Chapter 95: Spicy Little Lobster (5,000 words)

  Arranged for Li Banzhuang and Li Yingzhen to meet, which laid a good foundation for Li Banzhuang's future. After all, if Li Banzhuang wants to learn composition well, she needs someone like Li Yingzhen to guide her and give her correct advice, so as to avoid taking certain wrong paths.

  Li Luyu didn't want Li Banzhuang to become a money-making machine, his idea had some common ground with Li Yingzhen's. What Li Banzhuang wanted most was to grow into a true piano master, not a money-making master.

  Although a true piano master would never lack money, this era is too frivolous, Li Luyu worries that Li Banyu has not learned much yet, and was tempted by those economic company agents to focus on commercial performances.

  He was well aware of his sister's temperament, she wasn't someone who put money above all else, but if she thought she could help her brother, she found it hard to keep her true nature in check.

  As for Gao Nuo's side, as a traditional key school in the college entrance examination, the school originally did not want students who ranked top in their grade to learn composition, which was not considered a proper career path by Gao Nuo's teachers. However, since Li Banxuan had already set her mind on Li Yingzhen and it was almost certain that she would be admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music, the school could not force her to change her mind. Moreover, the school had always had students who were admitted to top universities such as Tsinghua, Peking University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University, but none had been admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music. The pressure from the education bureau to develop quality education was also great, and Li Banxuan's choice could help reduce the pressure on Gao Nuo. When the education bureau criticized Gao Nuo for not having any students majoring in art, Gao Nuo could just nod and say that Li Banxuan had been admitted.

  In this matter, apart from Li's siblings, the one who found the genius student, Li Yingzhen, was also extremely happy, and that was An Zhi Shui, she felt that she had truly helped Li Luyu.

  She saw a heartfelt gratitude in Li Luyu's eyes that she had never seen before, no matter what she did for him.

  She was excited that she could finally say with a clear conscience that she had done something very important for her friend, and she was also a very important friend to Li Luyu. However, there was still some sense of loss, vaguely feeling that it was because her position in Li Luyu's heart would be far inferior to Li Banyan's.

  Can Ahn know that it's better to tell himself to be happy, why compare his position with Li Banyu in Li Luyu's heart?

  It's clear that they're not qualified to compare like this, one is a friend who was just confirmed recently, and the other is a sister who has been doted on since childhood, unless she thinks her relationship with Li Luyu is more than friendship and will develop into something else.

  Such thoughts made An Zhi Shui happy, yet a little uneasy. When Li Lu You asked her to help take a look at the piano, she hesitated for a moment before suddenly coming back to herself and realizing that she shouldn't be thinking wildly.

  An Zhishui and Li Luyu agreed to meet at the entrance of No. 8 Hutang.

  Li Luyu felt the streets that produced the most luxurious consumption behavior in Zhonghai and even the whole country, then looked at the sign that read "Top Piano Specialty Store" and smiled at An Zhi Shui: "Are you bringing me here to drool or make me feel more guilty towards Li Zi?"

  "Li Luyu, a person's ability is limited. Don't blame yourself for not being able to provide better conditions for your sister. You've already done very well, better than 99.9% of the brothers in this world. I think that's why she's proud of you, not because you bought her an expensive piano." An Zhi Shui said seriously, she was already very proud of her friend, and this emotion was what she felt when Li Yingzhen said Li Luyu was just an ordinary person. When Li Yingzhen expressed that Li Luyu was just a normal person, An Zhi Shui suppressed her respect for the teacher, and in her heart, there was a strong desire to defend Li Luyu.

  She felt it was absolutely unacceptable for someone else to belittle something she took pride in.

  It was precisely because she discovered this emotion that she felt her feelings for Li Luyou were somewhat out of control, but she also felt that friends should be like this and couldn't escape because they were afraid of something. She believed she could grasp it well.

  "What you said is right, but I just want to buy a second-hand piano. It seems like there isn't any second-hand piano here. Even if there was, it wouldn't be something I could afford." Li Luyou only had over 20,000 yuan in her bank account.

  "We're not buying here anyway, it's no good haggling." An Zhi Shui said in a low voice.

  Li Luyu didn't understand, what was he doing here anyway.

  Li Luyu and An Zhi Shui walked into this store that only sells the best performance pianos, high-quality performance pianos, and consumer-grade piano boutique.

