It was another concert that was as successful as expected. Ain returned to the lounge in a high mood. She originally wanted to ignore the applause for her, but when she looked up, she saw Ling Shiliu glaring at her with a hint of blame.
"Taking a curtain call is basic courtesy." Ling Shiliu urged him expressionlessly when he saw Ain grumbling about her tiredness and throwing a tantrum as she clung to the leather chair in the lounge.
"But I don't have much stamina left!”He tried to move her with emotion.
"I have to finish the last three encore songs before I can rest.”He ordered her mercilessly. At this moment, he was more like Ain's manager than Michelle.
"But…"
"If you go on stage obediently, I'll ask the old master to give me a day off and bring you to the place you want to play.”His tone changed, hard yet gentle.
The best way to deal with children was to give them candy to coax them. At least, this method had been tried and tested on Ain.
"Really? You can't go back on your word!" Ain's drooping shoulders immediately straightened, and her eyes shone brightly.
"Yes."
Ling Shiliu's poker face was replaced by a faint smile.
At the age of sixteen, he should still be a child who loved to play, but he always limited Ain to the world of the violin. It was no wonder that he liked to throw tantrums.
Ling Shiliu knew that he had Ain's complete trust, so he knew how to persuade him.
"That's awesome!"
As expected, Ain not only obediently and happily accepted the bait, but also bounced back to the stage with her violin.
He had no choice. He was afraid that Liu would be angry. Moreover, Liu was a workaholic and it was rare for her to take him out to play. He had to seize this opportunity no matter what.
It could be said that it was all thanks to Ling Shiliu that the audience who were listening to this concert were lucky enough to get three encore songs that they deserved, and they also earned two additional songs that were temporarily attached because of Ayn's whim.
Every night after a concert, Ain would return to her hotel or residence and lie down on her bed, exhausted. Naturally, today was no exception.
"Ain, if you want to sleep, you have to get up and change into your pajamas first.”Shaking Ai Yin, who had buried her face in the soft blanket, she spoke in a cold tone without the courtesy she usually had.
This was the agreement between Ain and Ling Shiliu. As long as the two of them were alone, they were not allowed to address him as Young Master.
In fact, Ain's original request was for Ling Shiliu to call him by his name, both internally and externally. However, Ling Shiliu, who knew his own identity, insisted that he should at least use honorifics when there were other people around. Ain, who was unable to persuade him, had no choice but to accept this decision after throwing a tantrum for many days.
" Hmm…Help me change…" Ain moved a little, but she still lazily lay on the bed.
"Ai Yin!"
"Alright…"
Hearing the hint of anger in his tone, Ain obediently got up and changed into her silk nightgown under his supervision.
Ling Shiliu smoothed out the tuxedo that Ain had crumpled into a ball in a fit of pique. He then turned around and took the suit out of the bedroom with the plastic jacket on it. He hung it on the hanger in the mini reception room that was connected to the bedroom, ready to hand it over to the servant.
"It's flow!"
A few seconds after his back disappeared from the bedroom door, Ain's uneasy voice was heard.
"What's wrong?"
Hurriedly returning to his room, he found that Ain had already run to the door barefooted.
"I thought…you had already returned to your room.”
A shy voice escaped from Ayin's mouth. Ling Shiliu bent down slightly to hear the words clearly.
"I'll accompany you until you fall asleep, okay?”
Sighing dotingly, he accompanied Ain back to bed.
"Yes!" After receiving the promise, Ain lay down on the bed with relief.
Although it was not every day, Ain would often pester Ling Shiliu, who still had work to do, to accompany him until he fell asleep. Ling Shiliu also thought that this was one of Ain's ways of acting coquettishly. He always sat by the bed without saying much until he heard his steady breathing.
"It's a flow."
"Why, aren't you sleeping yet?"
"No! I just wanted to ask you, did you enjoy today's concert?”He looked up and saw the usual seriousness in Ling Shiliu's eyes.
"Of course, it has your flavor." He nodded lightly and gave an affirmative smile.
"That's great." This answer made Ain smile happily.
"What about you? Are you satisfied with your performance today?"
"If Liu likes it, of course I like it too!”he answered matter-of-factly.
"Ain, that's not what I meant.”Ling Shiliu didn't know how to express his intentions to him, so he could only sigh deeply.
"What's wrong? It's a flow." His unexpected sigh made Ain nervous and she even jumped up from the bed.
"It's nothing. Go to sleep!" Ling Shiliu gently pushed Ain back onto the bed and covered her with the blanket. He shook his head with a bitter smile.
How should she explain it to Ain? He hoped that Ain would love his violin from the bottom of her heart and not get affirmation from him every time.
However, he also knew that it was an extremely difficult task.
When he first entered the Randall family, the eight-year-old Ain was like a doll who lacked emotions. She practiced the violin every day. Her beautiful face only had empty eyes and illusory expressions. The only thing she had was her outstanding playing skills. Under the ambition and greed of the people around her, other than the violin, piano, and music theory instructors, all she faced was an empty music room.
