At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

She stood up from her seat, pondered for a long time, and carefully typed:

"Hello, I'm Jiang Jiang, the new teacher Xiao Che arranged for you. You can call me Teacher Jiang from now on. I'd like to ask, what progress have you made in your studies?"

What level are you aiming for in terms of bass?

Since I'll be his future teammate, I might not be able to mentor you indefinitely, at most for a while. So I wanted to ask what your specific goals are...

Before she could finish sending her message, Gu Zhi replied instantly:

"To what extent? I want to reach a point where I can become one with him during the performance, a point where no external force can tear us apart. Teacher Jiang, can you help me?"

……

……

Chapter 85 Complex Relationships: Intertwined Fingers

This was the first time Jiang Nai had ever encountered such a suffocating... female student.

If Gu Zhi's strict body management is already intimidating, and her overall demeanor gives off a feeling of being "not easy to approach,"

After seeing the first message she sent, Jiang Nai became even more certain that the other party was deeply obsessed with Xiao Che's teachings, and her words conveyed a twisted sense of wanting to obtain something important.

[Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. She was originally playing fingerstyle, so why did she suddenly switch to bass halfway through?]

[If she hadn't changed instruments on her own initiative, would Xiao Che have forced her?]

This situation can only mean one thing—

She wanted to be his wings, to support him as they moved forward together in the "same team".

"This is such a hassle."

She hadn't reached that level of intimacy with him yet, and her previous statements were merely a publicity stunt. Now, seeing Gu Zhi's determined demeanor, she could tell that Gu Zhi was far ahead of her...

"Is teaming up with Ari and Miya to reach the finish line a roundabout way...?"

She was already having trouble explaining herself.

He slung his violin over his shoulder, grabbed his bag, and continued walking towards his rented room in the night.

On her phone, she simply replied to Gu Zhi with a curt "I'll try my best."

Actually, I've had some rather wicked thoughts, like whether I should deliberately teach Gu Zhi "evil skills"...

For example, if the teacher doesn't teach her properly, or teaches her incorrect or misleading knowledge, it could ruin her performing career.

But then I thought, if I did that, Su Che would find out, he would definitely find out, and then he would block me and make me compensate Gu Zhi tenfold... It seems like it would be a losing proposition.

Not only will they not receive the "ensemble reward" they deserve, but they will also be truly erased from his life's list.

Jiang Nai never considered herself a kind angel.

Born with low self-esteem and neglected since childhood, she suffers from body image anxiety, appearance anxiety, age anxiety, and emotional anxiety. Being ridiculed and verbally attacked by her peers has long since robbed her of her innocence, making her hostile towards anyone she doesn't like at first glance—which is why she likes devilish types.

Seeing how much he cared about Gu Zhi, the emptiness in his heart swelled even more: "After I teach her, he's not going to personally take her out to play, is he?"

suddenly,

Jiang Nai stopped in her tracks.

"She's on bass, he's on guitar, he plays with her, and what about me?"

"And me?"

Who do I play with?

"If I successfully train her, will I be excluded?"

The mental fog caused by the pressure of rehearsals vanished in an instant.

The cool night breeze instantly sobered Jiang Nai up.

"No. This won't do."

We need to think of a way.

She narrowed her bewitching eyes and, at 3:30 a.m., carefully considered how to deal with a problem student like Gu Zhi.

Several paths lay before us—

1. To impart all one's knowledge and skills.

2. A small amount was kept privately.

3. Letting the water flow during class.

4. Let's talk about the transaction.

Overall, the downside of 1 is that she can easily become a master in less time than I can, but the upside is that she can exploit Xiao Che.

Option 2 has almost no drawbacks; it's a standard route that's not easily noticed by Xiao Che. The only downside is that it's a bit slow, and it takes a little longer to eat him.

Option 3 presents a significant problem; it's essentially a stalemate. Due to the lack of results, he will be dissatisfied with the progress, and he himself is unlikely to benefit, which is tantamount to mutual destruction.

As for 4... it is a variant of 1 and is the most suitable option for operation.

I should observe her through a trial lesson to get a better understanding of her situation, conduct a more detailed analysis, and then discuss collaboration with her.

Jiang Nai thought to herself:

"If she's someone I can talk to, then I can ask her if she'd be willing to share a piece of the cake with me. That way, I can provide her with the most cost-effective knowledge so she can learn quickly and make a leap forward."

But if she's stubborn, even extremely possessive, and unwilling to share... then we could consider ruining her path. Hmm.

