Luna was so furious that her anger was palpable. If it had been Mia, she could have argued with Olivia and insisted on Mia performing, no matter what. But with Maria...Ah well, it was better to forget it.Was she supposed to fight tooth and nail to get Maria on stage just to make a fool of herself?Maria shrugged nonchalantly, "Go ahead. It's your turn."With a sardonic smile, Olivia turned and made her way to the stage.The crowd hushed as she sat down at the piano. Despite her fame being less than Mia’s, she was still a renowned pianist.Olivia settled herself at the piano, flexed her fingers a little, and then gently placed them on the keys.With a deep hatred for Mia fueling her, she closed her eyes, focused, and pressed down on the first note.The room was instantly filled with the enchanting melodies of the piano, leaving the audience wide- eyed in awe Olivia Davis was performing extraordinarily well today!Luna almost blacked out, itching to slap Maria!"You've really done it
Why should Luna bend over backwards promoting Mia when Maria was here?With Maria’s piano skills, all Luna needed to do was to expose her music to the world. It would be an easy task for Maria to ascend to the international stage, even becoming a top-tier international pianist.At this moment, Luna was so thrilled that tears welled up in her eyes. She could hardly resist the urge to jump onto the stage and sign a contract with Maria right away.Meanwhile, Olivia's heart sank as she listened to Maria’s piano performance. Her face paled She hadn't anticipated that ‘Mia's Piano skills would reach such a level that she would need another decade to catch up.No wonder ‘Mia’ had agreed so readily to her earlier challenge; she had been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to embarrass Olivia.How ridiculous, she had thought of playing mind games with Mia...When the piano music stopped, everyone was still immersed in the beautiful melody.Olivia pressed her lips together, turned around, and
While Charles' entertainment company had yet to establish a subsidiary domestically, Olivia knew that whatever he promised, he would ensure it was kept.As if drained of all strength, Olivia crumpled onto the floor, her eyes vacant as she gazed at Maria.A sense of desperation took hold of her, and she was filled with regret.Why had she insisted on challenging Mia?The spectators around her showed no sympathy. In the dog-eat-dog world of entertainment, there were always those ready to build you up or tear you down."Olivia really got what she deserved. Of all the people to challenge, she chose Mia. Didn't she know who Mia’s husband is?""Exactly, and her piano skills are far inferior to Mia’s. There are plenty of talents waiting for their chance to shine, no one would risk their capital for an amateur pianist like her.""Absolutely, she brought it upon herself. She set the stakes, who else could she blame for losing?"Having sufficiently mocked Olivia, the crowd started showering Mar
Following the party, Luna found herself heading back to her hotel alone. It was no surprise; Charles wouldn't let her in his car.Her mind was filled with thoughts of Maria, and Mia had all but vanished from her considerations. Just as Luna was unlocking the door to her suite, the door next to hers swung open, and out rushed Mia, looking like she had seen a ghost."Luna, Luna, help me!" Mia pleaded.Luna turned to see Mia, hair disheveled, clothes in disarray, utter panic painted on her face. The sight was so shocking that Luna could barely speak."Mimi?"Mia looked up, her makeup smeared across her face. If not for her voice, Luna wouldn't have recognized her. Mia choked back a sob before blurting out, "Alexander is a monster...""Hush!"Luna hushed her, glanced around the empty hallway, and then quickly pulled Mia into her room.Sitting on the couch, Luna frowned at the sight of Mia. "What the hell happened to you?"Mentioning the incident brought Mia to tears. "Alexander... he..
