"It's only been a few days, and you've somehow gotten even more outrageous looking." Dummy Meg circled Jack Young, clicking her tongue as she sized him up. "You look like you've grown a few centimeters taller too—how do you even do that?"
"Eat more, move more, and diligently practice the Lunmai Technique—that's the secret to beauty and good looks." Jack Young replied with complete sincerity, because, come to think of it, that really was the truth. Jack gave a thumbs up: "Believe it or not, I've already unlocked the Crown Chakra."
"You've unlocked the Crown Chakra already?" Maggie Monroe's eyes widened in surprise as she looked Jack up and down, then nodded with a snort. "I guess that checks out. They say in ancient times, monks who got to the Crown Chakra could earn the title 'Zen Master.' With your pure, professional virgin vibes, you'd be a perfect fit. You should give it a shot."
"Amitabha, this old monk's Dharma name is Wuneng, and I just love pretty girls. Come, come, Miss Benefactress, I sense a karmic connection between you and Buddha—let me check your spiritual roots." With that, Jack Young reached out, hands grabbing toward Dummy Meg. Dummy Meg dodged away, giggling, "You lecherous monk! How can a man of the cloth be so handsy?"
"Miss Benefactress, you're too attached to appearances." Jack's ten fingers twitched mischievously, his face putting on a solemn, Buddha-like expression. "Form is emptiness, the body is just a stinky flesh sack. But this monk's cultivation is limited, so I must first know the flesh sack intimately before I can transcend it—only then can I truly see your spiritual roots. Come, come, don't miss your chance for Buddhist fate, hurry up and let Buddha have a look!"
Amid the laughter and playful scuffling, the two of them were letting out all the joy of a long-awaited reunion. For Jack Young, it really had been ages since he'd seen her. Maggie Monroe was just as excited—seeing Jack again had her absolutely buzzing.
After all this time, seeing Dummy Meg again, Jack Young noticed something different about her. It was hard to put into words, but her energy was still the same as always—yet there was a fresh, vibrant glow about her. At a glance, she looked even more dazzling, even more stylish than before.
Could it be...
Jack Young opened his spiritual sight, a faint golden glow enveloping Dummy Meg, but he didn't see any boundary marks or light prints on her. Oh well, no need to overthink it. After all, it was Dummy Meg who taught him the Lunmai Technique—and he knew firsthand how amazing it was. Ordinary Earth folk wouldn't get results as wild as his, but her breakthrough in cultivation, making her even more radiant than before, was pretty normal.
Jack Young always spoke his mind, especially with Dummy Meg—no beating around the bush: "Did you have a breakthrough with the Lunmai Technique? Because your attractiveness rating definitely jumped up a few percentage points."
"Of course! If Zen Master Wuneng, a halfway-ordained monk, can reach the Crown Chakra, how could this humble abbess settle for less?" Dummy Meg solemnly stretched out her twitching fingers. "Come, come, let Abbess Meg feel those muscles. Haven't seen a man in ages—let me have my fun for once! Don't run, I won't spare your wallet!"
Well, still as shameless as ever—no wonder she was the one who once handed me the toilet paper.
"By the way, you were so insistent about dragging me out to meet your relatives—are you sure this is a good idea?" Dummy Meg, for once, looked a little shy. "I mean, bringing a girl to crash at your family's place... Maybe I should just find somewhere else to stay."
"What's there to be shy about? You didn't act all delicate when we were 'cohabiting' in Qingdao." Jack Young tugged Maggie Monroe along. "Relax—she hardly ever stays at home, and the place is huge and empty. Plus, she's always spoiled me since I was a kid, so it's totally fine. Besides, who knows how long until Daisy Summers gets married? You want to live in hotels every day? That's way too bourgeois of you."
"Hmm..." Dummy Meg, pulled along by Jack, could only follow. "Alright, guess I'm on this pirate ship now. Does your relative like anything in particular? I should prepare some gifts. First meeting—showing up empty-handed would be rude."
"No need, no need—she's, uh, pretty transcendent. Doesn't care much for all that 'formal etiquette' or 'empty rituals.' If she likes you, she'll help you no matter what. If she doesn't, you could show up with gold bars and she'd still ignore you." Jack Young chuckled. "Honestly, her personality is kind of arrogant, haha!"
Maggie Monroe didn't hold back: "Definitely arrogant. Sounds just like your relative—like you're both products from the same factory. So, after all this talk, who is she to you?"
"My aunt."
"Your aunt?" Maggie Monroe squinted at him, sizing up his smug look as he said 'aunt' with obvious pride. "With that surname, and the way you say 'aunt' like you're showing off, I just want to punch you in the face."
"You've watched too many dramas. I'm nowhere near as cool as those guys." Jack Young immediately protested, full of righteous indignation: "Those guys have beauties all around them. Me? I only have... uh..." At that, Jack suddenly choked up.
Wait a minute, that's not right—let's do the math! Gabriel Yang had Xiao Longnu, Gongsun Lue, Lu Wushuang, Cheng Ying—that's four. Add Guo Xiang and Guo Fu, maybe toss in Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo for good measure, and maybe Huang Rong if we're being generous. So that's nine, tops.
