The suppressed growl from inside the door, like heavy drumbeats, pounded on Su Nian's heart, lingering for a long time. Leaning against the cold corridor wall, she could clearly feel the pain and struggle emanating from the other side of the door—a struggle that was barely contained yet still betrayed. He was like a wounded beast trapped in an iron cage, licking his wounds unseen by anyone, and she was the only bystander to witness this wretched state, yet also indirectly responsible for it all.

The icy coldness of his fingertips as they parted so quickly, and the fleeting, chaotic glint in his eyes, both betrayed a turbulent undercurrent beneath his calm surface. Was his telling her to "leave" a form of self-protection, or... a sign of distrust?

Su Nian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging emotions. She could no longer let her feelings control her; she had to stay calm. System 088's warning was still ringing in her ears, and the scan from the Main God Space hung over her like the Sword of Damocles. The relationship between her and Xie Chen, maintained by lies, manipulation, and a vague, inexplicable entanglement, was even more fragile than it seemed.

She needed information, a clearer understanding of Xie Chen's current state, to know the extent to which the "fragment of the god" had infiltrated, and... the possible next move of the Main God Space.

The next day, Xie Chen seemed to have returned to normal. He remained silent, but the deep weariness that had been weighing on him had faded considerably, replaced by his usual hardened exterior. He didn't mention the events of the previous night, nor did he even glance at Su Nian, as if that brief loss of control and vulnerability had never happened.

However, Su Nian keenly noticed some subtle differences.

At breakfast, he would push the hot milk she usually drank closer to her. When she sat reading in the living room, he would choose to do his work at the other end of the sofa, neither too close nor too far from her, maintaining a subtle distance that was neither intimate nor distant. What alarmed her most was that his occasional glances at her were no longer purely scrutinizing or probing, but rather carried an extremely complex sense of weighing and considering, as if he were assessing the value of something crucial yet fraught with risk.

What was he weighing? Her "use"? Or her "threat"?

Su Nian dared not let her guard down. While maintaining the timid and submissive demeanor befitting "Lin Nuannuan," she engaged in a tense exchange with System 088 in her mind.

"Can you detect the activity level of the fragments within his body?"

"Energy fluctuations are stabilizing, but remain in a high-level oscillation range," 088 responded. "There are periodic peaks, with a correlation of 87.3% with the target person's emotional fluctuations. Warning: Any strong emotional stimulus may become a catalyst for reactivating fragments."

"Any new instructions from the Main God Space?"

"Three encrypted communication attempts to connect to this system were detected... These have been blocked by the firewall. Analysis suggests that the Main God Space is attempting to re-establish direct control, but due to the unstable activity of the fragments and the existence of the host link, it is currently in a wait-and-see state. Host is advised to maintain the current link strength to avoid attracting the attention of both parties."

Maintain the connection, avoid drawing attention. It's like trying to maintain a balance between two sleeping lions—how difficult!

Su Nian's gaze involuntarily fell upon the black piano once more. It stood quietly by the window, like a silent witness, or perhaps a potential flashpoint.

In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the off-white curtains, casting dappled shadows. Xie Chen finished some work, stood up to stretch his stiff neck, his gaze sweeping over the piano before finally settling on Su Nian, who was sitting by the window reading a book.

He strolled over and sat down on the single sofa opposite her.

"How's your piano practice going?" he suddenly asked, breaking the afternoon's tranquility.

Su Nian looked up from her book, somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to ask about her progress in learning the piano.

"I'm still practicing basic fingering and syllables," she answered honestly, with just the right amount of shyness typical of a beginner.

Xie Chen nodded, his expression unreadable. His fingers tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, the rhythm steady, as if he were deep in thought.

After a while, he stood up and walked towards the piano.

"Come here," he commanded without turning his head.

Su Nian's heart tightened slightly. Was she going to play the piano again? She put down her book and went over as instructed.

Xie Chen sat down on the piano bench, but did not start playing immediately as he had done last time. He turned his head to look at Su Nian standing beside him, his deep eyes revealing no emotion.

"Play a piece for me to hear," he said.

Is this... checking homework? Or another form of probing?

Su Nian sat down at the other end of the piano bench as instructed, keeping an arm's length distance from him. She could smell the scent emanating from him, a mixture of faint tobacco and cool woody aroma, which made her a little nervous.

She placed her slightly trembling fingers on the piano keys, took a deep breath, and began to play the simple etude she had been practicing lately. Her fingering was still clumsy, and there were occasional rhythmic errors, but under the warm sunlight outside the window, the gentle melody did have a touch of tranquility.

