The piano music started. At first, it was rather slow and hesitant, with many pauses between the notes.
But as it went on, the melody gradually became smooth, without a single awkward hitch. It flowed as smoothly as the lake water under the moonlight, trickling through the gaps between the fingers.
Niannian sat in the wheelchair, propping her chin on her hands and listening intently.
It was like a lone migratory bird finally surviving the harsh winter and returning to the flock; or a solitary boat weathering a whole night's storm and safely docking at the port.
When the last note faded away, she covered her eyes with both hands.
She didn't know how to express her feelings at that moment, but tears streamed down her face.
Niannian called out to her worriedly, "Nanyu..."
"I'm okay," Nanyu shook her head and showed a relieved smile.
Unbeknownst to her, the man upstairs had also listened to the whole piece. His gaze lingered on the side profile behind the white piano.
He saw the changes in her emotions and knew why she wept and why she smiled.
His eyes were deep, and his gaze was almost a scrutiny.
Over the years, he had met countless people of all kinds and experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Those who were once as innocent as a blank sheet of paper could quickly become worldly and deep - minded.
There were also plenty of people who vowed to do good all their lives but ended up doing all sorts of dirty things.
But every time he faced Nanyu, he couldn't help but marvel in his heart: How could there be such a person who remained pure from beginning to end?
This was what a childlike heart should be.
---
Nanyu told Niannian that it was an impromptu piece, and Niannian clapped her hands.
Afraid of losing the inspiration, Nanyu quickly grabbed a pen and paper and sorted it into a musical score.
She had even come up with a name for it.
It was called "Return".
The migratory birds return to the flock, the solitary boat returns to the port, and all things have their destinations.
This piece was dedicated to her parents.
It was dedicated to the unique family affection that everyone in the world had.
Just as she finished binding the score, Mr. Wu called her.
"The new piece is finished," Nanyu said excitedly right after the creation, her tone a bit rushed. "I'll scan it into an electronic version and send it to your email right away."
"No need," Mr. Wu's tone was very smooth, showing the typical attitude of a businessman. "Come and give it to me in person. There's a contract you need to sign. Remember to bring your ID."
Nanyu was taken aback. "Didn't we already sign the artist management contract before?"
"This is a different one," Mr. Wu explained unhurriedly. "Although you are currently affiliated with the company, without the authorization of your works, the company can't maximize the publicity for you."
It sounded reasonable, so Nanyu didn't think much and agreed. "I'll come to the company and give it to you tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Nanyu took the score to Wu Xiaxian's management company.
Mr. Wu quickly scanned through Nanyu's score and nodded briskly. "Not bad. It's going to be a hit."
Nanyu smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Wu."
From her interactions with Mr. Wu during this period, she knew that he was a typical businessman with a keen sense of making money.
His mindset was always "money first" and "traffic supreme". So - called ideals and emotions were just empty words in his eyes.
Nanyu watched him put the score into the drawer. All the details about the inspiration for the composition in her throat remained unspoken.
After all, Wu Xiaxian was too lazy to listen. He took out two contracts from another drawer with a smile. "Xiaonan, sign this."
Nanyu took it and found it was a copyright contract.
She lowered her head and read the terms word by word. The general content was the same as what he had said before, transferring the copyright of the score to the company.
All subsequent arrangements for the recording, publicity, and release of "Return" would be handled by the company.
Nanyu hesitated for a while.
"Xiaonan, you have to understand the company. Only by following the rules can we be more efficient," Wu Xiaxian had already made the decision for her. He lifted the corner of his lips and smiled at her. "You can completely trust the company. The company will definitely make this piece a big hit."
Nanyu was silent for a moment.
Although she didn't agree with Wu Xiaxian's business mindset, she had to admit that without him, "Moon Sea" wouldn't have been heard by so many people.
Her "Return" would probably be even more successful.
"Okay. Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Wu," Nanyu signed the contract and handed it over.
After taking the contract, Mr. Wu lit a cigarette. His eyes were long and narrow, and when he smiled, his eyes almost disappeared. "Xiaonan, you're the most talented musician I've ever met."
"Take your time. You have a long way to go."
After coming out of Wu Xiaxian's office, she accidentally bumped into another girl.
Before Nanyu could look up and apologize, the girl didn't even glance at her and walked away quickly, almost disappearing behind the office door in an instant.
...
A week passed.
Since that day, compared to the crazy phone calls before, urging her to write a new piece, Mr. Wu had been as quiet as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.
Nanyu assumed that he was working on a new project for publicity and didn't bother him. She still spent her time in the record store.
One day, Nanyu accidentally heard Zhou Yu playing a very familiar melody.
It was so familiar that she almost jumped up from her chair. "Zhou Yu, what song were you just playing?"
"It's a new song called 'Return'. It's very nice. It's the kind of style you like," Zhou Yu said with a smile.
Sure enough, it was her own song.
After confirming that she hadn't misheard, Nanyu sat back down on the chair.
Mr. Wu hadn't informed her to post on social media for publicity. Maybe he had finished the final product and just let Zhou Yu have a listen first.
Thinking like this, she casually asked, "Did Mr. Wu send it to you?"
"What Mr. Wu?" Zhou Yu looked at her in confusion. "This is the song with the highest online votes in the new - generation original music competition. It's currently ranked first."
"However, this musician also seems to be from Mr. Wu's company," Zhou Yu searched for the name. "She just joined Mr. Wu's company not long ago. It seems she's a dark horse."
Nanyu didn't pay attention to what he said later. She stood up again and quickly ran to Zhou Yu's side to look at his computer screen.
When she saw the name "Return" at the top of the list, Nanyu's pupils constricted.
Not for any other reason, but because the name signed after this piano piece wasn't Nanyu, but a very unfamiliar name - Jia Yinyue.
"...This is my song," she murmured in disbelief. "Why did it participate in the competition without my knowledge and under someone else's name?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yu first comforted her, saying that it might be a song with the same name, and then quickly played it again.
After the whole piano piece finished playing, Nanyu was completely sure that this was the score she had given to Mr. Wu a week ago!
After listening to Nanyu's story, Zhou Yu's face also gradually became serious. He gave a reasonable speculation:
"If you haven't shown your score to anyone, then you may have encountered music plagiarism."
The moment she got this answer, Nanyu tightened her fingers.
She took a deep breath and immediately contacted Wu Xiaxian without hesitation.
The other side answered the phone quickly. His tone was the same as before, even with a hint of a smile. "Xiaonan, what do you need me for?"
Nanyu's tone was very calm, showing no extra emotions. "Mr. Wu, why did my song 'Return' participate in the competition under someone else's name?"