WT Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Bubbles, like fireworks on the sea, grand and brilliant.

The faint morning light brought a cool tone, shining in through the window in wisps.

A suitcase stood at the entrance, containing only a few seasonal clothes for Vienna.

Wen Shixi thought for a long time and felt he didn’t have much to take.

Everything belonging to the future, he could regain in his belated freedom.

In the pale light, Wen Shixi put on his coat.

Amidst the soft, shuffling footsteps, he returned to the bedroom door.

Even with the help of medication, the person on the bed didn’t sleep soundly, their brow still lightly furrowed.

Wen Shixi walked to the bedside and placed the teddy bear he was holding next to the pillow.

The reissued bank card lay flat on the bedside table, with a sticky note beside it bearing the initial password.

Although it was too early to leave, Wen Shixi didn’t want to wait for Jiang Quanyu to wake up and planned to go straight to the airport.

He got up and took one last look at the person on the bed.

He turned away silently, stirring a gentle breeze.

–

The moment Wen Shixi stepped into the taxi, in the quiet room, Jiang Quanyu’s eyes cracked open.

The last effects of the expiring sleeping pill disappeared in his body, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

In a long and comforting dream, he was surrounded by Wen Shixi’s pheromones, and the illusion lingered even after waking up.

Only as time passed, irrepressibly, did Jiang Quanyu slowly realize that the room he was in was not a dream.

He frowned, sat up in bed, his gaze sweeping across the clean room before settling on the bank card on the bedside table.

The entire apartment was empty and silent.

An unexpected pang spread from his heart, irritating the gastric mucosa and causing a burning sensation.

Jiang Quanyu slowly got up and walked to the bedroom door.

He leaned on the doorframe, looking at the empty apartment, his breathing irregular and labored.

During the bustling morning rush hour, a car drove into the underground parking garage of a building.

A shadowy figure stepped out of the car, and as the door closed, the figure in the suit walked into the elevator and into the office.

It seemed like an ordinary morning, except for the lingering smell of alcohol and pheromones, everything was the same as usual.

In the morning light, Jiang Quanyu squinted slightly, listening to his assistant’s report, his official-sounding voice muddled and unclear, always lingering around him but unable to penetrate his mind.

The overlapping sounds and hallucinations made him hear the airport flight announcements at the edge of his hearing, the elegant female voice filled with mechanical sounds constantly rubbing against his eardrums, refusing to leave.

At the same time, at the airport, Wen Shixi and Cheng Xuan passed through the security checkpoint together and arrived at a waiting area for short rest.

Although the boarding time was in the evening, Cheng Xuan learned that Wen Shixi had arrived at the airport early in the morning and quickly came to meet him.

The waiting building of the Linggang International Airport was entirely enclosed in glass, and from the air, it looked like a huge glass ball.

The two sat in a cafe not far from the boarding gate. Wen Shixi was bored while waiting, flipping through the sheet music in his hand, occasionally lost in thought, staring blankly at the tarmac outside the glass.

Before long, a waving hand entered his field of vision.

Cheng Xuan smiled and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Wen Shixi averted his gaze and lowered his eyes.

His eyelashes shone faintly in the light, occasionally brushing lightly.

“Nothing,” Wen Shixi said.

He wasn’t looking at anything, just spacing out.

If he had to say what he was looking at, he was just looking at the blue sky outside the glass shell.

On the other side of the blue sky, a figure confined by tall buildings was sitting at a desk, looking at the design draft in his hand, his fingertips gently pressing down.

The hand-drawn paper from the famous designer was pressed by his fingertips, leaving an indelible mark.

The holographic concert hall located on the coast would follow the ancient Roman style, using pure white high-column arches and domes, matched with countless gauze curtains, bringing the romance and elegance of architectural art to the fullest.

But for Jiang Quanyu, the only person qualified to sit in this concert hall was leaving today.

He put down the design draft, clenched a fist tightly, and pressed it against his brow.

For a moment, Jiang Quanyu could hardly tell what he was doing at this moment, or what he should do.

The buildings, amusement parks, and even the entire world carrying the hard work of countless people, seemed to be wrapped in a colorful bubble.

The bubble floated in the air, constantly deforming, as if it would shatter with a light touch.

Seven years ago, he was the one who left Wen Shixi.

Today, he was also the one who decided to let Wen Shixi go.

His world was grand and desolate, and his paradise had nothing left inside.

There was a knock on the door, and Assistant Gu opened the door and reported to Jiang Quanyu: “President Jiang, we have received a reply from Mr. Takahashi. He still declined our invitation and is unwilling to participate in the construction of the amusement park.”

As the most successful amusement park founder in the world, Takahashi created a commercial myth belonging to theme parks even during the Japanese bubble economy era.

But Mr. Takahashi, nearly seventy years old, has repeatedly declined Jiang Quanyu’s invitation for consultation on the grounds of “already retired.”

