Chapter 160: Seeing is Not Believing

Words : 1215 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Seeing is Not BelievingShi Yiqing felt an unspeakable sense of loss upon hearing Su Yike say he was unwilling to perform a four-hand piano piece with her. She had not easily convinced Su Yike to agree to a duet performance, only to have him back out in the blink of an eye. How could this be happening? "Yike, didn’t you promise to perform with me?" Shi Yiqing looked at him with a forlorn expression, her eyes brimming with melancholy, "I’ve already submitted the program list. Now you’re saying you don’t want to join me on stage, how will others see me?" As she spoke, a layer of mist had already formed in her eyes. Su Yike also knew that what he was doing wasn’t right, but what could he do? "I’m very sorry." Even though he felt remorse, he still didn’t change his mind. Seeing this, Shi Yiqing began to understand. Knowing that nothing she said could change his mind, she forced a smile to maintain her image of understanding and said to him, "It’s okay. If you don’t want to, then I... I’ll go change the program list myself." Su Yike, seeing her feigned strength, couldn’t help feeling a twinge of pity: "Let me handle this. That way, no one will give you a hard time." Shi Yiqing bit her lip, "Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?" "No, it wouldn’t." Su Yike smiled, revealing two dimples. Shi Yiqing’s face carried a smile, but her heart was shadowed. She could not fathom why Su Yike had suddenly changed his mind. After much hesitation, she decided to inquire about the reason. She didn’t believe Su Yike had changed his opinion so abruptly; something must have happened when she wasn’t aware. Su Yike already felt embarrassed for breaking the arrangement. When she asked for the reason, he did not keep it to himself but said directly, "Just now, I heard truly beautiful music! Compared to her performance, my technique is simply not up to par." At his words, Shi Yiqing’s brows furrowed deeply: "Are you saying you heard someone else play the piano?" "Yes." Su Yike’s eyes sparkled with aspiration, "I’ve heard so much praise that my thinking has been skewed." "Compared to her, I really don’t amount to much. If I hadn’t heard such music with my own ears, I might still be complacent about my mediocre skills." Listening to him belittle himself just to praise the other person, Shi Yiqing couldn’t help but ask, "Do you know who you’re talking about? Is it a teacher or a student?" She searched her memory but couldn’t find any pianist that matched the description Su Yike gave. At the mention of this, Su Yike’s eyes lit up: "I do! I asked for her name, and she said she’s called Shi Yaoguang." "What did you say?!" Shi Yiqing couldn’t control the pitch of her voice, which came out quite shrill. It was the first time Su Yike had seen her lose control, his face full of astonishment: "Qingqing, what’s the matter?" Shi Yiqing hurriedly adjusted her emotions, trying to appear less troubled. After taking several deep breaths, she finally spoke: "Are you sure the person you mentioned is Shi Yaoguang?" "Yes." Su Yike’s smile was radiant, "She also agreed to be friends with me." Shi Yiqing still didn’t want to believe that Shi Yaoguang could play the piano, how could she? She was nothing but a country bumpkin from the countryside. Ignorant and unskilled. Sёarᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Clumsy and meek—that was how she was supposed to be. Touching an expensive instrument like the piano, she shouldn’t have even had the chance. Su Yike was utterly unaware of the contorted and fierce expression that surfaced on Shi Yiqing’s face after he mentioned Shi Yaoguang’s name. He was excitedly pulling out his phone, "Qingqing, I happened to record the music. Let’s listen to it together." Shi Yiqing responded with a strained smile, "Sure." Su Yike tapped on his phone to play a recording. A cheerful and vigorous melody flowed forth. Each note seemed infused with the flavor of the ages. As someone studying music, Shi Yiqing was very clear about what such a piece represented. Yet she couldn’t believe that Shi Yaoguang could play it. Eastern Fantasia was known worldwide for its difficulty, demanding extreme precision in terms of hand speed. Sensing her disbelief, Su Yike spoke with a tone of wonder, "Qingqing, do you also find it incredibly hard to believe? I feel the same way. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t believe it either." "Heard with your own ears?" Shi Yiqing keenly seized on the key point, "You mean, you didn’t see it?" Su Yike shook his head, "I only heard someone playing the piano from afar and started recording it right away. By the time I got to the door, the piece had already finished. Hearing this, Shi Yiqing’s eyes lit up instantly. She hastily asked, "So you mean, you didn’t actually see Shi Yaoguang playing the piano?" Su Yike shook his head. Shi Yiqing’s eyes flashed, "Then how did you know it was her playing the piano?" "When I got to the doorway, I just saw her standing in front of the piano," Su Yike relayed honestly. Upon hearing this, Shi Yiqing formed a conjecture in her mind. Sometimes, what you hear may not be reliable, and even what you see might not be the truth. Su Yike saw Shi Yaoguang standing next to the piano and assumed it was her who played it. But Shi Yiqing was certain that Shi Yaoguang couldn’t possibly have that ability. The truth might be... someone who came with Shi Yaoguang played the piano. After finishing, Shi Yaoguang, driven by curiosity, walked up to the piano to touch the instrument that could produce such beautiful music. Su Yike arrived just in time to witness Shi Yaoguang’s "post-performance" appearance. With these thoughts, Shi Yiqing sneered inwardly. Now she didn’t care about Su Yike suddenly breaking their appointment. They say comparison brings pain; once he realizes that his "pianist" is a fraud, he’ll surely come back to form an alliance with her without hesitation. By then, their relationship would only grow stronger. Su Yike was unaware of her scheming thoughts. After simply sharing his joy with her, he proposed to take his leave. He couldn’t wait to share the treasure he’d just unearthed with his teacher. Shi Yiqing naturally wouldn’t stop him; she, too, was eager to know who had played Eastern Fantasia. She knew Eastern Fantasia was Shi Yaoguang’s registered piece. It was under her suggestion to use it, intending to trample over Shi Yaoguang to elevate herself. Just that she hadn’t expected someone truly capable of playing Eastern Fantasia to emerge from Shi Yaoguang’s entourage. Up until then, her piano skills were acknowledged as the best in the school. The thought of someone stealing her thunder brought a sense of crisis. After inquiring with the teacher in charge of the piano room and learning of the person who had entered with Shi Yaoguang, she guessed a possibility. That rendition of Eastern Fantasia was probably played by Shen Huan.

Chapter 160: Seeing is Not Believing

Comments (0)