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

Although Yuan Xiao envied that kind of life, her top priority was to improve her skills. With important matters at hand, she couldn't afford to indulge in pleasures. She needed to focus all her energy on what mattered and not hold the team back.

"Very good, then, you play a couple of notes first, and let me hear the details."

Master Ma gestured for the child to sit down and play the piano.

Yuan Xiao's face hardened, and she picked up her instrument with perfect posture, plugged it in, and decided to play half of a new song, playing her own rhythmic parts to show her most authentic self.

As the notes from the speaker began to play, Master Ma's initial expression of curiosity gradually turned into one of solemnity...

Then, his expression gradually changed from solemn to furrowed brows.

"..."

"Teacher Ma, did I play it poorly...?"

Yuan Xiao stopped performing with trepidation. Master Ma, looking quite serious, sighed and said:

"There is still a long way to go before people can understand my lessons."

The master's words were tactful, meaning that if one's basic skills are not solid, even listening to harmony lessons will not be very helpful. One must start by building a high-level structure from the basic theories, otherwise it will be a waste of time and effort.

"You can tell from her playing technique that she's practiced a lot, but she's very nervous. She needs someone to guide her."

Master Ma turned his gaze to Mikami Fubuki and suggested, "Mikami, you should put some effort into helping this child. You can come to the studio whenever you have time and use the teaching tools to assist her."

"Yes, teacher!"

Mikami Fubuki felt a little pleased to receive permission.

She knew that she had already done a lot for An Qing, helping her resolve the issues with the lyrics and earning her senior's approval.

As for Yuan Xiao, he rarely needed his help again, which was essentially giving him an opportunity to shine.

If Yuan Xiao is successfully brought out, then the favor his senior brother owes him will be even greater, creating a synergistic effect where one plus one equals more than two!

At that time... he suddenly made a request: "Senior, I think it might be more efficient if we could move in and take care of the children ourselves..."

Hehehe...

Mikami Fubuki smiled, revealing her dimples.

“Yuan Xiao, don’t be in a hurry. Skills cannot be perfected overnight. As long as you take one step at a time, time and hard work will not let you down.”

She turned to her left, giving the little bird a sense of reassurance.

The birds are now like a "money tree" to her. As long as she keeps an eye on them, she can keep shaking out a kind of gold coin called "compensation from her senior brother"! And she can do it in the long run, accumulating more and more!

That's right, Mikami Fubuki had already figured it out—

Since everyone has already taken the usual routes, I'll explore the paths that no one has yet trodden.

In other words, it means "providing a lot of help and asking for little in return".

They accumulate a sense of indebtedness by silently giving, without ever showing any desire on the surface.

This situation is somewhat similar to a female simp, but Mikami Fubuki is happy with it.

[As long as I can get my hands on my senior... what do other people's opinions matter? They'll naturally be jealous of what they can't have. Hehe, I really want to taste what my senior is like soon...]

Lost in thought, a wicked expression inadvertently slipped out, which was noticed by the little bird.

"Mikami-neechan... are you thinking something naughty...?"

The little bird always felt that Mikami Fubuki wasn't quite normal, but it wasn't appropriate to point it out to her directly when they were at home.

For example, once, after she finished teaching An Qing, An Qing went to the laundry room to collect the washed clothes. She went to room number 1 to look for her but found no one there. Just then, she saw Mikami Fubuki, who hadn't left yet, standing in front of the wardrobe, seemingly studying something.

Upon seeing me arrive, she immediately greeted me nervously, then mysteriously left the room with her hands behind her back, hiding something.

I went to the wardrobe myself to check, and I saw with my own eyes that one of the drawers containing Su Che's underwear was open, and it was obvious that it had been rummaged through...

As for whether it's less or not, that's hard to say.

Although I'm 100% certain she has strange thoughts, I can't say anything, and I certainly can't tell A-Che!

Yuan Xiao was extremely restrained and patient.

She's not a child anymore; she's grown up and become sensible.

Now that they need Mikami Fubuki's help, their fates are intertwined, so they can't afford to offend her.

"Hehe, of course not. I just feel that I would be happy to help Yuanxiao. Don't worry, I can teach you everything I know without reservation!"

My senior is too busy to cover your theoretical knowledge, so I'll take care of that for you. Once you've grasped the basics, you can listen to Professor Ma's lectures; I'm sure you'll soar to great heights then.

At this moment, Mikami Fubuki reached out her small hand and touched Yuan Xiao's smooth and tender face, causing Yuan Xiao to subconsciously dodge backward.

"Hmm... well... then thank you for your trouble. I'm not one to ask for help for nothing, sister. If you ever need anything from me in the future, feel free to ask me. Maybe I can help?"

