Chapter 73: I Truly Cannot Tell You

"How could that be!" Yu Zhile protested, "How could I possibly play the piano so beautifully!"

Qin Haiyu's voice rang out from behind him, resolute and certain. "It was you! Darling, you may be able to fool others, but you can't fool me! Otherwise, why were you afraid to speak when I asked if you knew me? Weren't you just worried that the moment you opened your mouth, I'd recognize you?"

"It really wasn't me!" Yu Zhile kept up his denial. "Honey, you've got it all wrong. I was in the bathroom with a stomachache at that time!"

Qin Haiyu insisted, "I don't care! My intuition tells me that Mr. Panda is you!"

Yu Zhile asked, "And what if it isn't?"

Qin Haiyu was adamant, "There's no 'if' about it! It's you!"

"Ahem, now you're just being unreasonable!" Yu Zhile was at a loss to see where he'd slipped up. Why was his wife so convinced that Mr. Panda was him? Was it just because he hadn't answered her? Or had his charm become so great that no disguise could hide it? Or was this simply a woman's sixth sense?

"Fine!" Yu Zhile gave up the pretense. "No wonder you're my wife! No matter how well I hide, you always find me out! It seems that a handsome man stands out, even if he’s reduced to ashes!"

Qin Haiyu's eyes lit up with delight as she praised him, "Hehe! I knew it was you! Darling, your 'Piano Pieces of the Night' was so beautiful! Especially the fifth piece, the melody was just enchanting! Oh, and you looked even cuter than our baby in that panda suit!"

"Hmph, women!" Yu Zhile teased, "That’s not what you were saying earlier!"

Qin Haiyu, like a mischievous child, hugged her husband from behind and pouted, "I did that on purpose! Who told you to join the gala without telling me? Such an important thing, and you kept it a secret! You had me waiting backstage the whole time, hoping you'd come find me!"

Yu Zhile explained patiently, "It was a last-minute decision. Cai Lanlan couldn’t make it in time, and her piano performance needed either a replacement or to be substituted with another act. There are plenty of pianists at the venue, but none dared to step up and take her place. So I volunteered, went on stage as our university's piano teacher, and secretly put on the panda suit!"

Qin Haiyu was curious, "Is that allowed? No rehearsal, just a last-minute replacement—would the director really agree? It was a live broadcast!"

Yu Zhile replied, "Luckily, I knew someone on the inside, so the director finally agreed to let me take Cai Lanlan's spot."

Qin Haiyu pursued another question, "But darling, doesn't that expose your identity? Won't everyone know you're my husband?"

"Not at all!" Yu Zhile explained, "As I said, I went on stage as our university’s piano teacher. Other than one backstage acquaintance, no one else—including the director—knows my name. And certainly, none of them realize that I am the dashing, charming, elegant, and irresistible husband of the beautiful, gentle, virtuous, and universally adored Qin Haiyu!"

"Pfft!" Qin Haiyu laughed. "Darling, you really have no shame!"

Yu Zhile responded with a grin, "Shame doesn't matter, as long as I have you!"

Qin Haiyu felt a warm sweetness blossom in her heart. She hugged her husband a little tighter and teased, "You only know how to sweet-talk me! If I'm all you need, then what about that little sweetheart you're always thinking about every day?"

Yu Zhile chuckled in exasperation, "You call yourself a mother, and you’re jealous of your own daughter!"

At the mention of their daughter, Qin Haiyu suddenly remembered something and sat up straighter. "Oh, right! Darling, our baby is nine months old now—it’s time for her second dose of the Group A meningococcal vaccine!"

"I’ll take her for the vaccination tomorrow," Yu Zhile agreed.

"I want to come too!" said Qin Haiyu.

Yu Zhile patted the hand she had tucked into his pocket, saying, "You’re really popular now that you’ve made your comeback. If you come along, people will recognize you and it’ll cause unnecessary trouble. I’ll take Mom with me tomorrow. It won’t take long, just a quick vaccination."

Qin Haiyu relented, "Then I’ll wait for you in the car!"

"Alright," Yu Zhile replied, and soon they arrived at the mall where their car was parked.

Hand in hand, laughing and chatting, the two of them walked to the car, then drove home to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

At home, his mother was sitting on the soft mat in the living room, playing with the baby while watching the live New Year’s gala on TV.

As Yu Zhile entered, he said, "Mom, Dad and Old Liu went home together and won’t be spending New Year’s Eve with us tonight."

His mother replied, "I know, he just called to report in! We don’t need to worry about him!"

Qin Haiyu, changing her shoes, said, "Mom, we’ve made an appointment for the baby’s vaccination tomorrow morning."

His mother asked, "Oh, is it the Group A meningococcal vaccine? I was just about to ask if she’d had it yet!"

Qin Haiyu nodded, "Yes, that’s the one."

His mother said, "I’ll take her for the vaccination tomorrow. It’s not convenient for you two to be seen in public right now."

Qin Haiyu insisted, "Mom, I want to come too! I’ll wait in the car. After the vaccination, we can go stay at our hometown in the county for a couple of days. Dad will be there for that chess tournament anyway."

His mother, holding the baby, nodded, "That works. Now go take your showers and get some rest. No need to stay up for the countdown."

...

At the same time—

Online, the five movements of "Piano Pieces of the Night" performed by Yu Zhile in his Mr. Panda persona had suddenly caught the attention of many netizens.

At the gala venue, a staff member reported, "Director Zhang, Cai Lanlan just messaged asking who Mr. Panda is."

Director Zhang looked at Yang Bing and asked, "Yang, you said he’s your university’s piano teacher. Then tell me his name—surely there’s no problem with that?"

Yang Bing looked troubled. "Director, I can’t go against my teacher’s wishes. He doesn’t want his identity revealed, so I really can’t tell you!"

"Fine, then don’t," Director Zhang replied, shaking his head and letting it go.

...

At an airport.

Cai Lanlan stared at her phone, her brows knit. "The piano teacher from Xingyu University?"

She asked her friends from that university about all the piano teachers and, after questioning them one by one, came to an astonishing conclusion.

"Mr. Panda isn’t a piano teacher at Xingyu University! Then why did the production team say he was?"

Perplexed, she continued to press the Dragon TV production team, desperate to learn Mr. Panda’s identity.

Back at the gala, another staff member reported, "Director Zhang, Cai Lanlan is asking again! She says she checked with Xingyu University, and Mr. Panda isn’t one of their piano teachers!"

"Not a piano teacher at Xingyu University?" Director Zhang was puzzled, and like Cai Lanlan, his curiosity was piqued even more.

He gave orders: "Go and bring Yang Bing to me!"