Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

Shen Zhiyi snapped out of her reverie and shook her head: "No need, this zither is too expensive, what if I break it..."

"It's just for show."

Zhang Yifan stood up from the sofa, walked to the piano, and reached out to touch the piano lid.

"I can't play it, so I'll leave it empty. I'd rather let someone who truly loves it shine."

Shen Zhiyi hesitated for two seconds, then walked to the piano and sat down.

She lifted the piano lid, gently placed her fingers on the keys, and the moment her fingertips touched the ivory-white keys, her shoulders visibly relaxed, and her entire aura changed.

She took a deep breath and pressed the first note with her finger.

She was playing Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major.

Musical notes flowed from the piano keys, echoing between the marble floor and the crystal chandelier, as if the entire empty villa had been enchanted, with every corner gently filled.

Her fingers danced across the piano keys, sometimes as gentle as a feather brushing across water, sometimes as passionate as a night breeze swirling up petals.

Her eyes were half-closed, her eyelashes casting two faint shadows on her cheeks, and her body leaned slightly forward and backward with the melody, completely immersed in another world.

Zhang Yifan stood behind her, motionless.

He didn't understand classical music, didn't know what piece she was playing, or what awards it had won in piano competitions.

But he understood her.

Those words that had been suppressed for so long, the person who waited for more than a year to regain his fighting spirit, and all the carefulness hidden beneath the words "Me too".

Every note that struck his heart seemed to resonate.

He unconsciously took a step forward, then another, wanting to get closer to the sound.

The song ended.

As the last note faded slowly in the hall, Shen Zhiyi gently lifted her hand from the piano keys and placed it back on her knees.

She let out a long breath, her eyelashes fluttering twice, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

Then she stood up, turned around, and bumped directly into Zhang Yifan, who was standing less than half a step behind her.

Startled, she leaned back, lost her balance, and instinctively reached out to grab something in the air, but grasped nothing, falling backward.

Zhang Yifan reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back forcefully.

But it seems like the force wasn't controlled well; it was pulled a bit too hard.

Shen Zhiyi was pulled back, her forehead almost hitting his chin, and their noses were less than a fist's distance apart.

He was still holding her hand, his hand still gripping her wrist.

Time seemed to have been paused, and the two of them stood frozen in place.

He could smell the shampoo in her hair, a faint scent, like the wind in a bamboo forest after the rain.

She could see her own reflection in his eyes, and a hint of nervousness deep in his pupils that he hadn't had time to hide.

Their faces flushed red at a visible speed, burning from the tips of their ears to the base of their necks, like two balls of fire being lit at the same time.

Almost simultaneously, the two of them let go, took a step back, and looked away.

The living room was silent for about three seconds.

Shen Zhiyi lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her T-shirt, her voice a beat faster than usual: "I...I'm leaving now."

She picked up the convenience store bag from the sofa armrest and walked more than twice as fast as usual, almost tripping over the threshold when she reached the entrance.

"You can come over to practice the piano whenever you have free time."

Zhang Yifan's voice came from behind, steady as usual, but his speaking speed was a little faster than usual.

Shen Zhiyi paused at the door for a moment, without turning around, and simply responded softly.

Then she pushed open the door, and sunlight streamed in, casting her long shadow on the marble floor of the entryway, which flickered slightly and then disappeared.

She loosened and tightened her grip on the convenience store bag, her heart pounding as if she had just finished a 400-meter sprint.

She walked to the ginkgo tree in the community, stopped, and touched her still burning cheeks.

It's impossible to know when she started to find herself caring more and more about Zhang Yifan.

But so far, the experience seems pretty good.

Zhang Yifan stood in the living room, looking down at his right hand.

The warmth of her wrist still lingered on his fingers; that small patch of skin was faintly hot, so hot it felt like something inside him was melting.

He couldn't help but laugh again, this time without anyone noticing, and he didn't try to hide it.

He looked around the customer lounge, gazing at the quiet grand piano under the crystal chandelier, and couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection).

The piano is great! I should learn to play the piano!

Zhang Yifan did not stay in the villa for long.

He walked through each room, touched the solid wood tabletop in the study, glanced at the ginkgo tree outside the master bedroom window that was shining in the sunlight, and then stood in the media room on the basement floor, staring blankly at the artificial starry sky for a few seconds.

Then he turned off all the lights in the house, locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and walked out the way he came.

As he passed the guard post, the newly appointed security guard stood ramrod straight, saluted him, nodded, and walked to the roadside to hail a taxi.

This time, no security guards patted the hood, no drivers glanced at him in the rearview mirror, and everything was quiet.

He leaned back in his chair, watching the gilded characters of Yujingyuan slowly shrink in his field of vision outside the window. He wasn't thinking about that 680-square-meter mansion, but rather about his own shoe cabinet with its peeling paint, the old newspapers piled on the balcony, and the clivia next to the television that hadn't bloomed in years.

That old, dilapidated apartment was a bit cramped, but he lived there for eighteen years.

The villa is nice, but his parents are the first to feel uneasy about moving in now. He hasn't figured out how to explain the origin of the house. He can't exactly tell his parents that the house was a reward from the system, can he?

Let's wait until the official demolition notice is issued before making any further plans. Once the compensation is received, my parents will have more confidence, and then he can find a suitable reason to bring up the villa issue.

Anyway, the house is there, it's not going to grow legs and run away.

When they got home, it was still early, and Zhang Rongshan and Liu Guilan had not yet returned from the store.

He changed into slippers, poured himself a glass of water, and just as he sat down at his desk and opened the science exam paper, that familiar electronic voice in his head suddenly exploded without warning.

【Ding--】

[Recalling the past. Host, do you remember when you were eighteen? That year, the world experienced an economic crisis, and the stock market was in ruins.]

Just when everyone thought the market was doomed, a company called "Chixing Technology" suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Against all odds, it held a press conference and announced the development of a groundbreaking SUV, the world's most powerful.

[Upon the release of the news, the stock price soared from 2.3 yuan to 47 yuan, a twenty-fold increase. Those who dared to buy at the bottom during the market's lowest point made a fortune.]

[And when the stock price was at its lowest, you were still saving your breakfast money every day to buy milk tea for Lin Wanqing, unable to even afford a single share of the stock.]

[Task posted: Purchase shares of Chixing Technology.]

[Task Reward: 10% stake in Dami Technology, Chixing Technology's biggest competitor.]

[Task Difficulty: Extremely Difficult]

[Reason: Less than a year after launching its SUV, Chixing Technology was exposed for falsifying performance data and making false claims, causing its stock price to plummet and ultimately leading to delisting and bankruptcy.]

The original company site has long been converted into a logistics warehouse; there's not even a receptionist to be found.

[Even if you, a 68-year-old scavenger, open an account, where are you going to buy shares in this delisted and bankrupt company?]