First Private Meeting

At 7 o'clock on Monday morning, Xia Yu's alarm clock rang, and he got up and out of bed.

This morning, he and Liu Manman were going to An Siyao's house to discuss the matter of the song and get their practice schedule.

At 7:30, he began eating breakfast at the dining table, and Liu Manman also tidied up her appearance and came to the dining room.

"Here, take this," the young girl tossed something to Xia Yu.

It was a bamboo flute.

"The one you used last night had a shorter distance between the finger holes. That's the flute I usually use," Liu Manman yawned as she sat at the dining table.

Xia Yu subconsciously looked at her hand, which was indeed smaller than his palm.

Speaking of which, if that was the flute she usually used...

Nevermind, he decided to pretend that he didn't notice.

After breakfast, the two of them went to An Siyao's villa together.

Looking at the villa in front of them, Liu Manman exclaimed, "It's just a little smaller than my home, but my house is an ancient building, so the actual area is not as big as this one."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu glanced at her and thought:

Liu Manman must be referring to her family's house in the north, even in a small city, a plot of land larger than An Siyao's villa wouldn't be cheap.

This girl was also a young lady from a prominent family.

When the two arrived at the villa, a woman in a suit greeted them.

It was Yu Ningmeng.

Yu Ningmeng led the two into the villa. Along the way, she observed them.

Generally, people entering the front yard would be amazed by the scenery that caught their eyes. Even she herself was quite surprised when she first entered.

However, from their expressions, Yu Ningmeng didn't sense any surprise from them.

The young girl had some curiosity in her eyes and looked around at the scenery in the courtyard.

The young man, on the other hand, seemed like he had seen it all before and didn't even bother to look around.

This made Yu Ningmeng curious. She had information on both of them, Liu Manman being a young lady of a large northern clan, it was normal for her to remain calm. But how did Xia Yu, who was born in a common family, manage to remain so composed?

What she didn't know was that Xia Yu was even more familiar with this villa than she was.

Upon entering the living room, Xia Yu saw An Tianfeng, who was drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

"Uncle An," Xia Yu greeted.

"Ah, it's Xia Yu," An Tianfeng put down the newspaper, pretending to be surprised as if he didn't know Xia Yu would be coming, "So you're the one forming a team with Yao Yao? I had no idea!"

Xia Yu responded with a polite smile.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew An Siyao's dad when you only gave me information about her school?" Liu Manman whispered in Xia Yu's ear, accusatory.

"Would you believe me if I told you I didn't know Uncle An back then?" Xia Yu replied.

"Do you think I'll believe you? You two seem very close considering you just met," Liu Manman could see the enthusiasm on An Tianfeng's face.

Xia Yu gave up on explaining. Liu Manman's understanding of social relationships was still shallow and didn't realize that capable people would always be fawned on wherever they went.

"Please follow me," Yu Ningmeng continued to lead the way, taking them to a specially prepared room.

Inside, there was a maid pouring tea.

"Please have some tea and rest for a while, the young lady will be down shortly." After settling the two guests, Yu Ningmeng left the room.

A minute later, the door of the room was opened again, and An Siyao walked in.

The young girl wore a thin white dress, as the villa was air-conditioned.

Xia Yu and Liu Manman also took off their coats and placed them on a coat rack nearby.

"What song shall we play?" An Siyao sat on the sofa, her tone of voice not as soft as when she spoke to Xia Yu, but rather somewhat assertive.

Liu Manman glanced at Xia Yu, feeling that An Siyao's demeanor and tone were similar to his.

An Siyao naturally imitated Xia Yu's possessed state.

Xia Yu looked into An Siyao's eyes, and after seeing the girl slightly dodge his gaze, he realized that she was only pretending to be assertive.

"We'll decide on one song, and you can decide on the other," Liu Manman replied.

"No need, you two decide on both songs," said An Siyao, who was not good at making decisions, let alone ones that would affect others.

Liu Manman twirled her hair and felt something was not right. She ventured to say, "Then how about one 'Moon Shadow' and one 'Lost Soul'?"

"Alright," An Siyao nodded.

Xia Yu sighed in his heart. Both 'Lost Soul' and 'Moon Shadow' were songs for the Xiao, a Chinese flute. How could they select two of the same type? Liu Manman was trying to test An Siyao, and An Siyao had fallen for it.

Sure enough, Liu Manman revealed a triumphant smile and approached An Siyao, "You're actually quite nervous, aren't you?"

An Siyao couldn't maintain her strong pretense, shrinking away from Liu Manman.

"We're not bad people, so don't be so tense!" Liu Manman teased, continuing to get closer to An Siyao.

Unable to watch any further, Xia Yu pulled Liu Manman's collar and yanked her back.

Exposed, An Siyao panicked, standing up, "I'm not feeling well, I'm going back." This was the coping method Xia Yu taught her three months ago.

"Wait, wait, I promise not to tease you anymore." Liu Manman hurriedly reassured, naturally not letting An Siyao escape.

"Then don't say anything unnecessary!" An Siyao was annoyed in her heart, but her aggrieved expression made her look incredibly adorable.

"Let's start practicing 'Tears of the Moon' first. That's our song. Tell us about your song when you've thought about it," Liu Manman said seriously.

The three went to their respective instruments and began to play without speaking.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Liu Manman frowned in distress. She had planned to bond with An Siyao today, but they hadn't even brought their guzheng and Xiao. Fortunately, An Siyao had prepared them.

She thought that upon hearing An Siyao's 'Girl Beside the Bonfire', she would meet a romantic and interesting person, but instead found a problematic young girl.

They practiced calmly until noon when the maid reminded them of the time. An Siyao immediately closed the piano cover and left the room.

During this time, Xia Yu tried to communicate with her several times, but she only answered his questions, like a self-service robot.

At noon, Xia Yu and Liu Manman were invited by An Tianfeng to stay for lunch.

An Tianfeng tried to bring his daughter and Xia Yu closer together by bringing up common topics, but his efforts failed. An Siyao quickly finished eating and, without any intention of entertaining Xia Yu and Liu Manman, went back to her room by herself.

Xia Yu and Liu Manman left the villa. Their first private meeting with An Siyao was a failure, due to her unwillingness to communicate.

This girl is somewhat difficult to deal with.

As he thought this, Xia Yu walked along the front yard path with Liu Manman.

At this moment, not far from them, a voice could be heard.

Turning towards the sound, Xia Yu saw An Feixiong.

An Feixiong was talking arrogantly about something, and in front of him was Xu Youxiang, who was sitting in a wheelchair.