Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 72 At that time, just like now (2.5K)

The wedding in my dream was nothing special; it was just the name of a piano piece.

The problem is that Lu Mingfei is quite certain that he has never learned this piece of music before.

His knowledge of the piano was limited to the three-hour piano lesson he had taken the day before yesterday.

However, the notes on the sheet music inexplicably bothered him.

It looks... kind of familiar?
He carefully examined it.

The tadpole-like black symbols on the page seemed to come alive, swimming into my pupils with a strange sense of familiarity. Last night, the scene of Liu Miaomiao playing music out of thin air through the window suddenly reappeared in my mind's eye.

Lu Mingfei slowly closed his eyes.

He captured that fleeting moment!

Memories in my mind are being recalled and played—

At that moment, Liu Miaomiao's slender, fair fingers gently pressed against the window.

At that moment, Lu Mingfei also followed suit and placed his finger.

That time and that moment, just like this moment.

"Dang~"

The hammers struck the steel strings, vibrating and producing a sound—the low C note of the left-hand accompaniment. Lu Mingfei did not extend his right hand, because Liu Miaomiao was sitting to his right, and the sheet music was an unaltered solo version.

Liu Miaomiao almost subconsciously raised her hand and placed her fingers, and the melody in her right hand entered with the E note at the most appropriate moment.

Successfully connected.

"Wedding in a Dream" is a piano piece of beginner to intermediate difficulty, which was very easy for her.

Logically, the problem should only lie with Lu Mingfei, who "has never learned" this piece.

But Lu Mingfei didn't make the slightest mistake!
He even kept his eyes closed for the first half because the images in his mind were incredibly clear.

With each stroke of his finger, all he needed to do was synchronize himself with Liu Miaomiao across the window in his memory.

The complex operations involving mirror switching, instantaneous response, and touch accuracy are all incredibly easy for Lu Mingfei!
He opened his eyes again when he was halfway through playing the piece, at the point where he had been electrocuted the night before and Liu Miaomiao had stopped "playing" because of it.

Accurately read the music, find the corresponding notes, and then seamlessly connect them!

The music flowed like a flowing spring.

"Wedding in a Dream" is a typical popular lyrical piano piece.

At this moment, lingering arpeggios, gentle rhythms, and ethereal tones are born from the hands of young boys and girls, intertwining together in a dreamlike and enchanting way.

As the last key fell and then rose again, the lingering echo of the vibrating strings lingered in the music room until all other sounds were gone.

Aunt Shanshan's gaze was somewhat fixed.

She had a feeling that "I should be outside the room, not inside."

She clearly heard Lu Mingfei say, "I haven't studied it," but...

Is this how you write the phrase "I haven't learned it"?

How could a beginner who has only practiced for three hours play a completely unfamiliar piano piece so fluently, especially with the accompaniment played with only one hand!
If Lu Mingfei is telling the truth, then Aunt Shanshan can understand Liu Miaomiao.

Such superhuman piano talent was irresistibly attractive to Liu Miaomiao, who already loved the piano!
"Moreover, I don't know if it's because the piece is too easy, or for some other reason... but the level of understanding between these two in their first duet is just too high, isn't it?"

Aunt Shan thought to herself.

The idea she gave Liu Miaomiao, the so-called "operation," was actually quite simple in principle—as a form of piano performance, four-hand piano playing requires an extremely high degree of tacit understanding between the two players.

This kind of tacit understanding cannot be based on language, but is extremely subtle. From breathing to micro-movements, even a glance out of the corner of the eye...

Developing such a tacit understanding requires long-term, inseparable cooperation.

To play music well, you need to put your emotions into it.

Close proximity, extended period of time, a man and a woman, emotional investment... even a heart made of stone would turn into flesh and blood and start beating under this kind of manipulation.

To Aunt Shan's surprise, Lu Mingfei and Liu Miaomiao's teamwork was surprisingly good.

Now, wouldn't there be no reasonable reason to guarantee that they would be inseparable for a long time?
Wait a minute, the real question is why they have such a high level of chemistry! This man and woman seem to be deliberately trying to make fun of an old lady like me!
As the echo faded, Lu Mingfei came to his senses.

