38. Reflections in the Water
◎You two haven't been seen together since you officially announced your relationship, have you?
Li Chi sat in the passenger seat of the car heading to the airport, while the car's screen displayed a recap of old news about the classical music scene:
As Li Chi pointed out a few years ago, the tide of classical music is stirring up new waves in the East.
The most representative example is the Cliburn International Piano Competition, hailed as the Olympics of the piano world. The competition's judges are composed of absolute authorities in the field; if they unanimously agree that a participant's level does not meet the criteria for the first prize, the prize will be left vacant, and the competition will never be downgraded.
This honor was thus vacant for five consecutive terms, or a full twenty years.
Until four years ago, 18-year-old Chinese female pianist Liang Chuling broke the twenty-year silence of this tradition with her powerful technique and profound musical ideas, winning the championship.
According to the competition's tradition, the first prize winner is no longer eligible to participate, but Liang Chuling received an invitation from the competition organizing committee to serve as a judge after winning the championship.
Next year, a new competition will begin, and she will become the youngest judge in history, as well as the first Chinese judge.
In recent years, top international piano competitions have seen Chinese pianists sweep the first prizes. Their impeccable technique and unique musical understanding that blends Eastern and Western elements have captivated judges and audiences worldwide.
Furthermore, the all-Chinese French-style orchestra created by Li Chi has gradually won the recognition of discerning music critics and a wide range of music fans after initial struggles and explorations. It has received a constant stream of performance invitations and has become an undeniable fresh force in the classical music world.
Li Chi before her, and Liang Chuling after her, these two Chinese female pianists are witnesses, participants, and promoters of their era.
Li Chi looked out the window; the Beijing sky was still high and distant.
But the city, and the people and things in it, have quietly changed.
Her predictions from back then are being proven true by time.
Chinese faces are taking on an increasingly prominent position in the field of classical music, which was once dominated by Europe.
--
At John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Li Xun is checking in his pet.
Inside the carrier, Chestnut lay there. Now a six-year-old cat, it had become quiet and composed.
This is the same carrier I used to ship it to the US four years ago. Same carrier, same cat, same person, same route, two countries, exchanging different emotions. The cat is an innocent cat, the person is a clear-headed person.
Li Xun gently patted the carrier, "We're home, Chestnut."
He returned to China this time because he accepted Li Chi's invitation to direct the band's commercial release film.
This is a complete film and television production project, and Li Chi valued it for three reasons.
Firstly, he himself was once a pianist and has a deep understanding of the inherent logic and aesthetics of classical music;
Secondly, his final project at New York University last year, an experimental short film on the relationship between sound and image, received high praise at several independent film festivals, which also proved his potential to transform abstract musical ideas into visual language.
Thirdly, and most importantly, he is Li Chi's son. They have a tacit understanding and trust, and Li Chi can confidently entrust the image of the orchestra to his camera.
Li Chi wanted to revitalize his orchestra and significantly expand the audience for classical music, so he decided to create a commercially released film with a cinematic narrative and broadcast it on mainstream media platforms.
This idea had been brewing in her mind for a long time.
Traditional records and live recordings can no longer meet the current needs of dissemination; she needs a more engaging way to tell the story of classical music and her music.
“We need to break that glass dome,” Li Chi said to Li Xun. “Classical music shouldn’t just be a solemn ceremony in a concert hall, it shouldn’t be enshrined on a pedestal and only appreciated by a few self-proclaimed sophisticated people. The passion, struggle, love and death within it are just as vivid and profound as any popular culture.”
"This film aims to bring classical music to a wider audience. It uses cinematic techniques to allow those who don't understand fugues to feel the tension of rhythm, and those who don't understand sonata form to be moved by a melody. It also wants people who usually only listen to pop music to discover that classical music can also resonate with their emotions."
Li Xun understood, but still pointed out: "I'm worried that this will attract fundamentalists to accuse you of defiling the purity of classical music and turning highbrow art into lowbrow art."
Li Chi smiled and said, "You're being too gentle. You should be cursing me and my band for being shameless in their pursuit of fame."
“It’s okay, there are examples like this in every industry. They feel that once the threshold is lowered, their sense of superiority as ‘insiders’ disappears. It’s okay, I’m not afraid of being criticized. If expanding the audience means enduring criticism, then the criticism is nothing.”
