Chapter 18

This girl holding a cat is indeed the owner of Water Through Stone.

Her name is Lu Shishi, 25 years old, a local from the East Sea.

In this plane's Chinese Empire, there is a royal family, nobility, and Old Money that has existed for over a hundred years.

Lu Shishi's family is one of the old financial magnate families in the southeastern coastal region.

However, her family has long been on a decline and has been marginalized by high society.

But her family still has enough ancestral assets to allow the younger generations to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

Lu Shishi loves music and art. After graduating from university, she traveled around the world for a long time, finally getting tired of it and returning to her country. She then used the money given by her family to open this Water Through Stone café, purely out of love.

Rather than running her own business, she is more like someone looking for something interesting to do to avoid the boredom of staying at home waiting to get married.

The girl with a strong aura standing next to Lu Shishi is named Hao Yuan, also a descendant of a declining family.

Hao Yuan is one year older than Lu Shishi.

The two girls grew up together and were originally best friends. However, over the past two years, as they traveled the world together, their feelings began to deepen, surpassing the pure friendship of best friends.

Unfortunately, the deep and orthodox nature of their families would not allow their feelings to develop.

They both know the road ahead is bumpy and without hope, so they can only enjoy this last bit of romance while they are still young and free.

When Li Nan tapped her shoulder, Lu Shishi took off her headphones, turned her head, and looked at Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen.

With this movement, the blue cat in her arms woke up.

Opening its emerald almond eyes, the blue cat meowed and looked at the two strangers, Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen.

This blue cat has a very proud personality. Seeing Lin Zai Shan dressed in a rustic manner, it actually showed a look of disdain, turned its head away, and went back to sleep on Lu Shishi's soft chest.

Lu Shishi's attitude was more polite, as she is a well-mannered person.

Since she was holding a cat, she couldn't get up to greet the two, so she simply nodded in a ladylike manner to greet Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen.

At this moment, Hao Yuan also took off her headphones, glanced at Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen, frowned slightly, and couldn't quite figure out what these two were here to apply for.

Looking at Sun Yuzhen, she seemed to be a career woman in the city, so she wouldn't be applying for a server position, right?

That middle-aged man looked rather unkempt; could he be applying for a cleaner position?

Li Nan whispered to Lu Shishi, "This uncle is here to apply for the position of pianist."

Nodding in understanding, Lu Shishi let Li Nan go attend to other guests and waved her hand at the two, "Please take a seat."

Lin Zai Shan gentlemanly guided Sun Yuzhen to sit down first, then sat down himself.

Sun Yuzhen sat directly opposite Hao Yuan.

Hao Yuan looked at Sun Yuzhen with an appreciative gaze, smiled slightly, and showed a friendly expression.

However, Hao Yuan did not show such a friendly smile to Lin Zai Shan. His unkempt and disheveled appearance did not win her favor.

Due to the dim lighting in the corner, Sun Yuzhen initially thought Hao Yuan was a man.

After sitting down, seeing the prominent chest under Hao Yuan's deep red vest, she realized that the person opposite her was a "tomboy"!

Hao Yuan's gaze carried a clear appreciation, which is usually how men look at her. Now, a woman was looking at her this way, making Sun Yuzhen feel quite uncomfortable.

Lin Zai Shan sat opposite Lu Shishi and asked as soon as he sat down, "Hello, are you the owner here?"

"Yes, I am the owner of this café. My name is Lu Shishi. May I know your names?"

Without any intention to shake hands with Lin Zai Shan, she gently stroked the short, smooth fur of the cat in her arms.

Lu Shishi's attitude was not arrogant, but she kept a certain distance, slightly holding herself back.

"My name is Lin. You can just call me Uncle Lin. This is my friend Yuzhen."

"Hello."

"Hello."

Sun Yuzhen and Lu Shishi exchanged greetings.

Hao Yuan, who has a more straightforward personality, shrugged her shoulders at Lin Zai Shan's introduction of himself as "Uncle Lin," and asked somewhat irritably, "Is your real name 'Uncle Lin'?"

Lin Zai Shan chuckled, not giving a clear answer.

He did not want to reveal his real name, Lin Zai Shan.

This name carried too much negative influence.

Before he could restore the reputation of this name, Lin Zai Shan did not want to lose an opportunity to earn money just because of this name. He wanted to keep a low profile.

