Chapter 127 - 126: Senior Sister Recognizes It’s Pei Jiang, Face-Slapping
Chapter 127: Chapter 126: Senior Sister Recognizes It’s Pei Jiang, Face-Slapping
Silence filled the lounge. Sister Xu’s gaze froze.
She stared blankly at the elegant, strikingly handsome face before her. A few seconds later, her brain completely shut down.
Young musician Xie Lin was truly a legendary figure. There seemed to be no instrument he didn’t excel at, whether it was Jiuzhou classical instruments like the ancient zither, sheng and xiao, and Pipa, or instruments like the piano and violin.
Four years ago, he had shot to fame at an international youth music competition. He made his name by defeating a contestant from the Southern Region at their own strongest instrument—the piano—while the other party couldn’t even tell how many strings an ancient zither had.
He was also exceptionally skilled at composing, though he had never written music for anyone else.
Tickets to his concerts were incredibly hard to get because every piece played was brand new, offering an unparalleled auditory and visual feast. Sister Xu had secretly tried to snatch up concert tickets before, only to fail every single time.
He currently ran an independent studio. Some speculated that he had a powerful backing, but no paparazzi had ever managed to dig up any useful information. Xie Lin was simply too mysterious; whenever he appeared on camera, he was always alone.
Sister Xu knew that Xie Lin was in Jianghuai recently to prepare for his upcoming concert, but how could he just appear right in front of her?!
"Sister Xu? Sister Xu!" Qingyuan waved a hand in front of her face. When Sister Xu didn’t react, she sighed. "Mr. Xie, you’ve frightened my manager."
Xie Qingshi’s brow twitched slightly, a faint smile on his lips. "Do I need to compensate her for emotional distress?"
"No, no, no... there’s no need!" Sister Xu jolted in shock, stammering, "You and our A Yuan... what exactly is the relationship between you two..."
Xie Qingshi’s eyes curved with amusement. "Miss Lu and I have known each other for many years."
Sister Xu stared blankly at Qingyuan again, her face clearly expressing the question, "Why didn’t you tell me something this important?"
"Ah," Qingyuan replied truthfully. "Sister Xu, Mr. Xie and I just reunited."
"That’s wonderful!" Sister Xu jumped three feet into the air, exclaiming excitedly, "With you here, Mr. Xie, A Yuan’s stage performance this time will definitely be a massive success!"
Xie Qingshi gave a soft hum of agreement. "I’m glad I can be of help."
"I—I’ll go get ready right now! Tomorrow’s trending news is going to explode!" Sister Xu rubbed her hands together in excitement and hurriedly left the lounge.
Qingyuan offered her sincere thanks. "I really have to thank you for coming to the rescue this time, Lord Xie."
"We are colleagues; it’s only natural for me to help." Xie Qingshi smiled faintly. "Our goals are aligned."
No matter how much they bickered in front of Shi Changying, they would always unite against outsiders. If they crumbled from within, the enemy would easily defeat them.
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you two work together. I’ve missed it."
"Since Your Majesty is looking forward to it, Lord Qingyuan and I will certainly do our best." Xie Qingshi smiled. Suddenly, he turned to Qingyuan and asked, "How did you meet Gu Lingyuan? And what is your relationship now?"
"He provided the money, and I provided the effort. It’s that simple." Qingyuan stretched lazily and drawled, "But after I got popular, I wasn’t just putting in the effort anymore—I also made quite a lot of money. As for what he thinks about it, I have no idea."
Xie Qingshi massaged his temples, muttering to himself, "It really is that simple."
Hearing this, Qingyuan gave him a surprised look. "Don’t tell me you actually believed the internet gossip, Lord Xie? The rumors saying I’m desperately in love with him but can’t have him, so I target Bai Shuyi just to get his attention?"
Xie Qingshi shook his head. "How much truth can there be in internet rumors?"
"It seems that in the stories they like to read, two women must fight to the death over a man," Qingyuan said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were filled with disdain. "They even made up stories about Lord Zhuge and Lord Pei Jiang getting jealous and fighting over the Great General. They went as far as claiming that Lord Zhuge’s death from illness was Lord Pei Jiang’s doing. Is there anything they can’t fabricate?"
This remark made Shi Changying start to question her life. She closed her eyes, opened them, and closed them again.
Xie Qingshi looked slightly worried. "Are you alright?"
"I’m fine." Shi Changying casually dug at her ear. "A Yuan, care to repeat that?"
Realizing she had said the wrong thing, Qingyuan quickly backtracked. "Sister Ying, it’s all just unofficial history fabricated by later generations. There’s absolutely no proof."
Shi Changying let out a soft breath, her face completely expressionless. "I want to kill someone."
It was one thing to make up stories about her; in the eyes of those corrupt officials, she truly was a tyrant. But she couldn’t tolerate them slandering her people.
"Sister Ying, don’t lower yourself to argue with brain-dead idiots." Qingyuan blinked. "Besides, if they really had to make things up, saying that Lord Zhuge, Lord Pei Jiang, and the Great General were fighting out of jealousy over you would at least make some sense."
Seeing Shi Changying’s gloomy expression, Xie Qingshi couldn’t help but chuckle. "Allow me to play a tune for Your Majesty to dispel the frustration in your heart."
He took out the flute he carried with him, placed it to his lips, and played softly.
When the song ended, the murderous intent in Shi Changying’s heart had faded. She opened *The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey* and began to read. After only a few paragraphs, her expression paused.
This writing style was strikingly similar to Pei Jiang’s. But if Pei Jiang had written it, how could she not have left her name behind?
"Does Your Majesty also feel that the diction and phrasing in this novel are very much like Lord Pei Jiang’s?" Xie Qingshi asked. "I believe she is the author of this book."
"Yes," Shi Changying said after a brief pause. "However, it shouldn’t just be Jiang’er."
Xie Qingshi pondered for a moment. "It also involves a lot of knowledge regarding medicine, porcelain, and the art of tea. Several other members of the Twelve Sages must have contributed as well, but... none of them left their names."
Shi Changying closed her eyes once more before suddenly standing up. "I’m going out for some fresh air. You two chat."
The door closed, and the atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy.
"Pei Xuan was the one who told you that *The Great Wilderness Immortal Journey* was written by Lord Pei Jiang, wasn’t he?" Qingyuan suddenly asked.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Xie Qingshi looked at her. "Why couldn’t I have figured it out myself?"
"If you could have figured it out, you would have mentioned it the very first time you saw Your Majesty." Qingyuan shot him a side-glance. "Moreover, no one in this world understood Lord Pei Jiang better than her older brother."
Xie Qingshi smiled. "Lord Qingyuan is truly perceptive. You can guess everything."
Just as Qingyuan was about to say something else, her phone buzzed. It was a number from Mingjing.
She reached out, pressing the answer and speaker buttons. Qingyuan didn’t speak, and the person on the other end was also waiting for her to break the silence.
Ultimately, the other party cracked first.
"Lu Qingyuan, do not test my patience." Gu Lingyuan’s icy voice rang out. "Let’s see who would be willing to work with you at the risk of offending me!"
Before Qingyuan could even open her mouth, Xie Qingshi had heard enough. He said coolly, "I will be her accompanist. There is no need for you to worry, Mr. Gu."