Kong Hanyue

At 5:30 in the afternoon, after having a meal at An Siyao's place, Xia Yu returned to his own body.

By this time, his work at the coffee shop had already been completed.

After changing into his original clothes, Xia Yu arrived at the subway station and boarded the subway.

The place where Kong Hanyue lived was quite a distance from the coffee shop. It took Xia Yu fifteen minutes on the subway to reach the destination.

It was a villa area, not an ordinary villa, but a villa with a swimming pool.

Of course, compared to An Siyao's villa, this place was much more ordinary.

After saying Kong Hanyue's name to the security guard at the entrance, Xia Yu was allowed to enter. Ten minutes later, he arrived at his destination.

When he rang the doorbell, Kong Hanyue opened the door for him.

"Mom," Xia Yu called out.

"Come in quickly," Kong Hanyue said as she pulled Xia Yu into the house, sizing him up.

Xia Yu also looked at Kong Hanyue as he hadn't seen her in several years.

After the incident with Yuxue, Kong Hanyue's husband didn't divorce her but he set restrictions on her, prohibiting her from having contact with the Xia family.

Three years ago, after Kong Hanyue's husband passed away, she tried to support Xia Yu's studies and have him move to another city, but Xia Yu, who didn't want to leave Yuxue behind, refused. Since then, the two had not met.

"You've lost weight," Kong Hanyue said sadly while holding Xia Yu's hand.

"..."

This seemed to be a common problem with many parents, while in reality, Xia Yu had not only not lost weight, but he had also gained a few pounds.

"Why don't you follow your mother's advice and go to school in Yaoguang City? I can find someone to transfer your household registration there. With that, even if you take the college entrance examination with your eyes closed, you will still be able to get into a good school!" Kong Hanyue's eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked sincere.

It seemed that Kong Hanyue was very caring, but in fact, she was just sentimental and forgetful.

For example, when she went out to play with Xia Dongyang and saw him catch a rabbit, she would be sad for a while, but when the rabbit was cooked, she would happily eat it.

She would only feel something for what was in front of her, once it was out of her sight, she would forget.

"No need, Xia Dongyang has already run away," Xia Yu said.

"Why did he run away?" Kong Hanyue asked in surprise.

Xia Yu then told her what had happened.

"There's still my money in that house!" After being angry for a while, Kong Hanyue again tried to persuade Xia Yu to go to Yaoguang City for school.

She didn't consider at all what to do about Yuxue.

"Once you graduate, I'll get you into the company. If Zeze doesn't mind, you can live with me!" Kong Hanyue talked about her plans.

Zeze was the son of Kong Hanyue's late husband's ex-wife, one year younger than Xia Yu. His name was Zhong Yunze, and he had a twin sister named Zhong Yunxin.

Both children were not Kong Hanyue's own, so her position in the family was somewhat awkward.

"Yunxin is also studying in Yaoguang City. If you can... hehe," Kong Hanyue hinted at Xia Yu.

"Stop talking nonsense." Xia Yu pushed away Kong Hanyue's head that was close to his and refused her suggestion to go to Yaoguang City for school.

"Why not?" Kong Hanyue said, disappointed.

She was almost forty years old, but her behavior was still like an ignorant young girl, and the man she remarried probably saw this trait in her.

"My principal can get me a recommendation to Hua University," Xia Yu began to talk about the formalities.

"Really?" Hua University was not an easy school to get into, and Kong Hanyue was surprised.

Even with the Zhong family's small fortune in Ziling City, they couldn't push Zhong Tianze into Hua University.

"The condition is that I must get good results in the upcoming Middle School Musical Instrument Competition," Xia Yu continued.

"Then you have no chance," Kong Hanyue concluded.

"…" Xia Yu knew that arguing was pointless at this time, so he asked Kong Hanyue, "Do you have a piano or a violin at home?"

"We have a piano," Kong Hanyue led Xia Yu to the piano room.

Upon opening the piano cover, Xia Yu played a piece called "The Pope's Dancer."

Watching Xia Yu's agile fingers, Kong Hanyue was astonished.

After finishing the performance, before Xia Yu could put down his hand, Kong Hanyue grabbed his palm.

While squeezing Xia Yu's fingers, Kong Hanyue asked, "When did you learn piano? Your current skill level is almost as good as Zeze's."

"Does Zhong Yunze also play the piano?" Xia Yu wondered why there was a piano in the house, but it turned out to be Zhong Yunze's.

"Yes, Zeze will also participate in the instrument competition, but even he can't guarantee making it to the final, so you still have no chance," Kong Hanyue remained skeptical about Xia Yu.

She asked again, "Who did you learn piano from? Did that jerk Xia Dongyang actually pay for your piano lessons?"

"I learned from the old man in the coffee shop next door." After explaining the piano issue, Xia Yu continued, "I'm not going to compete with a piano."

"Do you also play the violin?" Kong Hanyue thought of Xia Yu mentioning the violin earlier.

"Not with the violin either," Xia Yu said.

"What then? Don't keep me in suspense!" Kong Hanyue pinched Xia Yu's cheek with her hand.

Slapping her hand away, Xia Yu said, "The guzheng."

"You even learned the guzheng, even though you said you had no interest before when I wanted to teach you!" Kong Hanyue was indignant.

"I don't know how to play it," Xia Yu interrupted Kong Hanyue's words.

"Then you plan to…?"

"You teach me now."

"Eh?" Kong Hanyue was stunned.

"The competition starts in November at the latest," she said.

"I know, just give me a try, and you'll see why I say that."

Xia Yu had acquired a skill from An Siyao called "Music Violation," which was already at level 3. His proficiency in all instruments had reached level 3, but he just didn't know any pieces.

He couldn't learn the pieces from An Siyao, or he would be discovered, so he came to Kong Hanyue.

Before marrying Xia Dongyang, Kong Hanyue was known as a beautiful guzheng player who had participated in world-class guzheng competitions. Although her current level was unknown, she was definitely better than ordinary teachers.

"The guzheng has nothing in common with the piano, except for a better sense of music. Don't expect any bonus from it," Kong Hanyue felt that Xia Yu was somewhat dismissive of the guzheng, and she was slightly displeased.

She took Xia Yu to her guzheng room.

The room was decorated in an antique style, with exquisite tea sets and incense burners.

This should be the style that Kong Hanyue's late husband liked.

"Originally, one had to change into Hanfu (TL: Traditional Chinese Clothing) before entering this room, but since he's dead, it doesn't matter." Kong Hanyue showed no concern for her deceased husband.

She sat down in front of the guzheng: "The guzheng has only five basic tones – gong, shang, jiao, zhi, and yu – and the remaining notes are produced by pressing the strings..."

"I know all that already, you just need to teach me the song," Xia Yu interrupted her.

Kong Hanyue snorted, muttering things like "aiming too high," "disrespectful," and "insulting one's teacher and ancestors" under her breath as she began to play a practice piece.