Piano Master

The two listened to the accompaniment and piano accompaniment several more times. Li Fan was so engrossed that he was reluctant to open the door even when the delivery person knocked. After casually placing the food aside, he returned to studying the song "Actor."

Clearly, this song had captivated them both, making them forget their hunger.

After three hours of studying, Xue Qian picked up the microphone, played the accompaniment, and began to sing.

Li Fan became entranced.

"Speak simply, simplify your words. Skip the escalating emotions. You're not an actor, don't stage these scenes..."

Xue Qian's deep voice perfectly conveyed the song's emotions, as if breathing life into it.

This was one of the reasons the song had become so popular.

Xue Qian's skill was undeniable; he was already ninety percent there on the first try.

Once he started singing, he couldn't stop. After nearly three hours, Xue Qian finally paused, his face beaming with excitement. "Li Fan, contact him. I need to meet him and ask him personally about this song. I want to perform it in its most perfect state for my fans at my concert!"

"Okay!"

After Li Fan replied via email, the two exchanged a smile. It was only then that they felt the intense hunger and decided to eat their now-cold lunch.

Of course, that's a story for another time.

Mengmeng's Leisure Restaurant lived up to its name, with a very relaxed atmosphere. Zhang Han was leisurely playing with Mengmeng.

At 11:50 AM, Liang Mengqi, Yu Qingqing, and Zhao Dahu arrived at the restaurant.

"Hehehe."

Zhao Dahu wiggled his body and chuckled, "I feel so good today! I just slammed my resignation letter onto the director's face! So satisfying. He always bossed me around, hmph! Boss, make extra food for lunch today, okay? I want two portions. I didn't react in time this morning, and these two heartless people snatched it all!"

"The rice cooker can only steam so much rice," Zhang Han replied with a light chuckle.

Mengmeng ate less, so excluding her, there were four adults present. Based on their morning portions, Zhang Han had one, Liang Mengqi and Yu Qingqing had two each, Zhao Dahu had one, and Mengmeng had half. That made a total of six and a half portions, which was already quite a lot for a large household rice cooker like Zhengming's.

Besides, Zhang Han felt it was fine. He didn't want to be like professional restaurants that took a long time to cook. The purpose of this restaurant was simply for Mengmeng to eat and have a place to stay. Cooking was just a secondary activity.

As for making money from selling food? Zhang Han hadn't considered it. If he had, the restaurant would likely be earning over a million yuan a month.

Getting back to the matter at hand, upon hearing Zhang Han say there was only a limited amount of rice, Liang Mengqi's expression turned vigilant. She quickly said, "I'm telling you, I always have two portions! And I brought you two, so you can't be ungrateful!"

Yu Qingqing followed suit, turning around and patting Zhao Dahu's shoulder heavily. "Zhao 'sissy,' you only get one portion!"

"Why? I..."

"En?" Yu Qingqing glared.

"Okay, okay, I promise, alright! But one portion isn't enough for me. How about... the three of us split those two portions?" Zhao Dahu asked tentatively.

"No!"

"No!"

Two sharp refusals immediately answered him. Their firm tone left him no doubt that if he continued to pester them, the two women before him might transform into tigresses!

Liang Mengqi was more composed, like a lady from a good family, but Yu Qingqing was a fierce character who wouldn't tolerate any nonsense and would fly off the handle!

A black belt in Taekwondo wasn't for show.

"Sigh..." Zhao Dahu slumped dejectedly onto a table next to the two women, silently weeping in his heart.

Meanwhile, Liang Mengqi and Yu Qingqing chatted and laughed until Mengmeng came downstairs, ready to eat. The two women smiled and chatted with Mengmeng for a few moments.

When the food was ready, Zhang Han brought his and Mengmeng's portions to the table. Liang Mengqi and Yu Qingqing, as expected, went straight to serve themselves.

This time, they were quite generous, each taking two full portions. They cast triumphant glances at the crestfallen Zhao Dahu before returning to their table to enjoy the fragrant lunch.

"How can it be so delicious?" Yu Qingqing exclaimed, shaking her head as she ate. "Sigh, how will I eat anyone else's cooking from now on?"

"Sigh," Liang Mengqi echoed. "It's over. I'm eating two portions at once. My brother would laugh at me if he knew. And eating like this, I'll probably get fat in no time."

"Cough, cough, well, I'm not worried about getting fat. I'm a bit too thin. How about you two give me..." Zhao Dahu's weak voice came from behind.

"Dream on!" The two women coldly refused in unison.

After refusing, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter simultaneously.

After the meal, Liang Mengqi patted her stomach contentedly, a look of bliss on her face. She turned to Zhang Han, who was clearing the table, and said with a playful tone, "Boss, why is your rice so fragrant? Did you put some kind of poison in it?"

