Chapter 14 - A Kiss

    Chapter 14: A Kiss

    Jiang Che casually found a seat and sat down, attentively listening to the girl’s piano playing. “It’s standard and decent,” he commented.

    Lin Xiyan, intrigued by Jiang Che’s critical remarks, asked, “Oh? You understand piano too?”

    “Of course, and I’m quite accomplished in piano,” Jiang Che responded, generously praising himself.

    Lin Xiyan, somewhat speechless, looked at Jiang Che and said, “You’re shameless.” She wondered when this guy became such a brazen character.

    Jiang Che, raising an eyebrow, challenged, “What, you don’t believe me?” He wasn’t bragging. In his previous life, he had started learning the piano in his teens and played on and off for ten years, achieving a high level of mastery.

    “Of course, I don’t believe you, unless you play for me,” Lin Xiyan replied slyly, her bright eyes twinkling with mischief. “I can play the piano, but I think there should be a bet, as I never do things lightly,” Jiang Che proposed.

    Curious, Lin Xiyan asked, “What do you want as a bet?” She doubted Jiang Che could want anything from her, given her family background.

    “If my piano playing can move you, then how about you let me kiss you?” Jiang Che suggested, leaning closer and whispering in her ear.

    Lin Xiyan’s ears visibly reddened, and her face flushed with embarrassment. She glared fiercely at Jiang Che and retorted, “Pah, pervert! I will never agree to your request!”

    She had some knowledge of the piano and was quite skilled, not at the level of world-class masters, but certainly better than the average person.

    “This is ‘Fu?r Elise,’ a piece I composed myself. Of course, you haven’t heard it,” Jiang Che nonchalantly replied, unafraid of being questioned since there was no Beethoven in this world.

    “You can compose too?” Lin Xiyan was genuinely shocked. Composing and playing the piano were not the same thing.

    To some extent, creating a good piano piece was much more challenging than playing one well. She had never imagined that not only was Jiang Che skilled at playing the piano, but he was also a composer.

    “That’s not important, what’s important is...,” Jiang Che continued, “Miss Lin, isn’t it time you fulfilled your promise?” Jiang Che raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly teasing.

    “You... what are you talking about? I never admitted to being moved,” Lin Xiyan said, trying to sound calm but clearly flustered. Her evasive eyes made it obvious to any discerning observer that she was lying.

    “Oh, is that so?” Jiang Che raised his eyebrow, unsurprised by Lin Xiyan’s denial. After all, she had spent the previous years in the mountains and had only returned to Linjiang City today.

    Given her somewhat introverted nature, she probably hadn’t encountered many men, let alone had a boyfriend. But was Jiang Che so easily fooled?

    He walked directly over to Lin Xiyan and kissed her on the lips, completely ignoring the shocked expressions of the people around them. Wang Shao tactfully turned his head away.

    “Umm... you...” Lin Xiyan weakly hit Jiang Che’s shoulder with her delicate hand, but soon her resistance faded away...