In the dressing room backstage, Shen Jianian sat in front of the makeup mirror studded with light bulbs while the stylist made final adjustments.
To match the white satin gown she wore tonight, her face was made up delicately but not too heavily. All her long hair was pulled up, only a few strands of hair were picked out around her ears, and she wore a simple and elegant crown on her head.
The main part of the crown is composed of two intersecting lines, inlaid with diamonds, and a drop-shaped sapphire is embedded in the center point of the intersection.
"There's no problem." After sorting out the details, the stylist looked at the person in the mirror and announced that he was done.
Shen Jia Nian curved his lips and thanked him.
The cell phone placed on the dressing table rang at this time, and Shen Jianian picked it up and took a look at it.
A message from Bai Changxia asking her if she was ready.
Shen Jianian turned on the camera, took a selfie in the mirror, and then sent the photo to her.
Bai Changxia quickly responded to the message with a bunch of starry-eyed emoticons and her own praise: "The baby is so beautiful! She will definitely stun everyone tonight!"
Shen Jia Nian raised his eyes and looked at himself in the mirror. He was indeed much brighter than usual. Suddenly, he thought of Fu Jichen and wondered if he was here.
Perhaps there was a connection between them. As soon as he thought of him, an incoming call reminder popped up on the screen. Shen Jianian was stunned for a moment and answered the phone: "Hello, are you here?"
There was some slight noise coming from Fu Jichen's side. He should be in a crowded place, indicating that he had arrived.
Sure enough, the man's deep and mellow voice rang on the phone: "I arrived an hour ago."
Shen Jia Nian inadvertently raised his eyes and saw the upward curve of the corners of his mouth in the makeup mirror in front of him. He pursed his lips to conceal it, lowered his eyes and said softly: "What are you doing here so early?"
Fu Jichen did not evade, and spoke frankly: "I'm afraid of being delayed on the road and missing your opening." Three days in advance, he told his assistant that all tonight's schedule was cancelled.
Shen Jia Nian curled his fingers and his heart beat rapidly.
"Are you nervous?" Fu Jichen asked.
"fine."
This was not Shen Jia Nian's first public performance, so he didn't have any stage fright. However, when he thought that he would sit in the audience and watch her tonight, his heart tightened a little.
"Just don't be nervous." Fu Jichen smiled, "See you later."
Shen Jia Nian heard that he meant to end the call and hummed softly.
After hanging up the phone, she looked up again. The person in the mirror was already blushing, and even the foundation couldn't cover it. No wonder she felt a little hot. She wanted to put the back of her hand against her cheek to try to cool herself down, but she was worried that her makeup would be smeared, so she had to hold back and take a deep breath to calm down.
The little girl who was responsible for temporarily serving as Shen Jianian's assistant came over to remind her that she should be on the field in three minutes.
Tonight's opening will be recorded until the early hours of the morning.
She's the first to appear and won't have to wait long.
Afterwards, the program team will go to New York, Paris, London and other cities for filming. North City is the starting point for the program recording and will also be the final destination.
Shen Jianian has rehearsed twice before and is very familiar with the process.
Hearing the host call her name, she raised her eyes, her expression changed instantly, and she was solemn in her silence. She held the cello and the bow with one hand, lifted the complicated skirt with the other hand, stepped onto the steps in a hurry, and walked to the stage step by step.
The ceiling of the concert hall is shining with bright lights, and the people inside seem to be swimming in the vast Milky Way.
The scattered pearlescent ribbons floated down from the top of the stage, and were illuminated by the tiny lights, making the stars sparkle.
Shen Jianian was sitting in the center of the stage. Just as in the rehearsal, the first note sounded and the spotlight just fell on her. At the same time, the eyes of countless people in the audience were focused on her.
She is the brightest star in the audience.
Sitting in the front seat in the middle of the auditorium, Fu Jichen looked at the people on the stage intently, unable to look away, with love flowing in his eyes.
Wearing a white dress and a crown, she looked like a bride at a wedding.
With her lowered eyebrows and eyes, others saw her as generous, elegant and calm, but in his case, because she was in his heart, he inevitably felt a bit more shy and timid.
A piece of music is neither too long nor too short. The last note floats over the hall, the lights turn on, and the audience spontaneously applauds.
The applause was thunderous and lasted for a long time.
Bai Changxia was so excited that his palms turned red and his eyes were red. He wanted to rush over and give Shen Jia Nian a hug and tell her that she played really well.
I glanced at the man on the right inadvertently, and saw that his expression seemed very calm, with a slightly warm smile on his lips.
People in the business world are really calm and steady, and don't show their emotions.
*
The first performance ended successfully.
Shen Jia Nian had already changed back into his own clothes and was watching from the audience like everyone else.
When the show ended, it was past twelve o'clock in the morning. She said hello to Fu Jichen and went backstage to retrieve her cello and belongings.
Fu Jichen let go of her hand and warned uneasily: "Be careful when walking. There are many people. Don't get hit."
Shen Jia Nian said "I know", squeezed his way through the crowds of people, reached the backstage smoothly, and picked up his cello and satchel.
"Teacher Shen, excuse me, can you sign your name for me?"
The little girl came over with a palm-sized photo and a signature pen, looking expectantly in her eyes.
Shen Jianian was startled for a moment and looked at the photo in her hand. It was a scene of her performing on the stage in a dress tonight. It was taken with a Polaroid. The picture quality was a bit blurry, which just created a retro texture.
She asked in surprise: "When did you take the photo?"
The little girl touched her ears embarrassedly and explained in a low voice: "I asked my friend who got the ticket to take the photo in the audience. I like you very much and am your fan, so can I get an autograph?"
Shen Jia Nian did not doubt her words, because for the first time she came to the rehearsal, this little girl was extremely enthusiastic towards her and did everything properly and thoughtfully.
She put down the piano case and bag and stretched out her hand: "Give it to me."
The little girl's eyes were bright and she hurriedly handed it forward: "Thank you!"
Shen Jia Nian held a golden signature pen, signed his name in the lower right corner of the photo, and wrote today's date. The little girl held the photo in her hands cherishingly: "I will put it in the phone case and carry it with me every day."
Shen Jia Nian couldn't help but laugh, capping the pen. Before she could return the pen to her, a group of people suddenly came over: "Teacher Shen, please sign for us too."
They are all on-site staff.
The first two times they met with Shen Jia Nian, they had a mission. Shen Jia Nian was also very busy and didn't have much free time. They didn't dare to delay. Now that the performance is over, everyone has no worries.
They didn't prepare pen and paper in advance, so they pulled a corner of the clothes and asked Shen Jia Nian to sign on it. They also said that the clothes would not be washed in the future and they would take them back, frame them and hang them.
Shen Jia Nian was dumbfounded and unable to refuse, so he had to sign autographs for them one by one.
Fu Jichen waited for a long time, but no one came back. He stopped a staff member to ask for directions, and went to the backstage. From a distance, he saw Shen Jia Nian surrounded by a group of people, who seemed to be looking for her autograph.
"Jia Nian."
Fu Jichen stood at the exit of the backstage and called her.
The sound was not loud enough for those present to hear. Everyone looked around and saw a young man in a shirt and suit a few steps away holding a bouquet of white roses.
The man had a stern look on his face, with one hand in his trouser pocket. He had an intimidating aura around him, and there was an indescribable sense of disobedience in holding the flowers.
But when he looked at someone, his eyes suddenly became gentle and doting, and there was a strange sense of harmony.
