39. Minuet Op. 18 No. 1
◎Those I Loved◎
Li Xun barely had time to catch his breath. As soon as he put down his luggage, Li Chi pulled him into the study and they immediately got to work.
“Time is tight and the task is heavy. I’ve read the script you sent.” Li Chi got straight to the point. “Let’s clarify a few core processes first.”
Li Xun nodded and switched to director mode.
Over the next few hours, they had a video conference with the orchestra's manager to discuss the draft script outline and other details, as well as determine the total number of shooting days and the specific content to be filmed each day. This required coordinating the schedules of nearly a hundred musicians, conductors, and administrative staff in the orchestra, making it a huge scheduling project.
Li Chi didn't want a simple compilation of performance videos.
She hopes the film has a soul and a story.
Several leads have been preliminarily identified:
The band's growth history, from its founding to the present day, is filled with both hardships and glory;
The core members are focused on, such as the conductor's artistic pursuits and the personal stories of several principal musicians, including Jinxi;
The birth of an important work, from the first rehearsal to the final stage presentation;
Li Chi's own artistic philosophy and ambition.
Besides the orchestra's rehearsal and concert halls, we also needed many outdoor scenes. Since it's a Chinese orchestra, many members have studied at music academies, so we had to scout locations at schools. We also needed to film the musicians' daily lives. To save costs and due to scheduling issues, we decided to use an existing performance for the concert hall recording.
Li Xun needs to determine the team member list and equipment list based on the filming requirements, especially the recording equipment.
The manager, holding the budget sheet, checked it against Li Xun's every item. Every penny had to be spent wisely. All the musicians appearing in the film also needed to sign image rights authorization agreements, and filming permit agreements had to be signed with the concert hall and partners.
By the time the meeting ended, the city lights were already on.
Li Chi watched as Chestnut finally relaxed in her new environment, lying on the cat tree and purring softly. He took out his phone, recorded a video, and took a few photos, then sent them all to Liang Chuling.
For the past four or five years, Li Chi has sent Liang Chuling updates about Chestnuts about once a month.
This habit began with Li Xun's plea—
He pleaded with Li Chi to pass the photos on to Liang Chuling.
When Li Chi learned that the two children had broken up, he was not too upset. It was just a matter of fate bringing them together and then letting them go.
But when she learned that Li Xun had stolen the cat from Liang Chuling's house after the two broke up, she was still greatly shocked. She was speechless for a long time, and she couldn't believe that her son was capable of doing such a thing.
Now that she understands, she quickly accepts it...
Therefore, he agreed to Li Xun's request.
Liang Chuling, on the other hand, seemed to accept it very quickly as well.
Although she blocked all of Li Xun's social media accounts in a fit of anger, the direct trigger was that Li Xun stole the cat and didn't return it.
Li Chi selected the video and photos and sent them to Liang Chuling. After hesitating for a moment, he added: "Li Xun has returned to China."
She works in this industry and has a large network of performance agents and theater managers from all over the world in her social circle, so she naturally knew about the cancellation of Liang Chuling's two subsequent Russian tour shows.
Based on Jinxi's panicked reaction at the door today, she was almost certain that Liang Chuling had also returned.
One thing at a time. Liang Chuling is her student, and she understands her character.
Moreover, when the Li Chi Orchestra was just starting out and facing its most difficult time, it was Liang Chuling who took the initiative to contact Li Chi and collaborated with the orchestra on two concerts, which really raised the orchestra's profile. Later, she also introduced a lot of resources and excellent young musicians to the orchestra.
This is a child who cherishes old friendships, and both for public and private reasons, Li Chi felt he should inform him.
--
After returning home, Liang Chuling stayed with her mother and Aunt Zhang for a few days, celebrated her mother's birthday, and enjoyed the long-lost warmth of family.
Ms. Ma is in good health, and Aunt Zhang is also in great spirits.
Liang Chuling hasn't been home for more than two years.
Needless to say, Ms. Ma misses her child dearly.
Aunt Zhang is single and has no children. She came to our home to take care of Liang Chuling when she was in kindergarten. She has never gone this long without seeing Liang Chuling.
They couldn't believe it when the child suddenly appeared.
First, he opened and closed the door several times, but they still wouldn't let him in. He thought he was dreaming. After confirming that it wasn't a dream, he couldn't help but hug Liang Chuling and shed a wave of tears.
After she finished crying, she reminded him not to cry again after he entered the house. Liang Chuling nodded.
As soon as they entered the house, Madam wailed, and Aunt Zhang burst into tears again, crying as she went to cook meat for Liang Chuling.
