Chapter 65: “Dedicated to My Beloved”
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After that day, every night when Shen Yao fell into a deep sleep, or every early morning when he had not yet woken up, Xu Yibai would call the doctor to come and provide therapy for his hand.
A small stroke of luck amidst the misfortune. If the glass shards had penetrated a bit further, Xu Yibai’s life as a normal person would not have been affected, but his career as a pianist would have come to an end.
Xu Yibai didn’t tell Shen Yao the truth for two reasons. Firstly, he knew that Shen Yao’s last trace of softness had already been worn away by him, and he wouldn’t keep hiding it forever, creating an illusion of false beauty.
After all, Shen Yao loved the sound of his piano. Apart from those two thin marriage certificates, it seemed to have become the only advantage that allowed him to keep Shen Yao by his side.
The sun had not yet risen on the horizon. During these days, he either worked in the dark night or in the early morning when it was still dark outside. But because Xu Yibai paid the doctors generously, their spirits were high. One of the doctors let out a sigh of relief and said, “Your hand is recovering well, but you should be more careful in the future and not do anything reckless.”
The layers of gauze wrapped around his right hand were finally unwound. The scars on his right hand would forever remain deeply etched, like an ugly worm.
Unconsciously, Xu Yibai furrowed his brows and asked, “Is there any way to remove this scar?”
“Scar?” The doctor was momentarily taken aback because Xu Yibai didn’t seem like someone who would be concerned about a scar. Realizing that it might be because Xu Yibai was a pianist and had perfect requirements for his hand, he explained, “It depends on the individual’s constitution, but with the depth of this scar on your hand, it would be difficult to restore it completely. At most, we can fade the scar a bit. I can give you some ointment for now.”
Xu Yibai slowly clenched his palm, hiding the scar in the palm of his hand. He nodded slowly and said, “Okay.”
Xu Yibai accepted the ointment from the doctor and then had someone go out to buy fingerless gloves. The weather was gradually getting colder, and when it came time to wear sweaters, it wouldn’t be strange to wear fingerless gloves.
He put on the gloves and quietly returned to the upstairs. There were many rooms on the second floor, but the master bedroom door was the only one that wasn’t locked.
Xu Yibai opened the door, and the curtains were drawn, allowing the faint light from the distant lighthouse to illuminate the gentle curve on the bed. He walked over and gently closed the curtains, then turned on the dim bedside lamp. Xu Yibai climbed onto the bed and embraced Shen Yao from behind.
It felt like holding the most precious treasure, and his heart no longer felt empty. He pressed his face forward, slowly closed his eyes, as if he were peacefully asleep, leaning against Shen Yao’s back.
Shen Yao, his.
But only Xu Yibai knew that his nerves were still tense, never relaxing his vigilance. Even the sound of birds flapping their wings outside the window would make him instantly open his eyes.
Winter mornings seemed to pass by slowly until dawn. When Shen Yao woke up, Xu Yibai had already changed clothes, and he silently finished packing.
Shen Yao’s gaze briefly landed on Xu Yibai’s right hand and then moved away. Xu Yibai assured himself that Shen Yao must have seen the fingerless gloves he was wearing. Shen Yao’s indifferent expression was also within Xu Yibai’s expectations.
“We’re going to A City today.” However, Xu Yibai simply walked over, taking out thick clothes and helping Shen Yao put them on one by one. He lowered his gaze and said, “The island is at the southernmost part, and A City will be much colder than here. You should wear more clothes.”
Xu Yibai brought Shen Yao back to his residence where he had secluded himself in the past. It was a tall building with living quarters upstairs and a piano room and studios downstairs. It was close to the music hall where Xu Yibai would perform. People would come here regularly to clean, so even though he hadn’t been back for a long time, the room remained neat and clean without a speck of dust.
