Chapter 108: Chapter 108

Shen Jianian was half-skeptical, but she also knew that his decisions were not easily changed. After returning to her room, she didn’t linger and first slipped into the dressing room to tidy herself up.

When Fu Jichen spoke, his tone was very casual. Shen Jianian guessed that he wasn’t taking her to any important occasion, so she was too lazy to put on makeup. She put on a pair of sapphire earrings in front of the mirror to complement the light blue coat she was wearing, avoiding looking too plain.

Her entire outfit today was in light tones: a white turtleneck base shirt, a light apricot velvet pleated midi skirt with heavy pleats, and an asymmetrical hem, simple and gentle yet fashionable.

Fu Jichen was, as always, in formal attire: white shirt, black suit. He leaned obliquely against the wardrobe door, gazing at Shen Jianian with deep, prolonged eyes.

Seeing the man’s handsome face in the full-length mirror, Shen Jianian felt a bit uneasy and couldn’t help but ask, "Is what I’m wearing okay? Will it be inappropriate?"

"Whatever." Fu Jichen toyed carelessly with a white jade handle piece, saying, "Just feel comfortable."

Shen Jianian felt slightly relieved and went out with him, getting into the car.

Today, Qu Mo was driving a Mercedes SUV, heading all the way to the North City Suburb.

In the slight bumpiness, Shen Jianian was drowsy, and just as her head was about to droop again, Fu Jichen extended his arm, wrapping it around the back of her neck, gently shifting her head into his embrace.

She naturally leaned on his shoulder hollow, closing her eyes.

The two-hour-plus drive was enough for Shen Jianian to take a nap.

When the car came to a stop, Fu Jichen was about to wake her, but she woke up first, seeing a three-story villa in front of her. The winter sun shone on the white building, surrounded by towering green trees, like a forest castle from a comic.

Through the fence gate, one could see that the villa’s spacious yard wasn’t planted with green plants or flowers, but divided into vegetable patches growing various vegetables and fruits, some even covered with plastic film greenhouses for warmth.

On one side of the yard, there was a wooden swing with a black-haired woman sitting on it, basking in the sun, with a thick pillow behind her back.

Qu Mo got out of the car to press the doorbell, and the guard verified the identity of the visitors before opening the main gate to allow them in.

Returning to the car, Qu Mo drove inside and parked in the open space in the yard.

Fu Jichen and Shen Jianian got out of the car one after the other. The woman on the swing, having not seen visitors in a long time, found it quite curious, shading her eyes with her hand against the glaring sun, squinting slightly to recognize the two walking slowly towards her.

Just then, the main building door was opened from the inside, and a tall, thin young man in a loose white casual outfit came out, holding a thermos cup and a medicine bottle, walking towards the swing.

From afar, Shen Jianian watched the walking man, his face blurred, yet she felt an inexplicable familiarity.

"Let’s go over and have a look," Fu Jichen reminded her.

The two walked onto the cobblestone path beside the main road, with small greens planted on both sides, lush under the sunlight, showing the owner’s care.

"Mom, did you forget to take your noon medicine, or are you deliberately not taking it?" Yan Qiusheng handed the water and medicine to the woman, chiding, "Did you treat the doctor’s instructions as wind passing by your ears?"

The woman slightly furrowed her brows, very resistant to taking the medicine, and changed the subject, "Guests have arrived, go greet them, don’t mind me."

Yan Qiusheng straightened up and looked at the slowly approaching people, his gaze calm.

A few days ago, he was very surprised to receive an invitation from the Fu Family’s eldest grandson, not knowing what purpose the other side had in meeting him.

Even though he was renowned worldwide, he couldn’t afford to offend such a noble family, so he agreed, thinking to figure out their intentions before deciding what to do next.

"Mr. Fu, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you notify me in advance so I could come out to welcome you?"

Yan Qiusheng said these courteous words, not ignoring the corner of his eyes monitoring his mother, afraid she might secretly throw away the pills while he wasn’t looking, given her history.

"Just arrived." Fu Jichen, having noticed the aloofness in the other’s words, responded even more coldly.

He hadn’t expected the world-class cellist to be so young, seemingly only in his early thirties?

He had only heard the name "Yan Qiusheng" before. Since he wasn’t interested in this field, he hadn’t looked into the person. Now upon seeing, he felt a bit hesitant inside.

Yan Qiusheng didn’t mind his reticent response, watching his mother finish the medicine, and then pointed inside, "Shall we go in and chat?"

Fu Jichen turned to look at Shen Jianian, who seemed to be in a daze, her bright, wide eyes unblinking at Yan Qiusheng’s face, looking both surprised and incredulous.

It was the first time seeing such an exaggerated, overt expression on her face, like those fangirls meeting their idol, so excited they couldn’t speak.