At the dinner table, Liang Chuling was still jet-lagged and had a poor appetite. Aunt Zhang burst into tears again... saying that the child used to eat bowls and bowls of meat, but now she could only eat a few bites before stopping, because she was starving! Liang Chuling awkwardly ate a few more bites and repeatedly promised that she would eat a lot the next day.
Ms. Ma was radiant and quietly shared her joy of love with her daughter, even showing her a picture of her boyfriend.
The photo shows a kind-looking man. On the desk behind him in the photo, there is a framed picture of him wearing a firefighter uniform.
Liang Chuling jokingly said that it was like a nesting doll.
After resting for a few days, Liang Chuling went to the Central Conservatory of Music Affiliated High School.
Lin Jianni now teaches here. This job suits her well. She is patient, meticulous, and capable. She also works hard and is very popular with students at the school.
Liang Chuling only casually introduced the opportunity; Lin Jiani's ability to establish herself was entirely due to her own efforts.
The two chatted about their recent situations at school. Lin Jianni was also very curious about Liang Chuling and Yifan's relationship. Lin Jianni had once suffered a big setback because of a man, so she was particularly sensitive to the love that men showed off.
Unlike Jinxi and Ms. Ma, she didn't know the truth long ago—
First, the two don't chat often; second, even when they do chat, they don't talk about these kinds of things.
But since they had met, Lin Jianni still brought up the matter and couldn't help but express her concern.
Liang Chuling smiled and explained the whole story to Lin Jiani.
Ivan is the son of Yelena, Liang Chuling's idol.
When Liang Chuling was a junior in college, Ivan's team began to target the international mainstream market and prepared to sign with a top record company.
However, he is gay.
In the classical music world, the term 'classical' sometimes represents feudalism.
Publicly expressing one's sexual orientation may be seen as a business risk by conservative forces.
This difficult problem was ultimately passed on to Ivan's mother.
In desperation, Yelena contacted Liang Chuling, hoping that Liang Chuling could "help Ivan." She hoped that Liang Chuling could act as Ivan's girlfriend and have a period of public interaction with him to create the image of a perfect couple, paving the way for Ivan's signing and publicity.
Yelena had shown Liang Chuling kindness by helping her, and besides, the other party had made the request as an elder.
Considering the realities of the classical music scene and out of complex feelings for her idol, Liang Chuling finally agreed.
As a result, over the past three years, the story of "Liang Chuling falling in love with Russian piano prince Ivan" has become a much-talked-about cross-border tale in the classical music circle.
Liang Chuling doesn't need those prefixes like 'piano goddess' or 'piano genius'; her name is the best adjective.
Lin Jianni felt offended on Liang Chuling's behalf after hearing this. There are always men who like to force a romantic narrative with a woman, and the narrative is only based on complete fiction.
Everyone wants to lie on top of a woman and suck her sweet blood.
Lin Jianni was powerless to change the situation, so she changed the subject and her mood. She pulled Liang Chuling toward the music room and said that there were a few promising young talents recently, and one of the girls was her idol. Since she was back, she suggested that Liang Chuling listen to her performance.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I reached the door of the row of music rooms, the door of one of them opened from the inside.
Two people came out, a man and a woman.
The man is Li Xun.
Liang Chuling saw him at first glance. His posture was more upright than when he was a teenager, and he had shed his immaturity and gained more composure.
He turned his head slightly and spoke intently to the young woman beside him. The woman had a gentle demeanor, and Liang Chuling did not recognize her.
Liang Chuling heard him immediately, her voice gentle yet firm: "Liking, not just liking, it's love... It should be more than love, it's cherishing. Yes, I cherish you, I pity you."
The woman listened and nodded. Perhaps due to her excitement, she didn't notice her footing as she went down the steps, and Li Xun immediately reached out and supported her arm, his action natural and considerate.
After they were steadied, the two continued walking out.
At that very moment, Li Xun raised his head, and the two locked eyes.
Liang Chuling stopped immediately upon seeing Li Xun, and she must have been exerting force with her hands—
He had creased the woman's coat by pinching it.
She also saw the unexpected look in Li Xun's eyes, as well as many other emotions that she couldn't and didn't want to understand.
But she didn't allow herself to look him in the eye for more than a second. Liang Chuling looked away first, her gaze falling on the ground.
She felt it was unclean—
Not for myself, but for that stranger who is currently immersed in happiness, she deserves a pure, complete love, undisturbed by the past.
Therefore, my own tangled and chaotic causal relationship should not be seen by her, and should not tarnish the preciousness and pity she feels at this moment.
So Liang Chuling looked away, as if she had only caught a glimpse of a stranger by chance.
He also tugged at Lin Jiani, took a few steps to the side to make room for the other two to pass first.
