CH 4

As the concert finally started, the awkward atmosphere between the two men finally dissipated, along with Yu Le’s embarrassment.

Yu Le and Huo Annong sat side by side in the VIP seats, neither saying a word to each other.

The lights had been turned off completely to highlight the spotlight on the musicians, and after the hostess in her red dress announced the curtain, the members of the orchestra were revealed to the audience. 

Amid the thunderous applause, Zhu Luo stood upright in the shining light; he seemed to glow, dressed in his white suit, violin in hand. It was as if an angel had descended from the heavens.

Conductor Cheng and Zhu Luo greeted each other, bowed, and as the conductor waved his hands, the prelude to the symphony arose.

The concert opened with the classic “Spanish Symphony”.1 E. Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole. María Dueñas, violin

The applause had not yet resided, but as soon as the first note fell, the venue was stock silent.

Immediately afterwards, the treble of violin was raised, and the waves of music danced in the dark.

This was Yu Le’s first time listening to a live violin concert.

As he listened, he had to admit, this world was real. This music could not be faked.

Under Zhu Luo’s jumping arms, each time he pressed and pulled at the strings, the notes were under his spell. Every command he gave was relayed and followed perfectly, forming a river that leapt high and low. Under his ministrations, the audience couldn’t help but hold their breath and breathe in his illusion.

Their hearts palpitated in the current.

Even if they didn’t understand music at all, they would be sucked underneath with no way to resist.

Yu Le understood why the original owner fell in love with the boy who played violin.

Sneaking a glance next to him, he wanted to observe Huo Annong’s expression.

From his perspective, he could only see the sharp jawline and straight nose that were depicted in the original book.

Huo Annong kindly ignored him, preferring to stare quietly and intently at Zhu Luo, who stood at the center of the stage as the light and shadow contrasted on his face. It may have been an illusion, but Yu Le felt that at this moment, the only people in the world were Huo Annong and Zhu Luo. Everyone else, including himself, had faded into the background as mere props to show their love.

The fate of the plot really exists. Huo Annong fell in love at first sight.

Releasing this, Yu Le retracted his gaze, and his face fell blank as he lost his interest in enjoying the music around him.

“As expected of a genius violist, the music is wonderful!”

Sitting next to Huo Annong was a middle-aged fat man. Seeming as though he had been holding back and could no longer withstand it, he muttered, “It seems the rumours were not exaggerated. He’s much better than my fool of a son, it would be perfect if I could call him over as a tutor!”

Someone next to him butted in, “Who are you?”

The middle-aged man raised his chin, “My humble name is Wang Furui!”

Yu Le thought for a while as he sat listening in on them, but while the name sounded familiar, he could not think of a single character he could be.

“Mr. Wang, your son also plays the violin?”

“Of course!” He puffed out his chest in pride, “He has learned more than just the violin too. He can play the piano, violin, and guitar…But this Zhu Luo really plays the violin well. If he can teach my brat then this trip of mine would not be wasted. By the way, my son is nine years old. I’m sure he’s a genius in the making!”

Yu Le couldn’t help but pause at his ego; were there really people who could be that oblivious? Just where did this upstart come from?

Wang Furui’s voice had raised dissatisfaction from all the people around him, and the audience’s murmurs grew louder. Huo Annong sat beside him without any movement, but eventually, even he couldn’t take it any longer and moved sideways to whisper something in Wang Furui’s ear. Though the man shrugged unwillingly, he still shut up and sat obediently.

They knew each other? And it seems they had a good relationship.

Wang Furui…

Surname Wang?

Yu Le suddenly remembered that there was indeed a cannon fodder surnamed Wang in the early stages of the novel. He was the boss’s partner, but since he coveted Zhu Luo, he was dealt with quickly and never mentioned again.

He only appeared in three chapters; it was no surprise that Yu Le hadn’t been able to recall his full name.

He just knew that that blind cannon fodder called Wang was the boss of Tianliang Wangpo.

It turned out to be him.

Yu Le looked at Wang Furui with a sudden gaze of pity.

