Chapter 39: How Could a Fool Deserve Piano Talent?
Shen Yuan ran toward the door in a panic, panting heavily. His small face was twisted from the pain.
Thud, thud, thud!
He pounded on the door with his small hands. His throat was hoarse from crying so many times, leaving him only able to shout silently:
“Sob… let… let me out… I don’t want to stay… here… Xiansheng…”
But even this light pounding on the door had exhausted all his strength, leaving him unable to even stand steady.
The youth’s small face was pale and bloodless. Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and crystal-clear tears still hung from the corners of his eyes. He looked like a lost child, making one’s heart ache.
Shen Yuan was about to collapse. His entire body felt as if it had been dismantled and reassembled incorrectly; the misery and pain were something only he could experience, beyond words.
“It hurts… it hurts so much…”
Shen Yuan murmured helplessly, his voice full of pain. For a moment, he felt like he was about to die…
But he hadn’t been able to see Guitar Gege again. He had once promised to perform together, to stand on a stage under the spotlight. He was not resigned to dying like this.
In truth, that tiny heart of his was also filled with a love and yearning for music. He also craved to be recognized, but in Yu Xiuqingās eyes, he was nothing more than a music box, with no right to play before a crowd.
His breathtaking musical talent was thus buried in the manor for years, shackled by chains.
Shen Yuan suddenly felt exhausted. His shoulders leaned weakly against the door, and he slowly sat down.
His legs were curled up, his small hands tightly clutching his trembling shoulders. His tear-stained face was buried between his knees.
The surroundings were silent. He could only hear his own intermittent breathing and the heavy thudding of his heart.
“Guitar Gege… Yuanyuan misses you…”
The little fool sobbed softly, tears rolling from the corners of his eyes. His mouth continuously murmured “Guitar Gege.”
At this moment, he finally realized that in the entire world, only Zhou Xuyan would smile at him gently, treat him truly well, buy him candy, and comfort him…
Besides him, no one else treated him this way.
Only this man had never changed.
Shen Yuan suddenly felt a bit of regret.
He regretted not agreeing to leave with Zhou Xuyan back then, instead of insisting on returning to the hell-like Yu family.
“Sob, sob, sob…”
Thinking of his foolish decision, the little fool cried even harder, his tears falling like they cost nothing.
“Sob… I’m sorry… Guitar Gege, I didn’t mean to refuse you… I didn’t know Xiansheng had become so bad… they keep hitting me…”
He cried and complained to himself, looking piteous, like a kitten that had been severely bullied.
“I clearly… didn’t do anything wrong, yet I still get beaten. Uncle Wu is a bad person, and so is Su Xiansheng… they hate me… anyway, Yuanyuan doesn’t like them either…”
Shen Yuan spoke with a choked voice while wiping his tears. His voice carried a heavy sense of grievance.
Finally exhausted from crying, his sobbing gradually slowed. He was also afraid his crying would sound too unpleasant and provoke Xianshengās displeasure.
The other would definitely make him cry even louder!
Shen Yuan was afraid at that thought. Messy images flashed through his mind, and his cheeks suddenly turned a delicate red.
He shook his small head, then braced himself against the door, staggering up from the floor to walk toward the bed.
If he couldn’t get out, he could only sleep.
Just as Shen Yuan was about to sit on the bed, his peripheral vision caught sight of an electronic piano covered with a black cloth in the corner.
He remembered this seemed to be the small electronic piano he used to play lullabies for Xiansheng; it actually hadn’t been thrown out by Su Huaiyao.
Out of boredom, Shen Yuan stood up and limped over to the piano. He carefully stroked the black silk over it before slowly pulling it away.
The piano was covered in a thin layer of dust, having clearly not been used for a while, yet it still looked brand new.
Shen Yuan leaned down and gently blew away the dust. He then pulled over a chair and sat down, placing his hands on the keys.
Hum!
The sound of the keys was slow and clear.
He tentatively played a few notes first, then slowly closed his eyes to settle himself, taking a deep breath.
Ethereal piano music flowed from his fingertips, as clear and pleasant as a spring stream, and as melodious as birdsong in a valleyāas if it could penetrate a person’s heart.
Such beautiful music made one instinctively feel a sense of peace, as if all troubles were cast aside.
However, if one listened closely with eyes shut, a trace of sorrow and loneliness was hidden within that music, like a mournful and despairing song that made it impossible to sleep.
His sorrowful heart suddenly became very peaceful, just like thisāundisturbed by anything.
There was no Yu Xiansheng with his demon-like love, and no one in the manor was targeting him.
Shen Yuan closed his eyes, quietly enjoying this wonderful music. His mood finally turned joyful.
Even if life was terrible, as long as he sat in front of the piano and played the song he had composed in his heart, all the gloom seemed to dissipate, revealing the sunlight.
Though he wasn’t a professional and had never learned any instruments or piano-related knowledge, his understanding of musical notes was exceptionally powerful.
