"Speak!"
"Let’s compete using the instrunt we’re each best at. If, after I perform, you can play even a little better than , I’ll admit defeat. Do you dare?"
Upon hearing these words, Sylvie Lynch almost burst into laughter.
This woman is overly arrogant!
Everyone who has heard Sylvie play the piano has only praised her skills. Where did Ann Vaughn get the confidence to think she could surpass her?
"Since you’ve put it that way, why wouldn’t I dare?" Sylvie’s lips curled into a smile. Since Ann walked into this trap herself, she couldn’t bla anyone else for the embarrassnt she’ll face!
"Annie..." Reese Lynch grabbed Ann’s sleeve, frowning with concern, "Don’t pay attention to her. She’s just being spoiled. I’ll have her father talk to her later."
Sylvie has been targeting Ann because she still resents that years ago Reese’s uncle sent her to the Lynch Family, hoping she’d take Reese’s place, but Chief Lynch and Mrs. Linden outright rejected her.
Now, seeing Ann being accepted by the Lynch Family, jealousy seed to simr within.
Ann gave Reese a reassuring look, "Don’t worry, just trust . By the way, is there a guzheng here?"
"...There should be. I’ll have soone bring it for you."
Once the guzheng was brought in, Ann had it placed not far from the lotus pond in the banquet hall, then she sat behind the instrunt and cast a glance in Sylvie’s direction.
Sylvie returned the look with a disdainful eye-roll, arms crossed, brimming with arrogance.
Ann’s red lips curved into a smile as her delicate fingers lightly brushed the strings. With a resonant "zheng" sound, all eyes turned towards her.
The Sheridan brothers, who were conversing with Chief Lynch and Mrs. Linden, also turned to look upon hearing the sound.
The music, clear and fluid like a babbling brook, filled the hall. The lody was lively and cheerful, light and pleasant, like fish playfully dancing in water, their tiny fins sliding over lotus leaves, bringing the scene vividly to life.
"Oh my, what is that?!"
Exclamations of awe echoed throughout the room.
Sylvie, who was watching disdainfully with her arms crossed, felt her expression slowly stiffen, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Near Ann, by the lotus pond, a few red koi leapt gracefully from the water, droplets glistening in the air, leaving crystal trails on the lotus leaves.
As Ann’s music quickened in pace, more and more koi jumped out of the water, creating an arch-like spectacle that was both srizing and endless.
It was as if—
everything expressed in the music had beco reality.
The piece concluded, and the music stopped.
Ann withdrew her hands, and the leaping koi returned to the water, leaving the pool in serene silence, as if the previous scene had been but an illusion.
Applause erupted, growing steadily in intensity, refusing to cease.
"Wonderful, utterly wonderful!"
"I never thought, after so many years, I would behold such a marvel; the music and the koi, truly remarkable!"
"The Lynch Family’s adopted daughter is indeed extraordinary. This alone would take others a lifeti to master."
"Hello? It’s . I’ll be back soon. Get my studio ready... Yes, I’ve found inspiration. This ti, I’ll paint the ’lody and Koi’!"
Initially, everyone only had a vague impression of Ann, but after this performance, the scene was etched in their minds, and their impression of her grew more profound.
Praises rang throughout the hall as Ann got up and walked towards Sylvie, smiling, "Miss Lynch, it’s your turn."
Sylvie involuntarily clenched her clutch, her knuckles showing white.
Especially upon hearing the praise for Ann behind her, her face turned a shade of green.
Sylvie gritted her teeth and walked towards the grand piano already set on the stage, gliding in her high heels, before taking a seat.
Before long, a smooth piano lody flowed from Sylvie’s fingertips—soft and beautiful, the dual tones executed beautifully, almost flawlessly.
When her rendition of "Liebestraum" finished, Sylvie stood up, her face drained of color.
It took a while before sparse applause ca from the audience, a stark contrast to the ovations she was accustod to in concert halls.
While she played, not a single koi leapt from the water.
Moreover, though she had never made mistakes playing piano before, her nerves caused her to slip several tis.
Perhaps an untrained ear wouldn’t notice, but Sylvie could not deceive herself.
She had lost.
Throughout the performance, she was consud with the desire to outdo Ann’s guzheng and recreate the scene of koi leaping, but her anxiety only grew, and her playing faltered. It was all she could do to finish the piece.
Nothing is more crushing than being soundly defeated at what you excel in most.
Sylvie’s face burned with embarrassnt; she grabbed her purse, covered her face, and ran out of the banquet hall.
Sylvie’s departure caused no disturbance; however, after Chief Lynch and Mrs. Linden heard from Reese about the incident, they were quite displeased.
"Your uncle spoiled her. It’s one thing to be pampered on ordinary days, but to stir up trouble on such an occasion is really out of line."
"Let her learn a lesson this ti and curb her temperant, or else there will be bigger issues sooner or later. Annie, you’ve been wronged in this matter."
Ann gently shook her head, unfazed, "It’s nothing. Competing in skills is quite common. Thanks to Miss Lynch, I had a lot of fun."
Chief Lynch and Mrs. Linden could easily tell she was graciously preserving Sylvie’s dignity, so the matter wouldn’t tarnish her reputation socially.
While pondering how two people could be so different, their affection for Ann deepened.
At that mont, the hall’s clock chid, bringing everyone’s attention back.
The recognition ceremony had begun.
In the old days, such a ceremony involved nurous rituals like offering sacrifices to the heavens and ancestors. Nowadays, it has been simplified to rely serving tea and accepting gifts from elders.
Thus, from now on, Ann’s na would be graced with a touch of red starlight.
Should J Country wish to trouble Ann further, they’d have to reconsider if they truly dared to act against a daughter of the Chief.
People crowded forward offering congratulations, and the banquet hall buzzed with joyful commotion.
...
J Country.
News of Ann being accepted as the Lynch Family’s goddaughter quickly reached the ears of a certain minister.
Recently, pressure from Zeus Base had been mounting, with top-secret projects stalled indefinitely, and ti running out. The councilman’s face was notably grim.
"We can’t wait any longer. Spread the word and let our people take the lead. Once the situation escalates, not even her being the Chief’s daughter—or the daughter of S Country’s leader, for that matter—will spare her from cooperating with our investigation."
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