  An Zhishui showed his membership card and the front desk immediately contacted the customer manager.

  "The prices here are very high, mainly because of the additional services." An Zhi Shui and Li Lu You sat down in the VIP lounge, anyway they weren't going to buy anything here, so they didn't even bother looking at those zithers.

  The customer manager arrived immediately, called Zhou Wenbin, a middle-aged man in his 40s, wearing a neat suit and tie, looking like a refined artist, with a very sincere smile on his face, making people feel refreshed.

  Li Ruyu's angle could see that he had been standing outside the door for a while, adjusting his satisfied smile before walking in. It was clear that he attached great importance to clients like An Zhi Shui.

  "Miss An, long time no see, is Mr. An doing well?" Zhou Wenbin walked in and greeted An Zhi Shui, first smiling and nodding at Li Lu You.

  "It's okay. This is my friend Li Luyu, we want to buy a second-hand piano." An Zhishui got straight to the point.

  "Hello Mr. Li, what's your budget roughly?" Since it's a second-hand piano, no matter what consideration, there should be budget constraints, not like An Zhi Shui who only picks the good ones and doesn't care about the price. Although there are no second-hand pianos for sale here, Zhou Wenbin's attitude became even more polite and cautious, absolutely cannot let people think that he has no business to do and show a bit of laziness.

  "About ten thousand." Li Luyu said.

  Around 10,000 yuan, you can consider a Japanese piano. Among them, second-hand Yamaha and Kawai are not bad. Mr. Li's consumption concept is very correct. As long as the piano is well-chosen, a second-hand Japanese piano at the price of 10,000 yuan is much better in quality than a domestic new piano at the same price. This is an area where our country still needs to work hard. When we have time and energy to develop these non-essential luxury goods, our country will truly become rich economically and spiritually.

  Li Luyu has a good impression of Zhou Wenbin, regardless of whether it's due to business needs or not, his personal cultivation is quite good.

  "Do you have time today? We want to buy it back today." An Zhi Shui didn't even have the heart to listen to his sighs.

  "Alright, I'll go with you to take a look. You two probably don't know much about second-hand pianos, just leave it to me." Zhou Wenbin smiled and said: "You two wait for a moment, I'll go change my clothes first."

  "Your dad's friend?" Obviously not An Zhi Shui's friend, but this attitude is really good.

  "No, it was him who attended to us when my dad and I came here to buy a piano. I've already bought eight pianos from this place." An Zhishui of course knew why the other person had such an attitude, she wasn't stupid, thinking that everyone in this world would be so enthusiastic for no reason, people like Li Luyu who were enthusiastic about everyone were not common.

  "Eight pianos, you'd just use them as decorations at home?" Li Luyu was startled.

  An Zhishui felt a bit embarrassed, "Two are placed where I live now, two are at my dad's place, three were given to relatives, and one is at the foot of Yuanhu Mountain. All were bought here."

  "Do you still have relatives?" Li Luyu couldn't help but ask, previously thinking that An Zhi Shui was like a stone that came out of nowhere, without any close relationships.

  "Of course, my dad didn't just pop out of a stone, he has two brothers and many younger uncles." An Zhishui said with dissatisfaction.

  Li Luoyu couldn't help but sigh, what kind of family could raise someone as silly and naive as An Zhi?

  Zhou Wenbin changed into casual jacket and went to pick up Li Luyu and An Zhi Shui.

  Zhou Wenbin drove out a Chevrolet Epica and apologized to An Zhi Shui: "Can't drive a good car over, otherwise the price will be very high, it's hard to bargain."

  An Zhishui expressed understanding and told Zhou Wenbin not to mind the quality of the car: "I've taken the bus several times recently."

  "It's also a great experience." Zhou Wenbin praised, as if An Zhi Shui had done something remarkable.

  An Zhishui's face turned red because Li Luyu took the bus every day.

  Li Rouyou patted her head, this is the pressure that comes with being friends with Qianjin's big sister, having to tolerate Zhou Wenbin's boot-licking that leaves ordinary people speechless.

  Arriving at a piano store that specializes in second-hand pianos, Zhou Wenbin took the lead to select a piano. The salesperson saw Zhou Wenbin's professional demeanor and immediately gave up on trying to persuade Li Luyu and An Zhi Shui, instead going to communicate with Zhou Wenbin.

