But today, Xiao Ye felt that he heard something else.
It was something that went beyond artistic conception, but he didn’t know exactly what it was.
That feeling was too hazy to capture; all he knew was that it was extremely mysterious, something he longed for from the bottom of his heart, unconsciously drawn in by that sensation, imagining a scene.
The sound of a newborn crying as it comes into the world.
It was the sight of green shoots breaking through the soil, nourished by the gentle rain, basking in the sunlight.
It was a fledgling bird breaking out of its shell, poking its head out of the egg, looking around with curiosity.
This wasn’t the first time Xiao Ye had heard the two of them play "Rebirth," but today, the feeling it gave him was extraordinary.
In the past, he couldn’t help but imagine.
Today, he could not only help but imagine, it also made him feel an expectation for rebirth, full of hope for the future.
That feeling was exceptionally strong.
It lingered on and on.
Xiao Ye was completely dumbfounded.
He stood rooted to the spot, barely moving for a long time.
Meanwhile, Su Yunling had already walked to the very end of the entrance, one more step and she would be visible from the audience area.
Su Yunling didn’t move forward but leaned against the entrance, her gaze entirely fixed on Gu Zhiqi, watching her intently.
Although the lights shone on both of them, most of the light was on Yi Tingfeng, with only a few rays on the young girl.
The girl wore a mask, sitting in the shadow of the light, her eyes slightly downcast, her lazy expression tinged with seriousness, her gaze on the piano, her fair fingers on the black and white keys, notes spilling out, and piano sounds lingering in the air.
Even though there was only so much light pouring over her, even though there were three people on stage, and the other two were standing in more vivid positions, for some reason, Su Yunling could only see one person.
The Little Fairy that seemed to have been left behind on earth, even in plain clothes, even wearing a mask, even hiding in the shadows, she still shone.
Su Yunling’s eyes and brows bent slightly, and an unmistakable wistfulness filled his eyes as he stared at the girl, unable to look away.
When the piece ended, the music hall was filled with lingering sounds, the trio on stage stood up to take a bow.
The hall fell into a brief silence, deathly quiet. At that moment, if a needle were to fall to the ground, it seems the whole audience would hear it.
A few seconds later, thunderous applause suddenly erupted, nearly lifting the roof of the music hall.
Gu Zhiqi was the first to exit, lazily stepping towards the entrance.
Su Yunling watched as the girl took step by step towards him, those steps seeming not to fall on the ground, but rather on the tip of his heart.
His heart, as if it were broken, kept thumping in his chest, thumping loudly, as if desperate to spill blood before resting.
In his mind, a crazy idea kept surfacing.
He wanted to tie up the child, hide her away, make her belong only to him.
The girl’s clear, lazy voice sounded, pulling Su Yunling back to his senses and causing the nearly snapped string of his rationality to relax instantly.
Dispelling the too passionate and intense expression from his eyes and adopting a light smile, Su Yunling curved his lips, looking back at Gu Zhiqi, "Sounds good."
Hearing this, Gu Zhiqi raised her eyebrows, looking back at Su Yunling with a languid tone, "It’s just so-so."
It was only about four tenths of her actual capability, after all.
The corner of Su Yunling’s mouth twitched slightly, curving upwards involuntarily again.
"What are you doing backstage?" Yi Tingfeng, who followed Gu Zhiqi off the stage, saw Su Yunling and asked with a hint of disdain.