Chapter 20: You wrote a piece of music for him?

On Saturday morning, Lin Mo received a text from Su Ran:

‘3:00 PM at the school piano room. My mother wants to see you.’

‘Don’t wear your school uniform. She hates the student look.’

Lin Mo glanced at his wardrobe and finally chose a white shirt and black casual pants.

Simple and clean, without being too casual.

Before heading out, he straightened his collar in front of the mirror, recalling the scene when he had met Su Ran’s mother in his past life.

It was during the summer break of his junior year of college, and he had been a volunteer at a commercial event.

Su Ran had appeared as a special guest performer, and her mother sat in the first row.

After the performance, Lin Mo was responsible for guiding the guests out and accidentally blocked the mother’s path.

“Move,” Su Qingwan had said, only those two words.

Her voice was as cold as ice, and her gaze swept over him as if he were an obstructive piece of furniture.

He hadn’t known she was Su Ran’s mother back then; he only felt that the woman’s aura was terrifyingly powerful.

It wasn’t until he saw her interview in the news later that he connected the name.

Less than one month after that event, Su Ran was arranged to go abroad for further studies.

In his past life, he thought it was her own choice. Thinking about it now, it was likely her mother’s intention.

At 2:50 PM, Lin Mo arrived at the music building ahead of time.

The piano room was at the very end of the second floor, and the door was closed.

Standing outside, he could hear the sound of a piano coming from within. It wasn’t Su Ran’s way of playing.

It was sharper, more precise.

Every note was like something carved by a knife.

It was Su Qingwan.

Lin Mo suddenly felt a bit nervous. He took a deep breath and knocked.

The piano music stopped abruptly, as if the entire world had frozen along with it.

A moment later, the door was pulled open.

Su Ran stood at the entrance. Her expression brightened slightly when she saw Lin Mo, but her brow furrowed into a look of worry almost immediately.

She was wearing a water-blue dress today, which accentuated her slender and graceful figure. Her hair was woven into intricate braids, and she wore light makeup. She looked like an incredibly delicate doll, yet she also seemed colder because she lacked any expression.

Lin Mo couldn’t help but stare for an extra heartbeat. He whispered quickly, “You look beautiful today.”

“Come in.”

Su Ran responded and turned around, her face as stiff as if she suffered from facial paralysis.

Inside the piano room, an elegant, beautiful woman sat on the piano bench.

She looked to be in her early 30s, but she was likely around 45 years old, well-maintained.

She wore a champagne-colored suit and sat perfectly upright with her hands on her knees. Every detail of her presence was as perfect as a high-definition photo from a fashion magazine.

Her face shared seventy percent of Su Ran’s features, but the lines were harder and her eyes were colder.

Seeing Lin Mo, she didn’t stand up; she only gave a slight nod.

“Lin Mo, please sit.” Su Qingwan’s voice was pleasant, yet it carried no warmth.

Lin Mo sat in the only chair available.

This chair had been specifically moved to face the piano, resembling the layout of an interrogation room.

Su Ran wanted to sit next to him, but a single glance from Su Qingwan made her stop. She obediently walked to the other end of the piano bench, staying 3 meters away from Lin Mo.

To be honest, Lin Mo was also startled by that gaze, and his glutes involuntarily tightened.

“Su Ran mentioned you to me.”

Su Qingwan got straight to the point. “She said you are her friend.”

“Yes, Auntie. I’m Su Ran’s friend and have been her classmate since middle school.”

Lin Mo tried his best to keep his voice calm, maintaining a dignified manner suitable for an artist.

“Friend.”

Su Qingwan repeated the word as if chewing on it. “Su Ran has had very few friends since she was a child. You are the first.”

It sounded like a compliment, but Lin Mo heard the underlying skepticism.

Why now?

Why you?

Lin Mo said sincerely, “I am honored.”

Su Qingwan looked at his upright posture as if trying to see through him from the inside out. “I’ve heard about what happened in your class. Do you have anything to say?”

Lin Mo looked at Su Ran.

Su Ran’s head was lowered, her fingers intertwined.

Seeing her like this, she was clearly terrified of her mother, but that didn’t matter.

Lin Mo pondered for a moment before saying, “Those matters have already been resolved quite well.”

“I know.”

Su Qingwan continued to stare at the teenager before her without blinking. “What I care about is the process. When my daughter was being bullied, why did she have to rely on a male classmate to help solve it? Do you think she is incapable of handling it herself?”

The question was tricky.

Lin Mo weighed his words before answering. “Su Ran can certainly handle it herself. In fact, she did handle everything herself, and she did it very well. I was merely supporting her from the side.”

Lin Mo kept his tone as level as possible.

Before coming, he had been daydreaming about meeting a parent for the first time. But now that he was actually facing this ice queen, he found that all his stray thoughts had vanished, stripped away by the other woman’s aura.

An ordinary high schooler would likely have their mind go blank, becoming flustered and unable to communicate.

Fortunately, Lin Mo had seen his fair share of big shots while working like a dog in his past life. This level of mental pressure wasn’t enough to make him lose his footing.

“Support?”

A hint of amusement flickered in Su Qingwan’s cold eyes. Even the speed at which her sexy red lips enunciated seemed to slow down a bit. “What kind of support requires gathering evidence of the other party’s father’s tax evasion?”

Lin Mo didn’t answer. He hadn’t expected Su Ran to tell her even that.

