Gu Yan was so engrossed in the music that she didn’t notice the office door opening behind her.
Tang Yuxiu’s tall figure appeared at the doorway.
The long-lost sound of the piano reached his ears, and Tang Yuxiu was slightly taken aback, looking toward the source of the sound.
Gu Yan sat at his piano, playing with abandon. As her hands performed this Croatian Rhapsody, it sounded a bit raw, yet each note was well-controlled, exuding a wild masculine charm and an unrestrained flair.
Tang Yuxiu was taken aback; he never knew Gu Yan could play the piano, and play it so well.
When playing the piano, Gu Yan was completely different from her usual self, as if she was wrapped in a protective barrier, isolating everyone and everything, completely immersed in her own world, unable to extricate herself.
Although the performance lasted less than four minutes, Gu Yan felt as if an entire century had passed.
Her hands left the piano keys, trembling uncontrollably. She slowly opened her eyes, a clear tear unexpectedly slipped down her face, followed by more, unstoppable.
"Gu Yan." Tang Yuxiu walked toward her, calling her name.
Gu Yan turned her head abruptly, and Tang Yuxiu clearly saw the tear stains on her face, slightly frowning.
Gu Yan suddenly got up and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her hands tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, sobbing continuously.
Instinctively, Tang Yuxiu held her waist, distinctly feeling her tears dampening his suit, yet he had no intention of pushing her away.
His hand gently and tenderly soothed her back, remaining silent, letting her cry freely in his arms.
Only when Gu Yan was exhausted from crying did he speak, "What happened?"
She had been so carefree when playing the piano just now and suddenly became so sad. As a man, he didn’t understand the capricious thoughts of women.
Gu Yan pulled away from his shoulder, lowered her hands, sniffled, and with a hoarse voice from crying, said, "I was too happy, too excited, and too sad."
Tang Yuxiu listened with a puzzled expression, "Be more clear."
"I can’t explain it!" Gu Yan frowned, "It’s just that I played the piano just now."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yuxiu was even more puzzled, "It’s just playing the piano, why cry about it."
"You don’t understand!" Gu Yan glared at him discontentedly, "I haven’t touched a piano in a very, very long time. I thought I’d never have a chance to play it again in my life."
But today, just now, she played a piece so wantonly.
Once a person’s repressed desires are ignited, they’re hard to satisfy. After many years, she played the piano again and found it hard to stop; she wanted to play more and better pieces, yet she ultimately didn’t have that chance.
"Why?" Tang Yuxiu asked her.
Gu Yan slightly lowered her eyes, hiding the pain in them, and softly said, "I learned piano for a year when I was a child, but then something happened in my family, and I never learned again. I planned to continue in college, but I had to find work right after high school graduation, so I missed the chance, and it wasn’t until just now that I touched it again."
When she was young, her family was well-off, and her parents nurtured many of her hobbies. But it was when she encountered the piano that she truly fell in love, uncontrollably so. Yet, a year later, a major family upheaval left her no chance to continue learning.
Listening to her words, Tang Yuxiu felt a faint pull of pain at his heart, something he didn’t even realize himself.