She raised her eyes, met the gaze of the man above her, and then gave a shy smile.
"President Yu, please forgive her. Xiao Zhen's voice is injured, and she can't speak normally right now," Chen Houwen explained on her behalf.
"Oh?" Disappointment flashed in Mr. Yu's eyes. "That's a real pity."
"Uncle, don't underestimate her." The woman who had just been called Third Sister-in-law smiled sweetly. "This young lady plays the piano very well. I heard her just now."
The Chen family suddenly has an extra eldest daughter, a beautiful mute who can play the piano, and she is also entangled with Yu Jiamu.
The crowd looked at Lin Zhenzhen with scrutiny, curiosity, and undisguised malice.
Lin Zhenzhen hurriedly met his gaze for a moment, then lowered her head and gently bit her lower lip.
Her snow-white neck, barely concealed beneath her jet-black hair, was simply exposed to the air.
She looked so small and harmless, yet so sweet and juicy, that it made everyone's mouths water.
If gazes could be materialized, Lin Zhenzhen would probably have been torn to shreds by that malicious look.
Suddenly, a crisp "clang" was heard.
Lin Zhenzhen lifted her eyelids and looked in Yu Jiamu's direction.
He leaned back lazily in his chair; his complexion wasn't bad, but he definitely looked impatient.
Yu's father also looked at him: "What's wrong with you?"
Yu Jiamu's voice was flat: "My hand slipped, and I accidentally broke the plate."
He slammed his right leg against the table leg with such force that the solid wood table, weighing several hundred pounds, trembled.
The reaction force caused the metal chair leg he was sitting on to scrape against the marble surface, producing a sharp, short friction sound.
Yu Jiamu bent down, picked up the broken pieces of the porcelain plate, and then smashed them directly onto the table.
His palms looked as if they had been cut by shards, from which tiny beads of bright red blood seeped out.
Without changing his expression, Yu Jiamu picked up the napkin beside him and pressed it against the wound.
They disregarded all the table manners expected of gentlemen from distinguished families.
He claimed he accidentally broke the plate, but anyone with eyes could see he was using that as an excuse to stir up trouble and get angry.
Mr. Yu's face also darkened, but he wouldn't lash out in front of so many people.
Just as the atmosphere was tense, a soft, chiming laugh rang out.
"Uncle Chen, you must have put a lot of effort into your children's education, right? I remember Xiaotian is also learning music, I think it's the violin?"
Lin Zhenzhen looked at the woman who was speaking. If she remembered correctly, she was Yu Jiamu's third sister-in-law, who was also his second uncle's daughter-in-law.
A charming young widow, Wang Jingrou.
Chen Houwen waved his hand: "I'm so busy with my business, how could I have time to manage her education?"
"However, the teacher also said that Xiaotian is indeed talented. She has won numerous awards for the violin, and the trophies have filled an entire room in our house."
Chen Tiantian is considered Yu Jiaheng's fiancée, meaning she has already stepped into the Yu family with one foot in the door.
Therefore, Chen Houwen's praise of her was not for himself, but to give face to the eldest branch of the Yu family.
Mr. Yu nodded knowingly: "Xiao Tian is a very outstanding child."
Chen Houwen then engaged in a pretentious back-and-forth: "I wouldn't call myself outstanding; in the end, they're just some hobbies that are not part of my main job."
Wang Jingrou said coquettishly, "Uncle Chen, if you talk like that, you'll not only offend Xiaotian, but our Xiao'an will also hold a grudge."
"Oh right, I hold grudges. I've already made up my mind to pursue a music career for life."
The one who spoke was the girl who had asked Lin Zhenzhen earlier if she was dating Yu Jiamu.
Lin Zhenzhen noticed a row of calluses on her fingers, which must have been left from years of practice.
Moreover, it should also be an orchestral instrument.
Sure enough, Xiao An smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I saw Sister Tian Tian at the preliminary round last week."
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenzhen felt the person next to her tremble.
Chen Tiantian looked up as if she were a little scared, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Xiao An paused for a moment, then frowned with some confusion.
"But it seems like we only met once. Why didn't I see you again during the rest of the competition?"
She smiled innocently: "If I didn't know that Sister Tiantian had won so many awards, I would have thought that you were eliminated in the preliminary round."
"How...how could that be?" Chen Tiantian didn't dare to look at Chen Houwen's expression. "It must be that the two of us just didn't run into each other."
"What award did Sister Tiantian win in the end? I left in a hurry and didn't even stay to attend the awards ceremony, but the organizers were so thoughtful that they specially delivered the gold medal to my home."
"I... I didn't perform well this time, so I didn't get a ranking."
Chen Tiantian was clearly unable to cope.
Chen Houwen's face was as black as if it had been smeared with soot, and Yu's father's expression was no better.
Lin Zhenzhen chuckled to herself, not expecting Chen Tiantian to be such a bully at home.
She acts all high and mighty at home, but a few words from outsiders can shut her up so badly she doesn't dare to breathe.
It seems that the Chen siblings both have a bit of a coward gene in their bones.
Just as Lin Zhenzhen was adhering to the principle of "it's none of my business" and focusing on enjoying the delicious food in front of her.
The system suddenly started screaming and yelling in my head.
[Host! Wen Hongying has sneaked out of the house; something seems amiss!]
Lin Zhenzhen became excited and said decisively, "Keep a close eye on them. I'll review the recording when I get back tonight!"
The system pig stood at ease, attention, and saluted, almost saying "Yes, sir!"
[Mission guaranteed to be completed!]
"It's perfect timing. So many of us here play musical instruments. How about we get together sometime and have a concert to share our experiences?"
"Sister Tiantian plays the violin, I play the cello, and Sister Lingzhen plays the piano, right?"
Lin Zhenzhen nodded.
"That's wonderful! We hope all the elders will do us the honor of attending."
Xiao An held her head high, as if she had already anticipated how she would stand out from the crowd and outshine everyone else when she stood with them.
A cold voice shattered her reverie: "Ling Zhen will not participate in your event."
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