Meanwhile, Maria and Charles rode in silence back to the hotel.Upon entering the elevator, Maria instinctively pressed the button for her floor.Charles made no move to press a button of his own, seemingly uninterested in choosing a floor.Maria frowned at him, "What floor are you staying on?"Charles, with a playful smirk, didn't answer. Maria dismissed him with a huff, and they rode up in silence.When the elevator doors opened, Maria stepped out with Charles close behind. Without saying a word, she headed towards her room.She swiped her card and opened the door. As she walked in, Charles followed.Maria turned to him, unable to contain her curiosity, "Charles, why are you coming into my room? Shouldn't you be with Mia at this hour?"Charles looked at her intently before surveying the room. Seeing that it was even smaller than his own bathroom, he took a seat on the edge of the bed.“Ria, you're upset,” he stated."I am not," Maria retorted, setting her bag on the desk and turnin
With that, she promptly hung up the phone.Interactions with Luna never ended well, and it was convenient to use Charles as a shield. A free shield is always the best!"Heehee, here you go."Maria returned the phone to Charles with a chuckle. She was beginning to find that Charles could be quite useful in certain situations.Charles raised an eyebrow, slipping the phone into his pocket.He glanced up, his deep gaze meeting Maria’s eyes, which were curved like crescent moons from her smile."Ria, after what you've said, it's mandatory you spend tonight at my place."Maria pouted but didn't refuse, following him to the elevator.Just as she pressed the elevator button, a "ding" signaled the arrival of the lift. The doors opened to reveal a slightly plump figure.Maria recognized the face and her heart sank. She suddenly felt guilty, as if her lie had been caught."Hehe..."Luna waved at them, "What a coincidence."Charles merely nodded, keeping silent, and pulled Maria into the elevator
The sensation of tickling on her face and a tingling in her ears sent Maria heart racing. What was Charles up to?Wasn't he here to see Mia?Why was he flirting with her?With hands pressed lightly against Charles' chest, Maria gently pushed him away, turned her face aside, and awkwardly changed the subject. "By the way, why are you here? You didn't even tell me you were coming, and you didn't respond to my messages..."Was she complaining?Oddly enough, Charles found he rather enjoyed her complaints.Chuckling softly, he took a seat on a nearby couch, then casually glanced at Maria, eyes never leaving her."I decided to come only after wrapping up my work. I only saw your message just before boarding the plane.""Oh."Maria responded absently, then wandered around the room. When she finally came back out, she saw the couch where Charles was sitting and heaved a long sigh."Looks like I'll be sleeping on the couch again."Charles was about to respond when Maria suddenly brightened up
The next day, when Maria arrived at the set, the assistant director led her straight to the martial arts adviser. "Matthew Turner, I'll leave Mia in your hands. She has a lot of fighting scenes, try to teach her as much as you can, but if it's too complex, just use a stunt double."Maria couldn't help but smile. She was already Mia’s stunt double, and now they were considering getting another one. Just how incapable was Mia?With a modest smile, she reassured the assistant director, "Don't worry, I'll work hard to learn. I would prefer not to use a stunt double if possible."The assistant director looked at Mia with a hint of disbelief.Just yesterday, at the film's kick-off ceremony and banquet, Mia was so aloof, treating everyone except the director, the producer, and the investors with disdain. Yet today, she was so humble?Even though he was puzzled, he could only respond to Mia’s beaming face with a smile of his own. "Alright, do your best but there's no need to rush. You don't
After leaving the banquet courtyard, Maria and Charles got into a sightseeing car and headed towards the Lesser family gate.Along the way, Charles remained silent, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his face looked terrifyingly solemn.Maria also didn't say anything. She held his hand tightly as if she wanted to give him her strength.Even when they got into their own car, Charles didn't say a word. He just gently rested his head on Maria’s shoulder, like an injured child.**********Back at the villa, Maria fetched a bottle of red wine, opened it, and took out two glasses. She tilted her head at Charles."Let's go and drink in the room."She smiled and raised the wine bottle in her hand. Charles noticed and finally relaxed the corners of his tightly pressed lips.He stood up and laughed softly, "How is one bottle enough? You are never drunk after a thousand cups."Maria looked at him speechlessly, seeing him take out two more bottles of red wine. She felt like things wer
Eva had been with Eric for more than twenty years, and she had no doubt about his feelings for her. Moreover, Eric always took good care of her and loved her deeply. If there was any rift between them, it was Charles.For the past twenty years, she had always been cautious in protecting their relationship, never inquiring about any news about Charles. That's why they had been living in harmony, until Mia came to Beijing. She had started investigating Charles' affairs under the old lady's orders.And since then, she felt that Eric had become more and more distant from her, a distance that she couldn't close no matter what she did.Now that Charles had come to Beijing, she had to make a choice between Eric and Charles. She didn't want to, but she had to…"Eric…"Her voice trembled as she pleaded, looking at him. "Can't you…?""No!"Those two resolute words instantly crushed the only hope in Eva heart.On one side was her husband, and on the other was her biological son, and she owed C
David and Hamya exchanged glances as they heard this. It was as if they had made a decision. They immediately said in unison, "We want to go too!""Huh?"Charles looked at them with confusion.David patted his stomach and smiled at Charles, "Young Master Smith, I wonder if your company is in need of pianists? What do you think of me?"Hamya chuckled and nodded, "I think I can do it too. Young Master Smith, please consider signing both of us. We don't ask for much, just a chance to perform in top music halls."David was worried that Charles would disagree, so he put on an even more sincere smile. "Ah yeah, haha... We just feel that Patrick is not enough on his own. With Hamya and I joining, after all, we have better qualifications than him. When the three great piano masters embark on anglobal tour together, and with Maria and Linda, it will be twice as successful.""Exactly!"Hamya laughed happily, "Young Master Smith, a single concert takes too long, Patrick won't be able to handle i
