Chapter 57: Piano Sound

The heavy-looking black piano on the left side of the stage was opened once again.

Several piano solos had been performed in the previous acts, but none had garnered much of a reaction.

After the host’s formulaic announcement, the bright lights converged on the piano.

Once again, it became the sole source of light in the entire hall.

Sister Yuan walked out of the darkness and into the light with brisk steps.

Dressed in a long black gown, she had her waterfall of dark hair styled in an updo, revealing a neck as white and delicate as velvet.

Under the lights, her already stunningly beautiful face, now adorned with light makeup, appeared even more enchantingly graceful and as lovely as a flower.

Her magnificent, fairy-like features were like the morning glow reflecting on snow.

She turned her head to glance at us, her long, slender, curled eyelashes fluttering, half-concealing her light purple eyes.

Gentle, beautiful ripples danced in her clear pupils.

A faint smile crossed her lips, and a garden of spring colors bloomed, stirring up a warm, sweet mist.

The curve of her smile was like tender peaches and plums, touched with the first frost of morning.

Her long, slender fingers, like finely carved jade, lightly touched the black and white keys.

A melodious and graceful piano sound, like heavenly music that could linger in the rafters for three days, rang out, influencing the entire audience in the quiet atmosphere.

“Teacher Mo’s skill level is definitely professional, right?”

Su Ye Mi and An Xue Ruo had returned to their seats after their performance, sitting on either side of me.

“Do you know about piano too, class president?”

“I only know a little.”

“I just feel that Teacher Mo plays so well, it doesn’t seem like a level an amateur could reach.”

“What do you think, Xue Ruo?”

An Xue Ruo, who had been focused on Sister Yuan captivating the entire hall on stage, sighed as if snapping out of a trance.

“She is indeed very skilled.”

“I studied it a little before, and Teacher Mo’s level far surpasses that of my piano teacher at the time.”

“She can already be considered a professional.”

This was the first time I had ever seen Sister Yuan play the piano, and the first time I knew her skill was this high.

In all the years we had lived together, I had never seen her touch any musical instrument.

It was as if she had hidden away everything about her past that I didn’t know, pretending to be just an ordinary girl.

Although I wasn’t sure if this was her true nature, her past always felt shrouded in countless layers of mysterious gauze.

No matter how I tried to probe, I could never touch the truth behind it.

Regarding Sister Yuan’s childhood, before she met me, the only thing I knew was what her sister, Miss Yun Rou, had told me: her academic achievements had left all her peers far behind.

Beyond that, Yun Rou was unwilling to tell me more.

“Classmate An Xue Ruo, do you know how long it would take an average person to reach Teacher Mo’s level?”

“About six or seven years, I’d say.”

An Xue Ruo thought for a moment, then added, “Someone with exceptional talent might only need three or four years.”

“In any case, I couldn’t do it.”

Six or seven years…

Sister Yuan was only twelve or thirteen when she brought me back, right?

Does that mean she started learning from the age of six or seven at the latest?

Or is Sister Yuan the exceptionally talented type who only needed three or four years?

On stage, Sister Yuan was now fully engrossed in her performance, occasionally glancing in our direction out of the corner of her eye.

Suddenly, the music, which rang like jade pendants, paused noticeably, then immediately resumed.

In that instant, a layer of ice seemed to form in Sister Yuan’s eyes, carrying a chill that warned people not to approach.

“Did you guys hear that?”

“Teacher Mo’s playing just broke for a moment.”

Su Ye Mi blinked and looked at us, her tone tinged with confusion.

“Mhm, it was quite obvious.”

“The melody is very beautiful, though.”

“Do you know what song it is?”

“I think it’s ‘Scarborough Fair’,” An Xue Ruo said.

“It’s a very old English folk song.”

“I still remember the lyrics.”

“Teacher Mo should be playing the part… ‘Remember me to one who lives there, She once was a true love of mine’.”

The lyrics did indeed fit the rhythm Sister Yuan was playing.

It was melodious and graceful, continuous and unbroken.

The previously noisy crowd had quieted down the moment she began to play, seemingly immersed in the sound of her piano.

Her delicate, willow-leaf-like brows knitted and then relaxed.

The chill that had just formed in her eyes did not dissipate; instead, it grew even more piercingly cold.

As the final note fell, Sister Yuan stood up and gave a slight bow to the audience.

Thunderous applause erupted, louder and more magnificent than any before it.

It only stopped after Sister Yuan had walked off the stage and completely disappeared into the darkness at the side.

Following that were the host’s closing remarks and the stereotypical, encouraging speeches from a few school leaders.

They held no real meaning, and few would remember them, but those school leaders always liked to speak at the beginning and end of various public events, as if it were an established custom.

According to the school’s schedule, after that, the students could go home.

On the way back to the classroom, it suddenly started to rain.

Drizzling raindrops fell from the churning dark clouds, hitting the ground, and some scattered into the corridor.

By the time I got back to the classroom, I was also splattered with some rain.

The damp clothes sticking to my body felt very uncomfortable.

The cactus on the windowsill, its leaves slightly yellowed, unexpectedly got a new lease on life, its roots constantly absorbing the blessings falling from the sky.

Raindrops pattered against the window and rolled down, gradually blurring the world outside my eyes.

“I can’t believe this happened right after the festival ended.”

“What bad luck.”

“Did you bring an umbrella, Young Master Lu?”

Zheng Chen was leaning against the window, looking at the increasingly heavy curtain of rain outside as he asked me.

“Nope.”

“I’ll wait for the rain to let up before I head back.”

More than half of the students in the class had already left.

I packed my things and sat leisurely at my desk, waiting.

After Miss Yun Rou moved out, Sister Yuan had assigned our driver, Miss Lü Qingshang, to pick her up from school every day.

So, during this time, Sister Yuan and I had been walking or taking a taxi or bus home.

Sister Yuan definitely had an umbrella, so there was no need to worry about not being able to get home.

And it seemed the school had also arranged a teacher’s dormitory for Sister Yuan, although she had never stayed there.

“You didn’t bring an umbrella, Classmate Lu You?”

“Do you want me to walk you back?”

An Xue Ruo, with her bag on her back, looked at the boundless rain outside and shook the umbrella in her hand at me.

“It doesn’t look like this rain is going to stop anytime soon.”

“We might really not be able to go back later.”

“It’s okay.”

“You can share with Zheng Chen.”

“I have a way to get back.”

“No, no, no!”

“You and Goddess Xue Ruo share, Young Master Lu.”

“I just remembered Young Master Lü has an umbrella, I’ll go find him.”

Zheng Chen grabbed his bag and went to find Lü Yunhao, who was still packing his schoolbag at the back.

As he passed by me, he gave me a strange wink.

“…Still, no thank you.”

“You should go home by yourself, Classmate An Xue Ruo.”

“Sister Yuan is still waiting for me.”

After Zheng Chen had walked away, I lowered my voice and declined An Xue Ruo’s invitation.

She knew about my relationship with Sister Yuan, so she should know who I was talking about.

“Alright then, I’m leaving.”

“Mhm, goodbye.”

Watching An Xue Ruo’s retreating figure, I stretched and lazily slumped onto my desk.

Wisps of coolness seeped in through the window that wasn’t shut tightly, and a few drops of rain fell onto the floor.

Just as I was about to close the window properly, a fair, slender hand reached out from behind me and did the job for me.