In this moment, it seemed his soul had merged with the music.
Su Huaiyao, who was peeking through the window, couldn’t help but widen his eyes, which were filled with shock.
He had studied instruments for over a decade and was proficient in melodies, rhythm, timbre, and sound.
It could be said that in the entire Nangang, there was almost no one who could beat him at the piano.
Yet at this moment, in this room, he actually felt an unprecedented sense of wonder.
It was as if he were listening to heavenly music.
The charm of the melody wasn’t because of the sound itself, but this sense of complete integration.
He had also tried to integrate with the music, yet he had never been able to reach the level of having his soul resonate with it!
And right now, this fool didn’t even need to look at a scoreāusing only his hands, he could easily play such an elegant melody!
How was it possible?!
Impossible!
How could someone like Shen Yuan, whose mind was half-muddled and half-clear, perform at a level he hadn’t reached in all these years!
Su Huaiyaoās eyes instantly turned red with jealousy.
His usual competitive drive that couldn’t allow anyone to surpass him exploded in this moment! He couldn’t stand seeing Shen Yuan be better than him!
He took out the key he had swindled from the butler and inserted it into the keyhole, gently turning the handle.
Inside the room, Shen Yuan, intoxicated by the dancing notes, had not yet realized that danger was coming.
The next second, that face brimming with happiness was slapped aside by a sudden strike. Intense pain immediately followed, and tears surged instantly.
“Ah…!”
Unsteady, Shen Yuan fell heavily from the chair, his head striking the hard, cold marble floor. He couldn’t recover for a long time.
He felt a heart-wrenching pain throughout his body, but more than that, he felt shame and humiliation.
He lifted his head to see a sinister face. The other was leisurely shaking the hand used to slap him.
Shen Yuan covered his reddened, swollen cheek and stood up tremblingly, glaring fiercely at the young man:
“You… why did you hit me?!”
He couldn’t understand; he was just playing the piano in the study, not bothering anyone…
Su Huaiyao brushed back his hair, revealing his smooth forehead, and pointed a finger at him. “You’re too noisy.”
Shen Yuan let out an aggrieved groan, having no desire to deal with him as he staggered up from the floor.
He saw the open door behind the other and immediately wanted to run toward it, but his arm was seized and held in a death grip by a powerful hand. A curse sounded in his ear:
“Idiot, where do you think you’re going?”
“None of… your business! Let go of me quickly!”
Shen Yuan began to struggle, but his bodyāhaving suffered through the belt lashings and the massage chair tortureāsimply didn’t have much strength.
Su Huaiyao dropped his vicious expression, instead smiling with a gentle and harmless innocence. He said: “Actually, I just slipped just now and didn’t mean to hit you. I’m sorry~”
But how could Shen Yuan believe him? His resistance grew even more intense. “I don’t believe you!”
The other gripped his arm tightly. Fingerprints soon appeared on the fair skin from the nails. The otherās smile was unreadable:
“Shen Yuan, if you can agree to one thing for me, I will immediately let you leave the manor to live an unabashed life with that guitar brother of yours.”
Shen Yuan froze at these words. A flash of confusion and joy passed through his eyes, but he immediately reacted: “Hmph! You aren’t that kind! You’re the worst! Big meanie!”
“Really, why would I lie to you? Once I get what I want, I’ll definitely do as I say. If I don’t, you can go tell Xiuqing-gege directly…”
Su Huaiyao paused here with a cunning look. He leaned into the boy’s ear and whispered: “That day, I actually fell down the stairs on purpose, then had someone impersonate you to frame you.”
Even if the other went to complain, Yu Xiuqing wouldn’t believe it. After all, he was the White Moonlight in Sanye’s heart!
Su Huaiyao curled his lips in triumph. Just as he was preparing to enjoy the youth’s pained expression, his eyes caught the hickeys on Shen Yuanās neck, looking extremely ambiguous.
This… could this have been left by Yu Xiuqing?!
How could his Xiuqing-gege kiss such a disgusting thing?! Even he hadn’t been kissed by the man yet!
Su Huaiyao was instantly furious. His grip on the youth tightened. The more he looked at those hickeys, the more eyesore-inducing they became. He wished he could take a knife and cut them off right now!
The little fool cried out in pain. The demonic truth from just now kept echoing in his ears.
His face was full of terror. Then, tears of grievance and rage overflowed from his eyes. He glared fiercely at the young man. “So it was you… you who killed my little baby! Sob… I’m going to tell Mister Yu you lied to him!”
“Shut up! What are you shouting for!”
Su Huaiyao hated his crying appearance the most; it was incredibly annoying. He immediately barked at him, then began to coax and deceive him again: “Don’t you want to live the life you want? Don’t you want to escape the fate of being bullied?”
Shen Yuan gradually stopped sobbing, clearly moved. He asked without understanding: “What… what do you want to do?”
The other looked at him with greedy eyes. “It’s simple. I want the musical score you just played.”
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