Even so, Xiao Rufeng felt like an ass for making Yan Xiuchen sad. From the way he spoke about his mother, it was obvious that he looked up to her. How can she not understand Yan Xiuchen when she also misses her mother badly, no matter how long it had been since her mother passed away?
"Mind if I join you playing here? I'm not really into games, so I wouldn't be able to understand what they are playing."
Even before Yan Xiuchen could answer, she sauntered towards him and gestured for him to make space for her to sit. The seat was able to cater two people, but considering Yan Xiuchen's build, he wouldn't be able to give Xiao Rufeng the safe zone she needed.
Once she was seated, their arms brushed against each other, making Yan Xiuchen shiver from the contact, which Xiao Rufeng failed to notice. He wasn't used to being this close with a woman, but he didn't dare to comment over Xiao Rufeng's sudden invasion of his private space.
"My mom used to play too." She commented, with a smile that put Yan Xiuchen in a trance.
"Does that mean that you know how to play too?" He asked, not wanting her to get bored in his company.
"I knew a few pieces, but nothing too complicated. This is the first piece I learned by myself." She grinned, her arms moving to touch the black and white keys of the piano in front of them.
She then began playing a few notes, allowing herself to get the feel and familiarize herself again. Xiao Rufeng made sure it was tuned properly before she started playing. The music came out as a haunting melody of a piece that Yan Xiuchen surely had heard before.
'Kiss The Rain'. How could Yan Xiuchen not know about it?
The piece was known for its melodious, lilting notes. Every single tone perfectly shapes it. No lyrics or voice accompanying it, but it rhymes elegantly, swelling the flow of every key's tone played dramatically by its virtuoso composer.
Yan Xiuchen could hardly verbalize what he was feeling while listening to it. It melodiously hit his ears, and brain, and eventually he could feel it, literally feel it. Was it even possible? He wondered.
Xiao Rufeng's playing was so relaxing, and it hardly left his ears. He found himself enjoying it as it gave him a sort of peace until he was reminded of what this music was about.
This piece was about an unrequited love. He gave Xiao Rufeng a side glance, wondering who she was thinking as she played it. He was aware of the meaning behind this piece.
The first verse explained how she had feelings for this guy, and she loved him so much that she would give everything she could to him, even how much it takes to let him love her.
And the chorus followed, expressing that she had confessed her feelings toward that person, but she was left wondering if he loved her, leaving her confused and hurt at the same time.
The second verse expressed her loneliness as she had never felt being loved and no one was there to be with her.
'So she has been wanting for someone to always be there for her?' Yan Xiuchen thought.
Overall, it gives him the impression that Xiao Rufeng was saying that she will be okay, not being loved by someone that she loves. It was as if she was assuring herself by saying she would just need to cope and get on with her life.
Just who had a broken heart? Yan Xiuchen couldn't believe someone wasn't able to appreciate Xiao Rufeng's beauty and personality, because in his eyes, she was already perfect.
'His loss, not mine.' He thought.
If no one was able to ensnare her in all these years, it was their loss. They were missing such a fine specimen of a woman, one that was currently seated next to him. If only he could keep her to himself, he would, but he also knew that the moment he showed his intent towards her, Xiao Rufeng would bolt out of his life for good and that was something he wouldn't want happening.
The final note finally died and Xiao Rufeng cast him a curious look, but didn't expect to find him staring at her intently, as if he could see through her. She had never received such an intense look from anyone.
"I-Is there's something wrong?" She asked, aware of how fast her heart was beating in her chest. Why was he even looking at her like this?
Yan Xiuchen wanted to tell her that she wasn't alone, and that she needed not dwell about the past anymore.
"Nothing. You played better than me." He said. "But why this song?"
Xiao Rufeng flushed and chewed her lower lip. How was she supposed to explain that the reason she learned this piece was because Jin Qiu had turned his back on her after she confessed her feelings for him years ago?
Even though he was with Xiao Yunyao now, she didn't dare to see him in person. It hurt to know that the person who made her the happiest in the past had changed into a person she couldn't recognize anymore.
Was it because of Xiao Yunyao?
No. Xiao Rufeng didn't want to admit it, but it wasn't Xiao Yunyao's fault that Jin Qiu hadn't chosen her. She should have known that his silence after her confession was loud. It was clear enough to know where she was in his life.
He couldn't love her the way she loved him, and she didn't know which hurt more. The fact that he got together with her younger sister, or the fact that she had foolishly believed that he might have loved her.
"I just thought that it's really beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time." She answered, purposely omitting the fact that this piece perfectly expressed what was in her heart.
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