Jiang Quanyu lowered the hand pressed against his brow, his voice dry and hoarse, and asked, “Did he say why this time?”

Assistant Gu stated officially: “Mr. Takahashi said in the last email that the prerequisite for giving anything is to first possess it.”

Assistant Gu paused slightly as he spoke, then continued.

“He said he believes that a person who has never possessed happiness cannot create a real paradise.”

As his voice faded, Jiang Quanyu’s hands gradually clenched.

He had done his best to protect and fulfill what he cared about.

But how many more people would have to announce his failure?

Assistant Gu stood at the door, watching Jiang Quanyu’s tightly furrowed brow.

After a moment, Assistant Gu spoke again, asking, “President Jiang, do you need to rest?”

Jiang Quanyu breathed out lightly: “No, when does the general progress meeting scheduled for today begin?”

“Three o’clock in the afternoon,” Assistant Gu said. “According to the plan, the meeting will last for about two hours.”

Five o’clock in the afternoon at the end of the meeting was the time when Wen Shixi’s plane would take off.

Jiang Quanyu knew that the moment the amusement park plan was finalized, Wen Shixi would leave.

He couldn’t stop it, and he wouldn’t stop it.

Today was the best weather day in Linggang in recent days, not only was the sunshine just right, but even the breeze was exceptionally gentle.

At noon, inside the airport cafe, Wen Shixi smelled the aroma of coffee and was chatting with Cheng Xuan.

Cheng Xuan: “The Mozart Piano Competition will officially start at the end of next month. You will have plenty of time to prepare after we arrive in Vienna.”

Wen Shixi’s expression was indifferent, not particularly concerned, only saying, “Prepare for what?”

Cheng Xuan paused slightly, then smiled gently: “Even if you are very good, you still have to prepare. You haven’t competed for a long time, there will be so many people at the venue, you should at least prepare yourself mentally.”

Wen Shixi tilted his head slightly and thought quietly for a moment.

For many years, because he was free enough and good enough, no matter how difficult the score was, he could practice it and learn it quickly after a few days of neglecting sleep and food.

So playing the piano for him had been a long time since he needed to put in extra effort and hard work.

Wen Shixi’s hazelnut latte had a chubby heart pattern drawn on the coffee surface with milk foam by the barista.

He supported his cheek with one hand, looking at the heart in the coffee cup, and silently recalled.

When was the last time he was nervous because of playing the piano?

It seemed like many years ago, in the piano room of the old house, he repeatedly listened to the soprano aria “Sempre libera (Always Free)” from Verdi’s “La Traviata,” and after arranging it into a piano piece, he invited Jiang Quanyu to listen to it that day.

At that time, they seemed to have quarreled because the piano piece he adapted was much lighter than the original, and Jiang Quanyu didn’t like it, sternly saying that he didn’t understand the emotions Verdi wanted to express at all.

He felt sad and angry and locked himself in his room.

But Jiang Quanyu directly had someone pry open his door lock and scolded him again.

Wen Shixi listened to the faint noise in the cafe and smiled inexplicably.

At that time, he was practicing his Jiang Quanyu’s mother’s favorite opera selection to please him, and he really hadn’t thought about what Verdi wanted to express as “freedom.”

Now, he was breathing in the first breath of freedom, sitting in a soothing leisure, and suddenly had the whimsical idea of seriously thinking about this question.

In the end, what is the freedom that so many artists praise, and what is the future he wants to pursue?

At three o’clock in the afternoon, the first progress meeting in the headquarters building conference room began normally.

The persons in charge of each part were present and constantly negotiated the time nodes for stage acceptance.

Arguments occurred from time to time, carrying the smell of gunpowder.

At the side of the round table, Jiang Quanyu sat in the center of an argument, remaining silent throughout.

After cutting off all thought, he suddenly felt that maybe Mr. Takahashi was right.

He couldn’t build this paradise well because he didn’t know what a paradise that could bring people happiness should look like.

He could hire the best designers, contractors, publicity teams, and operations teams, but just like Wen Shixi was unwilling to stay by his side, no one would want to come to such a paradise.

By the end of the meeting, all the work was running smoothly with abundant experience.

No matter what Jiang Quanyu was thinking in his heart, he was like a perfect machine that could accurately formulate the most perfect progress plan and coordinate the most suitable resources for each part.

But for a moment, the calmer and more awake he seemed, the more he seemed to be walking on the edge of an abyss.

The more thorough the loss, the more he kept silent about it.

Lost, Jiang Quanyu had never been so eager to get a reason to keep him going.

In the empty office, the sunlight became more and more crimson.

The sunset fell on the desk, but Jiang Quanyu still hadn’t returned.

The car drove out of the building, exceptionally slowly, towards the bustling streets.

Airport.

Outside the boarding gate, after a brief delay, the voice broadcast finally sounded, notifying waiting passengers to start boarding.

