Chapter 52

Ye Lingyun left, carrying an unprecedented sense of defeat and a dazed confusion from being crushed by massive capital. Inside the Concert Hall, only the lingering melody of the piano remained, along with Xia Yunge, still shaken.

The music stopped. Qin Feng turned around and saw Xia Yunge still standing in place, her hands tightly clasped, her eyes complexly fixed on him—filled with shock, bewilderment, and a lingering trace of concern.

"Mr. Qin… I'm sorry, I didn't expect Brother Ye to…" Xia Yunge's voice carried apology and a barely perceptible fluster. Ye Lingyun had come because of her; this unpleasant confrontation made her feel responsible.

"It has nothing to do with you." Qin Feng interrupted her, his tone still calm. "His target is me—or rather, my assets."

He walked to the sofa and sat down, gesturing for Xia Yunge to sit as well.

Xia Yunge sat as instructed, yet felt as if seated on pins and needles. She stole glances at Qin Feng—the man who had just casually rejected the Ye Family's seemingly generous offer, and thrown out a trillion-dollar "ticket price," yet now showed no trace of pride or tension, as if what had just happened were mere daily trivialities.

This impenetrable calm was more awe-inspiring than any display of sharpness, and it gave her an unbridgeable sense of distance.

Silence spread between them, broken only by the soft tick of an antique clock.

Suddenly, Qin Feng lifted his gaze, his eyes calmly landing on Xia Yunge's face, and asked a question that caught her completely off guard:

"Do you like him?"

"Ah?" Xia Yunge snapped her head up, meeting Qin Feng's eyes—eyes that seemed to see through everything—and her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She waved her hands frantically to explain, "No! Not at all! Mr. Qin, you've misunderstood! Brother Ye and I… we grew up together—I see him as my elder brother! There's absolutely no other feeling!"

Her reaction was intense and sincere, charged with the urgency of a girl misunderstood, terrified that Qin Feng might form a bad impression of her because of Ye Lingyun.

Qin Feng watched her scramble to distance herself, his expression unchanged. He simply murmured, "Mm," as if he'd asked nothing more than a casual question.

But that casual question sent tidal waves crashing through Xia Yunge's heart. Why had he asked that? Was he concerned about her relationship with Ye Lingyun? Or was it merely… a desire to control the people around him?

She couldn't fathom it.

Yet Qin Feng's next words caused her already steadying heartbeat to spiral out of control again.

"Then," Qin Feng's voice remained steady, emotionless, as if confirming an insignificant detail, "do you like me?"

Boom—

Xia Yunge felt her mind explode like a bomb, instantly blank. Blood surged to her head, scorching her ears and turning her cheeks crimson as if ready to drip. She opened her mouth but produced no sound, only stared wide-eyed at Qin Feng, her clear, deer-like gaze utterly lost.

Do you like him?

That question had echoed countless times in her heart—when she first felt the mystical musical resonance in the café, when she summoned the courage to send him the concert invitation, when his remark "unrefined" stirred a tremor within her.

The answer was obvious.

Such a radiant, unfathomable, seemingly omnipotent man held a fatal allure for a girl like her, who yearned for art and purity. It wasn't merely adolescent admiration—it was like a moth drawn instinctively to ultimate brilliance.

But to have him ask it so directly, so calmly, left her panicked, utterly humiliated.

Seeing her flustered, blushing, and helpless, Qin Feng did not press further. The answer was already written on her face.

He wasn't surprised. The invisible allure of God-Level Music Mastery, combined with the power and mystery he exuded, naturally attracted a naive girl chasing perfection.

"I'll attend the concert."

Qin Feng changed the subject, as if the earth-shattering question had never been asked.

Xia Yunge stared blankly for several seconds before realizing—she was suddenly overwhelmed with joy, sweeping away her shyness and panic: "R-Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Qin!"

She was so excited she nearly leapt up, her earlier embarrassment vanished into thin air.

"Mm." Qin Feng nodded. "Let Wenqian see you out."

"Y-Yes! Goodbye, Mr. Qin!" Xia Yunge stood, nearly tripping over her own feet as she hurried out of the Concert Hall, her heart still pounding wildly—not just from the acceptance of the concert invitation, but from that question she hadn't dared to answer, yet knew with perfect clarity.

Do you like him?

Yes. I do. Very much.

But am I worthy of him? Would someone like him ever look at me?

The girl's secret feelings tangled like silk threads—unsnippable, untangleable.

After seeing Xia Yunge, lost in thought and flushed, off, Su Wenqian returned to the Concert Hall and found Qin Feng standing by the window, his gaze distant.

"Director Qin, Miss Xia…" Su Wenqian spoke softly.

"A pure note. Good." Qin Feng offered a brief evaluation, then fell silent.

To him, Xia Yunge's affection was merely a refreshing, melodious accompaniment on his path to the peak—appreciated, but never enough to make him pause.

His journey was toward the stars and oceans, toward the pinnacle of technology, toward the ultimate secrets hidden beneath history's mist and the Deep Sea.

Romantic entanglements were but occasional decorative notes in this grand symphony.