Although he had not existed for many pages in the original work, Wang Furui’s ending was still miserable. His family was ruined as they fell into debt, and even his son left him for others. He truly was a cannon fodder of the lowest level.

The concert lasted for a full two hours. Apart from the violin concerto in the beginning, there was also a violin solo at the end. After the whole performance, the guests began lining up and leaving the venue one after another.

But Wang Furui didn’t make any moves to follow the crowd; he was now invested in making Zhu Luo his son’s tutor and meant to ask him if he was free. Huo Annong frowned but didn’t stop him as he followed calmly.

Yu Le carefully observed President Huo’s expression and guessed that he must be upset at his newfound love being desired by others so early, but unfortunately, it couldn’t be seen on his face at all.

He watched from his seat as the guests trickled out of the room and Huo Annong wandered around.

He was looking for someone.

Wang Furui is a difficult partner. Although his brain was full of fat, he treasured his money dearly, and it was not easy at all to make him part with even some small change.

On top of that, he liked to believe that he was refined, but he didn’t even have a beginner’s touch for music. Yet here he was, still insisting on attending music concerts and dragging along others for company.

Huo Annong was his unlucky partner this time, and while he could have refused, decided against doing so.

He had no special attachments to music and didn’t even like the violin.

He came just because of his curiosity after hearing the name Zhu Luo from someone.

[Maybe one day, you’ll hear Zhu Luo’s music too and fall in love after listening~]

He initially had scoffed at the sentence, but after hearing it in person, even he had to admit that this talented violinist does have an attractive appearance and was perhaps worthy of him.

However, it is impossible for him to fall for someone just like this.

He had accepted this appointment mainly out of a wonderful intuition and anticipation that that person might also be here.

They had never met but got along so well; he had to admit that he was looking forward to meeting this friend of his. In the theatre, they may have even passed by each other.

It’s a pity that although he searched around silently, he still found no one to match a face to thst name. 

Feeling a gaze behind him, he turned to see the slut from earlier had risen from his seat and was following him step by step.

“Why are you following me?”

“I also want to talk to Zhu Luo.” Yu Le replied without changing his expression.

Huo Annong just frowned, went back to ignoring him, and continued scanning the departing guests.

Playing continuously for two hours had exhausted Zhu Luo, but after changing into a fresh suit, he still walked back towards the auditorium expectantly.

Sure enough, Yu Le had come.

The tickets Xiao He had given him were placed near the very front; he had noticed him from on the stage.

Out of a certain competitive spirit, he didn’t go over to say hello in advance but waited for Yu Le to walk over first.

As a result, as soon as the performance ended, Yu Le disappeared.

He was worried that Yu Le would leave just as quietly as he had come. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He had to stop him.

There was a gap between him and Yu Le.

And running away was not going to mend it.

As a result, he had just left his dressing room to find him, and Conductor Cheng brought over a fat man dressed in a gaudy suit with leather shoes, “Mr. Zhu, this is Mr. Wang Furui. He has told me how much he enjoyed your violin and very much wanted to meet you.”

Conductor Cheng was a very straightforward man. He is usually kind and not good at refusing people. Obviously, he was more than a little embarrassed, having brought this stranger here, as he blinked at Zhu Luo apologetically.

“Hello!”

Before the introductions were finished, the fat man stepped forward and grasped Zhu Luo’s hand with a greasy smile on his face, “Mr. Zhu, I have admired your name for a long time. Your performance today was really good, simply the sound of the gods. I will never forget this night in my life!”

Facing the enthusiastic President Wang, Zhu Luo just nodded reservedly. As he was trying to think of reasons to get away, he suddenly saw two people behind him.

As he met Yu Le’s gaze, he stood still.

Seeing his reaction, Wang Furui noticed and began to introduce him, “This is Mr. Huo Annong. Don’t look at how young he is, he is extremely talented! He started his business at such a young age but can even rival me.”

Huo Annong smiled at the right time and extended a hand politely, “Nice to meet you. Tonight’s performance was very good.”

A familiar scene.

“Thank you, I am also very glad that you could come to the concert.”

Zhu Luo also extended his hand and shook it, returning a kind smile.