Li Xun hesitated, noticing Liang Chuling's quick averted gaze. In the end, he said nothing and silently walked past them.
As they passed each other, Liang Chuling heard that gentle female voice ask curiously, "Have you ever loved like this before?"
The footsteps didn't stop, and Li Xun's answer drifted down the corridor: "I loved."
"Those I loved"
Liang Chuling looked up and saw that the person standing in front of her was not Lin Jiani, but a female judge from the Cliburn Competition.
Five years ago, in the autumn, the Cliburn International Piano Competition began, and Liang Chuling first settled in Krakow.
She was greeted at the airport by a volunteer sent by the event organizing committee, a blond, blue-eyed young man holding a sign with her name on it. Liang Chuling went over to greet him.
On the way to the hotel, her heart was pounding. She had made it to the finals, and so had Li Xun. The competition would last for two whole weeks. Would she see him during those two weeks?
Both apprehensive and secretly hopeful.
I was trembling with fear because I didn't know what to say when we met, or how to face those eyes.
She was filled with anticipation because she realized how much she missed him, so much so that she was willing to endure any awkwardness just to see him again.
"Hello," she finally couldn't help but ask the volunteer in the passenger seat, "Among the finalists this time, there's a Chinese male pianist named Li Xun. Has he arrived yet?"
The volunteer raised an eyebrow: "Li Xun? He withdrew from the competition, which is quite unusual. It's rare for a finalist to withdraw. You and he are from the same country, do you know why?"
He withdrew from the competition.
Liang Chuling was stunned for several seconds: "Oh, I see... Thank you. I'm not quite sure either."
The scenery outside the car window continued to rush past, but she could see nothing anymore.
I can't quite describe the complex feeling, but there's definitely a sense of loss.
A few days later, the contestants moved to Warsaw. Before the competition began, they were given ample time to explore. Liang Chuling went to the Holy Cross Church. The church was not particularly grand, but Chopin's heart was enshrined in one of its pillars.
After that, she walked to the Vistula River. The water was lovely and welcoming. Liang Chuling looked down and then up, feeling that the sky was very low, so low that she could reach out and grab the river water to make it sway. In the midst of this swaying of her mind, Liang Chuling lost her pendant—the one that Li Xun had given her.
She searched everywhere but couldn't find it... at her feet, under the seats, in the cracks between the floor tiles, but nothing. She crouched down and searched every inch of the ground, ignoring the strange looks from others, almost lying on the ground, but still nothing. Maybe it fell into the river. They said the Vistula River connects to the Baltic Sea, but nothing.
She remained squatting for a long time without standing up.
The pendant is lost.
Along with a part of my past self, I left it all here.
Memories then become tangible, segment by segment, line by line, frame by frame—a world where birth, death, separation, and farewell are all effortless. But as Liang Chuling crouched and reached out her hand, the warmth of another boy once burned in her palm, but that warmth had flowed away, perhaps flowing into the Baltic Sea. Only in that moment, when the warmth of her hand was gone, did Liang Chuling realize that she had lost Li Xun.
I've heard that all the world's seas are connected, so I hope that the evidence of the warmth we once shared can flow to the whole world.
The river water brushes against the bank, evaporating the silvery light into mist, which will then rise into the sky and form fluffy clouds. Perhaps each cloud will also carry the memory of the water to every corner of the world.
With this in mind, Liang Chuling filled a bottle with water from the Vistula River. Carrying this bottle of water onto the stage, Liang Chuling broke the curse of the Cliburn Grand Prix's first prize being vacant for twenty years, becoming a new legend.
Liang Chuling knew that at this moment, pianists all over the world would know her name.
Li Xun will definitely find out. He will definitely see it.
...you'll see that her neck looks empty.
After listening to her piano playing, the female judge's eyes reddened, and she said, "I heard it, I know it, what you loved."
The ones I loved...
Have I ever loved anyone?
"Those I loved."
Liang Chuling stood still, her back to the direction they had left, her body taut and straight.
Only after the footsteps completely disappeared did she loosen her fist, which she had been clenching without realizing it, leaving several fingernail marks on her palm.
The autumn wind was blowing fiercely outside, making the glass door rattle. Liang Chuling's hair was blown into a mess. Someone had left a sheet music book on the chair by the door, and the wind flipped through it in just a few seconds.
This is an autumn that has already been read through once.
Lin Jianni didn't recognize Li Xun or know anything about the past. She only noticed that Liang Chuling's condition had suddenly changed, so she looked at her and asked, "Chuling, what's wrong?"
Liang Chuling shook her head: "It's nothing. Let's go listen to your student play the piano."
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