Chapter Twenty-Two: Metamorphosis

  As Chen Chufan walked towards the piano, he was still filled with trepidation. Because in his feelings, it seemed that he had only touched the piano in his dreams, and now in a real environment, he actually still doubted whether he could truly use his fingers to play out that intoxicating melody.

  But when he sat down at the piano and touched the icy keys with his hands, all the strangeness to the piano was swept away. This time he was in a sober state of mind as he touched the piano, and he could feel an overwhelming sense of familiarity with the instrument in his mind. It was as if he had sat down at the piano like this today and played countless times before.

  He casually pressed a few keys on the piano, and the piano emitted several meaningless notes, which made two couples chatting in the coffee shop and the waiter who came to deliver drinks to four college students cast strange glances at him.

  On the piano's music rack lay a sheet of music, but he couldn't understand the meaning of those five-line staffs and note-shaped symbols at all. So he simply closed his eyes and placed his hands on the piano keyboard purely by feeling.

  When the first note sounded in the cafe, Ye Siyi had already figured it out. It wasn't the "Starry Sky" she had asked to play, her favorite song, but as the smooth and flowing music continued, Ye Siyi was still intoxicated by the melancholic tune.

  The sound of the guqin is not a picture. But under Chen Chufan's interpretation, that slow and slightly heavy rhythm, paired with a faintly melancholic tone, as well as the faintly worried expression immersed in his own music, made Ye Siying seem to see a boy walking alone on the small road by Nanhu Lake, with rain falling from the sky, but the boy seemed completely unaware of it, perhaps his heart was already fully occupied by sorrowful thoughts, he just wandered along this road, not knowing when it would end.

  But how can a road possibly have no end? The player uses a string of playing skills to transition naturally. The heaviness is gone, but the rhythm remains slow and steady, as if the boy standing at the end of the small road has come to some realization that when love has passed, it cannot be retrieved, perhaps silently accepting it is the best outcome. Although he has come to terms with it, in that still sorrowful melody, Ye Siyi can still see the thread of unwillingness and resentment on the boy's heart.

  The rain seems to be getting heavier, the rhythm of the music starts to accelerate continuously, the boy is loudly roaring in the rain, venting his inner resentment and complaining about the injustice of heaven. It seems that the boy's venting has angered the heavens. What was originally a gentle spring rain suddenly turned into thunder and lightning, strong winds and heavy rains. The performer switches between slow and extremely fast rhythms without any transition, yet it doesn't feel abrupt, but rather makes one immerse in the boy's anger and can't help but be drawn in.

  The rain has finally stopped, and a rainbow is faintly visible. Does this mean that all the sorrow will eventually pass, and the future will be beautiful? From the sad prelude to the indignant complaints, to the hopeful future, to the joyful ending, a piano piece is finally complete.

  Chen Chufan's fingers paused on the last key, his mind unable to calm down for a long time. He even dared not believe that the melody he had just played was really flowing from his fingertips. In the piece he played, he seemed to see every scene of his own lost love. Suddenly, he realized that at the moment before he fell into the lake, something had entered his body, and everything - his familiarity with the piano, his slam dunks on the basketball court, his increasingly confident personality - was brought by this thing.

  This song, which tells the story of his own experiences, is a gift given to him by something he didn't know existed. At this moment, he suddenly gained a kind of confidence, feeling that he had already grasped the true essence of art, and as long as he moved forward in this direction, nothing in this world could truly stump him. As this slightly arrogant idea rose up from his heart, Chen Chufan suddenly felt something stirring excitedly in his mind. At this moment, Chen Chufan only felt an unparalleled clarity.

  He knew that the things that swirled in his mind were the ones that brought him all the changes. He could even feel that they had no malice. They simply hoped to be more confident, stronger, and more optimistic, and then inherit all their legacy.

  When Chen Chufan finished playing, the eyes of everyone in the coffee shop focused on the young man sitting at the piano. Each person seemed to have read a section of the performer's heart journey from the song played by Chen Chufan, although it was just a fragment, but it made people indulge in it and couldn't help themselves.

  "Clap, clap". Suddenly, applause erupted in the coffee shop, from a few initial claps to everyone joining in within just a few seconds. It also startled Chen Chufan out of his inexplicable joy. He stood up, slightly bowed towards the crowd in the coffee shop to express gratitude, and then walked back to his seat.

  Returning to his own seat, he sat down naturally. The boy who had just appeared awkward and embarrassed had completely disappeared.

  All three people present felt Chen Chufan's change, especially Ye Siying. She even felt that when Chen Chufan finished playing this song, he was completely different from the Chen Chufan who had not played before, but she didn't feel anything wrong, just like the music gene in Chen Chufan's body, rejoicing at the transformation of the boy in front of her.

  "My god, you were able to reach this level just by casually studying when you were young? You're really a genius!" Yang Tao pounded Chen Chufan's shoulder and said exaggeratedly.

  Chen Chufan smiled at Yang Tao, but didn't respond. However, his expression was full of confidence.

  "What's the name of this song?" Ye Siying suddenly asked after a long silence.

  "I haven't thought of one yet? Why don't you help me think of one?" Chen Chufan said calmly.

