Ziye decisively tossed the rose aside and trotted to catch up with the two, muttering to herself the entire way, "Tang Wen is such a tightwad, a super tightwad!"

Led by the intelligent robot, the three passed through a path cutting through a sea of flowers. Many colorful butterflies fluttered about within the blooms. The tiny sprout that had been sleeping in her bag had secretly wriggled out at some point and, upon seeing the beautiful butterflies, shot out after them with a "swoosh."

Ziye felt entirely at ease with it; no matter how much it played, it always remembered to find her again, so she let it go.

But then Tang Wen smiled again, "Your family certainly knows how to attract attention."

Ziye shot him a glare.

Tang Wen looked at her with a knowing half-smile, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No way!" Ziye was furious, "I beg you, don't ruin the high-end, sophisticated image I have of you!"

Tang Wen paused in stunned silence for a moment, then burst into unrestrained laughter, laughing until he couldn't stop.

Ziye noticed his two small canine teeth, and her eyes instantly brightened.

Tang Wen actually had fangs—what a novel discovery!

If Tang Wen weren't mocking her right now, he would have been unbelievably adorable.

Ziye felt a surge of mortified anger, wishing she could pull out his little fangs, and he wouldn't even apologize.

After laughing for a long time, Tang Wen finally managed to curb his mirth and teased, "So, you need to be high-end and sophisticated for me too; don't embarrass me."

Ziye raised her fist, thought about it hatefully, and then lowered it. She couldn't very well hit her teacher, could she!

Bran doubled over with laughter beside them.

However, this was how young people should be, Bran thought with great satisfaction.

When it came time to order dinner, Bran looked at the menu, noticing several dishes featured roses, and asked, "Ziye, if you like eating roses, there are quite a few options here."

Ziye shook her head like a rattle drum, "No way, absolutely not!"

Tang Wen mocked her, "Weren't you just at the point of starving enough to devour roses raw?"

Ziye glared at him, staring hard, "The roses here taste terrible; I’m not eating them!"

Tang Wen feigned surprise, "Oh? Where are the roses delicious?"

Ziye proudly tilted her chin up, "The ones at my home are delicious."

Tang Wen scoffed, saying no more.

Still, Tang Wen wasn't the type to hold grudges, because when ordering, he didn't select a single dish related to roses.

It was Ziye’s first time dining with Tang Wen.

Everything on the menu at the resort was outrageously expensive, yet also outrageously exquisite. The most outrageous thing was Tang Wen's pickiness!

Namely: no fish, no meal!

Every dish he ordered was related to fish.

He could tolerate strong fishiness exceptionally well: scallops, clams, abalone, pomfret, caviar... each one smellier than the last. Ziye took two bites and couldn't swallow due to the stench, yet she watched him remain composed and eat heartily. A pomfret fish, he finished cleanly in three swift movements, leaving behind only a complete skeleton.

This guy was absolutely unbelievable!

Seeing her speechless expression, Tang Wen unusually asked, "You don't like it?"

Ziye calmly set down her cutlery, "I like it, I like it very much!"

She finally understood: Tang Wen wasn't someone who didn't hold grudges; he was someone who held grudges exceptionally well!

He must be taking revenge!

Fortunately, he didn't press the issue to the bitter end. About three minutes later, the intelligent robot served several dishes without fish, and Ziye could finally eat to her heart's content.

After eating, she asked Bran, "Do you like eating fish?"

Bran nodded, "I used to eat fish often. To have a strong body, one must eat plenty of fish." He looked at Tang Wen, "He is considered picky; he only likes eating scaleless fish, not scaled fish..."

Ziye turned her face away wordlessly.

Bran laughed heartily and told her to order a few more of her favorite dishes.

The result was that the three of them ended up ordering over a dozen dishes... and were completely stuffed!

After the meal, Ziye walked into the garden for a stroll to aid digestion. She spotted an exquisitely shaped birdcage swing, padded with soft, comfortable cushions, and without hesitation, she sat down and began swinging gently.

This was an ultra-high-end resort, membership-based for life, with fewer than three hundred members currently. Each member had thousands of square meters, even more, of private space. Once inside, unless specifically requested, you would never see another person.

Therefore, while strolling through the grounds, Ziye saw many animals, but no people.

The garden was quiet. The beautiful surroundings made one forget where they were; it had to be admitted, this was an extremely relaxing place.

Ziye couldn't help but sigh, how wonderful it was to be rich!

After an unknown amount of time, she heard the sound of a solo cello performance drift to her ears.

The cello's timbre was deep, yet surprisingly restful to hear now. Her mood became exceptionally light, the restlessness slowly receding from her body, and the world seemed to grow airy.

She listened for a while, then followed the sound's direction. She passed through the sea of roses, rounded a corner, and unexpectedly found Bran playing the cello.

Tang Wen sat several meters away from him, holding a stylus and drawing something on a virtual light screen. A slightly yellowish light shone down on them from above, creating what felt like an independent world.

