Sunday.
William went to Aunt Lisa's house as planned to continue teaching Jenny how to play Canon.
Even though they lived in different places, some habits never changed. Whenever he was with Aunt Lisa's family, William always felt relaxed.
"William."
Uncle Zach pulled William into the study.
"Go ahead."
"How's your work at Earth Games?"
"It's going well."
"That's good, that's good." Uncle Zach seemed distracted.
William could tell he wasn't here just to ask about his job.
"Uncle Zach, just tell me what's on your mind."
After hesitating a bit, Uncle Zach said, "You know, I've been working in the special effects industry for seven or eight years now. I tried applying to Earth Games a few times but never got in. Could you put in a word for me?"
"Of course, I wouldn't trouble you. If it's not convenient, that's fine too."
"I see…"
William thought back to the résumés he'd seen. He didn't recall ever seeing Uncle Zach's, which meant he probably didn't make it past Cynthia's review.
"I'll say this first, I can't promise it'll work out."
Even though William was the boss of Earth Games, he wouldn't give Uncle Zach a free pass just because they were close. If Uncle Zach wasn't up to the job, the other staff would definitely have opinions, and that wouldn't be good for the team's harmony.
"That's fine. I'm just glad you're willing to help." Uncle Zach looked relieved.
Before leaving the study, William asked seriously, "Are you sure you want to take this path? The future of the game market is full of uncertainty—no one knows which way it will go. And you have Aunt Lisa and Jenny to think about. Make sure you've thought it through."
When it came to himself, William was fully confident. But when it came to being responsible for others, especially people he saw as family like Aunt Lisa's household, he needed to be honest about the pros and cons.
"Don't worry, I've thought it through."
"Alright, in that case, bring your résumé to the office on Monday. I'll send you the address."
All William wanted was to see his attitude. The rest would be up to Cynthia to evaluate. At worst, they could lower the requirements a bit. If Uncle Zach could handle the job, then he could have it.
"Really? You can decide that?"
"Don't worry, I've got enough influence for this."
"Alright then."
Uncle Zach was in a great mood. When he opened the study door, Aunt Lisa was standing right there. "What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing, nothing." Uncle Zach instantly looked guilty.
"Hm?" Aunt Lisa squinted at him for a few seconds, then turned to William. "Let's eat."
After lunch, Aunt Lisa asked William to go with her to see Tiffany.
Ever since they met at the music store last time, Tiffany had been thinking about him and hoped he could come back to play again.
Since it was Aunt Lisa's request, William naturally didn't refuse.
When they arrived at RiverTone Music, Tiffany, who had already been told they were coming, was pacing at the entrance.
The moment she saw Aunt Lisa walking toward the store with William, Tiffany came straight out.
"I missed you so much."
Tiffany suddenly ran up and hugged him, leaving William's hands awkwardly in the air, not knowing what to do, so he looked to Aunt Lisa for help.
Aunt Lisa laughed as she pulled Tiffany away. "I went to all this trouble to bring him here, are you trying to scare him off?"
Tiffany stuck out her tongue and said to William, "Sorry, I just really missed you. You have no idea—ever since I heard you play that song in the big classroom last time, I've been dreaming about it every single night."
"Uh… thanks."
William was simply overwhelmed by Tiffany's enthusiasm. In his past life, he'd dreamed of having a goddess throw herself at him. Now that it had actually happened, he found himself unable to relax.
"Come on, don't just stand out here. Let's go inside and talk." Tiffany naturally took William's hand.
Feeling the warmth and softness in her hand, William instantly blushed.
He let Tiffany lead him to the second floor, to the same familiar classroom. The spotless Steinway piano sat quietly on the small stage, glowing in the warm afternoon sunlight.
Tiffany said, "Ever since you played it last time, I haven't let anyone else touch it."
It was a bit of an exaggeration, but it still made William feel flattered.
"What do you want to hear?"
Since she had gone this far, William couldn't refuse.
Besides, she was Aunt Lisa's close friend.
And she was beautiful.
And rich.
Hmm… thinking about it that way, William couldn't find a reason to turn her down. In fact, he even felt like this could save him decades of hard work.
"Really?" Tiffany's face lit up, and she immediately said, "I want to hear Canon!"
"Alright."
William walked straight to the piano and looked back at Tiffany. The musical notes above her head were like little sprites dancing with joy.
Alright, let's go with that feeling.
With his master-level piano skills, William didn't need to stick to the original sheet music. Under his playing, this slightly melancholic Canon was transformed into something full of the joy of a wedding day—a happiness a hundred times greater than actually being at one.
This time, Tiffany didn't cry, but she felt like she could. It was the kind of emotion where you want to cry from happiness, because she realized she had finally found her life's goal.
"If only I had been born ten years earlier," Tiffany said from the heart.
Aunt Lisa said softly, "With your looks, being born ten years later wouldn't matter either. The key is knowing how to grab the chance."
Meanwhile, William, still playing at the piano, had no idea what was going on between the two watching him. This was his first time making big changes to a piece, and it left him with a lot of feelings.
Before, William was like someone with top-tier gear but nowhere to use it, so he had no real experience and couldn't make the most of it.
These past days, he had been buried in game development, and he could clearly feel the rust in his playing.
Maybe it was time to get a piano at home.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
When William stopped playing, applause that had been waiting for a while finally filled the large classroom.
"That was amazing."
"Thanks." William nodded. "Anything else you want to hear?"
Since he was already here, he figured he might as well play a few more pieces.
"You'll keep playing?" Tiffany looked pleasantly surprised. "Then how about Moonlight Sonata?"
"No problem."
William didn't change this piece, just followed the sheet music. Even so, with his master-level skills, his own style slipped in without him even noticing.
After finishing Moonlight Sonata, William didn't ask what Tiffany thought. With the two songs serving as a warm-up, he wanted to test his speed.
Flight of the Bumblebee.
As William played it, the other two in the room seemed to lose their normal breathing rhythm, instead matching their breaths to the pace of the music—as if real swarms of bees were circling them, forcing them to breathe in time with the bees' attack.
"That's incredible."
Tiffany's gaze had shifted from affectionate to pure starry-eyed admiration.
In truth, her own skill wasn't bad—she could play all the pieces William had just played—but that only made her more aware of his strength.
So this was what a genius looked like.
There was no doubt tonight's dinner party would go perfectly.