“I’m also very happy to meet you on such a beautiful afternoon,” Shen Xian gestured to a row of tall chairs next to him, inviting Yi Jinbai to sit down. “Let’s sit down and talk. Are you looking to change a string?”
Yi Jinbai sat down on the high chair next to him and nodded. "I accidentally broke a string and wanted to come here to replace it. Is this your instrument alright?"
“Yes, but I just happened to be there to take a look. The shop assistant has gone out.” Shen Xian took the guitar from Yi Jinbai’s hand, glanced at it, and said, “It’s a very nice guitar. I have the same one. Maybe I can help you switch it up. Please wait a moment.”
After Shen Xian finished speaking, he went to the shelf next to him, pulled out a string, and then turned back.
"Teacher Shen, I can change it myself. You really don't need to trouble yourself with such a small thing."
Yi Jinbai stood up and asked Shen Xian to change the strings. It was unbelievable that he would let Shen Xian do such a small thing himself.
“It’s only right,” Shen Xian said, skillfully removing the broken string. “I’m the owner of this shop, and you’re my customer. Serving customers is what I should do. Don’t worry, I change my own strings. I don’t consider myself clumsy. It’ll be done in no time.”
Shen Xian's voice always carried a warm smile that was irresistible. He was so approachable that it was hard to believe he was the artistic genius hailed as a god by countless people.
Yi Jinbai sat down again. Shen Xian was just as he said, he was very skilled at these things, and it was obvious that he was someone who often did these things himself.
After changing the guitar, Shen Xian tuned it and handed it back to Yi Jinbai. "Want to try it?"
Yi Jinbai never imagined that his wish to have his idol hear his performance would come true so quickly, even if it was just a little bit.
Her hands, which had been trembling with excitement, calmed down when she touched the guitar. She pressed and plucked the strings steadily. In such a tense moment, Yi Jinbai played the first song she had ever learned, the one that the old dean had taught her.
The melodious tune, enhanced by the distinctive sound of the guitar, had a unique feel compared to the piano. As soon as the piece began, Yi Jinbai quickly got into the zone, unconsciously forgetting that he was just testing the notes, and gently hummed as he played a short section.
"Boss, you..."
The sound of the shop assistant returning to the door interrupted the melodious music. Yi Jinbai suddenly realized what was happening and quickly stopped playing, instantly returning to his previous state of helplessness. "Sorry, I played for a bit too long. This string is perfect."
Shen Xian, who had originally intended to stop the shop assistant from speaking, said with some regret, "That piece of music was very beautiful. I'm sorry to have interrupted you. If I'm lucky, I would love to hear the complete piece. I've never heard it before. May I ask?"
“Of course,” Yi Jinbai looked at Shen Xian in disbelief, not expecting his performance to receive such high praise. Of course, the praise was for the piece itself. “This piece was taught to me by my first music teacher. It was composed by one of her friends.”
“She must be a gentle and elegant person with delicate emotions and unparalleled talent,” Shen Xian praised without reservation. “Of course, young lady, your playing is also very good, and you are so young, which really surprised me.”
Yi Jinbai felt a little dizzy. Receiving encouragement and appreciation from his idol in person was something he never dared to dream of!
After a moment of modesty, Yi Jinbai took a deep breath to calm himself down and then played the piece he had just played. This time he played it completely, and Shen Xian, who was sitting next to him, listened very attentively.
The shop assistants and bodyguards standing by the door looked at each other, speechless, and could only wait quietly.
Yi Jinbai almost didn't know how she got home. She was still feeling dizzy even after she got home. She couldn't help but pinch her arm and felt the pain, realizing that she wasn't dreaming.
Yi Jinbai felt that this might be the happiest day of her life. Just now, she not only met her idol Shen Xian in person, but also played her favorite song for him with the strings that he had personally replaced. He praised her, and before leaving, the two of them exchanged contact information and added each other as friends!
Good heavens, is this really true?
After glancing at her contacts on her phone one last time, Yi Jinbai got out of the car with her guitar in her arms. As she walked into the living room, she couldn't help but turn around. She really didn't know how to describe her current feelings; she was so excited she felt like she was about to explode!
"Jinbai, what happened that makes you so happy?"
Jiang Shuiyun, who had just poured herself a cup of tea, happened to see Yi Jinbai happily spinning around. She couldn't help but smile as well and asked, "Is Yi Jinbai happy?"
Yi Jinbai approached Jiang Shuiyun with his guitar in his arms. His already bright eyes were now shining. "You know what? I just met my idol! He's my favorite person. He even changed this string for me himself! And he complimented me! Oh my god! I'm so happy!"
Seeing Yi Jinbai's happy and excited expression, Jiang Shuiyun's smile slowly faded, and she asked hesitantly, "I don't remember you being a fan of celebrities. Which idol is it?"
"Byron!" Yi Jinbai said happily, then carried the guitar upstairs. "I'm going to enshrine this guitar!"
