Ever since Nan Yu told Sister Min that she was pregnant, the intensity of her work had been significantly reduced.
Apart from the few pre - arranged collaborations that required Nan Yu to compose and record music, Sister Min didn't assign her any other tasks. Even though Nan Yu emphasized that she was still able to work normally in the early stage of pregnancy.
Sister Min said, "Even if you want to work, there aren't any available tasks. It's almost the end of the year for settlement and wrap - up. Where can we find new collaborations? You just focus on preparing for the delivery. There will be plenty of work for you after the Chinese New Year."
Nan Yu wasn't sure if Sister Min was telling the truth or just trying to comfort her. She replied, "Please don't forget about me after the New Year. We still need to take on the right projects."
Sister Min couldn't help but laugh. "Your husband has an extraordinary status. Even a little bit of what he earns is enough for someone to live on. Why do you still have to work so hard?"
"He is him, and I am me." Nan Yu answered seriously. "I have my own career. I'm not someone who relies entirely on a man to support me."
She loved music and the piano, and this wouldn't change because of her marriage and pregnancy. Before becoming a lover, a wife, and a mother, she should first be herself.
Sister Min knew her temper and understood her passion for music. She was just teasing her earlier. "Let me remind you. Now, Mr. Tan owns nearly half of the shares in Leyu. So, all your hard work is actually making money for him."
Nan Yu: "..."
At this moment, Nan Yu was speechless. It felt like Tan Linyuan had taken advantage of her no matter what.
Not long after, Sister Min contacted Nan Yu on her own. This time, it was related to work, and it was a very urgent matter.
Sister Min said on the phone that the company had a large - scale public symphony performance in the theater.
"This is the last company event of the year. We've invested a great deal of effort and preparation in it. But just now, the originally scheduled pianist said that he had a health problem and wanted to withdraw from the performance and terminate the contract with the company."
Nan Yu guessed something and said, "Suddenly having health problems at this time?"
Even if one was sick, they should at least inform the company one day in advance. Why wait until the very day?
Sister Min looked helpless. "If I'm not wrong, it should be malicious competition from our rival, trying to sabotage our company on purpose."
Nan Yu thought for a while. "Is it Wu Xiaxian's doing?"
"We're not sure yet, but there's no time to investigate now." Sister Min said with a difficult tone. "The most important thing now is to find a way to make the performance go on as planned."
This performance was scheduled in the largest theater in Jiangcheng, and there would be thousands of audiences.
The tickets had been sold online in advance and were all sold out. If they cancelled or changed the performance time at the last minute, they would face unanimous protests from the audiences.
Sister Min sighed. "I wouldn't bother you if it weren't absolutely necessary, but Xiaonan, you know..."
Nan Yu was the only pianist in the company who could be called in to save the day at such short notice.
"Sister Min, I'll come right away." Nan Yu glanced at the time. "The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. There are still ten hours until then. Please prepare the sheet music for me in advance so that I can get familiar with it quickly."
"Okay, then I'll trouble you." Sister Min let out a sigh of relief and told her to be careful on the way.
"I'll ask Mr. Tan for approval." Sister Min said finally. "After all, this is an extra task not originally planned."
Nan Yu refused. "I'll tell him myself. Sister Min, you focus on the orchestra first."
With such an accident happening on the day of the performance, it was estimated that the other members of the orchestra were also quite resentful.
No one wanted a performance they had prepared for so long to be ruined.
After hanging up the phone, Nan Yu immediately packed her things. Without wasting a single second, she was about to take a taxi to Sister Min's place.
Logically, she should have informed Tan Linyuan. But when she took out her phone and was about to call him, she hesitated for a moment.
Since she got pregnant, Tan Linyuan had been more concerned than anyone else. He would have wanted to hold her in his palm and cherish her.
If he knew that she was going to perform in front of thousands of people today, he would definitely oppose it. But she had to do this.
After thinking about it, she decided to act first and inform him later. She would call him to report her whereabouts after arriving at the theater.
Just as Nan Yu was about to go out, there was a sudden loud thunder at the door. It seemed that there would be a heavy rain today. She took an umbrella before going out.
...
When Nan Yu arrived at the backstage lounge of the theater, Sister Min's eyes lit up when she saw her. She quickly stepped forward and said, "Xiaonan, the sheet music is ready for you. Hurry up and get familiar with it."
Nan Yu nodded and comforted Sister Min instead. "Sister Min, don't worry. Leave it to me."
Sister Min was always meticulous and calm in her work. It was rare for her to be so flustered. Seeing Nan Yu coming to save the day, she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes. "Xiaonan..."
"Come on, Sister Min. We're so close. I don't like being too emotional." Nan Yu smiled. "Moreover, if I weren't pregnant, wouldn't this pianist position have been mine originally?"
Sister Min didn't expect her to guess. She felt a bit embarrassed for a moment.
"This is a twist of fate." Nan Yu said with a smile. "I've looked at the repertoire. The pieces aren't too difficult. I'll quickly go through them now and guarantee you a perfect performance."
"Okay, I'll give you a raise when we get back." Sister Min said. "I'll definitely apply to Mr. Tan for this."
The two of them laughed.
After Sister Min left, Nan Yu just remembered that she hadn't had time to report her whereabouts to Tan Linyuan.
The performance would start at 7:30 p.m. and would last for about two hours. Looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, it would probably rain.
Just right. She would ask Tan Linyuan to pick her up in the evening.
She called him, but there was no answer for a long time. Nan Yu glanced at the time and thought that he might be working. So she sent him a text message instead, including the end time of the performance, asking him to remember to pick her up.
...
Although the sudden replacement of the pianist made the other members of the orchestra unhappy, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the performance, everyone quickly got into harmony.
Before the official performance, everyone had a rehearsal, and there were no mistakes at all.
Everyone finally let out a sigh of relief. At least the performance could go on as planned. They all smiled at each other.
At 7:30 p.m., the performance officially started.
Although she hadn't performed on stage for a long time, when she sat on the stage and was illuminated by the hot stage lights, Nan Yu's heart still beat very fast.
She took a deep breath and looked at the audience below the stage. The stage lights were too bright, and she could only see the dark crowd and the strange but expectant faces in the front row.
This was the stage she loved. This was the career she was passionate about.
She pressed the first note on the piano.