Wen Zhiyu was scrolling through videos before bed, laughing so hard she couldn’t stop.
She tapped into Li Moyuan’s message and curiously asked what kind of part-time job it was.
LMY: 【A friend of mine is looking for a piano teacher. The pay is generous. Interested?】
Little Fairy: 【That “friend” you mentioned isn’t you, is it?】
This kind of thing was all over the internet.
People who were too embarrassed to talk about their own situations would use the “friend” excuse.
LMY: 【No.】
Wen Zhiyu rejected it without a second thought.
All those high-paying offers online were scams—she was fully equipped with anti-fraud awareness.
LMY: 【What are you afraid of?】
“Afraid you’ll find out I’m using someone else’s photos for a cyber romance with you.”
Wen Zhiyu muttered to herself.
Little Fairy: 【Nothing, bro. You know I already found a job. I can’t juggle more.】
LMY: 【The schedule is flexible. It can completely accommodate your time.】
Wen Zhiyu was tempted. Desperately tempted.
It really was a really, really good part-time gig.
Li Moyuan’s friend, like him, came from wealth—money wouldn’t be an issue.
LMY: 【One thousand yuan per hour.】
Wen Zhiyu bit her finger pitifully, her heart aching even more.
Little Fairy: 【Bro, thanks for the offer. Mwah mwah.】
The heartache continued.
LMY: 【Alright. If you change your mind, you can let me know.】
Little Fairy: 【Mm-hmm.】
When she fell asleep, she dreamed about it.
She accepted the job, but the person who showed up wasn’t the so-called friend—it was Li Moyuan himself.
Li Moyuan discovered he’d been deceived and threw her into a mental hospital.
A group of lunatics surrounded Wen Zhiyu.
“Let me out! I’m not crazy!”
Wen Zhiyu gasped, waking from the nightmare.
The room was pitch dark. The big orange cat’s blue pupils glimmered with an eerie light as it let out a “meow,” lifted its head, and padded over to Wen Zhiyu’s side.
She hugged its chubby body, steadying her nerves.
Thank goodness she hadn’t accepted Li Moyuan’s offer.
It wasn’t time for work yet, so she lay back down to sleep.
The alarm rang once. Wen Zhiyu shifted positions, burying her head in the pillow.
Five minutes later, the alarm rang again.
Without opening her eyes, she fumbled to turn it off, mumbling to herself—just five more minutes, just five more minutes.
The few minutes of sleep before getting up were always the best, and time flew by the fastest.
By the time Wen Zhiyu sat up in bed, half an hour had already passed.
Damn. She was going to be late.
She scrambled to gather her things while the big orange cat meowed hungrily.
Wen Zhiyu gave herself a quick rinse with water—no makeup needed, her face still carrying that youthful, collagen-filled look.
She filled the cat’s bowl with kibble and rushed out the door.
Li Mei was out for a stroll and spotted her, puzzled.
“Zhizhi, aren’t you going to work today?”
She knew Wen Zhiyu needed to leave before nine.
“Auntie, I have to catch a bus. Bye!”
Wen Zhiyu was in such a hurry that Li Mei didn’t have time to stop her.
Li Mei had wanted to have the driver give her a ride.
Wen Zhiyu sprinted like the wind, panting for breath as she reached the bus stop.
She’d left nearly fifty minutes late and had no idea when the next bus would arrive.
She checked the map—the next bus wouldn’t depart for another twenty minutes. Taking the bus was definitely out of the question.
Going to the subway station would also be too slow.
Wen Zhiyu bit her lip and, with a pained heart, called a ride-hailing car.
She’d only worked one day and hadn’t earned much, yet here she was spending dozens of yuan on a cab.
Sitting in the back seat of the ride-share, her heartbeat fluctuated with the rising fare on the meter, making her feel even worse.
After paying, she got out of the car.
At least she wasn’t late.
No one had requested a song yet, so Wen Zhiyu sat in the lounge and messaged Li Moyuan.
Little Fairy: 【Wuwuwu, do you know how much I spent on that cab?】
Little Fairy: 【45.56 yuan. 45.56! Do you know how many groceries I could buy with that, or how many bus rides?】
She’d never been this broke in her life.
Little Fairy: 【Wuwuwu.】
Followed by a string of crying cat memes.
Only tears could express her pain.
Li Moyuan had just woken up and saw Wen Zhiyu’s messages.
LMY: 【Transferred 45.56 yuan.】
He’d noticed a pattern—Little Fairy wouldn’t accept large red envelopes, but she’d take small ones.
Wen Zhiyu stared at the red envelope for a few seconds but still didn’t accept it.
Being late was her own fault. Spending the money would teach her a lesson.
If Li Moyuan reimbursed her, she’d develop a lazy mentality and end up being late again.
Little Fairy: 【Bro, I can’t accept it. It’s fine—I’m not upset anymore.】
Li Moyuan had to get to work and told Wen Zhiyu to contact him if anything came up.
Not long after her shift started, Wen Zhiyu received her first order.
She walked out and sat down at the piano, preparing to play.
“Wen Zhiyu. It’s you.”
Li Manzhu’s fingers rested on the piano as she stared at Wen Zhiyu in shock.
“You can play the piano?”
Wen Zhiyu gave a slight nod and began tuning.
The person who requested the song was Li Manzhu, and she’d picked La Campanella.
This piano piece demands nimble, fast, and precise fingerwork—various octaves, chromatic scales, trills, and rapid runs—putting the endurance of the fingers to a serious test.
Non-musicians might not understand just how difficult it was.
“Yes, Miss Li.”
“Then can you play Liszt’s La Campanella?”
“I can.”
Wen Zhiyu had studied piano and worked hard to earn her certifications.
“If you find it difficult, we can switch to another piece.”
Li Manzhu had no intention of using this opportunity to bully Wen Zhiyu.
The two weren’t familiar with each other. She had heard about Wen Zhiyu’s situation and knew she was currently in a precarious position.
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Li.”
Wen Zhiyu curved her eyes into a sweet smile.
Li Manzhu felt even more reluctant, as if she were committing a sin.
She decided to wait and see how things went.
The music flowed gently.
Slender fingers struck the correct keys with precision.
Li Manzhu’s eyes lit up. She didn’t disturb Wen Zhiyu, who was immersed in the ocean of music, and simply listened quietly from the side.
She hadn’t expected Wen Zhiyu’s small frame to unleash such immense energy.
Sunlight fell on Wen Zhiyu’s face, illuminating the fine down on her skin, her round cheeks fair, tender, and smooth.
Before Wen Zhiyu even finished playing, Li Manzhu had already made up her mind.
The piece came to an end, its resonance lingering in the air.
“Zhiyu, you’re amazing.”
Li Manzhu invited herself over and sat on the stool beside Wen Zhiyu.
She took Wen Zhiyu’s hand. “The most, most, most amazing Zhiyu in the world, could you do me a favor?”
Her sudden enthusiasm startled Wen Zhiyu.
“What is it?”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing shady like murder or arson. I’m preparing for my piano grade exam, and my big brother is busy all day. Could you be my teacher?”
Li Manzhu blinked her eyes.
Wen Zhiyu bit her finger.
How strange—people all over the world were looking for piano teachers.
Li Moyuan was looking, and Li Manzhu was looking too.
No, wait—Li Moyuan was looking for a teacher for Li Manzhu.
He hadn’t directly revealed that she was his sister.
“I—”
The refusal had just begun when Li Manzhu took her hand again. “The most, most, most amazing Zhiyu in the world, please, you’re the only one who can solve my problem. One thousand yuan an hour, paid upfront, settled on the spot.”
“It’s not that I can’t.”