Chapter 8 — The Last Gift Is Goodbye

On the second day, I tried playing Bach's Menuet. The simplest version. Level for beginners. By the fourth detail, the ring finger couldn't keep up. I stopped, put my hand on my knee, waiting for the pain to pass. Then start again from the beginning. Over and over again. By the thirtieth day, I was able to play a complete Chopin Nocturne. The speed is only about 70% of normal, there are two stumbles. But I finished playing. When Dao Nhien made the video call, I was practicing the piano. She looked at the screen for about ten seconds, then suddenly covered her mouth.

"Nien Niem...can you play now?"

"It's okay."

"Oh my god...you can really play!"

I smiled.

"Still far away."

"Not far.

If you can play, it means the surgery was successful. Do you know what the current situation is in the country?"

"Jiang Uyen Thanh's story has exploded."

The "explosion" that Dao Nhien mentioned was the surveillance video. I don't know who leaked it — Vuong Van said it wasn't her, Tham Dien's side also denied it. But that video kept appearing online. A woman wearing a mask sneaked into the contestant's dressing room, touched the water bottle, and left after one minute and forty seconds. Along with the photo inspection report and the quit record that year, Weibo completely exploded. The truth about pianist Lam Niem's quitting, Giang Uyen Thanh was suspected of poisoning. The ex-girlfriend of group tycoon Co Thi was drugged. Three keywords simultaneously rushed straight into the top 10 hot searches. Giang Uyen Thanh immediately posted a denial, affirming that the video was fake and that someone was maliciously slandering her. But public opinion in the comments section is completely one-sided.

"A mask can't cover those eyes. The appraisal showed a similarity of up to 93% and you still say it's fake?"

"Since Lam Niem withdrew from the competition, she hasn't performed publicly in three years. What happened to her hand?"

"I beg the experts to expose this Giang Uyen Thanh's past, her heart is so cruel."

Giang Duc Vinh also couldn't sit still. His reputation in the marketplace is not bad, his daughter's scandal has directly affected two projects that Giang Thi Group is negotiating. It is said that he made three phone calls to Co Hoai Tham that day, each time his tone was harsher than the last.

"Go solve your wife's bad matter yourself, don't drag my Giang family into the water!"

Co Hoai Tham himself is also struggling. The real estate project in Southeast Asia has never recovered capital, Giang Duc Vinh has taken away the right to profit, putting the company's cash flow at risk of disruption at any time. The stock price has evaporated 12%. On the board of directors, someone began to propose dismissing the CEO position. But all of this is just the beginning. I was in Switzerland for four months. The day I returned home was mid-May. The weather in Beijing has started to heat up. When I walked out of the Capital Airport, I saw two people waiting for me in the crowd. One person is Dao Nhien, she is holding a bouquet of sunflowers. The other person is Tham Dien. He didn't hold the flowers, just stood there quietly, hands in his pockets. Dao Nhien was the first person to rush to hug me.

"I've lost a lot of weight! In Switzerland Don't you eat rice?"

"I eat, but Swiss food doesn't suit my taste."

"Let's go, I booked a table at your favorite Hunan restaurant—"

Tham Dien walked over and nodded to Dao Nhien.

"Miss Lam is back."

"How's your hand?"

I raised my left hand, spread out five fingers, clenched them, then spread them out again. Smooth movements, no pauses. He stared intently for a few seconds.

"When will we perform again?"

"It's not that bad yet. I've only recovered about 85%, but Mr. Keller said I need at least two more months of intense training."

"Professor Zhao's office at the Beijing Academy of Music, I borrowed it for you. Including a Steinway Model D."

"How did you know I needed a practice room?"

"Just guess."

Dao Nhien stood next to listen, his eyes moving back and forth between me and Tham Dien.

"You two...what exactly is your relationship?"

"Friends." I said.