Jiang Xun looked at her, at the clear, cold eyes that for the first time shed their frost, and the almost fervent adoration that colored them, then lazily withdrew his hand.
He hadn't had time to answer.
Under the shade of a tree, just a wall away, Qin Lan clung desperately to the window ledge, her knuckles white from gripping too hard.
Her mind was a blank.
The divine piano music, like an oracle, still echoed in her ears, making her heart pound wildly even now.
But what frightened her even more than the music was Wen Wan's expression at that moment.
That wasn't mere appreciation.
Nor was it the mutual respect of worthy adversaries.
It was the gaze of a devotee looking up at a deity—pious, humble, filled with a fervent desire to sacrifice everything.
Qin Lan's alarm bells instantly went off.
She wasn't afraid of a flamboyant vixen like Su Qingyu, nor was she intimidated by a female CEO like Mu Qingxue who threw money around.
Those, she could contend with and compete against in her own way.
But this Wen Wan… the weapon she wielded was a realm Qin Lan had never ventured into and couldn't comprehend.
It was art.
It was the soul.
Damn it! How was she supposed to fight against this?
Qin Lan felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and crisis engulf her like a tide.
She clenched her fists, possessiveness and frustration clashing wildly in her chest.
This man… she had just begun to find some 'taming' pleasure in him, and in a blink of an eye, a formidable rival she couldn't even touch appeared?!
No.
Absolutely not!
Qin Lan gritted her teeth, turned, and left.
She had to do something… Tianqi Financial, top floor CEO's office.
Mu Qingxue had just finished a transnational video conference, picked up her coffee, and was about to rub her throbbing temples.
Her phone screen lit up, showing "Mom" as the caller ID.
She answered the call, her voice returning to its usual steady tone.
"Mom, I just finished a meeting."
"Qingxue!"
On the other end of the line, Wen Lan's voice was filled with an unprecedented urgency, even a hint of panic.
"Something's happened!"
Mu Qingxue's heart sank sharply.
"What is it?"
"It's Jiang Xun!" Wen Lan's voice was very low, but her words were extremely fast, "He… he went to Jinling University's School of Music this afternoon!"
Mu Qingxue's brows furrowed slightly.
Went to the School of Music? What's the big deal about that?
"And then?"
"Then he went up against that woman, Wen Wan!" Wen Lan's voice had a resentful, gritting-teeth quality to it, "That Wen Wan, who's known as the 'Number One Talent of Jinling' and is so aloof she looks down on everyone!"
Wen Wan?
Mu Qingxue certainly knew that name.
A famous high-flying beauty in Jinling's upper circles, countless wealthy young ladies wanted to learn qin from her, but she rejected them all with a dismissive, "Common people don't understand elegant music."
How could Jiang Xun get involved with her?
"Mom, please speak slowly." Mu Qingxue forced herself to calm down.
"Slow? What slow?!" Wen Lan's voice almost pierced the receiver, "Now the entire Jinling University is going wild with rumors! They say Jiang Xun, after hearing it just once, played Wen Wan's guqin piece on the piano, and his artistic conception was ten times higher than hers! Later, he even played a divine piece no one had ever heard before, completely stunning the entire School of Music!"
"Finally, that haughty Wen Wan, in front of everyone, like a little maidservant, respectfully invited Jiang Xun to her Elegant Sound Pavilion for tea!"
"Qingxue! Do you understand what this means?!"
Every word from Wen Lan was like a heavy hammer, striking Mu Qingxue's heart.
Of course she understood.
Her proud wealth, her meticulously built business empire, seemed so pale and powerless in the face of such ethereal things as "art" and "soul resonance."
What Wen Wan could give Jiang Xun, she could not.
This was a dimensionality reduction strike.
Mu Qingxue felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet, instantly spreading through her limbs.
Her hand, holding the phone, trembled slightly.
On the other end of the line, Wen Lan's voice became incredibly serious and grave.
"Qingxue, listen."
"Your 'Main Wife Protection Period', chosen by the 'Husband's Association', only has seven days left."