The two of them walked onto the stage and sat down at the piano. Maria raised her head and exchanged a glance with Linda, who placed her hands on the keys.The young pianists were curious about what music Maria and Linda would play. This was the second round of the training camp's open competition, and they usually wouldn't get to hear it.Suddenly, the piano played a melancholic melody, carrying a touch of elegance in the air, instantly striking at people's hearts!"This is..."Some couldn't remain calm instantly. "Butterfly Lovers?!""Is that possible? Butterfly Lovers arranged as a piano piece?""Yes, everyone knows that Butterfly Lovers is best played on the guqin, or the zheng would also work. It's my first time hearing it played on the piano.""Hey, no, this version of Butterfly Lovers has been adapted for piano. It suits the instrument perfectly while still preserving the essence of the original piece. It's absolutely refreshing!"After a few seconds of discussion, an unexpect
Two days later, Maria and Linda arrive at the venue of the exchange conference in their finest attire.They hand over their invitation cards and wait for the security guard to check them.Suddenly, a mocking voice comes from beside them, "Oh oh, who is this? Linda!? Am I mistaken?"The one speaking is Linda manager, and standing next to her is the pianist signed by Linda economic company."Aria, you're not mistaken, isn't that Linda herself?"Hearing their voices, Linda's face darkens. She turns her head and glares at them, "Aria, your eyesight is really not good, you can't even recognize me. You should go to the hospital to have your eyes checked."Aria originally wanted to embarrass Linda, but she didn't expect her to retort so sharply. She immediately gets furious."Linda, the company didn't give you an invitation card. Tell me, where did you steal it from?""Hehe..."Linda raises her chin triumphantly, holding Maria's arm. "Do I need the company to give me one? Just look at who's
After arriving in Beijing, the feeling of uneasiness never appeared again, and Maria felt an indescribable relief.Charles had sent someone to take Andrew back to the Lesser family, while Patrick and Linda followed Charles and Maria back to their villa.Originally, Andrew had strongly invited Patrick to come back to the Lesser family with him, but Patrick knew that the Lesser family was big and complicated, so he used the excuse of being with Linda and followed Charles.***********On the third day, when Luna returned from Brussels, she went directly to Maria’s place and looked at Linda, her expression becoming more flattering."Linda, I heard that your contract with your previous agency is about to expire, right?"Maria sat next to Linda, holding a big doll in her hands, feeling very angry."Yes, they told me before that if I could achieve good results in the training camp this time, they would sign me for another ten years and give me all the resources. But just when I announced my
At this moment, Maria had already packed up and left the hotel with Charles, Linda, Andrew, and others.On the way to the airport, Linda still couldn't understand and turned back to Maria, "Ria, as long as the misunderstanding is resolved, we can still stay in the training camp, right?"Of course, Maria knew that if she returned to the training camp now, everyone would treat her like a deity.Just kidding, being able to decide the life and death of their teacher, they would definitely flatter and serve Maria obediently.Maria shook her head, "Actually, I have already achieved my goal. Linda, if you want to go back, you can go back, no need to accompany me.""Hey!"Linda casually waved her hand, "Without you here, why should I go back? Besides, I have hugged your thigh, and you have hugged Master Smith's thigh. Am I still afraid of not being able to reach the pinnacle of the international piano world?"She said it so casually, as if she was joking. But Maria could tell that she still f
Maria, so smart, why couldn't she understand what they meant?She smiled and turned to shout inside the house, "Honey, it turns out they are looking for you." Charles was inside, and he had heard everything at the door clearly. The girls had looked down on him before and said he was weak, but now they all came to beg him with a straight face. It was really funny.He remained silent for a while before saying, "Ria, in our home, I make the major decisions and you make the minor ones. But in my eyes, besides you, nothing else is a major matter. So, you make the decisions."The girls outside, "..."Didn't that mean that Maria would be in charge of everything in the house?They felt a toothache and couldn't believe they were caught off guard by this unexpected situation.Maria shrugged and looked at them again.Originally, they came to apologize to Maria as a pretense, hoping that she would persuade Charles, but now, the initiative was completely in her hands, and they had to lower their
Maria was not foolish. Why did her reputation stink so much? Was it only because of the ambiguous relationship between her and Charles at that banquet?Just that one time was not enough to make everyone dislike and envy her.Lucy's face was extremely embarrassed, but at this moment, she had already lost all confidence in front of Maria and could only cry helplessly."Maria, I really know I was wrong. Can you forgive me? Please...""Lucy, your intentions were truly wicked. You even used Rivata as a weapon. Honestly, I admire you for that."Even while saying this, Maria's expression remained calm, her tone as if chatting with a close friend."You, alone, have bewitched the hearts of all the girls in the training camp. You treated others as pawns to sacrifice for your own gain. Wasn't your goal to drive me out of the camp? Congratulations, you achieved your goal. You should be happy, so why are you crying?"When Maria said this, the other girls immediately began pondering.After thinkin