The first impression Ain gave him was that she was a doll with a beautiful appearance but nothing inside.
She was just an eight-year-old child, and because she was born with talent that surpassed mortals, Ain's childhood was taken away by the people around her.
Too sad, too pitiful! The glorious title of " Violin Prodigy " took away the happiness he should have had. This made Ling, who was only a junior high school student at that time, decide to get along well with Ain and even become someone he was willing to trust.
For a very long time, Ayn treated him with the same hostility as she treated everyone else. Ain could not be blamed for this, because before this, everyone who approached him had ulterior motives.
However, patience was Ling Shiliu's greatest strength. No matter how Ain rejected or hated his friendliness, he never thought of giving up. After his continuous efforts, he finally obtained the trust and dependence he wanted.
However, he did not expect things to turn out this way. He wanted to be one of the people Ain trusted and relied on, not the only one. Perhaps it was because Ain's parents died too early and did not leave any siblings to accompany him, so he became the only person close to Ain.
Ain trusted him more than she trusted her only family in the world, her grandfather. As long as he said it, he would take it all. Ling Shiliu was also an only child, so when Ain trusted him as an older brother, he also treated him as an adorable younger brother.
Gazing at the slender figure lying on the large bed, which looked even fairer and weaker under the moonlight, he couldn't help but reach out his hand lovingly to brush away a lock of bangs that hung over Ain's eyes.
That sleeping face with a smile was so pitiful. With a doting smile, Ling Shiliu left the room, but he did not realize that the feelings in his eyes were no longer the brotherhood he had thought of, but a deeper and stronger feeling that he did not dare to admit.
"Master, you were looking for me?"
Ling Shiliu walked into the study room next to the master bedroom and looked at Marquis Randall, who was sitting in front of his desk.
Although they were called marquises, the title of nobility had long since become useless at the beginning of the century. However, they had inherited a lot of ancestral property. In addition, the Randall family had many connections in the political, economic, and artistic worlds, so they were never worried about financial poverty.
"It's Liu. Sit down!" Marquis Randall pointed at the leather sofa seats on the side.
"Thank you."
Ling Shiliu sat down on the leather chair without hesitation.
Even though this old duke had a strict expression, he was extremely friendly to the people who worked for him, especially senior employees like Ling Shiliu.
"May I know why you're looking for me?" he asked after sitting down.
"Yes, there's something I might need your help with.”Marquis Randall twirled his neatly trimmed white beard, his expression uncharacteristically impatient.
"Yes…"
"Do you know how old Ain is this year?”
"Sixteen?" He didn't know why the marquis was asking.
"That's right, he's only sixteen years old."
It seemed like Marquis Randall wasn't asking because he had forgotten something, as could be seen from his troubled expression.
Ain was his only relative in this world and his most beloved grandson. There was no reason for him to forget how old he was.
He sighed and continued to mutter to himself,""It's really a little early, but…"
"Master?" Ling Shiliu couldn't guess why he called him over when he saw him talking to himself.
"Do you remember Felita Tant Kasley?”
Marquis Randall, who had been in a state of deep thought, suddenly turned around as if he had woken up after hearing his shout. Then, he suddenly changed the topic to something completely unrelated.
"Miss Felita? Of course, she remembered. She was the daughter of the biggest sponsor of Young Master Ain's concert in Germany last month.”
"Yes, the Cassley family is also the leader of all musical instrument dealers.”
"Yes." Ling Shiliu was still confused.
He had no idea why Marquis Randall had suddenly changed the topic to this, much less why he had asked him to talk about these seemingly unrelated questions.
"Did I mention Miss Felita?”
Ling Shiliu nodded.
"She's only one year older than Ain.”
So? Ling Shiliu was even more confused.
"A few days ago, Mr. Kasley mentioned to me that Miss Felita seemed to have a good impression of Ain.”
"Eh?"
"It should be after that concert!”Marquis Randall stood up and walked to the window to look out." I heard that Miss Felita has mentioned to him many times that she always hoped to have the opportunity to meet Ain again, and Mr. Cassley thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to get to know each other first.”
"This is…"
"In other words, he thinks that if he can matchmake Ain and his daughter, it won't be a bad thing for the Randall and Kasley families.”
Ling Shiliu instantly understood everything.
He finally understood why Marquis Randall had been beating around the bush. The Randall family had a good reputation as hereditary violinists, while Cassley had a business as a musical instrument dealer. If the two families could marry for some reason, it would definitely be beneficial to both their careers.
The best way to form an alliance between the two families was through the medium of " marriage." Coupled with the fact that the daughter of the Cassley family had a rather good impression of the young master of the Randall family, this method naturally became the best choice for both parties.
That's right, if it was for Ain's sake, this was the ideal future.
"But…"
Suddenly, Ling Shiliu felt his chest tighten and he was unable to react.
"Don't you think it's too early to talk about this?”Marquis Randall turned around because he didn't hear any reply from Ling Shiliu.
