novelraw Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Chapter 169: Reverse Sarcasm, That’s Too Scheming
Jiang Honghe knew his wife had been insulted. So, he quickly cleared his throat and led the group inside.
The conversation immediately stopped. Everyone in the room turned their heads.
“President Chen, Mrs. Chen, apologies for the intrusion.” Jiang Honghe spoke. “Allow me to introduce you. This is my nephew and his girlfriend. And this is my daughter. They’re on holiday, so they came with me to Beihai for a visit.”
Mrs. Chen, having just finished her sarcastic remarks to Wei Hongxia, still wasn’t satisfied. Seeing Jiang Honghe bring more people in, her face immediately darkened.
“Little Jiang, you’re here on a business trip. Bringing your immediate family is one thing, but why are you bringing other relatives?” she said. “Calling it ‘mooching a meal’ sounds nice, but isn’t it just freeloading?”
Jiang Honghe chuckled awkwardly, saying nothing.
He was, after all, freeloading, so what could he say? He patted Jiang Zhou’s shoulder, motioned for him to sit down with his girlfriend, and then sat down himself, forcing a smile.
“Little Jiang, how old is your daughter?”
“She’s seventeen this year, in her last year of high school.”
Mrs. Chen said, “Oh, she’s about the same age as our Fangfang. How is her studying?”
Wei Hongxia chimed in, “She’s doing quite well. She wants to get into Shangjing University, just like her brother.”
“Shangjing University?” Mrs. Chen sounded surprised. “Someone in your family can get into Shangjing University?”
Jiang Zhou smiled slightly. “It wasn’t too difficult. I got in accidentally.”
“Oh, well, universities in China are easy to get into and have low value. It’s not like our Fangfang. She’s going to study abroad.”
“Studying abroad is great! Being dependent on others and not eating properly every meal will really develop a child’s independence!”
“…”
Mrs. Chen glared at Jiang Zhou. “What kind of talk is that? Returnees are so valuable these days.”
Jiang Zhou nodded repeatedly. “That’s right. Locals aren’t popular anymore. Everyone loves sea turtles (a pun on the word ‘returnees’).”
“A returnee means someone who has returned from overseas! Don’t you know that?!”
“Ah, so that’s what it means. I don’t understand these technical terms, Mrs. Chen. Please don’t mind me.”
Mrs. Chen turned her focus back to Wei Hongxia. “Hongxia, does your daughter have any talents?”
Wei Hongxia looked embarrassed. “We just focused on her studies. She hasn’t learned any talents.”
“It’s better for girls to be multi-talented. Our Fangfang has been learning the piano since she was little.”
“Really? Then she must play very well.”
“Of course! She even won second place in the neighborhood piano competition last week.” Mrs. Chen said, patting Chen Fang. “Daughter, there’s a piano right here. Go play ‘Only Mama Is Good in the World.'”
Chen Fang put down her phone, looking arrogant. “I’m sick of playing that song.”
“Just play it. It’s your prize-winning piece, after all.”
“Alright then. But I have to be clear, I don’t just play for anyone.”
Mrs. Chen looked proud. “This child, she’s always been prouder than others.”
Wei Hongxia glanced at Jiang Yuqi. “Actually, our Yuqi is very well-behaved too.”
“If you can’t praise anything else, ‘well-behaved’ is all you have, isn’t it? Look at our Fangfang, doesn’t she look like a princess?”
Hearing that, Jiang Yuqi lowered her head. She was normally very lively, but she couldn’t muster any spirit right now.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhou couldn’t help but smack his lips.
Can just anyone call themselves a princess now? KTVs are full of ‘princesses,’ too!
But if you want a real princess, can you find anyone more of a princess than Feng Siruo?
He looked at Feng Siruo and saw that she was looking down. The socially anxious girl was pretending to be invisible again.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Feng Siruo leaned close to his ear. “They seem to be bullying Uncle and Auntie.”
Jiang Zhou patted her head. “It’s nothing. Nouveau riche people are like this.”
“That person is really mean.”
Just then, the piano suddenly started. Chen Fang sat in front of the piano, holding a good posture. But her playing was very amateur.
It was just two index fingers poking at the keys.
Ding-ding-dong, ding-ding-dong.
There were no chords, just a broken main melody.
How could one describe it? One couldn’t say it was bad, but it had little to do with piano music. She just remembered the positions of Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do and pressed the keys one by one based on memory.
Clang-clang-clang!
The song “Only Mama Is Good in the World” was reluctantly finished. President Chen and Mrs. Chen led the applause.
