Chapter 43 Waltz She selfishly wanted to hold onto everything.

Liang Yizhi followed Gu Yinyan outside.

Before she could even reach the car, Gu Yinyan turned around and blocked her way.

He immediately launched into a tirade: "Are you stupid? Didn't you see what that person was holding? You went up and tried to snatch it, thinking you could stop him with just your bare hands? Didn't you think about the consequences?"

Gu Yinyan rarely gets angry, but when he does, it's quite frightening. His tone is cold, his eyes are filled with anger, and his attitude is stiff, making Liang Yizhi a little intimidated.

She shrank back slightly, her voice becoming softer: "...Sean told me that it was a painting she cherished very much. I can't watch it be destroyed."

Gu Yinyan became even angrier: "Is one of her paintings more important than your life?"

"..."

He saw her with her head down, not saying a word, and with a surge of anger, he turned and left.

Gu Yinyan seemed to be riding on wheels of fire, and Liang Yizhi almost couldn't catch up.

She followed Gu Yinyan into the car.

The atmosphere was so tense that Liang Yizhi wanted to change the subject, so she asked him, "Why did you come to the art exhibition today?"

Gu Yinyan replied coldly, "Look at how many days you haven't spoken to me."

Liang Yizhi was taken aback by his words.

The last time they met was the day they left the orchestra. She gave him a cold shoulder for no reason and didn't offer any explanation afterward.

Gu Yinyan knew that Shang En would definitely come to the art exhibition, so he simply went directly to this place.

Thank goodness he came. It's fortunate that he came.

Seeing that she was secretly following someone, Gu Yinyan silently followed behind her, wanting to see what she was up to.

The image of Liang Yizhi rushing up to fight that skinny man bare-handed was still replaying in his mind.

Gu Yinyan said coldly, "You'd better explain why you've been following him for so long."

Although he understood Liang Yizhi, he also knew that she wasn't the kind of person who would rush into battle recklessly in any situation, and there must be some reason for it.

Liang Yizhi avoided eye contact.

She said, "Well... it's a long story. Let's not do it here; it feels like I'm being interrogated. Can we find a more relaxing place?"

She thought for a moment, then blinked: "Let's go to your place."

Gu Yinyan glanced at her and started the car in a huff.

Back home, Liang Yizhi went into the study.

As soon as the door closed, she heard Gu Yinyan say behind her, "Explain."

Why are you in such a hurry?

Liang Yizhi sat down on the sofa and said, "That man came to see Lin You."

Gu Yinyan frowned: "Where is Lin You?"

“Sean fired her.” Liang Yizhi pursed her lips.

She knew all along that she would eventually have to let him know what he needed to know.

She gave him a helpless smile and confessed, "Remember when we argued? You were right, Lin You did lie to me."

"She took the money I lent her to speculate in stocks, lost it all, and even incurred debts. That man just now was there to collect the debt; he probably wanted to cause trouble at the art exhibition and force Sean to pay off Lin You's debts."

"Gu Yinyan, you are really amazing."

Having just gone through that farce, she felt utterly powerless, all the strength drained from her voice, "You can guess everything...you know everything..."

This doesn't sound like a pleasant compliment.

Gu Yinyan stood by the sofa, looking down at her.

It was midday, and the sunlight shone on Liang Yizhi on the sofa. Her eyelids drooped, and she looked like a plant that had lost its vitality.

Gu Yinyan's eyes were deep: "Do you know why I advised you in the first place? It's because I didn't want to see you like this now."

Since the facts were already stated, Liang Yizhi had long since given up arguing with him: "You're right. I was too naive."

Gu Yinyan felt even more annoyed by her appearance.

He didn't want to argue with her about who was right and who was wrong. This wasn't a competition, and he didn't want to blame her for anything. She wasn't the one in the wrong.

Gu Yinyan asked, "What's wrong?"

"You've been unhappy for the past two days because of this?"

Liang Yizhi kept her head down and didn't say anything.

Gu Yinyan softened his tone slightly: "Why didn't you tell me immediately?"

Liang Yizhi nestled on the sofa, her voice soft and gentle: "Just think of me as feeling embarrassed. After all, I argued with you so confidently before, only to end up making myself look like a fool."

Even if Liang Yizhi didn't say it, Gu Yinyan knew that anyone would be upset in this situation, especially since she had worked so hard for Lin You, and the other party was trying to leech off her.

He knew better than anyone how soft-hearted she was; she would give others several times the sincerity, only to receive several times the hurt in return.

"You're not stupid. You're just—"

"No need to comfort me." Liang Yizhi sniffed very lightly, trying not to let Gu Yinyan notice.

"You are not responsible for my emotions."

Such a familiar phrase.

Liang Yizhi felt very awkward, both towards herself and towards Gu Yinyan.

If Gu Yinyan were to come up and try to comfort her at this moment, she would only feel more like a fool, needing to rely on others for everything.

She would rather he argued with her like before, lecturing her with his reasons; that would make her feel better.