Bran could play the cello?

Ziye was a complete musical novice; she couldn't judge his skill level, only that his performance felt identical to the cellists she’d seen on interstellar television.

She truly hadn't expected such a rough man to produce such delicate music. Ziye was moved and stood quietly, listening to the beautiful music. Only when he finished the piece did she walk over.

Bran looked up, his mood visibly relaxed and pleasant, "Ziye, do you play?"

Ziye shook her head, "I'm an absolute idiot when it comes to this; I've never even touched one." In Silver Talisman, one was lucky to hear a common piece of music, let alone a cello concerto. Only Xiao Xiao knew how to play a few songs on the guitar; everything else was either shrieking like a ghost or sounded like a horror movie soundtrack capable of frightening people to death.

Bran smiled, "What a pity."

Ziye was surprised, "Pity what?"

Ziye smiled, "Nothing. Are you interested in learning? Learning the violin."

Ziye was even more surprised, "Why?"

Bran pointed to his cello, "If you understood the violin, perhaps in the future we could have a chamber recital or something—how wonderful that would be."

Ziye quickly waved her hands, "Stop messing with me; I have absolutely no talent for it."

Bran gestured for her to sit beside him and spoke with the wisdom of experience, "Life can't just be about achieving goals; that's too grueling and too utilitarian. The mind needs stillness to perform better. Don't you find music helps calm the mind?"

Ziye let out a puff of air.

She certainly carried immense pressure. She wanted to learn everything and master it all: design, forging, armor-making, repair work...

To survive, to earn money, to seek revenge... so much pressure.

Honestly, it was exhausting.

If she really went to learn the violin, she would probably force herself to strive for excellence in that too. She said helplessly, "Listening to music calms me, but actively doing it, I can't."

Bran said confidently, "I will convince you. Tang Wen was already convinced by me."

Ziye asked in surprise, "He's learning the violin?"

Hearing this, Tang Wen suddenly looked up, "No, the piano."

Bran nodded, "Yes, Tang Wen's temperament is better suited for the piano, while your temperament suits the violin."

Before Ziye could nod, Tang Wen interjected, "Go learn the violin, and then you can accompany me in the future."

Ziye shot him a sidelong glance, "Oh, is that so? How is your piano practice coming along? Play something for us to hear?"

A faint blush appeared on Tang Wen's face. He said nothing, lowering his head to continue drawing. Seeing that he wasn't looking their way, Bran quietly leaned toward Ziye's ear, "You poked a sore spot; he's been studying for two years and still can't play one piece completely."

Ziye burst out laughing.

Hahahaha, she wasn't the only music idiot; she felt truly comforted!

Bran shook his head, a faint sadness crossing his face as he suddenly remembered something, "When I was in the military, my days were nothing but training. I didn't know how to play the cello back then either."

Ziye sensed he wanted to talk and sat down beside him, ready to be a careful listener, "What happened then?"

"In the army, we had two days off every month, and every time I got time off, I found it miserable because I didn't know what to do with the rest time; I knew nothing. It was either eat or sleep. Sometimes I thought I might as well go back to training, but I had trained to the point where I felt nauseous just climbing into the cockpit."

Ziye understood that feeling perfectly.

It was the same when she first started learning about metals.

Every day required purifying, dissolving, mixing, testing, and condensing the metal, then testing it on robots or mechs. This process was repeated endlessly; sometimes, she would try hundreds of times before achieving a suitable alloy.

That feeling was utterly crushing; for a period, she felt like throwing up every time she saw metal fusing.

So, she patted Bran's shoulder, "You're not alone."

Bran couldn't help but laugh and said with feeling, "That's right. Fortunately, the cello saved me. Once, I was wandering aimlessly on the street and happened to hear a street performer playing the cello. At that moment, the cello's tone felt exactly like my state of mind, so I impulsively bought one—the cheapest one, costing a few thousand. Thinking back, I've played it for almost fifteen years."

Ziye gasped, "That's almost as long as I've been alive. If you ever stop following the teacher, you could totally become a concert cellist; you'd definitely be famous."

Bran laughed heartily, "A hobby remains a hobby. If you turn it into a job, it's easy to lose the enjoyment of the hobby and have to search for a new one."

Ziye rubbed her nose, "A traveler passing through who has no hobbies."

Bran took the opportunity to recommend, "Go learn the violin. It’s such a wonderful hobby—pleasing to oneself and others, and it doesn't require a huge expense."

Ziye waved her hand, "A violin isn't cheap either. Besides, I genuinely have little interest in music; it's hard to cultivate."

Bran readily offered, "If you don't have a violin, I can give you one, and I guarantee I can teach you." Seeing Ziye look slightly hesitant, he added, "If you agree to learn, I'll tell you why Tang Wen took you on as a student."

The moment the words fell, Ziye felt her vision darken as a tall figure blocked her light. She looked up; it was undoubtedly Tang Wen.

Tang Wen looked down at her from above, "You want to know why I took you on as a student?"