Wen Shixi had been sitting at the airport all day, and finally the moment of departure had arrived.

He and Cheng Xuan came to the boarding gate, raised their heads, and looked at the sunset outside the glass window.

The light purple sky reflected a large area of dazzling light on the glass window, looking exceptionally dreamy.

The colored indicator lights on the tarmac emitted dazzling light, scattered everywhere.

Wen Shixi thought for a long time, but still didn’t understand why freedom wasn’t light.

While queuing, he inexplicably asked the person next to him.

“Cheng Xuan, why did you choose to go to Vienna back then?”

Cheng Xuan thought for a while, a little surprised why Wen Shixi suddenly asked him this question.

But soon, all of Cheng Xuan’s doubts gradually became clear.

He almost forgot that although Wen Shixi loved the piano very much, whether it was Vienna or the title of some legendary pianist, Wen Shixi’s cold heart probably wouldn’t care.

Wen Shixi’s love for the piano was pure and simple, not craving any fame or achievement.

So Wen Shixi was probably still confused and hadn’t found out what kind of future he wanted.

Actually, Cheng Xuan also wanted to take Wen Shixi directly to Vienna like this.

But Cheng Xuan felt that he was a senior, so he couldn’t do that.

Cheng Xuan showed a little helpless and doting look: “Because of many reasons, my teacher is in Vienna, and the job invitation I received is also in Vienna. But most importantly, I want to become a more excellent conductor and let more people hear my music.”

After a moment’s pause, Cheng Xuan smiled warmly, he looked at Wen Shixi’s eyes full of dusk and asked: “Then Shixi, what kind of pianist do you want to be?”

The stars are hidden on the other side of the sunset, hiding in the clouds, looming.

The warm light of the setting sun continued to fade with time until the red light became dim, gradually disappearing at the edge of the deep blue sky.

At six ten, the black car finally arrived outside the airport.

A figure stepped out of the car and stood outside the airport’s huge glass shell.

Jiang Quanyu stood in the crowd, looking at the huge bubble within reach.

Inside the bubble, countless figures intersected, strange and blurred.

All the way, his heart had been repeatedly questioning him why he came here.

But in fact, he just… wanted to see the last place Wen Shixi left.

Wen Shixi had fulfilled that night’s words and would go to find his own life.

Amidst the noise, his whole heart trembled in his body, almost reaching its limit.

His hands continued to clench tightly, his fingertips pressed into his palms, squeezing out a dull ache.

He wouldn’t regret giving Wen Shixi what he wanted.

But… what about him?

Why was he so unnecessary in the life Wen Shixi had set for himself?

Jiang Quanyu turned around, no longer looking at anything in the airport, immersed in the darkness where the sunset had disappeared.

The noise echoed outside his consciousness, wanting to put a period on a life, but unable to write it.

On closer inspection, he realized that it was not just a period in a life, but his entire life that he could no longer regain because of making a mistake.

Day and night alternated, the dark night turned the whole world into a deep blue.

He was finally completely cast into that sunless deep sea.

That cold, dark, irresistible deep sea that only belonged to him.

At the same time, in the airport hall.

A figure came to the inside of the glass partition behind Jiang Quanyu with hesitation.

The figure stood in the hall, looking at the back outside the glass, his lips slightly parted.

In the messy voices, the way the knuckles knocked on the glass was like the way he used to jump on the keys when playing,

The tone was very melodious, and at first it sounded like a figure standing on the sea, lightly leaping into the ocean.

The sound of water mixed with the waves, in the dark sea, the figure submerged, constantly swimming towards the dark figure sunk in the boundless seabed.

In a trance, Jiang Quanyu heard a knocking sound.

The next second, he turned to look behind him.

The world suddenly became quiet, solidified in a long peace.

Stars twinkled, intimately nestled with thin clouds.

In Jiang Quanyu’s sight, Wen Shixi stood behind the glass, wearing a moon-white coat, his hair slightly upturned, holding a suitcase, looking at him with a puzzled face.

Jiang Quanyu’s heart, which could easily get everything but yearned to the depths of his soul, quietly beat in the momentary freeze.

In the crowded airport, everything present became extremely blurred, leaving only the two figures inside and outside the glass, silently gazing at each other.

In the empty seabed, the submerged figure went towards the imprisoned black shadow, and in the buffer of the sea, crashed into the cold embrace, tightly embracing each other.

In the depths of his soul, the huge, colorful bubble shattered, like fireworks blooming on the sea, grand and brilliant.

Wen Shixi opened his mouth to speak, but Jiang Quanyu couldn’t hear any sound from him across the glass. All he could hear was the noise of the world, vivid and warm.

On the glass, Wen Shixi’s face and his reflection were superimposed.

That face that made people fall deeply, his lips moving.

“Jiang, Quanyu—”

“Why, are you, here?”