Out of tune (8)
Shi Yu felt that Shu Ningmiao had changed a bit recently.
This change was neither good nor bad; it just struck him as odd.
He and Shu Ningmiao had known each other since they were still shorter than the dining table. Shu Ningmiao's attitude could always be described as leisurely—possessing an enviable status and inheritance, she had no desires that needed to be displayed, because she often achieved them before they were even revealed.
But the mental state she's exhibiting right now is as if she's on guard... that someone might stab her in the back at any moment.
Even when he gets close to her, the muscles in her arms will silently tense up.
Is it a lingering effect of the previous overpass accident?
He closed the door to the guest room and said softly, "It's me."
"You're early." Shu Ningmiao placed her hands back on her knees. "I haven't changed my clothes yet."
"My mother asked me to check if you're done with your makeup." Shi Yu sat on the sofa not far from her. "She picked out a few dresses for you."
"Wait a minute, almost done!" The makeup artist bent her index finger and thumb to lift her face, examining it from left to right, and didn't forget to praise, "Okay, okay, Miss Shu's skin is really nice."
The makeup artist quickly packed up her things and left the guest room, leaving the space to her young master.
Shu Ningmiao leaned back in her chair and looked back at him. She had spent the whole afternoon curling and styling her hair, adorned with a complete set of new sapphire jewelry. Unlike her previous long hair that hung down casually, her hair had been carefully designed to have seemingly random curves.
The exquisite jewelry didn't accentuate her beauty; instead, it highlighted a vibrant wildness. Her almond-shaped, reddish-brown eyes and aloof expression created a striking contrast with her flawless appearance.
Shi Yu also noticed the mismatched earrings on her ears at a glance.
She wore a full set of jewelry, except for the sapphire rhinestone earrings which were placed on the table; she was wearing a pair of simple pearl earrings.
Shi Yu walked to her side, picked up one of them and placed it next to her ear, her eyes slightly upturned: "Don't you like it? Why don't you pick out some other styles? I'll have them bring them over now."
"I love these earrings," Shu Ningmiao said, crossing her legs and in a good mood, without turning her head.
Even if they don't match up, no one would be foolish enough to gossip about it in front of her. Her domineering nature wasn't developed overnight. Before Shu Changyan, the executor, came into the Shu family, Shu Ningmiao was already a formidable bully in the upper echelons of Pinnei's social circles.
She had encountered bullying from students at Cornunos's own school before; when she was in preparatory school, she was often gossiped about and ridiculed because of Su Ni.
It's not that having a family fortune or some power guarantees success in social interactions. Where there are people, there are circles, and where there are circles, there is exclusion. There are always more boring people than you might imagine.
However, she has a way of silencing people, that's all.
Shi Yu bent down, raised his hand and picked up the pearl earring by her ear. His slightly cool fingertips inadvertently touched her earlobe, which was as soft as silk warmed by her body.
“I’ve never seen this style before.” Shi Yu stroked the edge of the pearl. “The polishing is also very rough.”
The feather-light touch didn't elicit much of a reaction from her. Shu Ningmiao gave a vague "hmm" and poked Shi Yu's face with her slender white fingers, causing him to step back a little: "What do you know about styles?"
A knock came at the door, and an inquiry from outside interrupted their pointless conversation: "Madam Shi asked us to bring some clothes over."
She hadn't changed into the dress she was going to wear that evening; she was only wearing a sleeveless vest and shorts that looked like pajamas, and there were already faint muscle lines visible on her arms.
Shu Ningmiao let the people outside in, silently gesturing her muscles to Shi Yu. Shi Yu's light gray eyes curved into a smile, and she stepped aside to let Shi Yu choose her own dress.
——
The Shi family's manor is located in Enyi District, which is a bit far from Lingtian District, because the matriarch of the Shi family prefers peace and quiet and does not want to live in a place with too many people.
Before even entering the gates of the Shi family estate, one can see a vast expanse of lush green lawn. Even outside of Lingtian District, where land is incredibly valuable, such a large estate is still astonishing.
