NOVPUB
Chapter 88: Chapter 88 The Continuous Face-Slapping Begins (3)
[Great Hall]
Lu Sheng heard a cool voice calling her from not far away and looked up to see Gu Zhi approaching her.
Gu Zhi first glanced at her, then at Li Muchen in front of her, seemingly taking a deep breath.
"...Ellison brother?" Lu Sheng raised her head, "How come you’re here, are you looking for me?"
"A friend gave me a ticket to the piano competition, so I drove over, and it happens that I also have something I want to give you."
The man beside the girl emits a strong presence, radiating the pressure of a superior as he looks at Gu Zhi with a deep and scrutinizing gaze.
However, Gu Zhi’s gaze didn’t linger too much on him and remained on the girl: "Can I have a talk with you?"
"Sure," Lu Sheng turned to Li Muchen and said, "Then you go into the venue first, I’ll come to find you in a bit."
The moment their eyes met, the man’s cold expression suddenly softened, responding in a low voice: "Okay."
After Li Muchen left, Gu Zhi took out a small black velvet gift box from his trouser pocket and handed it to Lu Sheng: "...This is for you."
"For me?... What’s this?" Lu Sheng took the box and opened it, discovering inside was an exquisitely crafted chest pin.
Beneath the vivid, nearly dripping natural rose, hung three tassel fine chains of rose gold of varying lengths.
On the fine chains hung several round small pearls, among them, the longest one was crowned with a Baroque Pearl at the end, vintage yet elegant.
Gu Zhi stared straight at Lu Sheng, from the moment she opened the small gift box, he was secretly observing her reaction.
Lu Sheng’s eyes flickered slightly.
Not because of the chest pin. But because she didn’t expect that after only meeting once, Gu Zhi had somehow realized something and wanted to use this pin to test her.
This chest pin was designed by Gu Zhi for her once upon a time. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝔲𝔟.𝔠𝖔𝖒
[Romance hidden within the rose, pin it close to my heart. With every heartbeat, I’ll think of you.]
She had seen Gu Zhi wearing this chest pin before.
"...This is a chest pin?" The girl’s clear eyes brightened, undisguised surprise in her eyes, she exclaimed, "It’s so beautiful."
The girl clearly saw the chest pin for the first time.
Seeing Lu Sheng’s reaction, Gu Zhi’s eyes dimmed a bit. It seemed he was originally expecting some kind of answer, but the anticipation had dissipated in a flash.
After all, what was he thinking?
His sister indeed had left, and there had been no news up to now, but she was not dead. Moreover, his sister was thirty-three this year, and the girl in front of him was only seventeen, they couldn’t possibly be the same person.
Suddenly, Gu Zhi felt that his indescribable intuition was really illogical and even a bit neurotic, so he took a deep breath: "It’s a chest pin."
"I noticed your uniform jacket looked a bit plain. This chest pin very much suits your temperament; wearing it on your chest will greatly enhance your overall look, so I am giving it to you."
"For me?" The girl hesitated for a moment, wanting to refuse, "Thank you for the kind intent, brother, but this pin looks quite expensive, I..."
"Take it," Gu Zhi’s tone was cool, looking at Lu Sheng, "If you don’t mind, I’ll help you put it on now."
Lu Sheng understood Gu Zhi.
After verifying she was not the person he imagined, Gu Zhi would not have any other intentions towards her. His offer to put on the chest pin for her was merely out of professional etiquette and consideration for the overall aesthetic.
So she stood up straight: "Alright then, thank you, brother."
Gu Zhi pinned the rose at the collar of Lu Sheng’s shirt; the longest chain’s pearl was pinned to the right, eight centimeters away from and slightly lower than the rose.
The moment the chest pin was fastened, it instantly added a touch of discreet and mysterious elegance to Lu Sheng’s originally British-style but rather plain and ordinary school uniform.
It really complements her temperament.
After attaching the brooch, Gu Zhi withdrew his hand, reverting to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor in front of others: "...I’ll leave first, good luck with your competition."
The moment Gu Zhi turned and left, Lu Sheng took a deep breath.
*
At this moment, the venue was bustling with excitement.
When Osborne walked towards the location of Shengjing High Class A, everyone in Class A erupted in excitement.
This was Osborne, a world-class music master!
They thought they were lucky enough that Professor Jiang could get them front row seats, and seeing even the back of the master from the audience would have been a fortune.
They never expected the master to actually come towards them! He was not just passing by; he was clearly heading straight for them!
"Am I seeing things, or is Master Osborne really coming our way?"
"He is headed over here, and he must be here for Qianrou."
"Right, Master Osborne has expressed great admiration for Qianrou, saying she is a genius and looking forward to her performance tonight. He must be coming over to greet her before the competition starts."
"Oh my god, the master himself coming to greet us is just too enviable! And he looks so young, too. I remember he had gray hair last time he was on camera."
"Indeed, he doesn’t look sixty at all, at most in his late forties or fifties."
The classmates whispered among themselves, casting envious glances at Lu Qianrou.
Lu Qianrou was nearly floating with joy.
Part of it was from being flattered and supported by everyone like a star, and the other part was due to nervousness.
She hadn’t expected Osborne to personally come over and greet her. He valued her that much!
She must truly be considered a genius to be so cherished.
But perhaps it was also for her uncle’s sake.
Lu Qianrou subconsciously looked towards Jiang Yusheng, only to see he seemed completely confident and at ease.
Lu Qianrou couldn’t contain her joy—having a powerful uncle who doted on her was truly blissful.
What did it matter if Lu Sheng now had her big brother and Fifth Brother doting on her? She was nothing compared to Qianrou!
In the blink of an eye, Osborne had already arrived at Class A’s audience seats.
Jiang Yusheng was the first to stand up, approaching with an air of familiarity: "Mr. Osborne, welcome to China. We didn’t expect you to come early just to greet Qianrou; we are truly honored!"
Lu Qianrou also quickly stood up, standing obediently and modestly beside Jiang Yusheng, her expression somewhat shy: "Hello, Mr. Osborne, I am Lu Qianrou, very pleased to meet you!"
Osborne had asked Lu Sheng about her during dinner that day, and Lu Sheng said she was currently studying in Class A of Jiang City Shengjing High School.
So Osborne asked how many students were in her class, mentioning he could invite her classmates to watch her performance.
That night, after returning to the hotel, Osborne had the organizers reserve fifty tickets for Lu Sheng’s entire class.
Today, as soon as he arrived at the venue, Osborne was eager to see Lu Sheng, and seeing a group of students in high school uniforms gathered, he naturally assumed Lu Sheng was among them and excitedly made his way over.
To his surprise, he did not see the girl’s figure, but instead, this man and an unfamiliar girl suddenly blocked his way.
Hearing the man say "didn’t expect to come early to greet Qianrou, honored indeed" and such, Osborne looked puzzled.
Very politely, he said to Jiang Yusheng: "Thank you for your welcome, but... who are you two?"
