Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 118 Six times already, Liu Miaomiao!
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the remaining twilight in the sky was like the last ray of bright paint being slowly wiped away, along with the disappearance of the horizon.

Immediately afterwards, the pulse of the city began to beat—neon lights awoke one after another, starting as a few scattered lights, and then spreading out like wildfire, outlining the cold, hard, and solid straight contours of steel and concrete.

It's still the same practice room as last time.

Liu Miaomiao and Lu Mingfei sat side by side in front of the glossy black Steinway & Sons Model B grand piano.

The air was filled with the unique, crisp aroma of burning cedar wood, which, enhanced by the warmth of the heating system, lingered in the dim light, adding a touch of hazy, ambiguous charm to the space.

But Lu Mingfei's heart was not calm.

As a "lu monkey" who put a tight headband on himself, if he wants to cause trouble in the "Heavenly Palace," he has to ask the headband on his head if it will allow it.

It's really no one's fault but theirs. Sun Wukong was tricked by Tang Sanzang back then, but Sun Wukong wrote down his own schedule stroke by stroke!
"Strange, why hasn't Aunt Shanshan arrived yet?"

Lu Mingfei looked around and asked with some curiosity.

"Today..."

Liu Miaomiao's voice trembled slightly and paused noticeably. She lowered her head slightly, trying to hide her face, which was strikingly red even in the dim light, in the shadows.

"Teacher Shanshan is busy with something, so she... won't be coming to class. She said we should study on our own."

For a typical well-behaved girl, lying was indeed a bit difficult, and Lu Mingfei could tell even without using his [Emotional Perception] ability.

However, the piano prodigy is naturally shy. If we expose her, she'll probably be so ashamed she'd want to crawl into a hole. That wouldn't be fun.

But to be honest, he really trusts me. We're alone together, a man and a woman. If he really has any ulterior motives, he'll have nowhere to turn... Lu Mingfei thought to himself, his expression slightly strange.

[Warning, electric shock countdown...]

Don't worry, that's right, absolutely right! My motto, Lu Mingfei, is "remain unmoved even with a woman in my lap," making me even more virtuous than my senior brother!

"Although it sounds strange for a tutor to make students study on their own, I don't have to say anything since I didn't pay for the tutoring."

Lu Mingfei muttered a small complaint, then reached out and flipped open the piano sheet music on the music stand. "So what are we practicing tonight..."

The sound shifted to a short, knowing "Ah..." the moment the content was understood.

The piano sheet music displayed before them was not printed, but rather copied and drawn from the delicate handwriting of a young girl.

Lu Mingfei had never seen a four-hand piano piece before, but the distinct upper and lower sections "Primo" and "Secondo" that were so different from the solo score, along with the two grand staffs, were enough for him to realize what it was.

"This is the piano piece we'll be playing for the four-hand piano duet at the gala, right?"

Lu Mingfei spoke with an air of certainty. As he read the musical notes, it was as if music was already playing in his ears.

"I didn't expect you to finish so much so quickly. It seems Aunt Shanshan was right, you really do have world-class musicality and composing talent!"

"We've only finished half of it. Time is tight, so we'll practice a portion first..."

Liu Miaomiao lowered her head shyly, suppressing the thought that had just popped into her mind, "If I hadn't seen Ling in your room, things wouldn't have gotten this fast," and her face burned even hotter.

"It must be very hard."

Lu Mingfei flipped through the sheet music and casually asked, "Were you so tired last night that you fell asleep early?"

Liu Miaomiao's heart skipped a beat.

She was thinking of giving up last night when she drew the curtains, but now she's changed her mind and reaffirmed her resolve, hasn't she?
The little bit of secret joy in my heart was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples.

"He even noticed this small change, he must care about me a lot!"

The thought melted in her heart like a tiny piece of candy, leaving a sweet feeling.

She gave a soft "hmm," her voice barely audible, and then, as if gathering her courage, she raised her watery eyes to look at Lu Mingfei.

"Shall we...begin?" Her voice trembled slightly, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

"it is good!"

