Against the Light - Chapter 46
Chapter 46: A Treasure of an Idol
When Gu Xinran got home, her heart still felt a little empty, an indescribable feeling.
Yilan had her own dreams, and she encouraged and supported them.
But seeing her go to such a faraway place all by herself made her worried and anxious.
The thought of Yilan not being by her side instinctively made her feel insecure. She knew she shouldn't be this way, that she shouldn't rely on her. Just as Yilan could walk out of her own immense predicament, she certainly could too.
She looked at the piano in the living room, remembering how Yilan had taught her to play. She pursed her lips and smiled faintly.
She had originally wanted to master the song 【Falling Flowers】 to play for Yilan.
Fang Jinghai and Qu Qi rushed back immediately after the press conference. When they saw the lights on in Xinran's apartment from downstairs, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The moment they stepped out of the elevator, they both froze. They could hear the sound of a fluent and beautiful piano melody coming from Xinran's home!
They couldn't help but exchange a glance.
"When did she get so good at the piano??"
Like a pair of thieves, they tiptoed to the door and, in unison, pressed their ears against it to eavesdrop.
"Hear anything?"
"No, just the piano."
Qu Qi knocked on the door. "Xinran?"
There was no answer from inside.
Qu Qi was about to knock again when Fang Jinghai tapped her and mysteriously held up a single finger.
"Let me."
She placed her finger on the sensor, and with a soft chime, the door opened.
"??? My fingerprint isn't even registered, how can you!?"
"Heh, a few days ago I said I'd help Sister Ran get a new set of furniture, so she registered my fingerprint and told me to handle it myself."
The two pushed the door open a crack and immediately saw Gu Xinran sitting at the piano, playing with intense focus.
A beautiful melody flowed from her fingertips. They both found it incredible. Just half a month ago, she could only play two bars, and today she could play the entire piece? That was amazing!
The two entered the room. Qu Qi, struck by a sudden idea, took out her phone and started recording Gu Xinran.
A short while later, the piece ended. Gu Xinran caressed the keys, closed the lid, and turned to look out the window.
Qu Qi stopped recording and played it back. It was fantastic. With a little editing, it could be released as a treat for the fans!
"Sister Ran, are you okay?" Fang Jinghai studied her face, which looked a bit listless.
"Did something happen? Why did you suddenly run back?"
"Yeah, Xinran, what's wrong?"
Gu Xinran turned to look at them. The redness in her eyes immediately put them on high alert. "Have you been crying? What happened? Who dared to bully you? Tell me! I'll skin them alive!"
Just as Qu Qi was asking, her phone rang. She glanced at it and froze slightly. It was a Weibo notification with the headline, 【Teacher Bai has left】.
Startled, Qu Qi immediately clicked on it. She saw a set of photos, likely taken at the airport. Among them was a picture of Xinran squatting on the ground in tears, another of the two of them walking side-by-side, and one of Xinran watching Bai Yilan leave.
After seeing these, Qu Qi understood. She figured this must be why she had suddenly left the press conference. No wonder she looked so lost and dejected now. Bai Yilan's departure must have been a huge blow to her.
"Xin… Xinran, maybe Yilan just went out for a walk to clear her head. She might be back in a few days. Don't be so down."
"Do I look down?" Gu Xinran asked.
"Uh…" The two looked at each other. The word "down" was written all over her face.
Gu Xinran was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and went into the bedroom.
"Sister Qi, what on earth is going on?"
"Director Bai left."
"Left!? Why! Wasn't everything cleared up? Sister Ran didn't do anything to wrong her! I was waiting for them to get back together, why did she just leave??"
"I don't know." Qu Qi's expression turned uncharacteristically serious as she stared worriedly at the bedroom door.
She was terrified that Gu Xinran would sink into a depression.
She could be incredibly tough when dealing with those haters, but when it came to Bai Yilan… that was her Achilles' heel.
Qu Qi looked at the pictures on Weibo again. Throughout this whole ordeal, no matter how viciously she was attacked, she had never cried. Instead, she had fought back with high spirits, delivering a crisp, resounding slap to her opponents' faces!
But now…
Just as they were worrying, Gu Xinran came out. She had changed into a long white dress and was wearing light makeup. A faint pinkish hue at the corners of her eyes concealed most of the traces of her crying. Her skin was so fair it seemed to glow, and a faint smile graced her lips.
The two stared in astonishment as she walked to the piano and sat down gracefully.
"Weren't you going to record? You can start now."
"Ah, okay."
On Weibo, because of Teacher Bai's departure, Gu Xinran's page was once again flooded, but this time, people weren't attacking her.
