"Teacher Wen, thank you. I'll be leaving now." Evie glanced at the time, picked up her bag, and left promptly. Seeing her leave so decisively, Wen Qiulan pursed her lips, remaining silent. Wen Qiulan was observant, and coupled with Evie's obvious behavior, she noticed that Evie's attitude towards her had changed significantly since their last conversation. They used to chat after classes or sit together for a cup of coffee, but now their interactions were limited to the lessons only, resembling the typical relationship between a teacher and a student.

Wen Qiulan thought this was fine, yet she felt a sense of loss that she couldn't quite understand, a feeling that troubled her constantly. With a light sigh, Wen Qiulan bent down to tidy up the music sheet in the room when her communicator lit up. Glancing at it, she found a message from Evie.

—"Teacher Wen, I forgot to ask you earlier, are you attending the awards ceremony tomorrow?" 

Evie's message was brief. Wen Qiulan nodded slightly upon reading it. Then, realizing that Evie had already left and couldn't see her nod, she replied with a message, "Yes, I won't be able to hold class tomorrow." After sending the message, Wen Qiulan looked at the communicator for a while. Several minutes passed without a response from Evie, prompting her to switch it off.

Wen Qiulan indeed had to attend an award ceremony the next day, which had been confirmed a month ago for the Golden Melody Awards, one of the most prestigious ceremonies in the Laniswei Empire. It recognized achievements in music, including pop and instrumental categories. This time, not only was she a presenter, but she was also nominated for Best Composer and Best Performer.

Evie didn't learn about these details from Wen Qiulan herself but rather from Dionysus, who had helped her with the investigation. Given that Wen Qiulan was somewhat well-known in her field—not a celebrity, but a recognized pianist—and with her striking looks and poise, her popularity was quite considerable. When Evie had asked Dionysus to investigate, she even discovered that Wen Qiulan had a fan club... Fans of piano music were generally quiet, and the club felt more like a gathering of music enthusiasts than a typical fan group.

"Miss, there's a banquet tomorrow that you need to attend. Do you have any other plans?" Dionysus noticed Evie returning, her expression brightening from earlier gloom, hinting that it might be related to the person she had been pursuing recently.

"Hmm? What banquet?"

"It's Lady Carpenter's birthday, and the Duke is busy with affairs. He hopes you can attend on his behalf."

"Cancel it. Send over the submarine we bought from the Moon before. Also, how is the preparation I asked you about?"

"I've arranged for the young lady's piano and the meals you need. From today onwards, no guests will be received, and a spot has been reserved just for you." 

Listening to Dionysus's response, Evie nodded with a smile, satisfied with his efficiency, and gestured for him to leave.

Sitting on the sofa, Evie opened the sheet music she had saved, a satisfied smile forming on her lips. She knew that her attitude towards Wen Qiulan during this period must have relieved that person, but if Wen Qiulan thought she would just give up, that would be too naive. Evie regretted her previous impatience, which made Wen Qiulan wary of her approach, but this incident wouldn't affect the final outcome. Since Wen Qiulan unconsciously allowed her to get closer, it indicated that she wasn't truly rejecting Evie. Evie's current display of indifference was a strategy of retreating to advance. She understood how to pursue someone and how to touch Wen Qiulan's heart—she knew exactly what to do.

That night, Evie went to bed early. The next morning, she sent a message to Wen Qiulan, wishing her success for the evening. Wen Qiulan smiled faintly at Evie's message. She had a calm nature and didn't place much importance on awards. However Wen Qiulan took her music seriously and hoped for recognition for her compositions.

Wen Qiulan attached great importance to today's award ceremony. At noon, she went to the stylist to prepare for the evening's attire and makeup. Wen Qiulan's clothing style always emphasized nobility and elegance, which was also the case for this formal awards ceremony. The stylist understood her style well and selected a white off-shoulder evening gown for her. The gown's hem lightly brushed the floor, not too long or dragging. It was adorned with sparkling diamonds and delicately embroidered with light gold thread, featuring exquisite patterns and lace.

"Teacher Wen, I knew this gown would look perfect on you, only someone like you can pull it off." the stylist complimented, looking at Wen Qiulan with amazed admiration. Wen Qiulan was tall with long legs and an astonishingly slim waist, and even though she was slender, she still had a generous bust. Her figure was so perfect it hardly seemed like that of an Alpha.

"Kayse, thank you. I want my makeup to be light tonight, nothing too flashy." Wen Qiulan said softly. Kayse nodded, understanding perfectly. He had always been Wen Qiulan's go-to stylist and knew exactly how to enhance her natural beauty. An hour later, her makeup was complete.

She raised her head and looked at herself in the mirror. Kayse truly understood her well. Wen Qiulan had always preferred a more natural look. The light brown eyeshadow complemented her eyes beautifully. She already had large, lovely eyes, and when her double eyelids drooped slightly, they took on a gentle curve.

Her long lashes fluttered with each blink, and when she smiled, her lips, tinted with a light orange lipstick, revealed her white, even teeth. To her surprise, she noticed that Kayse had even added a small beauty mark beneath her eye to enhance her overall look. Wen Qiulan thanked him, her voice soft and melodic, sending shivers down Kayse's spine.

