Special Agent’s Rebirth: The Almighty Goddess of Quick Transmigration - Chapter 343

The one who provokes first is the one at fault.

Ye Ruxue had been overly confident, repeatedly provoking Ye Shaohua. Now, she was completely dumbfounded.

How could this be? Could her memory be wrong? Ye Shaohua hadn’t touched a piano for eleven years!

Who could possibly play so flawlessly after an eleven-year hiatus?!

This was utterly, incredibly unscientific!

Xu Peipei, Ye Ming, and the others were also stunned. They had braced themselves for the scornful looks from others, but unexpectedly, they witnessed a different side of Ye Shaohua.

Ye Shaohua was vastly different from what they had imagined.

Standing to the side, Grandpa Ye watched with peculiar interest as Ye Shaohua started chatting with the man they called Uncle Li. The two were discussing professional topics, leaving others unable to interject.

“You must have studied piano for many years. This child, she has perseverance,” Uncle Li said, looking at Ye Shaohua in surprise before lavishing praise on Ye Ming. “These days, there aren’t many young people who are both talented and hardworking.”

Ye Shaohua smiled slightly, pursing her lips. “Just two or three years, really.”

Uncle Li: “…”

He never expected that he, a nationally renowned, top-tier pianist, would have his own words come back to bite him one day.

If anyone else had said that, Uncle Li wouldn’t have believed it. But it was Ye Shaohua speaking. Moreover, Uncle Li had noticed: Ye Shaohua’s hands were fair and delicate. Dedicated, hard-practicing pianists of a certain level usually develop thin calluses on their fingertips. The skin there becomes slightly thicker than elsewhere—it doesn’t ruin the overall aesthetics of the hand, but it’s noticeable.

Yet, Ye Shaohua had none.

The guests were all perceptive people. Today, they had come entirely for Old Master Ye. They could naturally see whom the old master favored more.

For the first time, in a setting with Ye Shaohua present, Ye Ruxue was thoroughly ignored.

Grandpa Ye stared at Ye Shaohua, the cup of white liquor in his hand nearly slipping. Ye Shaohua’s eyes narrowed, and she instinctively reached out, steadily catching the cup before it fell.

After catching it, she froze for a moment.

“Shaohua, your movements were so sharp. Have you had some training?” Several military personnel were present; their training in the army was rigorous and practical. Seeing Ye Shaohua’s swift reaction, they were surprised. Such quick reflexes and agile movement were rare even among those in the military.

Mr. Yun also looked at Ye Shaohua with astonishment.

Ye Shaohua responded calmly, “Just luck. I’m not usually like this.”

After the grand and lively eightieth birthday banquet, the guests who needed to leave had departed.

Mr. Yun had a few matters to discuss privately with Grandpa Ye and followed him upstairs.

Before they went up, Ye Rui and Ye Ruxue presented their prepared gifts to Grandpa Ye.

Remembering what she had bought for her grandfather, Ye Shaohua immediately dashed back to her room with a series of quick footsteps. She returned and placed a rather rustic-looking celadon teacup on the table with a soft thud.

“Grandpa, I bought this for you to drink tea with,” Ye Shaohua said, adding, “A gift.”

The brows of Ye Rui and Ye Ming, standing nearby, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.

Compared to the gifts from Ye Rui and Ye Ruxue, Ye Shaohua’s seemed utterly shabby. Ye Rui had gifted a set of fine calligraphy tools. Ye Ruxue had been even more thoughtful; knowing Grandpa Ye loved tea, she had specially commissioned an expensive set of porcelain from a contemporary master artist.

Seeing Ye Shaohua’s gift, Ye Ruxue’s consistently gloomy expression finally improved slightly. “Grandpa, I used my own prize money to buy this for you,” she said. Ye Ruxue’s allowance had always been generous, and over the years, her piano competition winnings and scholarships totaled around a hundred thousand. This gift was meticulously chosen.

However, compared to her expensive porcelain set, Grandpa Ye clearly preferred the single, worn-looking teacup from Ye Shaohua.

“Butler, put this away carefully. I’ll use this cup for tea from now on,” Grandpa Ye instructed, handing the cup to the butler. He added emphatically, “Make sure you don’t break it.”

This remark darkened Ye Ruxue’s gaze once more. He’d rather favor a broken cup, probably fished out from some trash heap by Ye Shaohua!

Grandpa Ye, looking pleased, headed to the study with Mr. Yun.

Mr. Yun watched thoughtfully as the butler carried away the “broken” cup.

Downstairs, Xu Peipei, as the lady of the house, was chatting with Mrs. Yun.

“Madam, the tonic is ready,” a servant announced, bringing over two bowls of soup.

Xu Peipei immediately stood up and personally handed one bowl to Ye Shaohua. “Shaohua, drink your tonic quickly,” she said, then turned a kindly smile toward Mrs. Yun. “I’ve always treated Shaohua like my own. This is a special medicinal soup I had a doctor prepare for girls. It’s good for their health. Both Shaohua and Ruxue have a portion.”

Ye Shaohua looked at the bowl of medicine.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

This was the medicine the original host had been forced to drink continuously since childhood.

She had wondered before: why did the original host suddenly start gaining weight from the age of eight, becoming unbearably obese? Memories showed that the original host, mocked for being fat, had tried hard to lose weight but never succeeded.

Thinking of this, Ye Shaohua took the bowl but didn’t drink. She merely brought it to her lips and sniffed.

Her expression instantly turned cold.

“When did you learn to play the piano?” Ye Ruxue asked, deigning to speak to Ye Shaohua for the first time. She had set her own bowl down on the table.

Ye Shaohua also set her bowl down momentarily, then picked it up again.

Hearing the question, she glanced indifferently at Ye Ruxue. “I didn’t practice. It’s innate.”

After speaking, she ignored Ye Ruxue again. She merely frowned. “I won’t drink the soup. I’m on a diet.”

“How can you not drink it?” Xu Peipei immediately protested. Perhaps realizing her tone was too intense, she softened her voice. “Shaohua, dear, this soup doesn’t have any oil or anything fattening. It just regulates your menstrual cycle. It won’t make you gain weight.”

“Oh,” Ye Shaohua said, as if suddenly understanding. Then she drank it all down.

Watching Ye Shaohua finish the medicine, Xu Peipei finally let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, seeing that Ye Shaohua was ignoring her, Ye Ruxue, fuming, also downed her soup in one gulp and stormed off to her room upstairs.

Mrs. Yun found the whole family dynamic somewhat strange.

After Mr. Yun finished his conversation with the old master, the couple was seen off by Ye Ming.

Watching Ye Shaohua’s retreating figure, Mr. Yun suddenly remarked, “That girl is quite interesting.”

Hearing Mr. Yun actually praise Ye Shaohua, Mrs. Yun was puzzled. “Weren’t you somewhat reluctant when we came? What’s so interesting about her?” Why did he now seem to be complimenting her?

“Just that move catching the old master’s wine cup earlier—I couldn’t have done it myself,” Mr. Yun said, narrowing his eyes. “Also, did you recognize that teacup Shaohua gave the old master?”