Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
On Sunday, Fu Weiheng made a sudden trip to Shanghai to sign a project contract and would return that evening.
Fu Weiheng had an early flight at seven-thirty, which meant Su Wan also had to wake up early. After having breakfast and seeing Fu Weiheng off, Su Wan continued with her practice for the day.
Thanks to a few pointers from Fu Weiheng yesterday, Su Wan's practice went much smoother today. However, her biggest frustration recently was finding a piano accompanist for the competition. Although Fu Weiheng could serve as her piano accompaniment, he had been extremely busy with work lately. He was already exhausted from his daily job at the company, and she couldn't bear to ask him to stay after work to practice with her.
Lost in thought, she suddenly zoned out, forgetting where she had left off in the piece she was playing.
Su Wan raised her hand to rub her forehead and went out to get a glass of water.
When she returned, she heard her phone ringing loudly on the piano. She swallowed the water in her mouth and calmly walked over to answer the call.
The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number. She glanced at it and picked up, "Hello."
"Guan Guan, it's me."
Su Wan was momentarily taken aback but then softly replied, "Hmm."
Jiang Yun paused for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Do you have time to grab lunch together?"
Su Wan looked at her watch and thought for a moment before responding, "Sure."
The location was chosen by Jiang Yun, at an upscale Western restaurant in Donghu District.
Su Wan changed into a suitable sleeveless dress, sent a message to Fu Weiheng, and then grabbed her bag before heading out.
From Fu Weiheng's apartment to Donghu Square, there is a direct subway line 3. Su Wan walked for about ten minutes after exiting the subway station before she found the restaurant Jiang Yun mentioned.
Pushing open the restaurant door, Su Wan looked around and soon spotted Jiang Yun sitting by the window. She was wearing a burgundy long dress, sitting gracefully in her seat, exuding elegance.
Su Wan walked over and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Jiang Yun snapped back to reality from the street view outside and smiled happily upon seeing the person sitting across from her: "You’re here."
Su Wan smiled back. Although the two had resolved their misunderstandings, they both sighed at the years of separation; their previous interactions could only be polite and distant.
However, Jiang Yun felt a great sense of satisfaction. She didn't dare to ask for too much; just being able to have a meal with her daughter today was already a delightful surprise.
After ordering, Su Wan watched the waiter leave and casually asked, "You... didn’t go back to London?"
Jiang Yun replied with a smile, "I don’t have any performances coming up, so I want to stay in Yan Chuan for a while longer."
Su Wan took a sip of lemonade, fearing that the atmosphere at the table might become too awkward, and casually asked, "Are you alone?"
Jiang Yun's smile faded slightly: "Yes... they haven't come back."
Su Wan naturally understood who "they" referred to, but given the situation, she didn't feel much resentment. She merely smiled lightly and fell silent again.
After a moment, Jiang Yun looked at her calm profile and suddenly spoke up: "I heard... you are preparing for a competition recently?"
Su Wan was taken aback for a second but nodded in acknowledgment.
Jiang Yun asked again, "What competition is it?"
Su Wan replied, "The American Klein String Competition."
Jiang Yun said, "That's great. How's your piece coming along?"
Su Wan responded, "It's almost ready, but I still need to practice more."
Jiang Yun smiled and said, "If you need any help, just let me know."
Su Wan paused her action of sipping water, placing the cup back on the table. She held the cup tightly, hesitating for a moment before speaking, "Mom, would it be convenient for you to accompany me on the piano?"
Jiang Yun was taken aback, pondering her words for a long time without responding.
Seeing Jiang Yun's stiff expression, Su Wan thought she might not be able to help and quickly added, "If it's not convenient, that's fine. I just wanted to mention it..."
"It's convenient." Jiang Yun finally snapped back to reality, her tone revealing undeniable joy. "I want to do something for you too."
Su Wan smiled and said, "Okay... thank you, Mom."
After lunch, Su Wan took Jiang Yun's car to Fu Weiheng's apartment to get her piano before heading to Jiang Yun's place together.
After placing the piano in the back seat, Su Wan returned to the passenger seat. Jiang Yun glanced at the upscale residential area in front of them and asked, "Do you live with Neil?"
Su Wan paused while fastening her seatbelt and nodded slightly with a hint of embarrassment. "Yeah."
"Neil is very good to you," Jiang Yun said as he slowly drove out of the community, then asked, "When are you getting married?"
Su Wan pondered for a moment and casually replied, "...not yet."
Jiang Yun glanced at her slightly flushed cheeks but did not ask further, focusing on driving.