  "It's indeed your own creation! I think it should be called 'Heart Journey'. The feeling I got when listening to this song is like seeing the way you've walked. Ye Siying gazed deeply at Chen Chufan, as if trying to see through the secrets hidden behind his eyes."

  "No wonder our Xiaosi listened to you play a song and now she's been melancholic every day in her dorm, as if she's got lovesickness! Indeed, you're quite talented!" Han Xiaoxi exclaimed.

  "Thank you for the compliment!" responded to the school beauty in front of him, but he couldn't be as casual as when he was with Yang Tao. Chen Chufan still voiced a thank you, but without any modesty, because there seemed to be a voice in his mind telling him that the piece he had performed was indeed the best and deserved anyone's praise.

  "Don't thank me yet, I'm facing a problem and it's really difficult for me! Can you tell me what to do? Chen Chufan!" Han Xiaoxi said with a troubled face.

  "What's wrong?" Chen Chufan asked in confusion.

  "Actually, it should have been you who got to know our family's SiSi first. At that time, she liked you, but she didn't know who you were! Then, at the Nanhu Cup, I met you and I also felt a bit of affection for you, so I wrote a letter to ask you out. Looking back, although I knew you later, I knew who you were! So it can be said that I liked you first! Now, we've discovered that SiSi and I like the same person... what should we do? Can't divide you in half for each of us?! Han Xiaohui's straightforward yet absurd words left Chen Chufan stunned, Ye Sijun extremely embarrassed, and Yang Tao filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment."

  "Who says I like him! Han Xiaoxi!" Ye Siying angrily and embarrassingly shouted at the outspoken Han Xiaoxi in a low voice.

  Han Xiaoxi looked at her best friend with a worried expression and said listlessly, "Alright, Xiao SiSi, I still don't understand you. Just looking at your distracted appearance in the dorm for the past two days, I knew what was on your mind. Honestly, tell me you really don't like this guy!" In a moment of carelessness, Han Xiaoxi actually blurted out that somewhat indecent nickname in front of the two guys.

  "That's appreciation! Not necessarily liking!" Ye Siying continued to defend herself. Her entire small face was flushed red with shame because Han Xiaoxi had revealed her abnormal state in the dormitory for the past two days.

  "Alright, who's fooling who! I still don't know what you're thinking. Don't you always want to meet a guy who resonates with you in music? So many people are chasing after you, but I haven't seen you care about any of them like that. Now that you've finally met one, you won't like him? Don't be hypocritical!" Han Xiao Xi didn't buy Ye Si Wei's nonsense and continued to expose her true nature.

  "I..." Ye Siying wanted to refute her best friend, but the words reached the tip of her tongue and she didn't know what to say. Did she really not have any feelings for the boy in front of her? Ye Siying knew it wasn't true. From the moment she heard Chen Chufan play again, she knew that this boy might be the one she had been waiting for, the one who could make her feel a sense of resonance. So she couldn't say anything to refute it anymore.

  Seeing Ye Siyi speechless, Han Xiaohui looked at Chen Chufan again: "Young man, I was asking you just now, what do you think we should do?"

  Although Chen Chufan is now extremely confident, he is still at a loss for words when faced with Han Xiaoxi's words. If he were Yang Tao, facing two school flowers who have good feelings towards him, he could lick his face and say, "Don't fight, I'll take both of you!" Unfortunately, he is not Yang Tao, and he has not yet reached that level of cultivation. So he can only silently look at Han Xiaoxi's delicate little face, speechless.

  "Are you two serious?" Yang Tao on one side couldn't help but speak up.

  "Nonsense, I've already set aside the reserve of two lovely girls like flowers, how can I not be serious?!" Han Xiaohui glared at Yang Tao and said pitifully.

  "Actually, you can consider me as an option. I'm actually quite good at basketball, and I look better than our family's third brother. More importantly, I have a gentle heart!" Yang Tao started bragging again.

  "Huh? Really?" Han Xiao Xi looked at Yang Tao, seemingly really moved by his words.

  "Of course! How about it, Little Xi, are you moved?" Yang Tao looked at Han Xiao Xi with a hopeful face.

  "Can you play the piano?" Han Xiao Xi asked.

  "No!" Yang Tao shook his head.

  "Can you dunk when playing basketball?" Han Xiao Xi continued to ask.

  "No!" Yang Tao continued shaking his head.

  "Hey, what's the point? If you could dunk a basketball, I'd reluctantly agree to help you out. If you could play a good piano piece, I'd even help set you up with our family's little Sisi. But you're just a useless person who can't do anything! How are we supposed to make do with you?" Han Xiaoxi spoke in an extremely gentle tone, her face displaying a regretful expression that said "I'm helpless to assist you".

  "Ah, it seems there's only one way left!" Yang Tao also put on a pitiful expression and gazed at Han Xiaoxi, the two of them were showing off their acting skills.

  "Oh? What's going on?" Han Xiao Xi asked with great interest.

  "You all come from our family's old three, anyway it's not a marriage, just get along with each other, and see who is suitable for whom in the future. Maybe one of you will have a new boyfriend later on and naturally leave, then all problems will be solved." Yang Tao indeed spoke his mind.

  "Oh? This method, seems to sound not bad!" Han Xiaohui surprisingly nodded. Then looked at Ye Siyue who had been silent with her head down, and Chen Chufan who was staring blankly at the two of them.