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

A hint of anticipation flashed in Yuan Xiao's eyes.

Last time at home, he held me tightly all night. Although it felt great, I was clearly not satisfied.

It's like only drinking a drop of the best-tasting beverage.

It's better not to drink it at all.

and so……

“Master, I’ve behaved so well, but I haven’t asked you for any reward… but I heard from my sister that she’ll be receiving her prize soon, something like… stickers or something?”

Yuan Xiao muttered to herself, feeling that her master was being a little biased.

Upon hearing this, Su Che realized that it was indeed time for him to periodically address Gu Zhi's ailments.

[It's been sitting idle since the last camping trip; she must be feeling incredibly uncomfortable. After all, she's someone with such high needs.]

As for Gu Zhi, things have become relatively less troublesome since she reconciled with Jiang Nai.

Not only did he stop resisting going to class, but he also took care of his younger sister during rehearsals. Moreover, his mental state seemed to be stabilizing. I wonder if this is a sign that things are getting better.

Su Che had the illusion that "Gu Zhi's desires have decreased".

"I promised your sister beforehand, so there's no way around it. But if you want anything, you can just tell me. I didn't really praise you much in this performance, which was my oversight. It's only right that you make some requests."

He emphasized, "But just don't learn bad things from strangers."

"I...I didn't!"

"Tell me first, what kind of cat and bird friends have you made?"

"What do you mean, 'cat friends' and 'bird friends'? They're clearly super selfless and adorable companions!"

Yuan Xiao absolutely refused to implicate Ling Yao.

"You're not going to tell, are you?"

"I won't tell!"

"You don't want the reward anymore, huh?"

"Yes...yes!"

"If you don't tell me, how am I supposed to distribute the rewards?"

Su Che held back his laughter.

"I...I won't say it, but I still want it!"

"You're so lucky."

He stretched out his arms and scooped the child up, lifting her high until her bangs were level with his own height, and then—

He pressed his forehead against hers, skin to skin, exchanging warmth as he spoke:

"Will you tell me now or not?"

"Ugh... Ah Che, you...you're tempting me...!"

"Then don't worry about it, are you going to tell me or not?"

"I……"

"I'll practice the piano at your house next time."

"me……"

"If you're tired after training, you can lie down for a while before you leave."

"!I……!"

"Lying down for three hours isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Ah..."

"Having more people around is not something I can't consider."

"I'll talk! I'll talk! It's Ling Yao! She wants me to share your information, saying she can provide some major secrets about you! But... but I haven't received any useful information yet, boohoo... Ah Che, please don't betray me, I'll confess everything!"

Yuan Xiao's "Star Heart Technique" was operating wildly, directly forcing the child to use the ultimate secret technique—the "Free Chicken Claw Style."

Unexpectedly,

The effect is extraordinary.

……

……

Chapter 126 Somatization Onset - The Antidote is Showy Treatment

"Stop making friends indiscriminately. Your job is to practice the piano properly."

Su Che put on his headphones and leaned against the bar counter in front of the liquor cabinet.

As she gave Yuan Xiao her instructions, she seemed to recall the sounds that echoed from her childhood home.

These words came from my mother, but she only said them once.

For some reason, once I said something, I would carry it out myself, and I would do so without fail until the maid left.

I don't make friends.

Practice your piano diligently.

Su Che picked up a glass of the cocktail Yuan Xiao used for practice and took a sip.

The bitter lemon flavor mixed with alcohol went down his throat, and Su Che began to reflect on what he had gained and what he had lost during his ten years of childhood.

No one understands the life of a young piano student, but I do.

Loneliness, loneliness, and more damn loneliness. A loneliness that only grows stronger with each passing day.

Among the people I know, the only one similar to me is probably Miya.

But with her master's guidance, Miya has grown up healthily.

I was all alone, and having no friends meant I had no friends at all. The only person I wanted to build a relationship with, the girl next door I had once admired, disappeared from the balcony at some point.

“Ache, I haven’t made friends indiscriminately, nor have I neglected my practice. In fact, it’s difficult to practice properly without friends because there’s no motivation.”

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the child's words.

Su Che held the wine glass, his arm hovering in mid-air in front of his chest, frowning as he pondered the question.

"If I don't have friends, I won't have the motivation to practice the piano."

Is that right?

So, what motivates me?

As a child, I had no friends. My only intrinsic motivation for playing the piano was...

It's about proving to my parents that I can do this well too.

The distorted target is like a trap.

A grotesque self-proving trap.

I got caught up in it, followed the instructions, but the result was not as I expected.

So from then on, he gave up on himself, stopped listening to his parents, and moved out of the house, expelling himself from the family.

Su Che smiled, took another sip, and felt that he was quite experienced in the art of self-deception.

He fell silent, and remained silent for a long time.

"Ah Che, are you unhappy?"

Yuan Xiao noticed his unusual behavior and moved closer to him, expressing her concern: "I think you need to go to the hospital again. How about I go with you to get checked out?"

"No, I'm fine."

He finished the cocktail she had mixed incorrectly, and with a bit of the poison still in his stomach, he walked around to the bar and headed straight for the customer area, intending to sit for a while.

"Wow, what a disobedient adult."

Yuan Xiao tilted her head and stared at his back.

Even though she's a little slow on the uptake when it comes to emotions, she still cares a bit at this moment and feels that she should do something for him.

[Ache was constantly on edge, both when teaching piano and when sleeping; his muscles were stiff... it wasn't comfortable to hold him.]

The child began to think, "How can we improve his condition?"

What can I do for him?

The child rarely thinks about others. After all, she was also raised in a free-range manner from a young age, and she had long since felt that caring for others was meaningless, except for Su Che.

What he wanted me to do was practice the piano diligently.

All I can do is practice the piano diligently.

After I've mastered the skills, he'll want me to do something.

[This means that once I've mastered the technique, he will use me.]

If being used by him makes him feel good, then I'll practice the piano diligently.

After much thought, he silently gave up slacking off at the bar, ran to the small stage, picked up his violin, and began practicing frantically.

In the quiet night, the two were lost in their own thoughts, undisturbed by each other. Only Ningning, behind the hidden door, looked at the empty bar and sighed.

"Hiring these two guys in the shop is a stroke of luck."

-

……

"Jie Jie Jie Jie..."

11pm.

A sinister voice came from the hand of a gothic girl.

Jiang Nai, who has a commitment to rehearse, is practically exhausted from all the rehearsals.