"By the way, Ian, your cousin Shelly seemed upset about you taking first place. Right after you won, she left backstage, and her face didn’t look too good," Evan Xia whispered to Ian Song.
Hearing this, Ian frowned slightly, feeling conflicted again.
The competition was still ongoing and would last until all contestants finished playing, probably well into the evening. Since Ian and Evan were already done performing, they decided to leave.
After treating Evan to lunch, Ian returned to his dorm.
During this period, he hadn’t stopped studying. With Photographic Memory and Mastery Insight, his progress was lightning-fast, but he’d deliberately kept his exam scores only slightly improved—just enough to avoid causing a stir.
However, he planned to go all out in the next monthly exam, aiming for a bigger sensation and, hopefully, a larger haul of Fame Points.
At three in the afternoon, he got a call from Fiona Xiang, who first congratulated him on winning first place in the piano competition preliminaries, then invited him to dinner.
Coincidentally, he wanted Fiona’s help analyzing Shelly’s situation, so he agreed immediately.
At six-thirty that evening, when Ian arrived at the restaurant they’d agreed on, he found Fiona standing there, looking as lovely as ever.
"Sorry, I’m late," Ian said.
"Not late at all, our reservation was for six forty. I just got here early," Fiona Xiang said with a smile.
Ian had a great impression of Fiona; she always seemed so understanding.
Chatting as they walked, the two of them entered the restaurant side by side.
Once they’d ordered, Fiona seemed to notice Ian was a bit down and gently asked if something was bothering him.
After hesitating a little, Ian told her what was on his mind.
After listening to him, Fiona just laughed and said, "You worry too much! I’ve told you, Shelly isn’t the narrow-minded type. She’s just proud and ambitious—she can’t accept it right away. I’m sure she’ll get over it soon. So, if you want her respect, you’ll have to win the championship outright."
"Really?" Ian still looked a bit worried.
"Trust me," Fiona said, winking at him.
Just then, Fiona’s phone rang. She glanced at it and smiled knowingly. "It’s Shelly calling. Perfect, I’ll help you sound her out."
Fiona took the call and stepped aside, chatting for a full ten minutes before hanging up.
"So?" Ian asked.
"Let’s eat first. I’ll tell you afterward, or the food will get cold," Fiona said playfully.
Ian was eager to know what Shelly thought of him, but since Fiona insisted, he had no choice but to hold back his impatience and eat first.
Watching Ian devour his food, Fiona couldn’t help but laugh to herself. "This guy is really kind of cute," she thought.
After the meal, Ian watched Fiona nervously, like a prisoner awaiting judgment.
Fiona picked up a napkin, elegantly dabbed the corner of her mouth, and said with a bright smile, "If Shelly knew how much you cared about her opinion, she’d be really happy."
"Maybe," Ian said with a hint of melancholy. Having lost his parents young, he valued family deeply. Even though his aunt had always treated him coldly, he’d never held a grudge, so he really hoped to get along better with Shelly.
"Alright, I’ll just tell you straight—Shelly isn’t mad at you. In fact, she’s really curious about you."
"Curious about what?" Ian asked quickly.
"You tell me! Actually, I’m curious too. You’ve changed so much lately. If it’s not too much trouble, can you tell me why? I promise I’ll keep it secret!" Fiona said, sounding casual but probing.
But Fiona’s words still made Ian wary. He’d been too high-profile lately, and now she was starting to get suspicious.
He wasn’t that smart, but he knew one thing for sure—the ring system must never be exposed, or it would bring endless trouble.
So he pretended to be calm. "What secret? I don’t have any secrets."
"Really?" Fiona clearly didn’t believe him. "Fine, if you don’t want to say, forget it. I guess you don’t see me as a real friend yet."
Ian fell silent. He was now sure Fiona had sensed something, but he couldn’t bear to reject her outright. After a long pause, he said, "Sorry, Fiona. There are some things I really can’t tell you."
Fiona burst out laughing. "Come on, I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously. Besides, who doesn’t have secrets?"
"You’re really great, Fiona," Ian said gratefully, feeling more and more that she was truly understanding.
…………
At the crossroads, Ian waved goodbye to Fiona.
"Bye, Ian."
Fiona gave him a sweet smile, then turned and walked off in the opposite direction. After she’d gone less than two hundred meters, a red sedan pulled up beside her. Fiona opened the passenger door and got in.
The driver was a sexy-looking woman with striking red hair.
As soon as Fiona got in, the car roared to life and shot off like an arrow.
"Well? Did you learn anything?" the red-haired woman asked Fiona.
Fiona replied seriously, "I didn’t find out the exact reason, but I’m sure Ian’s dramatic changes must be from some extraordinary opportunity!"
"Interesting. He was just an ordinary student, then suddenly his grades shot up, he learned to play piano out of nowhere, and now he’s even a late-stage postnatal martial arts expert. What kind of opportunity could cause such changes?" The red-haired woman was full of curiosity, then suddenly changed the subject. "Fiona, I can tell that kid has a thing for you. Why not work a little harder and turn him into your loyal admirer? Maybe you’ll coax all his secrets out of him."
"Senior Sister, you’re terrible! How can you say that?" Fiona’s cheeks flushed as she protested, a little embarrassed.
The red-haired woman stared at Fiona’s face for a moment before saying, "You’re not falling for that kid too, are you? Fiona, let me warn you—unless you break through the sixth layer of Mystic Maiden Tribulation, don’t let yourself fall in love. Otherwise, you’ll stop progressing, or worse, your skills will regress."
"Don’t be ridiculous, Senior Sister. How could I possibly fall for him?" Fiona shot back, half annoyed.
The red-haired woman’s expression suddenly turned cold. "Good. If you do, cut it off before it gets any deeper. Our eldest senior sister is a painful lesson. You have real talent and Master thinks highly of you—don’t make the same mistake she did!"
"Alright, I get it," Fiona nodded.
After parting with Fiona, Ian instinctively headed toward the café. When he saw the closed shop, he realized Mira Su had already shut down for the day.
"Sigh."
He let out a soft sigh and turned back toward his dorm.
Passing the little alley again, he instinctively glanced inside—and met a pair of icy cold eyes.
Ian froze for a moment. "Why are you here again?" he asked.
"Waiting for you," the girl replied bluntly.
"Waiting for me? For what?" Ian asked again.
Suddenly, her expression changed. She said urgently, "Leave now. I’ll find you later."
With that, she darted into the alley and vaulted over the wall.
Ian frowned, paused for a moment, then continued toward his dorm. Less than ten meters ahead, a tall white man approached from the opposite direction.
As they passed each other, the foreigner’s nose twitched suddenly.
Without warning, the white man’s hand flashed up in a knife-hand strike, fast as lightning, aimed at the back of Ian’s neck.