“Well, how was it? She plays well, doesn’t she?”
Jiang Honghe and Wei Hongxia nodded. “Fantastic! That was really good!”
Mrs. Chen proudly patted her daughter’s head. “This girl, her artistic talent is overflowing. Ordinary people just can’t achieve this kind of effect.”
“Yes, President and Mrs. Chen have raised a wonderful daughter.”
“So, you two should focus on raising your daughter well too.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yuqi lowered her head even further. She knew this was her father’s boss, so she didn’t dare to refute.
Jiang Zhou couldn’t help but sigh.
What’s the point of eating? I’m already full of anger. Darn it! Who shows off by being so confrontational?
Just then, Feng Siruo suddenly tugged on his sleeve.
“I want to play a song too.”
“Hmm?”
Feng Siruo looked up. “I’ll play for Yuqi!”
Jiang Zhou pinched her cheek. “Aren’t you afraid of people?”
“I’m fine with you here.”
“Then go ahead.”
Feng Siruo stood up and slowly walked towards the piano.
At that moment, all eyes in the room focused on her. Only then did they realize that such a beautiful girl was sitting in the room.
Her slender, fair fingers fell onto the keys, and immediately, a nimble melody rang out. It flowed like a stream, with rise and fall, the tune incredibly smooth.
Compared to Chen Fang, she truly looked like a princess — quiet, elegant, and with eyes as pure as unblemished snow.
The music gently flowed from her fingertips, lingering in the air.
Jiang Zhou was very familiar with the tune. It was “The Whale That Became a Lonely Island.”
This girl actually arranged this song into a piano piece… and added so many different chords.
In contrast, Mrs. Chen’s face looked rather poor. Compared to the current music, her own daughter’s playing was truly embarrassing.
It was not only broken up but she also made several mistakes.
This girl’s playing, however, was as fluid as could be.
A moment later, the piano music stopped.
Feng Siruo walked over to Jiang Zhou and obediently sat down next to him.
“My girlfriend plays well, too, doesn’t she, Mrs. Chen?”
Mrs. Chen snorted. “Is she a professional? How many years has she practiced?”
Feng Siruo shook her head. “I practiced during the National Day holiday.”
“One month?!”
“Mhm.” Feng Siruo nodded.
She really didn’t have any formal talent. She simply loved this song so much after hearing it that she insisted on finding a piano teacher and studying for a month.
Of course, the teacher the Feng family found was undoubtedly a master. However, she didn’t continue learning.
She only learned two songs: “The Wind Rises” and “The Whale That Became a Lonely Island.”
Mrs. Chen coughed. “I remember that tune being very familiar. Fangfang has played it too, hasn’t she?”
Chen Fang naturally replied, “Which chapter of ‘Night’ was it? I forgot. That’s one of the first songs you learn when you start piano.”
“Oh, so it’s a beginner’s piece. Our Fangfang must have gotten tired of playing it.”
“That’s right. I stopped playing it three years ago.”
Jiang Yuqi suddenly looked up, sensing something was wrong. “Isn’t this song ‘The Whale That Became a Lonely Island?’ My brother wrote it!”
Mrs. Chen frowned slightly. “You don’t understand piano at all. What nonsense are you talking about? This is a very famous piano piece!”
“It’s true! I still have it on my phone! It hasn’t even been published. No one else could possibly know it.” Jiang Yuqi opened her phone. “Listen, everyone! This is the song my brother wrote specifically for my sister-in-law!”
As she spoke, a song began playing from the phone. It was the version Jiang Zhou recorded in the studio.
He had initially recorded it primarily to drive traffic to the Ganfanren website, but he hadn’t expected it to have another use today.
Silence…
Silence…
Silence…
The private room was completely silent.
A private song. How could the melody possibly have been heard by an outsider? Let alone played three years ago.
Chen Fang’s lie was accidentally exposed, leaving her speechless.
Mrs. Chen’s expression also turned slightly sour.
“Maybe I misremembered. There’s a tune that sounds very similar to this one…” Chen Fang said.
Jiang Zhou also nodded. “That’s possible.”
“Yes, a lot of music is similar. It’s easy to mistake one for another.”
“In that case, Miss Chen, why don’t you play the one you played three years ago? Let us hear the difference.”
Chen Fang glanced at Jiang Zhou. “I… I’m tired. I don’t want to play anymore.”
Mrs. Chen quickly interjected. “Exactly! Let’s just talk!”
“Just play one song.”