Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"And this zither? I heard you play it quite well outside just now. Is this one you like?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Lord Yu Zhe."

Then Qi Xinye's answer puzzled Yu Zhe even more.

"What does 'like' mean? Because there are rules... so I have to learn them, and there are many other courses too..."

Even if these weren't your intentions?

"I don't quite understand what you mean... I'm sorry..."

Yu Zhe wasn't the type to meddle in other people's business... well, at least not on the surface.

Although he had a lot to say, he still got up and left.

"Then you can continue to follow your rules. I'm leaving now. Goodbye."

"Ah...please take care."

Qi Xinye thought she had angered Yu Zhe, and she panicked.

Bonus Chapter: Qi Xinye (4) (Bonus Chapter)

After saying this, Xiao Yuzhe turned and left.

He was just curious about why Qi Xinye was so sensible and well-behaved, and his purpose was to teach Yu Che, especially Yun'er, to be less noisy.

As a result, she kept talking about rules and regulations, and seemed to be bound by chains, completely lacking her own thoughts.

Such a sensible person is better off not learning.

.................. ..

During the subsequent conversation between the high-ranking officials of the Su and Qi families, Yu Zhe took Yu Che and Mo Lingyun to play in the Qi family's courtyard.

This place is indeed much more spacious than the Su family's place, because the Qi family designed their residence according to the traditional manor style, unlike the Su family, which is more inclined to a modern design and therefore occupies a smaller area.

Although the hide-and-seek game didn't last long, Yu Che and Yun'er seemed very happy.

Yu Zhe appeared to be having fun with the two of them, but inside he was feeling depressed and annoyed.

Every now and then, when Yu Zhe passed by the detached house where Qi Xinye lived, he would think of the rules she had just mentioned.

Is it possible that... anyone can adapt to those obviously unreasonable rules without feeling uncomfortable?

It's hard to imagine this child living like this for more than ten years. If she continues like this, how boring her life will be.

This has nothing to do with Xiao Yuzhe, of course, but he is thinking about himself. He sometimes has to deal with some tedious family rules.

He had something on his mind, and Yu Che could tell that of course.

"Brother... what's wrong? Are you not having fun playing with us...?"

Mo Lingyun was just about to start the next round when she heard Yu Che say that, so she quickly came over to persuade him, "Ah! How about... Brother Yu Zhe hides in the next round, and I'll be the ghost!"

"Don't overthink it, I'm having a lot of fun."

Yu Zhe kept smiling: "I'm just a little tired from playing, it's okay, let's continue... This time I'll be 'it,' you guys go hide, I'll count to three..."

"Yu Zhe, Yu Che! Yun'er! Let's go, we've finished talking!"

Yu Zhe looked in the direction of the sound.

Yang Qiuyun was waving in this direction from the pavilion on the main road, while Su Zhenfeng was shaking hands with the head of the Qi family and Qi Yi to say goodbye.

"Looks like we're leaving. Let's not start another round."

"Hey... but Yun'er hasn't had enough fun yet..."

"Stop fooling around. I'll take you guys to play again when we get back to the Su family home. I also promised Yu Che I'd make her rock candy."

"Okay, let's go home." Yu Che raised her hand.

"Oh well…"

Mo Lingyun was very obedient and didn't make a fuss. She took the initiative to hand her little hand to Yu Zhe, and Yu Che followed suit without being outdone.

Yu Zhe continued to hold one of their hands and led them to Yang Qiuyun's side.

However, Yu Zhe's inner turmoil lingered even as he walked out of the Qi family manor.

Even though Qi Xinye hid very well, Yu Zhe noticed her when they were playing hide-and-seek.

Several times she would quietly pull back a small corner of the curtains and try to hide behind it to watch everyone play hide-and-seek.

Yu Zhe, whose observational skills far surpass those of ordinary people, could always spot the look she was giving him.

They envied and longed to participate, but dared not, fearing they would cause trouble for others and their families.

It's strange, but Yu Zhe could see these emotions with just a glance. Perhaps this is some kind of intuition of a genius.

If you want to get involved, why not step out of that "cage"-like house and speak properly?

The result was that every time Yu Zhe turned his head slightly, Qi Xinye would immediately panic and pull the small corner of the curtain back up.