Lu Shishi introduced Hao Yuan to Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen, "This is my friend Hao Yuan, also the resident singer at Water Through Stone. She is very good at singing jazz, so we are now looking for a jazz pianist to accompany her. Uncle Lin, do you have experience in this area?"

"I should be able to play jazz piano."

Hao Yuan asked bluntly, "What do you mean by 'should' be able to play?"

"If I were to play jazz piano alone, I can definitely do it. But from what I understand, you need a jazz pianist to accompany a singer, which requires some coordination. Jazz music emphasizes improvisation, and without a good rapport between the singer and the pianist, it's hard to work together."

Lu Shishi's beautiful eyes showed approval.

They had previously hired a jazz band to accompany Hao Yuan and even held a special jazz performance last Friday to boost the café's popularity.

However, the performance was a failure. The band and Hao Yuan were not in sync. They had rehearsed before, and it felt good during the rehearsal, but during the actual performance, when Hao Yuan improvised slightly, the band got confused, leading to a poor overall performance.

This failed performance not only failed to boost the café's popularity and reputation but almost ruined the café's image.

With the experience of the previous failure, Lu Shishi and Hao Yuan agreed to first hire a jazz pianist to achieve a perfect combination of piano and vocals. Once they had a good rapport, they would then add other jazz musicians to accompany the pianist.

Therefore, their requirements for the pianist were very high.

Two music students from the East Art University had previously applied for the position, but Lu Shishi and Hao Yuan were not satisfied. They did not want to risk another failed performance.

Now, Lin Zai Shan's understanding of the coordination between the jazz pianist and the singer made Lu Shishi feel that he was quite knowledgeable, at least he hit the right points.

Hao Yuan had no good feelings towards Lin Zai Shan. She disliked unkempt men, or rather, she didn't like men at all.

She did not want an unkempt man with no musical aura to accompany her.

Just looking at Lin Zai Shan, she felt there was no rapport.

In a professional manner, Lin Zai Shan asked Hao Yuan, "Are you a recording artist? Do you have any works I can familiarize myself with? If I understand your singing style, I should be able to accompany you."

"Don't keep saying 'should'." Hao Yuan said somewhat disdainfully, "Are you sure you can play jazz piano?"

"Of course, I am sure."

Lu Shishi asked, "Have you performed jazz piano in any professional settings before?"

Before Lin Zai Shan could answer, Hao Yuan quickly asked, "What style of jazz piano do you play? Or, which jazz pianist's style do you admire?"

This question stumped Lin Zai Shan.

If asked which jazz pianist he liked in his previous life, he would have immediately said Bill Evans or Erroll Garner.

However, in this world, there were no such jazz pianists!

In this plane, even the soul of jazz, Louis Armstrong, had not emerged, let alone these later jazz masters.

The original man's memory did not include any knowledge of jazz, so Lin Zai Shan could not answer Hao Yuan's question directly.

"Hmm..." After some thought, Lin Zai Shan said, "I like the styles of various masters. In music, I pursue a broad and inclusive approach, so I can't say I particularly admire any one master. I can play various styles of jazz piano. Once I understand your singing style, I can definitely accompany you."

"Huh."

Hao Yuan sneered, not bothering to engage further with Lin Zai Shan.

Lu Shishi's brows furrowed slightly. Lin Zai Shan had been on point earlier, but now he was dodging the question.

Lu Shishi asked, "What style of jazz do you specialize in?"

Lin Zai Shan still couldn't answer this question because in the field of jazz piano, styles are defined by individuals, and he didn't know any of these masters. He could only say, "I am proficient in various styles. I am quite versatile."

Hao Yuan huffed, "Being versatile is another way of saying you have no distinct style."

"You have a point. But as a jazz pianist who mainly plays accompaniment, doesn't it matter less if you have a distinct style? As long as you understand the singer's style and can coordinate with them, that's enough. What do you think?" Lin Zai Shan discussed calmly with Hao Yuan.

"I don't think so. We don't need a pianist without a distinct style."

Hao Yuan had a domineering and arrogant air that was hard to distinguish as male or female. Lin Zai Shan, being experienced, didn't mind much, but Sun Yuzhen felt quite annoyed.

Lu Shishi, who had been stroking the cat, was fine, but this tomboy Hao Yuan seemed to look down on Lin Zai Shan, which made Sun Yuzhen feel frustrated. She wanted to help Lin Zai Shan but couldn't find a way to interject.

