Chapter 162: The First Private Meeting

At seven o’clock on Monday morning, Xia Yu’s alarm clock rang, and he got up from bed.

This morning, he and Liu Manman were going to An Siyao’s house to discuss the music pieces and set a practice schedule.

At half past seven, he started having breakfast at the table, and Liu Manman, already dressed and ready, came into the dining room.

“Here,” the girl said, tossing something to Xia Yu.

It was a bamboo xiao flute.

“The one you used last night—wasn’t the spacing between the finger holes a bit too short? That’s the one I usually use,” Liu Manman yawned as she sat at the table.

Xia Yu instinctively glanced at her hands. Indeed, they were slightly smaller than his own.

Thinking back, if that was her usual flute…

Well, better to pretend he hadn’t figured it out.

After breakfast, the two headed together to An Siyao’s villa.

Looking at the villa before them, Liu Manman exclaimed in admiration, “It’s just a bit smaller than my house. Although my family’s home is an ancient building, the actual area still can’t match this one.”

Hearing this, Xia Yu glanced at her sideways. Thinking to himself:

Liu Manman must be referring to her family’s ancestral home in the north. Even in a smaller city, a piece of land larger than An Siyao’s villa wouldn’t be cheap.

This girl was also the daughter of a wealthy family.

When the two arrived at the villa, a woman dressed in a suit came out to greet them.

It was Yu Ningmeng.

Yu Ningmeng led the two inside. Along the way, she observed them carefully.

Generally, people entering the front courtyard would be amazed by the scenery that immediately came into view. Even she herself had been quite surprised when she first came in.

However, from their expressions, Yu Ningmeng didn’t sense any astonishment.

The girl showed some curiosity, glancing around at the garden scenery.

As for the boy, he seemed completely accustomed to it, not even bothering to look around.

This intrigued Yu Ningmeng. She had their files in hand. Liu Manman came from a prominent northern family, so staying calm was understandable. But how could Xia Yu, born an ordinary person, remain so composed?

She didn’t know that Xia Yu was even more familiar with this villa than she was.

Upon entering the living room, Xia Yu saw An Tiansheng sitting there, drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

“Uncle An,” Xia Yu greeted.

“Oh, it’s Xiao Yu,” An Tiansheng put down the newspaper and feigned surprise, as if he had no idea Xia Yu was coming, “You’re the one who’s going to form a team with Yaoyao? I hadn’t heard about this!”

Xia Yu responded with a polite smile.

“You know An Siyao’s father. Then why did you only give me information about An Siyao’s school?” Liu Manman whispered accusingly into Xia Yu’s ear.

“Do you believe me when I say I only met Uncle An after that?”

“Do you think I believe you? He’s acting so familiar with you already?” Liu Manman could clearly see the warmth on An Tiansheng’s face.

Xia Yu gave up trying to explain. Liu Manman’s understanding of interpersonal relationships was still quite superficial. She didn’t realize that capable people tend to be warmly approached wherever they go.

“This way, please,” Yu Ningmeng continued leading them, bringing the two to a specially prepared room.

Inside, a maid was pouring tea.

“Please have some tea and rest for a while. The young miss will be down shortly.” After settling them in, Yu Ningmeng left the room.

After a minute, the door opened again, and An Siyao walked in.

Dressed in a white dress, the thin fabric was suitable for the air-conditioned villa.

Xia Yu and Liu Manman took off their coats and placed them on the coat rack.

“What piece are we going to play?” An Siyao sat on the sofa. Her tone wasn’t as soft as when she spoke with Xia Yu; instead, it sounded somewhat assertive.

Liu Manman looked at Xia Yu sideways. She felt that An Siyao’s demeanor and tone were somewhat similar to Xia Yu’s.

In fact, An Siyao was imitating Xia Yu when he was possessing her body, so it came naturally.

Xia Yu looked into An Siyao’s eyes and noticed that she slightly averted her gaze, realizing that she was only pretending to be assertive.

“We can choose one piece, and you can decide the other,” Liu Manman replied.

“No need. You two can decide both,” An Siyao wasn’t good at making decisions, especially ones that would affect others.

Twirling a strand of hair near her forehead, Liu Manman sensed something odd. Tentatively, she said, “Then how about ‘Moon Shadow’ and ‘Lost Souls’?”

“Okay,” An Siyao nodded.

Beside her, Xia Yu sighed inwardly. ‘Lost Souls’ was a xiao flute piece, and so was ‘Moon Shadow.’ How could both pieces be for the xiao flute? Liu Manman was testing An Siyao, and An Siyao had taken the bait.

Sure enough, Liu Manman revealed a triumphant smile. She leaned closer to An Siyao, “You, you’re actually nervous, aren’t you?”

Unable to maintain her assertive demeanor, An Siyao shrank away from Liu Manman.

“We’re not bad people. You don’t need to be so nervous,” Liu Manman’s mischievous side surfaced, and she continued moving closer.

Unable to watch any longer, Xia Yu grabbed Liu Manman’s collar and pulled her back.

Feeling panic at being exposed, An Siyao stood up, “I’m not feeling well. I’ll go back first.”

This was the way Xia Yu had taught her three months ago to handle such situations.

“Wait, wait. I promise I won’t tease you anymore,” naturally, Liu Manman wouldn’t let An Siyao escape. She quickly made a promise.

“Then don’t say unnecessary things!” An Siyao felt angry inside but maintained a pitiful expression on her face, making her seem very adorable.

“Let’s practice ‘Tears of the Moon’ first. That’s our piece. You can tell us about your piece when you decide,” Liu Manman said seriously.

The three each went to their own instruments and began playing silently.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Frowning in frustration, Liu Manman had originally planned to come today to get closer to An Siyao. They hadn’t even brought their guzheng and xiao flute, but fortunately, An Siyao had prepared them.

She thought: After hearing An Siyao’s piece “Girl by the Bonfire,” she had imagined her to be romantic and interesting, but never expected her to be such a troubled girl.

They practiced quietly until noon when a maid reminded them the time was up. An Siyao immediately closed her piano lid and left the room.

During this time, Xia Yu had tried to communicate with her several times, but she only answered questions directly, like an automated assistant.

At noon, Xia Yu and Liu Manman were invited by An Tiansheng to stay for lunch.

An Tiansheng tried to create common topics to bring his daughter and Xia Yu closer. He failed. An Siyao finished eating quickly, showed no intention of entertaining Xia Yu and Liu Manman, and returned to her room by herself.

Xia Yu and Liu Manman left the villa. Their first private meeting with An Siyao had failed due to her refusal to communicate.

This girl was going to be a bit difficult to handle.

Thinking this, Xia Yu walked along the path in the front courtyard with Liu Manman.

At that moment, a voice came from not far beside them.

Following the sound, Xia Yu saw An Feixiong.

An Feixiong was speaking with an air of arrogance, while in front of him sat Xu Youxiang in a wheelchair.