Cooperation

Jiang Xi poked her head out of Liang Meichen's arms and looked over the male guests present.

She secretly fixed her gaze on Zhou Yanqing, thinking this older brother was quite handsome. But when she saw Chi Yan, the scales in her heart immediately tipped.

But this older brother looked a little fierce...

She shifted her gaze to Li Yu, and her eyes instantly lit up. She ran out of Liang Meichen's arms and hugged Li Yu's long leg. "I like this older brother!"

Li Yu was a little flattered. He reached out and patted the swirl of hair on Jiang Xi's head.

"There's such a handsome older brother right in front of you, and you're not even the slightest bit moved? Is there any justice in this world?" Yu Lin pouted.

Jiang Xi tightly gripped Li Yu's hand, huffed, and pulled a face at Yu Lin.

Then she turned to glance at Chi Yan again, only to find his brows tightly furrowed. He looked even fiercer, as if he were about to beat up a child the next second.

Good thing I didn't choose that scary older brother. Jiang Xi secretly rejoiced to herself.

[Holy crap, this kid is seriously living the dream. If that many celebrities came to my birthday party, I'd be over the moon.]

[Same. I don't even dare imagine how cheerful and lively a little girl I'd be if that happened.]

[Hahaha, why does Chi Yan always look so grumpy? He scared the poor kid.]

[Li Yu's looks are seriously flawless, and his personality is great too. I'd pick Li Yu as well.]

[I'd pick Zhou Yanqing, hehehe. His body is seriously incredible.]

[Why is everyone making their choices too?]

"I'm so sad, boohoo..." Yu Lin pretended to cover his face and cry.

"Yu Lin, enough already. Don't be so dramatic." Li Yu laughed, nudging Yu Lin with his elbow.

"Fine, fine, I was joking. Who'd seriously argue with a kid?" Yu Lin waved a hand.

Chi Yan, standing nearby, froze at Yu Lin's words.

"Alright, let's not stand around in the yard. Let's head inside first," Xiang Zhinan said.

Li Yu took Jiang Xi's hand and led her inside. The first floor of the guesthouse was spacious. As soon as they entered, they saw "happy birthday" spelled out in colorful balloons, with all sorts of cute cartoon decorations on the walls. The birthday atmosphere was strong.

The decorations alone were enough to show how much Jiang Pengcheng doted on Jiang Xi.

"Oh, there's even a piano here." Yu Lin casually pressed a key, testing its tone. Then he looked at the nameplate. "No wonder the sound felt familiar. It's a Kawai. I used to use this brand of piano too."

Xie Jingming looked at the piano as well, a thought quietly taking shape in his mind.

"This was my wife's piano, but she... sigh, she passed away from illness in the first half of this year," Jiang Pengcheng said.

"Ah..." Shu Menglan showed a regretful expression.

Xie Jingming gestured to Li Yu, who understood and leaned over.

"Can you play the piano?"

Li Yu raised his brows. "I'm fine with it. You mean...?"

"How about we play a duet later? You can choose the piece."

Xie Jingming had some confidence in his piano skills, but he was not quite sure of Li Yu's level.

"No problem. Then how about Canon?" Li Yu said.

Canon was a relatively well-known piano piece, and it was not overly difficult either. Choosing it could hardly go wrong.

"Okay, I'll pull up the sheet music on my phone first," Xie Jingming said.

"Alright, I'll go discuss it with the owner and the production crew."

After saying that, Li Yu walked over to Jiang Pengcheng.

Once Jiang Pengcheng learned what Li Yu and Xie Jingming had in mind, he readily agreed. He said they could use the piano however they liked; otherwise, it would be a pity for it to sit there without anyone playing it.

"Are the older brothers going to play the piano?"

Jiang Xi was sharp. Even though Li Yu and Jiang Pengcheng had spoken quietly, she had still heard them.

Jiang Xi stepped forward and took Li Yu's hand, blinking her grape-like eyes. "My mom could play the piano too. She used to play really beautifully."

"Yes. Since it's your birthday today, the older brothers will play especially for you." Li Yu winked at Jiang Xi.

"Yay! The older brothers are going to play for me!"

Jiang Xi was so happy she nearly jumped up. Sometimes, a child's happiness was just that simple.

"Are Little Yu and Jingming going to play a four-hand duet?" Yu Lin asked.

"I don't know, but it looks like it," Zhou Yanqing said.

Everyone stopped talking and waited attentively for Li Yu and Xie Jingming's performance.

Xie Jingming sat down first and propped his phone up on the stand. Li Yu then sat down beside him.

"I'm starting."

As soon as Xie Jingming finished speaking, his fingers began to move.

The four-hand arrangement of Canon opened with one player's solo, while Li Yu sat quietly at the side, waiting for his part.

Xie Jingming's fingers were fair and slender, landing upon the keys with such gentleness. A soothing melody flowed out, as though softening the passage of time.

After playing a passage, Xie Jingming gracefully withdrew his hands. It was Li Yu's turn.

Li Yu began playing from Xie Jingming's final note. His expression was focused, his eyes slightly lowered, and his lashes cast a shadow across his face.

Xie Jingming was somewhat surprised. From Li Yu's movements, he could tell that Li Yu's piano skills were no worse than his own. In fact, the sound Li Yu produced was especially close to the original.

But this was not the time to think about that. He lifted his right hand and joined in.

"Damn, this part sounds way too good!" Shu Menglan exclaimed softly.

"It feels like a four-hand duet has richer layers," Xiang Zhinan said.

At this moment, Li Yu held the main melody. Xie Jingming then raised his left hand, threading it through the gap beneath Li Yu's right hand as he joined the melody he was responsible for.

Li Yu felt this section called for some interaction, so he turned his head to look at Xie Jingming.

The two melodic lines intertwined at that moment. The feeling was wondrous, and Xie Jingming could not help glancing sideways at Li Yu, only to find that Li Yu was looking at him too.

Their eye contact broke in an instant. A strange feeling welled up in Xie Jingming's heart, but before he could grasp it, it abruptly vanished.

Then came the climax of Canon, and Li Yu and Xie Jingming's fingers sped up. They had not rehearsed at all, yet they were unexpectedly in perfect sync, as if they had worked together countless times.

This was also the passage that stirred emotions most intensely, like a vast net of desire pulling everyone down into its depths.

After the climax, their pace slowed as they entered the closing section.

When the piece ended, Xie Jingming and Li Yu lowered their hands at the same time.

"Wow!!! You guys were amazing!" Shu Menglan applauded along with the others, lavishing them with praise.

"It feels like my ears got pregnant," Yu Lin said.

"So, Xiaoxi, did the older brothers play nicely?" Jiang Pengcheng asked, wrapping an arm around Jiang Xi.