always been a very easygoing person, without much of the airs of a young lady, and she would not casually look down on others.

Her gentle and graceful demeanor, warm treatment of others, and keen intelligence all exemplified the qualities of a noble young lady.

Therefore, she was praised by those at Lin University as the most beautiful campus belle, earning titles such as 'first love,' 'white moonlight,' 'unattainable dream,' and 'dream lover.'

If one were to ask which campus belle at Lin University had the most admirers, Xia Qingge would undoubtedly be the first.

Perfect looks, a perfect family, a perfect personality, and capable in both domestic and scholarly arts, with some knowledge of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she was almost every man's ideal partner.

Whoever could marry this young lady of the Xia family would truly have smoke rising from their ancestral grave.

Jiang Che smiled noncommittally, readily accepting Xia Qingge's evaluation without excessive modesty.

"Jiang Che… I've practiced this piece, 'adeline of the watery shore,' repeatedly for many years, and I've mastered all the melodies, but when I play it, I still feel a huge difference compared to you. Why is that?"

"What was that most important missing 'divine charm' you mentioned earlier?"

Xia Qingge moved a chair from the side, sat down, placed her hands on her knees, and sat upright, posing her questions.

Xia Qingge also felt that she seemed to have encountered a bottleneck recently.

However, she was completely at a loss as to how to overcome this bottleneck.

"Because this piece has always extolled romantic idealism…"

"To reach a transcendent height, the most important thing is to be able to resonate completely with the musical score, to comprehend the legendary state of 'man and music as one'…"

"As far as I know, Xia Qingge, you don't seem to have ever had a boyfriend, do you?"

"Without personal experience and understanding, relying solely on technique, it's difficult for you to grasp this state…"

Jiang Che spoke eloquently and concisely, directly pinpointing Xia Qingge's current dilemma.

"Is that so…"

"Probably… isn't that what 'investing true emotion' means?"

After listening to Jiang Che's explanation, Xia Qingge suddenly understood, feeling a sense of clarity as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.

All her inner confusion receded, and Xia Qingge now understood why she couldn't perfectly master this piece.

After realizing this, Xia Qingge immediately became somewhat troubled again.

As for dating, she wouldn't say she had no interest at all, but her interest was indeed minimal.

What she had always pursued and yearned for was a soulmate, not the fast-food relationships prevalent in society today.

Therefore, even though she had never lacked various admirers over the years, Xia Qingge had not been impressed by any of them, always maintaining her purity and integrity.

Without a deeply memorable relationship, she couldn't fully resonate with and master the musical score.

But… where could she find that soulmate?

Subconsciously, Xia Qingge looked up at Jiang Che in front of her, her heart suddenly accelerating, and subtle ripples stirred in her maiden's heart.