"Don't talk nonsense, this is different. He's a master, and from a different era..."

"It is precisely because it is different that we need this bowl of noodles even more."

Lin Que interrupted her, his tone neither hurried nor slow.

"The piano is an art of the fingers, but even more so, it is an art of emotion."

Anger, grief, passion, despair… these intense emotional outbursts require energy to sustain.

Lin Que pointed to Ye Xi's somewhat pale face.

“You’re feeding her boiled chicken breast, that’s for rabbits, not for artists.”

A person who has been in a state of hypoglycemia and hunger for a long time has only the instinct to survive left in her body.

Where would one find the extra energy to construct a resonance of souls?

"In that state, she couldn't play the 'Rhapsody'."

Lin Que deliberately emphasized the word "wild imagination".

"At best, it's a 'hypoglycemic lament.' It's all technique and sweat, but there's no emotion whatsoever."

"you……"

Yang Jie opened her mouth, but for a moment she couldn't find the words to refute it.

What kind of twisted logic and heresy is this?

Can carbohydrates really be associated with the soul of art?

But this sounds... kind of reasonable?

Lin Que picked up his chopsticks and gently tapped the edge of the large bowl in front of Ye Xi, making a crisp "ding".

"This bowl is not just carbohydrates, it's happiness, it's what will allow her to train with peace of mind for the next two months, and it's the fuel to blow up the entire audience on tour."

Lin Que looked at Yang Jie with clear and resolute eyes:

"Compared to a slightly swollen face,

I think the audience would rather not see a machine that seems ready to faint on stage at any moment, playing the piano like it's just completing a task.

The only sound in the small shop was the slurping of noodles from the next table.

Yang Jie stared at Lin Que, her expression shifting several times.

She's been in the industry for over a decade; what kind of troublemakers hasn't she seen?

But this boy was different.

Sitting in a greasy roadside stall, holding disposable chopsticks in my hand,

He spoke with neither servility nor arrogance, and even with a hint of...

A fallacy that is impossible to refute?

Yang Jie took a deep breath and her gaze returned to Ye Xi.

The girl was staring longingly at the bowl of noodles, her throat bobbing slightly.

The longing in his eyes was so intense it could burn through the bowl.

It was a vibrant, even somewhat wild, life force.

And this is precisely what Ye Xi has been lacking in her recent zither playing.

"well--"

Yang Jie finally relented. Although her voice was still harsh, her aggressive demeanor had largely dissipated.

She didn't sit down to drink the tea, but instead gave Ye Xi a helpless look and coldly uttered:

"This is a one-time exception. Also, no soup allowed!"

This was her last act of defiance and her bottom line.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, Sister Yang! Sister Yang is the most beautiful!"

Ye Xi instantly revived, the gloom on her face vanishing completely.

She picked up her chopsticks and even winked at Lin Que, her eyes practically screaming "Awesome!"

As Yang Jie watched this scene, the strange feeling in her heart intensified.

She is not someone who is easily persuaded.

Rather than being convinced by Lin Que's theory of carbohydrates,

Rather, they were stunned by the boy's attitude.

A high school student, facing an adult agent who holds the power of discourse, remains neither humble nor arrogant, and even manages to control the pace of the conversation.

"Alright, alright, eat up. I'll wait for you in the car. You have twenty minutes."

Yang Jie showed no intention of sitting down and turned to leave.

As she reached the door, she paused, turned back, and gave Lin Que a deep look.

"Excuse me, your name is Lin Que, right?"

"yes."

Lin Que nodded.

Yang Jie nodded, said nothing more, and walked out the door.

...