A Young Woman's Heart

"Huh? So Master Taiyin made all of these herself?"

"Hmm." Taiyin nodded.

"I see... That's amazing."

"Do you like it?" Taiyin asked expressionlessly.

"Uh...it's alright." Mo Xueyao chuckled dryly and scratched her head. She wasn't very interested in plush toys, unless it was a character from an anime she liked.

"Hmm." Taiyin thought for a moment, took off her shoes, and walked barefoot onto the carpet in the room. She walked to a small cabinet, took out a plush keychain, and handed it to Mo Xueyao.

"Hmm, what is this?" Mo Xueyao looked at the keychain. Although it was a Q version and had a simplified animation style, she felt that it was vaguely similar to Taiyin.

It's definitely not their appearance, it's probably their expressions?

This is a fox demon doll with a blank expression. Although it is only the size of a thumb, the details are not bad at all.

She has nine fluffy fox tails and a pair of orange-red fox ears, which makes her cold and expressionless little face seem a bit cuter.

"Give it to me?" Mo Xueyao asked in confusion.

Unexpectedly, Taiyin shook her head and took the doll back: "It's just for you to see."

"Uh...show it to me? Is there any philosophy behind it?" Mo Xueyao asked subconsciously.

“…Share, joy.” Taiyin’s tone was completely calm, but Mo Xueyao inexplicably sensed a feeling of helplessness.

She immediately realized that she had overinterpreted the situation.

At this moment, Taiyin is like a child, simply wanting to share its achievements.

—Even though she looks like a complete child.

"But thank you anyway, I feel much more relaxed now," Mo Xueyao said with a smile.

This counseling room is truly an amazing place.

I doubt there's any other place where psychological counseling is like this.

Although it appears that no psychological counseling was conducted at all, it did have a real effect on relieving stress.

"It's almost time for the indoor lunch break, I have to go now, I'll come again next time."

"Mm." Taiyin nodded, refilled Mo Xueyao's milk tea, and handed it to her.

"Cough." Actually, she was hoping that the latter would give her another hug therapy session like last time.

Being hugged by a cute little girl is such a heartwarming and comforting experience.

Unfortunately, the moon did not do that.

Seemingly sensing the slight disappointment in Mo Xueyao's eyes, Taiyin expressionlessly stood on tiptoe, stretched out her arm with difficulty, and gently touched Mo Xueyao's head with the tip of her palm.

Someone shorter than me patted my head.

Mo Xueyao froze for a few seconds.

But...it feels pretty good?

"Ahem, Teacher Taiyin, I'm leaving now!" She shyly tried to escape, while the latter nodded expressionlessly.

This time, she didn't close the door immediately because after Mo Xueyao walked away, she turned around and found that Taiyin was still silently watching her until her figure disappeared from sight.

……

Chapter 85 Go to find Zuo Ziya

It was a rainy Saturday at the end of the month.

It was a cold and damp day, but Zuo Ziya was in a good mood.

She sat in the black Buick sedan, clutching her new ID card.

When she handed over her ID card, the bureau chief her father knew smiled insincerely, but that didn't affect her mood.

She touched the line on her ID card that read 'Gender: Female' repeatedly until she was almost home, before finally putting it back in her purse.

"Sigh, life is truly unpredictable." The driver was the butler who had watched her grow up. Although they weren't related by blood, he was like a real uncle to Zuo Ziya. "Xiaoya, are you really not regretting your choice?"

"Why regret it?" Zuo Ziya smiled. "I remember when I was thirteen, I secretly told you that I wanted to be a girl, didn't I?"

"Hehe...yes, I was quite surprised when you first came to tell me this," the butler laughed. "But why did you come to me to tell me back then?"

"Because I think you are the most easy-going person, and maybe I can get some answers if I talk to you about such things."

"But actually I've never been involved in such a thing. I'm just telling you that if you really want to do that, then wait until you're older and still committed to this path before you go down it."

"Well, that's why I only just got my new ID card now," Zuo Ziya said with a relaxed smile. "But actually, I've been living as a woman for many years now."

"However, it's thanks to your father's agreement that things changed so suddenly, otherwise the people around you wouldn't have been able to adapt."

"Yes~ Nowadays, most people probably think I've always been a girl—well, although I am indeed a girl at heart. My biggest regret in life is that I can't have children."

"Hehe... there's really no way to solve this." The butler chuckled and slowly drove the car into the garage in the yard. "Xiaoya, we're here. You still have classes today, right?"

"No, I specifically canceled some classes today and postponed them for a few days." Zuo Ziya picked up her bag and climbed out of the carriage, turning her body slightly to the side in a very feminine gesture. "Sometimes I just want to be alone and have some peace and quiet."

"Okay, then I won't bother you anymore."

"You still need to go to my dad's, right? Hurry up and go~ I'm enough for the family." Zuo Ziya smiled and elegantly carried her handbag into the villa.