Jiang Shuiyun watched Yi Jinbai's retreating figure. It was the first time she had ever seen Yi Jinbai so distraught and so happy. Of course, it was also the first time she had ever heard Yi Jinbai say who her favorite person was.
Byron?
After noting down the name, Jiang Shuiyun put down the tea she hadn't drunk a drop of. She herself didn't know how sour her face looked. She went straight to the study, determined to find out who this person was.
Sitting in front of the computer, Jiang Shuiyun stared at the screen, checking repeatedly before finally frowning deeply.
The man on the screen had long black hair and a soft, almost genderless beauty. However, his mannerisms did not make him seem like a woman. He exuded an extreme elegance, and every gesture he made was graceful.
Of course, what made Jiang Shuiyun frown was not this reason, but the following line of introduction: Shen Xian.
What a familiar name! Jiang Shuiyun knew she had just heard this name before, from Shen Yunyi.
Isn't this Shen Yunyi's second brother?
Jiang Shuiyun pinched the bridge of her nose. She hadn't paid any attention to it before, because at least Shen Yunyi's eldest brother, Shen Fu, had the possibility of cooperating with them and had some connection. But his second brother, who was always doing art abroad, seemed to have nothing to do with them, a group of guys who had no artistic talent. But the reality seemed to be different.
This was actually Yi Jinbai's idol, her favorite person.
Jiang Shuiyun reached out and turned off the screen. It felt like a huge stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Jiang Shuiyun didn't know how long she had been sitting alone in the study until Shen Yunyi called from downstairs that it was time to eat before she came downstairs.
"What the hell? Who offended you?"
Because of Jiang Shuiyun's words, Shen Yunyi, who was full of energy, felt like he was celebrating the New Year. He happily finished his work at the company, and after tidying up, he was ready to eat. Looking at his favorite dishes on the table, he became even happier and called Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai to come down for dinner. Unexpectedly, Jiang Shuiyun, who came down first, had a face that was almost as red as the bottom of the pot in the kitchen.
"fine."
Jiang Shuiyun sat down at the table, looking at the food in front of her, but had no appetite whatsoever.
"Tell me, who messed with you? Who dares to mess with you now? I'm the first to disagree! Tell me, and I'll beat him up for you!"
Shen Yunyi patted Jiang Shuiyun on the shoulder with great righteousness, speaking with great pride.
Jiang Shuiyun glanced at Shen Yunyi, then looked away again. Forget it.
As the two were talking, Yi Jinbai came downstairs, looking very happy and cheerful, much like Shen Yunyi had been earlier.
Shen Yunyi looked at Yi Jinbai, then at Jiang Shuiyun. What was going on with these two having such contrasting emotions?
"Miss Yi, what makes you so happy?"
Shen Yunyi greeted Yi Jinbai.
Yi Jinbai was equally happy and repeated what he had just said to Jiang Shuiyun to Shen Yunyi, only in a calmer tone.
"This is indeed a joyous occasion, congratulations!" Shen Yunyi hadn't even asked Yi Jinbai who his idol was, but he was also very happy for Yi Jinbai.
"Thank you." Yi Jinbai sat down, feeling a little embarrassed.
Jiang Shuiyun leaned back in her chair, glanced at the two chatting happily, and said to Shen Yunyi, "Ask Jinbai who her idol is?"
"Yes, who is Miss Yi's idol?" Shen Yunyi asked, unaware of Jiang Shuiyun's intentions.
"Byron said his real name is Shen Xian. Although I had known this before, this is how he introduced himself. He is a really good person, exceptionally good."
Yi Jinbai also failed to notice Jiang Shuiyun's intentions and mentioned Shen Xian's name.
Upon hearing that name, Shen Yunyi's smile froze on his face. "What did you say?"
“Shen Xian,” Yi Jinbai thought Shen Yunyi hadn’t heard clearly or didn’t understand these things, so he repeated himself and thoughtfully explained, “Of course, President Shen may not understand, but that’s okay, he’s not often in the country.”
"He knows it too well."
Seeing Shen Yunyi's change of expression, Jiang Shuiyun inexplicably felt that her bad mood had been transferred, and that he should continue to be happy now since he was so happy just now.
Yi Jinbai was a little confused by Jiang Shuiyun's words, so he turned to Shen Yunyi beside him and asked, "President Shen, what's wrong?"
Shen Yunyi seemed to turn into a statue. Hearing Yi Jinbai's words, he gave a stiff smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace. "I know him very well. Not only do I know him, I also recognize him."
"What a coincidence! By the way, both President Shen and Teacher Shen share the same surname. They might have been from the same family five hundred years ago. Moreover, I heard that Teacher Shen is also from our City A."
Yi Jinbai still didn't realize the seriousness of the problem, and was even a little happy, since everyone knew each other, which gave him a strange sense of fate.
