Sheet music number 29
Twelve-year-old Yu Ji is full of confusion about the world.
Why does my father always beat my mother?
Why did the mother never muster the determination to run away even though she knew that her father would never repent even if he knelt down and apologized?
Why, why, why? Everyone praised her as a musical genius, but her father frowned and said she was a worthless waste.
Her mother knew her obsession with the piano, and at the cost of being beaten to death by her father, she received his 'sincere' apology gift.
He provided money so that she could own a piano instead of having to play it secretly in a piano store.
As a result, she got the opportunity to enter the music school she had always dreamed of.
But Yu Ji, whose wish was fulfilled, did not feel the slightest bit excited. She sat in front of the bed and listened to her saying to her over and over again,
"Go, Xiaoji. Mom's wings have been broken, but you will definitely be able to touch the blue sky and white clouds with your own hands."
Can she?
Three years of high school, four years of college, can she successfully get rid of him after enduring seven years?
Whenever Yu Ji thought of the terrifying look on his drunken father's face, and how his mother's skin was repeatedly pierced by glass bottles, yet she just bandaged it silently and refused to leave, he knew he couldn't give a definite answer.
Is she going to accept her fate?
No.
Fifteen-year-old Yu Ji, with scars all over her body, sat on a piano stool placed in front of all the teachers and students at the school's art performance. When the five minutes of silence ended, she suddenly felt that all the answers about the future were meaningless.
People should enjoy the present moment and let themselves wander in the coherent notes that burst out in their minds.
At the end of the song, after a brief silence, thunderous applause resonated with every wooden board on the stage.
After she staggered back to the stage, Song Duzhou excitedly held her hands and uttered a series of compliments.
She exhausted her lung capacity to the point of almost breaking it before she remembered that people needed oxygen. She breathed in and out forcefully, but the grip on her hand didn't loosen.
She smiled and asked, "Yu Ji, although this isn't the song you submitted, it's absolutely perfect. When did you write it? Why didn't you even tell me?"
She hummed, "Just now."
Song Duzhou stood aside, unable to conceal the amazement in his eyes: "Improvisation? If you have this ability, why didn't you show it earlier? I thought you were just a vase at first."
She raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly. "Even if I'm just a vase, I'm an exquisite vase that holds more ink than you."
Song Duzhou rolled his eyes and said yin-yangly, "Wow, you're really great!"
"Of course I'm the best."
She looked out through the heavy curtains, watching the people coming and going on the stage.
Fifteen-year-old Yu Ji never imagined that Question would one day become someone else's famous work.
*
Lu Yao covered his mouth and whimpered in pain, "Xiao Ji, when I said Tang Guangyao's famous song sounded familiar, you said it was my illusion. Why did you take the initiative to let him take over your achievements? Could it be that you wanted him to pay for my medical treatment?"
What a big melon.
Qiao Tian subconsciously looked at her friend, and at the same time, her hand hanging on the other side was tightly held by her mother.
Yu Ji rarely avoided looking at his biological mother, and when he looked at his daughter, he felt inexplicably guilty because of the other party's disapproving expression.
"Mom, Grandpa was still alive at the time and we hadn't severed ties with the Yu family...why did you have to figure out how to pay for Grandma's illness?"
Tang Xi was well aware of the influence of Question. Although Tang Guangyao had never stopped writing music after that, those songs, although not bad, were far from his original famous songs.
He was later called a piano master. Tang Xi knew that this was the result of his father's family's efforts. So even if his later pieces were not satisfactory, critics would not say too much.
"He is a piano master after all, so he must have his reasons for writing this way."
Now it seems that it was not because of some truth that the world could not see through, but because he could not write it.
Tang Xi can confidently state the conclusion.
"Without Question, my father wouldn't have been able to become a pianist, let alone a first-rate musician."
So why did the mother voluntarily give up the right to author Question? She herself loves music, so how could she not understand the meaning of music written by herself?
If it was my mother who played this piece in the piano competition that year, she would now be called the piano master, and her version would be well-deserved!
Lu Yao leaned back in his chair and laughed bitterly: "Because he won't give money."
She shook her head slightly and looked at Yu Ji again, saying, "If I knew that you voluntarily gave up the song that could have made a big splash in the music world because of me, I would have—"
Yu Ji covered her mouth and shook his head, "I just knew you would, so I had to make a decision."
As she hugged her mother, she slowed down her tone and said gently, "Mom, there's no need to dwell on the past. Let's focus on the present. You, me, and Xiaoxi, the three of us will always be together, isn't that good?"
"Of course, but—"
"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get over it. Not only was the root of the problem not yours, but the situation at the time wasn't as simple as you thought."