After receiving a phone call, Sister Cai rushed back from afar. When she saw Xu Yibai, tears almost welled up in the corners of her eyes out of excitement. “Little Xu! Is your hand alright now!? I almost thought you wouldn’t be able to play the piano…”
She belatedly noticed Shen Yao’s presence. The face was too familiar, and she had vaguely heard about the twists and turns between Xu Yibai and Shen Yao. She extended her hand politely and said, “Hello, I’m Xu Yibai’s manager. You must be Shen…”
“Hello.” Shen Yao shook her hand gently, showing a sense of propriety, and briefly uttered an English word, “Venus.”
Sister Cai was initially taken aback, almost thinking that her memory had failed her. But she couldn’t possibly forget Shen Yao’s beautiful face, and she couldn’t have misremembered the name of Xu Yibai’s boyfriend, which he had mentioned so many times.
She instinctively looked up towards Xu Yibai, who remained silent but had a calm expression on his face.
She automatically understood that the name Shen Yao mentioned earlier was his English name. However, she had more urgent matters to attend to and hastily left, clicking her high heels as she went, “Since you’ve decided to continue organizing the concert, I’ll help you make the necessary arrangements and solve the issues with time and scheduling…”
Before Xu Yibai returned to the country, most of the preparations for the concert had already been completed. Only some finishing touches remained.
With the postponement, many steps and arrangements needed to be started from scratch, with many tasks falling on Sister Cai’s shoulders. Xu Yibai’s task was to practice the performance pieces repeatedly. Whenever Xu Yibai secluded himself in the past, he disliked having others enter the piano room. But this time, he brought Shen Yao with him.
Xu Yibai lifted the piano lid, but his movements felt strangely stiff and unfamiliar. Even though he hadn’t touched the piano in a long time, he shouldn’t be this nervous. Those instincts should have been ingrained in him.
His breathing remained constricted, but only Xu Yibai knew. Xu Yibai wasn’t playing the piano due to his hand injury, and that was one reason.
Xu Yibai’s Adam’s apple bobbed. When he first injured his hand, he stubbornly continued attempting to play the piano.
Whenever he pressed the keys despite the excruciating pain, he would experience hallucinations. Every moment, every minute, every second, as long as he touched the piano, he would try to produce a flowing melody.
But he would see hallucinations of Shen Yao dancing before his eyes, violently shaking his nerves and disrupting the rhythm he had memorized.
One thing Xu Yibai didn’t lie to Shen Yao about was that he was currently unable to play the piano.
Xu Yibai, being intimately familiar with the piano, didn’t need to look at the keys to know which note would sound when he pressed a finger down.
The hallucination of Shen Yao appeared right in front of him. Xu Yibai took a deep breath and slowly raised his hand, his fingertips dancing gracefully on the piano keys.
This time, there were no hallucinations in front of him. The melody flowed out delicately.
In the past, Xu Yibai never allowed his mind to wander while playing the piano. He would watch Shen Yao sitting on the sofa, focused and absorbed. However, his mind would be filled with countless thoughts.
Shen Yao didn’t truly love him… He only married him out of guilt. He now knew he had been deceived, and he would definitely seize any opportunity to divorce him.
He couldn’t let his guard down for a moment, and he couldn’t allow Shen Yao to find any faults with him, especially when it came to the piano, which he loved the most.
However, Xu Yibai’s breathing became increasingly rapid. Although he lowered his head to look at the clearly defined black and white keys, his surroundings seemed to spin and whirl.
Once again, he saw the fluttering of a dress and the repeated rising and spinning on tiptoes.
But Xu Yibai refused to stop. His rhythm grew more chaotic, accelerating to the point of disorder.
He knew he was wrong, yet a roaring thunder resounded in his ears. He could hear his own rapid heartbeat, unable to even hear the sound of the piano, making it difficult to bring the piece back to the correct path.
Shen Yao, though not a professional pianist, could discern that something was wrong. He furrowed his brow lightly and gently called out, “Xu Yibai.”
His voice was clear and pure, like a refreshing rain falling from the sky, landing on Xu Yibai’s body.
Xu Yibai slowly lifted his face, and his gaze, as it met Shen Yao’s, instantly became clear. His heartbeat gradually eased, resembling gentle undulating waves.