  "Is this for a beginner?" Zhou Wenbin didn't pay attention to the salesperson and asked Li Luyu directly.

  "No, it's for learning composition." Li Luyu had already felt that his sister didn't need to learn piano specially.

  "This Yamaha U1D121 model is not bad, a product from the 80s, this piano has been well-maintained, and key components have also been replaced with new Japanese original products. The lifespan of a Japanese piano is generally around 80 years, as long as it's properly maintained and tuned, it can be used for a long time." Zhou Wenbin didn't mind praising the piano either, after all, they were professionals, and trying to one-up each other would be petty. He just wanted An Zhi Shui and Li Lu You to understand that he had carefully chosen a good piano.

  Li Ruyu turned around and asked the salesperson: "How much?"

  "Fifteen thousand." The salesperson gave a price that wasn't particularly high, no way to make Zhou Wenbin too proud of himself, if the price was given too high, it would be laughed at by professionals.

  "Give me a 50% discount, I'll come often in the future." An Zhi Shui stretched out five fingers.

  Sales stared blankly at An Zhi Shui's fingers, although An Zhi Shui's hands were white and delicate, but it was clear that he was shocked by An Zhi Shui's bold opening price.

  Zhou Wenbin and Li Luyu both felt a bit awkward.

  "This is second-hand... " An Zhi Shui thought to pick out the flaws, but after looking around, they were actually all quite new. Then he added: "It's still a Japanese piano, and even some brand-new Baldwin pianos are only worth tens of thousands."

  You were about to blurt out that I should just go buy a brand new Baldwin, what's the logical connection between selling my second-hand piano at a 50% discount and buying a brand new one for tens of thousands of dollars? What kind of reasoning is this?!

  Zhou Wenbin sighed, and the price cut by An Zhi Shui was something he had experienced before. However, that was in his piano store where pianos were worth tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. He absolutely could not accept such a price cut. But for a second-hand piano worth over 10,000 yuan, he would rather think of ways to give it to An Zhi Shui. Unfortunately, the other party definitely wouldn't want it, and he wasn't qualified to give it away either.

  "Miss, a brand new one would cost over a million, but after tuning, the sound quality is even better than a brand new piano. After all, it has been polished for a long time and the sound is more natural. If you buy this piano back home, take good care of it, pay attention to maintenance, if there are any problems with the piano's structure or materials within ten years, I will refund you at any time." The salesperson decided to do business seriously, but who knew that such a beautiful woman would be so brainless.

  So he looked at Li Luyu and Zhou Wenbin for help, the two gentlemen if you really want to buy, you are in charge, don't let her bother me.

  "Give me a discount." Li Luyu pulled An Zhi Shui.

  An Zhishui grasped Li Luyu's arm and pulled him back, looking very brave and proud of his progress. He thought to himself that it was completely normal to haggle the price of a 15,000 yuan item down to half off.

  The small actions between the two people were subtle, but Zhou Wenbin noticed them, especially how Li Luyu was holding An Zhi's hand and An Zhi didn't resist at all. An Zhi also had a gesture of pulling Li Luyu's arm, although it was very brief. Zhou Wenbin understood the implication clearly. When they first met earlier, he didn't even initiate a handshake with An Zhi because this young lady had a strong aversion to physical contact with the opposite sex. She and her father didn't have such intimate actions when they were together.

  "Twelve thousand yuan." Zhou Wenbin gave a price that Li Ruyu should be able to accept, although this salesperson was definitely unwilling. The boss wouldn't lose money at this price, but he wouldn't get a commission either.

  Sales are very embarrassed, this is not selling a lot of units, "too low, it can be seen that you are also a professional in the industry, I won't sell at this price."

  Zhou Wenbin took out a business card, "I feel that you still have further development, if you're interested, you can come to my music store to try it out."

  The salesperson took a glance and stuttered: "Haison Piano Store..."

  That place sells a piano with a commission of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, which is the holy land for piano salespeople. He was just selling second-hand pianos and could only look up to such a place.

  Zhou Wenbin's kindness was rewarded, and the piano was finally sold for 12,000 yuan.

  Li Luoyou went to swipe his card and pay, and arranged with the piano store for a delivery time.

  After finishing the task, Li Luyu invited Zhou Wenbin to dinner, and Zhou Wenbin politely declined. It was time for dinner, and he also wanted to go, but he couldn't. For young men and women who have a good impression of each other and are gradually getting closer, the happiest and most enjoyable time is when they are alone together. What does he mean by following?

