Chapter 85: Downstairs at Your Hotel

“Who is your teacher? He must be much better than mine—my God, I’m simply astounded!” Davis’s expression alone made it clear how well Yunfu had played. At the very least, she had outperformed him, not to mention Xirou’er.

Xirou’er’s face had gone pale. She stared at Yunfu in disbelief, unable to comprehend that such music could have come from Yunfu’s hands. Wasn’t she famously nothing but a pretty face? It was one thing for her to speak Italian, but now she could play the piano—and play it so beautifully. How could this be?

“Yunfu, you’re incredible! That was amazing!”

“Yeah, I never even knew you could play the piano. That was fantastic.”

“Our little Fu is truly talented.”

No one was more delighted than Eric. He knew this piece had been played for him, and as the notes filled the air, his mind drifted back to his childhood, to when they had first met so many years ago. The world had changed, and he thought he would never hear that melody again—yet here it was.

“Large pearls and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.”

Hearing this line of poetry, Yunfu glanced back at him, a rare smile lighting her eyes. It was a memory they shared, one of Yunfu’s few beautiful recollections.

The banquet reached its climax because of this piano performance. Mr. Wen, thoroughly flustered, brought his daughter to apologize to Yunfu and Eric. The little girl still looked disgruntled, but at least the disdain had vanished from her eyes.

Yunfu merely lifted her head and replied indifferently, “It’s nothing,” then lowered her gaze to continue playing her snake game.

Eric, however, was not so forgiving. He spoke lightly, “Mr. Wen, trouble often comes from the tongue. You, more than a foreigner like me, should understand this.”

“Yes, yes, I will teach my daughter well.” He pressed Wen Li to apologize to Yunfu again.

Davis wanted to approach Yunfu too, having just sent a recording of her performance to his own teacher, Master Boro. His usually reserved teacher was unusually excited, admitting that even he might not possess such innate ability to achieve unity between person and instrument, nor to play with such perfection. If possible, he hoped to meet the pianist in the video.

But Davis, glancing at the group of Chinese seated to Yunfu’s left and then at Eric on her right, simply didn’t have the nerve. He decided to wait until things were over before approaching her.

The banquet lasted until the very end, and Xirou’er still hadn’t recovered from the performance. She couldn’t accept that the spotlight, once hers by right, now shone entirely on Yunfu.

Meanwhile, news of the piano performance dominated social media back home.

“My feelings right now can’t be summed up by a simple exclamation.”

“I’ll never underestimate Yunfu again—my face is burning from the slap.”

“Am I the only one curious how she became so amazing? She seems even better than Xirou’er.”

“Come on, Xirou’er is a top actress. There’s a world of difference between them.”

“Exactly, Xirou’er is incredible too, and her standing in the entertainment industry is unmatched by Yunfu. Let’s not compare.”

“I just thought Yunfu’s playing was beautiful. And that blond guy—he’s so handsome. Is he Yunfu’s friend? They’d make a great couple.”

“Yes, yes, and when he said, ‘Even if it blows up, I can afford it’—how can someone be so charming and protective? I’m in love.”

With this final task complete, the six of them wrapped up their journey in Italy. Next, they would travel to a new country.

By now, Mubai and Ouyang Ting had become Yunfu’s biggest fans, trailing after her everywhere. Gu Haoyuan and He Fang, though less obvious, also clearly admired and liked Yunfu.

Xirou’er felt increasingly sidelined. After leaving the Wen residence, she didn’t say a word.

[Host, you’re an award-winning actress. Don’t be discouraged. Even if she’s multi-talented, you’ll never lose to her in acting.]

The system’s words were like a splash of cold water, snapping Xirou’er out of her funk. That’s right, no matter how impressive Yunfu was, she would always be a step above. Yunfu was still a minor actress, while she was already a leading star. That was the difference.

Xirou’er glanced at Eric, who was saying his farewells to Yunfu, and sneered. He was just an Italian man—he could do nothing for her in the entertainment world.

The production team arranged for them to visit some famous landmarks, and by nightfall, their Italian adventure officially came to an end.

“Tomorrow’s flight home is at 8 a.m. Don’t be late,” a staff member reminded them.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Mubai even grabbed Gu Haoyuan and gave him a good shake. “Thank goodness it’s over! I can’t wait to go home and eat my fill. This was so tough! Gu, let’s meet up again back home.”

That night, in the room, Ouyang Ting went into the bathroom to shower, leaving only Yunfu and Xirou’er.

Xirou’er glanced at Yunfu, who was absorbed in a book. She didn’t even recognize the words on the cover—probably Italian, she guessed.

“Yunfu, I haven’t congratulated you yet. Your piano performance today was wonderful.”

Yunfu slowly lifted her head from the book, staring at her deeply. “Thank you,” she answered softly.

The conversation stalled, and Xirou’er’s smile nearly faltered. “If I may ask, who was your teacher?”

She assumed it must have been someone from the piano association; such skill didn’t come from nowhere.

“He’s dead. There’s nothing more to say.”

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Xirou’er stammered, her smile freezing entirely.

She didn’t notice the flash of irony in Yunfu’s eyes. For Yunfu, the word “teacher” had never been a term of endearment.

Yunfu didn’t sleep all night, but still woke promptly at six.

As soon as she woke, she saw a message on her phone. It was from Lian Hanqi.

“Little Fu, I brought you breakfast. I’m downstairs at your hotel.” The message was sent fifteen minutes ago.

Yunfu’s gaze darkened. She silently put her phone back on the table, paused for two seconds, and then went to wash up.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, opened the door, and ran into a crew member.

“Little Fu, you’re up early again.”

Yunfu nodded and took a few steps before stopping. She called out to the staff member, “Sister Ju, I won’t be flying back with you all.”

Sister Ju blinked, then quickly understood and smiled. “Going to meet a friend, right? That’s fine—just be careful.”

“I will.”

With that, Yunfu put on her coat and headed downstairs. As soon as she reached the lobby, she saw a black car waiting.