At his uncle's family's strong insistence, Ian Song stayed over after dinner. After reading for a while, he opened the system interface—curious to see how much his Fame Points had increased after the televised piano PK competition.
But when his eyes landed on the Fame Points section, he froze.
“How did my Fame Points go up so much?” Ian wondered, trying to keep his composure. Shelly’s pajamas were more revealing than he was used to, and even though she was his cousin, he still felt a little awkward—his embarrassment was more about the sudden change in their relationship than anything else.
He checked the number several times, thinking he might be seeing things, but the digits didn’t change. His heart leapt with joy—the Fame Points had jumped from just over 23,000 to more than 87,000, a surge of over 60,000 points. He was now barely a thousand away from the lottery threshold. Ian hadn’t expected the televised broadcast to have such a powerful effect.
Note: 'Gege' (哥哥) is a Chinese term meaning 'older brother.' In this story, Shelly uses it to address Ian with affection and respect. For readers unfamiliar with the term, it signals both their familial bond and a warm, slightly formal tone.
It was Leo Li calling.
As soon as he answered, Leo’s excited voice came through: "Boss, you’re blowing up! Quick, log into the Riverstone City Forum!"
Shelly just smiled and didn’t press the topic. Instead, she said, "Big brother, why don’t we go to the piano room now? Play 'Late Autumn' for me."
"Just log in and you’ll see!" Leo teased, then hung up immediately, leaving Ian grinding his teeth in frustration. His own computer was at his dorm, so he didn’t have one handy—but Shelly Song had one in her room.
So Ian put away his phone and headed for Shelly Song’s room. In the past, he would never have asked her for her computer, given how she used to treat him...
But now, Shelly’s attitude toward him had changed dramatically. Borrowing her computer was a good way to bring them closer. Thinking about it, Ian felt genuinely grateful to Fiona Xiang—if she hadn’t pushed him to enter the piano competition, his relationship with Shelly might never have improved. Still, the thought that Fiona might have her own motives for getting close to him made Ian uneasy.
Just as he reached Shelly’s door, a tender, emotional song drifted out from inside—the hit ballad "Late Autumn" from superstar Cynthia Murong’s latest album.
Recently, Ian had been listening to tons of music to expand his musical knowledge, so he’d gotten to know Cynthia Murong, who’d been dominating the entertainment headlines.
Rumor had it that Cynthia’s new album had sold over five million copies in just one month—beating her previous record, and possibly on track to break ten million.
After listening to Ian’s performance of 'Late Autumn,' Shelly’s eyes shone with admiration. "Big brother, your arrangement is amazing—it’s ten times better than mine."
Knock, knock.
Ian knocked on the door.
After a moment, she said, "Big brother, I think I’m starting to get it. Can you explain it in more detail?"
One willing to teach, one eager to learn—the atmosphere between them grew more and more harmonious. Only, whenever Ian’s eyes drifted over Shelly’s exposed skin, he couldn’t help feeling a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment.
Ian quickly looked away. He was used to Shelly’s cold attitude, so her friendliness threw him off a bit, but he nodded and stepped inside.
"Big brother, did you need something?" Shelly asked.
"I wanted to borrow your computer for a bit."
Ian took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm—Shelly’s outfit was honestly a little too tempting. Even knowing she was his cousin, he still felt flustered.
Mostly it was because the fire stirred up by Hannah Han’s body and by Mira Su hadn’t completely faded these past couple of days. Hannah was at least unintentionally tempting him, but Mira had clearly been doing it on purpose. Ian hated people who only teased but never followed through—he decided that if Mira tried to mess with him again, he’d pay her back with interest.
"Go ahead, I’ll just read for a while," Shelly said with a smile.
"Okay, I’ll only need it for a bit."
"It’s fine, take your time."
"By the way, Cynthia Murong’s 'Late Autumn' sounds great," Ian said as he sat down at the computer and started typing in 'Riverstone City Forum.'
Shelly’s eyes lit up. "I’m her fan! I’ve listened to every song she’s released. This new album has ten tracks and they’re all top-notch, but 'Late Autumn' is a masterpiece. I’ve tried arranging it for piano several times, but none of my versions felt right."
As she spoke, a hint of disappointment appeared on Shelly’s pretty face.
"Well, what a coincidence—I’ve arranged 'Late Autumn' for piano too. I’ll play it for you sometime," Ian said. As he spoke, he opened Riverstone City Forum and saw a huge banner on the homepage, with bold red letters: "The Most OP Pianist on Earth—Challenge Him If You Dare!"
Ian had a feeling the banner was about him, so he clicked it and entered a video page.
Below the video was a brief introduction—about him.
He hit play—the video was his performance of the modified 'Requiem Fantasia.'
Glancing at the view count below, he saw it had already reached 245,000. Now Ian finally understood why his Fame Points had jumped so much—someone had uploaded his performance online.
Nowadays, the internet reigns supreme and TV is fading—far more people go online than watch television.
He glanced at the comments below:
Comment #1: What the heck is this piece? It sounds awful! "Most OP pianist"—what a joke.
Comment #2: Dude above is an idiot. The crazy part isn’t the song, it’s the pianist’s speed—nineteen-note chords! I bet nobody else in the world can play that except the guy in the video.
Comment #3: It’s twenty-note chords, not nineteen! Twenty! Twenty! Twenty! Saying it three times because it’s important.
Comment #4: Damn, I’m stunned! Master, please accept my kneecaps.
Comment #5: Holy crap, this is insane!
...
Ian skimmed a few posts, then scrolled all the way down—there were already over twenty thousand replies. The video had only been up for a little over two hours and had gotten this much attention. Ian was quietly delighted; this meant even more Fame Points would be rolling in.
"Gege, you’re going to be famous!"
Hearing Shelly’s voice, Ian realized she’d come up behind him.
"Just lucky," Ian said modestly.
Shelly just smiled and didn’t press the topic. Instead, she said, "Gege, why don’t we go to the piano room now? Play 'Late Autumn' for me."
"Sure!"
Ian agreed immediately, closed the webpage, and went with Shelly to the piano room.
Shelly’s piano was pure white and cost over sixty thousand dollars.
"Hurry up and start!" Shelly urged.
"Okay."
Ian sat at the piano, lifted the lid, recalled his arrangement of 'Late Autumn,' and began to play.
After listening to Ian’s performance of 'Late Autumn,' Shelly’s eyes shone with admiration. "Gege, your arrangement is amazing—it’s ten times better than mine."
Ian was thrilled by Shelly’s praise, especially seeing the admiration in her eyes. Feeling proud, he said, "To really play a piece well, it’s not just about technique—you have to understand the meaning in the music. It’s like a person’s soul. Without a soul, a person isn’t complete; likewise, a soulless piece can’t truly move people. So if you want to perform a great piece, you need to grasp its artistic conception. Only then..."
Shelly frowned slightly, as if she was starting to understand.
After a moment, she said, "Gege, I think I’m starting to get it. Can you explain it in more detail?"
One willing to teach, one eager to learn—the atmosphere between them grew more and more harmonious. Only, whenever Ian’s eyes drifted over Shelly’s exposed skin, he couldn’t help feeling a little awkward.