  "For any piano-related issues, just give me a call directly from now on." Zhou Wenbin also gave Li Luyu a business card, which was different from the one he gave to the salesperson, it was his personal card.

  "Let's go eat!" An Zhi said with a high-pitched and excited tone.

  "That's today is our first time alone together going out for dinner." Added many specific words, Li Luyu said a bit awkwardly.

  An Zhishui thought for a moment and indeed it was so, last time although they had hot pot together, but it wasn't just the two of them who made an appointment alone, at first there was also Li Banzhen.

  "What shall we go eat?"

  She still summoned up her courage, with two small fists clenched tightly behind her back.

  "Little lobster bar."

  "Didn't you crawl out of a ditch or something?" An Zhishui said with great disgust.

  "Artificially cultivated."

  Two people came to a small lobster restaurant and ordered a large serving.

  As she was eating, An Zhi suddenly felt unwell and stretched out her finger for Li Luyu to see: "It bit me."

  An Zhishui's fingers were too tender, and the lobster shell had many sharp points that pierced her skin, causing blood blisters to form. Li Luyu took her finger into his mouth and sucked on it gently.

  Anqi stood there frozen, her fingers numb and stiff, having forgotten to pull them out.

  "An Zhishui's finger is the flavor of spicy little lobster." Li Luyu said with a smile.

  "You... you bit off my finger..." An Zhishui's beautiful, pale face turned bright red with tension, and she didn't dare look at Li Luyu anymore.

  "Fool, just now your fingertips were oily and couldn't be wiped clean with a paper towel. Moreover, it would make the oil seep into the wound. Holding something in your mouth that can dissolve the oil and water, while saliva can also disinfect." Li Luoyu explained to her, unable to bear looking at her pitiful expression, as if he had really bitten off her fingertips and eaten them.

  "It's all saliva, how disgusting! I'm going to wash my hands." An Zhi ran off to wash her hands and came back with a wet and slightly red face.

  After sitting down, An Zhi felt a bit troubled. The spicy little lobster was delicious, but now that her fingers were injured, what to do? She didn't like wearing gloves, it would be slippery and even harder to peel.

  "I'll peel it for you." Li Luoyu peeled one and put the tender white lobster meat on An Zhi's plate.

  An Zhishui smiled slightly awkwardly and picked it up to eat.

  Li Rouyou slowly peeled it off, and An Zhi watched him with wide eyes, like a little bird waiting to be fed, occasionally opening his mouth slightly.

  "It's really delicious." No need to peel it yourself, just sit comfortably with a bowl of water, feel like you're eating with focus and attention, and it's truly enjoyable.

  Li Luoyu peeled one and saw that she was habitually opening her mouth again, without putting it on the plate, and directly stuffed it into her mouth.

  Then Li lowered his head and continued to find big small lobsters in the bowl to peel, as if nothing had happened.

  An Zhī was about to blush, but still couldn't help it and her face turned red. As she chewed on the small lobster, that sweet and thrilling feeling spread from the moment their fingers touched. She didn't know what flavor the lobster was, but that rough, sweet, soft and tender sensation made her involuntarily open her mouth again when Li Lùyóu stuffed another piece of lobster into it.

  Li Luoyu was fed like this, and the two of them sat quietly there, one concentrating on peeling shells, the other waiting to eat, forming a stark contrast with the noisy and lively atmosphere in the store.

  This meal took over an hour, and the two of them spent less than a hundred yuan. After washing their hands and walking out of the store, they stood on the side of the street, not knowing what to do next.

  "You weren't full just now, were you?" An Zhi Shui felt a bit embarrassed, it was all Li Lu You peeling, she didn't dare to speak earlier, her mouth had been stuffed full by Li Lu You.

  "After eating someone's finger, I haven't had an appetite since." Li Luoyu pinched An Zhi Shui's finger, and there was only a faint mark left, probably no scars would be left behind.

  "Ugh!" An Zhi Shui raised her fist and playfully hit Li Luoyu.

  Li Luoyu smiled with a hint of annoyance at the corners of her mouth, and her eyebrows curved in a charming and endearing way.

  Sorry, I wanted to take a nap first last night before writing, but it ended up being more than five o'clock in the morning.

  Made a big mistake, consider it as compensation and apology, will continue to work hard today.