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Stanton was practically buzzing with excitement as he addressed the room. âLook at that. Even this girl thinks Iâve got screws loose! What kind of shrink are you, not taking your buddyâs headcase seriously?â
Louie just stood there, silent
Knowing Cordeliaâs easygoing nature, he didnât immediately argue with Stanton. And sure enough, after a brief pause, Cordelia spoke up unhurriedly. âItâs not your head. Itâs your playing thatâs off.â
The room fell into a hush
As a worldârenowned piano virtuoso, Stanton was not used to such criticism. It was the first time anyone dared suggest his playing was flawless.
After a moment, Stanton asked, âWhatâs off?â
Cordelia shook her head. âI donât know exactly.â
Stanton raised his eyebrows in disbelief. âAre you kidding me?â he thought inwardly.
Louieâs voice, ever calm, broke the silence. âWhy would you say that?â
Standing straight as an arrow, Cordelia answered like a diligent student responding to a . âThere was part that just didnât sound rightâ
Raised in an orphanage, Cordelia had never had formal training She had taught herself everything she knew about music
Unable articulate Stantons mistake in technical terms, she offered. Let me play it for you.â
Stanton about to snort dismissively at the thought of a young girl identifying an error in his performance, but Louie gently pushed him aside to clear the way to the piano âGo aheadâ
Cordelia sat , her hands finding their place on the keys. She didnât the entire piece from start to finish but zeroed in on the segment that Stanton had botched
As she played, the smirk on Stantons face faded, replaced by an expression of deep concentration and, eventually, amazement
Stanton had played this signature piece for years, habitually glossing over a wrong note that had become ingrained in his muscle memory. The tempo was so fast, the mistake so wellâembedded. It was nearly undetected
When Cordelia finished playing. Stanton stood there, dazed, his mind racing âSo, thatâs how it is Thatâs how it
He stepped forward, eager to shake her hand. âWho are you?â
This girl who could detect such a subtle error on a single listening couldnât be a nobody could she?
Cordelia stepped back, avoiding his grasp
Louie interrupted. âThis is Cordelia. I was thinking of introducing her to you as a potential student, you see
Before Louie could finish his thought, Stanton stood up and declared emphatically, âNo way
Louie was puzzled.
The next moment, Stanton practically shouted, âHow can I teach her? I should ask her for lessons! From now! on, sheâs my teacher?
Cordelia was baffled. She just thought she could play the piano How was the supposed to teach anyone?
But then, Stanton was already pulling out his phone âCordelia, whatâs your number? Letâs swap digits? We can
we can give each other pointers. Do you want to learn some music scores and piano techniques I can show you
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The promise of learning had attracted ber
Cordelia took out her phone and, after they exchanged numbers, she saved his contact as Man.
Immediately, Piano Manâ sent her a link to join a group chat.
The groupâs name was Pioneers Club
Cordelia was momentarily stunned. Then Piano Man added, âCordelia, this groupâs full of aces. Louieâs in there, too Iâm adding you so we can all share knowledge, okay â
Credelia couldnât resist the allure of learning. So, she looked up inquiringly at Louie
Sensing Cordeliaâs wish, Loule took down her baseball cap, ruffled her hair, and said with a smile. âJoin it. Youâve been too isolated. Itâs good to make friends.â
Cordeliaâs eyes lit up, and she requested to join the group.
Stanton called out, âLouie, youâre an admin. Approve it, will you?â
Louie tapped âaccept,â and Cordelia was in the âPioneers Club.â
Stanton eagerly scrolled through the member list, introducing each one. âLia, you know Louie, the doc. Heâs also an admin. Thatâs the math whiz, the gamer, the actor, the fashionista, the dancer, the chef, the artist, and this oneâ¦
He ran through the list of twenty members.
Cordelia marveled at how one group chat could span so many professions. She asked, âAre they all as skilled as they seem?â
Stanton lifted his chin proudly. âTheyâre known as I am, I guess. Just your average Joe.â
Cordelia just nodded, âOh.â
A man who couldnât even nail every note certainly was âaverage.â
Unaware of her thoughts, Stanton pointed to a profile with a solid black picture. âLia, listen up. You can mess with anyone else in here. Louieâs got your back. But donât ever cross this group admin!â
Cordelia was puzzled. The profile picture looked vaguely familiar.
She glanced at the name â Nointerruptions.
Even the name had a chill, like a frosty âkeep outâ sign.
She didnât dwell on it, simply asking, âWhy?
Stanton seemed scared when mentioning the person. âHeâs the real deal and got a short fuse. But donât worry. He never chats. Donât badmouth him in here, and youâll be fine.â
âOkayâ¦â Her curiosity was .
But his words implied the rest were indeed pseudoâbig shots? No, except for Louie. He was internationally known as a stellar psychologist.
As they chatted, a message popped up in the group.
Bland Sullivan asked, [Newbie?]
And another message came through.
༠འའà½
Piano Man announced, [
, let me introduce you to Louieâs good friend, my teacher! @LearnLover]
Cordelia politely greeted them. [Hi, everyone. Iâm looking forward to getting to know you.]
She pondered and added, [I hope can learn from each
The other members in this group chat were confused.
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The chat populated by top dogs from every field, fell into an awkward silence. What could they possibly learn from a young girl?
Cordelia noticed the group chat suddenly gone quiet while Stantonâs phone buzzed continuously with private messages from the other members, all asking the same thing.
[Whatâs the scoop? Whoâs this chick?]
Stanton replied with pride, [Liaâs a piano prodigy. Sheâs excellent!]
Then came the barrage of skeptical questions.
[Can she act? Measure up to an Oscar winner like me?]
[As a worldârenowned mathematician here, should I swap math tips with her?]
[Top chef here. Are we supposed to trade recipes?]
After a flurry of inquiries, everyone simultaneously shot off the same message. [So, whyâd you invite this girl to the group?]
Even Stanton was starting to doubt himself.
The big shots didnât believe in Cordeliaâs chops. Maybe she should leave the group?
Meanwhile, over at Midnight Scent, Everard picked up his phone. Cordelia hadnât accepted his friend request yet.
He sighed quietly, noticing some chatter in the Pioneers Group. As the admin, he casually clicked in. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto the screen.
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