I Became an All-round Artist

The next evening, Lin Yuan set out for Qi Province. Most of the staff at the branch office had returned home as well. Everyone needed to discuss their future plans with their families since some of them would be relocating permanently to the Xingmang headquarters. This situation had left everyone at the branch a bit distracted, and work was the last thing on their minds.

Lin Yuan himself wasn’t taking on any new work either. The system’s upgrade and update still weren’t complete, so he couldn’t even open his treasure chests, let alone use any of the system’s custom features.

In fact, the lack of focus wasn’t limited to just the branch. Every industry seemed to be in the same boat. Companies were too busy poaching talent and strategizing for the future. It wouldn’t be until things stabilized that the fierce market competition would truly begin.

For now, Lin Yuan was enjoying a rare moment of calm, making the most of his last bit of campus life in Qi Province.

As December neared its end, a surprising event occurred in Lin Yuan's class—a new student transferred in!

It made no sense. The semester was almost over, and yet someone was transferring now?

But, against all logic, it happened.

And to Lin Yuan’s surprise, he knew the person—it was Gu Xi!

Lin Yuan vaguely recalled that Gu Xi was a student in the Instrumental Music Department. How had she transferred to the Composition Department at this point in the semester?

Lin Yuan was curious. But his curiosity paled in comparison to the excitement of his classmates.

When the teacher introduced her, everyone sat up in awe: "Gu Xi is a student from Qin Province’s Instrumental Music Department and also a prodigious pianist who has performed on the world’s top stages. She’s not an exchange student—she transferred here out of an interest in composition."

The teacher didn’t elaborate on how Gu Xi managed to transfer, but everyone knew that some people had access to special channels.

No one questioned it further. The only thing the class cared about now was that they had a new, stunningly beautiful piano goddess in their midst!

Some of the guys who fancied themselves as decent prospects were already itching to make a move.

As for the girls, they didn’t even feel the urge to be jealous.

When the gap between people isn’t too large, jealousy is inevitable. But when someone like Gu Xi—a legendary figure—appears, all that’s left is admiration.

Soon after class ended, several boys started fixing their hair and tidying their clothes, getting ready to introduce themselves.

But before anyone could make a move, Gu Xi took the initiative. She walked straight up to Lin Yuan.

The boys’ hearts collectively shattered.

The girls, on the other hand, felt a strange sense of solidarity. Still, no one was particularly surprised—Lin Yuan had come from Qin Province as an exchange student, and so had Gu Xi. It wasn’t unreasonable that they knew each other.

"Lin Yuan!" Gu Xi called out, her voice brimming with apparent joy as she locked her gaze onto him. "What a surprise! I didn’t expect to see you in this class!"

Of course, the surprise was fake.

Only Gu Xi knew how much effort it had taken to transfer to Qi Province. She could have used the exchange student program from the start but had refused the offer, afraid that if she became an exchange student, she wouldn’t get to see Lin Yuan.

Fate, however, played a cruel trick on her. After she declined the exchange, Lin Yuan decided to become one himself!

Shocked by this turn of events, Gu Xi immediately changed her mind and tried to take the exchange route after all. But it was too late—the spots were all filled.

Refusing to give up, she pulled strings, called in favors, and after considerable effort, finally managed to transfer through a special channel—right as the first semester of their junior year was ending.

But that wasn’t enough for Gu Xi. After going through all this trouble, she figured she might as well transfer directly into Lin Yuan's class.

After all, she was a pianist, and neither Qin Province nor Qi Province’s teachers had much left to teach her.

It was a "burn the boats" kind of decision. But now, standing in front of Lin Yuan, imagining all the future opportunities to be closer to him, she felt it was worth every bit of struggle.

Though her surprise was feigned, the smile on her face was genuine.

"It is quite a coincidence. Nice to see you," Lin Yuan responded calmly.

He recalled that Gu Xi had given him a model of a planet as a parting gift before he left Qin Province. Even though there were no egg yolks inside, he had accepted the gift, so his attitude toward her was friendly.

After everything that had happened, Lin Yuan no longer felt as uneasy around Gu Xi as he once did.

"Not every encounter with her spells trouble," Lin Yuan thought to himself. "Last time, she gave me a planet model, and nothing bad happened."

"We’re classmates now!" Gu Xi continued, following the script she’d prepared in her head. "But since I’ve just transferred to the Composition Department, I’m not familiar with the course material, and I don’t know many people. I hope I can ask for your help next semester!"

"Sorry," Lin Yuan replied, shaking his head. "Next semester, I’m going back to Qin Province."

Gu Xi’s expression froze.

It was as if the world lost its color, and the light in her eyes dimmed. The only words echoing in her mind were:

"I’m going back to Qin Province next semester…"

Back to Qin Province…

Back to Qin Province…

"Why…" Gu Xi stammered, her voice trembling.

Lin Yuan, oblivious to her distress, patiently explained, "Since Qin and Qi Provinces have merged, the exchange program is being canceled. All exchange students are returning to their original schools next semester."

Gu Xi felt her head buzzing. She didn’t even remember how she got back to her seat—she just sat there, completely devastated.

In that moment, Gu Xi felt the weight of fate pressing down on her.

"Gu Xi…" A group of boys had gathered around, eager to strike up a conversation, but she could barely hear them. Forcing a smile, she said, "I need some time alone."

The boys exchanged awkward glances and quietly dispersed.

Gu Xi took out her phone, her expert piano fingers trembling as she typed out a message: "Can I return to Qin Province next year?"

"No way!" came the swift reply. "You begged and pleaded to transfer to Qi Province! Now you want to go back? Do you think you own both schools?"

Gu Xi could almost hear the sound of her heart breaking.

The person on the other end asked, "Why?"

Gu Xi, her fingers shaking, slowly typed her reply: "My heart is dead. Pay your respects with paper."

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