Even now, as Yu Zhe is about to leave, she still hasn't come out.

This is the reason why Yu Zhe felt uncomfortable.

"Yu Zhe, what are you looking at? It's time to go."

Yang Qiuyun reminded them that the Qi family had already escorted Su Zhenfeng to the door, and it was indeed impolite for them to continue standing there.

Seeing that the curtains over there were still not drawn, Yu Zhe could only shake his head, and with Yu Che and Mo Lingyun, he followed Yang Qiuyun and started to leave.

This initial step was less than six steps.

Yu Zhe stopped.

pace.

It was only because a melodious and lively violin sound came from the window next to the small courtyard behind them.

The notes danced with joy and freedom, completely unlike what Qi Xinye had just said—that she only cared about rules.

Listen to this music, this melody; it should be free and unrestrained.

The question is, how did this music get here?

Yu Zhe turned around, but the curtains were still drawn, and he couldn't see inside.

I just went into that room; the soundproofing was excellent, so you wouldn't be able to hear someone playing the piano outside.

There's only one explanation... Yu Zhe looked closely and saw that the window in front of the curtains was now open by Qi Xinye. She must have quietly opened it when she saw that his group was about to leave.

So what does this music mean?

The music continued, but Yu Zhe didn't plan to walk towards the door any further.

"Mom, please keep an eye on Yuche and Yun'er for me. I forgot my water cup. I'll go back and get it."

Yang Qiuyun gestured for the two to come to her side, then said with a puzzled look, "Water cup? Isn't your water cup in the car... umm, go get it, we'll wait for you by the car, hurry back."

"clear."

Actually, Yang Qiuyun knew that Yu Zhe had left his water bottle in the car and hadn't taken it out. But since she was also a genius, she immediately understood from the direction of Yu Zhe's gaze.

Hmm, son is going to help others, then go quickly.

After receiving permission, Yu Zhe jogged back, crossed the courtyard, and the music continued.

Using his memory, Yu Zhe found Qi Xinye's room, which he had just visited. This time, he didn't knock; he simply pushed the door open and entered!

"Oh?!"

This startled Qi Xinye. She had just been playing the piano by the window when Yu Zhe opened the door, and the music stopped abruptly.

Yu Zhe laughed and said, "You play the violin really well. If I heard correctly, you played it for us, right?"

"We" naturally refers to Yu Zhe, Yu Che, and Mo Lingyun, the trio who were playing hide-and-seek in the courtyard just now.

"I…"

"So that's not true... I was overthinking it. I'm leaving now."

Yu Zhe chose to use reverse psychology.

This trick was clearly quite effective, and Qi Xinye immediately nodded.

"Yes...yes, I saw you leave looking unhappy, so I was worried I might have done something wrong. Since you were leaving, I played the piano to see you off...it's also a way of apologizing..."

"I already told you not to use 'you' (formal) to address me. Also, is that all the reason you play the piano? Is there nothing else?"

Qi Xinye hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

It wasn't until Yu Zhe revealed his discovery: "I saw it all just now, you were watching us play hide-and-seek from the window every now and then."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

I didn't ask you to apologize...

Yu Zhe rubbed his forehead and continued, "So, can you tell me why you were there?"

Even though the matter had been discussed to this point, Qi Xinye herself didn't really understand.

She says what's on her mind directly.

"I...I don't really understand either, but this is the first time that children my age have come to play in the yard. I don't understand why. Several times just now, I wanted to go out and play with you...even though that's against the rules."

"What rules and regulations... This is just a child's nature. It's good that you want to go out."

After being silent for most of the day, Yu Zhe finally heard what he wanted to hear.

Bonus Chapter: Qi Xinye (5)

What? You have your own ideas, don't you?

Xiao Yuzhe sat down in the chair next to her without any hesitation and said.

"Let me tell you, I hate rules and regulations the most, so when you said we must follow the rules, even though it might sound a bit unreasonable, I really felt very uncomfortable."

"Sorry…"

So we didn't ask you to apologize! It has nothing to do with you.

Yu Zhe looked out the window, stood up and pulled back the curtain. There was still snow in the spacious courtyard outside, sparkling in the gentle sunlight.

"Look, isn't it wonderful outside? Don't you want to go out and have fun? Don't you find it interesting when you go for a walk or travel?"