Yu Ji knew that concealing the details might cause her mother's depression to relapse. She glanced at Huang Cuifang, the only stranger in the room, and wondered whether to ask her to leave first or tell her now.
The other party moved quickly, raising his hands to show his determination: "Mrs. Yu, I just told you how much money my husband invested in your husband. If what you said is true, you must know that we can definitely become your allies."
She was sincere, and Yu Ji felt that there was some truth in what she said.
Also, she was reluctant to tell the truth in the past not because she didn't want to, but because she felt it was unnecessary.
Now is the time to let the truth come out.
She said,
"It's actually inaccurate to say that I voluntarily handed over the music. He stole my music score when I wasn't paying attention and told everyone at the piano competition that it was a piece he had written himself, which helped him win first place."
"I know some of you will ask why I didn't just tell the truth at the competition. I considered doing so at the time, but you all know how connected his family is in the music industry. I was just thinking about it when the organizers ordered me to withdraw from the competition."
Huang Cuifang, no longer submissive, slammed her hands on the table, and angrily shouted, "Fuck! They said this was a competition that gave all musicians a chance, but they don't even care about plagiarism. Was this arranged by Tang Guangyao?"
"No, he appeared as a 'savior'. He advised me not to insist on exposing it. His parents would not allow anyone to tarnish the Tang family's honor. All his patience was for my safety." Yu Ji placed his hand on his chest, a mocking smile on his lips. "Isn't that funny?"
Qiao Tian angrily said, "You bastard! He was the one who plagiarized, but he ended up being a good guy!"
Huang Cuifang and her daughter shared a common hatred: "He is threatening your life."
Huang Cuifang pursed her lips, knowing that she couldn't hold back some questions, but she couldn't help asking, "Mrs. Yu, with your personality, you wouldn't be able to tolerate it. Could it be that you didn't see it at the time? If you saw it, why...?"
Tang Xi knew very well whether her parents had fallen out at that time. In any case, her mother definitely did not expose her father's hypocritical mask at that time, otherwise she would not have had the chance to be born.
Sure enough, my mother laughed contemptuously. "Although I was foolish enough to believe he was forced to do so for a moment, at the time, I could see through his hidden meaning at a glance."
She exhaled, narrowed her eyes, and said unhappily, "But I knew full well that not only was I not confident enough to fight his family at the time, but I was also preoccupied with matters at home. And what I most wanted was simply a peaceful environment where I could practice the piano. So, after careful consideration, I had to make the choice that would maximize my benefits."
Tang Xi wondered, could it be that she had temporarily thrown her mind aside, immersed herself in false love, married him, and had children?
Her mother quickly rejected her immature idea.
"I made a deal with him."
She looked at Tang Xi: "You know."
She did know about the existence of the transaction, but she didn't expect that everything started with Question.
Everything made sense. Grandpa refused to pay for grandma's medical treatment, but mother would never give up on her. Plus, grandpa didn't support mother playing the piano at all.
For her desire to continue playing the piano, and for her grandmother who was in urgent need of money for medical treatment.
She was not greedy for fame or fortune, so she simply went with the flow and proposed a deal in which he must provide her with a place to practice the piano in peace on the condition that he would not expose Tang Guangyao's plagiarism.
Tang Guangyao already had a good impression of her and initially wanted to pursue her and take her work after they started dating. However, Yu Ji refused to give in, so he had no choice but to resort to this last resort.
When she proposed marriage, he had no reason to refuse. After all, he thought he could continue to "occupy" her after marriage.
Huang Cuifang scratched her head and said angrily, "I thought Tang Guangyao was a bad person at the time, and Daqiang said I was overthinking it. I didn't expect that he was not only vicious, but also an incompetent idiot."
Tang Guangyao showed off his unfinished CD every few days, so Yu Ji knew about their cooperation a long time ago and was sure that they would lose money.
In her eyes, Qiao Daqiang and Tang Guangyao were so close that they thought the same pants were too big for them, so she never thought of reminding them.
But today.
When she looked at Qiao Tian sitting side by side with her daughter, she knew that she could no longer sit there and wait for death.
She was her daughter's best friend, and she owed her a favor, so she should lend a helping hand.
Yu Ji's gaze fell on Huang Cuifang and he asked, "I'll ask you a few questions, and you answer truthfully."
Huang Cuifang knew Yu Ji was planning to intervene when she heard her tone. She patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, staring at her and nodding rapidly, "Now it's a matter of life and death. I definitely won't lie to you."
"How much money did you invest?" Yu Ji asked.
"........no less than ten million." Huang Cuifang's voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
Yu Ji frowned, realizing that things were more serious than she had imagined.
"Is the money you invested your family's savings or was it embezzled from somewhere else?"
