The plane trees cast dappled, shifting shadows across the marble-textured ground. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the tall plane trees planted along the edge of the playground.
“Boss Su, the warehouse with the prop walls is right there. I never really noticed it before, but I didn’t expect there to be so much space in there!”
“Yeah, yeah, at first we were worried it might not all fit, but it turns out even if we brought ten more prop walls, the warehouse could probably hold them all.”
“…Is that so?”
Su Wanli casually tucked her hands into her pockets, following behind Xiao Fen and the others, walking side by side with Meng Wange in a leisurely pace toward the warehouse.
“So I told my dad, the walls need to be finished with premium matte spray paint, but he insisted the difference wouldn’t matter and ended up getting me this cheap material! The stage is definitely going to have some serious glare later…”
“I don’t really get it, but it sounds pretty serious?”
“Exactly. The situation is already extremely critical. I think the lighting we have right now is already at its limit. The current light looks fine when it hits, but even the slightest bit more will shatter this delicate balance.”
“So, what Xiao Fen means is, don’t even think about adding your ambiance lights. She doesn’t want it.”
“I see, so there’s a high chance of glare!”
“…I didn’t say it that bluntly.”
“Hmph, don’t worry. I’m the one operating the lights anyway. I’ll turn off any excess brightness in advance to make way for my starlight lamp.”
“What did you say!?”
“…Tch, that didn’t work? Looks like I’ll have to destroy all your ambiance lights beforehand.”
Their bickering never stopped. Su Wanli, listening with slightly furrowed brows, shook her head silently at them, then quickened her pace and pushed open the warehouse door first.
Unlike the bright and cheerful scenery of the playground, the warehouse only had a few small windows open, making the light much dimmer. The air also carried a faint smell of sawdust mixed with paint.
“Click.”
A crisp switch sound came from behind her, and the lights at the top of the warehouse flickered on.
In front of Su Wanli, several prop walls several meters tall, clearly painted with great care, stood quietly in the center of the warehouse. They were categorized and assembled together, forming several ornate, aged European fairy-tale scenes.
“So! Boss Su, how does it look? Pretty decent, right?”
“…Hmph, it’s passable.”
Su Wanli responded casually while stepping forward, gently running her fingertips over the wall adorned with several oil paintings.
“…Wow, whoa.”
This must be the stepsister’s house scene from the script, right?
She really did do a good job. Every prop was incredibly lifelike, and there was even a small fireplace in the room. It looked like you could actually light a fire if you put some firewood in it.
Aside from the light, airy foam board texture you could feel when touching it, purely from a visual standpoint, this wall could truly fool the eye.
Su Wanli withdrew her hand and gave a reserved nod toward the wall. Then she instinctively turned her head, wanting to see Meng Wange’s reaction to these prop walls.
However, when she turned around, she found that no one was beside her.
Huh? Meng, Meng Wange? Wasn’t she just following two steps behind me the whole time?
No, it wasn’t just Meng Wange. In that instant she turned back, Su Wanli frowned in confusion, then opened her mouth, preparing to ask Xiao Fen and the others where Meng Wange had gone.
But those three subordinates who had been bickering and laughing with her just moments ago had also vanished without a trace.
…Huh?
Su Wanli was left all alone.
That is to say, in this entire massive warehouse, at this very moment, only Su Wanli remained.
And once Su Wanli fell silent, there were no other sounds in the warehouse. This somewhat unsettling stillness slowly spread through the air.
“Men—”
“Crackle!”
Then, before Su Wanli could even instinctively call out that certain someone’s name, accompanied by the crisp sound of an electrical short circuit, the row of lights on the warehouse ceiling suddenly went dark.
The entire world was instantly swallowed by an unfathomable, pitch-black darkness.
“Wh-Whoa!?”
The sudden darkness made Su Wanli’s heart clench violently, causing her to instinctively duck down and cover her head.
“…!? Wh-What’s going on? A sudden power outage? And what about Meng Wange and Xiao Fen? Why aren’t they reacting either!?”
“Could it be… this is… a…”
“It’s an accident!? I knew those guys were completely unreliable! Did all four of them get crushed by a prop wall? And now I have to save them all by myself!?”
“Tsk, they really didn’t call me their boss for nothing. This is such a pain.”
“Dammit, didn’t the warehouse still have a bit of light before the lights went out? Why isn’t there even that much light now?”
Just as Su Wanli anxiously pulled out her phone from her pocket, ready to use that light source to start a rescue, a musical sound suddenly came from the otherwise silent warehouse.
Yes, the elegant sound of a piano.
It came from the other side of the wall, slowly drifting into Su Wanli’s ears.
A melody… that seemed somewhat familiar, yet one that Su Wanli had never heard before.
“Huh? This sound is…”
This sound is…
The melody was neither as solemn and elegant as classical music, nor as light and pleasant as pop music. It carried only a faint, moonlit coolness and softness.
“…Alright, I see now.”
The moment she heard the piano, the anxiety in Su Wanli’s heart vanished without a trace. She lightly licked her lips, stood up, and while feeling along the wall beside her, followed the direction of the piano sound into the depths of the darkness.
Before she had taken two steps, a beam of light shot from a lighting rig at the edge of the warehouse, landing not far ahead of Su Wanli.
“Click—”
At the center of that beam of light sat a spotless, exquisite, and luxurious grand piano.
And seated before the piano was a figure Su Wanli knew all too well.
At some point, Meng Wange had changed into a crisp black western suit. The suit perfectly accentuated her tall and upright figure, giving her an aura of restrained elegance and quiet allure.
Her fingertips danced nimbly across the black and white keys, each rise and fall producing a string of crystal-clear notes.
At this moment, Meng Wange’s face did not hold her usual faint smile. Instead, she tilted her head back, eyes gently closed, completely immersed in the music.
The searchlight’s glow reflected off Meng Wange’s long, trembling eyelashes and the dust particles floating in the warehouse air. They shimmered with faint specks of light, dancing around Meng Wange as if imbued with vibrant life.
Despite being prepared for this, Su Wanli still fell into a slight daze.
Perhaps… many, many years from now, Meng Wange would stand on a magnificent, world-renowned stage, with countless frenzied fans below captivated by her charm and talent.
Though the crowd below screamed hoarsely, Meng Wange on stage would sit quietly before the piano, playing her own music.
So immersed, so radiant, and yet… so distant.
Like the brightest star in the sky, an existence she could never reach in a lifetime.
Even after the final note faded into the air, Su Wanli remained frozen in place, staring as Meng Wange’s fingers slowly lifted from the keys.
“Miss Su, do you remember?”
Meng Wange smiled as she rose from the piano bench and walked gracefully to stand before Su Wanli.
She leaned down and gently took Su Wanli’s wrist.
“After that evening banquet ended, I said I would give you a performance dedicated solely to you.”
Only after her wrist was taken and she was led two steps forward did Su Wanli blink as if waking from a dream.
“…Meng, Meng Wange…”
“Mm, though the environment here isn’t quite ideal—no magnificent lighting, no passionate audience—but this piano alone is of the highest standard…”
Meng Wange said as she guided Su Wanli to sit beside the still-warm piano.
After that, she released her hand, propped her cheek against her palm, and narrowed her eyes slightly at Su Wanli.
“So, my beautiful princess, would you be willing to grace me with your presence and join me in a performance that belongs only to us?”