Chapter 159: Chapter 159: The Eldest Young Master Law’s Extravagance

Adrian Law always understood Cecilia Vaughn’s intentions.

She was unwilling to be a dodder flower clinging to a towering tree, unwilling to become his weakness. Hence, he was willing to accompany her in growing together, waiting for her to become a mighty tree, jointly facing storms.

His Cecilia was never a flower in a greenhouse. Life gave her so many hardships, yet it never wore down her edges. Instead, it allowed her to take root and sprout on the cliffside, quietly blooming her own brilliance.

The man lowered his gaze and smiled, his long fingers gently brushing over the over-one-meter-long red brocade box.

"Cecilia, aren’t you going to open and see what’s inside?"

... 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Adrian Law actually gave her a gift?

Could it be some special day today?

Cecilia Vaughn stared blankly at Adrian Law, and then somewhat curiously swept her gaze over the long brocade box, utterly unable to guess what might be inside.

Her delicate hands softly untied the silk bow on top, and then slowly peeled away the outer layer of silk fabric.

Upon removing the red silk on the surface, Cecilia Vaughn discovered that this box was entirely crafted from Golden Rattan Wood. Even without knowing what was inside, the box itself was worth a fortune.

With such a precious box as its casing, Cecilia became even more curious about what was inside. She took a deep breath and unlocked the ancient-style Copper Lock...

With just one glance, she was stunned by the "gift" inside the box!

Inside was actually an ancient zither of the Lianzhu style!

The zither was made with extremely exquisite materials, crafted from Phoenix Tree Wood. Its lacquer surface was entirely black, but possibly due to its great age, there were faint snake belly patterns on the ancient zither.

What surprised Cecilia Vaughn even more was that when she carefully picked up the neck of the zither, the name "Spring Thunder" appeared before her eyes, in wild cursive script that was incredibly elegant.

...

Could it be, this is the famous zither "Spring Thunder" made during the Golden Dynasty?

Every emperor who loved the zither took pride in collecting this instrument, and even the Emperor of Sutton personally evaluated it, proclaiming it the "Crown of Hundred Zithers"!

Intense joy instantly swept over Cecilia Vaughn. She reluctancingly caressed the strings of Spring Thunder, her eyes showing deep attachment.

"Adrian, how did you think of giving me this?"

Her biological mother Wendy Sutton was a lady of a prestigious family, the first socialite of Stellerton in the past, proficient in all arts like zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, yet deep down she favored the ancient zither the most.

Therefore, Wendy Sutton also once taught Cecilia Vaughn to learn the zither, but ever since her mother’s passing, she has not touched an ancient zither for seven or eight years now.

This beautiful and secret love has always been buried deep in her heart, never told to anyone.

How did Adrian Law know that she loved the ancient zither?

...

Gazing at the girl’s eyes sparkling brightly, the man’s mood was also infected by her joy, his lips involuntarily curling into a soft spring breeze-like arc.

"Cecilia, someone who truly cares about you would naturally take the initiative to understand everything about you."

Last time, at the gate of Stellerton University, Chloe Alden accelerated her car to scare Cecilia Vaughn. When Adrian Law saw his little wife’s unnaturally pale face afterwards, he suddenly felt Cecilia might have had a phobia of car accidents before.

Yet no matter how he investigated, he found nothing. Instead, he discovered that Cecilia loved the ancient zither and painting since childhood. But after Florence Warner married into the Vaughn Family, she used academic priorities as an excuse to strip Cecilia of her hobbies, saying these things were harmful indulgences, and even broke Cecilia’s zither.

Left with no choice, Cecilia Vaughn self-taught painting in extracurricular classes. The ancient zither, being expensive on its own, and the masters capable of teaching it not as common as those for the guzheng, coupled with the high costs of learning, led Cecilia to give up, having no source of income at the time.

...

Cecilia Vaughn met Adrian Law’s profound gaze, and deep happiness filled her heart.

She caressed the strings of Spring Thunder fondly, a very important question suddenly arose in her mind.

Her hand trembled a bit, and with some reluctance, she placed the ancient zither back into the brocade box.

"Adrian... this ancient zither isn’t cheap, is it?"

It’s not just "not cheap!"

With its renowned fame, any zither lover has surely heard of it. As a famed zither used by royal families through the ages, and having the honor of the "Crown of Hundred Zithers" by the Emperor of Sutton, it probably can’t be bought for anything less than several tens of millions.

Seeing Cecilia’s distressed look, Adrian Law felt both loving and pitying. He couldn’t help but smile, reaching out to gently pinch her cheek.

"Silly girl, money is just an external thing. As long as you like it, and it makes you happy to use it, it proves the value of this gift."

"..."

This was too casually said...

Cecilia Vaughn’s temples throbbed persistently; suddenly, she felt Adrian had the potential to be a spendthrift!

Last time when they went to her grandmother’s place, Adrian saw Joanna Sinclair cultivating orchids, and with a grand gesture, he bought the million-valued Plain-Crowned Lotus Cauldron!

And this time was an even bigger gesture!

The sight of such an ancient zither alone felt a bit daunting!

...

Cecilia Vaughn hesitated for just half a second, then firmly bit her lip and closed the brocade box, afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist seeing Spring Thunder.

The girl raised her head, her almond eyes fixedly staring at Adrian Law, her voice resolute.

"Adrian, why don’t you resell the zither? The value of Spring Thunder is too precious, I cannot accept it."

"All things have spirits, I’ve not played the ancient zither for seven or eight years, and even back then I wasn’t proficient. Spring Thunder in my hands would be squandering its true value."

"Since you know I like the ancient zither, spending a few thousand bucks to buy a descendant-made one is actually sufficient."

Adrian Law narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, he spoke lightly, his tone icy yet crystalline and moving.

"Cecilia, if you don’t try playing it, how can you say you’re wasting it?"

In Adrian Law’s view, buying Spring Thunder was originally for Cecilia Vaughn to use. If she didn’t want it, that would’ve truly buried its value.

...

Cecilia Vaughn was speechless.

Yet, for some reason, Adrian Law’s words seemed to drop pebbles into the lake of her heart, stirring countless ripples.

She loved the ancient zither, and seeing such an exceptional masterpiece like Spring Thunder naturally made her fingers itch with longing.

Cecilia Vaughn bit her lip, nervously reopening the brocade box, her expression cautious as she slowly lifted the ancient zither out, setting it upon the table, and then slowly took her seat.

Her hands, as pure and smooth as jade, lightly brushed over Spring Thunder’s seven strings, testing the sound randomly, yet the zither’s tone was clear and rich. The beautiful melodies made Cecilia’s eyes inexplicably moist.

Just how long has it been since she last touched an ancient zither...

She never imagined touching it again would be in such a setting.

Cecilia Vaughn closed her eyes, then cast her gaze downwards, calming the tumultuous emotions in her heart. Her ten fingers placed solemnly on the strings, she plucked out the first note and began to play the piece from her heart based on memory...

She needed no reference to any sheet music because the piece was composed by herself.

Gradually, the sound of the ancient zither filled the entire room...