"After seven days, Jiang Xun can make a second choice."
"You must use every possible method within these seven days to make him realize who his true wife is! Who is the mistress of this home!"
"Otherwise, once he's captivated by a woman like Wen Wan, your future status will be difficult!"
Beep.
The call was disconnected.
A dead silence filled the office.
Mu Qingxue stood quietly by the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling city below.
The color drained from her face, then slowly, it was replaced by a resolute determination.
Lose?
In Mu Qingxue's lexicon of life, that word had never existed.
She treated her life as a KPI assessment, achieving optimal results in every aspect.
Marriage was the most important project of her life.
Jiang Xun was the sole core of this project.
Now, an unexpectedly powerful competitor had emerged for the project.
Therefore, what she needed to do was not retreat, but adjust her strategy, invest more resources, and use more extreme methods to consolidate her core competitiveness.
She slowly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
When she opened them again, there was no trace of hesitation or uncertainty in her beautiful eyes, only the desperate resolve of burning her bridges.
She picked up the internal phone, her voice cold and clear.
"Prepare the car, return to Cloud Top Heavenly Palace."
...Night fell.
When Jiang Xun returned to the villa, he was greeted not by Wen Lan's overly enthusiastic tonic soup, but by a silent room.
He changed his shoes, somewhat surprised to find only Mu Qingxue in the spacious living room.
She seemed to have just bathed, wearing a loose silk robe; the dark green silk made her skin appear as white as snow, emanating a soft glow.
Her damp long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, water droplets falling from the ends, wetting a small patch of fabric below her collarbone, revealing a hint of hazy allure.
She wore no makeup; her plain face, stripped of the usual sharp and assertive demeanor of a CEO, showed a touch of domestic gentleness and compliance.
Seeing Jiang Xun, she immediately stood up from the sofa and quickly walked towards him.
"Sir, you're back."
Her voice was very soft, carrying a trace of imperceptible nervousness.
Jiang Xun nodded, casually tossing his jacket onto the sofa, and lazily sat down.
"Where's your mother?"
"I asked her to go back first," Mu Qingxue replied, her hands nervously clasped in front of her.
Jiang Xun glanced at her, not asking further.
He leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes, still savoring the impromptu performance from the afternoon.
The [Piano Mastery] skill was even more useful than he had imagined.
It wasn't just about perfect technique, but also emotional resonance.
He could feel that Wen Wan, that woman, had her emotional defenses completely broken by him.
This feeling of utterly crushing an arrogant woman with absolute strength was indeed… quite interesting.
Just as his thoughts wandered, Mu Qingxue walked up to him.
She didn't speak, just stood quietly, then slowly, deeply, bent at the waist.
A perfect ninety-degree bow.
Jiang Xun opened his eyes, looking at her dark hair, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What are you up to now?"
Mu Qingxue straightened up, lifting her head, her beautiful eyes startlingly bright under the crystal lamp.
In her gaze, there was something Jiang Xun had never seen before.
It wasn't mere obedience or flattery.
Rather, it was a kind of… madness and devotion, as if she had staked everything on the gambling table.
She held a tablet computer with both hands, presenting it to Jiang Xun.
The screen was on, displaying a beautifully designed menu interface.
But the content on the menu was not dishes.
Instead, it was a series of anime characters in various uniforms and poses.
There was a gentle wife in an apron.
There was a strict female teacher with gold-rimmed glasses.
There was a cool female agent in a tight leather suit.
And… a sexy female doctor in a white lab coat.
The face of every anime character had been Photoshopped to look like Mu Qingxue.
Jiang Xun's gaze swept over the images one by one, finally resting on Mu Qingxue's face, which was slightly flushed with nervousness.
Mu Qingxue met his gaze, mustering all her courage, her voice still trembling, but every word was crystal clear.
"Sir."
"To consolidate my core competitiveness as your wife."
She lowered her head deeply again, pushing the tablet further forward, her tone carrying a hint of desperate humility.
"Tonight… you must 'order a dish'."