You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

In front of the two was a Steinway piano that was quite old.

Although the black body of the violin was covered in dust, it still couldn't hide its innate nobility.

Jiang Che stepped forward, stretched out his finger and wiped it on the piano lid, his fingertip immediately getting covered with a thick layer of dust.

"I'm quite surprised that Su Daqiang didn't sell this piano back then," Jiang Che casually remarked. "Something worth millions is just sitting here collecting dust."

It's likely that Su Daqiang's family didn't think the piano was that valuable, or perhaps they thought it looked nice as a decorative piece in the house, so they kept it.

Su Qinghe didn't speak. She released Jiang Che's hand and, relying on her memory of the piano's location, slowly took two steps forward.

Soon, her palms touched the cold piano keys, and her somewhat stiff body relaxed a little.

As Jiang Che watched her slowly caress the piano keys, the questions in his heart finally couldn't be contained.

"Qinghe, there's something that's been puzzling me for a long time."

Jiang Che leaned against the piano, tilting his head to look at her. "You said that your parents weren't good to you, and that your family had a very serious problem of favoring sons over daughters."

This is what Jiang Che can't understand the most.

If it's a family that favors sons over daughters, and if they treat their daughter as a financial burden, then why spend so much money to raise her?

Jiang Che, having grown up in aristocratic circles, naturally knew that playing the piano was a bottomless pit.

Putting everything else aside, this Steinway grand piano alone is enough to buy a decent house in Lincheng if you exchange it for cash.

Add to that the cost of hiring renowned teachers from childhood to adulthood, and this expense is definitely not a small amount.

"If they treat you badly, why are they spending so much money on your piano lessons?"

Jiang Che asked directly; he didn't want to beat around the bush with Su Qinghe, nor did he feel there was any need to.

Su Qinghe's fingers gently traced across the black and white piano keys, as if trying to savor that long-lost tactile sensation.

After several seconds, she tilted her head back slightly, then turned her head roughly in Jiang Che's direction.

She didn't answer Jiang Che's question, but instead softly asked in return, "Jiang Che, do you want to hear it?"

Jiang Che was stunned for a moment.

He then laughed, shifted into a more comfortable position against the piano, and jokingly said in a relaxed tone, "Of course I want to. A solo performance by the piano goddess is something others can't even hear even if they pay money. How could I not want to?"

Su Qinghe's lips curved slightly.

She fumbled to pull out the piano stool, sat down, adjusted her posture, and straightened her back.

The moment she placed her hands above the piano keys, Jiang Che could clearly feel that her entire demeanor changed instantly.

The timid, blind boy who used to hide behind him for protection is gone.

Sitting at the piano at this moment is a goddess whose every move exudes elegance and confidence.

Ding--

As the first note faded, a touch of lively life emerged from the deathly silence of the villa.

Jiang Che doesn't understand piano, but that doesn't stop him from thinking it sounds good.

The melody is very soothing, like a clear spring in the mountains, or a gentle breeze on a summer night.

The boy glanced sideways at the girl who was engrossed in playing her instrument under the lamplight, his gaze momentarily unfocused.

The door to memory was pushed open without warning.

He remembered the opening ceremony of his first year of high school, when he first met Su Qinghe.

She sat in the center of the stage, dressed in a pure white gown, like a proud white swan.

The spotlight shone on her, and the whole world seemed to pale in comparison, just to highlight her dazzling brilliance.

Jiang Che sat not far from her, listening to her perfect and fluent performance, and slowly and deliberately played the violin on his shoulder to accompany her.

Who could have imagined that the once-revered "Piano Goddess" would one day fall from grace and become battered and bruised?

To his utter surprise, she was sitting right in front of him at that moment, playing music just for him.

As Jiang Che watched, his eyes inexplicably began to sting.

He casually glanced away, looked up at the ceiling, and then rubbed his nose.

Soon, the music ended.

The echo lingered in the empty living room before gradually fading away.

Su Qinghe's fingers lingered on the piano keys for a moment before slowly withdrawing them.

"It sounds nice."

Jiang Che didn't hold back his praise, clapping his hands a few times. "Looks like your skills haven't gotten rusty. I'm in for a treat now, I can hear famous piano pieces played by renowned musicians without even leaving home."

Su Qinghe lowered her head somewhat shyly, "Actually, I'm not that good... I haven't touched a piano in a long time."

She whispered, "I played several notes wrong just now."

"Anyway, I can't tell." Jiang Che shrugged. "I'm just an ordinary listener, and in my opinion, you're perfect."

Su Qinghe was filled with joy at being praised by her beloved, and she couldn't help but smile, revealing a pair of shallow dimples on her cheeks.

After laughing, she put her hands back on her lap, twisted them together, and her expression gradually calmed down.

"Didn't you just ask me why they're paying me to learn piano?"

Jiang Che suppressed his smile and nodded. "Yes, I am quite curious."

Su Qinghe took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall those past events that she found difficult to talk about.

It was a long time before they opened their eyes again.

"Because in their eyes, I am not a daughter at all."

Her expression was calm, as if she had already accepted the truth: "To them, I'm just a commodity."

Jiang Che frowned. Although he had already vaguely guessed some of it, the impact of hearing her say it aloud was still different.

"Goods?" he repeated the word.

"Um."

Su Qinghe nodded, turned around, and groped her way toward Jiang Che.

Seeing this, Jiang Che took two steps forward, grasped her hand, and led her back to his side.

The two continued their slow stroll along the house.

"My mother always told me that it's useless for girls to study. It's better to learn some skills so that they can marry into a good family in the future."

"They signed me up for the most expensive piano lessons and bought me a lot of dresses, but they were all formal dresses that could only be worn on business occasions."

"They taught me how to smile and how to speak in a pleasing way."

At this point, Su Qinghe gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I didn't understand before, I thought it was love."

"Later, as I grew up and heard more stories, I finally understood."

"They do all this just to gild my image and increase my worth."

"That way, when I come of age, I can become a qualified 'socialite' and marry a wealthy boss or the heir of a family."

"Then you can get a large dowry in return, or secure several big orders for the family company."

When Su Qinghe said these words, her face didn't show much emotion, as if she were telling someone else's story.

"So my brother can play however he wants, he can get bad grades, and he can cause trouble."

"But I can't."

"If I play a wrong note, I'll get beaten; if I don't get first place in the exam, I'll be locked in my room and not allowed to eat."

"Because products cannot have defects."