She wants to fulfill what she once said: while classical music is still vibrant, we must do more, play to our hearts' content, express ourselves sincerely, and then calmly watch it move towards the next stage.
Although Li Xun is still a senior in name only, he has already completed all the credits required for graduation and is free to move around.
This opportunity came at a good time; he happened to be back for a visit.
The plane flew through the clouds, with the familiar East Asian coastline below. Li Xun looked out the window, his feelings a mix of emotions.
For four years, he deliberately avoided all contact with classical music, thinking he had found peace.
But this time, he is going to unveil a world he has avoided for a long time.
--
Li Chi personally picked him up from the airport. The mother and son hadn't seen each other for a long time, but they didn't exchange many pleasantries; everything was understood without words. The car drove back to Li Chi's residence in Beijing, a house they both knew very well.
As the car approached the entrance, Li Xun saw a familiar figure walking out of the music room next door—it was Jin Xi.
Li Chi honked the horn, and Li Xun rolled down the car window.
"Jinxi, long time no see," he greeted.
Jinxi turned her head at the sound and saw Li Xun's face in the car window. She was clearly startled and blurted out, "Li Xun? Why are you back?!"
Li Xun was amused by her overreaction and teased her with a smile, "What are you so scared of? I'm the director who makes videos for the orchestra, don't you know that?"
In the past four or five years, because Jinxi joined Li Chi's band, Li Xun would inevitably run into Jinxi once or twice every time he visited his mother.
The two were essentially acquaintances, yet utterly strangers.
Their only common topics were probably Li Chi or Liang Chuling.
The two dared not talk much about the former, while they tacitly understood the latter.
So every time we met, all that was left was small talk about the weather, schedules, and the band's recent activities, before we quickly fell into an awkward silence.
Li Xun thought that Jin Xi's current fright was just another manifestation of their awkward relationship, coupled with her possible surprise at being directed by him.
The musicians, of course, didn't care about the production team until the project officially started.
However, Jinxi's expression was too interesting, from shock to astonishment, and then to a kind of confusion of "I see, but it's not because of this at all".
She opened her mouth, but in the end, all she could manage was a curt "Holy crap! I really didn't know!"
But my mind was screaming: I wasn't scared because of that! I was scared because...
But she couldn't bring herself to say it, so she quickly forced a smile and awkwardly tried to cover it up: "Haha, what a coincidence! Welcome back, Director Li! I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'll be going now! See you at work later!"
After saying that, he practically fled.
Li Xun watched her hurried figure, feeling somewhat puzzled, but he didn't think much of it, assuming that Jin Xi still didn't want to continue their usual awkward conversation.
Li Chi parked the car and said meaningfully, "She was scared, not necessarily because of you."
Li Xun paused, then looked at his mother. Li Chi, however, had already gotten out of the car and was getting his luggage from the trunk.
Jinxi, in the taxi, was still pounding with her heart. She was typing and deleting on her phone, unsure of how to phrase her words.
She wasn't surprised that Li Xun had returned to China, nor that he was a director—although she genuinely didn't know this beforehand—which further confirmed that the two weren't exactly acquainted.
Jinxi was shocked that Li Xun had returned today! And today, another person was also quietly returning!
She was still typing when the phone rang. Jinxi answered, "Hello? Chuling! Have you landed? Are you out? Which exit are you at? Okay, just wait there, I'll be right there! Oh, I have something to tell you... Oh well, never mind, I'll tell you when we meet."
After hanging up the phone, Jinxi felt like she was participating in a secret service operation.
One returned to China quietly, while the other appeared without warning. Was it a case of fate bringing them together again?
The year Liang Chuling went to Curtis, Jinxi also officially joined Li Chi's band and went to the United States.
The two naturally arranged to meet for a meal. During the meal, Liang Chuling asked, "How is Li Xun doing lately?"
Jinxi was puzzled: "I'm not familiar with him, why are you asking me? Who else is more familiar with him than you?"
Liang Chuling said in a very soft voice, "Could you help me check his WeChat Moments? I've lost contact with him, and I've deleted him from my friends list."