Xie listened silently, without interrupting or commenting. His gaze was fixed on her dancing fingertips, focused yet seemingly observing something else through her fingers.

When the song ended, Su Nian stopped somewhat nervously, waiting for his judgment.

However, Xie Chen did not comment on her piano skills. He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly placed his own hand on the keys, right next to her right hand.

Su Nian's body tensed instantly.

He didn't look at her, but stared at the black and white piano keys, his voice calm and even: "Try playing together."

An ensemble?! With her terrible skill level?

Before Su Nian could react, Xie Chen's slender fingers had already pressed the first note. It was a melody that was equally simple, but stylistically different from the piece she had just practiced, and even carried a subtle sense of confrontation.

His intention couldn't be clearer! This wasn't teaching, nor was it appreciation; it was a meticulously designed test! He wanted to draw her into his rhythm, observe her reactions, test her limits, or rather... test whether there was some kind of "guidance" behind her!

Su Nian's heart pounded. She had to keep up, but not too well, lest she reveal abilities that didn't belong to "Lin Nuannuan"; she also couldn't fall behind completely, as that would seem suspicious or provoke him.

She tried to concentrate, clumsily attempting to blend her melody into his slightly aggressive rhythm. The two simple melodies, different in style, intertwined, sometimes harmonious, sometimes conflicting, sparking strange chemistry in the quiet living room.

Xie Chen's gaze remained fixed on their intertwined fingertips. His profile was cold and hard, his eyes sharp as a hawk, not missing a single detail of her hesitation, mistake, or... unexpected fluency.

Su Nian felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She could almost feel his invisible spiritual tentacles trying to penetrate her appearance and probe for any systematic traces that might exist deep within her consciousness.

Just as she was under intense mental tension and almost pressed the wrong note, a very faint notification sound from System 088 suddenly rang in her mind!

"Active detection of the target's mental field..."

"I suggest making a slight adjustment: delaying the second note of the third measure by 0.3 seconds will create the best resonance..."

It's the system's assistance! It's helping her avoid detection while optimizing the ensemble performance to maintain that damned "emotional connection"!

Su Nian was startled and almost instinctively wanted to reject this cheating-like interference. But reason told her that this was the only way to deal with it at the moment. She gritted her teeth and, almost relying on muscle memory and the invisible guidance of the system, struggled to follow Xie Chen's rhythm.

Their fingers sometimes came close to each other on the keys, sometimes moved away. The melody delicately balanced between confrontation and fusion. Gradually, the ensemble, which initially carried a sense of probing and confrontation, strangely generated a unique and captivating tension.

As the last note faded, a brief silence fell over the living room.

Su Nian's fingertips were still on the piano keys, trembling slightly, her palms covered in cold sweat.

Xie Chen slowly withdrew his hand. He didn't speak immediately, but turned his head and, for the first time during the ensemble, focused his gaze entirely on her face.

His eyes were extremely complex, containing scrutiny, deep thought, and a hint of frustration at failing to achieve his intended purpose, but more than anything, there was a sense of... confirmation of some guess, and a deeper, more inscrutable emotion.

He saw it. He must have sensed those subtle, unnatural moments of "fluidity" in the ensemble performance. He might not be able to pinpoint what they were, but he certainly knew they didn't belong to "Lin Nuannuan."

He reached out, not toward the piano keys, but slowly, with an undeniable force, lifted Su Nian's chin, forcing her to look directly into his deep eyes.

His fingertips were still icy cold, but Su Nian felt as if the skin he touched was about to be burned.

“You always manage to surprise me,” he said softly, his tone calm yet carrying immense weight.

That look in his eyes seemed to say: I know you have secrets. I know you're not simple.

Then, he released her hand, stood up, looked down at her, and a faint yet unsettling smile appeared on his lips.

"It seems you need a... more 'professional' teacher."

After saying that, he stopped looking at her and turned to leave the living room.

Su Nian sat alone on the piano bench, feeling cold all over.

He knew. He might not know the specific existence of System 088, but he was certain that there was something guiding or assisting her behind the scenes.

His phrase "more professional teachers," was it a new test, or... did it mean that the Main God Space, or the "fragment of the god" itself, was about to intervene with more direct means?

The suspense in the story suddenly tightens at this moment—the male protagonist's probing almost touches the very edge of the system's existence, and the female protagonist, with the system's assistance, barely passes the test, only to arouse deeper suspicion. This seemingly calm ensemble is actually the calm before the storm. In the next chapter, a new "teacher" will appear, sure to stir up even greater waves.