WT Chapter 53

Chapter 53, First Movement: Constantly, Tirelessly Responding…

Chapter 53, First Movement: Constantly, Tirelessly Responding…

The short few days passed fleetingly, hastily slipping away amidst the piano music.

Apart from going to school for rehearsals, Wen Shixi stayed home practicing the piano.

He was immersed in the sound of the piano, not wanting to think about anything or anyone.

Sunday evening, the seaside was filled with dark clouds.

The sunlight was dying, the sky was gloomy, merging with the turbid seawater below, like a dirty, crumpled piece of paper.

In the backstage dressing room of the auditorium, the school orchestra was making final preparations, waiting for the performances of each department to finish before delivering the final concluding performance.

Wen Shixi sat in front of the long mirror, carefully styling his hair with hair gel.

His light-colored hair was elegant and neat. With this styling, the usually casual young man finally had a hint of maturity.

Then, Wen Shixi took out his phone and checked the time.

With only a dozen minutes left until seven o’clock, in the noisy dressing room, teacher Liang Min confirmed the progress of the performance on stage and walked to Wen Shixi’s side.

“Wen Shixi.” Teacher Liang Min raised her hand and smoothed a stray hair behind Wen Shixi’s ear, asking, “Are you nervous?”

Wen Shixi: “Not really.”

Liang Min smiled kindly: “No need to be nervous, you are already outstanding enough.”

“Thank you, teacher.” Wen Shixi asked: “Will the teacher also be watching our performance from the audience?”

“Of course.” Teacher Liang Min said: “Cheng Xuan and I will be sitting in the first row, watching your performance.”

At the same time, outside the school auditorium.

A low-key black car slowly drove in through the dimness, the gray sunset on the sea reflecting on the car windows, with a faint flowing light.

The car parked steadily in a specially reserved parking space. The driver got out and walked to the back door, respectfully opening it.

A gentle breeze blew, and a slender figure stepped out of the car.

The man was wearing a very formal suit, draped in a delicate and elegant plaid trench coat, holding a bouquet of flowers prepared in advance.

Iris flowers of a purplish-blue color, symbolizing long-lasting longing, as well as light and freedom.

The moment the sky completely darkened, leather shoes lightly stepped on the brick ground, and he walked up the long steps, entering the auditorium step by step.

At seven o’clock sharp, after a short intermission, the entire school auditorium quieted down again.

The lighting was warm, and the hall was quiet and beautiful.

The school orchestra, wearing uniform black formal attire, gracefully appeared from both sides of the auditorium.

The percussionists took the stage first, followed by the wind and string sections.

Dozens of people appeared in turn, taking their seats in their respective positions.

The principal clarinet player sounded the standard A note, coordinating with everyone to complete the final tuning.

Next was the main solo part of the concerto.

Wen Shixi stood behind the curtain, gently closing his eyes.

The next second, he stepped out of the shadows.

In the complete silence, Wen Shixi walked step by step to the piano next to the conductor’s stand.

Under the light, the handsome young man wore an elegantly tailored performance suit, every part of him exuding a gentle glow.

Wen Shixi did not turn to look at the audience.

He didn’t look at Liang Min, Cheng Xuan, or anyone else.

He just walked towards his piano, his pace calm and elegant.

After sitting down, in the breathless wait, the orchestra conductor finally appeared.

The young student walked onto the podium, bowed slightly to all the audience gathered in the auditorium, and then turned to face his orchestra.

The baton was raised lightly, stopping in mid-air.

Immediately afterward, the low notes of the piano slowly emerged.

The winding coastline, short, deep piano notes, like the chimes from a corner of the Mediterranean, Istanbul.

Then, the string section resonated together, surging out with boundless, serene, and turbulent sorrow.

Wen Shixi knew that he was just here to replace that genius student, to complete this reporting performance.

In the re-arranged concerto, the piano notes were soft and muted, adjusted to be the accompaniment for everything else.

The notes at his fingertips were soaked by the strings. Because they were so small, they were like struggling in pain, gradually being submerged, but they never disappeared, remaining in the depths of one’s ears.

An existence that couldn’t be erased, tumbling in the sorrowful symphony, as if hearing every rise and fall, constantly, tirelessly responding.

Wen Shixi’s life was, in a way, no different from this performance.

He was taking the place of an identity that didn’t belong to him, living in a place that didn’t belong to him.

But his piano music, like his existence, was never ordinary.

The jumping, continuous high notes, like the clear starry sky, the Seine River waters of his dreams, carrying all his yearning for classical music, seemed to be slowly flowing at his feet.

The piano notes that would not be submerged, like a traveler walking in the vast dawn, softly whispering the murmurs of the night, with each touch of the keys, each trembling step, facing the sunrise and going forward.

Immediately afterward, the rich brass resonated, flowing between the notes, like the rising sun appearing on the mountain peak.

A warm, sun-like symphony spread throughout the auditorium.

The cooperation, struggle, and resonance of different sections gathered the absurdity and magnificence of the world between the notes.

The final theme chapter of the thirteen-minute first movement was Wen Shixi’s murmur.

The allowed tempo rubato, the borrowed, slowed-down tail notes, were full of lingering reluctance.

The notes were like gentle waves, surging towards everyone present.

The accompaniment of the symphony finally became clear at this moment.

He was like being immersed in a pain that would never be healed, and at the moment of near annihilation, he desperately used his fingertips to carve his name on the world.

As the notes echoed, a gaze in the crowd was always focused on Wen Shixi.

Deep eyes constantly swept across his jumping fingers, slightly parted lips, and the sad eyes that were revealed with the music, and that always tightly locked brow.

