Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
“Meeting You” was the best café in all of Hengdian.
Lu Yuan had passed by the café on his bicycle once in the past. When he saw all the fancy dressed customers in the shop, he couldn’t help but spit at them in his head. But Lu Yuan had also thought of coming to the shop in a tuxedo with a beautiful lady on his arm. He would sit down in front of the piano like a charming prince and enchant the lady with his skills.
And that day had finally arrived.
Wang Jinxue definitely met the criteria as a goddess.
She looked pure and quiet, but in the quietness was wisdom.
The only problem was that Lu Yuan was afraid to approach her.
In Lu Yuan’s eyes, Wang Jinxue could be a dangerous person that he needed to be wary of.
“I’ll have a Kopi Luwak,” Wang Jinxue ordered.
“And what would you like to have, sir?” the waiter turned to ask Lu Yuan.
“Blue mountain, please.”
Lu Yuan had never been to a high-end café, but when he saw the price on the menu, his eyes almost popped out.
A cup of blue mountain coffee was priced at $300.
It was a hefty sum for a cup of coffee.
Yet, Lu Yuan had to avoid shaming himself in front of Wang Jinxue. He forced himself to keep his gentle smile on his face.
“You don’t have to be so stern,” Wang Jinxue smiled.
“I’m not.”
“First time drinking with a girl?”
“No.”
“You should try the Luwak, though. It’s authentic and inexpensive. Around 600 a cup, I think?”
“I don’t like coffee. I wouldn’t understand it,” Lu Yuan said as he stared at Wang Jinxue’s eyes.
“I did say I’m treating you, right?”
“Even so, I won’t drink it.”
Lu Yuan stood his ground.
He felt like he was in a war.
A war that he could not back down from.
Even if the café was an unfamiliar place, Lu Yuan had to keep his act up.
“Fine then,” Wang Jinxue nodded and took the script.
She turned the script to the second page and read it under the dim light.
Seeing that Wang Jinxue was focused on the script, Lu Yuan shifted his sight to the teenage girl on the piano.
The girl was elegant as her fingers moved across the piano.
She was playing beautifully and Lu Yuan was slightly enchanted by it.
“Is the music good?” Wang Jinxue asked.
“Not bad.”
“Why?”
“Wha…” Lu Yuan turned to look at Wang Jinxue, who was staring at him with interest.
Lu Yuan started to feel that the lady in front of him was a nuisance.
It seemed as if Wang Jinxue had taken the lead in the conversation and Lu Yuan was being thrown around by her.
Of course, Lu Yuan wanted to comment on the girl’s technique and the meaning behind the song she was playing.
But he couldn’t.
Because he had never heard the music before and could not understand it.
And he could not make it up, because failure meant embarrassment.
“What? Did you not understand the song?’ Wang Jinxue challenged.
“I did!”
“Then, what did you understand from it?”
Wang Jinxue was forcing Lu Yuan to take his mask off and accept the fact that he was a nobody.
She could not understand why an honest person like Lu Yuan was trying to be someone that wasn’t himself.
She wanted to see the real him.
“I understood it, but I won’t tell you because you wouldn’t understand it anyway,” Lu Yuan smiled.
Lu Yuan realized what Wang Jinxue was trying to do, but he wasn’t going to let her take the advantage.
He was still a man with pride.
“I won’t understand it?” Wang Jinxue laughed. “That piece is called The Girl by the Neil River. It was ranked as the third-best music by CCTVV four years ago. And two years after that, it was on the third page of the piano textbook Introduction to Piano. It was also ranked first in every piano-related website.”
“So?”
“That piece was composed by Wang Jinxue. That’s me,” Wang Jinxue said and smiled after seeing Lu Yuan’s expression.
As the cloud moved, sunlight shone on Wang Jinxue’s cheek.
She was beautiful, as enchanting as an angel.
She was proud and divine.
“…”
Lu Yuan could not open his mouth.
He regretted the choices he had made.
It felt like he was faking his way out but lost all his pride in the end.
He tried to act like a rich man but was immediately seen through by the lady in front of him.
“That is why I know that piece more than anyone else in this world,” Wang Jinxue continued. “So, tell me, what story does it tell?”
Wang Jinxue was ready to see Lu Yuan take down the mask he’d put on and kneel in front of her.
She believed that he should’ve been honest from the start and accepted who he was.
“Huh.”
Lu Yuan felt really bad.
It was as if he was a timid cat shivering in the corner.
If it was like any other day, he would’ve admitted he had lost by then.
But Lu Yuan wanted to fight.
Because Wang Jinxue had seen through him and was making him uncomfortable.
Even if he replied as though he wasn’t affected, his mind was already in chaos. Yet, he forced himself to act normal as if the challenges by Wang Jinxue did nothing to him.
“That is not a good answer, is it? If you really understood it, you could’ve proved yourself and talked about your insights,” Wang Jinxue said. “And if you were just lying, I wouldn’t laugh at you instead. Why? Because you’re not a musician but a director. I’ve read your script, and it really is impressive. You might actually succeed if you stick to what you do best.”
Wang Jinxue finally pushed Lu Yuan to the corner and forced him to reveal everything about him.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes.
He was afraid that the chaos inside him would show through his eyes.
Lu Yuan could tell that he was losing the argument.
It was then the waiter came with their drinks.
“The Kopi Luwak and Blue Mountain, enjoy,” the waiter smiled as he placed the coffees on the table.
Lu Yuan opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
The aroma from the coffee reminded him of the time when he learned piano before he traveled.
He had tried the coffee before and knew about the music that Wang Jinxue mentioned.
It was a simple piece, but beautiful.
Lu Yuan stood up and said, “I have to…”
“Use the toilet?” Wang Jinxue finished Lu Yuan’s sentence for him again.
It was normal for anyone to want to use the toilet when they were anxious.
“Yes. I want to wash my hands.”
“Why? Will it change anything?’
“Yes.”
“What?’
“It makes me more serious when I play the piano.”
“?”