This time returning to Yan Chuan, Jiang Yun chose not to stay at Jiang Residence because he did not want to face Old Man Jiang. Like Jiang Zhi Yan, he had little real affection for that home, so even though it was a rare trip back to the country, he was unwilling to return.
The car gradually moved away from the city center and turned onto a road leading to the suburbs. As Su Wan looked at the familiar scenery along the road, she curiously glanced around until she noticed the wine-red Victorian Neighborhood coming closer. Only then did she turn her head toward the driver, Jiang Yun, and say, "This..."
Jiang Yun anticipated her reaction. This neighborhood held too many mixed memories; it was where he and Su Jingsheng began and ultimately ended.
When the car stopped in front of the small villa that Su Wan knew all too well, she asked in disbelief, "You... live here?"
Jiang Yun responded with a "mm," turned off the engine, and got out to retrieve her guitar from the back seat.
Even when Su Wan followed Jiang Yun inside, she still found it hard to believe.
After seven years, returning to this place where she once lived with her father felt entirely different.
The furnishings inside seemed largely unchanged, just as warm and cozy as before.
Yet it lacked the feeling of home.
"Back then, I had someone buy this house from you," Jiang Yun said. "Everything here, aside from some old things that have been left untouched for years, has basically remained the same. Though people are gone, I can't bear to see it empty..."
Su Wan felt a lump in her throat; there were too many memories here, and complex emotions surged within her, overwhelming her.
After all these years, Su Wan never thought she would have the chance to reunite with Jiang Yun here.
Su Wan turned around and looked around. The upright piano that used to stand beside the white wall had been replaced by a Steinway Grand Piano. Its shiny and luxurious body seemed somewhat out of place in this old house.
Jiang Yun followed her gaze and explained, "The original piano was left unused for too long, and the strings and soundboard were severely dampened, basically rendering it unusable. I had Jiang Zhi Yan replace it for me."
Su Wan turned back and smiled lightly, momentarily at a loss for words. She took hold of the piano and opened the cover, diving straight into the main topic: "Let's practice piano."
Jiang Yun replied, "Sure."
The afternoon practice was particularly harmonious.
After dinner, Fu Weiheng returned home from a business trip and unexpectedly found no one there. He took out his phone and made a call—
A soft and delicate voice was especially pleasant to hear: "Neil... um, I want to spend the evening with my mom..."
Fu Weiheng was taken aback as he listened to her explain the general reason. Although he was somewhat reluctant to be alone in the empty house, after all, she was his future mother-in-law; how could he refuse?
With a helpless sigh, he pressed his fingers to his forehead and said with a smile, "Alright... I'll pick you up for work tomorrow morning."
Su Wan readily agreed, "Okay."
That night, after many years of living under the same roof again, Su Wan couldn't help but feel a bit restless.
After everything that had happened, she hoped to reconcile with Jiang Yun, but she was also afraid that her presence would disrupt Jiang Yun's current family. With her thoughts in disarray, she suddenly regretted staying over that night.
As the night grew late and the air conditioning was strong in the room, Jiang Yun came in to bring her a comforter, worried that she might catch a cold.
"Make sure to cover yourself well with the blanket tonight, or if you feel too cold, just raise the temperature on the air conditioner," Jiang Yun instructed while spreading the bedding.
Su Wan stood behind her, silently watching.
Jiang Yun bent down, skillfully making the bed. Her originally shoulder-length hair was tied up in a small bun, and she wore loose loungewear. The slender figure looked somewhat desolate, lonely, and a bit sorrowful... Stripped of her glamorous exterior, she was just a mother with a heart full of worries.
Su Wan blinked her slightly reddened eyes, calming her sad emotions, and softly replied, "I'm not cold, Mom."
"Alright." Jiang Yun gently tossed the pillow to the head of the bed, stood up to brush back the hair that had fallen over her forehead, and turned to look at her. "You should get some rest early."
"Okay." Su Wan watched her walk toward the door and suddenly asked, "Mom, is your husband treating you well now?"
Jiang Yun paused with her hand on the doorknob and glanced back with a bittersweet tone. "…He's quite good."
Su Wan remained silent for a moment before finally smiling and saying, "Alright, Mom. You should rest early. Goodnight."
——
The next morning, while Su Wan was still getting ready in the bathroom, Fu Weiheng arrived with breakfast.
The person who came to open the door was Jiang Yun. Fu Weiheng nodded in greeting and followed Jiang Yun into the house, carrying a bag of breakfast.
Su Wan changed her clothes and came out of her room. Upon seeing Fu Weiheng, who was looking around the living room, she paused for a moment and walked over. "So early?"