Huang Cuifang didn't answer the question. Yu Ji found the answer from her evasive eyes: "If what you did was illegal and criminal, I will not help you get away with it. With all due respect, you deserve it."
Huang Cuifang quickly shook her head: "No, no, our money came from legitimate sources! It's just... well, we were possessed by evil spirits at the time and asked the bank for a loan to give him."
Qiao Tian couldn't help but curse, "Mom, you usually save money and only use it to buy jewelry to show off. How dare you take out a loan to invest in an industry you don't understand?"
"We didn't invest all our money from the beginning."
Even though Tang Xi knew nothing about business, he could figure it out with his toes. His father took advantage of the Qiao couple's desire to integrate into the music circle, painted a big pie for them, and then, step by step, lured them into an abyss from which they could not escape.
Huang Cuifang laughed bitterly, "Madam Yu, am I just dreaming of expecting you to help us make money?"
"You're dreaming," Yu Ji said firmly, frowning. "I've listened to the music he's planning to include on the CD, and it's nowhere near as good as his previous compositions. It seems like he's just trying to please outsiders like you."
Huang Cuifang's face turned pale: "Then, then, then..."
"The best I can do is minimize the losses." Yu Ji said truthfully.
Huang Cuifang clenched her hands tightly in front of her as if grasping at a lifeline. She said earnestly, "Mrs. Yu, I can sell the house and jewelry. We can even sleep on the floor. I just ask that you don't affect Tiantian's future life."
Qiao Tian waved her hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry about me, Mom. I'll stay at Xixi's house until I graduate from college. After I graduate from college, maybe I'll become a pop music master."
"You kid, you don't play the piano, but you have to be a hooligan-"
Yu Ji interrupted her and said, "Mrs. Huang, you should listen to Tiantian's songs before making a decision."
Qiao Tian was surprised and asked, "Auntie, have you heard my songs?"
Yu Ji looked at Qiao Tian with a gentler look in his eyes: "Xing Chui gave it to me, it's very good."
Qiao Tian clasped her hands together and smiled brightly: "Being recognized by Teacher Yu, I feel that my future is secured."
Yu Ji reassured Huang Cuifang again, "Madam Huang, you shouldn't judge people by their musical style. Even among classical music connoisseurs there are scoundrels like Tang Guangyao. As for Qiao Tian, she's your biological daughter. I believe you know her character very well."
"Of course, although Tiantian is sometimes willful, she is really a very good child!" Huang Cuifang hugged her daughter, her face full of pride.
Yu Ji raised an eyebrow. "I don't think her character would change for the worse just because she changed her favorite music. There's no precedent for this in psychology."
Huang Cuifang knew nothing about psychology, and because she felt superior, she wanted to be convinced, but there was always a thorn in her heart: "Mrs. Yu, I understand everything, but being a pop musician is not very respectable. We hope Tiantian will become a respectable person."
Yu Ji sighed deeply and said helplessly,
"Mrs. Huang, I believe everyone should pursue what they love most, not what others say is best. Have you ever asked Qiao Tian if being what you call a 'respectable person' is what she wants? I believe your love for Qiao Tian is not false, otherwise she wouldn't have developed the personality she has today. So, why don't you calm down and think carefully before deciding whether to support her in strumming the guitar or force her to continue playing the piano, okay?"
Huang Cuifang knew nothing about academic matters, but when it came to hobbies, she understood everything. Indeed, she and Qiao Daqiang had always imposed their own likes and dislikes on their daughter.
Their original intention of working so hard to make money was to let her live a happy life. She seemed to have put the cart before the horse.
She looked at her daughter who was looking forward to it, and finally decided to give in.
"Are you really determined to make pop music instead of just doing it in a haphazard way?"
Qiao Tian promised solemnly, "Mom, there's a pop music competition this weekend. If you see my music for yourself, you'll naturally understand if I'm just playing around. If you still don't think it's good enough, you can just force me to repeat the year."
Huang Cuifang finally agreed to her daughter's request, and both mother and daughter left feeling satisfied.
When the excitement died down, the villa returned to peace.
Tang Xi and her grandmother looked at each other, and both saw determination in each other's eyes.
Tang Xi walked to her mother and pushed her back into her seat: "Mom, grandma and I have something to say to you."
Lu Yao said seriously, "We have to get the Qiao family's money back. You also have to ask Tang Guangyao for something. If you don't mind, Xixi and I can go for you!"
"What?"
"We should let everyone know that Question belongs to you." The grandfather and grandson said in unison.
Yu Ji could clearly feel that the heart in his chest was beating just as hard as it did when he was fifteen.
She should have done this a long time ago.
She had to give an explanation to fifteen-year-old Yu Ji.
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