" I..." Although he seemed to hesitate to speak due to his status, Ling Shiliu was actually shocked to realize that he was too shocked to speak.
"It's okay. I want to hear your thoughts.”He believed that it was most important to accept suggestions, not to mention that he was the closest person to his grandson.
Ling Shiliu was stunned." After all, Young Master Ain is only sixteen…"
"Yeah, I think so too." Sighing silently, Marquis Randall tugged at his shirt." Besides, you know Ain's personality. He hates it when others secretly arrange things for him, don't you?”
"This…"
He interrupted him and continued," That's why I hope you can help. If Mr. Kasley really brings Miss Felita to see Ain one day, please persuade him to at least treat her with courtesy and not offend others, especially in public. After all, Ain listens to you the most.”
"Master-"
"I can only leave this matter to you, because if I were to say this, Ain would definitely not take a single word to heart.”He sighed and walked to Ling Shiliu's side, pressing his right shoulder." Let's not talk about how much trouble I've caused you before. I'm really sorry to have to trouble you with this matter, but you're the only person I can entrust to."”
As long as it was a problem related to Ai Yin, everyone in the residence knew that as long as Ling Shiliu was asked to handle it, it would definitely be resolved safely.
"I understand." He nodded stiffly, then excused himself with the excuse of work. Then, with Marquis Randall's gratified nod, he turned around and left the study.
The sound of the violin came from the music room like flowing water. Ling Shiliu, who had left the study, walked quickly to the practice room where Ain was still waiting for him.
Miss Felita Tant Kasley... In his impression, she was an elegant young lady. Although she was a little arrogant, she was not overly arrogant. Her arrogance could only be said to be the willful temperament that rich children were born with!
Her appearance was perfect on the inside, and her family background was impeccable. In addition, it would only be beneficial if the Kasley and Randall families could marry. This marriage was flawless.
To Ain, this was indeed a marriage that she could not find fault with, except that the two parties involved were a little too young.
"It's flow!"
When Ling Shiliu stepped into the practice room, Ain had just finished the first half of her piano practice. When she saw him, she immediately followed him like a little rabbit.
He's just a child!
Ling Shiliu was deeply moved by the sight of Ai Yin drowning in him.
"Why is Grandpa looking for you?"
"It's nothing. It's just routine.”He did not want to disturb Ain's mood before the other party officially came to visit.
"Oh, I was worried that something had happened! Wasn't the routine report usually only once a month? I was wondering what happened to Grandpa.”
"Is that why the zither music was so messy just now?”
"You can tell?"
"Of course! How long do you think I've been by your side? How many years do you think I've listened to your performance?”He reached out and stroked Ain's head, like an elder brother who doted on his younger brother.
"As expected of Liu!" As she spoke, Ain suddenly rushed forward and hugged him.
"Ai Yin!"
Startled, Ling Shiliu took a step back, causing Ain, who could not keep up with him, to miss.
"What does it matter? There are only the two of us here.”Dissatisfied with his look of wanting to escape, Ain raised her head and pouted awkwardly.
The instructor only came once a week, and the rest of the time, Ain supervised herself. The teacher who came every Wednesday was not there to teach Ain violin or piano, but to impart some music theory knowledge. In terms of playing the instrument, Ain had already surpassed all the professors who had taught him five years ago.
" You…" Ling Shiliu, who didn't know what to say, sighed deeply. He spread his hands and helplessly let the angry Ain step forward and hug him again.
A warm breath blew against the artery under his ear.
Perhaps it was because she lacked the touch of her parents since she was young, but Ain seemed to have an extraordinary desire for hugging. Whenever she got the chance, she would try to drown herself in Ling Shiliu, like a child who craved for love. However, the strange thing was that Ayn only liked to lean on him. She never showed such intimacy to her grandfather. Perhaps it was because he was the person he trusted the most!
At such a young age, his future was already controlled by someone. He couldn't help but caress his soft black hair tenderly.
"Why? Do you have something on your mind?" Ain suddenly raised her eyes and asked.
Ling Shiliu, who did not show his thoughts, could not help but smile bitterly. He did not know whether it was because he was too obvious or because Ain had complete control over his emotions.
"It's nothing. You should go practice.”Sometimes, Ain was unexpectedly sensitive.
"Then you have to stay by my side. Otherwise, I'll let my imagination run wild again.”With her tongue sticking out mischievously, Ain dragged him into the practice room.
"Yes, I understand, Young Master Ain.”Knowing that Ain hated him calling him that, he deliberately strengthened his tone.
The word "Young Master" was uttered, and as he wished, he saw an unhappy expression on Ain's face.
Ain, who had once said in all seriousness that " I can only be at ease and focus on playing the violin when you are by my side," seemed to be carrying out her words. As long as Ling Shiliu left his side, his emotions were as unstable as an electronic instrument that was disturbed by electric waves.
Therefore, in order to increase Ayin's efficiency, Ling Shiliu stayed by his side almost every time he practiced.#
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。