"Poison..."

Zhang Han couldn't help but chuckle. "Your imagination is wild. Don't worry, there's no poison. My ingredients are the best, that's why the rice is so fragrant. And even if you eat two portions, you won't get fat, as long as you don't eat like a pig and then sleep. Then you won't get fat."

"Hmph!" Liang Mengqi snorted, blinking her eyes. "I'm not a pig. I exercise every day."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh," Yu Qingqing's eyes lit up, and she whispered with a tsk-tsk. "With that tone, aren't you falling for him?"

Liang Mengqi's face flushed at the comment. She gave Yu Qingqing an annoyed glare before looking back at Zhang Han. "Boss, why did you stop playing the piano?"

"Because, because Mengmeng wanted to hear it, Daddy would play the piano," Mengmeng said, finishing her milk and shaking her little arms.

"Really? Mengmeng, do you want your Daddy to play the piano now?" Liang Mengqi asked with a smile.

"Uh... Yes, Daddy, Mengmeng wants to hear the piano," Mengmeng said in her milky voice.

"Okay, I'll play the piano for Mengmeng."

Zhang Han put the cleaned dishes away and hung the rubber gloves on the hook under the cabinet. He walked over and picked up Mengmeng, who was stretching out her little hands asking to be held.

He placed Mengmeng on the small single-seat sofa next to the piano.

Zhang Han opened the piano lid, thought for a moment, then turned and asked, "What do you want to hear?"

"Castle in the Sky!" Liang Mengqi replied with a little excitement after a moment's thought.

This was the first time Zhang Han had truly acted like a restaurant owner, and in Liang Mengqi's eyes, he was truly a gentleman!

"Mm."

Zhang Han nodded gently, preparing to play "Castle in the Sky."

"Castle in the Sky" is the theme song of a very old animated film from an island nation. The film was released in the island nation in 1986 and tells the adventure story of the protagonist, the young girl Sheeta, the boy Pazu, the floating island, the army, Muska, and others as they search for the sky castle Laputa.

The theme song was originally titled "Carrying You" and later became commonly known as "Castle in the Sky." It was composed by the master musician Joe Hisaishi and is known worldwide for its tear-jerkingly beautiful melody and soul-stirring music, becoming a famous piece of film music.

"He can actually play the piano? I thought that Steinway was just for show," Yu Qingqing said with a grin, her gaze toward Zhang Han filled with intense curiosity.

A restaurant owner who can play the piano, it sounded strange just thinking about it.

Soon, Zhang Han began to play the piano.

There was no sheet music at all, because Zhang Han was incredibly familiar with the eighty-eight keys of the piano; he understood the tone of each key to his very core.

As Zhang Han began to play, the melodious opening melody of "Castle in the Sky" rang out.

However, when the music reached the more melancholic middle section, Zhang Han suddenly increased his playing speed, turning the slightly sad music into a cheerful atmosphere. The beautiful melody was also incredibly captivating.

"Pfft..."

Zhao Dahu, who had just finished chewing his Egg Fried Rice, solemnly placed his spoon aside, showing respect for the dish. He took a sip of milk and, upon hearing the melodious music, subconsciously turned his head.

Upon seeing Zhang Han playing the piano, he sprayed out the milk he was drinking.

"Cough, cough, cough, what? He... he's really a piano master?"

"Don't make noise! Get a mop and clean up the mess you made!" Yu Qingqing glared at him fiercely, frowning.

"Got it."

Zhao Dahu replied softly and slowly walked towards the kitchen. He carefully retrieved a mop and returned to clean up. As he wiped the floor, he gazed somewhat absentmindedly at Zhang Han playing the piano. For a moment, he even found him quite handsome. He couldn't help but mutter softly:

"How can he be so handsome? If I were a woman, I'd definitely chase after him!"

"Castle in the Sky" quietly concluded with a cheerful rhythm.

Liang Mengqi, Yu Qingqing, and Zhao Dahu couldn't help but applaud.

"That was beautifully played!" Yu Qingqing praised loudly.

"Hmph, I told you, the boss is a piano master, even better than Lang Zong," Liang Mengqi said somewhat proudly.

"That's true," Zhao Dahu nodded in agreement. "I didn't believe you when you said it, but now, I also think the boss is better than Lang Zong. No! The boss is the greatest living piano master in the world!"

Zhao Dahu originally disliked Zhang Han because of what happened on the beach. But after coming to the restaurant today, his entire perception had been overturned. The Egg Fried Rice and milk had conquered his stomach, the melodious piano music had conquered his ears, and Zhang Han himself was perhaps on the verge of conquering his soul!

He couldn't understand how one person could be so amazing.