Chapter 36, Song 36...
Xiang Min wanted to take a walk to calm himself down, but the further he walked, the sadder he became. He felt that he was very similar to Liu Han. Even though he was still with his family, he was living under someone else's roof.
He was enveloped by boundless loneliness.
He lay quietly beside Qu Jiaying, the familiar scent of shampoo surrounding him, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Someone on the other side of the room gently turned over.
The next morning, Yan Zheng looked at Xiang Min coming out of the bathroom and asked with surprise and curiosity, "What time did you get back last night?"
"It's the middle of the night, isn't it?" Xiang Min casually used hair gel to style his hair into a neat and tidy look.
"Have you adjusted your mood? Don't mess things up," Yan Zheng asked.
"You're the one who squeezed onto the sofa and didn't fall off, are you?" Xiang Min laughed.
"I rested very well," Yan Zheng said through gritted teeth.
Qu Jiaying had also rested well, but Le Yi was yawning a lot, and tried hard to hide it when Qu Jiaying looked over.
Qu Jiaying didn't react much, but asked Xiang Min, "You weren't here yesterday, and there are some parts I want to change. Could you take a look at the score and see if you can adjust it a bit?"
"Okay, let me take a look."
Because all the scores were changed to quartet pieces, a lot of things were cut off. In some sections, the strings were not the main focus, so their quartet scores were deleted, and the structure changed as a result.
If it weren't for Xiang Min holding things together, the "Three Missing One" quartet wouldn't be able to do many things.
"I've adjusted the chords, everyone try again."
We were still adjusting to the schedule all morning. Around 10 a.m., the hotel delivered food. The four of us ate until we were half full, and then took turns changing clothes.
The four of them have been performing frequently in the past two years, and their makeup skills have become very proficient.
Qu Jiaying still remembers when they first performed together, Yan Zheng and Xiang Min both had stage experience and knew how to do makeup, but she had never done it herself. Le Yi was willing to try, which was commendable, but her skills were worrying.
She also had to teach them how to do makeup, but she messed up at first because she got the foundation color wrong, making the three of them look shockingly white. She also got the contouring and highlighting wrong. She only knew how to apply it to her own face. If the three of them hadn't had good skin, they really wouldn't have been able to pull off the makeup that Qu Jiaying did.
However, now everyone is very familiar with their own face, and they can apply makeup very quickly.
The four of them set off with their respective musical instruments.
Yesterday, the setup was still underway, and nothing was visible. Today, the venue is completely transformed. The auditorium doesn't feel dilapidated at all, despite being a century-old building; instead, it exudes a solemnity born from its profound historical heritage.
Long rows of buffet tables were set up on both sides of the lawn outside the auditorium, the middle space was filled with tables and chairs, and the corner was their performance area. The sound equipment had been installed, and someone was testing the sound by saying "hello, hello".
Qu Jiaying and the other three entered the grand hall, where roses were laid out on both sides of the red carpet. Staff members were measuring the position of the light cast by the stained glass at noon, which would be the place where the newlyweds would hold hands.
The groom, Liu Ru, is verifying the situation from various sources.
"I'm really fed up, he meddles in everything." Yan Zheng muttered to himself.
"You resonate with this a lot? You're pretty much the same." Xiang Min's attack power increased.
"You two stop fooling around," Le Yi said casually, then asked Qu Jiaying for her opinion.
"Is this still Liu Ru's place?" Qu Jiaying said. "The wedding setup is quite nice, but I don't really feel anything about it. However, I've been to so many weddings, and the only Western-style one that wasn't based on the template of a daughter being handed over to her husband by her father was that one. I could tell at a glance that it was a plan discussed by both the bride and groom. Of course, the wedding itself doesn't mean anything."
As the guests gradually arrived, the bride came out to greet them. She was beautiful and gentle, listening to Liu Ru introduce the guests and also introducing herself to them.
Liu Han stood to the side distributing gift boxes to the guests, while her assistant collected the monetary gifts and presents.
The gift box contained newly developed skincare products from Liu Ru's beauty company, and Qu Jiaying and the other three received their respective shares.
"They really know how to do business," Yan Zheng remarked.
Xiang Min sneered: "They even use their own wedding for their own purposes. They really will stop at nothing."
"Alright, stop with the fancy words." Le Yi was already giving him a perfunctory rebuke.
It was almost time, and most of the guests had arrived. The heavy doors of the auditorium were closed.
Qu Jiaying and the other three knew it was time to begin.
The music started, the lights came on, and everyone's eyes were on the red carpet.
The young and beautiful bride, dressed in a gorgeous white wedding gown, slowly walked towards Liu Ru.
The two held hands in the middle and stopped together at the designated point.
Beautiful music flowed gently with the steps of the newlyweds.
The towering grand hall enhanced the sense of ceremony, and even if many people questioned the couple's relationship, they had no choice but to offer their blessings in this solemn moment.
Almost no one noticed anything wrong with the accompaniment; they were even drawn into the grand wedding atmosphere by the music.
However, as Liu Han, who was earnestly acting as a bridesmaid, walked off the stage with the ring box and passed the string quartet, the sweet and lovely girl revealed a disdainful smile: "As expected, it won't work."
Qu Jiaying suppressed her anger and patiently continued playing. The ceremony was not over yet, and there were still speeches from relatives and friends of both sides and the officiant.
These speeches form a story: after Liu Han's mother fell ill, it was this bride who encouraged the grieving Liu Ru to return to life.