The second half of the piece regained Xu Yibai’s usual level of skill. After struggling for months, he finally played the piano piece flawlessly and seamlessly.
Shen Yao watched him and asked thoughtfully, “Did you make a mistake just now?”
This kind of mistake didn’t seem like something Xu Yibai would make; it was more akin to the confusion of a novice.
Xu Yibai slowly stopped his hands, and the sound of the piano vanished. Instead of answering Shen Yao’s question, he whispered softly, “Why do you like it when I play the piano?”
Shen Yao leaned back on the sofa, seemingly attentively listening. The ring on his finger had changed once again, after Xu Yibai had thrown away Guan Shu’s ring and bought him a new one.
Shen Yao caressed the ring with his fingers and chuckled lightly, saying, “I’ll tell you after your concert is over.”
***
The concert hall below was filled to capacity, and it awaited the start of the performance in silence. There were no media present, only guests who came to listen to the music.
The hall was warm, and even in his formal attire, Xu Yibai didn’t feel cold sitting on the stage. Amidst the gaze of countless people, the spotlight shone upon him, making every strand of his hair appear to glisten.
Xu Yibai’s gaze lifted slightly. Before the performance began, he glanced seemingly casually at Shen Yao, who sat in the middle of the front row, as if confirming his presence countless times.
Once the prodigy of the piano world, Xu Yibai could now only complete a flawless performance when he confirmed Shen Yao’s presence by his side and assured himself that Shen Yao couldn’t escape.
Xu Yibai sat upright, his hands finally resting on the keys, and the piano notes flowed like running water.
Shen Yao, like the audience around him, remained quiet, his gaze fixed on Xu Yibai.
The sound of the piano was a manifestation of the performer’s emotions, and Shen Yao could perceive that Xu Yibai’s piano playing was different from before.
Previously, his performance was like a gentle spring rain, but now, it was as if the moon in the night sky was hidden behind clouds, and no bright light shone upon the silent and turbulent sea.
Shen Yao could even deeply understand Xu Yibai’s transformation.
Xu Yibai had grown up in a loving family environment, and his piano playing had been gentle, soothing the hearts of others. He believed that the world was sincere and beautiful, so he had wholeheartedly devoted himself to loving Shen Yao, only to be met with betrayal time and time again.
This was completely different from Xu Yibai’s understanding of emotions and the world. Among the three alphas, he was the least capable of accepting lies and betrayal.
It was as if his worldview was cruelly being reshaped, yet even so, he was unwilling to let go.
Xu Yibai was strict with himself, and his performance was still flawless; it just gave off a different feeling.
This solo concert left no room for criticism, whether it was to the ears or to the soul, it felt like a cleansing experience.
Time passed by quietly and imperceptibly, and before they knew it, only the final performance remained.
In the quiet concert hall, occasional whispers could be heard.
“Click—”
A faint sound echoed in the air. On the second floor, reserved for VIPs seeking privacy, each room had an extended balcony. The closed door of the balcony facing the center was slowly opened by an assistant.
An alpha emerged from within, capturing the attention of some. He was dressed in a black suit, with a draped windbreaker over his shoulders, left unbuttoned.
Yan Zhixing’s golden hair was swept back, accentuating his facial features. His steps seemed somewhat unsteady, but he maintained his walking and standing posture flawlessly.
He stopped by the golden and silver railing, holding a black cane in his hands, with a black gemstone embedded at the top, held firmly in his grasp.
Yan Zhixing’s gaze did not immediately turn towards the protagonist of this solo concert; instead, his eyes drifted towards the omega in the middle of the first row. His lowered eyes made it difficult to discern his emotions.
He didn’t wait for Shen Yao to turn around before he slowly lifted his head, his gaze coldly meeting Xu Yibai on stage.
Xu Yibai didn’t seem surprised by his arrival at all. Expressionless, he averted his gaze and descended from the stage.
He walked up to Shen Yao, amidst a mix of sighs and murmurs, and gently bowed. Xu Yibai extended his hand with gentlemanly grace and spoke:
“For the final piano piece, I want to dedicate it to my beloved.”
“Shen Yao.”
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