Since Lin Zai Shan did not reveal his identity, Sun Yuzhen knew he didn't want the other party to know his true identity.

His true identity might be a hindrance and could make others dislike him.

And she didn't understand much about the jazz piano topic they were discussing.

She had come to the café to help Lin Zai Shan, but now she couldn't say anything and saw the other party being difficult with Lin Zai Shan, which made her feel both frustrated and sad.

Lin Zai Shan's vague answers made Lu Shishi feel that this uncle was not reliable, so she directly asked, "Are you a professional pianist?"

"I wouldn't call myself a professional pianist, but I'm not an amateur either. I am a professional musician with a broad range of expertise."

"Uncle Lin is a very professional and talented musician." Sun Yuzhen finally found a chance to speak up and tried to help Lin Zai Shan.

"A very professional and talented musician applying for a pianist position at our café?" Hao Yuan's question was somewhat condescending.

"Is that not allowed?" Lin Zai Shan smiled and countered, "Would you hire an untalented pianist?"

Hao Yuan insisted, "Of course, we want to hire a talented pianist, but I don't think you can handle this job. I bet you've never performed in a professional setting, right?"

Feeling the aftereffects of the champagne, Sun Yuzhen almost blurted out, "This uncle held a concert for 50,000 people over a decade ago! How could he not have professional performance experience!"

He is a five-time platinum rock genius!

Lin Zai Shan definitely wouldn't mention the original man's past achievements. He smiled inwardly and said, "In the field of piano, I haven't performed in a professional setting. It's not my main focus. But I often practice in the practice room. To put it simply, once I understand your singing style, I can definitely handle the professional accompaniment work at your café."

Hao Yuan refused, "Forget it, Uncle Lin. I don't think we will work well together. Let's not waste each other's time trying to coordinate our styles. We are looking for a professional jazz pianist."

Lin Zai Shan smiled helplessly, "Would a professional jazz pianist take a job that pays 200 yuan per night?"

Hao Yuan glared at him and ignored him.

Seeing that Hao Yuan disliked Lin Zai Shan, Lu Shishi apologized, "I'm sorry, Uncle Lin. We can't offer you this job. To thank you and your friend for coming, let me buy you two a coffee."

"Coffee is fine, but I can't sleep if I drink too much. I didn't come here for coffee. May I ask one more question? Do you hire solo performance pianists? I noticed your piano is not being played. Don't you want a live pianist to enhance the atmosphere of your café?"

Lu Shishi explained, "Our café just opened, and many plans are still in the works. We might hire a solo pianist in the future, but not now."

"Ah, well, that's too bad."

Seeing no job opportunity, Lin Zai Shan sighed regretfully, got up, and said, "I won't disturb your music session. Yuzhen, let's go."

Seeing Lin Zai Shan being rejected, Sun Yuzhen felt quite upset. Such a talented musician, and this small café doesn't appreciate him. She felt sorry for the elegant cat-holding owner!

Rejecting such a down-and-out middle-aged man, Lu Shishi also felt a bit guilty.

This uncle's attitude was actually quite good. Although he looked a bit depressed and unhealthy, Lu Shishi could sense his passion for music.

As someone who also loves music, Lu Shishi could empathize with the sense of longing and unfulfilled desire for music in Lin Zai Shan.

Feeling a bit soft-hearted, Lu Shishi called out to Lin Zai Shan, "Uncle Lin, since you're here, and our piano is not being used, why don't you play a piece? Let us hear it. If you play well, we will contact you when we hire a solo pianist in the future. Leave us your contact information later."

Hearing this, Hao Yuan immediately pulled Lu Shishi's hand, giving her a stern look: What are you doing!

Hao Yuan was worried that Lin Zai Shan's performance might affect other customers and ruin their café's reputation.

Their goal was to create a reputable and attitude-filled music café, but they had already ruined their reputation several times in the first month. They couldn't afford another failure.

Seeing that there were not many customers in the café, and half of the scattered customers were her friends, Lu Shishi decided not to worry about it.

She sincerely invited Lin Zai Shan to play a piece before leaving.

Otherwise, a middle-aged man who loves music came to apply for a job and was rejected without doing anything. This would be too discouraging. Lu Shishi felt it was unfair.