Qu Jiaying couldn't help but feel sorry for Liu Han again, but her anger didn't subside.
As the newlyweds were about to leave, Le Yi put down his violin, quickly went to the organ, and began to play Mendelssohn's cheerful and lighthearted "Wedding March".
Although Le Yi barely slept all night, he possessed the potential of a top performer and made absolutely no mistakes, perfectly concluding the wedding ceremony.
Qu Jiaying, Yan Zheng, and Xiang Min packed their things. The staff handed them sandwiches and energy jelly. Yan Zheng quickly finished eating and said, "Le Yi has already gone to the lawn. I'll bring it to him. You guys eat quickly."
In fact, Yan Zheng and Le Yi both wanted to say a few words of comfort to Qu Jiaying, but the schedule was tight and the upcoming performance tasks were very heavy, so they didn't have time to say more.
Xiang Min showed no sign of haste and said softly in a corner of the auditorium, "Don't worry about it."
Qu Jiaying was having trouble eating, but worried that she wouldn't be able to keep going, so she slowly drank the energy jelly, sipping it all up little by little.
"How could I not care?" Qu Jiaying crushed the jelly pieces one by one.
“Her problem has nothing to do with you.” Xiang Min gently brushed aside Qu Jiaying’s stray hairs.
"You know her so well?" Qu Jiaying hadn't wanted to ask any more questions yesterday because he seemed so out of sorts.
“I only know myself.” Xiang Min sighed. “Of course, our situations are different. Her mother passed away from illness just six months ago, and her father has already married someone new.”
"..." Qu Jiaying said helplessly, "Okay, it's even worse than I thought."
“She was studying in France and came back to China to film, and her mother accompanied her. Now she is all alone.”
"How do you know so much?" Qu Jiaying asked in surprise.
“There are interviews online.” Xiang Min waved his phone and continued, “You met Liu Han and this bride, did you notice that they look somewhat alike?”
“At least they all look obedient, which I can tell,” Qu Jiaying said.
"So you can guess what kind of personality his ex-wife had, right? She listened to her husband in everything, was very strict with her daughter, and hoped that her daughter could gain her father's approval, which meant approval of her parenting style. So Liu Han had always been seeking her father's attention, approval, and praise," Xiang Min said.
"Then why did she say we were here?" Qu Jiaying still didn't understand.
“Because we’re in the same field, both playing classical music, we’re complete strangers who suddenly appeared to try and win over her father’s approval,” Xiang Min explained.
"Then she can either go find her father or hate her stepmother. What does that have to do with us?" Qu Jiaying couldn't understand.
“She’s sixteen or seventeen, not much younger than us. She’s also very precocious. She actually knows very well who she should dislike, but she just doesn’t dare to,” Xiang Min said.
“Because she is still a minor, her father is still supporting her, and she also understands after her mother’s death that her mother and the new stepmother are in the same situation, right?” Qu Jiaying’s heart softened.
“Besides meeting Liu Ru’s standards in terms of appearance and personality, this bride is also a skilled fashion designer,” Xiang Min said.
"What skills does Liu Han's mother have?"
"I used to be an actor and played many supporting roles."
"No wonder Liu Han is acting too, it's all free marketing." Qu Jiaying didn't care what kind of father and husband Liu Ru was, as it didn't affect his invitation of the four of them to perform, and he even threw in a bunch of gifts. She then asked curiously, "You and she are quite different, how did you empathize with each other?"
“I was like that when I was a child, because in my mother’s eyes, the most important thing was her cello, the second most important thing was the many suitors around her, and only the third was me,” Xiang Min said softly. “But later when I went to my uncle’s house, I stopped trying to get attention and instead wanted to keep a low profile and avoid trouble.”
"Speaking of which, you've never mentioned your father."
“I don’t know who it is either. My mother has never mentioned it. My uncle has speculated that it might be one of her lovers, or it might be from a sperm bank. In any case, it doesn’t matter,” Xiang Min said.
"Then what about Commander Cai Rui..." Before Qu Jiaying could finish her question, a staff member rushed over to urge them.
"Okay, I'll be right there," Xiang Min replied.
Qu Jiaying stuffed two bites of her sandwich, and the conversation, which resembled a confession, came to an end, but the nun herself still had unresolved issues.
"Anyway, she's right, all my recent performances are still a little lacking." Qu Jiaying picked up her violin and walked out.
Walk to the stage in front of the lawn.
The music continued to flow.
The dreamy and lighthearted atmosphere seems to recreate the world where fairies exist in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Suddenly, thunder roared, raindrops fell, and it quickly turned into a downpour.
The guests hurriedly ran back to the hall, and Le Yi, Yan Zheng, and Xiang Min all stopped what they were doing.
Qu Jiaying didn't move; she was still playing.
In this sudden storm, Xia Xiaolei's teachings and Cai Rui's instructions were all arguing in her mind.
Whether it's advice or judgment, she can only rely on her own experiences and feelings to interpret music, so what if she hits a wall?
Suddenly, an umbrella appeared overhead, blocking the rain. Qu Jiaying's gaze fell on Liu Han, who was standing at the entrance of the auditorium.
Music doesn't exist for the sake of others' opinions, good or bad.
Even if my performance isn't good enough, I'm still playing.
Let go of those attachments, jealousy, and comparisons, and return to this moment. This is the music I play for myself.
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