The Qian Family, the second-largest and wealthiest in the capital, had been close friends with the Fu Family for generations. Their families had always maintained strong ties and excellent relations.
As such, when the Fu Family hosted their family reunion banquet, they immediately invited the Qians. The Qian Family took the event very seriously, bringing their entire clan to attend.
Qian Sishi, as the family's pampered daughter, was naturally brought along by her family.
Truth be told, she didn't really want to attend this "utterly boring" banquet.
Qian Sishi was devoted to music and disliked social gatherings. In her opinion, spending time at the banquet schmoozing with irrelevant people would be better spent practicing her piano at home.
From the moment she arrived at the Fu Family residence, the Qian Family's little princess was clearly unhappy. Her displeasure inevitably made her interactions with others seem a bit haughty, arrogant, and even impatient.
After all, she was the Qian Family's only daughter and youngest child, doted on by everyone in the family. She was beautiful, talented, and came from a prestigious family—the epitome of a top-tier "white, rich, and beautiful" woman. A touch of arrogance and haughtiness was only natural.
The young men and women surrounding Qian Sishi were all familiar with and had long accepted her temper and personality, paying it no mind.
In their eyes, Qian Sishi had every right to be arrogant.
After all, she possessed the perfect combination of family background, intelligence, and beauty. What was wrong with her being a little proud?
However, Fu Shan clearly didn't share this view.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Fu Shan raised an eyebrow at Qian Sishi's words.
*So, she's not convinced,* he thought.
As it turned out, Qian Sishi was indeed unconvinced.
She had always been proud and arrogant, especially when it came to her supposed musical and piano talents.
Although she had made a tiny, accidental mistake during her performance, she didn't mind Fu Shan pointing it out.
What she couldn't tolerate was Fu Shan adopting a lecturing tone, lecturing her on the importance of humility and patience.
For someone as proud and self-assured as Qian Sishi, this was simply unacceptable.
*I'm a renowned musical prodigy!* she thought. *Who do you think you are, lecturing me?*
*Hmph!*
With this thought, Qian Sishi lifted her slender, fair, swan-like neck, her beautiful face tinged with arrogance.
"What I mean is, do you understand music? Can you play the piano? If so, come play a piece for me and show me what you've got."
The subtext of her words was clear:
*Don't just talk the talk. If you can't back it up, don't come here spouting off and trying to lecture people, alright?*
Fu Shan understood the hidden challenge in the red-clad girl's words.
He raised an eyebrow, but without hesitation, he nodded. "Sure. I'll just play whatever comes to mind."
With that, Fu Shan strode over to the piano, striking a pose as if he were genuinely about to perform in public.
The young men and women gathered around froze in surprise, then began whispering:
"No way! Is he actually going to play in front of everyone?"
"Yeah, what was he thinking? Does he really dare? Is he trying to openly challenge Qian Sishi?"
"How could he be so foolish? After Qian Sishi just played such a masterpiece, why would he come over and play the piano? Isn't he just setting himself up for humiliation? With Qian Sishi's brilliance as a benchmark, his performance will just make him a laughingstock."
"Exactly! He's a joke! The kind that'll keep us laughing all year!"
"I can't wait to see this overconfident fool make a fool of himself! Haha."
"Me too!"
***
Everyone turned their eyes toward Fu Shan, their gazes filled with schadenfreude, as they eagerly awaited his inevitable humiliation.
After all, they all knew Qian Sishi's musical talent and piano skills.
In their eyes, Qian Sishi was the absolute pinnacle of piano performance for her age group in the country.
This sudden newcomer could never possibly play better than her.
Absolutely impossible!
*Hmph, serving her right for lecturing Qian Sishi.*
*Such arrogant presumption!*
*And he dares to play after her?*
*Heh heh heh, he's just a poor imitation, asking for ridicule.*
The crowd of young men and women had already decided: the moment Fu Shan finished playing, they would mercilessly mock him.
Even Qian Sishi secretly felt the same way.
Seeing Fu Shan approach the piano, she raised her elegant eyebrows slightly. A flicker of curiosity crossed her shimmering phoenix eyes as she stood and cleared the way for him. Folding her arms, she stood to the side, adopting an air of amused detachment as she watched him.
Clearly, Qian Sishi didn't have much faith in Fu Shan either.
She was curious to see just how good his piano skills actually were.
How dare he come here to lecture her?
At this moment, Qian Sishi was brimming with confidence.
She didn't believe Fu Shan's piano skills could possibly surpass her own.
How could that be?
She was one of the most outstanding young pianists of her generation.
How could this young man possibly play better than her?
As this thought crossed her mind, a confident curve appeared on Qian Sishi's red lips.
At that moment, Fu Shan sat down at the piano and began to play.
His slender fingers danced across the keys, and in an instant, a melodious melody filled the air.
The moment the graceful prelude began, the young men and women gathered around were stunned into silence:
"Huh? What... what piece is this?"
"I've never heard this before!"
"This piece is beautiful! But I've really never heard it before. And it sounds incredibly difficult to play!"
***
The young men and women present were all from affluent families, and most had some degree of familiarity with playing the piano.
At the very least, they were all knowledgeable about the instrument.
The moment they heard the prelude, everyone was both astonished and amazed.
Astonished by the unfamiliarity of the piece.
It was utterly unknown to them!
It was beautiful, no doubt.
But they had never heard it before.
What surprised them was that while the piece was lovely, even from the melody alone, they could tell it was exceptionally difficult.
Yet this young man was handling such a challenging piece with such ease and mastery, and playing it so brilliantly, it was utterly captivating.
This...
This kid's piano skills are truly exceptional!
They had completely misjudged him!
"This kid's amazing!"
"I never knew he had such talent. He plays so well!"
"More than just talent—he's a genius! This piece is incredibly difficult. I'd say his playing level is absolutely master-class. No doubt about it!"
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)