WBSGVS Chapter 215 V2

Qingli turned away, her smile fading.

She put on a mask and left the hospital. The truth was, she was hungry. The lunch she ordered earlier had been greasy and cold, and she hadn’t eaten much. So while she said she was going out to get food for everyone, she was going to feed herself first.

She looked up a fancy-looking restaurant online, hailed a cab, and went. Sitting by the window, she ordered two dishes and a soup and slowly enjoyed her meal.

By now, the sun had set and the sky was dimming.

Qingli watched the streetlights flicker on as she ate leisurely.

She was in no rush. Let them wait.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared beside her. She looked over to see a young man with expertly styled hair and makeup smiling shyly at her. When she turned toward him, he immediately said,
“Excuse me, miss… I’m filming a show right now, and one of the tasks is to perform a four-hand piano duet with someone. Would you be willing?”

Qingli blinked in surprise, looking behind him—and sure enough, there was a camera.

“Me?” she asked hesitantly.

The young man nodded earnestly. “I’m Ning Xi, a not-so-famous singer—I’m not scamming you. It’s just piano. Even if you can’t play, that’s okay. We can do something really simple.”

Qingli chuckled and nodded easily. “Sure.”

Ning Xi let out a relieved breath and motioned for her to stand.

As a minor celebrity, he was only appearing on a low-budget variety show. Renting out the restaurant wasn’t an option, but they had cleared it with the owner: filming was allowed as long as they didn’t disturb the patrons.

Qingli put on her mask again before following him to the piano in the center of the dining room.

On the stand were three pieces of music, each increasing in difficulty. The first was the easiest—Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Ning Xi was about to suggest they go with the simple one; the prize wasn’t huge, but it was something.

Then the guest he’d randomly invited pointed straight at the third and said, “Let’s do this one. Give me a second to get familiar with it.”

Ning Xi froze for a moment, then looked at her in surprise and delight. Did he just happen to pick a total expert?

The cameraman was stunned too. “You’re lucky today.”

“Right—” Ning Xi was about to agree when a chaotic mess of clashing notes filled his ears. His smile froze, and he stared in horror as she butchered the keys, her fingers hitting all the wrong notes. He covered his face.
“I take it back. I knew my bad luck couldn’t possibly turn around—”

But before he could finish, the dissonant noise suddenly smoothed out, like a sound engineer had corrected the track mid-play. A fluid melody flowed from the woman’s slender fingers.

“Whoa!” Ning Xi was completely stunned.

Qingli turned to him with an apologetic smile. “It’s been a while since I practiced—just needed a second to warm up. Ready now.”

Ning Xi nodded enthusiastically, eyes sparkling. “You got back into it so fast! You must’ve been amazing before—come on, let’s go!”

The camera zoomed in as the two of them sat side by side. Four elegant hands touched the keys, and music filled the air, smooth and harmonious. At a crossover point, their eyes met briefly, and both smiled.

Even behind her mask, Qingli’s crescent-shaped eyes sparkled like stars.

Ning Xi smiled too, and the notes he played seemed to soften.

When the piece ended, the restaurant broke out into spontaneous applause.

Task complete, filming wrapped for the moment. Holding the generous prize money from the show, Ning Xi thanked her profusely.
“Thank you so much, big sis! What’s your name? Should we exchange WeChat?”

Qingli shook her head. “No need for WeChat. But I do need a favor—would you help me with something?”

“Sure! Just say it!” Ning Xi patted his chest confidently.

Qingli pulled him to a quiet corner and whispered her request.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Ning Xi’s handsome face.

Qingli looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes and whispered, “You can use your phone. I won’t even show my face!”

Ning Xi bit his lip, then nodded. “Alright!”

Back at the hospital room, two hours had passed—six to eight o’clock. The He family looked increasingly irritated.
“What’s wrong with your wife?” one of them muttered. “She said she was going to get food, but she’s still not back! If it weren’t for her, we’d have eaten already!”

The hungry kids, cranky and restless, started whining. “Mom, Dad, I’m starving! I want food!”

“Go buy your own then!” He Tianzhuo snapped, scowling. “She’s doing this on purpose. Don’t bother with her.”

“You know,” He’s mother added, unable to hold back anymore, “if you had to ‘play a role,’ couldn’t you have picked someone decent? You had to get caught and cause this mess? What if Su Qingli does want a divorce—then what?”

She left the room, ushering the kids with her.

If he hadn’t made such a mess, would their sweet daughter-in-law have changed so drastically and starved them out of spite?

There was one more thing she didn’t say out loud: in his current condition, the only woman who wouldn’t abandon him was probably Su Qingli.

The mention of divorce made He Tianzhuo’s face darken even more. He turned away, refusing to deal with it.

Then his phone buzzed.

He picked it up and saw a new message in the family group chat, sent by his wife.

He opened it.

It was a photo.

A man and a woman, in a very intimate pose. Their faces weren’t visible, but their chins were close—clearly mid-kiss. The angle alone would’ve made more reserved viewers blush.

The woman’s shoulder-baring dress was a floral pattern—exactly what Su Qingli had worn today.

He stared, mind going blank. His hands began to shake with rage.

His finger slipped, and the photo preview closed. Underneath, her message read:

“Don’t be mad, hubby~ I was just helping a friend play a role.’ Promise it meant nothing~”

He Tianzhuo’s face turned an ugly shade of blue, rage exploding as he hurled his phone across the room and shouted:
“F***!!—Ow!”

Not even a second later, the sudden movement yanked at his surgical wound. The pain hit so hard his face turned green, and he gasped uncontrollably.