Chapter 107: The CP is Set
Everyone felt as if they were truly in the martial world, experiencing the joys and sorrows, acting righteously and unrestrainedly.
Even Shu Wan secretly marveled; others couldn’t tell, but she could hear that Xia Chenge’s zither art was extraordinary.
Someone everyone called a waste, possessing such superb zither art, was truly unbelievable!
It seemed Xia Chenge, like Ling Hanmu, wore a mask, never revealing her true self.
No wonder Ling Hanmu, who never paid attention to women, would suddenly look at Xia Chenge differently and even request her to help Xia Chenge at the birthday banquet…
While Shu Wan was lost in thought, the duet had already ended, and everyone seemed to still be immersed in it, not having snapped back to reality.
Shu Wan was the first to applaud, then jolted everyone awake, and thunderous applause erupted.
Old Madam Ling, her displeasure gone, was full of joy, repeatedly saying, “Good, good, good… what a magnificent performance of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer!”
“Thank you for your praise, Old Madam. I practiced for a long time, and it finally paid off,” Xia Chenge said humbly.
Old Madam Ling laughed heartily, “Xiao Ge, although Grandma is old, she’s not senile. My ears still work. You are such a good child; your Grandfather should be at ease!”
Ling Zhongjing and his wife never held out hope for Ling Hanmu to learn any talent, but they never expected such a huge surprise at his eighteenth birthday banquet, making them even more satisfied with Xia Chenge!
“Not enough, not enough! Sister Chenge, please play another song. It’s been so long since I’ve heard such beautiful zither music.”
“Yes, yes, yes! We strongly request another song. The Smiling, Proud Wanderer wasn’t enough!”
“Sister Chenge, please don’t refuse us!”
…
The people below seemed to have coordinated, requesting Xia Chenge to play again.
Because they had unconsciously applauded under Shu Wan’s lead earlier, it felt like they had slapped themselves in the face.
None of them believed Xia Chenge could actually play the guqin. How could an orphan with nothing play such an elegant instrument?
Recalling Ling Hanmu’s protection of Xia Chenge, they even suspected the two had planned it. Therefore, they unanimously agreed that Xia Chenge could only play The Smiling, Proud Wanderer!
If she played one more song, her true colors would be immediately exposed.
“Alright, you can pick a simpler song as an apology for what happened earlier,” Xia Chenge said with a graceful smile, unexpectedly agreeing.
Those who wanted to make things difficult for Xia Chenge were momentarily stunned, then whispered amongst themselves for a moment before stating their chosen piece—Plum Blossom Three Variations.
Xia Chenge’s eyebrows slightly rose, but without hesitation, she lowered her head and strummed the strings, and the hall once again echoed with the resonant sound of the zither.
As the music began, it was as if one entered a deep, flower-withered winter, with only the proud plum blossom blooming amidst wind and snow. The rhythm, with its dramatic rises and falls, showcased the plum blossom’s posture of braving the frost and swaying in the wind.
Shu Wan was shocked.
It’s not easy to play the guqin well; without understanding the artistic conception of the music, it’s difficult to convey what it’s meant to express. Furthermore, the guqin is the foremost of the four arts, requiring personal demeanor and literary cultivation.
Xia Chenge managed to fully express the artistic conception of this piece, making one wonder how Xia Chenge could possibly be the waste and idiot that people in Haicheng called her!
Xia Chenge’s thoughts and spiritual world were immeasurably vaster than theirs!
Shu Wan felt a sense of “if only we had met sooner” towards Xia Chenge. She was extremely fortunate to have returned to the country, otherwise, she would have missed the opportunity to befriend such a person!
As the final note faded, the performance ended perfectly, but the lingering sound filled the air, and many were still lost in its beauty.
Old Madam Ling was overcome with emotion, never expecting Xia Chenge to be so talented.
“Good, truly wonderful! Wanwan, it seems someone’s zither art is no less than yours!” Old Madam Ling looked at Shu Wan.
