The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 871 - 870: My Uncle’s Connections

Chapter 871: Chapter 870: My Uncle’s Connections

Fu Man listened to the sound of Lu Xinnuan throwing things and banging around in her room, and worriedly knocked on her door.

"Nuannuan, what’s wrong?"

"...Mom." As soon as Lu Xinnuan saw Fu Man, all her grievances surged up. She sat on the edge of the bed, furiously punching a stuffed toy in an effort to vent her frustrations.

Lu Mian’s words kept replaying in her mind, making her incredibly angry.

What does she mean by "get as far away as possible"?

Did Lu Mian think she wanted to see her?

"Why did you have to have two children? And why must one of them be Lu Mian? She competes with me over everything. Even though I go out of my way to avoid her, she still won’t leave me alone, always confronting me..."

Fu Man was startled and flustered. "Nuannuan, what on earth happened?"

"The song I liked... the one I had set my sights on... was composed by Lu Mian." Lu Xinnuan closed her eyes, and large droplets of tears began rolling down her face. "I never even knew she could do something like that."

"The song you’ve been trying to find the original composer for and get authorization from?" Fu Man had some idea about this matter. Lu Xinnuan had been making calls nonstop these past few days, and had finally managed to reach Miss Shen.

"Lu Mian knows how to compose music? When did she learn that? I didn’t even know..."

Lu Xinnuan raised her head and gave Fu Man a deep look. Suddenly, she seemed to calm down, but the spite and resentment in her eyes made Fu Man shiver and feel a chill down her spine.

"You really are..." Lu Xinnuan sighed heavily, exhausted, "of no help to me whatsoever..."

Back in Wucheng, her parents were living under someone else’s roof. Although the Lu Family had once been a prominent, minor aristocratic family, her parents showed no ambition, and the family’s affairs had all been handed to her uncle.

Now that they had arrived in Jinjing, at the exact time when she most needed connections and financial support, her parents couldn’t offer her any help. And worse, the older sister they’d given her was constantly sabotaging her.

"The music festival is in August. My teacher worked so hard to secure a spot for me, but I haven’t even prepared a decent song... And you all, aside from dragging me down, what else are you good for?"

Lu Xinnuan’s words hit Fu Man hard.

The deep disdain and frustration in her eyes pierced right through her.

"Nuannuan..." Fu Man didn’t have time to process her own emotions, focusing solely on comforting Lu Xinnuan, "Let me think, let me think if there’s anyone who can help..."

"Our family doesn’t have anyone in showbiz. Who do you think you know that could help?"

Fu Man couldn’t think of anyone even after racking her brain. The only person who had managed to climb up to Master Xiao’s connections was her eldest daughter, and she wouldn’t even dare mention her now.

"Oh, right! Your aunt mentioned that your younger uncle is a piano tuner. He might know a few people in the music scene?"

"..." Lu Xinnuan felt that Fu Man was just making matters worse, and she opened her mouth with a mix of frustration and amusement. "He’s just a piano repairman—and a blind one at that. What kind of connections could he possibly have?"

Fu Man thought about it again and realized she might indeed have reached for straws in her desperation.

Lu Xinnuan sighed helplessly. "I’ll just go to school and explain everything to Mr. Xu."

——

Lu Xinnuan arranged a meeting with Pu Jing and headed to the Beijing University Art Building.

Her mood was somber throughout, and even by the time she arrived downstairs, she still hadn’t figured out how to explain giving up on "The Four Seasons" to Pu Jing.

Finally, she took a deep breath and went to the soundproof rehearsal room.

Just as she was about to enter, she saw Pu Jing in the corridor, talking to a man.

Understanding etiquette, she didn’t walk over but planned to wait nearby. Unexpectedly, Pu Jing called her over warmly, his attitude unusually affable.

"Xinnuan, come over quickly."

The inviting tone caught Lu Xinnuan off guard for a moment, but she hurriedly walked over.

Pu Jing had always been distant and indifferent with her, never addressing her like this before.

"Let me introduce someone to you. This is Dean An Yanhui of the Arts Department. Dean, this is Lu Xinnuan. She’ll officially enroll at the university in September."

Dean?

Lu Xinnuan immediately became more polite and greeted him sweetly.

An Yanhui glanced at her and smiled lightly. "So I finally get to meet you."

Confused, Lu Xinnuan looked over at Pu Jing. Was she imagining things, or did these two—one dean, one teacher—seem unusually kind toward her today?

An Yanhui chuckled and reminded Pu Jing, "Mr. Xu, please look after Lu Xinnuan in the future."

"Of course, Dean. It’s my responsibility."

With that, An Yanhui walked away, leaving Lu Xinnuan dazed by his last words and somewhat at a loss.

What just happened?

How did she suddenly become a priority for the dean?

"Mr. Xu, the dean—"

Pu Jing patiently asked her, "Do you have an uncle named Fu Yu?"

"My younger uncle?"

Pu Jing laughed. "The dean is good friends with Fu Yu. He learned that you’d soon be attending university and specifically asked me to keep an eye out for you. Xinnuan, why didn’t you ever mention this before?"

"I..." Lu Xinnuan suddenly remembered that Fu Yu had visited the Beijing University campus in the past...

At the time, she thought Fu Yu was stalking her, worried about encountering embarrassing relatives, and thus avoided reaching out to him altogether.

He came to meet the dean?

"Why would he..."

Lu Xinnuan hadn’t expected Fu Yu to have such connections. His good relationship with the dean had inadvertently benefited her, even leading to Pu Jing’s shift in attitude.

"What’s the matter? Planning to keep secrets again? If the dean hadn’t paid extra attention, this might never have been noticed," Pu Jing remarked, then carefully cautioned, "Xinnuan, in a place like Jinjing, having connections is a significant advantage. Understand?"

"Yes..." Lu Xinnuan was overwhelmed, almost stunned.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Fu Yu, a seemingly minor figure, would have such valuable relationships. With this connection, her future at Beijing University would be much smoother.

Among her relatives, there was finally someone who could be of help to her.

"It’s just... Mr. Xu, about the song ’The Four Seasons,’ I don’t want to sing it anymore. I’d like to choose a different song."

"What’s wrong? Couldn’t get the authorization?"

"No." She had the authorization now, so that wasn’t an issue.

The problem was, she didn’t want Lu Mian standing by, laughing at her.

Pu Jing was surprisingly agreeable this time, nodding without asking for further explanation.

"Alright, if you don’t want to sing it, we won’t. I actually have an idea... Your uncle Fu Yu is a close friend of the maestro Elder Kunyang. Their bond runs deep."

"What?" This news hit Lu Xinnuan like a lightning bolt.

It felt as if a bomb had been dropped on her, leaving her mind in turbulence and unable to calm down.

Her younger uncle actually knew the maestro!

Pu Jing continued, "Ask your uncle to help smooth things out for you. Even if you don’t perform at the music festival, with Elder Kunyang introducing you, you’ll still be able to forge plenty of connections!"

"Ah?... Sure, sure!"

Lu Xinnuan agreed immediately, and her mood was significantly lifted on the way back.

With her younger uncle paving the way, her rise in the entertainment industry ought to go much more smoothly!