Yan Sui returned to her dorm and looked at the number on her new bank card, marveling at how such good things could exist in the world.
This job was way too easy!
She skillfully took out a brand-new phone card and swapped it in.
After entering layers of code, she transferred her salary.
Then, she posted her requirements online.
The young girl watched as her money quickly dropped from five digits to three digits and sighed.
Still so poor…
Why were the costs so high? She had only bought a little bit.
After placing the order, she pulled out the phone card, cut it into pieces, and switched back to her regular one.
It was almost time for class.
Yan Sui slung her backpack over her shoulder and hurried out. Halfway there, she spotted a poster for the Peach Leaf Cup piano competition.
It looked somewhat familiar, and she remembered it was the competition Gu Xin was participating in, as mentioned in the café.
The Peach Leaf Cup was the highest-level national piano competition for university students, inviting world-renowned pianists as judges. If lucky, participants even had the chance to become a master’s student.
She wasn’t particularly interested, but after seeing the champion’s prize money, she stopped in her tracks.
200,000 yuan!!
For the students here, it was nothing—just the price of two of their bags.
But for Yan Sui, it was a fortune!
She leaned in to study the details closely.
A teasing voice sounded from behind.
“Is Yan Sui interested in the piano too?”
Gu Xin walked over with a few friends.
Yan Sui glanced over and recognized them as the people from the bar that day—both men and women. It seemed their little circle was quite close.
The young girl greeted them politely, “Hello, I was just taking a look.”
Gu Xin said, “Yan Sui, if you’re interested, I can help you.
“The registration period has already ended, but I can ask my dad to pull some strings and get you in.”
Someone beside her chimed in, “Gu Xin, she might not even have seen a piano before.”
Gu Xin smiled even brighter, “It’s fine, participation is what matters.
“Yan Sui, you’ve just arrived at the university, so it’s a good opportunity for everyone to get to know you and expand your social circle.”
She appeared enthusiastic and cheerful, “Since you’re interested, just join. I’ll tell my dad right now.”
“Huh?” Yan Sui’s small face scrunched up, looking troubled, as if she wanted to stop her.
But Gu Xin didn’t give her a chance to speak, immediately pulling out her phone and making a quick call.
“Yan Sui, I’m doing this because you’re Lin Ran’s sister, so you won’t even have to go through the preliminary or first rounds~”
Someone laughed, “Gu Xin, you’re so kind, using connections to give our little sister from the countryside a chance to shine.”
Yan Sui looked even more flustered, “I… I’m not…”
“Alright, Yan Sui,” Gu Xin’s expression darkened,
“You didn’t drink when I toasted you before, and now you’re refusing a favor. What’s your problem?”
Her voice grew a little louder, drawing the attention of many people nearby.
Countless curious eyes fell on her, and anyone would feel an indescribable pressure under such scrutiny.
Gu Xin smirked, watching her reaction.
In the end, Yan Sui’s eyes reddened as she gave in, looking panicked but forced to accept.
“Thank you, Sister Xin. I’ll go when the time comes, but I’m afraid I might disappoint you.”
Gu Xin smiled again, “That’s more like it, be confident. See you at the competition.”
The group walked away laughing, leaving behind a pitiful, bewildered young girl.
Yan Sui scratched her head, thinking, “There’s such a good thing?”
She had been trying to figure out how to sign up, and now someone had arranged it for her.
She wasn’t particularly skilled in many things, but coincidentally, piano happened to be one of them.
To be precise, whatever the Godfather was good at, she was good at too.
The Godfather wasn’t from China and spoke fluent English and French, so her English and French were as proficient as her native language.
The Godfather was an academic genius, most skilled in making poisons, so she knew how to do that too.
The Godfather had exceptional investigative and counter-surveillance abilities, so she was especially sharp as well.
One of the Godfather’s rare forms of entertainment was playing the piano.
There was a dilapidated church in the countryside, and inside it was a broken organ that required pedaling. Most of the time, it was out of tune, and occasionally, air would leak out.
It was on that broken organ that Yan Sui, following the Godfather, played through all the classic pieces.
It wasn’t until she saw this poster that she realized there wasn’t much difference between a piano and an organ.
Not only did the champion receive a prize, but the top ten contestants also got rewards.
What if? Maybe she could earn a little something?
Yan Sui carefully noted down the competition time. There was still some time left, so there was no need to rush.
Class was about to start, so she grabbed her backpack and ran over.
For Yan Sui, the novelty of university life was quite interesting.
But Lin Jian hadn’t been having such a good time lately.
A previous financial shortfall had ultimately failed to be covered.
The funds for that major project had been delayed for nearly half a year, and he’d heard that the person in charge of the branch office was almost unable to keep the foremen under control.
Although it hadn’t directly reached him yet, it was still a ticking time bomb.
On top of that, several other related projects were also on shaky ground.
Lin Jian was extremely anxious.
To make matters worse, he was frequently plagued by nightmares, and He Wan had become neurotic.
Lin Jian couldn’t understand why his life had suddenly taken such a turn for the worse over the past month or two.
At the dining table, the couple, both looking very grim, brought up Yan Sui again.
It was He Wan who initiated the topic.
“So you still don’t believe me? You don’t believe it’s because this girl is sinister?”
Lin Jian’s tone was extremely impatient:
“She’s timid, inexperienced, and obedient. I know her birth date—she doesn’t bring bad luck to me or to you.
“Don’t just blame her because we’ve been unlucky lately.”
He Wan took a deep breath.
She knew that trying to tell them the truth was useless, so she might as well try a different approach.
“What if? Better to believe it’s true than to ignore it.
“When did our bad luck start? When did we start arguing? When did Lin Qi start rebelling? Wasn’t it right after she came back?”
He Wan stared into Lin Jian’s eyes. “So, I suggest we send her back.”
Lin Jian opened his mouth as if to refuse.
But He Wan quickly added:
“Send her back, and once you find a suitable marriage candidate, we can bring her back.
“Maybe once she’s gone, our family will return to how it was before? Actually, there’s no need for her to live with us at all, since her only purpose is to be married off.
“There’s no downside to this. It won’t affect anything. Why not give it a try?”
Lin Jian was clearly persuaded.
He Wan took Lin Jian’s hand. “Let’s do it, husband. When she comes back this weekend, I’ll arrange for someone to take her away.”
This time, Lin Jian didn’t refuse.
He Wan’s long-pent-up frustration finally eased at that moment.
Once she sent Yan Sui back to that wretched place, everything would become much simpler.
How could she possibly wait for Lin Jian to find a suitable marriage candidate for her and then bring her back?
He Wan took a sip of bird’s nest soup and finally revealed a smile—
She would find a carefully selected match for Yan Sui before Lin Jian could choose a marriage partner.
Cook the raw rice until it’s done.
Let Yan Sui taste what a man is like, going directly from the mountain village to marrying into another family, never to appear before her again.