He looked at Liu Miaomiao and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this what you gave me last night... um?"

He had only spoken half a sentence when Liu Miaomiao hurriedly covered his mouth with her hand.

The girl's face turned bright red, as if it were about to bleed. Liu Miaomiao never expected that Lu Mingfei could remember everything from last night so clearly.

At most, a normal person might remember the act of "playing music out of thin air," right? How could someone remember every single movement so clearly, or even be able to replicate it!

It was precisely because she felt it was impossible that Liu Miaomiao boldly chose this piece of music.

Behind "Wedding in a Dream" lies a story of unrequited love and sacrifice for love.

It's roughly about an ordinary boy who falls in love with a princess from a dreamland. Knowing he's not good enough for her, he bravely confesses his feelings and leaves for another place. He thought he could forget her after leaving, but time didn't erase his longing; instead, it deepened the scars on his heart.

So the boy returned six years later. When he returned, the princess was holding her wedding. In his despair, he shielded the princess from an arrow fired by an assassin at the last moment and died in her arms.

The melody Liu Miaomiao played last night only went up to the part about "speaking out bravely." Even if Lu Mingfei hadn't been electrocuted, she didn't plan to continue playing it because it was considered "unlucky."

Before anything is even settled, there's already talk of "unrequited love and sacrifice for love"—isn't that just bad luck?
But now, the situation is a little different. Liu Miaomiao's current predicament is actually quite similar to that of that young man.

She is very good, but she is at a disadvantage against Ling and Su Xiaoqiang. How can she fight if she is completely crushed?
This gave Liu Miaomiao a strong premonition that she might "love but not be loved," and her emotions perfectly matched those of "Wedding in a Dream."

This piece isn't particularly difficult, and with Lu Mingfei's talent, he'll definitely be able to pick it up quickly. Therefore, all things considered, it's the perfect choice.

Liu Miaomiao released her hand, her voice barely audible but firm: "No, you're mistaken."

"How could they be so similar?" Lu Mingfei asked with some doubt.

At this moment, Liu Miaomiao realized that such "soliciting arguments" was not going to work, so she quickly changed her tune.

"No, I misspoke, you remembered correctly. This is the piece I prepared for the school's Spring Festival Gala performance this year, but this time I'm preparing a four-hand duet instead of a piano solo."

Liu Miaomiao spilled the beans, and even had a "bright idea" to come up with a reasonable explanation for what happened last night.

"I only played it for you before to test your skills! Now that you've passed, how about it, do you want to come up on stage with me?"

lie.

by——【Emotional Perception】

But there's some truth to it.

Which are lies, and which are the truth?

Lu Mingfei carefully considered his words before slowly speaking.

"You and I, at the Spring Festival Gala of Shilan High School, will play the piano together as a four-handed duet, performing 'Wedding in a Dream,' which you prepared?"

"Correct."

Having already said it once, admitting it again isn't so difficult, Liu Miaomiao nodded.

truth.

"Did you play it for me before to test me?"

"Yes!" Liu Miaomiao convinced herself, successfully appearing to be in the right.

lie.

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. If this was a lie...

He felt that he was like Pandora in Greek mythology, facing the box sent by the gods.

Knowing that asking the next question would open the "panacea" and that there might be something "not so good" inside...

But his overwhelming curiosity compelled him to ask the question uncontrollably.

"I thought you played it especially for me?"

"No...where is it?"

Liu Miaomiao looked like a punctured balloon, and immediately turned her gaze away guiltily.

lie.

This judgment doesn't even require emotional perception!
Lu Mingfei's smile froze on his face.

He thought to himself, "Liu Miaomiao, look at me! Look me straight in the eye! Prove my guess is wrong. Or maybe I'm just being delusional and daydreaming. I want to convince myself it's all just wishful thinking!"

But Liu Miaomiao wouldn't look at him or say anything, as if there was some long-lost masterpiece on the sheet music in front of her that she already knew by heart and could even recite backwards.

The girl's face was already completely red, so red that her neck was also pink, and the redness was even spreading downwards... If this continued, wouldn't it turn red all the way down to her feet?
Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself, "That's it, I guess I can't escape this now."

(End of this chapter)