The Master's Mask Unveiled Again

Chapter 375: Chapter 374 Her Piano Piece

Mo Si curiously asked, “Young Master Ye, what did Mo Ye say?”

“He said he has bought the hotel, and we can use the waitstaff as we please.”

Mo Si: Mo Ye is indeed awesome.

—-

Lu Mian took advantage of the break between classes to head to the arts building and randomly picked a piano room.

At this time, the art students were in their general education classes and not practicing here, so she could borrow the room for a bit.

Having agreed to Chu Kuo’s request, she naturally intended to keep her promise.

She casually set up her phone and switched it to video recording mode.

She flipped through someone’s sheet music, thought for a moment, closed it, and looked no further.

Placing her hands on the distinct black and white keys, she slowly closed her eyes, her demeanor entirely different from the wicked presence she emanated in the cafe that day.

That day, she was simply retaliating against Sheng Zijin, and the piece she played was more a display of technique.

That was not what she truly desired.

“Ding…”

Graceful and fluid notes sprung forth.

Today, her mood was serene; she emptied herself completely, and once she found the sensation, the notes streamed out in succession, immersing her wholly in the musical world she was weaving.

The arts building was relatively quiet when Principal Zhang, accompanied by a man in his forties, came this way and heard the piano music drifting towards them.

The eyes of the man beside him, originally dull, suddenly lit up, and he halted in his tracks.

The wonderful piano notes danced out, crisp and clear, like a gentle breeze in spring, slowly sweeping through the forest, brushing open clusters of flowers and buds. Yet further on, the melody transformed into something cold and solemn, resembling a summer hurricane, ravaging all in its path.

Principal Zhang wondered why there were still students in the arts building at this time—weren’t they all in class?

But seeing the mood of the great artist beside him, he didn’t think it appropriate to rush up the stairs and intervene.

This man was a pianist from the Starlight Symphony Orchestra, and he had come to their school today to scout for musical talents.

“Mr. Chu Kong, shall we go up and listen?” Principal Zhang invited.

Chu Kong raised his hand slightly; if one looked carefully, they could see his hand trembling slightly, needing effort to keep it steady.

“Don’t speak, close your eyes, and listen carefully.”

The man was obsessive and somewhat stern, and his tone wasn’t very pleasant.

Thinking that all artists had their quirks, Principal Zhang remained silent. However, he wasn’t very knowledgeable about music and couldn’t recognize which famous piece this piano music was.

In fact, even Chu Kong, well-versed in various piano pieces, had never heard it before and found it somewhat unfamiliar.

But he was moved by this unique style and did not want to disturb the performance. He stood still, wanting to hear it in full. Even at times, he would move his own fingers, following the rhythm of the other.

Only when the piece ended and no more sounds came from the piano room,

did Chu Kong finally snap back to reality, the lingering sounds resonating, leaving an enduring impression.

Without a word, he walked towards the stairs, determined to find the performer. He could tell that the difficulty of the piano piece was not very high, but it was filled with emotion. The few difficult passages were executed crisply and without any drag.

If cultivated, perhaps this person could one day take his place and become a member of Starlight.

Lu Mian did not realize she had been overheard while playing.

She turned off the video she had recorded, made no edits or added any filters, and just sent it to the email address provided by Chu Kuo.

Then, she drifted away.

By the time Principal Zhang and Chu Kong came looking for her, there wasn’t a soul in the piano room.

Touching the slight warmth left on the bench, Chu Kong felt both regretful and resolved, “Principal Zhang, do you know who was playing just now?”

“This…” Principal Zhang shook his head, “Mr. Chu, I can ask the arts teachers for you.”

“I’m so grateful, you must help me find this person!”

“Rest assured.”

——

As Lu Mian walked toward the teaching building, she received a text message from Ya Ling.

[“Mian, I’ve taken care of Gu Jingyi. Don’t worry, I will definitely get revenge for you!”]

She furrowed her brows and called Ya Ling, but the call was hung up.

Lu Mian sighed silently.

On the other side, Ye Jinwen and Mo Si had also successfully planted listening devices on Gu Jingyi and Sheng Zijin covertly.

Sheng Zijin was up to no good, so they needed to guard against any further harm she might inflict on Lu Mian.

As for Gu Jingyi, this seemingly innocent and harmless girl posed even more serious problems. More importantly, she might be linked to the kidnapping case; they wanted to find out who was behind Gu Jingyi.

But after the listening devices were installed, other than the sounds of smashing and beating coming from Sheng Zijin’s room, Gu Jingyi’s was much quieter.

Ye Jinwen and Mo Si, relying on their experience, felt that something was not right.

Luckily, the hotel was owned by the Mo family. They found the person in charge and quickly got things clarified.

The staff said that Gu Jingyi hadn’t left her room all day and had even ordered breakfast to her room.

Ye Jinwen felt that something was off, so he took Mo Si straight up to knock on the door.

They knocked for a long time with no response, but through the listening device, they could hear noise. This meant someone was inside, purposely not opening the door.

Both of them found it even odder, exchanged a glance, took a spare room card, and burst in.

At this point, they couldn’t worry about etiquette. If Gu Jingyi really was involved in the kidnapping case, then they might be able to catch the heartless perpetrators.

However, once the room door was open and they thoroughly searched the room, they discovered—

The room was empty!

And near the listening device they had planted, there was a tape recorder. The sounds from Gu Jingyi were coming from the recorder, intended to mislead them, to fabricate her presence in the room!

Mo Si remarked, “So young, yet so scheming! How could Miss Lu possibly handle such a person!”

“Finding her is what’s important!”

Ye Jinwen didn’t waste any time and searched the room again, discovering that the person had escaped through the window, avoiding the hallway, hence avoiding the surveillance cameras.

It was also Ye Jinwen’s keen senses that helped; when he looked out the window, the person was still dangling in mid-air, not yet fully gone.

If they had hesitated a few more minutes, they probably wouldn’t have found anyone at all.

Without a second thought, Ye Jinwen shouted for Mo Si to go downstairs and cut them off.

However, they were still a step behind. Gu Jingyi stumbled down from the building and had already boarded a van, speeding away.

At that moment, Ye Jinwen also saw a black motorcycle, chasing in the direction of Gu Jingyi.

The rider appeared to be a girl, judging by the figure.

He felt a sense of familiarity.

“Quick, follow them!”

Ye Jinwen got behind the wheel, and Mo Si sat in the passenger seat, still able to see the motorcycle kicking up dust as it faded into the distance.

Ye Jinwen hesitated not a moment, slamming the accelerator and racing after them.

Mo Si gripped the handle tight, the forceful acceleration making him gasp. He looked over at the driver with a mixture of pain and wistfulness.

The driver’s expression was slightly grave, his baby face pulled taut.

Mo Si scratched his head: Ye Jinwen didn’t seem to be chasing after Gu Jingyi; it was more like he was chasing the woman on the motorcycle.

But who was that woman?