Chapter 143: Liu Manman

At 7:00 AM on the 23rd, Xia Yu got up after turning off his alarm clock.

First, he opened the curtains and took a look outside.

The snow had already stopped, with a thick layer covering the ground. However, the road had already been cleared by the property management staff.

Because everything outside was covered in white, Xia Yu felt the room had become brighter than usual.

After finishing his morning routine in the washroom, he went to the dining room where Zhong Yunze was already having breakfast.

Breakfast was prepared by the housemaid, who also took care of the cleaning in the villa. Without her, Kong Hanyue would definitely have made a mess.

After sitting down at the table, the housemaid served Xia Yu his breakfast—bread and porridge.

After Xia Yu sat down, Kong Hanyue and Youxue came downstairs as well. Youxue looked excited while Kong Hanyue yawned.

“You two are up early today,” Zhong Yunze said, glancing at his watch. It was only seven o’clock.

“Yeah, we’re going out together today,” Kong Hanyue replied listlessly while biting into her bread.

“??”

Zhong Yunze looked at Xia Yu in disbelief: I’ve been working hard managing the company, and you actually took this opportunity to plan an outing with my mom?

“Don’t look at me. She’s the one who wanted to go,” Xia Yu said, unwilling to take the blame.

“I want to go too!” Zhong Yunze exclaimed.

“Don’t be silly. What about the company if you go? Didn’t you already ask your dad’s friend for help? Solve that issue first, then we can go out together later,” Kong Hanyue comforted him, patting his shoulder.

Zhong Yunze had no reply and could only bite into his bread angrily.

After breakfast, Xia Yu, Kong Hanyue, and Youxue said goodbye to Zhong Yunze and took the subway to a station near Yan Wei’s house.

Driving on snowy days was dangerous, and Xia Yu also had little confidence in Kong Hanyue’s driving skills.

After picking up Yan Wei and Yan Li, the group took the subway heading towards the suburbs.

They got off at the last stop and followed Kong Hanyue onto a bus.

The bus slowly arrived at the foot of a small mountain.

“This is an ancient village. It’s best to come here to enjoy the snow on snowy days,” Kong Hanyue said proudly.

After registering at the foot of the mountain path, the group began walking upwards.

The old stone path and the stone platforms on both sides for placing candles indeed had a unique charm.

However, for these young children, would a place with only beautiful scenery truly be interesting?

Xia Yu didn’t mind either way. Having lived two lives, he had already experienced many things. With his skills in painting and music, just viewing the scenery was quite pleasant.

But for younger children, seeing is never as good as playing.

He turned his head to look at the four girls behind him, who were excitedly taking photos with their phones.

Although the scenery itself didn’t bring them joy, the thought of being able to show off these photos later brought them happiness.

It was an indirect happiness.

Reassured, Xia Yu asked Kong Hanyue, “Is access to this place restricted?”

If there were no restrictions, more people should have come here.

“Yeah, this place is kind of a private area,” Kong Hanyue replied.

Halfway up the mountain, the stone path split into two. One branch led to a medium-sized wooden cabin.

A wooden cabin itself wasn’t particularly special, but this one was built on a steep slope, supported by several slanted wooden pillars.

“The best spot for photos is over there!” Kong Hanyue led her three followers toward the cabin.

Xia Yu followed behind.

Inside the cabin were tables and chairs, and on the outermost side was a long balcony, perfect for gazing out at the scenery, which was surely beautiful.

However, the dozen or so tourists inside weren’t out on the balcony.

They sat properly, drinking tea while looking in one direction.

From that direction came the sound of a guzheng.

As the five of them entered, a piece had just finished.

“Is there a performance today?” Kong Hanyue exclaimed in surprise, and the four girls walked toward the guzheng player.

As they approached, Kong Hanyue recognized the musician.

“Wanwan!” she waved at the person.

Seated there playing the guzheng was none other than Xia Yu’s convenient senior apprentice sister, Liu Wanwan.

Liu Rulan had called him two days ago, and today Liu Wanwan had arrived and was playing the guzheng here.

Xia Yu wondered what Liu Rulan had meant when she said that Liu Wanwan had something to discuss with him.

Liu Wanwan also noticed Xia Yu’s group. She smiled in greeting and began playing the next piece.

Kong Hanyue immediately pulled her three followers to sit down and started taking photos with her phone.

Xia Yu ordered four cups of floral tea from the waiter and listened to Liu Wanwan’s music.

The piece was called “Wasteland City,” a lonely and melancholic melody.

The floral tea arrived quickly. Xia Yu took a sip, nodded approvingly, and thought, although it was expensive, it was indeed delicious.

Meanwhile, Liu Wanwan, watching Xia Yu, noticed that he had slightly nodded while listening to her music. Her eyebrows furrowed.

Only seniors would nod in such a manner toward juniors. Did he think he was her senior just because he placed second and she third in the regional competition?

Suddenly, she stopped playing and said, “Sorry, I’ll start over.”

Then, she focused all her attention and began playing again.

The difference between a piece played with full concentration and one played casually was significant to those who truly understood music.

Xia Yu was one such connoisseur. He looked up at Liu Wanwan.

If this were a fantasy world, someone would be gasping in awe, exclaiming that she had reached the late stage of Dou Ling cultivation, and explaining to the clueless spectators how powerful Dou Ling was, and how Liu Senior had only been at the middle stage two months ago, progressing incredibly fast.

Shaking away these odd thoughts, Xia Yu marveled at her progress. Now she had reached level 4 late stage, needing only two more levels to catch up to him.

After finishing the piece, Liu Wanwan stopped playing, and applause erupted from around the room.

Liu Rulan’s skill was only around level 5 late stage, so reaching level 4 late stage was already quite impressive.

The previous piece had evoked a sense of cold loneliness among many attentive listeners, while those who hadn’t listened carefully still found it pleasant.

As the applause faded, Liu Wanwan didn’t start another piece. Instead, she stood up and walked toward Xia Yu.

Only then did the surrounding tourists notice that this table had four young, beautiful women seated there.

Their gazes toward Xia Yu inevitably carried a hint of hostility.

Xia Yu didn’t notice this. He was looking at Liu Wanwan, puzzled about why she had suddenly approached him.

Although she was Liu Rulan’s granddaughter, Xia Yu had no particular relationship with her.

Liu Wanwan looked at Xia Yu and said, “Won’t you play a piece too, second place?”

So she had come to seek revenge over the competition ranking?

During the regional competition, Xia Yu had been at level 4 early stage. Because of the stunning performance of the piece “E Ending,” he narrowly defeated Liu Wanwan, who had been at level 4 middle stage.

A piece could bridge a one-level gap, but now he had improved further! Liu Wanwan felt confident that this time she could let Xia Yu know who the real senior was!

Then, with her superior performance, she would make him agree to her request!