Chapitre 38: End Of Her Life

Hey, Author here

I wrote this chapter incorporating a real song covered by a guqin. It's called 'Unsullied' and it's the theme song of the Chinese drama 'Ashes of Love'. It's incorporated with the written playing in the chapter and you can choose to listen to it if you want.

Enjoy~

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"Even as Zhao Mei suddenly came up to perform, she didn't complain and let her perform first, I've never met someone so selfless"

Liling smiled, realising that Li Xiu was not only highlighting her personality but also calling out Zhao Mei's impulsive nature and telling the guests that she had intentionally bypassed Liling.

She could just about make out the sly glint that highlighted her eyes as Li Xiu spoke. Liling had no idea she could be this meticulous, planning something so clever within a few minutes.

'Remind me to never get on her bad side', she thought playfully

A murmur of surprise rippled through the audience as the guests exchanged puzzled glances. Zhao Mei's eyes narrowed, but Li Xiu continued completely indifferent.

"That's why I urge you to listen to Liling's performance and open your hearts to it. It won't disappoint, I promise"

With that, the Guqing**, which had previously been taken off due to Zhao Mei's impromptu performance, was placed back on the short table. Liling gracefully climbed onto the stage and mouthed a 'thank you' to Li Xiu before she sat behind the instrument.

As the spotlight came to rest on her, the guests couldn't help but gasp at the striking image before them. Liling with her conspicuous and charming beauty behind the glistening lacquered surface of the Guqin left them stunned. Although they had caught glimpses of her when Master Li had introduced her earlier in the evening, her fully on-stage facing them was another matter entirely.

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the silence of the hall envelop her. With a light touch, she plucked the first string, the note ringing out clear and pure holding untold potential, cutting through the silence like a bell and hanging in the air, drawing the guests in.

The notes flowed from the guqin, soft and haunting as her fingers deftly moved over the silk strings. The melody of Unsullied began to take shape, slow and almost hesitant at first.

As she continued playing, everyone who listened was entranced by both the sound and the precision at which she moved her fingers. The fingers on her right hand lightly plucked as her left hand flowed over the length of the strings creating a sad yet soulful harmony. It told the story of lost love and dreams unfulfilled, of beauty and of pain.

It entranced her the player and the feeling of serenity took over her, washing through her whole body. It reminded her of the times she would sit listening to her mother play the same melody. She had fallen in love with the instrument and had begged her mother to teach her how to play. With lots of practice, she had finally been able to play.

Now sitting here, her playing wasn't entirely flawless, but it had still captivated the entire audience and left them no room to breathe as it awoke long-suppressed feelings within them as well.

The music softened for a moment, feigning its ending as the notes faded into a whisper before surging forward with a sudden burst of energy, the notes rising and giving a faint glimmer of hope. She allowed her whole body to flow as she played, completely immersed herself in her performance.

The song slowly came to an end reducing in tempo, and leaving a soft lingering echo that slowly faded into silence. Her hands stilled as she looked up to take in the crowd. The gusts sat in silence, slowly still coming to the realization that the music had ended*.

Breaking the silence, they started to applaud slowly as if not sure it was even appropriate for a performance as ethereal as what they had just heard. The soft rippling of applause grew, swelling into a wave of sound that filled the hall. Compared to Liling's, Zhao Mei's performance now seemed childish in comparison.

She stood up and bowed deeply, happy that her music had touched the deepest part of their souls. She glanced at Li Xiu, who was clapping enthusiastically, her face beaming with joy, and she smiled back in return grateful for her support.

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The night wore on and the banquet was slowly coming to a close. Liling stood in a secluded corner near a large arched window, trying her best to disappear from the guests' critiquing line of sight.

She stared at the moon hanging low in the sky against the backdrop of the black velvety night sky. She silently admired the garden as it glowed in the pale moonlight.

"You know I can tell you're behind me right?"

Li Hao chuckled unsurprised at her awareness of his arrival. She turned to meet him. He held two glasses of champagne and released one to her once she reached out to grab it.

"Are you okay?"

She stayed silent mulling over the question as she sipped her drink before responding with a short "Yeah"

"That wasn't exactly convincing"

"Wasn't meant to be"

He moved to stand beside her as she turned around once again. They stood like that, no words exchanged, but a mutual understanding shared.

After a while, she pulled herself away from the window saying, "I'm going to go find Little Bun". He silently followed behind not having anything else to do, and they made their way to their table.

They were intercepted by Master Li on the way, two people on either side of him. "Liling, just the person I was looking for", he said as his eyes twinkled with the joy of a man who had found a new source of pride.

She smiled seeing him and he gently patted her shoulder. "Your performance from earlier is still on everybody's mind, I have two friends here who wanted to commend you in person", he said gesturing to the two men standing beside him, both of whom were watching her with keen interest.

Her eyes turned to meet the two men who had come with Master Li. "This is Master Zhao and Master Tang" He said introducing them with a flourish. "They are very old friends of mine"

She offered a polite smile in their direction, bowing her head slightly in greeting. "It's an honour to meet you both"

Master Tang, a man with a kind face and silver hair, nodded warmly. "The honour is all ours, Liling. Your performance was truly remarkable. It's been a long time since I've heard the guqin played with such emotion. You have a rare talent"

She thanked him again, her smile still ever graceful. Just then, another man joined them speaking to Master Li, it was clear they were also close friends.

Master Li turned to introduce him to Liling, but her face had gone pale. She wondered if her eyes were deceiving her, and a raw wave of anger washed over her.

This man needed no introduction and she would remember his face till the end of her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~** The Guqin is a plucked seven-string ancient Chinese instrument.

~Unfortunately, I cannot post a new chapter tomorrow. I apologize but I'm swamped with other responsibilities. I will continue updating as supposed to on Tuesday, so

Bye~~

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