Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Looking back on it later, Pei Jinyan said that when he saw me then, sitting at the piano with flowers all around me, I looked like a prince out of a fairy tale.

I joked that he was clearly the one who looked more like a prince.

At that moment, under my stunned gaze, the stranger who had barged in began to apologize. “Sorry. I heard the piano and was drawn over. It was beautiful.”

His voice was deep, with a gentle quality that made him sound as if he had seen a great deal of the world.

I remembered the village chief saying recently that investors would be coming to inspect the village’s tea fields.

This man was probably one of them.

I said, “It’s fine.”

He had obviously noticed the little audience off to the side. Then he said something I hadn’t expected. “May I stay and listen too?”

Maybe it had been too long since I’d seen anyone from the outside world in real life, or maybe he was simply too polite. I agreed.

That day, the sound of the piano rang through my small courtyard for a long time.

Later, I played a piece I had just composed. He specifically came over to ask what it was, saying he had never heard it before, but it was beautiful.

I was silent for a moment before saying, “It doesn’t have a name yet.”

He seemed to pause, then chuckled softly and began praising my music.

He introduced himself. Just as I had thought, he was here to inspect the area.

According to human social etiquette, I should have introduced myself as well.

“Call me Xiao Jiang.”

That was what everyone in the village called me. Those older than me called me Xiao Jiang, and those younger than me called me Jiang Gege.

I thought it was an ordinary encounter. After that, we would remain strangers. He looked either rich or noble, and he probably wouldn’t stay in a place like this for long.

As it turned out, the next morning, I saw him at the gate of my small courtyard.

It was still early.

He was carrying breakfast when he said to me, “Xiao Jiang, are you playing the piano today?”

I froze for a second, then nodded instinctively.

He was a good listener, the only person in this village who understood a little music theory, and we had quite a few topics in common.

The village’s tea fields had been contracted out, which counted as a source of income. The village was very happy about it. With the road being built as well, transportation here would become more and more convenient, and the economy would get better too.

For some reason, Pei Jinyan lingered here. He didn’t live in the village, but at a hotel in the county town, where the conditions were honestly just average.

I didn’t know what else he had to handle, but he came to report in at my place almost every day.

After visiting a few times, Pei Jinyan naturally heard me sing.

He seemed to like my songs a lot. Several times, I wanted to just share Nameless’s homepage with him and let him go back and listen at his own pace.

It had been too long since I had interacted with people like this, so I was a little resistant. But he was measured in everything he said and did. The moment I hesitated, he smoothly and unilaterally became my friend.

For nearly a year, my world had consisted only of music and Little Courtyard.

Pei Jinyan’s arrival was abrupt, yet it carried a forcefulness as quiet and subtle as rain soaking into the earth.

I didn’t know whether Pei Jinyan knew who I was. A lot of people online were digging into Nameless’s identity. As long as he had the intention to look, he could even find out more about Jiang Cheng’s past.

In May, a storm came in fierce and fast. The rain was absurdly heavy, and Pei Jinyan ended up trapped at my house.

He and I leaned against the doorway and watched the rain.

It fell so densely it looked like a waterfall, mercilessly battering his car outside.

The weather forecast on my phone showed an exceptionally heavy rainstorm.

After a long while, I sighed. “Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

Pei Jinyan turned to look at me. “Can I? Would it be too much trouble for you?”

I felt like there was a hint of anticipation in his tone. He had probably been interested in my house for a long time.

So I led him upstairs to choose a room.

After looking around, he finally chose the guest room next to mine.