The second piece was Yi Tingyu’s piano solo titled "At the Crack of Dawn," a healing piece.
The music was incredibly therapeutic; closing your eyes, it felt as though you were already standing in the early morning after the rain, when the light dawned faintly, with the faint glow of the sky’s light bringing a hazy beauty, as if transporting one to a clear and transparent realm.
The sound of the piano swept away fatigue and irritation, leaving one’s body and soul in a state of relaxation.
The piece wasn’t long, and the pianist had stopped playing, but the piano’s melody seemed to linger in the heart.
It wasn’t until the next piece began that it transported the listener into another wonderful world.
One after another, the diverse styles of music carried the audience into countless vibrant worlds.
The concert lasted two hours, and soon, it was nearing its conclusion.
Gu Zhiqi quietly slipped away when the penultimate program started.
Su Yunling didn’t have the chance to ask where she was going before she had left.
Su Yunling had to take out her phone and send a message to Gu Zhiqi.
[Su Yunling: Where are you going?]
This time, the reply came quickly.
Seeing this, Su Yunling put away her phone and also bent down to leave the audience seats.
To get from the music hall to backstage, one had to pass through the corridor leading to the restrooms.
Gu Zhiqi had just reached the corner when she caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure entering the corridor to the restrooms.
Although she found the figure somewhat familiar, Gu Zhiqi didn’t pay it much mind, continuing forward.
After a few steps, she reached a fork in the road. Casually glancing towards the restroom corridor, she saw two people standing outside the restroom, kissing.
Gu Zhiqi didn’t get a clear look at their faces; she merely glanced in passing and then directed her gaze away, continuing towards the backstage.
Shortly after arriving backstage, the staff took her to get ready.
Though they said ’get ready,’ there wasn’t much to prepare after leaving the waiting area.
Despite having agreed to fill in, Gu Zhiqi had no intention of appearing on stage, so there was no need to change into performance attire or style her appearance. All she needed to do was go straight up when the final program started.
Soon, the penultimate program ended.
The final program was still a piano and violin ensemble, but this time, the piano part was a four-hand duet with Yi Tingfeng and Gu Zhiqi, and Yi Tingyu playing the violin.
The piece was titled "Rebirth." Although Gu Zhiqi had never heard this piece in her memory, nor played it, and certainly had not practiced it with the others, Yi Tingfeng and Yi Tingyu were very confident in her.
Yi Tingfeng and Yi Tingyu were confident, and Gu Zhiqi felt no psychological pressure at all.
However, the assistants of Yi Tingfeng and Yi Tingyu were quite worried, standing next to Gu Zhiqi, repeatedly muttering, "Are you ready?" "Don’t be nervous when it’s time."
As soon as Yi Tingfeng and Yi Tingyu finished performing the penultimate piece, they came off the stage to see the assistant fretting like an ant on a hot pan. Meanwhile, Gu Zhiqi was casually leaning against the wall, idly scrolling through her phone with utter boredom.
"Xiao Ye, what’s with you? Do you have to pee urgently?" Yi Tingfeng teased when he saw him like that.
At this, Xiao Ye gave a wry smile, then frowned and said, "Brother Feng, stop teasing me, let’s focus on preparing for the next piece." Continuing his anxious soliloquy, he added, "We haven’t even rehearsed together, I don’t know if we can perform smoothly... This is the first show of your tour, what if something goes wrong..."
Yi Tingfeng’s lips twitched slightly, just as he was about to say something, Yi Tingyu tugged at his sleeve, "It’s time to go on stage."
Hearing this, Yi Tingfeng didn’t say more, simply patted Xiao Ye on the shoulder and reassured, "Don’t worry, there won’t be any mistakes."
With that, he turned and went on stage without looking back.