Chapter 161: What Is He Here For?

In a banquet filled with musicians, the sudden appearance of a businessman who had virtually nothing to do with music felt somewhat unexpected to the guests who recognized Gao Ting'an.

Of course, the guests were not the only ones surprised; Qin Yi was surprised as well.

Hearing the perplexity in Qin Yi's voice, Gao Ting'an chuckled and took over the conversation before Qin Yi could finish:

"I happened to wrap up a dinner nearby, and passing by, I saw the sign at the entrance and realized you were holding an apprenticeship banquet here today, so I dropped by to offer my congratulations."

"I came uninvited. I hope I'm not intruding?"

Qin Yi finally understood what was going on. He waved his hand with a smile and said, "Not at all, not at all."

A lively banquet was always welcome, and since the man had come with sincere congratulations, such a thoughtful gesture was quite rare. Seeing Gao Ting'an, Qin Yi was genuinely pleased.

Gao Ting'an handed over a bouquet of flowers. "I came on short notice and didn't have time to prepare a gift in advance, so I had my secretary buy some flowers. I hope you will accept them. Congratulations on taking on a new disciple!"

"Thank you, President Gao, you really are very thoughtful." Qin Yi accepted the bouquet, his face creasing into a smile, and then looked toward Lu Zhou beside him, introducing him to Gao Ting'an: "This is my newly accepted apprentice, Lu Zhou."

"And this is President Gao of the Gaosheng Group. In his spare time, he often likes to attend my concerts; you could say he's a loyal, longtime audience member of mine," Qin Yi introduced Gao Ting'an to Lu Zhou in return.

Hearing this, Gao Ting'an wore a brilliant smile. He turned his gaze to Lu Zhou and extended an open palm toward him.

"Hello, Lu Zhou."

It was not the first time the two had met, but in this current setting, it felt just like a first encounter.

Or rather, a first direct confrontation.

A confrontation? Could it be considered a confrontation? Lu Zhou thought to himself.

He slowly rose from his seat, maintaining a calm exterior, and gently shook Gao Ting'an's hand.

"Hello, President Gao."

The handshake was brief, and they let go immediately.

Nothing could be read from Gao Ting'an's expression; his smile was approachable, and the look he gave Lu Zhou was even friendlier than Wang Yanhua's.

"Although I am a businessman and don't understand the intricacies of high art, I enjoy going to the concert hall to listen to piano performances when I unwind. In that regard, I truly am a loyal fan of your master."

"Your master is a peerless talent in the music world. I hear his standards for taking apprentices are extremely strict. Since you were able to study under him, it shows you must be a genius as well, right?"

"I look forward to your future performances, and I hope that one day, I can become your loyal fan as well."

Gao Ting'an said with a smile, his tone completely devoid of any hidden barbs, sounding like a genuine blessing.

Lu Zhou looked at him quietly for a moment, then put on an enthusiastic smile as well. "Thank you."

Qin Yi looked at the two of them, then let out a hearty laugh and said to Gao Ting'an, "Are you putting such heavy pressure on my apprentice the moment you arrive?"

Gao Ting'an replied, "Not at all. Anyone who catches your eye must be an extraordinary talent. I am sincerely looking forward to his future performances."

Qin Yi said, "I'm looking forward to them, too."

After chatting and laughing for a while, Qin Yi eventually invited Gao Ting'an to stay and complete the banquet, personally arranging an extra seat for him.

After much consideration, Qin Yi felt that placing Gao Ting'an at Ye Fangfei's table might be more appropriate. After all, Ye Fangfei's family was also in business, so the two would at least have some topics in common. If he were seated with those who only knew music, it would probably be awkward the whole way through.

Thinking along these lines, Qin Yi acted accordingly, and even asked Ye Fangfei to look after Gao Ting'an.

Hearing this, Gao Ting'an laughed. "Elder Qin's words make me ashamed. I'm more than a full cycle older than Fangfei. To have a junior look after me—if word of that gets out, it will be quite the joke."

With that, he took his seat, which happened to be right beside Ye Fangfei.

Resting his chin in his hand, Ye Fangfei leisurely chimed in:

"Here, seniority isn't determined by age."

"Besides, even if we weren't here, if we really had to rank by seniority, we'd be peers. How did I suddenly become a junior in your mouth? You're taking advantage of this... a bit too blatantly."

The twin sisters Ouyang Xue and Xia Bing, seated at the same table, couldn't help exchanging glances when they heard Ye Fangfei's words, holding back their laughter. What was this inexplicable competitive spirit over seniority all about?

Gao Ting'an didn't get annoyed either; he turned his head to look at Ye Fangfei with a smile. "I was just making a joke, yet you're taking it so seriously."

Ye Fangfei replied, "Jokes I don't like are the ones I always take seriously."

Gao Ting'an smiled and didn't respond.

Qin Yi looked left and right, wondering why the two of them felt somewhat at odds with each other. A sudden sense that placing Gao Ting'an at Ye Fangfei's table might have been improper cropped up in his mind.

Qin Yi gently patted Ye Fangfei's shoulder and whispered, "Feifei, take good care of our guest."

Ye Fangfei let out an "oh," though she didn't really take it to heart.

It was just a meal; what was there to take care of?

Gao Ting'an was a mature businessman, and social occasions of this sort were familiar, routine scenes for him. Where would he ever need anyone to take care of him?

Clearly, Qin Yi had wanted to give Gao Ting'an plenty of face, which was why he gave such instructions.

Nearby, Gao Ting'an smiled at Qin Yi. "Elder Qin, please go ahead and be busy, don't mind me. I just dropped by on a whim to join the fun; it would be bad if I caused you any trouble."

After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries, Qin Yi returned to the main table.

"Do you often listen to Elder Qin's performances?" After Qin Yi left, Ye Fangfei glanced sideways at Gao Ting'an and asked out of curiosity.

"I'm his fan," Gao Ting'an replied.

"Is that so?" Ye Fangfei raised an eyebrow. "You charter luxury yachts for vacations and still hire senior symphony orchestras to play for you all the way, and on top of that, you're a fan of Elder Qin. I couldn't tell before—you actually have quite an elegant taste in music appreciation?"

Gao Ting'an smiled, maintaining his warm expression. "There are actually quite a few things about me that you haven't been able to tell yet."

Ye Fangfei looked at him for a moment and let the matter drop, shifting her gaze back toward the main table.

Noticing her line of sight, Gao Ting'an leaned back leisurely in his chair, his eyes falling on Lu Zhou.

As Lu Zhou was socializing among the guests with Elder Qin, he lifted his gaze and swept it across the direction of Ye Fangfei and Gao Ting'an. Their eyes met, and he smiled calmly at Gao Ting'an before looking away.

Throughout the entire exchange of glances, he never once interacted with Ye Fangfei.

What was Gao Ting'an here to do?

Lu Zhou deduced that he was probably here to observe.

Gao Ting'an attending this apprenticeship banquet could not have been part of his scheduled plans originally. He might really have just finished a business dinner nearby, discovered the banquet upon leaving, and dropped by on a sudden whim to check out the situation.

In his previous life, Lu Zhou's apprenticeship banquet had not been held on this exact date. The change in timing had aligned it with Gao Ting'an's schedule, which was why he had come.

Of course, there was likely another layer to it as well.

In the previous life's apprenticeship banquet, Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei had already publicly announced their relationship, but in this lifetime, Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei shared no such bond. This might well be one of the factors that prompted Gao Ting'an to come and take a look.

Since he had come to conduct a covert observation, Lu Zhou would simply put everything on display for him to see clearly.