As for me, I've got two awesome disciples, two even more awesome princesses, and Dummy Meg is a goddess in her own right. If I count my relatives—Xiao Geng, my aunt... Oh, and a cousin I haven't seen in ages—she was an adorable little loli when we were kids, probably turned out great too. And that's just on my side! If I add in the Queen's crew—don't even get me started, just tally up Spirit Eagle Palace and Steelbull City... Suddenly I feel like a total winner at life, hahaha!
But anyway, the conversation had to go on, so Jack Young quickly found the only escape route: "Okay, sure, I know plenty of attractive women, but I don't have that many ambiguous relationships." That's right—he knew a lot of pretty girls, but they were all legit friends or family. He wasn't like Gabriel Yang, calling everyone his 'wife' the moment he met them.
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"Really?" Maggie Monroe gave him a once-over, then nodded. "Alright, I'll believe you for now." Not flirting with every girl he met—now that was one of Jack Young's rare good qualities, and Dummy Meg trusted him on that. "So, where do we find your aunt?"
"We're almost there." Jack Young pointed ahead. "See? She works right here."
Maggie Monroe glanced over in surprise. "Shanghai Conservatory of Music? Is she a music teacher?"
"Technically, she's a guest professor in the orchestral department and a violinist—the highest degree holder in our family, a PhD. She's also the concertmaster, the principal first violin in the symphony orchestra. You know, the one on TV who stands closest to the conductor and sometimes is the only one standing while everyone else sits." Jack Young said fondly, "She's the one who got me into 'Western classical music,' and even my half-baked piano skills are thanks to her. But yeah, she's also a 'Teacher Yang'—actually, we've got a lot of Teacher Yangs in our family."
"Wow, talk about a family of scholars." Maggie Monroe nodded, then quickly shook her head. "But a girl like me can't make heads or tails of the world of symphonies. Suddenly I feel like I can't be friends with fancy people like you. But your aunt does sound impressive—a PhD! I'm suddenly a little intimidated."
"What's there to be intimidated about? Come on. Last time I saw her was during the New Year—it's been ages. This time, let's give her a surprise." Jack Young led Dummy Meg deeper into the Shanghai Conservatory campus. Compared to Xiao Geng's school, this place was unmistakably an art college—the architecture was totally different. The campus was small, not a lot of buildings, but each one was compact and elegant.
As they walked, Dummy Meg suddenly perked up. Jack Young noticed and asked in surprise, "You already heard it? Your hearing is really something—way better than normal folks."
"Of course! Sis didn't practice the Lunmai Technique for nothing!" Dummy Meg proudly lifted her nose, then asked in surprise, "That sound—is your aunt the one playing?"
"Yep, that's her." Jack Young shook his head in awe. "Every time I hear her play, it's perfect."
A wisp of violin music floated on the breeze. The classrooms and practice rooms at the Conservatory were all professionally soundproofed, so the music was faint. For Dummy Meg to hear it meant her skills were almost at the level of 'hearing raindrops.' Who knew the Lunmai Technique could do so much for regular people? Jack made a mental note to get everyone around him practicing it.
Following the sound, the music grew clearer. The piece was 'Spring' from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Vivaldi's name might not be as famous as Mozart, Tchaikovsky, or Schubert—then again, most Easterners only know Beethoven's 'Fate' or Chopin's 'Nocturnes,' and couldn't name works by those other three to save their lives. As for Vivaldi? Forget it. But the moment people hear this tune, they all go, 'Oh, it's that one!'
'Spring' from The Four Seasons is usually played as a multi-violin concerto, but right now it's being performed solo. Yet it doesn't sound thin at all—on the contrary, the whole room is filled with spirit. Jack Young led Maggie Monroe to the practice room door and quietly pushed it open. The students inside were in class, but no one noticed the two of them come in—everyone was lost in the music.
Looking at the performer surrounded like the moon among stars, Maggie Monroe was dumbstruck for a while. She squinted at Jack and whispered, "Young Master Yang, putting everything else aside—can I ask how old your aunt is?"
"She's six years older than me—so, 32 this year."
"But she looks 22 to me! Honestly, she could pass for your sister just by her face. This is ridiculous!"
Dummy Meg's amazement was totally justified. The performer, with her long, straight black hair, had refined features, a balanced figure, and flawless, glowing skin without a wrinkle in sight. The only thing that set her apart from a true twenty-year-old was the calm and poise that comes from years of experience, and the elegant grace of someone steeped in the world of music.
Her elegance was unique, infused in every movement. Even though Jack and Dummy Meg spoke in hushed voices, the performer noticed them. When she saw Jack Young, she didn't do anything dramatic—her eyes just lit up, and she turned slightly to smile at them. The bow danced over the strings, and she smoothly switched to a lighter, more joyful, playful, and romantic piece—Kreisler's "Liebesfreud" (Love's Joy).
She didn't say a word, but somehow it felt like she'd said everything. That natural grace left Dummy Meg absolutely awestruck.
"What's your aunt's full name?"
"Yang Shu—Shu as in 'comfortable.'"
"Great name. Your aunt just looks so... comfortable to be around."