Eric got this work-study opportunity from the mother at the orphanage. As soon as he got to the door, his attention was drawn to the large lawn. What did they need such a big place for? To graze ponies and sheep on it?
As she walked through the gate, she saw an angel sculpture fountain that was three or four times her height. The fountain, from the water bottle in the angel's hand, even changed colors.
She followed the others with great curiosity into the mansion, which seemed like something out of a television drama, with its huge terrace and main building covered in green vines.
It was only after hearing other people's comments that she belatedly realized this place seemed to be her classmate's home.
The banquet was hosted by Shi Yu's mother, Madame Grana.
Shi Yu's mother was a very famous pianist named Pinheis, with an elegant temperament and beautiful appearance. Shi Yu inherited his mother's platinum blonde hair and delicate features, as well as her musical talent.
Madame Grana was a renowned philanthropist in Pinneapolis and a believer in the Church. The Church's holy water bottle was displayed in the Shi family's living room, where the rich scent of perfume mingled with the aroma of incense and burning candles.
Wearing the clothes given to her by the housekeeper, Erice was assigned to clean the stairwell. It wasn't any dirty or strenuous work; she only needed to wipe the dust off the picture frames. Yet, she could earn 800 cin a night, which was probably part of Madame Grana's charity work.
As the elegantly dressed guests entered one after another, Erice saw several familiar classmates and couldn't help but cover her face with her apron and squat in a corner.
She even saw Su Ni obediently following behind her parents, wearing a pink suit. The three of them stood together. Wasn't Shu Ningmiao with them?
Erice found a more secluded place to hide, not wanting to be loudly mentioned by these young masters and ladies when she went to school the day after tomorrow: "That lioness is actually working as a maid in Young Master Shi's house!"
Just imagining that scene made her feel suffocated, but the 800 cin was equally important to her. Taking it back to the orphanage could buy meat, eggs, and vegetables for several weeks, and she couldn't leave now for that reason.
The crowd gradually quieted down. Erice looked up and saw a figure walking down the spiral staircase—it was Shu Ningmiao, whom she had just been curious about.
She wasn't with Su Ni; instead, she was arm-in-arm with a wealthy woman with long, platinum blonde curls, and the two seemed to be whispering something to each other.
The woman with beautiful platinum blonde hair was clearly Shi Yu's mother, Lady Grana. Time seemed to have left no trace on her face; instead, it had made her even more beautiful. She swirled her wine glass with her slender fingers, her expression kind and gentle.
Shu Ningmiao was wearing a black velvet dress, which made her fair skin look even clearer. The girl's gaze swept aimlessly over everyone from top to bottom before landing on her.
Erici's hair stood on end in fright. Why did Shu Ningmiao's gaze suddenly stop in her direction? Could it be that she saw her face?
She quickly turned her head, trying to convince herself it was just an accident.
Shu Ningmiao hadn't been looking at her unintentionally. She had just opened the game while playing on her terminal and unexpectedly discovered that Su Ni's favorability towards the protagonist had increased by one.
Favorability doesn't change without reason. Shu Ningmiao knew that Su Ni was also at the Shi family's banquet. Last night, Shi Yu had just finished talking to her when Shu's father called her, urging her to attend with Su Ni tomorrow to create the appearance of a happy family.
Shu Ningmiao told him that it was impossible even for someone with their feet to know.
Since Su Ni's feelings for the female lead have changed, it's highly likely that the female lead is also present. It's unlikely that she was invited, but since Lady Grana mentioned that she invites people to volunteer when she hosts banquets, the female lead is very likely to be invited.
Although it's nominally a volunteer job, you still receive a high amount of compensation after it's over.
Grana was a very kind and innocent woman, which was completely different from her son.
After confirming that the female lead was likely present, Shu Ningmiao remembered that there seemed to be a similar plot in the game.
The female lead volunteers at a banquet and is discovered by her classmates, who then subject her to ridicule and humiliation. She is even falsely accused of stealing valuable items. This is when her target for romance appears.
In the story, when the female lead hears Shi Yu playing music, she thinks back to the first time she heard Shi Yu play the piano in the music classroom, and an insurmountable inferiority complex arises in her heart.
