"A cat?" Ye Zhizhou looked curiously into the box.
A tiny silver tabby cat was staring at her with its big, innocent eyes. Ye Zhizhou suddenly remembered that she had been scrolling through Weibo out of boredom after class and saw that other people's silver tabbies were so cute that she had poked Qin Xuan awake to look at them. At the time, Qin Xuan had said that she was shallow. And now she had suddenly brought a cat over?
"I saw a pet store on the way and bought it. If you don't want it, I'll take it home and raise it later." Qin Xuan gently placed the cat carrier on the ground and changed his shoes as he entered the house.
Ye Zhizhou squatted down in front of the cat and kept teasing the kitten with his hands, his heart melting.
"Of course!" Hearing Qin Xuan's words, she answered without hesitation. Who could resist such an adorable kitten?
Shu Qiong was being pulled by Shu Yin to talk to Yu Yanhong when she saw Qin Xuan bring in a cat. Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. She hated cats the most, with their soft fur and the constant flying of cat hair.
However, seeing that Qin Xuan liked cats, she suppressed her dislike for cats, told Shu Yin, and headed this way.
"Qin Xuan, happy birthday! This is my birthday present for you!"
Shu Qiong took out the gift she had prepared beforehand: a brand-new watch that cost tens of thousands of yuan.
She didn't have that much money to buy gifts; they were all given to her by Shu Yin. Qin Xuan had an impressive background, and Shu Yin hoped her daughter could marry a wealthy man, so she was naturally willing to spend money.
Qin Xuan glanced at the watch on her wrist. "I never wear a watch, sorry."
The rejection was decisive, thorough, and ruthless.
Shu Qiong's face flushed red. Qin Xuan refused such an expensive gift without even blinking.
Ye Zhizhou took the kitten out of the box. The kitten looked to be only two or three months old and seemed a little scared in the unfamiliar environment. She was about to ask Zhang Ma to prepare an empty room for the kitten.
"Xiao Zhou, what gift did you prepare for Qin Xuan?"
Shu Qiong turned her anger towards Ye Zhizhou.
Ye Zhizhou said calmly, "I didn't prepare a gift."
She knew what Shu Qiong wanted to say; she simply wanted to see whose gift Qin Xuan appreciated more. However, she was too lazy to engage in such a pointless comparison with Shu Qiong.
Shu Qiong felt a little relieved. Ye Zhizhou hadn't even prepared a gift for Qin Xuan, which meant he wasn't interested in Qin Xuan.
"Is this cat Qin Xuan's? It's so cute, can I hold it?"
Although she resisted the cat hair, Shu Qiong chose to give in in order to get closer to Qin Xuan.
“I gave it to her, so you can’t hug it. If too many people hug it, the cat will have a stress reaction because it will be too scared.”
Before Ye Zhizhou could speak, Qin Xuan stepped in to refuse on her behalf. Shu Qiong's face was full of embarrassment. She said "never mind" and turned back.
The kitten in Ye Zhizhou's arms raised its head and looked at Ye Zhizhou, meowing softly as if to indicate its agreement.
"Please have a seat, I'll go prepare a room for it." Ye Zhizhou was in a good mood and didn't forget to entertain Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan hummed in agreement, found a quiet corner in the living room where no one was sitting, and casually picked up a book to read. Ye Huaibin usually liked to read in his spare time, so there was a small wooden bookshelf in the living room, filled with various books.
Seeing the unpleasant expression on Shu Qiong's face, and feeling too embarrassed to say it to her face, Shu Yin opened her phone and chatted with Shu Qiong on WeChat. She learned that Shu Qiong had been rejected by Qin Xuan, and she felt uncomfortable as well.
In Shu Yin's heart, although Ye Zhizhou was Ye Huaibin's biological daughter, Ye Zhizhou's character was far inferior to Shu Qiong's in every aspect. She couldn't accept that Qin Xuan would like such an ordinary Ye Zhizhou.
She gave Shu Qiong a suggestion: to attract Qin Xuan's attention.
The Ye family's living room was very large. Next to the dining room was a floor-to-ceiling window with a piano on it. The piano was quite valuable and was Dong Xinqi's favorite instrument before she passed away.
Ye Huaibin had never been willing to put the piano away in the storage room. He wanted to look at it whenever he had free time, as if he could see Dong Xinqi still alive, giving his longing something to hold onto.
"Uncle Ye, since today is Qin Xuan's birthday, I'd like to play a piano piece for everyone to celebrate. Is that alright?"
Shu Qiong walked up to Ye Huaibin, looking very obedient, making it impossible to find fault with her.
Ye Huaibin hesitated. The piano belonged to Dong Xinqi, and he usually didn't let others touch it. After thinking about it, he still felt it was inappropriate.
"Xiao Qiong, there's a violin on the second floor that Ye Qian used to play. If you don't mind, you can use that one. I remember A Yin said you can play several instruments."
Shu Qiong pursed her lips, a troubled look on her face. "I'm sorry, Uncle Ye, I can't play the violin. Why can't I use this piano?"
Shu Qiong asked her to play the piano, but Ye Huaibin refused. The violin was not her forte, and if she didn't play well, people would laugh at her.
Ye Huaibin's expression darkened slightly, but he didn't say anything. In his eyes, Shu Qiong was just a naive little girl.
"This is your Aunt Dong's piano; it's her favorite."
Shu Yin's heart skipped a beat. So the piano belonged to Dong Xinqi. No wonder Ye Huaibin wouldn't let Shu Qiong play it.
Just then, Ye Zhizhou came downstairs after settling the cat. Shu Yin said with a very embarrassed expression, "Since it's hers, she should be very happy if Xiaozhou is playing it."
Ye Huaibin looked at his daughter. He knew the environment in which she lived when she was young. It was difficult for her to learn even the guitar, let alone the piano. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with Shu Yin.
"Xiao Zhou is busy preparing for Qin Xuan's birthday, so let's forget about it."
Ye Zhizhou knew that this mother and daughter would be restless, and if they weren't dealt with, they would probably continue to cause trouble.
"It's alright, Dad. I'm not busy. Everything I need to order has been ordered. Aunt Shuyin is right. Mom in heaven would probably want to see me play the piano. Please wait a moment."
After she finished speaking, she went upstairs to change into a pure white dress with lace trim. When she came downstairs, everyone's eyes lit up.
Ye Zhizhou usually dresses in very simple styles, unlike Shu Qiong, who always looks like a princess.
Suddenly, Ye Zhizhou changed her appearance, and her unique temperament became apparent.
Shu Qiong realized that Ye Zhizhou seemed to have stolen her spotlight, and her face fell. Shu Yin took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Daughter, don't worry. She has never learned piano. She's probably just putting on a brave face. So what if she changed her clothes? Just wait and see how she embarrasses herself!"
After hearing Shu Yin's words of comfort, Shu Qiong's expression softened, and her confidence returned.
Two minutes later, Ye Zhizhou sat on the piano bench, lifted the dust cloth, and placed his slender, fair fingers on the black and white keys of the piano, playing rhythmic melodies with ease and fluency, without a single mistake from beginning to end.
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