Yuan Xiao was quite generous; she patted her flat chest and made a promise.

Mikami nodded repeatedly, "Then it's a deal, I'll definitely come looking for you!"

"Uh-huh."

And so, a completely new front was formed.

-

Around 9:30 in the morning, Su Che arrived late with his kitten.

"I'm sorry, teacher. Miya suddenly had a burst of inspiration after eating red bean toast, so I took her out for another sketching trip. We were delayed on our creative journey, so please don't be angry."

Su Che covered the hickey on his neck where the cat had bitten him, and lied through his teeth.

In the past few morning classes, he has made it a habit to take the kitten to eat breakfast and try to spend as much time with her as possible.

Miya's request wasn't high at all; she mainly asked, "Can I go back to the car and sit for a while?"

Su Che rarely refuses requests that are easily fulfilled.

This has led to the kitten's "sitting" becoming sitting on someone's lap, waist, or even face.

Being late became inevitable.

"cough."

Master Ma glanced at him, nodded as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, and frowned slightly after smelling the wrong cat scent on him, gesturing for him to sit down quickly.

"Young people should learn to exercise restraint."

The master added meaningfully, "Otherwise, when you get older, you'll end up like some geniuses who can no longer play the piano."

Although he didn't know who the master was referring to, Su Che felt relieved and said he understood.

Holding Miya's little hand, I walked into the classroom, and that's when I saw the little bird that suddenly appeared.

"Yuan Xiao, what brings you here?"

"Hehe... I want to study with you...!"

"Huh? Why didn't you tell me?"

At that moment, Su Che was quite surprised to see the little bird that had appeared in the classroom. He moved another chair over and sat down to her left.

"I'm just here to sit in on the class; I don't want to disturb you and the senior student."

"!"

Hearing her words, Miya felt a little grateful and leaned closer to say, "Little bird, hello."

After she finished speaking, she opened her arms and gave Yuan Xiao a tight hug, then planted a kiss on her soft, bouncy cheek as a sign of friendliness.

"~"

Undoubtedly, in Su Che's current ecosystem, whoever knows how to back down will be more popular with the other cats.

Yuan Xiao has learned a lot from her older sister, so her recent strategy is to "quietly improve herself and never bother others."

It must be said that this strategy of retreating in order to advance was indeed effective.

"So you're just here to sit in on the proceedings? That's thoughtful of you." Su Che nodded slightly.

He also likes ambitious children, especially those who are rational and adorable and can focus on important matters.

"Teacher Ma is a really nice person. He allowed me to audit a few classes... but only on the condition that I improve my basic skills first. He asked a senior from the third grade to mentor me, and she agreed, so... so this time, I really will work hard! I definitely won't let you down!"

The little bird makes a vow to its beloved.

Su Che smiled with relief, patted the child's head, and gestured for her to talk about it together after class. "Let's listen to the lesson first. Master Ma's course is very valuable."

"Uh-huh!"

The four of them spent this valuable class together. Master Ma treated the new children equally and did not ignore her just because she was an auditor. On the contrary, he asked her a few questions (even though Yuan Xiao didn't know any of them).

After class, the master kept Su Che behind and gave him further instructions:

"Young Su, I have had many students in the past. Among them are quite a few exceptionally talented and promising individuals."

However, many people, the better they play the zither, the more likely they are to fall into the allure of worldly pleasures, becoming entangled in women and unable to progress further. Do you understand what I mean?

"..."

Su Che suddenly recalled that when he was chatting with Mikami Fubuki before, Mikami mentioned that "Master Ma is a single man who has never been married."

This makes one ponder deeply – "Is it only by severing ties with worldly desires that one can become a master?"

Is the reason why I am so far from being a master simply because I have too many cats around me?

Thinking further, is it because my father is plagued by illness and has now retired behind the scenes, no longer playing the piano, that he is also entangled in worldly affairs, which prevents him from making good music and from taking over my grandfather's work?

If we look at it this way, then everything makes sense.

Master Ma meant that, "If you're going to play the piano, don't date; if you're going to date, you won't be able to play the piano well."

This viewpoint confirms the first unspoken rule of most bands in Tianhai City—"No dating."

"...I think I understand, teacher, but the difference between me and others is that I'm driven by a sense of responsibility, not by emotion, when it comes to the children around me. Admittedly, I like them very much, but when it comes to practicing the piano, I think I should be able to... still dedicate enough time and energy to it. I feel that way."

"Hmm." Master Ma nodded after hearing this and made his judgment:

"The disease has reached the point of no return."

"..."

He waved his hand, signaling Su Che to leave work.

Su Che left with mixed feelings.