Su Ran hurriedly spoke up, “I did that. Lin Mo didn’t know.”

“Be quiet.”

Su Qingwan didn’t even look at her daughter; her eyes remained fixed on Lin Mo. “You tell me.”

The air in the piano room suddenly solidified.

Su Ran kept her head down, her eyes narrowing into small dots as her chest heaved violently.

Lin Mo could also clearly hear his own heartbeat. The pressure from the woman was intense.

“Auntie, regardless of the method, the result was good. Su Ran can protect herself now, and I believe that is more important than anything else.”

“You believe?”

Su Qingwan’s voice turned cold. “Lin Mo, do you know how precious Su Ran’s time is? She practices the piano for 6 hours every day, attends professional classes every week, participates in masterclasses every month, and enters competitions every year. Every bit of investment is for next year’s Chopin International Piano Competition. That is an opportunity that could elevate her to the pinnacle.”

“And the trivial matters involving you and your class — how much of her time and energy did they consume? Do you know how much her practice time decreased last week? Do you know how many nights she suffered from insomnia because of those rumors?”

The sudden barrage of questions felt like spears of ice, each sentence lowering the temperature of the room. Yet, it failed to shake Lin Mo.

Su Ran hadn’t told him any of this. He truly didn’t know how to answer, but the reason he remained silent wasn’t guilt or fear. It was because Su Qingwan had said — you and your class.

Yes, this was the core of today’s negotiation.

Su Qingwan was strict, so naturally, she was aware of her daughter’s abnormalities. Coupled with Su Ran’s emotional cognitive impairment, she was likely very confused as to why her daughter didn’t want to transfer schools because of a boy.

Honestly, it was a terrifying thought when scrutinized.

As a mother, she was very perceptive.

“Mom…” Su Ran tried to speak.

“I didn’t tell you to speak.”

Su Qingwan raised a hand to cut her daughter off, her gaze still locked on Lin Mo. “Lin Mo, I hope you understand one thing. You and Su Ran do not belong to the same world.”

“Her world consists only of the piano, and it can only be the piano. Any interference, whether well-intentioned or malicious, is destroying her future.”

Those words were too heavy.

Lin Mo felt something burning in his chest.

He was the first to look away, no longer meeting Su Qingwan’s gaze. It was a slight concession, choosing not to provoke her further. He looked at Su Ran and said as steadily as possible:

“Auntie, Su Ran is a high school student first, and a future pianist second. She has the right to have a life she enjoys, the right to manage her own relationships, and of course, the right… to live a normal life.”

Lin Mo’s concession caused the corner of Su Qingwan’s mouth to curl up slightly, though the smile held no warmth.

Perhaps it was because she had heard what she wanted to hear, or perhaps it was because of Lin Mo’s evasion. Whatever the case, her tone remained icy, and her words were just as harsh.

“A normal life? What exactly does that mean?”

“Playing house with a bunch of mediocre classmates? Wasting energy on boring rumors? Lin Mo, what you call ‘normal’ is a luxury to her. She cannot afford it.”

Su Qingwan stood up and walked to the window, turning her back to them.

“Su Ran started learning the piano at 3 years old, performed on stage at 5 years old, and became a national champion at 10 years old. Her life trajectory was set long ago. Top music conservatories, international competitions, a professional soloist… There is no room for friends on this path, no room for romance, and no room for people like you.”

“Mom!!”

Su Ran couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up agitatedly, her voice trembling as she said, “Lin Mo isn’t that kind of person! He’s…”

“He’s what?”

Su Qingwan turned around with a sharp gaze, instantly piercing through Su Ran’s words. “He is an interlude in your life, a summer that will soon pass. Once you go to the middle school affiliated with the music conservatory, once you go abroad for further studies, will you still be in touch? Will you even remember each other?”

Halfway through her sentence, she stopped looking at Su Ran and walked up to Lin Mo, looking down at the teenager.

“Lin Mo, I’m not dismissing your kindness. On the contrary, I’m grateful to you for looking after Su Ran at school. But you must understand that gratitude is one thing, and reality is another.”

“Su Ran is taking the transfer exam for the music conservatory’s affiliated middle school next week. If she passes, she will leave this place, leave this city, leave…”

Su Qingwan didn’t say the final word — “you.”

She paused, and her voice softened slightly. “So, please do me a favor. Stay away from her and let her focus on preparing for the exam. This is for her own good, and for yours.”

The piano room was terrifyingly quiet.

Lin Mo could hear Su Ran’s suppressed sobbing. It was very quiet, but it pierced his ears.

He raised his head and looked directly into Su Qingwan’s eyes once more.

“Auntie, can I ask you a question?”

“Ask.”

“Have you ever asked Su Ran what she wants?”

The question was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

For the first time, Su Qingwan’s expression changed.

It wasn’t anger; it was something deeper.

It was as if a corner of her heart that had never been touched before had been reached.

“What she wants isn’t important. I know her life better than she does.”

Su Qingwan turned to look out the window, a slight tremor in her voice.

More importantly, she was the one who avoided eye contact first this time.

“Is that really so?”

Lin Mo clearly felt the pressure on him lighten considerably, and his tone became firmer. “Do you truly know what she’s thinking when she plays the piano? Do you know why she prefers Bach over Beethoven? Do you know who the etude she wrote was for?”

Su Qingwan’s crossed arms faltered. She turned to look at Su Ran. “You wrote a piece for him?”