"My dear Teacher Wen, could you please stop exuding your charm? Even I, a Beta, feel like I'm falling for you. It's unbearable! It's hard to believe that someone like you, an Alpha, is still single." Kayse said seriously. He knew he wasn't exaggerating, many in their circle admired Wen Qiulan. She had a good temperament, was beautiful, and received high praise from everyone. Moreover, she had only dated two people in her life and never engaged in casual flings. How could such an Alpha not attract attention?

"Kayse, stop teasing me. It's time to go. I need to head out." Wen Qiulan said, fixing her loose hair before getting into her assistant's car to head directly to the Golden Melody Awards. This wasn't her first award ceremony, and she didn't feel nervous. Compared to pianists like her, the stars in pop music were the ones who garnered more attention.

The Golden Melody Awards would be broadcasted live on multiple planets' synchronized networks. Evie had checked the schedule in advance and promptly opened her holographic computer. Luck was on her side as Wen Qiulan's image appeared on the screen shortly after she turned on the computer. Her entrance didn't elicit much of a scream from the fans, only a few Omegas held up paper scores, softly calling her name.

Through the screen, Evie couldn't tell if there were any Betas among the crowd, but it was certain that there were many Omegas. She watched as Wen Qiulan walked gracefully down the red carpet, flawlessly dressed and made up. At that moment, the comments on the stream began to increase. Most were asking which star had just passed by, and soon, more people started to dig into Wen Qiulan's background.

Evie found herself engrossed in the posts about Wen Qiulan, even though she already knew her background well. Seeing it from others gave her a sense of pride. Having such an impressive Alpha was indeed something to be proud of.

As Evie enjoyed her vegetable salad, she continued to watch Wen Qiulan on the screen. Unfortunately, the main awards at the Golden Melody Awards were primarily given to pop musicians, resulting in very few camera shots of Wen Qiulan. Evie nearly dozed off until she finally saw Wen Qiulan again. As a presenter, she awarded a female Beta singer, and Evie's eyes widened as she admired Wen Qiulan's elegance. She also noticed the winner's look of astonishment upon seeing Wen Qiulan.

The female singer's acceptance speech even mentioned how beautiful the presenter was. Evie stabbed a cherry tomato with her fork, popped it in her mouth, and wrinkled her brow at the sourness. However, what followed was even more sour. Prior to the awards ceremony, she had researched Wen Qiulan's competitors. While there was a seasoned artist among them, his compositions were not as outstanding as Wen Qiulan's. Evie had high hopes for Wen Qiulan to win.

The final results did not disappoint her. Wen Qiulan won both the Best Composer and Best Performer awards. As the camera focused on her, she wore a gentle smile—neither too excited nor too surprised. She walked gracefully to the stage, and only Evie noticed that she repeatedly touched her earlobes before stepping up. This was a little habit of Wen Qiulan's when she was nervous, something Evie had only picked up during her classes.

Evie couldn't help but smile. She suddenly realized that Wen Qiulan was quite adorable in her composed demeanor, concealing who knows how flustered she might really be inside. Evie watched with delight as Wen Qiulan delivered her acceptance speech on stage, and suddenly, the comments exploded. A whole crowd of people exclaimed how beautiful this Alpha sister was, expressing their admiration and even saying they would be willing to be her Omega...

Seeing those crazy barrage of comments, Evie frowned and swiftly turned off the screen. She felt that these netizens were truly bold, saying such shameless things in broad daylight on the comments section—talking about having children and all... From now on, Wen Qiulan's thing would be living inside her body, she wouldn't let anyone else have it. Even if she were to have children, it would be with her... Evie realized what she was thinking and quickly shook her head. She continued to look at the computer, but Wen Qiulan had already finished her acceptance speech and left the stage.

Knowing that Wen Qiulan wouldn't be appearing again, Evie didn't continue watching but instead became restless. Starting tonight, she suddenly felt a sense of crisis. Evie hurriedly tidied herself up and had Dionysus drive her to the venue of the awards ceremony. She hadn't originally planned to go since she and Wen Qiulan were still in a cooling-off period, but after seeing such a beautiful Wen Qiulan, Evie found herself unable to sit still.

Meanwhile, Wen Qiulan was backstage changing clothes and removing her makeup. Glancing at her communicator, she noticed that after Evie sent a message in the morning, there had been no further communication, which left her feeling inexplicably disappointed. Wen Qiulan found it odd how she, the one who had said they should keep their distance, yet now she was the one feeling down because Evie hadn't messaged her.

With these thoughts in mind, Wen Qiulan left through the back door with her assistant, preparing to go home and rest. As they stepped outside, they saw a person standing not far away on the street. She was dressed in a simple dress, standing gracefully in the wind. When she saw Wen Qiulan, her golden eyes sparkled with a light brighter than the moon. The warm yellow light from the streetlamp illuminated her hair tips. It was a beautiful scene that made one reluctant to disturb.

Xiao Yi... why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to congratulate you in person, Teacher Wen, you look really beautiful tonight."

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