Lin Xiaoyu felt as if the whole world was spinning; she was about to lose her balance and collapsed face-first onto the piano.
She couldn’t bear such a mistake, and she didn’t dare to even imagine the scolding that would follow.
Her hands just wouldn’t land on the keys; her heart was tangled like a ball of yarn.
But beside her ears, the melodious violin continued playing without pause, so beautiful—a stark contrast to a failure like her.
The immense pressure weighed heavily on her heart. Lin Xiaoyu even forgot how to breathe. She felt as if a stone was pressing down on her chest, and she was truly about to suffocate.
She wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but she heard Lu Yan nearby laughing in sneers, mocking her as a failed performer.
Yet she had no strength to retort; perhaps it was right—she was a failure after all.
Lin Xiaoyu stared blankly at her own hands. She knew Pei Xingyan should be nearby, but she didn’t dare lift her head to look for him. She had no face to face him.
She didn’t want him to see her current flustered state. Even though he said there was no problem with anything, she felt that after losing face so badly in front of such a large audience, anyone would probably avoid her.
Her mother was still anxiously calling her name in hushed tones, but Lin Xiaoyu no longer wanted to respond. Suddenly, she remembered they were on the nineteenth floor, and maybe falling from here would be a bit easier.
Lin Xiaoyu just sat there dazed, letting the music notes dance around her, letting Lu Yan turn the ensemble into a solo.
She had already given up…
In the end, all she wanted was to hear that person’s voice again, to see that person’s face once more.
She wanted to firmly memorize that face, hoping she would meet him earlier in the next life.
She also wanted to hear that voice that could envelop her whole being, making her feel like she was floating on clouds.
If only she could have met him sooner…
“Xiaoyu…”
Lin Xiaoyu suddenly laughed bitterly to herself. She really heard that voice, but she knew it was just a hallucination. She was sitting on stage—how could his voice be so clear?
But then, Lin Xiaoyu noticed her hands suddenly moving. She did nothing, yet the piano began to play by itself.
Her senses, blurred by panic, gradually returned. Then she realized her hand was covered by something—another hand.
She also felt a warm breath near her ear, a familiar and pleasant scent.
That was…
“Keep going, I’m with you.” The familiar voice sounded in her ear again. It was his voice—the very voice of the boy she had been worrying about just now.
Lin Xiaoyu couldn’t tell if she was dreaming. Everything was too surreal; she couldn’t distinguish anything.
All she knew was that the piano was now playing, and she was held in Pei Xingyan’s arms, playing together with him.
The lights had long been turned off. The entire venue was pitch black, especially in front of the piano, shrouded in darkness. No one could make sense of what was happening; everyone just knew that the piano was finally sounding, harmonizing perfectly with the violin, the rhythm sharp and precise.
Gradually, applause broke out from the crowd. No one thought it was an accident—they all assumed it was planned, or perhaps a godly improvisation by the performers.
Beside Pei Xingyan, Lin Xiaoyu often felt dizzy, but never as severely as now.
His chest pressed against her shoulder, she could tangibly feel his body, and his hand covered hers, guiding her to play one note after another.
Though the performance wasn’t yet flawless or perfect, everything was improving.
With Pei Xingyan’s help, Lin Xiaoyu finally began to play actively. She didn’t know how he had gotten there, nor why he could play piano, but she knew this time, he truly saved her at her most critical moment, and she couldn’t let him down.
Lin Xiaoyu gradually settled into the rhythm. The beautiful music flowed continuously. She was no longer terrified, no longer anxious or fearful. She didn’t even worry about messing up or failing. In the gentle embrace of the person beside her, she felt a peace as if nothing could go wrong no matter what happened.
But her heart beat faster and faster—not just from nervousness, but with a feeling she couldn’t explain. It was an itch inside her chest, as if her heart wanted to leap out and dive into the arms beside her.
Lin Xiaoyu became dazed again, her timing slightly off.
She had always been extremely sensitive to mistakes, and of course, this time was no different. She instinctively tried to pull away, but her hand was held by the boy beside her, and she calmed down once more.
Now, she didn’t doubt his words at all. She completely believed that no matter what mistakes she made, this person by her side would accept and support her, always stay with her. She couldn’t imagine a relationship more intimate than this—neither a couple married for years, nor comrades on a battlefield, would necessarily have a deeper bond.
She relaxed completely and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the performance.
Actually, her skill was definitely very good, so with confidence, it only got better.
She played gracefully, gradually outshining the violin beside her, reclaiming all the spotlight she had lost to Lu Yan—and more. Most of the people in the hall were intoxicated by her piano playing, even the chattering temporarily ceased.
Pei Xingyan slowly withdrew his hands from the keys and stood upright, but did not leave.
He pressed his palm on Lin Xiaoyu’s shoulder, continuing to provide her with spiritual support.
And that support was priceless to Lin Xiaoyu.
She played quietly, neither rushing nor restless. This was the best performance of her life, and the root cause was simply the extra hand resting on her shoulder.
That hand steadied her heart and gave her endless courage. She held her head high, shining even more brilliantly than the most beautiful swan.
The piece gradually came to its end. The violin had become nothing more than accompaniment, and Lin Xiaoyu could even hear Lu Yan’s frustrated breathing in the music.
But Lin Xiaoyu didn’t care. All her attention was on the hand on her shoulder—that was the source of all her courage.
…
When the piece ended, the crowd burst into thunderous applause. Even these self-proclaimed elite people rarely heard such beautiful piano playing.
Lin Xiaoyu stood and bowed—not to her audience, but to the person behind her.
The lights came back on, momentarily dazzling her eyes. When her vision cleared, she was surrounded by her parents and a crowd of people, their compliments swirling around her ears.
But Lin Xiaoyu didn’t care about any of that. She realized the person beside her was gone. She anxiously searched for Pei Xingyan’s figure.
Fortunately, he was not far away.
Pei Xingyan smiled broadly, gave her a big thumbs-up, mouthed “See you later,” and slowly disappeared into the crowd.
Lin Xiaoyu opened her mouth to respond, even though he had already walked away and was out of sight, but she still wanted to do so.
At this moment, her heart felt warm—not because of the success of the performance, but for something else.
She felt that they should never be just ordinary friends.