When faced with something important, Jiang Nai's choice is to use every means possible and never give in.

Looking at the clouds in the dark night,

My mood inexplicably improved.

They rescheduled a time for Gu Zhi to meet.

Gu Zhi replied instantly, choosing once a week on Wednesdays, saying she had other things to do on Saturdays and Sundays.

With the agreement fulfilled, Jiang Nai put away her phone and planned to go home and practice the piano until 6 a.m.

-

……

A phone booth on the corner.

The sound of crying could be heard coming from inside through the glass.

Su Che helplessly squatted down next to the girl, watching her drink fruit-flavored beer sip by sip until a row of empty bottles and cans were placed next to her, and tears streamed down his face.

A girl's alcohol tolerance is easily discernible.

One can of red, two cans of dizziness, three cans of blurred vision, four cans of wailing.

"An Qing, if you drink any more, you might throw up on me."

"No! Absolutely not! I'll find a bag myself! If I accidentally spray it on you, I'll swallow it back down myself! I'm perfectly sober!"

“?…”

Helpless, Su Che snatched the last half-can of fruit wine from the child's hand and downed it in one gulp under her wide-eyed glare.

"Cheche! You...you stole my things!"

"Alright, alright, forget about what's yours and mine. What's yours is mine. And stop being stubborn. I only said a few harsh words to you. You were the one who asked the question. It's okay to be defensive, but you can't keep dwelling on this kind of thing. You're not incapable of improvement, am I right?"

"I...I'm not angry! I just feel...I feel...Cheche seems to like her a lot..."

An Qing's gaze was dejected, her face listless. "I feel like I'm no match for her in any way... I'm just a little... a little sad."

“You’re not just a little bit off. You’ve sung her song 35 times. The rhythm is perfect and the pitch is at the recording level. The only problem is the emotion. It’s like you’re trying to kill her with your singing… It’s a bit like a curse… Hmm.”

"I don't care! I just... I'm not convinced...!"

"Sigh, I've noticed that you sometimes really like to argue with thin air."

Su Che raised his hand and gently rubbed the girl's face, then leaned close to her, less than an arm's length away, and asked seriously:

"Tell me, what good will it do if you beat her, and what good will it do if you lose?"

"If I win... I'll feel a sense of accomplishment! I'll be happy! If I lose... I'll feel sad! I'll cry!"

"Oh, so what happens when you're happy? How long will that happiness last? Why are you upset if you lose? Will I abandon you or kick you out of the house? How can I bully you?"

"Ah, this...this..."

The dazed girl looked confused upon hearing this.

It seems... just as Su Che said, winning or losing won't significantly affect my current life.

So he said, "Well... I just don't want to embarrass you. I want that if you take me out and we happen to meet a perfect songstress like Miss Flower Shop, at least I won't embarrass you! I can't let you lack confidence! Since you're going to take me out, I definitely, definitely..."

Ever since she heard that sentence at the karaoke bar, the girl has been in a state of constant anxiety and uncertainty, as if she has regarded the famous singer as her lifelong enemy.

Su Che knew she would be unhappy if he said it, but there was no other way. He had to say it, after all, the fact that "Miss Hanabu is the ultimate rival of the Mosse Cup" was undeniable. Even if he didn't say it now, who knows, maybe he would actually be lucky enough to reach the finals and have a real chance to compete in the ultimate tournament...

If An Qing is unprepared at that time, she will be subjected to a devastating blow and fall into an even more intense state of self-isolation.

He gave the girl this "precautionary shot" so that she would have some psychological preparation beforehand... Little did he know it would have such a big aftereffect.

The problem now is how to comfort the girl, help her stop drinking to drown her sorrows, and enable her to continue living her life smoothly.

According to the section on "What to do when a beautiful girl cries" in *The Great Method of Bad Water*, there are usually only two solutions—

Either reward her to numb her grievances, or do something special to attract her attention.

The worst F-level approach is to offer useless words of comfort like "Don't be angry," or to give material things in a straightforward and uninteresting way.

The former is all show and no substance, while the latter raises the threshold.

If you give less next time, it will cause an even bigger backlash.

Therefore, taking advantage of the cramped space inside the phone booth, Su Che glanced out the window, confirmed that there seemed to be no one nearby, and decided to adopt a fusion tactic—

"Sweet words + relationship comparison + emotional anchoring + future expectations".

He whispered in her ear, "An Qing, I have a few questions for you. Think carefully before you answer."

"Okay! Cheche, you go ahead!"