“As for this…” While introducing Yu Le, Wang Furui got stuck. After thinking about it, he didn’t actually know who this person was.

“It’s Yu Le.” Zhu Luo answered with a sudden smile. Taking the first step over, he approached Yu Le calmly, “We are good friends that grew up together.”

Yu Le blinked. It felt as if Zhu Luo had put particular weight on the phrase “good friend”; it seemed to be accentuated.

Zhu Luo wasn’t done talking, “Yu Le, what did you think of my performance today?” His tone was inexplicably hostile.

The truth is, it sounded great.

But he didn’t understand music, and his ability to speak was even less than that of Wang Furui’s who could quote literature on a whim. Left with no choice but to be honest and hope his sincerity covered up the shortcomings of his words, he was only able to say, “It sounded good!” Still, this answer felt far too barren to leave on its own, and with some afterthought, he added, “It was really nice!”

Zhu Luo was not at all satisfied.

“Anyway, it was fun to listen to, so good that I don’t know how to describe it.”

Mr. Wang nodded in agreement, “Yes, yes, it was really very nice. Compared with Mr. Zhu, other music simply can’t be called music. Even that little star who has been on fire recently, I think his name is Yu Youzhi, his voice is nothing compared to your violin!”

Zhu Luo paused for a moment as he digested this flattery, “…Thank you.”

Yu…Yu Youzhi?

Hearing another familiar name, Yu Le began to stare off in a daze while Huo Annong began to laugh.

“What’s the matter Mr. Huo?”

Huo Annong restrained his smile as he replied, “Sorry, in fact I have a bit of a relationship with this big star you mentioned. We were a bit close as children and he liked to sing even then…Well, it’s nothing now.”

Wang Furui rubbed his hands together in an apologetic manner, “No, thinking that Mr. Huo knows him….”

“I’m not familiar with him now, I just met him a few times when we were young. He probably doesn’t even remember my name now.” Before Wang Furui could finish speaking, Huo Annong immediately cut off the conversation.

Huo Annong was lying.

Not only was he familiar with Yu Youzhi, he also knew him very well.

The two had known each other since young and stayed as close friends even now. In the novel, after Huo Annong and Zhu Luo got together, Yu Youzhi often came out to make trouble which almost caused the two to break up.

If the original owner in the novel is the much-loved second male lead, then Yu Youzhi is the proper third male lead.

There was no way that he wouldn’t remember Huo Annong’s name!

But the overbearing president is really the overbearing president. He didn’t even flinch as he lied to their faces.

Yu Le continued to look at Huo Annong as his mind went down a rabbit hole.

Zhu Luo became more and more aggrieved at him.

He showed a smile that was not a smile, “A Yu, I didn’t expect you to know such powerful people like Mr. Wang and Mr. Huo. Am I so embarrassing that you couldn’t introduce your friends to me before?” While speaking, Zhu Luo stared straight at him, pushing an invisible pressure onto Yu Le.

“No…” He subconsciously wanted to explain, “We’re not friends, we’ve only known each other for half an hour.” 

Huo Annong’s expression turned cold immediately, “Mr. Zhu, I didn’t expect this person to be your friend, after all, he just….”

“Hahahaha, nothing, nothing!” Yu Le quickly interrupted, with an embarrassed expression, “I just recognized the wrong person earlier!”

He glared at Huo Annong, but underneath the anger, there was a faint pleading in his eyes.

As a result, this horrible man showed an ugly smile!

Zhu Luo looked between the two of them suspiciously, “Really?”

“Hahahaha, really, really!”

Wang Furui, standing off to the side, seemed utterly unaware of the subtle atmosphere and laughed out loud before Yu Le had time to react and stop him. Fixed in place, he watched on with dread as the man repeated what had happened just now.

“…” Yu Le couldn’t help grinding his teeth in hatred; no wonder Wang Furui was a cannon fodder in the original plot! He attracts other’s hate so easily!

It’s his own fault that he couldn’t survive three chapters!

The three of them were quiet for a while after Wang Furui finished speaking, no one knew where to take the discussion from there.

