QT: Against My Will-Chapter 607 - 10.19 - A Comfortable Life - Rebirth Of The Heart
Bing Shi found herself with an abundance of time and the luxury of a comfortable life, affording her the opportunity to explore new interests.
Along the way, she revisited her love for pole dancing and piano. Drawn to the strings’ call, she learned the violin and the guitar, too, not for anyone else but for herself.
Xuan Mu had built a soundproof room for her to practice from morning to night without a single worry for almost eleven years. Of course, she still took her mommy duties very seriously.
"With your voice and beauty," her teacher mused aloud, "I wonder how you haven’t made a name for yourself as a singer already. I think you have the potential to be big in the music industry."
"You are at it again?" Bing Shi shook her head, the thought alone stirring a sense of dread within her, "I’m not doing it for fame," she replied. "The idea of the spotlight is more daunting than appealing to me." Her dread was clear; for her, music was a sanctuary, not a stage.
Her teacher nodded.
Bing Shi set up her electric violin, connecting it to an array of pedals that lay at her feet.
Her teacher adapted to her needs. She recognized her as an unconventional student and tailored her teaching methods to nurture her student’s distinct musical voice.
Bing Shi was amid a heartfelt performance when her husband unexpectedly arrived to pick her up early, too early to be said. The class had barely started!
Caught off guard, her focus faltered, leading to a glaring mistake. She winced at the discordant note.
Screech
Xuan Mu brought a hand to his ear, adopting a mock amazement expression. "I thought you moved to an advanced class," he teased her lovingly, with a playful grimace on his face, "Clearly, you’re beyond that."
Bing Shi drew her bow across the strings with exaggerated slowness, hitting a note that warbled off-key, "How’s that for an encore?"
Xuan Mu raised a small flag adorned with a funny picture of her face, waving it with feigned defeat. "Always your number one fan," he declared.
Even though he didn’t accompany her to music concerts and fashion shows, he wouldn’t miss her personal performances as her number one fan. In a similar vein, she would sometimes accompany him on his journeys to find gourmet treats for his pets, not as a warrior, but as his enthusiastic, personal cheerleader.
The teacher motioned for Bing Shi to continue as if telling her to ignore him. Edward was known to pop up unexpectedly to tease his wife, whether through playful jests that interrupted her focus or by sketching her in exaggerated poses as she played. He never learned his lesson, no matter how often his wife reprimanded him.
With a deep breath, Bing Shi let the playful moment with Xuan Mu fade into the background and reconnected with the music.
Her next note was clear and vibrant, resonating through the room with an exquisite beauty. Each subsequent note soared, pure and flawless. The music was more than just a sequence of notes; it was an outpouring of her soul.
Xuan Mu blinked, a spell cast upon him by the haunting melody that seemed to echo the very beat of the room. He saw the colors of the melody in his mind—a visual symphony stirred by the vibrations he could sense more than hear. It was an experience beyond mere listening.
Her teacher stood back, offering support when needed but mostly witnessing as Bing Shi poured her soul into the notes, crafting a piece as authentic and singular as her own journey.
As the final note of Seraphine’s performance hung in the air, Edward’s hands came together in a series of enthusiastic claps that filled the room, "Spectacular, I think you’ve just composed a new anthem for my soul."
Bing Shi acknowledged her husband’s applause with a curtsy, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She lifted the hem of her skirt just slightly in a refined, ladylike gesture and dipped her head in a small bow.
"..." The teacher could only chuckle and shake her at the playful duo, "I’m starting to believe that you didn’t take the professional path of a musician because your husband wants to keep you all to himself."
"Actually, it’s not that far from the truth," Bing Shi said, "He has exclusive rights to my performances. I can’t perform before anyone but him."
"..." Xuan Mu’s eyebrow lifted, a silent question etched above his eyes.
The teacher felt it was a shame that Seraphine always refused to perform publicly. She sometimes thought about recording her music secretly, but somehow, the recordings always got erased — and she automatically put the blame on Edward Ashtor’s possessiveness.
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Bing Shi gathered her things and left with Edward by her side.
After Bella’s class, her teacher, who had always been skeptical of Bing Shi’s talent due to her avoidance of public performances, approached with a smile.
"Seraphine, isn’t it? The student who’s never graced the stage," she remarked fearlessly, "One can only imagine the... quality of music that’s never faced an audience," she glanced at Edward, "Your husband must be quite powerful to let you skip mandatory critiques and the yearly performance assessments, and even bypass other standard academy requirements."
Edward, picking up on the barbs, glanced down at his wife. Seraphine could only respond with a wide-eyed stare of amazement. It was comically rare for someone to dare such a direct jab at her due to her relationship with Edward.
The influence of the Ashorts had waned over time, partly due to Daniel’s political meddling. This change in status affected how others viewed Edward. He was often perceived as just a privileged, spoiled heir.
Being a big supporter of Daniel and Isabelle, the teacher was also mocking Edward in a way. Mistaking Seraphine’s silence for fear, she smiled smugly, believing she had struck a chord, "Or perhaps you shy away from the possibility of public failure?"
Seraphine’s laughter was a soft, confident note that spoke louder than any retort, "I’ve yet to find anything the public could offer me to perform for them in exchange," she said, acknowledging the boldness of the teacher’s critique before turning away, "My music will forever remain as my delicious secret—and a mystery that seems to be keeping you awake at night."
Seraphine walked away with her husband, leaving Bella’s teacher with her smug smile slowly fading into the realization that her attempt to unsettle Seraphine failed.
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"You arrived early today," Bing Shi entered the hover car, "Who is watching Stinky Bun?"
"XMWBS2427," Xuan Mu answered, revealing the name of one of his other persona.
"..." Bing Shi knew exactly how convenient it was to be able to multiply. She loved having Dai An. Their thoughts raced faster than the speed of light, allowing them to stay informed about events in both worlds despite the time lapse between the two realms.
’Dai An, imagine if we multiplied and finished all missions in different worlds in one swift swoop.’
’~What hubby imp is doing is incredibly difficult to master. Our long separation has been a blessing for us. We wouldn’t have been able to stay separated like him otherwise," Dai An mused thoughtfully.
’So there is no chance to bring out Ting Zi or Xue Bi?’
’~I tried to go through the remains of their memories to awaken them, but they ended up becoming a part of you.’
’Why not a part of you too?’
’~I’m afraid of scaring them with my past experiences.’
Xuan Mu gently patted Baby Shiro, who was comfortably nestled on his lap. Despite Baby Shiro’s shark form, his gestures were akin to those one would use with a cat — his fingers, tender and deliberate, traced soft, soothing strokes along its back, "No more questions?"
"No more questions," Bing Shi couldn’t stop staring at his hand, finding the motion of his fingers incredibly attractive, |"Hubby, I think I’m starting to have a fetish for your hands. There’s something about the way your veins stand out against your skin that’s just so captivating, really."|
"..." Xuan Mu stopped abruptly at his track.
Bing Shi gently took hold of one of his free hands. Her fingers delicately traced the lines of his palm, feeling the texture of his skin and the firmness of the veins that had so captivated her.
"..." Xuan Mu felt a sense of vulnerability in being observed so closely, not knowing if she appreciated him as a painting in an art gallery or a man, | "At a scale of one to ten, how captivating do you find it? One is like seeing a beautiful dress, ten being... well, let’s say, extremely aroused?"|
|"It’s a solid seven,"| she said, her fingers pressed gently against the veins on his hand, her touch suggesting more than mere fascination, |"Looking at these makes me want to do naughty things with you."|