The gaze contained greed, accompanied by infatuation, willingly sinking for him.

Finally, in the increasingly compact notes, all the sections vibrated together, climbing up the turbulent syllables, striking the final accent—

The piece ended, the hall was silent, the notes in one’s ears disappearing bit by bit, leaving only the thundering heartbeat.

The conductor turned around, with fine sweat on his forehead, looking at the astonished and shocked crowd.

Then, the conductor slowly bowed.

In the applause, Liang Min’s eyes contained a trace of watery light, looking at her student.

The original choice of the piano concerto was to match the reporting performance chosen by the genius boy.

But today’s version weakened the existence of the piano, and each section was complete and passionate.

And most importantly, it was that piano sound that could not be ignored, that intersected magnificence and gentleness.

Under the light, Wen Shixi gently closed his eyes.

Heat mixed with panting, he could even feel the tactile sensation of blood constantly flowing through his body.

After a brief trance, Wen Shixi stood up, embraced the conductor briefly, and bowed to the audience to thank them.

His gaze swept across the crowd, countless gazes gathering on him, appreciation intertwined with envy, fiery and intense.

Only one steady gaze, sitting in the dark not far from him, quietly and deeply watched him.

The eyes were full of restraint, concealing all fluctuations, and the love hidden in the depths of the eyes was subtly imperceptible in the dimness.

The early winter coastline, a light rain fell again.

With the reporting performance over, the academic year had come to an end except for the final exam.

Wen Shixi followed the joyful members of the orchestra off the stage and returned to the backstage preparation room.

In the preparation room, many bouquets of condolences were placed together, in various poses, looking extremely beautiful at a glance.

Among them, an elegant bouquet of irises was placed in a prominent position, the petals delicate and lovely.

Several rare white varieties were mixed in, exuding a fresh woody fragrance, with a hint of sweetness.

Before long, the members of the orchestra claimed their respective bouquets, mostly sent by their parents or friends. Only the only bouquet of irises was left, without a signature, remaining in the center of the table.

However, Wen Shixi recognized that bouquet of flowers.

At the banquet performance not long ago, he had received an identical bouquet.

For a moment, the noise in the dressing room seemed far away.

Wen Shixi stood on the spot and thought for a moment, then, he hugged the bouquet that belonged to him, picked up his phone, and walked out of the dressing room, brushing past Cheng Xuan who had come to find him.

Wen Shixi walked towards the exit of the auditorium. In the rapid footsteps, the call came at just the right time.

Wen Shixi answered the phone, but without waiting for the other side to speak, he said directly: “Jiang Quanyu, don’t leave yet.”

Jiang Quanyu was stunned for a moment and said, “Okay, I won’t leave.”

“Wait for me in the small garden on the side of the auditorium door.” Wen Shixi gradually started running, saying: “I have something to tell you.”

–

In the quiet small garden, a figure held an umbrella, standing in the deep rain.

The rain fell across the edge of the street lamp, the rays of light clear and bright, and then constantly quietly disappeared.

Before long, the sound of footsteps rang from the door behind him.

Jiang Quanyu turned his head with an umbrella, looking at the slightly panting figure.

His gaze was steady, looking at the bouquet of flowers in Wen Shixi’s arms for a moment, and then slowly looking at Wen Shixi’s face.

Jiang Quanyu frowned: “I told you not to leave, why are you running?”

Wen Shixi stood for a moment, took two steps down the steps, and stood in Jiang Quanyu’s umbrella.

He looked around. It was the time when the audience was leaving, and voices appeared from time to time, in the corner outside the garden.

Wen Shixi looked back at the back of the garden, and then walked to the deserted seaside with Jiang Quanyu.

On the silent coast, the sound of rain mixed with the soft sound of surging waves.

The coastal brick road was located on the edge of the coastline, with street lights lining both sides of the road, the lights a warm yellow, like reassuring lighthouses.

Two figures walked side by side, close together under the umbrella.

Wen Shixi didn’t speak for a while, Jiang Quanyu just held the umbrella, waiting for Wen Shixi to speak.

Wen Shixi walked and thought for a moment, then, he opened his mouth to ask the moment he passed the street lamp.

“Jiang Quanyu, what were you thinking when you listened to me playing the piano?”

Jiang Quanyu thought for a moment, and his pace slowed down for some reason.

Before long, Jiang Quanyu answered: “I was thinking about something I once did.”

The man’s voice couldn’t hear ups and downs, as if it were not important, but it was extremely slow.

Walking lightly, Wen Shixi turned his head, his chin slightly raised, looking at Jiang Quanyu’s profile.

Wen Shixi asked, “Are you referring to withdrawing my application to study abroad?”

Jiang Quanyu lowered his head, looking at Wen Shixi’s sparkling eyes.

Soft sounds filled the air, scattered in the rain.

“Yes.”

His Wen Shixi was clearly exuding the most brilliant light in the world.

Walking, Wen Shixi heard Jiang Quanyu’s words, and suddenly stopped.

Jiang Quanyu noticed a little later, and stopped and turned around after half a step.

“Actually, it’s not too late now.” Wen Shixi said.

Because of the distance of half a step, Wen Shixi’s figure stood outside the umbrella.

But at the moment when the rain wet his clothes, the world suddenly slowed down.

The rain fell sparsely, and those that had not yet fallen in mid-air shook out of the cold, turning into patches of frost white, falling towards the endless night sea.

Frost prisms fell on his hair, Wen Shixi held the bouquet of irises, his eyes filled with snow light.

He gently raised his head and said.

“Jiang Quanyu, I’ve decided to go to Vienna with Cheng Xuan.”