Not knowing what to do, Yu Le looked desperately between Zhu Luo and Huo Annong, hoping their chemistry would work some magic for him and perform a miracle.

“A Yu…” Zhu Luo was even more unhappy as he saw his slight movements, “Yu Le, what are you looking at?”

Who is this man?

Why do you care so much about him?

Holding back his questions, though, he could only do his best to broach the edge of his thoughts with some vague questions. Of course, they weren’t nearly enough for Yu Le to talk.

At this moment, a little girl carrying props came out of the passage door next to them. Her eyes lit up as she looked at them, “Mr. Zhu, here you are! And Conductor Cheng as well! The charity organiser is looking for both of you.” She hopped between her feet as they continued to stand where they were, “Are you busy?”

Hearing this, Zhu Luo gave a light goodbye to the rest of them, “Sorry, it seems that I still have things I need to do. I’ll leave first.”

Conductor Cheng, who had been hiding his presence as best he could, followed closely behind him.

As he left, Zhu Luo spared not even a single glance at Yu Le.

He felt baffled and a little wronged; what did he do to deserve the silent treatment this time?

After Zhu Luo left, Huo Annong and Wang Furui were left.

Huo Annong left without a word to either of them, done with the drama he had been put through.

Since he didn’t get the tutor he wanted, Wang Furui’s good mood had left, and he was muttering obscenities under his breath.

Yu Le was standing alone, feeling as if in a dream.

Zhu Luo was obviously unhappy, but Huo Annong had just stood to the side, watching coldly. It was hard to say whether the two of them had left a good impression in their hearts, but they most definitely had not on the surface.

He regretted it a little.

Sure enough, he shouldn’t have come to this concert.

Returning home, Yu Le was anxious to fix his mistakes. He had to do something!

In order to not arouse suspicion, he waited a few days before logging in to Jiali and taking the initiative to send a message to Huo Annong.

[vice-president is dead patted overbearing president]

Following his plan, he first pretended to chat about other things before casually cutting to his main topic.

[vice-president is dead: Have you listened to any of the music played by that genius violinist? I watched him two days ago, and it really touched me.]

[vice-president is dead: I really want you to listen too.]

[overbearing president: I went to his concert.]

[vice-president is dead: You went to his concert?! What do you think?! Zhu Luo’s violin is impressive, right?!]

He was trying his best to sound surprised.

[overbearing president: He played very well.]

[vice-president is dead: Just very well?]

[vice-president is dead: I thought you would fall in love with him after hearing it.]

The person on the opposite side paused, and two seconds later, the cold text came over.

[overbearing president: How can a person fall in love with someone so easily?]

Looking at this sentence alone, Yu Le agrees very much.

But Huo Annong is different from him; he is the domineering CEO gong in the novel; how could he not be moved by Zhu Luo on the stage giving his best?

He is not reconciled.

[vice-president is dead: That’s a pity; Zhu Luo’s violin cleared my soul when I heard it; I really hoped it would be just as good for you.]

[vice-president is dead: Did anything interesting happen at the concert?]

Yu Le waited patiently as the dots flashed Huo Annong’s typing for two minutes before he got his reply. It was a sight to see, to think that the cold man would spend so long composing and rewriting a response.

[overbearing president: That day, I thought I would be able to meet you at the concert.]

[vice-president is dead: ?]

[vice-president is dead: But we haven’t met offline?]

[overbearing president: Yes, but I had a strange premonition that you would definitely show up.]

Yu Le suddenly remembered that Huo Annong had been looking around like he was trying to find someone at the concert.

That was…he was looking for him?!

This discovery startled him, and his back began to feel cold as he shivered in his seat.

Then, a response that sent chills down his spine came.

[overbearing president: I didn’t meet you, but I met an extremely annoying man instead.]

[vice-president is dead: ?]

[overbearing president: It was a little slut; somehow, he got my itinerary and bought a seat next to me to try and hook up. I’ve seen this type of person before, but I didn’t expect to meet one at a concert.]

Yu Le dared not speak.

How could he respond to this?

He really…screwed things up this time, huh?