At this moment, Su Ni stood up to protect her, which further increased her trust in her.
In short, it's a matter between those two people who are trying to win her over; it has nothing to do with her.
So where are the cannon fodder who slandered the protagonist? Shu Ningmiao looked around but couldn't recognize any random passersby in the game. Lady Grana took her arm and said reproachfully, "His father is never home. Even when he is home, he hardly says a word. I have nothing to do if you don't come to have afternoon tea with me."
Shu Ningmiao smiled and leaned against Mrs. Grana, acting coquettishly. She had a charming attitude towards female elders, showing some of the demeanor of a girl her age: "There's too much homework, and the teacher is very strict."
“Indeed.” Madame Grana covered her lips with her wine glass and laughed proudly. “You just have too high expectations of yourself.”
She blinked: "Shi Yu needs someone to keep him in check."
Shu Ningmiao smiled faintly, shifted her gaze, and looked down again. Shi Yu sat by the piano, the crystal chandelier casting a soft light on his face, making him look as exquisite as an angel statue outside the manor that had come to life.
The music flowing from her fingertips filled the hall. Shu Ningmiao and Madame Grana nodded silently, picked up a glass of white wine, and slowly found a place to sit down in the hall.
The lingering notes were like the finest net, melancholy covering everything. Shu Ningmiao thought to herself, why not play some cheerful music? But then she thought of Shi Yu, who was being forced by his parents to perform on stage for everyone, and her mood wasn't much better.
When Shu's father saw her, he frowned, as if he wanted to scold her. Shu Ningmiao took a sip of wine and, where no one else could see, made a rather impolite gesture to him and Su Ni.
Amidst the interplay of music, a muffled sound of shattering glass rang out. Inside the Shi family's house, which was covered with exquisite carpets, a wine glass shattered on the floor, and the spilled wine immediately spread along the carpet's pattern.
The piano music stopped abruptly.
It's finally here. It's not much different from the original plot. Overall, it's still moving in a controllable direction. Shu Ningmiao put down her wine glass and observed this scene from a distance.
Eric stood in front of a woman in a deep purple evening gown, her work apron splattered with half a bottle of red wine.
She crouched down to pick up the broken wine glass, her fingertips touching the edge of the glass, when the woman kicked her fingertips aside with the tip of her high heel.
The sharp edge of the glass still cut her hand, and blood welled up in Erice's fingers. She finally couldn't hold back and let out a soft sob.
The broken glass attracted the attention of the waiter. Just as the waiter was about to pull Eric away and comfort the woman, prioritizing maintaining order, he heard the woman raise her voice and say, "She's been lurking around me the whole time, acting suspiciously."
She raised her wrist, displaying her bare wrist, her eyes and brows exuding arrogance: "I knew you were a thief back in school. Who else would take other people's things here besides you?"
"I didn't." Erici's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but Shi Yu had already closed the piano, and for a moment only the woman's accusatory voice echoed in the hall, attracting more and more people to look over.
Many of her classmates discovered Erice's identity and even looked at Su Ni with mockery.
Madame Grana came over, clutching her forehead in a headache, and whispered to the waiter, "Please take these two young ladies to the guest room. It's our fault as hosts for losing their things. I will make amends. There's no need to make things unpleasant."
The woman in the purple dress shook off the waiter's hand, determined to cause trouble in this situation: "My bracelet is very important to me. If you need money, I can transfer it to you right now. Give me back the bracelet!"
These words effectively cemented Erice's guilt.
Seeing that Eric remained silent, the woman in purple turned her attention to Su Ni in the crowd and raised her voice: "You won't even give your girlfriend a bracelet?"
Shu's father flew into a rage and shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't make baseless accusations!"
Shu Ningmiao couldn't understand what the woman wanted to do. Was it so important to insult the protagonist that she would risk offending the Shi family, the host family, and also the Shu family?
She stared at the woman in purple for a long time but couldn't remember her name. She didn't sense Pandora from her and wasn't a superhuman. She was probably someone from the Cornunos Academy.
Shi Yu slowly closed the piano lid, calmly observing the aggressive scene.
