"Miss, have you remembered all the steps we discussed in the car?" the man in black asked.
She gave a faint nod, her eyes subdued under the orange blindfold. Her colorless cherry lips revealed the fear in her heart, but there was no room for her to retreat.
Step 1, she must play the piano in front of the patron until he calls for her to stop.
Step 2, she must unconditionally comply with any of the patron's requests.
Step 3, she must not remove the blindfold from start to finish.
She remembered all of these, she dared not forget.
Tonight, it was her first time performing.
The blindfold over her eyes was tightly wrapped, without the slightest gap. The man in black said that the master here did not want her to retain any memory of this place.
Memory... She pulled a faint smile. If possible, she would desire to forget everything that was about to happen even more than anyone else.
"Alright, as long as you follow the steps that I've specified, one million will be transferred to your account promptly tomorrow. I hope you have a wonderful evening. Now, please hold onto my shoulder, I will take you to see the master."
Accompanied by the respectful voice of the man in black, her hand was tightly clenched, her nails deeply embedded into the flesh of her palm. With great effort, she gently lifted her hand and placed it onto the shoulder of the man.
Lifting her high-heeled shoes that were squeezing her feet, she followed the pace of the man in black, slowly stepping into the unknown dark world...
Each tap-tap-tap footstep sounded heavier than the last, but she knew, for this one million, there was no way back...
It was as if she was walking through a long corridor, then into an elevator, with numerous twists and turns. Only when she heard a 'creak' sound, as if a door was being pushed open, did she hear the man in black's voice again.
"Master, I have brought her."
Her heart gave a startled leap, rocked by his words!
A surge of cold air hit her nose, unwelcome chill ran down her spine!
After a good while, she pricked up her ears but heard nothing. Instead, an invisible, icy sense of suffocation seemed to loom over her...
She felt like she was walking on a cloud, stepping on an extremely expensive carpet. The texture was ice-cold, causing her already chilly body to shiver.
Shortly afterward, the man in black stopped in his tracks, prompting her to halt as well.
"Miss, please be seated. The piano keys are within arm's reach. Remember what I just told you?" the man in black said softly.
She obediently nodded, instinctively pursing her thin lips to reveal no signs of fear or weakness. Calm finally returned when her buttocks touched the high stool.
"Master, wish you a pleasant evening. I will take my leave now," said the man in black, and he withdrew.
Next, the 'creaking' sound of the door being closed once again sent a shiver down her spine!
Her heart began to pound heavily as if she could feel a pair of strong, burning eyes gazing at her.
What kind of man would the benefactor be?
She, with her eyes covered, could not imagine.
She just felt the room was terribly cold.
After a long while, she remembered step 1, and said in a low voice, "Uh, sir...I'm starting to play the piano..."
She had no idea where the benefactor was and could only politely nod in the direction of the empty air.
Then, she didn't even dare to pant aloud, lifting her slender and snowy hands, and instantly touched the familiar piano keys!
Ding.
A crisp note poured out from under her fingertips.
It was clean and neat, without any impurities, full of ethereal resonance, proving this is indeed a top-grade piano.
The piano, is her love!
After hesitating for a while, she took a deep breath, lightly closed her eyes hidden beneath the cloth, and began to play her best song for this unknown 'benefactor'.
She lifted her soft and resilient fingers, gently pressing them on the responsive keyboard, like fairies dancing on the keys. The melodious sound of the piano immediately flowed out, a song of magnificent sorrow flickered and revolved at her fingertips...
The piano notes swelled on the heart's lake, stirring ripples in its wake.
Yearning erupted and ran rampant like the cracking of ice, her pointed fingers striking the black and white keys. She quickly submerged herself in the ocean of piano sound, which surged and receded... wave after wave.
Lian Zhongyi, Zhongyi, Yi...
She called this profound name from the bottom of her heart, even her breathing was filled with pain.
The song she played was titled 'Dreamland', which was personally composed for her by Lian Zhongyi.
Every time she played this song, she would remember Lian Zhongyi's humble smile.
Even though her longing was like a knife cutting at her heart, she could only pretend to be okay, her fingers pressing one black and white key after another, quiet and resolute, striking in silent agony...
After a while, suddenly, a light and agile male voice rang out.
"Enough!"
Two succinct yet firm words, carrying an eerie chill that makes one's spine tremble, interrupting her performance.
She found herself inexplicably nervous. Was it time for the next step?
To attend to her wealthy patron?
Following this, the wealthy patron spoke once more, "You play the zither well, however, I prefer to 'play' on your body..."