In the villa’s hall, a piano sat quietly.

There used to be children of different ages coming to class almost every day. Although there weren't many, it was still quite lively.

Such a quiet daytime is rare.

It is precisely because it is rare that people cherish it.

Zuo Ziya washed her hands before sitting down at the piano. Just as she was about to press a key, she saw an 'uninvited guest'.

A cute little head peeked into the room, curiously looking around. When it saw Zuo Ziya hidden behind the piano, its eyes lit up.

That's right, this uninvited guest was Mo Xueyao.

Even though it was a rainy day, I really wanted to go out for a stroll.

Strolling in the light rain with an umbrella brings a sense of inexplicable tranquility.

Li Wanyan was also dragged along, although the latter felt it was better to stay home and study in this kind of weather.

"Teacher Zuo!" Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Mo Xueyao stepped forward gracefully and greeted him cheerfully, "Long time no see!"

The boyish greeting startled Zuo Ziya for a moment, then she smiled and nodded: "Long time no see, Mo Xueyao."

"Huh, you actually remember me?" Mo Xueyao was somewhat surprised.

"Of course, the one next to me is Li Wanyan, right?"

"Hello, teacher." Li Wanyan bowed respectfully.

Mo Xueyao chuckled and scratched her cheek: "Hehe, I was bored and decided to take a stroll around West Lake, but unfortunately there's an entrance fee, so I thought I'd stop by your place to see if anyone's here for piano lessons today?"

"I'm giving myself a break today." Zuo Ziya stepped down from the piano bench. "Are you here to chat or to learn piano?"

"Ah, whatever's fine." Mo Xueyao was just passing by and hadn't even thought about chatting, let alone learning piano. "Speaking of which, my family also bought an electronic keyboard!"

"An electronic keyboard? Hmm... it's quite different from a piano." Zuo Ziya brushed her bangs back. "I have an electronic keyboard here too, I can teach you."

"Ah, since you're here, let's learn! I can already play some simple sheet music, but my fingering might not be quite right."

“Finger placement is fundamental and very important. Just like typing, if you only know how to use one finger, you will definitely not be as fast as those who use standard typing techniques.” Zuo Ziya made an analogy. “If there are only three people in a small room, you can go there to learn the electronic keyboard.”

“Mm.” Li Wanyan nodded in agreement. Although she wasn’t as talented as Mo Xueyao at playing the piano, she was still very interested in musical instruments.

This is a real villa, not one of those rustic country houses.

Not only is the furnishing exquisite, but it also occupies a large area and has many rooms.

The room where the electronic keyboard is placed is the innermost one. Unlike the room with soundproof panels on all four sides that I had imagined, this room has floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides.

You can see the lush green grass in the backyard, and the magnolia flowers swaying in the wind.

The window was half open, and the delicate fragrance of flowers drifted into the room from outside.

Perhaps only the wealthy can enjoy this kind of leisure and elegance.

After all, ordinary people are busy making a living almost every day, and they simply don't have time to explore art or enjoy romance.

After Zuo Ziya had Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan sit down, she began teaching them from the most basic finger techniques.

Moreover, he taught even more diligently than usual.

Mo Xueyao's comprehension speed is very fast. Even Li Wanyan, who is less capable, can memorize all the knowledge points even if she cannot understand them immediately.

Therefore, the two of them were not slow in their studies, and by the end of the day, they had learned quite a bit of basic content.

You know, most people need to learn finger techniques for several days.

Learning a musical instrument is never something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires gradual accumulation over time.

Unless you are exceptionally talented.

Even Li Wanyan didn't really learn it; she just memorized it.

It will take some time for someone to achieve the same level of mastery as Mo Xueyao.

“If every student were as smart as you, I’d be out of a job,” Zuo Ziya chuckled. “You’re the most talented student I’ve ever seen.”

"Really?" Mo Xueyao was a little embarrassed. "I think it's alright. Maybe it's because it's just the beginning, so I don't find it difficult."

"You have a good sense of rhythm, which is the most important thing. Although it can be cultivated later, it takes a long time to develop. It's like you already have a certain level of proficiency before you learn something."

“But I’m tone-deaf when I sing…” Mo Xueyao scratched her head. “I basically don’t know any songs that I sing well.”

"It's just because you haven't mastered the techniques yet. Having a good ear for music and being tone-deaf are not mutually exclusive." Zuo Ziya, unusually abandoning her elegance, stretched out a big yawn. "I've been learning all day without even realizing it. Why don't you have dinner here?"

"Hmm, no need." Mo Xueyao shook her head.

"Well, I'm already learning piano here for free, so it would be too much of a hassle to eat here too," Li Wanyan said very politely.

Although what Mo Xueyao really wanted to say was that compared to the simple meals here, she definitely preferred the home-style stir-fries her mother had been cooking lately.