Lu Mingfei readily agreed.

Asking an ordinary person who has only studied piano for six hours to try playing a four-hand duet, especially a piece they have never heard or seen before, is absolutely asking too much of a question; it's utterly absurd!

But this wasn't a problem for Lu Mingfei. His freakish talent in piano was more than enough to support this absurd feat—just glancing at the notes, he could almost hear the music playing right next to him!
“I’ll play Primo, the high register. You play Secondo, the low register…”

Liu Miaomiao gently assigned tasks, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her turbulent emotions.

"Are you ready?" she asked softly, still a little tense.

“Let’s begin.” Lu Mingfei nodded.

So, she gently lowered her slender hand, her fingertips touching the warm surface of the piano keys, pressing down with an almost reverent tenderness.

The hammer plucked the strings, and a clear, ethereal sound filled the music room.

An invisible mist seemed to rise gradually with the lingering sound of the zither, enveloping everything. Liu Miaomiao slowly closed her eyes, her ten fingers moving ceaselessly.

And so those vivid images flashed and played before her eyes.

It started with a hapless boy asking a girl how to practice the piano.

After that, he remained unknown for a long time, like an ordinary stone.

One day, he suddenly changed, becoming strange and peculiar. This piqued the girl's curiosity, but she only watched from afar and did not take the initiative to explore.

However, such coincidences always happen in the world, and the two met in a completely unexpected place.

Then, an even greater surprise appeared in the boy, like a stubborn rock by the roadside that finally shed a piece of its outer layer, revealing the brilliance that was rightfully his...

Lu Mingfei's fingers followed suit, effortlessly and smoothly joining the narrative of the music.

Musicality is a very mysterious thing. For those with top-level musicality, they can always "read" the creator's emotions from the music, and even "see" the story behind it.

Previously, when Lu Mingfei first encountered "Wedding in a Dream," he experienced this almost psychic feeling.

And this time, he was once again engrossed in it.

Coincidentally, the reason why Lu Mingfei felt familiar with "Wedding in a Dream" was because most of the stories were about him.

And this time, he felt a sense of familiarity with this untitled four-hand piano piece... and this time the feeling was even stronger, with no sense of incongruity whatsoever!
In an instant, Lu Mingfei understood. It turned out that this four-hand piano piece was telling the story of him and Liu Miaomiao. The two of them were playing their own stories, so how could it not be harmonious and smooth?
Because these things actually happened in real life!
These melodies are the reflection of reality in their hearts!

Thus, everything the girl was ashamed to talk about and couldn't say in reality—those secret flutters, those cautious attempts, those anxieties and uncertainties, and finally the determination to break free from her cocoon—was completely released in this interwoven piano music!
Like an invisible thread, it pierced through the air and reached the depths of the boy's heart without any hindrance.

So, it all started from that time...

It turns out, she had so many worries and anxieties...

original……

Those scenes seemed to appear before Lu Mingfei's eyes, allowing him to see everything that had happened these past few days from another perspective and to experience all the emotions and feelings that the girl had at that time...

and many more!

what is that?
The visuals, the emotions, and the insights?

As if struck by lightning, Lu Mingfei stopped playing his instrument in a daze.

[Warning, electric shock countdown...]

The countdown failed to bring Lu Mingfei to his senses, because—

A flash of inspiration struck.

Unlike scientists who either endure months of hardship, years of arduous effort, or even a lifetime of waiting, Lu Mingfei received his reward in just one day!
【three……】

The crucial question of "how to express the true meaning of words" is solved at this moment!

Visuals and feelings are abstract things, and to express them with sound, we naturally need "music," which is equally abstract!
There are few people in the world who can perfectly express images and feelings through music. This requires an exceptional level of musicality.

But right now, right here in this practice room, there happen to be two of them.

Once that thin veil was lifted, things seemed so simple.

But if it weren't for everything contained in this four-hand piano duet, that girl's feelings... who knows how long it would have taken before he discovered them?
Lu Mingfei subconsciously looked at Liu Miaomiao.

