Chapter 29: Yang Mengke Fully Recovers!

Su Bai had no choice. In order to conceal the existence of the system, he could only pretend to be out getting medicine. He couldn’t return immediately, so he wandered into a nearby music shop.

He was confident about the upcoming talent competition in two days. That confidence was a gift from the system. Yet, before the contest, Su Bai felt the need to familiarize himself. Although he possessed the system’s mastery of all instruments, there were some he had never even touched. To be sure, he wanted to try them out himself.

When the shop owner saw Su Bai sit before the piano, he quickly introduced, “Sir, this is a Peal Live upright piano by Caesarburg. It’s currently on promotion, only 49,999 yuan. This piano has elegance, stability, and harmony. Its tone is uniform across all registers, free of noise or dead notes. Please, give it a try!”

Observing Su Bai’s posture, the shop owner immediately judged him a novice. Someone who had spent years at the piano wouldn’t sit like that. There was a certain indefinable aura in those who lived with the piano, something professionals could spot at once.

Su Bai closed his eyes slowly, filtering through the piano techniques imparted by the system. When his hands began to move across the keys, the owner’s eyes widened in disbelief. He rubbed them, certain he wasn’t mistaken, yet astonished by how swiftly the young man’s aura transformed.

Moments before, Su Bai seemed a complete beginner, untouched by music. Now, his hands danced across the keys like nimble sprites, coaxing forth a cascade of melodious tones. Listening to the music alone, the owner felt as though gentle moonlight bathed him, warm and serene, despite it being broad daylight.

When the last note faded, Su Bai rose from the piano. The owner remained lost in reverie, only opening his eyes after a long while, filled with disbelief. The melody had been so warm.

“Honored sir,” he began, “may I ask, did you compose that piece yourself? I’ve heard many songs, but this is the first time I’ve encountered such a melody. The atmosphere was incredible! It lingered in the air, and long after you finished, I was still immersed in its meaning.”

Previously, Su Bai had claimed authorship of three songs, causing a stir across the internet. Yet the piece he’d just performed was Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” from that other world. If he claimed it as his own, who knew what chaos might ensue? So Su Bai simply smiled, offering no direct answer.

The owner, seeing his reluctance, was not offended. Instead, he shifted the conversation. “Sir, to be honest, your shift in aura was remarkable. It’s unbelievable! One moment you were a rookie, the next, a piano master. Your skill is extraordinary, truly.”

Hearing this, Su Bai was struck by understanding. He had always sensed there were details he overlooked. Now, prompted by the owner, he realized—it was the aura. Having never touched an instrument before, he lacked that associated presence. The shift happened when he immersed himself in the system’s skill experience.

But this was easy to fix. Once he knew what discipline he’d compete in, he could run through the system’s skill experience in his mind beforehand. His aura would transform accordingly.

Through this piano, Su Bai understood he needn’t trial other instruments. When the time came, as long as he rehearsed the skill experience in his mind, he could play any instrument with ease.

Still, now that he’d come, he didn’t want to leave empty-handed. Before leaving, Su Bai picked out a guitar. It was Yang Mengke’s favorite instrument. Her greatest dream had been to become a singer. Her favorite scene: strumming the guitar, singing, and driving an off-road vehicle across open fields with Su Bai, unhindered.

Yang Mengke’s previous guitar had been destroyed in the fire. Now, gifting her a new one seemed just right.

An hour later, Su Bai appeared in Yang Mengke’s hospital room, guitar in hand.

“Xiao Ke, I have it, I have it!” he cried. “Take this medicine, and you’ll be completely healed!”

“Hurry, take the previous doses as well!” he urged, trembling with excitement.

Earlier, unsure when he’d obtain the seventh medicine, Su Bai had only allowed Yang Mengke to take the fourth, withholding the fifth and sixth. Now, Yang Mengke was visibly excited too. To live like a normal person, she longed to escape the confines of her hospital room.

She swallowed three doses in succession. Warm currents surged through her body, as if tiny insects crawled across her skin and face, wriggling ceaselessly. The itching was intense, but Yang Mengke endured it silently. Having survived the agony of the fire, her will had been forged stronger.

Fifteen minutes later, she watched dead skin peel away in patches.

“Brother, go out, please go out,” she said. “I look terrible right now!”

Su Bai wanted to say, “No matter how you look, you’re always my most beautiful sister. Even when you were burned, I never found you ugly; now, even less so.” Yet he understood her feelings and complied, waiting outside.

An hour later, freshly bathed, Yang Mengke gazed at her reflection, her eyes reddening. At last—at last she looked as before. No, even better; her skin was flawless, like a newborn’s.

Thinking of the torment she’d endured since her injuries, Yang Mengke crouched on the floor, hugged her knees, and wept. For so long, she had forced herself not to cry, not to worry her brother. But now, she could no longer hold back. All the suppressed emotion poured out.

“Brother, thank you! Truly! Truly, I have no way to repay you...” she whispered, over and over in her heart.