Chapter 130: What Are You Doing Here?

Furthermore, Qin Yunqi had been tortured by his grandfather for over half a year while learning conducting. At that time, he had secretly vowed that if his grandfather ever took on a new apprentice, he would make sure that apprentice called him "Senior Brother."

Well, his grandfather had an apprentice now! His wish could finally be fulfilled. However, Qin Yunqi didn't dare say that to Gu Ci in front of the old man just yet.

In truth, how could Elder Qin not know that his grandson had no interest in conducting and lacked the talent for it? It was just that he had no satisfying apprentice to torment, and his life was dreadfully boring; surely he couldn't be blamed for picking on his own grandson? Otherwise, Elder Qin wouldn't have turned a blind eye to Qin Yunqi slacking off and running away. Having a legitimate reason to nag his grandson—wasn't that delightful? If Qin Yunqi knew the old man's true thoughts, he would likely burst into tears on the spot.

Elder Yuan nodded after hearing Qin Yunqi’s words. He was indeed aware that Elder Qin had been talking about this little apprentice for a long time. Now that the old man had finally fulfilled his wish and taken the student under his wing, Elder Yuan was also very curious about them. However, he had come today for a different matter. He looked at Elder Qin with a calm, steady gaze and asked, "Old Qin, didn't you say your grandson, Yunqi, was a brilliant hacker? How come it’s been two days and there’s still no progress? Don't tell me you were just bragging and now you can't back it up?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Elder Qin grew anxious immediately. He wanted to mention that after his WeChat was blocked, it was Qin Yunqi who helped him get it back, but he couldn't bring himself to lose face by revealing that. Instead, he shot a meaningful, gloomy glance at Qin Yunqi. "Yunqi, what has been going on with you lately?"

Qin Yunqi felt his scalp tingle instantly. His entire body went rigid; he almost blurted out that the person who blocked Elder Yuan was the very same little apprentice his grandfather had just gone to the restroom with. But in the end, he held his tongue. Back in the car, he had already taken the opportunity to add Gu Ci on WeChat. He didn't believe that with such close proximity, he wouldn't be able to crack the protection. If all else failed, he could just ask Gu Ci who the expert behind her digital security was and take the chance to get on that person's good side! In any case, he absolutely could not admit that he had been thwarted twice by the expert behind Gu Ci!

However, the current situation was still difficult to resolve. Facing the gazes of the two masters, Qin Yunqi felt immense pressure. Just then, Elder Qin's phone vibrated. He took it out, and upon seeing that the message was from Gu Ci, his expression immediately softened. As he replied, he said to Qin Yunqi, "Yunqi, your Junior Sister has something to attend to and needs to leave. Drive her home and make sure she gets there safely, do you hear me?"

"Yes, Grandfather, I understand!" Qin Yunqi felt a wave of relief and immediately bolted, escaping the blast radius of the two old men. As he walked away, he sent a WeChat message to Gu Ci.

...

Gu Zhiran hastily finished the second half of her piano piece and stood up, her gaze searching through the crowd. Surveying the room, she no longer saw that familiar figure. For some reason, Gu Zhiran let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

The friends who had been with her earlier returned. Seeing her pale complexion, they asked with concern, "Zhiran, are you alright? You don't look well. Is something wrong?"

Gu Zhiran forced a smile, shook her head, and said softly, "I'm fine, I just felt a bit unwell for a moment."

"I see. How are you feeling now? Is there still any discomfort?"

"I'm better now, thank you for your concern. I'm sorry if I made a scene earlier."

Seeing Gu Zhiran's dejected look, the group began to comfort her. "Not at all! Your performance in the middle was excellent. If you hadn't been feeling unwell, you definitely would have stunned everyone!"

Gu Zhiran thanked them one by one, knowing full well that they were mostly being kind out of respect for Master Shen. She then excused herself to the restroom, to which they readily agreed. Finally left alone, Gu Zhiran let out a breath. She went into the restroom, splashed cold water on her face at the vanity, and touched up her makeup.

Just then, the reflection in the mirror behind her revealed half of a stunningly familiar profile. Gu Zhiran’s heart skipped a beat! She stood up abruptly and turned around; the screech of the chair sliding across the floor became the only sound in the quiet restroom.

"Gu Ci?! Why are you here?"

As the words left her lips, Gu Zhiran realized she had lost her composure. She bit her lip, gripping the back of the chair tightly to keep her emotions from spiraling further. Seeing Gu Zhiran, Gu Ci lazily pocketed her phone and raised an eyebrow. "Not calling me 'sister' anymore?"

Gu Zhiran stared at Gu Ci, her eyes filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and curiosity, unable to speak for a moment. But when her gaze landed on the janitor's cap Gu Ci was wearing and her hair pulled up high, she suddenly smiled with relief. Even though she had only caught a glimpse earlier, she remembered that the woman standing next to Elder Qin had her hair down. Furthermore, if Gu Ci were truly the apprentice Elder Qin had brought, why would she be wearing a janitor's cap? She must have been too nervous lately, which is why she had mistaken someone else for Gu Ci.

Still, she tentatively asked, "Are you working here, sister?"

Hearing the word "sister," Gu Ci couldn't be bothered to engage further. She simply pulled the brim of her cap down and walked out with a languid air. Gu Zhiran, however, interpreted this as Gu Ci being embarrassed after being exposed. She relaxed, regaining her usual elegance. After a moment's thought, she called out to Gu Ci with a smile.

"If you're short on money, you can just tell me. For the sake of our parents, I could introduce you to a more suitable part-time job. Why bother coming here to be a cleaner?"

Watching Gu Ci's retreating figure pause, Gu Zhiran tilted her head thoughtfully and gave a dismissive laugh. Perhaps the cleaning job was just a facade, and her real goal was to use this opportunity to get close to the high-profile figures she could never hope to meet otherwise, hoping to climb the social ladder in one leap.

As she exited the restroom, Gu Zhiran's new friends were waiting outside, looking eager. Seeing her, they immediately waved. "Zhiran, Young Master Qin is over there. Let's go over and get to know him, shall we?"