Shu Wan smiled, “Indeed!”
Then she stepped forward and solemnly introduced herself to Xia Chenge, “Hello, my name is Shu Wan!”
She had heard this name before; the top talented woman of Haicheng and the top waste of Haicheng, often compared to each other!
Xia Chenge, being so intelligent, immediately understood that her performance had successfully made Shu Wan see her in a new light.
“Hello, my name is Xia Chenge. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Xia Chenge replied to Shu Wan, speaking gracefully.
“Does anyone else here still have doubts?” Shu Wan turned to the guests.
At this moment, who would dare to speak up?
Everyone lowered their heads, desperately trying to minimize their presence, lest the Ling family remember what they had said earlier.
Because Xia Chenge had thoroughly embarrassed them, Old Madam Ling was in a great mood and generously let go of those who had wanted to see Xia Chenge make a fool of herself.
The birthday banquet continued, and Xia Chenge instantly became the center of attention.
Many people wanted to win her over, which annoyed her greatly as she disliked socializing.
Ling Hanmu, taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, simply pulled her away secretly, leaving the elders to entertain the guests.
“Little Brother, I truly didn’t expect you to play the guqin!” As they slipped away to the back garden and sat on the lawn, Ling Hanmu didn’t hide his surprise. “I had already prepared myself; if these people troubled you, I would have stepped in to deal with them myself.”
“I promised to give you a gift, and I can’t go back on my word,” Xia Chenge said with a slight smile, then looked up at the starry sky, recalling her experience learning the guqin during the apocalypse.
During that time, she was injured and forced to stay in the base, unable to go out. Bored, she started learning musical instruments. She was particularly curious about ancient instruments, so she chose to learn them.
However, ancient instruments and musical scores were almost lost in the apocalypse, and she had to consult a lot of information before finding someone to make those ancient instruments.
The learning ability of evolved humans was not to be underestimated. During her recovery, she learned many ancient instruments. But later, she had few opportunities to play them; she was busy killing zombies every day, with no time for romance!
Many techniques had become rusty, and she had to practice diligently before Ling Hanmu’s birthday banquet to regain her feel for them.
“As long as it’s from you, I like it. But I prefer your Grandfather’s VCR; that was the most precious gift I received,” Ling Hanmu said with a smile.
Hearing this, Xia Chenge originally wanted to bring up the matter of canceling the marriage contract, but seeing how happy Ling Hanmu was, she inexplicably didn’t want to dampen his spirits. After thinking about it, she decided to find another opportunity to talk about it in a few days.
Ling Hanmu lay down beside Xia Chenge, a blade of grass in his mouth, and mumbled indistinctly, “You made a stunning debut at the banquet; I wonder how many people you’ve slapped in the face.”
Reminded by him, Xia Chenge quickly took out her mobile phone.
As soon as she logged into Weibo, she was almost drowned by the messages tagging her.
The entire feed was filled with titles like ‘Xia Chenge’s Stunning Debut, the So-Called Waste is a Talented Woman!’ All of them featured videos of her and Ling Hanmu’s duet of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and her solo performance of Plum Blossom Three Variations. The reposts and comments exploded:
My god, am I opening this the wrong way? Why am I seeing a multi-talented Xia Chenge!
Awooo, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer… Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying! OMG, this is the first time I’ve seen such good-looking duet partners.
No, no, I’m shipping this CP. Chenge’s counterattack this time is so beautiful.
Holy crap, Xu Jingyun really made me want to throw up my dinner. When I first saw that Xia Chenge was Young Master Ling’s fiancée, I thought she was causing trouble again… Turns out I was the one causing trouble; I was too shallow!
Sister Chenge, is it too late for me to apologize for cursing you in the past? /Crying, I’m a fan of you all now and want to join your fandom.
…
Second update finished. Good night, everyone. Don’t forget to vote!
