Zhang Ruping was equally delighted to see this.
"Yes, Zhou Jian, we didn't expect you to attend this gathering."
"Yes, Aunt Zhang, Cheng Bai and I came together."
"Ah! Cheng Bai is here too, where is he?"
Upon hearing Zhou Jian mention Cheng Bai, the four noblewomen, including Han Zhixuan, were slightly taken aback.
"Cheng Bai is behind us, he'll be up in a bit." After Zhou Jian finished speaking, he finally looked at Han Zhixuan, suggesting that the two knew each other.
"Zhixuan, I didn't expect you to come too. I heard you just returned from abroad not long ago and have been studying under Master Grus. Is it going well?"
"good."
Han Zhixuan was noticeably colder towards Zhou Jian than she was towards her mother and the others.
Jiang Yi then chimed in, "By the way, Zhixuan, didn't you just study with Master Grus?"
"It's rare that Zhou Jian is here today, you two can exchange ideas on the piano."
Upon hearing Jiang Yi's words, Zhang Ruping quickly interrupted.
"Jiang Yi, what are you saying? Who is Zhou Jian? He's someone who has won international piano awards."
"How can Xuanxuan compare to him! I think we should just give up."
Upon seeing this, Zhou Jian immediately said, "Aunt Zhang, please don't praise me. I know Zhixuan's abilities."
“She was already on par with me before, and now she has been studying under Master Grus for a while.”
"I'm afraid I'm not even as good as her now."
“Zhou Jian, stop praising her. The more you praise her, the more arrogant Xuanxuan will become.”
The two argued back and forth, but Jiang Yi finally ignited the fire by targeting Wang Qingge.
"Hey! Zhang Ruping, didn't you say that Wang Qingge plays the piano quite well too?"
"Um."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Wang Qingge, especially Zhou Jian, who had actually noticed Wang Qingge standing next to Han Zhixuan a long time ago.
He just hadn't had a chance to ask him yet, but now that someone had spoken first, he could take the opportunity to ask.
"May I ask who this brother is?"
"Oh, his name is Wang Qingge, Xuanxuan's friend."
Zhang Ruping acted first, seemingly shielding Wang Qingge from trouble.
To outsiders, Zhang Ruping's actions seemed to be speaking up for Wang Qingge, but only she herself knew her true purpose.
Instead of protecting Wang Qingge from disaster, she pushed him into the fire.
Zhang Ruping knew very well that Zhou Jian, the man in front of her, had always had a good impression of her daughter.
She had considered bringing the two together, but her daughter disagreed, which didn't affect today's plans at all.
If she personally stands up and speaks up for Wang Qingge, what will Zhou Jian think?
As expected! Zhang Ruping's words in defense of Wang Qingge immediately made Zhou Jian feel displeased.
Why would Zhang Ruping speak up for him? What is their relationship? Are they really just friends of Han Zhixuan?
If they're just friends, then why are they all here together?
Judging from Zhang Ruping's words and attitude, this is not something that should happen between ordinary friends.
Could it be that they are not just ordinary friends, but have some other relationship, such as a romantic one?
After Zhang Ruping spoke up for Wang Qingge, Zhou Jian's mind raced with thoughts.
This also made him regard Wang Qingge as a rival in love, because he had been trying to win Han Zhixuan's favor all along, but had never received anything in return.
If someone randomly comes out today and does what he couldn't, wouldn't anyone feel uncomfortable?
"Oh, it's Brother Wang! I'm Zhou Jian."
Although he harbored resentment towards Wang Qingge in his heart, Zhou Jian maintained a very good facade and remained extremely enthusiastic.
"Hello, Zhou Jian," Wang Qingge replied with a smile.
Jiang Yi, still remembering what she had just said, asked Wang Qingge directly.
"By the way, kid, Ru Ping said you play the piano quite well too. I wonder how you compare to Zhou Jian?"
Zhang Ruping once again stepped forward to help Wang Qingge out of the predicament.
"Jiang Yi, what nonsense are you talking about? How can Wang Qingge be compared to Zhou Jian? He's just like Xuanxuan at most."
"Where would we find the ability to compare with internationally renowned pianists?"
"Then why did you just say that he plays the piano well?" Jiang Yi retorted.
"I did say that, but I never said he could compare to Zhou Jian."
Zhang Ruping genuinely cared about Wang Qingge and directly retorted to Jiang Yi.
But her actions were almost unbearable for Zhou Jian.
If you speak up for someone once, I might understand, but if it comes up for maintenance twice, then there's a problem.
Since they're just your daughter's friend, why are you defending them so much? Aren't you just telling others that your relationship was more than just friendship?
Therefore, Zhou Jian was increasingly convinced that the relationship between Wang Qingge and Han Zhixuan was definitely extraordinary.
It is highly likely that the two are in a romantic relationship. Otherwise, what reason would a mother have to speak up for her daughter's ordinary friend?
Han Zhixuan couldn't stand it any longer, so she spoke up.
"Mom, Aunt Jiang, please stop talking and calm down."
The two of them stopped talking, but this time it was Zhou Jian's turn.
"Brother Wang, what Aunt Zhang and the others said can't be true, right? You know about the piano too?"
Wang Qingge himself felt like vomiting at such nonsense. If he said he was second to none in piano, who would dare to claim to be first?
Aren't you afraid of being abused? You'll get rubbed into the ground.
He might not believe in his own abilities, but who would dare doubt the system's capabilities? It was an entity meant to help him overcome all obstacles.
Therefore, Wang Qingge would rather doubt herself than doubt the abilities granted by the system.
But he wasn't that arrogant, and could only respond politely: "It's alright! Just average."
Although Wang Qingge said this, everyone could tell from his tone that he was full of confidence.
Seeing this scene, some were happy and some were worried. Han Zhixuan was worried because she was afraid that Wang Qingge would suffer a loss if she said that.
What pleased her was her mother, Zhang Ruping. She never expected that this silly boy would be so foolish as to dare to speak to Zhou Jian like that.
From this perspective, many things are unnecessary; she's just pushing things along, and this silly boy will stumble upon them on his own.
Jiang Yi was also very interested in this.
"Really? Then why don't you two have a chat right now?"
For Wang Qingge, communication was something he had been looking forward to for a long time, because that was exactly what he had come for.
Therefore, he was very grateful to Jiang Yi for a moment.
But there are always people who get in the way. After Jiang Yi suggested that Wang Qingge and Zhou Jian talk, Han Zhixuan immediately stepped forward.
"Wang Qingge, ignore them, let's go over there."
As he spoke, he tried to pull Wang Qingge away.
"Hey! Xuanxuan, what are you doing?" Her mother quickly stopped her when she saw this.
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