In the end, Lu Yu steeled himself and pushed open the door to the music room.

Finding the piano room was easy—even though the butler had vanished with his schoolbag, all he needed to do was follow the sound.  
The heavy wooden door and sound-absorbing foam muffled most of the noise, but the moment Lu Yu opened it, the lingering resonance of piano notes drifted into his ears.

A woman dressed in an elegant gown sat on a black piano bench.  
The grand piano—an imposing black triangle—was the room’s sole furnishing.

Its polished surface gleamed immaculately. The lid was propped open, and several sheets of A4 paper rested quietly on the music stand, trembling faintly with each rich, haunting note.

Lu Yu’s palms were slick with sweat, but he kept his composure, walking calmly to stand beside the woman.

“Ms. Gao,” he said softly, using Lin Beixing’s voice.

He’d overheard the name from the butler just moments ago—Lu Yu always had a good memory.

The woman’s fingers danced rapidly across the black and white keys. With every keystroke, a graceful melody fluttered around them.

Music was magic.  
Unfortunately, Lu Yu had none of it.

He had neither talent nor training in piano—never even touched one before.

Right now, he wasn’t praying for miracles. All he could think about was how to get through this woman’s lesson without exposing himself.

The final chord rang out. The woman closed her eyes, immersed in the fading echoes. Her chestnut curls tumbled over her arms, and the gold jewelry at her neck and wrists glittered under the light.

Judging by her refined, almost theatrical outfit, she’d clearly dressed up specially for teaching.  
Lu Yu wouldn’t comment on whether it looked good, but it certainly added to his mounting pressure.

*Does she teach etiquette on top of piano?*  
His head started aching.

“Sit,” she said, rising gracefully from the bench, smoothing her fitted black skirt, and gesturing toward him.

Lu Yu imitated her elegance—placing one hand lightly on the back of his skirt—as he eased himself onto the piano bench.

“Your hair’s a bit messy. Fix it,” she said airily.

Lu Yu nodded quickly. “Oh, okay.”

“Just ‘Mm’ is enough. I’ve taught you not to repeat answers unnecessarily.”

“…Mm.”

Outwardly calm as a still pond, inside, Lu Yu felt like ten thousand horses were thundering through his mind.

*Women are so complicated.*

Slowly, he undid the hair tie, recalling how girls in PE class tied their ponytails. He looped the band around twice behind his head.  
He’d never done this before—Lin Beixing hadn’t shown him how—so he just fumbled through it by instinct.

Once his messy ponytail was (somewhat) secured, he cautiously glanced at the woman’s reaction.

Luckily, her attention wasn’t on his hair. Her gaze had drifted downward, scrutinizing Lin Beixing’s outfit.

“Don’t wear short skirts to school anymore. Don’t you have uniforms?”

“…The uniform pants are too hot in this weather,” Lu Yu replied evenly, taking a steadying breath. Then he added carefully, “Besides… Mom said it was fine.”

He figured: this piano teacher, Ms. Gao, was hired by Lin Beixing’s mother. If he invoked “Mom’s permission,” she’d probably drop the topic.

And just as expected—though her expression flickered with momentary surprise—she let it go.

She turned her attention back to the piano, extending a slender finger toward it.

“Begin.”

Lu Yu straightened his spine and looked down.

Past the slight curve of his—*her*—chest, he stared at the black-and-white keys before him. He inhaled deeply and touched his fingertips to the cool surface.

The keys felt shockingly cold—far colder than Lin Beixing’s body temperature.

*“Dong—”*

He gently pressed a key with his index finger. A clear, resonant note filled the room.

“Look at the sheet music,” the woman said coolly, a trace of confusion in her eyes.

She’d corrected Lin Beixing countless times: eyes on the score, not the keys.  
Yet today, “Lin Beixing” wasn’t just distracted—her finger placement and technique were a complete mess.

Slowly, the usually obedient “Lin Beixing” lifted her head and withdrew both hands from the keyboard.

“Ms. Gao…”

“Speak.”

“I’m not feeling well.”

Lu Yu softened his tone and lowered his eyes gently.  
His face was pale, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead—genuinely resembling someone unwell.

In truth, it was pure nerves—but combined with Lin Beixing’s frail constitution, the effect was startlingly convincing, even to himself.

“What’s wrong?” the woman asked, frowning as she studied the girl before her.

“…It’s that time of the month,” “Lin Beixing” whispered, clutching her lower abdomen.

“You’re wearing a skirt to school during your period?!” the woman scolded.

“I… I didn’t realize until lunchtime, and there’s no spare pants at school,” Lu Yu murmured, head bowed. His delicate frame trembled slightly on the soft bench.

The piano teacher was now thoroughly alarmed.

She knew the Lin family’s young miss was physically delicate—and that her menstrual cramps were often severe.

Moreover, Lin Beixing had never been the type to lie. That much was certain.

After a brief internal debate, the woman decided: forcing her to practice now might make her collapse right here in the music room—and that would be disastrous.

Her voice softened.  
“If it’s the first day of your period… I understand.”

“Rest well today. We’ll intensify your practice tomorrow. Your parents assigned us this task—both you and I are responsible. I hope you understand.”

*No, I don’t,* Lu Yu thought.  
But he allowed the faintest hint of a triumphant smile to flicker across his lips—gone in an instant, replaced by a pained, pitiful expression.

He bit his tender red lip and nodded gently.  
“I know… I’m sorry, Ms. Gao.”

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Take the sheet music back to your study. The butler mentioned your schoolbag was unusually heavy—must be a lot of homework. Hurry along.”

Lu Yu stood up abruptly—then immediately realized he’d moved too quickly. He quickly hunched over, clutching his stomach, and whispered weakly,  
“Then… I’ll head back to the study now, Ms. Gao…”

“Ah…” The woman sighed, watching the frail girl before her. “Let me walk you. I’ll also ask the butler to brew you some ginger brown sugar water.”

She rose and looped her arm through Lu Yu’s.

Lu Yu leaned into her support, walking slowly. He gave a polite, apologetic nod.  
“Thank you so much, Ms. Gao…”

*Perfect. Nice!*  
He’d been worrying how he’d find his way back anyway.