She knew Ian Song not because he was famous at school, but because she was good friends with Shelly Song. Shelly had mentioned him a few times in their chats, always describing Ian as a boy with poor grades, no ambition, and no special talents.
From Shelly's tone, she could tell that Shelly had absolutely no fondness for this cousin—if anything, she seemed to dislike him.
It wasn't until that time at the school corridor entrance, when Ian accidentally knocked her over, that she truly noticed him—her knee still faintly ached to this day. Later, she heard that Victor Xue had tried to give Ian trouble over the incident, only to be taught a lesson himself. But she didn't like boys who fought, so her impression of Ian worsened even more.
But now, seeing Ian Song playing piano on stage, radiating confidence from head to toe, her impression of him changed dramatically. She couldn't help but wonder: Didn't Shelly say Ian was bad at school and had no talents? How could he play the piano so well?
She was a music-track student—not a piano expert, but good enough to tell quality from mediocrity. She'd heard Shelly play many times, and now, listening to Ian, she was certain Shelly couldn't match him. There was something in Ian's playing that truly moved people.
"If Shelly found out that the cousin she looks down on could play piano this well, what kind of face would she make?" The thought made her lips curl into a faint smile—she couldn't help but look forward to it.
But soon, she had no time to think about anything else, because Ian's second piece drew her in again.
Actually, she wasn't the only one captivated by Ian's piano—the entire café was drawn in by his playing.
When the second piece ended, Ian paused briefly and took the chance to open up his system interface. He saw his Fame Points had gone up by more than ten. Closing the interface, he started on the third piece—this time, not a pop-song arrangement, but a pure piano work he'd found online.
Before he knew it, it was already ten o'clock, and Ian had played piano for a full two hours.
Closing the lid of the piano, Ian Song stood up, bowed to the café customers, and said, "That's it for tonight's performance. See you tomorrow at eight!"
Clap, clap, clap!
A warm round of applause answered him. Even Mira Su was clapping, because she realized that in these two hours, not a single customer had left—and most had ordered a second coffee or some snacks.
Her café wasn't big, but the prices weren't cheap. So in these two hours, the café's income was more than double the usual.
"Sister Mira, did I do okay?" Ian Song walked over to Mira Su, a little nervous as he asked.
"Barely acceptable," Mira Su said with a proud tilt of her chin, then turned and headed for the office.
Ian was stunned, not sure what she meant. Just then, Mira turned back and said, "Why are you standing there like a fool? Follow me."
"Okay," Ian nodded and followed her.
Inside the office, Mira handed Ian three hundred yuan. "Here, this is your pay for tonight."
"Huh? You pay daily?" Ian asked in surprise.
"It's in the contract—pay is settled daily," Mira Su said with a soft laugh.
"Oh."
Ian nodded, took the three hundred yuan, then pulled sixty out of his pocket to give back to Mira.
"Keep it. Consider it a bonus," Mira said, not reaching for the sixty yuan.
"Sister Mira... but—"
"Enough," Mira waved impatiently. "Stop acting all shy like a big girl—if I tell you to keep it, just keep it."
"Alright then. Thank you, Sister Mira," Ian said gratefully.
"Alright, get out of here. Remember to show up on time tomorrow."
Ian walked out of the café, feeling the three hundred yuan in his pocket. A strange sense of accomplishment filled his heart—this was the first money he'd ever earned himself. Starting next week, he wouldn't need to ask his uncle for living expenses anymore.
Thinking about this, Ian's steps grew noticeably lighter.
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from an alley: "Ah! What are you doing—let me go!"
Ian thought the voice sounded familiar. He quickly walked to the alley entrance and saw four men surrounding a girl in the dark—he couldn't make out her face.
Frowning, he shouted into the alley, "What are you guys doing?"
At his words, all four men turned to look at Ian.
The girl shouted, "They're trying to assault me! Please, call the police!"
"Damn it!"
Jason Zhou cursed angrily, then his eyes flashed with malice. He quietly ordered two of his men, "You two, cover this little bitch's mouth so she can't scream and draw attention. Tank and I will handle the kid outside, then we'll have some fun."
With that, he and his tall, vicious-looking bald henchman Tank strode toward Ian at the alley entrance. The other two did as their boss said and covered the girl's mouth.
The girl saw the person outside just standing there instead of running, and grew even more anxious and angry. Tears welled up—she'd thought help had arrived, but it turned out to be a fool.
To Jason Zhou's delight, the young guy at the alley entrance didn't run. He gave Tank a look, and the two of them quickly pulled out knives from their waists, lunged at Ian, and flanked him.
These four weren't ordinary thugs—they were wanted murderers from Beihe City, on the run from the police and hiding out in this city. Normally, fugitives like them would keep a low profile to avoid being caught, and at first, that's exactly what they did.
But before their escape, they'd gotten used to the good life—fine booze, cigarettes, and beautiful women. After ten days on the run, they were going stir-crazy. Forget luxuries; even regular meals were rare, and their money was almost gone. So tonight, they planned to rob someone and leave the city under cover of darkness.
They hadn't expected to run into a girl who was top-notch in looks, figure, and temperament. Having already committed murder, they figured one more crime—rape—wouldn't make a difference. But just as they dragged her into a deserted alley, a boy showed up.
To avoid exposing themselves, Jason Zhou decided to kill the unlucky kid. After all, one murder or two didn't matter to him.
Jason Zhou stared at Ian Song with a sinister grin and said coldly, "Kid, you ignore the road to heaven and barge straight into hell. Tank, do it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jason Zhou and Tank lunged at Ian, their knives stabbing straight for his chest.
Ian was shocked—they went straight for his life, knives out and murder in their eyes. As the blades closed in, he let out a cold snort and his hands shot out like lightning.