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Yin Yixuan tugged at Yin Hanyu’s sleeve, signaling him not to be so direct.
“If he doesn’t want to, I do…” Yin Yixuan looked at Stephen with enthusiasm. “I want to learn.”
But Stephen turned to Yin Hanyu. “Why don’t you want to learn? Do you think my piano playing is not to your taste? Or do you think I’m unworthy to be your teacher?”
“Neither,” Yin Hanyu replied. “I just have no interest in the piano. Even if you play well, I only think it sounds pleasant—that’s all. I can’t tell how masterful your technique is or how much effort and artistry you’ve poured into it. And honestly, I don’t care, because I’m just an ordinary person.”
Yin Hanyu glanced at Yin Yixuan. “You can teach him. He not only understands your skills and compositions but also genuinely enjoys playing the piano.”
“But if you teach me, it would be like playing music to a cow. Besides…” Yin Hanyu looked down at his hands. “I really have no interest in playing the piano at all, so I don’t want to learn.”
Xiao Yutian stared intensely at Yin Hanyu. “But what if I insist that you learn?”
Yin Hanyu raised an eyebrow and met Xiao Yutian’s sharp and unfriendly gaze. “Then please give me a reason—one that justifies you making demands or ordering me around.”
Xiao Yutian looked at Lin Qingyou. “Youyou is my granddaughter. She carries the blood of the Xiao family. Isn’t that enough?”
“Of course not.” Yin Hanyu took Lin Qingyou’s hand. “Youyou being your granddaughter does not justify using that identity to manipulate her and control me.”
“Not to mention that you drove away her mother and never raised her. Even if Youyou had grown up in the Xiao family, eating your food, wearing your clothes, and living under your roof, you still wouldn’t have the right to use her to control me.”
“Because Youyou is just Youyou—she is her own person. She is not merely someone’s granddaughter or someone’s daughter.”
“She can ask something of me, and I will listen. But no one else has that right.”
“Oh…” Xiao Yutian sneered. “So this is your so-called love for her? You can’t even make a small sacrifice for her? What love are you talking about?”
“I think you misunderstand me…” Yin Hanyu said. “If you want me to learn piano, something I dislike, then I won’t do it.”
“I won’t learn to play the piano just because of you—never!”
“But if Youyou truly loves it and enjoys hearing me play, then of course, I’d be willing to learn for her.”
“What difference does that make?” Xiao Yutian scoffed. “You’re just saying sweet words to please her. In reality, you wouldn’t make any sacrifices for Youyou at all.”
“Why should he have to sacrifice for me?” Lin Qingyou stepped forward. “Yin Hanyu doesn’t love playing the piano, and he has no interest in it. So naturally, he doesn’t have to learn.”
“Do you think everyone is like you?” Lin Qingyou glared at Xiao Yutian. “You love listening to piano music—that’s your business. And you already have one of the world’s best pianists playing for you. Why do you still have to force someone who doesn’t like it to learn?”
Xiao Yutian said, “Didn’t you just enjoy listening to Stephen’s music?”
“So what?” Lin Qingyou retorted. “I love listening to it, so I’ll just have someone who can play perform for me. Do I have to force Yin Hanyu to learn it just because I like it?”
“I’m only doing this for your own good—”
“Pfft…” Lin Qingyou angrily shouted. “Enough with your fake concern!”
“For my own good? For my own good? You’ve never been good to me, and now you suddenly claim it’s for my sake? Don’t you find that disgusting?”
“I—”
“And what does ‘for my own good’ even mean? You humiliate my husband and call it ‘for my own good’? Who could possibly bear such kindness?”
“Back then, you treated my mother the same way, didn’t you? Just because you didn’t approve of my father, you broke them apart, claiming it was ‘for her own good’?”
“Your father was never worthy of her—”
“Then what about the Xiao family’s medical skills and acupuncture techniques? My mother loved them so much, yet why didn’t you teach her?”
“If you were truly looking out for her, then why didn’t you teach her what she loved? You wouldn’t accept the man she loved, and you refused to teach her what she was passionate about. Were you really doing it for her good?”
“I used to not understand why my mother abandoned all of the Xiao family’s wealth and power just to leave the Xiao family and you… But after seeing how you’ve acted these past few days, I completely understand now.”
“You’re out of line—”
Xiao Yutian was furious, his deepest sore spots ruthlessly exposed.
At that moment, a servant rushed over to Xiao Yutian. “Master, someone named Ji Mo Sheng is here to see you.”
“Ji Mo Sheng?”
Xiao Yutian was slightly surprised but then personally walked toward the Xiao family’s entrance.
“My master is here too?”
Lin Qingyou was about to follow when a servant stopped her. “Miss Qingyou, Mr. Ji Mo is still down the mountain, and it will take some time for him to come up… Besides, the Master has gone to receive him personally, so you don’t have to trouble yourself. Let me take you to rest.”
—
At the foot of the mountain.
When Xiao Yutian saw Ji Mo Sheng, he spoke in a sarcastic tone. “What wind brought you here? Didn’t you say we were done with each other back then?”
“Master Xiao, be honest with yourself—weren’t you the one in the wrong back then?”
“I had no choice…” Xiao Yutian replied.
“No choice?” Ji Mo Sheng scoffed, still angry. “I treated you as a friend when I came to see you, but you treated me like a tool.”
“Alright, alright…” Xiao Yutian waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s not bring up the past anymore. My daughter has been gone for years—what’s the point of talking about it?”
Ji Mo Sheng fell silent.
But thinking of how Xiao Yutian had suffered the pain of losing a daughter, he let the matter drop.
In reality, Xiao Yutian was also a pitiful man.
Xiao Yutian suppressed his sadness and led Ji Mo Sheng up the mountain. “Since you’re here, I’ll treat you well this time. Stay for a while.”
Ji Mo Sheng snorted. “I’m not here for you.”
Xiao Yutian was surprised. “Then who are you here for?”
“I came for Youyou,” Ji Mo Sheng said.
“For Youyou?” Xiao Yutian frowned. “You and Youyou are close?”
“Youyou is my precious apprentice. I heard she came here and that she wants to learn about her mother and father’s past…”
Ji Mo Sheng sighed. “I don’t want Youyou to misunderstand me, and I certainly don’t want you to mistreat her. That’s why I came to check on her.”
“Apprentice?”
Xiao Yutian suddenly turned to Ji Mo Sheng. “Is she really just an apprentice?”
Ji Mo Sheng’s expression changed. He glared at Xiao Yutian in anger. “What else do you think she is?”
“What do I think? What do I hope?” Xiao Yutian roared, “If you had cooperated with me back then, she would be your daughter now!”
Suddenly, Xiao Yutian froze.
He grabbed Ji Mo Sheng’s shoulder in shock. “Ji Mo Sheng… You and Xiao Ya didn’t trick me together back then, did you?”