"They're not even five hundred years ago; they're one family this year."
Jiang Shuiyun picked up her chopsticks and continued to deliver the final blow to Shen Yunyi.
"Really?"
Yi Jinbai never expected it to be so amazing, and hurriedly went to ask Shen Yunyi.
"I'm full, I'm going back to my room now."
Shen Yunyi put down his chopsticks, got up, went upstairs, and returned to his room.
"What's wrong, Mr. Shen?"
Yi Jinbai wondered if he had said something wrong that made Shen Yunyi unhappy, so he whispered to Jiang Shuiyun beside him for advice.
"It's nothing. Shen Xian is his older brother. The one we met before was his eldest brother. Shen Xian is his second brother. His relationship with his family is a bit complicated, so his mood may have been affected."
Jiang Shuiyun had been wondering how Yi Jinbai would react to the news, but she hadn't expected him to find out so quickly, and even with such a malicious tone. She looked at Yi Jinbai's reaction.
Yi Jinbai was surprised by this and felt a little guilty. "I'm so sorry, I really didn't know about this. I... I'll go apologize to President Shen. I'm sure I've upset him by saying this."
"It's okay, you did nothing wrong, and he knows you didn't mean it. He just needs some time to calm down."
Jiang Shuiyun advised Yi Jinbai, "Just try to mention Shen Xian's name less often in front of him."
Yi Jinbai nodded, still feeling a little guilty. "I really didn't expect such a coincidence in the world. Teacher Shen just messaged me to ask if I had time tomorrow. He wanted to try that piece of music. It seems I should go somewhere else tomorrow. Teacher Shen might not feel comfortable staying at home."
Jiang Shuiyun's mood, which had just started to improve, plummeted again. "You two made plans for tomorrow? What piece are you going to try out?"
"It's... do you remember? That song you said you'd heard before, and you even said it was written by your teacher's lover. Today I happened to be changing my strings, and while I was testing the strings, I casually played this song. Teacher Shen thought it was a really good piece, and he even listened to me play the whole thing. I felt so honored. We even exchanged contact information. I never expected him to like the song so much and want to try playing it himself. He was able to memorize it after just one listen. Teacher Shen is truly amazing."
Yi Jinbai was very considerate. She was worried that Shen Yunyi would be unhappy to hear Shen Xian's name, so she deliberately lowered her voice and spoke to Jiang Shuiyun. However, even if she lowered her voice, it was difficult to suppress the excitement in her words when she mentioned her idol.
Jiang Shuiyun put down her chopsticks and looked at Yi Jinbai, "Did you play that piece for him?"
"What's wrong?"
Yi Jinbai then realized that Jiang Shuiyun was different today. The oppressive aura emanating from her made it hard for her to breathe. Under Jiang Shuiyun's gaze, she felt as if she were frozen in place, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.
"It's nothing, I've finished eating."
Jiang Shuiyun got up and left, going upstairs to the next room. Although her things were still in her old room, she could pack them up tomorrow.
Looking at the closed door and then at the almost untouched dishes on the table, Yi Jinbai felt a little lost, unsure of what she had done wrong.
Jiang Shuiyun had only felt a little choked up before, but when she heard Yi Jinbai play the song that only the two of them knew well and that held nostalgic significance for both of them for Shen Xian, she couldn't control herself anymore, so she had to get up and leave.
Jiang Shuiyun attributed her distress to this: for Yi Jinbai, that piece of music was taught to her by the old headmaster who raised her, and it was the first piece of music she learned. For Jiang Shuiyun, it was related to her teacher, the only piece of music she was familiar with, and the only thing in this world that was related to her past life.
But now that such a unique thing has been known by a third person and shared by Yi Jinbai with a third person, Jiang Shuiyun finds it hard to accept. However, she also feels a deep sense of powerlessness because she knows that she has no right to stop it, nor does she have the right to restrict whether Yi Jinbai wants to share it with others.
Stepping into the bathroom, Jiang Shuiyun felt she needed to calm down.
Choosing cold water directly calmed Jiang Shuiyun's overheated mind, but the heavy weight in her heart still seemed to remain, and had become even harder, making her feel uncomfortable.
As Jiang Shuiyun emerged from the bathroom, recalling Yi Jinbai's astonished expression upon her departure, she realized she might have made a mistake.
Today was supposed to be a happy day for Yi Jinbai, as evidenced by her joyful and excited expression when she returned this afternoon, and the sheer happiness she exuded as she went downstairs.
But because of her, she must be very unhappy now. Jiang Shuiyun suddenly regretted what she had done at the dinner table. She had a better solution for Yi Jinbai’s idol being Shen Yunyi’s second brother, but because of her dark thoughts, she had made everyone as unhappy as she was.
Jiang Shuiyun roughly dried her hair, threw the towel aside, haphazardly combed her half-dry hair, and stood up. Since this was her mistake, she should be the one to correct it.