Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Isn’t This Sister Xi?!
Xue Xi did not know this person and originally did not intend to meddle. After all, she was Xue Yao’s guest.
Nevertheless, the term “mute and deaf person” that Sun Ruoruo had mentioned made her stop in her tracks.
They frequently had children who were disabled in some way in the orphanage…
She turned to look at Xia Yiyi once again.
The girl’s lips blossomed into an extremely kind and sincere smile. She was as pure as those little children.
This Little Mute is quite cute, isn’t she?
Xue Xi pointed at the sofa on the other side, signaling her to move over. Little Mute’s eyes lit up instantly as she nodded her head.
When they were seated, she stared unblinkingly at Xue Xi, as though she was a cat waiting for its owner to give it a belly rub. She was so obedient and sensible that even the usually-aloof Xue Xi felt her heart turn soft at the sight.
Xue Xi moved to sit there too.
Little Mute was very quiet, but her two hands were placed on the coffee table. Her fingers moved nimbly, as though she were playing the piano.
However, halfway through, she seemed to have been met with difficulty. Her fingers paused and she frowned. This troubled expression easily made another pity her.
Sitting opposite her, Sun Ruoruo promptly started to mock. “Tsk, tsk. Does she really think she can make it? What is a deaf and mute person partaking in this for?”
Xue Xi calmly looked up and toward her, then said defensively, “Do you know Beethoven?”
Sun Ruoruo: “?”
The latter took some time before finally understanding what Xue Xi meant. She was instantly pissed. “How can you compare her and Beethoven? Do you think that currying up to her will make Madam Xia treat you better? Let me tell you, this mute can’t even speak, so she won’t ever complain! It’s useless for you to waste your time on her.”
As someone who valued her reputation the most and had put all her effort into studying, playing the piano, and constructing a socialite image for herself, how could Xue Yao possibly mistreat her guest?
She was merely bullying Xia Yiyi on the grounds that she could not speak and would never be able to complain!
At this moment, the girl who was the topic of discussion, Xia Yiyi, looked up. She, who did not even know that she was being mocked, took out the phone she always carried with her and typed on it: “Elder Sister Xue Yao, I have a verse that I don’t quite get in the piece I’ll be playing later. Can you instruct me a little?”
Xue Yao burst out laughing when she saw this.
Still, she nodded and pointed at the piano on the second floor’s living room. She was telling Xia Yiyi to play it.
The girl put her palms together, showing her gratitude to her, and moved to the piano.
Above the piano keys, her fingers were so nimble and her playing was so smooth. When she reached the part she was unsure about, she then took out her phone to write: “Might there be any abnormalities here?”
Of course it is abnormal.
Xue Xi could hear that this part was rather unpolished just by listening to her.
Moreover, this was likely her original piece. She was very talented, but there were some flaws in it. Although Little Mute could not hear, she was very sensitive to music!
Xue Yao’s face was tensed up. As an experienced pianist, she finally understood Xia Yiyi’s talents. She stared at the girl, then suddenly smiled. “Yes, it’s strange.”
Xia Yiyi stared at and read her lips. Once she understood, she wrote again: “Where is it wrong?”
Xue Yao immediately walked over to her. She bent down at the waist slightly, placed her fingers on the piano, and reproduced the particular sentence the girl had played previously.
Xue Xi immediately frowned when she heard it.
It sounded worse after Xue Yao edited it!
Xia Yiyi felt the same too. She frowned in confusion, then typed on her phone: “Is this really alright?”
Xue Yao’s face darkened as she stared back. “Ms. Xia, why bother asking me if you don’t trust me?”
The girl panicked when Xue Yao got angry, and she anxiously flailed her arms. She then typed on her phone again: “I’m sorry, Elder Sister Xue Yao. Don’t be angry. I trust you.”
She bit down on her lips and played it again on the piano using Xue Yao’s method. It did sound pretty good when played, but anyone who had even a little more experience in the piano could hear the disharmony in it!
Xia Yiyi still found it weird, but she dared not ask anything else. She had a helpless and lost expression.
As she stood beside the girl, Xue Yao’s eyes glinted with smugness.
In the entire Bin City, Xia Yiyi is the only one who is more talented than I am at the piano. Now that this piece has been laid to waste, what else does she have to rival me?
Right as she was gloating, an apathetic voice sounded. “Wrong.”
She froze and her head shot up.
Xue Xi had already stopped in front of Xia Yiyi. When the latter looked up, she used sign language and said, “What she said is wrong.”
The mute and deaf children in the orphanage communicated using sign language. She had learned it before and she had an extraordinarily retentive memory.
Xia Yiyi’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the sign language, and she instantly responded with her own.
Standing beside them, Xue Yao was stunned as she shuddered in fear. What are the two of them saying?
Can Xue Xi play the piano? Or did she see through my scheme?
At this moment, she caught the sound of a trail of people coming upstairs. An idea popped into her mind as she put on a pitiful expression. “Xue Xi, don’t teach Yiyi the wrong things. That is not how this verse is supposed to be played. How can you speak nonsense?”
The few people had reached this level right after she said this. Liu Yiqiu paused a little, then asked, “What’s happening?”
Xue Yao did not speak and, as expected, Sun Ruoruo stuck her head into the matter and accused Xue Xi. “Ms. Xia asked Yaoyao to instruct her, but Xue Xi insisted on speaking nonsense to Ms. Xia. The teacher is coming soon, so isn’t she just wasting time that could be spent on instructing?”
Liu Yiqiu immediately gave a side-eye to Madam Xia, then pretended to be anxious. “Xixi, you don’t know how to play the piano, so don’t create more trouble here! Hurry and let Yaoyao instruct Ms. Xia a little.”
Don’t know how to play the piano?
Madam Xia frowned. She had an extremely displeased expression.
Xue Yanmei even berated loudly, “What is wrong with you, Xue Xi? Don’t come and give the wrong instructions when you don’t know anything! Or are you jealous that other people can play the piano and so you purposely came to make trouble? How can you be so black-hearted?”
Ye Li rushed over and blocked Xue Xi from sight. She then asked, “Xixi, do you really know how to play the piano?”
The girl nodded, then slowly answered, “A little.”
Madam Xia’s face turned even darker at this reply.
Despite laughing inside, Xue Yao still put on an expression as though she was about to cry. “Sister, you cannot teach Ms. Xia in any way you want…”
Xia Yiyi had a totally confused look.
There were too many people speaking and they were speaking too quickly. She did not have enough time to look at all of them, and hence, she did not know what was going on.
At this moment, Xue Xi turned to look at her and asked in sign language, “Do you trust me?”
Both of them looked into each other’s eyes.
Half a beat later, Little Mute nodded resolutely.
Xue Xi then continued saying in sign language, “Look closely. I’ll play it only once.”
Little Mute nodded.
Xue Xi stepped up and placed her fingers on the piano keys.
In the next moment, music flowed out.
It was only one line and it was not quick. Those who did not know the piano would find it only average…
“What nonsense!”
Old Lady Xue chided. “Do you think you know how to play the piano just because you can press a few keys? Yaoyao is a certified Grade 10 pianist! You have never even taken any grade examinations, so what nonsense are you teaching here?”
At this moment—
Pak, pak, pak! An applause sounded. Everyone quickly turned their heads around and spotted Zhou Zhou. No one knew when he had arrived, but he was currently clapping. “The edit for this section is pretty good.”
As he was standing behind the crowd, his view was limited. Hence, he did not see who it was standing inside.
Now that everyone had made way, he could finally catch sight of the girl standing beside the piano.
He was totally dumbstruck.
The hell?! Isn’t this… Sister Xi?!?!