Hearing her voice, Fu Weiheng turned around and smiled meaningfully. "I didn't sleep well when you weren't here."
Su Wan shyly glanced at him and headed straight to the kitchen.
Fu Weiheng followed her. Jiang Yun had already served the food and set three pairs of chopsticks on the dining table.
Su Wan pulled out a chair and sat down, taking the chopsticks that Jiang Yun handed her. She softly said, "Thank you, Mom."
Fu Weiheng raised an eyebrow subtly, sitting across from Su Wan. He politely smiled at Jiang Yun. "Thank you, Teacher Jiang."
Jiang Yun chuckled. "No need to be so polite; we are all family now. Just call me Mom like Guan Guan does."
He was quite straightforward about it. "Alright, thank you, Mom."
Su Wan thought to herself: ……
She felt that Mr. Fu's way of calling "Mom" was even more natural than hers.
After breakfast, the two of them headed back to the company together.
The car was as silent as ever. Su Wan flipped through the CD collection in the organizer and ultimately chose Fu Weiheng's album to put in the player.
Fu Weiheng glanced at her actions and spoke slowly, "There will be a performance in mid-August."
Su Wan paused her hand controlling the media button, "Next month?"
"Yes," Fu Weiheng replied.
Su Wan was confused, "When was this decided?"
Fu Weiheng casually said, "A couple of days ago. There will be an announcement at the group meeting later."
"..." Su Wan took out her phone to check today's date. "It's already the 29th... This decision came too suddenly..."
Fu Weiheng remained calm, "There's still time."
Su Wan: "…………"
When they arrived at the practice room, after chatting a bit with Wen He, Fu Weiheng entered with the Conductor.
Su Wan fell silent, so... they were here to make the announcement, right?
Fu Weiheng stood by the Conductor's podium and got straight to the point without any small talk: "On September 9th, at the Yan Chuan Grand Theatre, there will be a performance. I will personally serve as the principal violinist."
The crowd was in an uproar; they hadn't even had time to process this sudden announcement when Fu Weiheng shocked them again by saying, "Additionally, all pieces for this performance will be cello concertos."
At this point, Su Wan's heart skipped a beat as she felt a sense of awareness and looked over at him.
Sure enough—
"The main melody part of the concerto will be played by Su Wan."
With that one sentence, it was calm yet powerful.
Everyone turned their heads to look at Su Wan, and in an instant, murmurs erupted.
Su Wan sat frozen in her seat, suddenly recalling what he had said on Friday night: "Should we adapt in advance?" It dawned on her.
The announcement was made, and Fu Weiheng calmly scanned the crowd before saying, "The sheet music will be distributed shortly; for now, let's practice."
With that, Fu Weiheng left amidst a chorus of astonished voices.
As soon as he left, Wen He eagerly approached her, patting her shoulder to bring her back to reality.
Wen He said, "So you just found out?"
Su Wan nodded dumbly.
"Surprised?" Wen He asked with a smile.
"More like shocked." How could he not give her a heads-up?
“……”
Wen He couldn't help but smile, wanting to say something, when a clearly mocking female voice came from behind: “Hmph... just a freshly graduated undergraduate, and she actually gets us to accompany her for a performance. Is Mr. Fu out of his mind?”
The person next to her noticed that the comment was rather inappropriate and reminded, “Rao Rao, you should say less…”
“I want to say it. Did I say anything wrong?” Guo Yao, encouraged by the interruption, raised her voice several notches, causing the entire Practice Room to fall silent.
“If she got in here on her own merit, I wouldn't say a word. Hmph... look at our Principal Cellist; he was here when the orchestra was founded and has been with us for five or six years. Has he ever received such special treatment?”
The suddenly named Principal Cellist felt somewhat helpless and cast a subtle glance at Su Wan without saying anything.
Seeing no one rebutting her, Guo Yao pressed on aggressively: “She’s just a freshly graduated student. What right does she have to make our large orchestra accompany her? And Mr. Fu personally serves as the first violinist?” Guo Yao let out an “oh,” her gaze landing on Su Wan's face. “I heard you're going to participate in a competition, right? So we’re just here to be your trial accompaniment? On what basis?”
“On my—”
A deep and powerful voice cut in, carrying a hint of coldness and anger.
Everyone turned to look.
Fu Weiheng stood at the door of the Practice Room, his expression dark. His sharp eyes shot straight at Guo Yao, causing her heart to tremble involuntarily.
He spoke in a chilling tone: “What do you think you are?”
Comment 0 Comment Count