【Wuwuwu, Ranran is crying so hard, it breaks my heart to see. You have to take care of yourself!!】
【Why did Teacher Bai have to leave? Hasn't Sister Ran worked hard enough? She's changed so much for the better, she's worthy of Teacher Bai ahhhhhh】
【If you all truly love Xinran and Teacher Bai, please stop pushing that trending topic. Let it sink. Please respect their choice.】
【I thought you two would get back together, but it turns out it was just what I thought [Tears]】
【It's their own path to walk. They have no obligation to get back together just because you want to ship them as a couple. Please be rational, everyone! Bringing up Teacher Bai right now is just another way of hurting Xinran!】
【Ranran, you have to be strong. You still have your Ran fans!!】
Netizens were still rushing to leave comments when, with a soft chime, they saw that Gu Xinran had posted a new Weibo update.
It was a video.
In the frame, Gu Xinran, dressed in a long white gown, looked as ethereal as a fairy. She sat at the piano, her fingers gently caressing the keys as a beautiful melody emerged.
She began to sing, her voice low and gentle.
She sang a rendition of When You Are Old that was exceptionally moving.
"When I'm old, I truly hope, this song is sung for you…"
When the song ended, she looked at the piano, a serene smile gracing her lips.
She believed Yilan would hear this song.
And she was grateful to have this chance to sing it for Yilan once more.
The comments section exploded again!!
【!!! She can play the piano too!!】
【Ahhhhhh what kind of treasure girl is this! Singing while playing the piano herself is just too heart-melting ahhhhh!!】
【Wuwuwu Mommy, this is the idol I stan, a jack-of-all-trades!!】
【Damn! My mind is blown. Is there anything Sister Ran can't do??】
【Replying to the post above, she can't play Dou Dizhu.】
【Hahahahahahaha】
【Sister Ran, I can teach you how to play Dou Dizhu!!!】
【Sorry to go off-topic, but is this Little Fairy's home? Why is it so different from the mansion I imagined? Just one floor? No furniture? Just a piano??】
【Same question.】
【Ahhhhhh Sister is so beautiful, so beautiful!!!】
【!! It's this song again, her rendition is absolutely divine!!】
【I'm shipping it so hard. She sang this song on Escape from Death, and it was for Teacher Bai back then too!! Little Fairy is such a deeply affectionate person!】
【Wuwuwu Teacher Bai, did you hear that! Did you hear it!! This song is for you!!】
Qu Qi and Fang Jinghai exchanged a look. Seeing Gu Xinran's tranquil smile only made them more frantic. Had she really moved on? Or was this just a final burst of energy before a crash??
A peaceful night's sleep.
After leaving the airport, Bai Yilan called her sister and Ming Zhen to let them know she had arrived safely.
She strolled along a small path in Berlin.
It was evening, and the setting sun tinged the horizon a faint pink.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of flowers.
Bai Yilan stopped, took a deep breath, and spread her arms, feeling the gentle breeze on her face.
Berlin was a city where it was spring all year round. Even now, in the depths of Berlin's winter, the temperature remained around 10°C, comparable to early spring in Xiyuan.
The temperature here was pleasant, and the pace of life was slow. People placed more emphasis on enjoying life's pleasures. The city's greenery was taken to the extreme; walking down the street felt like strolling through a sea of flowers, with all sorts of blossoms vying for attention, instantly soothing one's body and soul and allowing one to become unconsciously immersed in the scenery.
There were few cars on the road, and pedestrians could even take leisurely walks in the middle of the street.
There were no jarring car horns, no noisy clamor. Instead, there was plenty of music that helped one relax.
Many street performers were playing along the roadside. She stopped to watch quietly for a while. Every one of them had an expression of pure enjoyment, lost in the musical atmosphere.
Bai Yilan watched for a moment, then left with a smile.
As she passed a bench by the street, she saw some familiar Asian faces. Two girls were sitting on the bench, resting and looking at a phone.
As Bai Yilan walked past, she suddenly paused and listened closely, hearing a familiar singing voice.
"Aww, Little Fairy's singing is so beautiful! And she's amazing at the piano! To think she can sing and play at the same time, she's such a treasure!"
"Let me see, let me see."
"Hey, you should learn to play the piano too, then you can play for me~"
"No way, I don't have a musical bone in my body."
"Tsk, so unromantic!"
Bai Yilan secretly peeked over, but the phone had an anti-peeping screen protector, so she couldn't see a thing.
Bai Yilan walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. She took out her phone, logged into Weibo, and saw the video of Xinran playing the piano right on her homepage.
She put on her headphones, clicked on the video, and listened to that familiar voice that could reach straight to the bottom of her heart. Her posture at the piano was practiced; it was clear she had put in a lot of effort. This gentle confession was simply too beautiful to hear.
While listening to the song, the smile never left Bai Yilan's lips.
Even after the song ended, she still wanted more. An image unconsciously formed in her mind: they were sitting on a swing, Xinran softly humming this song, holding a young child in her arms, gently lulling the child to sleep. A happy family of three.
?
Wait.
A family of three?
Bai Yilan snapped back to reality, startled by the scene that had appeared in her mind. Then she felt something was off. This didn't seem to be the first time she had thought of that child…
Bai Yilan thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, so she set the thought aside for the time being. She saved the video to her phone, then stood up and left.
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