In the audio-visual room.
He Jiayu sat before the piano. His hands were very beautiful—slender fingers with distinct joints, dancing across the black and white keys, even more captivating than the notes themselves.
Xu Zhiyuan found her attention drawn to his hands. She wasn’t someone who particularly admired hands, but at this moment, she suddenly understood those who did. Who wouldn’t like such long, beautiful hands?
Her gaze carried a certain intensity. He Jiayu sensed it and gradually stopped playing. Turning around, he saw her staring at his hands. He glanced at his own hands—they didn’t seem particularly special—but since Xu Zhiyuan was looking so intently, it meant his hands had indeed caught her attention.
“How was it?” He Jiayu suddenly felt like teasing her. “Was my playing okay?”
Xu Zhiyuan snapped back to reality, her ears turning slightly red. She had been so focused on watching He Jiayu’s hands that she hadn’t paid any attention to how he played.
She made a fist with her hand and placed it by her mouth, clearing her throat. “It was okay.”
“Any areas that need attention or improvement?” he asked again.
She truly didn’t know.
“There are, but play it again first,” Xu Zhiyuan said with a serious expression, though the shifting of her eyes betrayed her obvious lack of confidence.
A soft laugh escaped He Jiayu’s lips. Xu Zhiyuan was puzzled for a moment until she recognized the teasing glint in his eyes, then she understood.
She pushed him lightly, annoyed. “What are you laughing at?”
Even as she said this, she couldn’t help but laugh herself. “Stop laughing.”
Seeing her like this, how could He Jiayu hold back his laughter? His hearty laughter, no longer restrained, reached Xu Zhiyuan’s ears. He Jiayu grabbed the hand she had placed on his shoulder.
At this moment, he did think his hands were quite good—they could perfectly envelop Xu Zhiyuan’s hand. But he found Xu Zhiyuan’s hands even more beautiful. From the shape of her nails to the warmth of her palm, everything aligned perfectly with his preferences.
“My hands are nice, right?” he said.
“Not as nice as mine,” Xu Zhiyuan withdrew her hand and placed it next to his for comparison. “See, mine are the pretty ones.”
Xu Zhiyuan’s skin was naturally fair, and her hands were no exception. He Jiayu had a cool, pale complexion. When their two hands were placed together, there was still a distinction—the difference between a man and a woman, between strength and gentleness, between firmness and softness. Yet the two hands seemed so well-matched. Just comparing them like this stirred a desire to savor the moment.
Suddenly, the larger hand moved, its fingers hooking around the smaller hand’s fingers, pulling it over and holding it in his palm. Then their fingers interlaced, fitting together so perfectly without a single gap.
“They are very beautiful,” He Jiayu nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Xu Zhiyuan. Sure enough, he caught sight of her blushing earlobes.
His wife really was easily embarrassed.
But even when shy, those large, dewy eyes would still look at you. Within them, aside from starlight, there was only him. Seeing this, He Jiayu’s heart melted completely.
Xu Zhiyuan felt embarrassed, but she also had her own thoughts—she couldn’t show weakness; she needed to adapt.
They were husband and wife, just as He Jiayu himself had said—their relationship couldn’t be more intimate. If she got shy just from holding hands, wouldn’t that make her seem weak? If that happened, He Jiayu might tease her like this all the time in the future, and she would be at his mercy.
That wouldn’t do. Between husband and wife, there should be equality. Even if she felt shy, it had to be on equal terms.
Right now, she still felt shy, but she couldn’t avoid it. She had to adapt, and then she would be able to face it calmly, standing on equal footing with He Jiayu.
But when would she get to see He Jiayu shy? That was something she needed to think about carefully.
“Of course,” Xu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but let her lips curve upward, and she didn’t want to hold back. Happiness was happiness—there was no need to control it. “Enough joking, hurry up and play it again.”
He Jiayu adored this side of Xu Zhiyuan. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.
Now, both of them focused seriously.
…
Guangsheng Entertainment.
Ren Qingfeng and Sun Yi were called into the recording studio without any warning and handed a sheet of lyrics.
“This is a new song written by Teacher Xu.”
A new song written by Teacher Xu?
The two of them looked at the manager in pleasant surprise. Was this Teacher Xu the one they were thinking of?
“Single Love Song” had achieved the top spot on last month’s new song chart, with downloads breaking recent records. It had given Wang Hao a boost, bringing him a flood of commercial opportunities and significantly raising his market value.
Wang Hao wasn’t quite a first-tier singer yet, but he was close, with at least one classic hit to his name.
They were even less established than Wang Hao.
At least Wang Hao had released several songs before, but they were different. They had only been with the company for two years, having debuted through a talent show, and their popularity wasn’t particularly high. The company had plans for them, but for various reasons, nothing had materialized.
Fortunately, they still had work and maintained some exposure, so they hadn’t faded into obscurity.
Had the goddess of fortune finally noticed them today?
“Familiarize yourselves with the lyrics. We’ll start recording soon.”
“Yes!”
Their voices were filled with excitement, as if they could already see a bright future ahead.
…
The Xu Family.
He Jiayu was coming over for a meal, and Xu Tianhe had started preparing the day before, determined to make sure He Jiayu was satisfied.
The gap between their two families was simply too vast. If Xu Tianhe weren’t worried that Xu Zhiyuan might offend He Jiayu because of it, he would have gone with his wife to see Xu Zhiyuan long ago.
As in-laws, they were probably the only ones in such a position.
But they weren’t angry or anxious.
They hadn’t placed all their hopes on Xu Zhiyuan; instead, they focused more on Xu Zhixiao.
After all, He Jiayu had chased after Xu Zhixiao to England right after the wedding. Xu Zhixiao claimed He Jiayu hadn’t looked for her, but they had run into him twice while dining out. That wasn’t a coincidence—it meant he had been keeping an eye on Xu Zhixiao all along. Otherwise, how could they have bumped into him both times?
He Jiayu liked Xu Zhixiao—that was a fact they were certain of.
Having Xu Zhiyuan please He Jiayu and maintain a good relationship with him was an additional safeguard, ensuring their connection with the He family wouldn’t be severed. To put it bluntly, Xu Zhiyuan was merely a link to maintain the relationship between the two families. As long as Xu Zhixiao didn’t return, she was useful. Once Xu Zhixiao came back, she could step aside, her mission accomplished.
Neither He Jiayu nor Xu Zhiyuan knew about their thoughts.
The thought of returning to the Xu family filled Xu Zhiyuan with resistance, but she knew she would have to go back sooner or later. No matter how strained their relationship was, Xu Tianhe and his wife were still the biological parents of this body, and some superficial formalities had to be observed.
When He Jiayu walked into the living room, he saw his wife sitting on the sofa, exuding an aura of irritation. Her cheeks were puffed out, and he had no idea what was going through her mind to make her so angry—even her hands resting on her thighs were clenched into fists.