"Name?"
"Huai Shi."
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Age?"
"Seventeen."
Inside Jinling Music Art Museum, the examiner finished the routine questions and gave the shy, quiet youth before him one last look, smiling warmly.
"Don't be nervous," he said. "Just perform as you normally would, at your very best. Let's begin, Mr. Huai Shi.
The piece you submitted is... hmm, 'Toccata.'"
Huai Shi took a deep breath, rubbed his fingers together, then gripped the bow once more.
"Teacher, I've finally made it this far..."
He murmured softly, lowering his eyes.
From the silence, his fingers gently urged forth the first note. It curled up from the strings, and within that deep sound, it was as though a heavy downpour were crashing toward him.
Swallowing everything.
The performance began.
.
When the melody gradually faded, Huai Shi politely said goodbye, picked up his violin case, and walked outside.
At last, he could not stop himself from letting out a long breath.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The mountain-like pressure suddenly vanished, and so did the heavy weight in his heart.
He could not help but sit down in one of the waiting area's chairs and sigh wearily, feeling as though he could not rise again for a while.
Then he felt a warm can pressed against his cheek.
Hot grapefruit tea from the vending machine.
"Sorry, I'm late."
An unexpected figure leaned out from behind his shoulder, smiling brilliantly. The bewildered white pigeon on her shoulder was outside as well, looking at him as if inspecting him.
Huai Shi froze.
"But I saw the second half. I watched from the window behind there for ages, until someone chased me away. The security guards here are super fierce, and they wouldn't even let me record it."
Chu Qingyu sat down beside him and