Erice was pushed to the ground, her mind blank. No—she hadn't intentionally been sneaking around behind this person; she had just happened to be distracted by the piano music and hadn't moved away in time.
She had heard this piece of music before.
That night, she was locked in the toilet of the teaching building. It was raining heavily outside, and all the lights in the teaching building were off. She was very scared. When she went down to the first floor, only the light in a music classroom was still on.
The melancholic and gentle piano music was as clear as flowing water, and she couldn't help but relax her tense mood. Outside the classroom, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows shone the light on the grand piano and Shi Yu's hands, which were noble and aloof, like a rose that one wanted to pick but could not approach.
She stood silently outside for a long time, until the rain stopped. Shi Yu didn't play a single note wrong, nor did she glance outside.
It is said that music also contains human emotions, but Eric doesn't understand, can someone as perfect as Shi Yu also have unhappy things?
The familiar piano music gave her a glimmer of unknown courage, but the next second, a woman in purple whom she had never seen before cornered her at the banquet, insisting that she had stolen her bracelet.
No matter how she tried to explain, the woman wouldn't listen, as if she were the biggest sinner in the world.
Everyone was staring at her; there was nowhere to hide. The probing, sarcastic whispers overwhelmed her senses.
Her fingers trembled as she covered her face, as if that would allow her to escape from here.
At that moment, a warm hand grasped her wrist. She looked up in a daze and saw Su Ni standing in front of her, shielding her behind her, and saying to the woman in purple, word by word, "She's not that kind of person!"
The woman sneered, "She's your little girlfriend, of course you'll protect her!"
Eric was pulled up by him, and before he could stand up straight, his legs suddenly gave way and he was about to kneel on the glass, but instead of the pain he expected, he fell into someone's arms.
Su Ni put her arm around her and pushed her behind her, her expression gloomy: "She didn't do it, so she didn't."
"Are you... alright?" Eric shook his head at him, then saw the enraged Shu's father in the crowd: "Your father..."
Su Ni shook her head, her red eyes looking at her sincerely.
It's strange, even though his and Shu Ningmiao's irises are the same color, they give people completely different feelings when they look at each other.
He stood firmly by her side and said softly, "It's okay, because we're friends... Didn't you defend me in front of my sister before?"
Madame Grana was not good at dealing with such noisy scenes, and her face gradually turned pale. Shu Ningmiao stepped forward to support her and signaled the waiter to take Madame Grana to the side to rest.
Having witnessed enough of the spectacle, the story was about to come to an end. Shu Ningmiao turned and walked into the vortex of the argument, looking at the group with a blank expression.
With someone like Shu Ningmiao standing in front of them, the woman's voice faltered for a moment.
She crossed her arms and gestured for the waiter to bring over the guest list, then asked the waiter to point out the name of the woman in purple.
"Let's talk in the guest room." She gestured for the waiter to come forward. There were some things Mrs. Grana couldn't say aloud, but since they were the same age, she spoke without any reservations: "Should I call your family to come and pick you up, Miss Yang?"
"No... I need to make myself clear." The woman in purple hesitated.
Receiving her gaze, Shi Yu nodded slightly and began instructing the waiters and butlers to remove the guests still gathered around and to set up a new champagne tower.
"Explain yourself." Shu Ningmiao smiled at her. In this place, apart from Eric herself, no one understood Eric's injustice better than her: "Of course you can explain yourself, but I want to know, do you want to make a scene here and force me to release the surveillance video, or do you want to go to the guest room to rest first?"
To save face for her guests, Mrs. Grana would certainly not check the surveillance footage regardless of whether Erice took anything or not. Besides, tampering with the footage might uncover other matters unrelated to this incident.
However, Shu Ningmiao was certain that the Ms. Yang in the purple evening gown would not be willing to disclose the surveillance footage, because Erigi had indeed not taken anything. If her goal was to make Erigi unable to hold her head up at school from now on, she had already achieved her goal and there was no need to shoot herself in the foot.
Shu Ningmiao made a gesture and looked at her calmly.
The woman pursed her lips, fell silent, and walked in the direction she pointed.
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