Seeing this, Fu Jichen felt more than just hesitation; he regretted it.

Yan Qiusheng finished speaking, but he didn’t see any reaction from Fu Jichen. He glanced sideways at the girl beside him and found her gaze on him... quite unusual.

He had been away from concerts, parties, and other public events for a long time and hadn’t seen such pure admiration in someone’s eyes for many years. A slight smile tugged at his lips.

Shen Jianian returned a shy smile.

She couldn’t believe she could see him again in her lifetime. The last meeting was when she was twelve, and now she was twenty-two. Ten years passed, yet he was still the same as before, unchanged.

Time had been particularly kind to this genius cellist.

Yan Qiusheng had pale skin, very deep brown eyes, and sunken facial contours, appearing profound and three-dimensional. His hair was fine, soft, wavy, and a bit long. Possibly due to mixed heritage, he looked slightly different from a typical Asian.

"Hello, Teacher Yan." Shen Jianian nodded respectfully to greet him, the brightness in her eyes never dimming.

Yan Qiusheng squinted his eyes, scrutinizing her, and dug through vaguely blurred memories from decades ago. After a moment, he tilted his head and uncertainly asked, "Have we met before? Are you Shen... Shen..."

His mind was too cluttered with trivial matters, and he couldn’t recall her name.

Remembering just her last name was enough to surprise Shen Jianian, who, when she spoke, had a quiver in her voice: "You remember me? I’m Shen Jianian."

"Shen, Jia, Nian." Yan Qiusheng murmured, repeating it softly. The dusty memories seemed to become a little clearer. "Ten years ago, at that concert in Beicheng, your parents took you backstage for a photo with me, and you were only this tall back then."

As he spoke, Yan Qiusheng gestured a height in front of him and asked with a smile, "I got it right, didn’t I?"

Mentioning her deceased parents, Shen Jianian’s bright eyes instantly dimmed, but she still politely responded, "Yes, you’re right, it was that concert where we met."

Fu Jichen wasn’t aware of this shared memory between the two and felt a little heavy-hearted, unable to imagine what Shen Jianian was like at twelve.

The fact that Yan Qiusheng could remember her for so long meant she must have been quite impressive back then.

The contrast between the man’s expression and the brilliant sun in the sky was stark; the former was dark, and the latter was radiant.

Shen Jianian didn’t notice his oddity at all, solely focused on reminiscing with her idol. As they chatted, the dimness in her eyes was replaced by elation, and the uncontainable joy in her heart was fully expressed on her face.

"Let’s talk inside; it’s too sunny out here." Yan Qiusheng extended another invitation.

Shen Jianian hurriedly followed his steps, saying, "Aren’t you inviting Auntie inside?"

"She spends most of her day sleeping and needs more sunlight." Yan Qiusheng simply explained.

Shen Jianian had already noticed the woman wearing a wig, thin to the bone, likely suffering from a severe illness requiring frequent chemotherapy.

She didn’t continue the topic to avoid adding to anyone’s distress. After walking a few steps, she finally noticed Fu Jichen hadn’t followed and stopped, looking back at him standing there, "Aren’t you coming in?"

Fu Jichen sneered, finally able to see himself in her eyes.

Inside, Yan Qiusheng asked them what they wanted to drink. Shen Jianian said anything was fine. Fu Jichen kept silent, his aura cold and heavy. Yan Qiusheng couldn’t help but wonder if he had somehow offended him.

Shen Jianian spoke for him, "He drinks tea."

Fu Jichen’s expression softened slightly, and the air around him felt less chilly.

Yan Qiusheng found a box of new tea from the cabinet, brewed a pot, and poured it into three small cups, getting straight to the point. "I wonder why Mr. Fu is looking for me. To be honest, I’ve been pondering these last few days and still can’t figure it out."

Fu Jichen picked up the teacup with three fingers, gently taking a sip.

Seeing Yan Qiusheng in person, he suddenly didn’t want to share his plan anymore.

Shen Jianian looked at Fu Jichen with confusion, realizing that he was the one who sought out Yan Qiusheng. Suddenly, she recalled that night when he asked if she wanted to continue playing the cello.

So, his meeting with Yan Qiusheng was related to her?

Fu Jichen remained silent for a long time, so long that the woman sunbathing outside came in before he explained his purpose: "I wanted to ask if Mr. Yan takes students. I have a suitable candidate to recommend to you."

Yan Qiusheng was startled but then felt a moment of enlightenment. He glanced at Shen Jianian, who sat quietly beside the man. No need to say it; the suitable candidate he referred to was her.

He remembered that this girl played the cello, though her aptitude was yet unknown to him.

Yan Qiusheng: "Sorry, I’ve never had the intention to take on apprentices."