Chapter 15: 15

Jealous and Ambiguous

 

The next night, following the location on the ticket, Yi Zhize arrived at the A City Music Exchange Centre.

Going up the wooden spiral staircase to the second floor, there was a small, elaborate concert hall in front of him.

There was a smiling staff member at the reception desk at the door, and she asked softly, "Are you here for Mr. Mu's concert?"

Yi Zhize nodded.

"Please show your ticket."

Yi Zhize handed her the ticket voucher.

She tore off the ticket stub and handed it back to Yi Zhize, "Welcome, please come in, the concert will start soon."

Yi Zhize was puzzled, "Doesn't it start at eight? It's seven forty-six."

She ushered Yi Zhize into the room, "You are the only audience member tonight, so as soon as you arrive, it will begin."

The lights suddenly went out, and on the stage was a piano, with Mu Xin in a black tuxedo.

He stood under the only light source, his face seemingly haloed with a slight holy colour: "Good evening, Mr. Yi, please sit down."

Yi Zhize took a seat in the first row, "Why..."

"As I said," Mu Xin winked at him, "to thank you with sound."

He marched over to the piano and sat down, his white gloves touching the keys and playing the first note.

The music rang out, melodious and everlasting, refreshing the soul.

Mu Xin was an excellent pianist.

The music he played carried his own emotions.

Yi Zhize did not know anything about music and did not know how to comment on it in a professional way.

But he felt that Mu Xin's music had a rich content.

It was like a depth wrapped in elegance and softness.

He remembered Ou Tingyun's eyes.

It gave him this feeling.

It was as if a gentle breeze brushed through the trees by the sea, causing a hovering reverberation in the depths of darkness, with an endless rhythm.

Just as he was immersed in the music, the sudden ringing of his mobile phone broke the mood.

Yi Zhize looked down to see that it was Ou Tingyun.

Out of courtesy, Yi Zhize hung up the phone.

But in a second, the other party called again.

Yi Zhize put his phone on mute and replied with a rather programmed text message: [Sorry, I'll reply later.]

Ten minutes later, when the piece was finished, Yi Zhize got up and said to Mu Xin, "I'm going to return a call."

In the corridor outside the concert hall, Yi Zhize took out his phone and found 12 missed calls, all from Ou Tingyun.

He felt a bit of a headache.

He called back and was immediately connected.

"Zhize, why aren't you answering your phone?" The words were clearly a question, but they still carried Ou Tingyun's characteristic playfulness and calmness: "I was worried about you."

"Sorry, I was at a concert."

"What concert? It's not that guy again, is it?"

Although they didn't say anything, they both knew which one he was referring to.

“En."

Ou Tingyun spoke disgruntledly, "Didn't I tell you that I would go if you did? Why didn't you call me?"

Yi Zhize didn't want to explain too much and just said, "Sorry, next time."

"When is the next time, anyway? Tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? Or is it just a polite gesture?"

Yi Zhize changed the subject and said, “Tingyun, is there something you're calling about?"

"The case entrusted to you last time involved some assets in B City. Are you free recently, shall we go to B City together?"

"When?"

"This Saturday."

"Okay."

"Wait, Zhize, don't hang up yet." Ou Tingyun said, "Mu Xin is not a good person, so be careful and don't be fooled by him."

Yi Zhize laughed, "Director Ou, you seem to be unfair in your assessment of both him and me."

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"What? Don't believe me?"

"No," Yi Zhize whispered, “thank you for your kind reminder, Teacher Ou."

"You're welcome, I'll see you on Saturday, Zhize."

"See you on Saturday."

He hung up the phone and returned to the concert hall.

Mu Xin sat at the piano and looked at him with a sideways glance, "Mr. Yi, do you have work tonight?"

Yi Zhize sat down in the first row, "Sort of, sorry."

"That's okay," a few strands of hair draped over his ears, accentuating his artistic aura, "what would you like to hear next?"

"Anything. As I said before, I don't know anything about music."

"Mr. Yi is being modest. There is a saying that says – where the eyes cannot reach, words can; where words cannot reach, the soul can; where the soul cannot reach, music can." Mu Xin's fingers struck a few fragmented notes on the white keys: "The resonance of the soul is beyond the realm of understanding or not understanding."

“Nocturne in E-flat major." Yi Zhize said, "That seems to be the name."

"Chopin,” Mu Xin smiled, "the piano poet."

"I'd like to hear this one, is that okay?"

"Sure.” Mu Xin said, "As you wish."

The concert ended at around nine o'clock.

When Yi Zhize left, Mu Xin said to him, "Mr. Yi, I occasionally go to the orphanage for charity performances, so if you're interested, you're always welcome."

———

On Saturday afternoon, Ou Tingyun drove Yi Zhize to B City.

It had just rained a little and the weather was dreary.

The car was playing soft music and Ou Tingyun asked, "Zhize, have you been to B City before?"

Yi Zhize looked out of the window and spoke in a flat tone, “En."

"I grew up in B City, but I don't have much affection for it. Do you know Nineteenth High School? I went to high school there."

Hearing Nineteenth High School, Yi Zhize's eyelashes fluttered imperceptibly, and he quietly clenched his right hand, his nails sinking deep into his palm: "I don't know."

"When we arrive later, I'll take you for a stroll around B City."

"Okay."

Arriving in B City, the two of them first went to collect materials for the relevant assets involved in the case.

The case involved properties and wineries, and there was no way to cover them all in one afternoon.

Seeing that the day was waning, Ou Tingyun said, " Zhize, shall we stop here for today? We'll continue tomorrow."

"Okay."

"I've booked a hotel, so we'll go to the hotel to drop off our things and then have dinner together."

"We?"

“En."

"Tingyun, aren't you from B City?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you go home and stay there?"

"Don't want to."

Yi Zhize didn't press the issue; he had never been interested in prying into other people's private matters.

But what he didn't expect was that Ou Tingyun had actually booked only one room.

Although it was the kind of double room with two beds, Yi Zhize was still not quite satisfied: "Dr. Ou, I just looked on the internet, there are many vacancies in this hotel, there is no need for you to squeeze into one room with me."

"Zhize, I'm a timid person." Ou Tingyun's expression was sincere, "I'm afraid of the dark."

Yi Zhize didn't know whether to believe his rhetoric or not, but in the end, he didn't object.

After checking in, Ou Tingyun said, "There's a restaurant not far from here that's very good, shall we go and try it together?"

"Okay."

The night breeze was brisk as they emerged from the hotel.

After a two-block walk, Ou Tingyun smiled and said, "89 Lijing Road, this is it."

Lijing Road.

Yi Zhize's breath stalled slightly, and something seemed to explode in his mind.

 

He looked blankly at the street scene around him, his face gradually losing its colour.

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