Gu Yinyan glanced at her twice.

Seemingly realizing that nothing he said would help her at this moment, he stopped talking and walked to a nearby cabinet, browsing the shelves.

He asked, "Would you like to listen to some music?"

Music is the best tool for regulating people's emotions.

Liang Yizhi shook her head.

Gu Yin remained silent, continuing to browse the shelves, gradually fading from her peripheral vision.

The room was quiet for a while until the sound of a piano began.

Liang Yizhi paused.

The sofa she was sitting on faced the balcony, with the Steinway piano behind her that hadn't been touched in a long time. She couldn't see behind her, but it must have been Gu Yinyan who pressed two keys.

After a two-second pause, several more consecutive notes rang out.

Flowing music began to play from under the piano.

Is he playing the piano?

Liang Yizhi silently pricked up her ears.

The song begins with a few simple notes as an introduction, and the melody becomes richer as chords are layered in.

Light musical notes leap between the keys, the rhythm gradually quickening and tentatively exploring. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, the melody slowly rises, the timbre playful and melodious.

Liang Yizhi finally couldn't sit still and turned around in surprise.

It wasn't because Gu Yinyan's technique was particularly impressive.

Rather, the piece he played was quite out of character with him.

The piece is by Chopin, and its name, like its melody, is cute and playful: "The Little Dog Waltz".

Liang Yizhi turned her back and looked at Gu Yinyan sitting on the piano bench, looking focused.

The piece was extremely fast-paced, and his fingers flew across the strings, the notes under his hands seemingly taking on shapes, like the tails of playful, bouncy puppies.

It went up and down, swaying and circling around its owner.

The light and lively melody carries an emotion that is infectious.

The dizzying effect of the melody tickled Liang Yizhi's heart, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up in sync with the melody.

She rested her chin on the back of the sofa, her hands on the back, quietly watching the tall, composed figure in front of the piano.

She has studied music for over twenty years and knows how powerful songs can be.

He explained to her the meaning that words could not explain and language could not express, through straightforward music.

He was comforting her.

He wanted to cheer her up.

This piece of music is very short, only about two minutes long. The last few light notes fade away, and the piece comes to an end.

Gu Yinyan lowered his hand and looked at the person on the sofa.

"It's been so long since I've heard you play the piano." Liang Yizhi's eyes lit up again.

She sincerely praised, "You play so well."

"If you think I played well, then don't stay sullen."

"Oh—" Liang Yizhi's mouth formed a circle as she answered him with a drawn-out sound.

She sounded reluctant, but her eyes never lie.

This piece of music inspired her. Liang Yizhi thought that getting a puppy might really help her mood.

She likes small dogs like Wu You's Pomeranian, if not...

She glanced at Gu Yinyan.

A big golden retriever might not be bad.

The irritation in my heart was swept away, and the confusion I felt when facing Gu Yinyan was also cleared up.

To be honest, Gu Yinyan really understands her. He knows her preferences, understands her habits, and knows how to please her and how to make her happy in the fastest way.

She suddenly had a very selfish thought.

Selfishly, she wanted to be friends with this person for life and enjoy the comfort and understanding she felt with him for a long time.

As long as he was by her side, her heart could find peace.

She selfishly wanted to keep all of this.

Liang Yizhi rested her chin on her hand, looked at Gu Yinyan, and slowly said, "I'm sorry."

Gu Yinyan said, "What?"

"I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder the other day." Liang Yizhi spoke slowly. "I... encountered some things, so I didn't know how to face you for a while."

"But I could have just spoken up properly, told you I was unhappy, told you I wanted to be alone for a while, and that would have been enough. Instead, I chose the worst way."

As Liang Yizhi spoke, she lowered her eyes and said, "You must have been feeling uncomfortable these past few days."

Gu Yinyan assumed she was still talking about Lin You and didn't admit it: "Don't think too much about it, I'm a little better off than you."

Liang Yizhi gave a soft scoff.

She continued, "The reason I treated you that way was because I didn't want to face reality. I know that when friends are too familiar with each other, sometimes it can create... a kind of illusion."

"You will develop a strange possessiveness towards the other person and will be unable to resist... wanting to pry into their private life."

She said calmly, "But these are all just curiosity, right? It's just because we care about each other so much that we can't help but want to know more. It's perfectly normal to accidentally cross the line."

Liang Yizhi was confused and spoke without thinking, saying whatever came to mind without considering whether the other person could understand her meaning.

She was terrified that if she didn't say these words today, it would be too late. She was afraid that their relationship would change, and she didn't want the long-maintained balance to be broken.

She didn't even dare to look Gu Yinyan in the eye when she spoke; she just stared at the floor.

But she could feel Gu Yinyan's cold and persistent gaze.

He wasn't far from her, yet it felt as if she separated him from her by an entire wilderness. He could only watch her silently from the other side of the river.

Something has quietly changed between them.

Gu Yinyan's eyes were slightly cold as he responded:

"Yes. You're right."