A slender, fair hand suddenly pressed down on Su Qingnuan's hand.
Fu Yihan slowly opened his eyes, maintaining a calm expression as he looked at Fu Yixing: "Sit down."
Su Qingnuan hesitated for a moment, then sat back down after briefly standing.
Fu Yixing gritted his teeth, glaring at Fu Yihan with dissatisfaction.
"Big Brother, we're in public. Could you at least show me some respect?"
Fu Yihan curled his lips mockingly and said, "She is Mrs. Fu; naturally, she should sit next to me."
"And what about me?" Fu Yixing shouted angrily. "Am I supposed to sit in the back?"
Seeing the worsening atmosphere between the two, the old Mr. Fu furrowed his brows and stood up: "Why don't you sit here instead?"
Fu Yixing abruptly fell silent.
The old Mr. Fu lifted his gaze, scanning the room for the only vacant seat, which was in the second row.
There were seven people in their party; the first row was fully occupied, while the back row remained empty.
"Your elder brother rarely goes out. Accommodating him a bit wouldn't hurt." The old Mr. Fu said sternly, "Go sit in the back row."
"Grandpa!" Fu Yixing protested urgently, "Someone might come in to take photos later. If they see me sitting in the back, how humiliating would that be for me?"
"What's so humiliating about that?" The old Mr. Fu dismissed his concerns. "We're simply attending a concert as a family. What could others possibly say about it?"
Fu Yixing remained rooted to the spot, refusing to move.
Seeing this, Yun Qingrou stood up helplessly: "Yixing, why don't you take my seat, and I'll sit in the back."
"That won't do!" Fu Yixing pressed her back down into her seat. "After all, you are....."
"What am I?" Fu Yihan cut him off coldly, interrupting. "Just an outsider who relies on the Fu family's reputation to be part of this. Sitting in the back wouldn't be inappropriate at all."
"Fu Yihan!" Fu Yixing growled through clenched teeth. "Don't go too far!"
Fu Yihan snorted indifferently and glanced at him dismissively. "If I go too far, what can you do?"
Fu Yixing clenched his fists tightly, stepping forward.
At that moment, the bodyguards appeared, stepping in front of Fu Yixing to block him.
"Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Master dislikes people approaching him. Please step back."
Seeing the towering stature of the bodyguards, Fu Yixing reluctantly took a few steps back.
Fu Yihan coughed lightly, signaling the bodyguards to withdraw.
Yun Qingrou glanced at Fu Yihan's cold expression, then gently held Fu Yixing by the shoulders, guiding him to sit in her seat. "It's fine. Your dignity is important."
"Mom...." Fu Yixing frowned, gripping her hand and whispered, "I can't let him get away with this!"
Yun Qingrou looked at the old Mr. Fu and shook her head slightly.
Fu Yixing paused, hesitated, but eventually released her hand.
The heated clash over seating arrangements dissipated under Yun Qingrou's forbearance.
Yet the lingering tension in the air refused to fade away.
Su Qingnuan lowered her gaze, staring at the large hand still resting on the back of hers.
The commanding tone made Su Qingnuan immediately straighten her posture and look toward the stage.
The warmth on her hand disappeared as the man pulled his hand back.
Su Qingnuan sneaked a glance at him, only to be caught in the act.
Fu Yihan's cold gaze landed on her, his lips curving slightly upward.
Seeing the bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, Su Qingnuan quickly looked away, sitting upright and stiff.
The soothing music poured into her ears, and Su Qingnuan involuntarily closed her eyes, savoring the momentary peace.
The melody from the masters carried emotions—joy, grief, celebration, and sorrow—pulling at the listeners' heartstrings with peaks and valleys.
Suddenly, the music stopped. Everyone snapped back to attention as thunderous applause filled the air.
The old Mr. Fu smiled and remarked, "The music world nowadays is full of talent!"
Fu Yihan politely responded with a simple "Mm."
Watching his indifferent demeanor, the old Mr. Fu shook his head helplessly. "Forget it, it's pointless talking to you about this," he said, and then stood up.
As the old Mr. Fu left, Su Qingnuan cautiously got to her feet.
"Where are you going?"
Su Qingnuan froze and hesitated before replying nervously to Fu Yihan: "To the restroom....."
Fu Yihan's icy gaze flashed with disdain before he turned his face away.
Seeing this, Su Qingnuan hurriedly ran off.
The third floor had dedicated restrooms. Su Qingnuan rushed all the way there.
After spending some time inside, she opened the door to leave but was startled to find someone standing at the restroom entrance.
"Sister-in-law." Fu Yixing smiled faintly, though his eyes betrayed his hatred. "I've been waiting for you."
Su Qingnuan backed away cautiously. "What do you want?"
"Don't worry." Fu Yixing said, grinning. "I'm not interested in touching you today."
He glanced toward the stage and continued, "I heard you play piano well, and that you were young when a professor from Saint Petersburg University invited you to study there. Since we have some free time today, why don't you perform for us?"
"..... We're here to attend the concert. It's not appropriate."
Fu Yixing sneered and grabbed Su Qingnuan by the arm.
"There's no such thing as appropriate or inappropriate. Or is it that you don't dare?"
Su Qingnuan bit her lip and struggled to free herself from Fu Yixing's grip.
But Fu Yixing's strength was overwhelming. He dragged Su Qingnuan toward the elevator.
As she was shoved into the elevator, Su Qingnuan couldn't suppress her anger. "Fu Yixing! I'm your sister-in-law! This is coercion!"
"Sister-in-law?" Fu Yixing scoffed, looking at her disdainfully. "Don't overestimate your importance. If I wanted, you'd be kicked out of this house by tomorrow."
Su Qingnuan clenched her fists tightly, a trace of hatred surfacing in her eyes.
Unfazed, Fu Yixing dragged Su Qingnuan to the backstage area of the stage.
In the backstage lounge, during intermission, the crowd gathered and chatted joyfully.
Suddenly, the lounge doors were flung open, and a girl's sharp scream shattered the cheerful atmosphere.
Everyone turned to see the infamous Fu family's second son dragging a woman into the room.
His piercing gaze scanned everyone as he barked, "Who's in charge here?"
Moments later, a man dressed in a vest suit stepped forward.
"Second Young Master, I'm in charge. Is there something you need?"
Fu Yixing shoved Su Qingnuan forward and coldly ordered, "Get her made up. She's going to perform on stage."
"What?" The person in charge hurried to catch Su Qingnuan, gasping in surprise. "And this lady is?"
"This lady?" Fu Yixing sneered, his lips curling upward. "She's my sister-in-law. You should know my elder brother's temper. If her performance disappoints, the consequences won't just fall on her."
The person in charge trembled slightly and quickly escorted Su Qingnuan inside.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Fu. We'll make sure you're dressed beautifully for the stage. What piece do you want to perform? We can assist you....."
A crowd surrounded her, chattering non-stop, leaving Su Qingnuan no room to respond.
Meanwhile, Fu Yixing leaned casually against the doorway, clearly in no hurry to leave.
She couldn't play the piano at all!