【two……】

At this moment, because the bass part of the music was suddenly gone, Liu Miaomiao, who had already memorized the score and was playing with her eyes closed, frowned slightly and opened her eyes.

She turned her head and met Lu Mingfei's eyes, which were filled with joy and excitement.

Why the joy and excitement?

Thinking of everything she had revealed in the musical score, which was almost entirely undisguised, Liu Miaomiao felt a chill run down her spine.

Could it be...

【one……】

At this moment, Lu Mingfei finally snapped out of his euphoria. Seeing the countdown, his expression changed slightly, but his experience of pushing himself to the limit so many times told him that there was no time left for him to slow down by playing the piano.

This electricity is inevitable, and it will happen in an instant.

But Liu Miaomiao was right beside him, watching him!

If he were to stand there trembling and screaming, and the girl saw it, wouldn't that be a bit too strange?
Moreover, although the electric shock only lasts for a short while, what about the subsequent period of paralysis?
The risk of social death is extremely high, and the situation is perilous!
In a moment of panic, Lu Mingfei didn't have time to think. Following his instincts, he opened his arms and hugged the girl who was almost within reach tightly. With lightning speed, he used [Vitality Micro-Management] to put himself in a state of "Unable to move" and "Unable to speak".

[Electric shock released!]

Intense pain spread throughout my body!

This current clearly doesn't actually exist in reality, but is specifically targeted at the "senses," or more accurately—the soul.

Despite the excruciating pain, Lu Mingfei managed to spare a tiny bit of attention to observe Liu Miaomiao's emotional reaction. He discovered that she was simply overly tense, her mind blank, causing her body to stiffen, rather than being electrocuted as well.

"Pain Pain Pain Pain!"

He cried out silently, holding Liu Miaomiao tightly and remaining motionless.

The lingering notes from the strings slowly faded, and the room fell silent. The two were pressed close together, heads touching, bodies pressed together, making their heartbeats all the more noticeable—the boy's heart was pounding at an alarming rate! Even the girl's heart was in turmoil.

"Is he... nervous?"

Feeling slightly dizzy from being enveloped in Lu Mingfei's pleasant scent, Liu Miaomiao thought to herself, "How could this be? He's even more nervous than me..."

She recalled what Lu Mingfei had said last time, "because your heart rate broke 300 three times"... and for a moment she felt it was true.

Including this time, this should be the fourth time?
Just then, the doorknob of the music room turned slowly and silently, and Aunt Shan, who had been "listening" all along, quietly peeked out.

Complete trust was impossible, of course. After all, you can only know a person's face, not their heart. Who knows if Lu Mingfei was just putting on a good act? What if something really happened when they were alone...? So, while she ostensibly had something to do, she was actually eavesdropping the whole time.

The sudden pause was clearly wrong. So she rushed over to check, and then...

What she saw made her pupils dilate in shock!
"Hey, how did you end up hugging me like that? You just gave yourself away like that? You should at least have struggled a bit!"

Aunt Shan was very anxious. She was worried that Lu Mingfei might do something next... Liu Miaomiao was out of the question. It seemed that the little piano beauty's mind was now filled with nothing but pink cotton candy!

But what reason will I have to stop them then? Is it because "high school students under the age of 18 are not allowed to kiss"?

Fortunately, Lu Mingfei was clearly sensible. He broke the stiff silence first, and whispered something in Liu Miaomiao's ear, looking somewhat "weak." Liu Miaomiao then asked him in a daze... After two rounds of this, the two separated and resumed practicing the piano.

One of the saddest things in the world is having a melon right in front of you, but not being able to eat it!

"There are only the two of you here, what are you whispering about? I'm the matchmaker, the matchmaker!"

Aunt Shan was extremely anxious, but dared not break down the door.

In fact, the conversation between Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao was very simple.

Lu Mingfei: "This is the sixth time already, Liu Miaomiao..."

Liu Miaomiao: "No...no, wasn't it four times?"

Lu Mingfei: "You don't think that only what you see counts, do you?"

Liu Miaomiao: "Huh? Oh..."

(End of this chapter)