Shen Qingling Was a Genius

As Shen Qingling took the stage, he brushed past Gu Yijin. The looks they exchanged were both laden with intrigue.

The instant Shen Qingling stepped onto the stage, the surrounding lights seemed to dim, drawing everyone's gaze firmly onto him.

Shen Qingling onstage was like a protagonist born for the role.

—In this game, I am the protagonist.

Standing onstage, Shen Qingling met Gu Yijin's gaze from below.

Beneath Gu Yijin's seemingly gentle eyes lay a hidden edge, like a venomous snake lying in wait in the shadows, ready to strike the moment Shen Qingling turned his back.

The people below found Shen Qingling's face unfamiliar and were all curious about his identity.

"Is he a newly debuted pianist? He's so handsome—how have I never seen him before?"

"He's not a pianist. I heard he's Miss Ruan's arranged marriage partner. He's really handsome."

"A man that handsome is Ruan Mingyi's arranged marriage partner!? No way..."

"Is that for real? I don't believe Ruan Mingyi could find a man like that."

"He's way too handsome, oh my God. Even celebrities pale beside him."

Sheng Xia and Ruan Mingyi came up from the back to watch from the front. Once Shen Qingling took the stage, the wealthy ladies and socialites around them were all focused on his looks.

The points that had just been cleared began climbing rapidly at that moment.

Ruan Mingyi curled her lips into a smile. "Someone only gets praised for his piano skills, temperament, and family background—never his looks. Sheng Xia, why do you think that is?"

Sheng Xia snorted coldly. "He's just a pretty vase. What's there to be proud of? A-Jin's piano playing leaves him eight streets behind."

Ruan Mingyi confidently lifted her chin. "Then let's wait and see."

If Shen Qingling said he could do it, then he definitely could.

After bowing to the audience, Shen Qingling took his seat.

The crystal chandelier beneath the banquet hall dome refracted fragmented halos of light across the piano. Flowing radiance wound down the sleeves of his ink-black suit, spreading over the lacquered surface of the Steinway like a drifting galaxy.

His distinct-knuckled fingers hovered above the black and white keys, like the wings of a white crane briefly alighting as it swept over a snowy plain.

"Oh my God, what beautiful hands..."

"Those are hands born to play the piano."

"I study art. Those hands are a work of art."

"Those hands belong on display in the Louvre Museum."

The light upon his face seemed meticulously crafted just for him. His sculpted profile was as flawless as a work of art carefully fashioned by God.

Seeing Shen Qingling's profile, everyone finally understood what "a face like a sculpture" meant.

Under the lights, Shen Qingling's profile seemed to have gained another layer of filter. The slight prominence along the bridge of his nose was softened by the gentle glow, while his lashes cast trembling shadows over his cheeks. His brow furrowed faintly, and the piano began to sound.

The young man's hands rose and fell with the keys, like drifting moonlight.

The piece Shen Qingling played seized everyone's heartstrings in an instant.

Those who had been captivated by his face were soon drawn in by the music played by those hands.

Gu Yijin's breath caught below the stage. He could hardly believe that the person onstage had been a complete nobody in the piano world until now.

He stared at Shen Qingling with all his might. This shouldn't be happening...

How could Shen Qingling possess such piano skills?

The pride he had always taken in was shattered completely at that moment.

What would Sheng Xia think of him?

He turned his face to look at the woman beside him.

Sheng Xia was already dumbstruck. Her wide eyes had gone from disdain to surprise, then amazement, before becoming utterly immersed in the dreamlike scene Shen Qingling had woven for everyone.

Sheng Xia pressed a hand to her wildly pounding heart. This was the male lead from a novel!!!

That astonishing face, that elegant bearing, those moving piano skills...

077: Sheng Xia's affection value increased by 10.

Gu Yijin's expression turned ugly.

How had this happened?

He had wanted Shen Qingling to humiliate himself before all the guests, to be unable to gain a foothold in high society ever again, to make Sheng Xia become even more infatuated with him, and to have her fiercely oppose it when she learned in the future that Shen Qingling was her fiancé.

But he had failed.

The entire banquet hall was silent, save for the piano.

As the keys sank to their deepest point, the young man onstage suddenly lifted his lashes and gazed up into the void, his fingertips striking the lower register with the roar of a storm.

Zhong Qing set down her wineglass and slowly rose from her seat in disbelief.

On the second floor of the villa, a woman standing directly opposite Shen Qingling had been watching him for a long time.

Sheng Mo's knuckles slid over the golden-thread nanmu railing. As though she were playing a duet with Shen Qingling, she tapped lightly in perfect time with the piano sonata.

Sheng Mo liked playing the piano. Otherwise, she would not have known Zhong Qing, nor would she have specially invited her to such an important banquet.

She knew very well just how astonishing the piano skills of the young man onstage were.

Yet the young man playing seemed even more heart-stirring than the music itself.

Sheng Mo lowered her eyes to the young man playing below, a trace of curiosity rising in her gaze.

"Who is that?"

As the piece ended, Shen Qingling slowly opened his eyes.

At that moment, thunderous applause erupted below the stage.

Ruan Mingyi stared at the young man onstage in a daze. Sheng Xia's mouth hung wide open, and she could not stop herself from applauding along with everyone else. When she came back to her senses, she awkwardly lowered her hands.

She had mocked Shen Qingling like that before. Thinking about it now, it was... utterly humiliating.

She looked at Gu Yijin and, without realizing it, stabbed him straight through the heart.

"A-Jin, isn't he better than you?"

"..."

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I have nothing to say. He really is impressive. What, Xiaxia? Have you fallen for him?"

"How could that be? He belongs to Ruan Mingyi. I would never like him, even if he's handsome, has a great body, exceptional piano skills, and is very talented."

Gu Yijin gave a cold laugh. If she had not added that last part, it might have been somewhat convincing. With that final sentence, was she not merely deceiving herself?

Shen Qingling rose and bowed to the audience, and the girls below the stage nearly went crazy.

"Is he really Ruan Mingyi's arranged marriage partner? Do I have no chance anymore?"

"So what if he's Ruan Mingyi's arranged marriage partner? They're not married. As long as they're not married, we still have a chance."

"So what if they get married? It's not like they can't get divorced. I don't think I'm any worse than Ruan Mingyi."

"Exactly. If he can fancy Ruan Mingyi, his standards probably aren't that high, right? Other than her face, what does Ruan Mingyi even have worth looking at?"

"Secretary Zhang, go find out who he is. Within three minutes, I want all his information!"

"How could someone like this have been unknown before? What are the people in the piano world even doing? They ignore a talent like this and go flatter those rich young masters instead—especially Gu Yijin."

"There's someone like this in the piano world? Even Zhong Qing looks shocked. This must be his first public performance."

Zhong Qing applauded as she walked onto the stage. She looked thoroughly shaken, her eyes filled with amazement as she gazed at Shen Qingling.

The more knowledgeable one was, the more one understood Shen Qingling's talent.

He was a genius.

A genius who possessed both technique and emotion.

"What is your name?"

"Just a nobody."