All of a sudden, no information about this person popped up in Jiang Zhirou's mind. She subconsciously asked a question.
As soon as her voice fell, a flash of surprise immediately crossed Si Moshen's eyes. But before he could say a word, Jiang Zhirou's voice rang out ahead of him.
"Oh, I remember. My instructor."
Jiang Zhirou seemed to be talking to Si Moshen, yet also seemed to be talking to herself.
As she spoke, she walked towards the stairs and headed straight for the second floor.
Si Moshen turned his head and watched her leaving back. His face was extremely complicated, and there seemed to be an unfathomable emotion hidden in his jet - black eyes.
As soon as Jiang Zhirou walked into the rehearsal room, she saw Chen Yixia taking a break.
Manda wasn't there.
Her gaze swept around the room. After making sure the person wasn't there, her eyes finally landed on Chen Yixia. "Where's Manda?"
When Chen Yixia saw that Jiang Zhirou was talking to her, she unconsciously tensed up, and her voice trembled a little.
"She's gone to the restroom... She'll be back soon."
Hearing the answer, Jiang Zhirou shifted her gaze from Chen Yixia the next moment and sat directly in front of the piano.
Chen Yixia looked at Jiang Zhirou with a rather complicated expression.
That day, Si Moshen had called her alone and told her about Jiang Zhirou. Now, although the person in front of her looked exactly the same as the Qingmian she was familiar with, she was very clear that this wasn't the Qingmian she used to know.
Not her roommate.
Not her classmate.
But a completely strange person to her.
At this moment, she finally realized who the very important person Si Moshen had mentioned that day was.
She had always thought it was Qingmian... But now it seemed that she was the one Si Moshen had been longing for.
Chen Yixia couldn't quite tell what she was feeling at that moment.
There was self - blame, surprise, disbelief, and a bit of fear.
If she had given the opposite answer when Si Moshen asked her that day, would Qingmian not have disappeared...
Chen Yixia stood still, her gaze fixed on Jiang Zhirou.
She was very cold, which seemed to be quite similar to Si Moshen and also a bit like the Qingmian she had met when she first entered school.
Thinking of this, Chen Yixia took a deep breath, stepped forward, walked to the piano, and started to talk to Jiang Zhirou.
"Qing—" Before the word came out, she quickly changed her words. "Classmate Jiang... Do you have confidence in tomorrow's performance?"
Just as Jiang Zhirou's hand was about to touch the piano keys, Chen Yixia's voice rang out beside her.
She paused her hand movement, retracted it, and then turned her head to look at Chen Yixia beside her.
Jiang Zhirou sized her up.
The little bits and pieces of her time with Chen Yixia flashed before Jiang Zhirou's eyes like movie scenes.
Chen Yixia was Chen Qingmian's only friend at school.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhirou's expression softened a bit.
"Fifty - fifty."
She was answering Chen Yixia's question.
Hearing this, Chen Yixia hesitated to speak.
She didn't know anything about Jiang Zhirou. The one who could play the piano was Qingmian, and the one who was going to perform was also Qingmian.
But now the person in front of her was Qingmian and yet not Qingmian. Chen Yixia suddenly felt a bit confused.
After a moment, she suddenly asked Jiang Zhirou, "Do you like the piano too?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, there was obviously a more complicated emotion on Jiang Zhirou's face than before.
She didn't answer Chen Yixia's question. Instead, she stared at the person in front of her without blinking.
Chen Yixia couldn't relax in front of this person like she did in front of Qingmian. She just couldn't.
The gap in their identities was too big.
Jiang Zhirou gave her the feeling like a female version of Si Moshen.
She couldn't let herself completely relax.
But Qingmian was her best friend. Emotionally and rationally, she couldn't accept the fact that Qingmian had simply disappeared.
She didn't pass away, nor did she leave temporarily.
She just suddenly disappeared.
As if she had never existed.
She mustered up the courage and spoke to Jiang Zhirou again, "Tomorrow's performance is also Qingmian's first time on stage. This is the first performance she's been looking forward to for a long time. If you don't like the piano, could you please try your best to complete tomorrow's performance?"
"Is that okay?"
Chen Yixia was very nervous when she spoke. She clenched her hands tightly into fists. Because of the extreme nervousness, her palms were now full of sweat. Her eyes were fixed on Jiang Zhirou.
She was afraid that she would refuse directly the next second.
Hearing Chen Yixia's words, Jiang Zhirou was slightly stunned for a moment, and a different kind of emotion flashed in her eyes.
From the moment she woke up until now, Chen Yixia was the first person who had mentioned Chen Qingmian so openly in front of her.
Jiang Zhirou looked at Chen Yixia with a bit more exploration in her eyes.
She didn't answer Chen Yixia with a yes or no. Instead, she changed the topic and asked, "Are you very close to Chen Qingmian?"
As soon as the words came out, Chen Yixia didn't hesitate at all and nodded vigorously.
"Very close."
Seeing Chen Yixia's eager admission, Jiang Zhirou suddenly burst out laughing and then said, "Don't worry. I'll do my best."
Hearing Jiang Zhirou's positive answer, the big rock in Chen Yixia's heart finally fell.
The look in her eyes when she looked at Jiang Zhirou inexplicably had a bit more gratitude.
It seemed that Jiang Zhirou... wasn't as unapproachable as Si Moshen...
"It's getting late. You go and rest first. I'll practice for a while."
Jiang Zhirou's voice rang out again.
Chen Yixia subconsciously nodded blankly, thinking that Jiang Zhirou probably wasn't used to having others around when she trained.
She didn't say anything and quietly exited the rehearsal room, leaving the space completely to Jiang Zhirou.
The moment Chen Yixia closed the door, a melodious piano sound came through the closed door and reached her ears.
A strange look appeared on her face. This piano sound... was exactly the same as Qingmian's playing.
Even the handling of the small details was exactly the same.
Could two different people really be so in sync...
Chen Yixia stood outside the door, frowning more and more tightly.
...
...
Early the next morning.
At the Saint Carin Lan Opera House.
In the backstage lounge.
Si Moshen unscrewed the water bottle in his hand and handed it to Jiang Zhirou. "Don't be nervous. It's just a small performance. It doesn't matter if you mess it up."
Jiang Zhirou glanced at the water in his hand but didn't take it. She straightened her back and casually uttered a few words, "There's nothing in this world that I can mess up."
Chen Yixia, sitting beside them, watched the interaction between the two and couldn't help but think of Chi Yu.
Before, Qingmian had said that Professor Chi would come to watch her performance.
But now... the person performing wasn't Chen Qingmian anymore...
She wondered what kind of emotion Professor Chi would have when he saw this later.
Thinking of this, Chen Yixia couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
She had watched Qingmian and Chi Yu get to where they were step by step.
She didn't know what Chi Yu would do after learning the truth...