Jinxi was genuinely surprised: "What happened? You two broke up?"
Liang Chuling nodded, then shook her head, unsure of what word to use to define their relationship.
Break up? But we were never officially together.
Liang Chuling only said, "I have nothing to do with him anymore."
Jinxi fell silent and asked no further questions.
She clicked on the profile picture of the person she had never chatted with before. Li Xun's Moments was empty except for one post, which was from half a year ago: a picture of a chestnut sleeping, accompanied by a cat paw emoji.
Liang Chuling stared at the photo for a long time, and then never brought up the topic again.
--
Liang Chuling was wearing a baseball cap and a mask; her face is now a household name.
There's no way around it, she's just too famous and too beautiful—Liang Chuling tossed her hair, having already acted out three dramas in her mind.
This is her first year after graduation, so she's deliberately keeping her performance schedule low, with only one show a month on her global tour. The plans were meticulously crafted, but her next two concerts in Russia were forced to be cancelled due to escalating regional conflict.
These two performances were already difficult to come to fruition due to the complex international relations involved, and the audience and participants were very limited.
She wouldn't have considered going if the invitation hadn't come from her idol.
Therefore, although the cancellation of the performance was regrettable, it did not attract widespread media coverage.
The only people who knew that she had cut her trip short and quietly returned to China, besides her management team, were Jin Xi.
She planned to take advantage of this unexpected break to come back and celebrate her mother's birthday, which was on October 11th. In a few days, Liang Chuling wanted to give her mother a surprise.
Outside the airport window, the autumn sky over Beijing was clear and bright, the sunlight sharp yet indifferent.
Jinxi ran up to her, panting, and asked, "Was the journey smooth? Are you tired?"
"It's alright, just a little sleepy." Liang Chuling's voice was muffled through the mask, but you could hear the laughter in it. "It's been so long since I've been back, even the air feels different."
"That's right! Beijing welcomes you!" Jinxi grabbed her arm with a grin: "Stop talking! Come on, come on, the car's over there!"
While speaking, he kept looking around.
Liang Chuling was being pulled forward by her, and couldn't help but laugh: "Is it really necessary? I'm not some wanted criminal."
"You're scarier than the wanted criminal! You're more recognizable than the wanted criminal's photo! Get out of here!"
After walking a few steps outside and the crowd dispersed, Jinxi couldn't hold back any longer and leaned close to Liang Chuling: "I'm telling you, Li Xun is back today too!"
Liang Chuling was looking at the trees outside—
This month, autumn in Beijing isn't at its peak yet, but some leaves have already turned red and yellow, which is quite a sight to behold.
Upon hearing Jinxi's words, Ye Zi, who had put in so much effort, suddenly lost her charm, and Liang Chuling's eyes could no longer compete with what her mind had.
His body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, but he didn't turn around immediately, only humming in response.
Seeing her lukewarm reaction, Jinxi became even more anxious: "He said he came back to make a movie for our orchestra! He's a director now?"
Liang Chuling finally turned her head, her eyes wide with surprise beneath her hat brim: "Your orchestra is going to make a movie?" She immediately understood what Li Chi was up to, but inwardly cursed the insults she was about to receive. After asking that question, she looked at Jin Xi's encouraging eyes and asked the question she had been waiting to hear, "Li Xun is a director?"
Jinxi nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice: "It's absolutely true, he said it himself, it was Professor Li Chi who invited him!"
Seeing the complex emotions on Liang Chuling's face, she worriedly advised, "So don't come looking for me to play during this time. I'm afraid it would be awkward if you two bumped into each other."
Liang Chuling nodded: "I understand."
Jinxi felt she had already shared the shocking secret with her friend, and all that was left was to express her concern: "I almost forgot to ask, although your concert in Russia was canceled, the buzz actually went up! Ivan added a love song to his performance last night, saying he played it for his Eastern lover who couldn't set foot on this land. The comments section exploded, everyone was tagging you!"
"You two haven't been seen together since you officially announced your relationship, have you?"
[Author's Note]
1. The timeline is five years later. Chu Ling has graduated for a year, while Li Xun is still a senior in college because he took a year off after his breakup.
2. Chu Ling has never been in a relationship; there were other reasons for her official announcement with Ivan.
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