249: Chapter 249 A Return Gift Must Be Returned in Person – Bonus Chapter of "I Can't See You"

The phone lay silently on the thick wool carpet, its screen flickering with a faint light.

Her brain completely crashed at this moment. The blood that had been boiling from her performance was now frozen by an emotion known as social death.

The scene from just moments ago on stage—where she, with tears in her eyes and deep emotion, declared, "This piece is a gift I'm giving to that person"—

now played on a loop in her mind like a jammed film projector, spinning in a full 360 degrees without a single blind spot.

He heard it.

He heard all of it!

A powerful wave of shame crashed over her like a tsunami.

Ye Xi's fair cheeks flushed a visible crimson, the blush spreading down her slender neck in a faint pink hue.

Her toes curled tightly inside her expensive custom-made high heels,

wishing she could dig out a Golden Hall right there on the century-old floor.

"That jerk!"

After the brief wave of shame, Ye Xi gritted her molars.

Lin Que's perpetually lazy, infuriating face—the one that looked like he could use the sky as a blanket if it fell—automatically surfaced in her mind.

He had crossed half the globe to Vienna without a word, without even a heads-up,

just sat there boldly in the front row of the audience.

Watching her pour her heart out on stage like a fool, he was probably having a great laugh inside!

The look that says you want to stab someone is impossible to hide.

Ye Xi glared at the phone, wishing she could crawl through the internet and bite him.

But just two seconds later, the fierce, clawing anger in her eyes melted away like spring snow.

Replacing it was an indescribable surge of immense joy, and a hint of intense sweetness she hadn't even noticed herself.

He really came.

On the most important stage of her life, he didn't just type cold words from behind a screen,

but actually sat in the closest seat, listening to all her struggles and release.

The lingering blush hadn't faded when a woman's instinctive concern for her appearance suddenly awoke.

Ye Xi lowered her head sharply, giving her dark green backless gown a disdainful look.

To match the classical, solemn atmosphere of Vienna, Sister Yang had specifically chosen this elegant, dignified style.

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have worn this stuffy old green dress!"

Ye Xi tugged at her skirt in frustration.

"That wine-red fairy dress was clearly prettier and more flattering! In this terrible lighting, this color looks like a broccoli that's become a spirit!"

Holding the intricate layers of her skirt, she bent down to pick up the phone,

turned, and wanted to rush out of the dressing room to settle the score with that guy who'd watched her make a fool of herself.

"Click."

The dressing room door was pushed open without warning.

A staff member walked in first, followed by several elderly foreign gentlemen in tailored suits.

In the center was the "living fossil" who held absolute authority in the modern piano world—

Master Gary.

Ye Xi took a deep breath.

All traces of the young woman's coquettishness, frustration, and impatience were completely tucked away within 0.1 seconds of her turning.

Her spine straightened instantly, her chin lifted slightly, and a perfectly measured smile curved her lips.

Her eyes regained their cool, distant clarity,

switching back in a second to the "aloof Eastern goddess" who had stunned the audience on stage.

"Ye, apologies for the interruption."

Master Gary spoke first.

This elder, who had seen countless geniuses, wasn't putting on airs as a senior,

but the artistic authority he carried from his long-standing position was still impossible to ignore.

His cloudy eyes now shone with a light of extreme artistic craving,

his gaze bypassing Sister Yang to fix directly on Ye Xi.

"Master Gary, your presence is an honor,"

Ye Xi responded in fluent, elegant English, giving a slight nod. Her demeanor was flawless.

Master Gary waved a hand, clearly uninterested in such pleasantries.

Leaning on his cane, he took a step forward, his tone carrying undisguised urgency:

"Ye, that original piece you performed last was truly astonishing.

That soul-wrenching power—torn from extreme suppression, yet rebuilt from the ruins—

simply doesn't seem like the experience someone your age should possess.

Tell me, where exactly did such inspiration come from?"

The old man's question was direct and sharp.

He wasn't praising a junior; he was seeking truth from an equal artistic creator.

The music critics around them perked up their ears,

and Sister Yang grew so nervous her palms sweated, fearing Ye Xi might say a single wrong word.

Ye Xi stood her ground, maintaining her cool, mysterious aura.

Lin Que's infuriating face flashed through her mind.

She imagined that guy was probably mingling with the exiting crowd right now, or smoking somewhere outside the concert hall.

"You flatter me, Master," Ye Xi smiled slightly, her voice steady.

"In truth, I am merely a translator. The desolate plain hidden within this Eastern work, *the ferryman*, I simply tried to turn the words into notes."

She paused, a faint, almost imperceptible glint of mischief flashing in her eyes:

"As for that person... he is a good friend of mine. This piece was written for him."

"*the ferryman*?" Master Gary frowned.

"Yes!"

Ye Xi picked up the English-translated copy of *the ferryman* she had been reading backstage and handed it to Gary.

"If you are curious about the source of such inspiration, perhaps this book can provide a more precise answer than I can."

Gary took the copy of *the ferryman*, its cover not particularly refined, and gave a solemn nod.

"A work capable of birthing such music must be a great masterpiece. I must read it myself."

The old man's fervor was satisfied, and he sighed in amazement repeatedly.

After finally managing Master Gary and graciously seeing off the stream of congratulatory music critics and sponsors,

Ye Xi felt the muscles in her face were about to stiffen.

The moment the door closed, she could hold back no longer.

"Sister Yang, it's too stuffy in here. I'm going out for some air."

Ye Xi tossed out an excuse without giving her manager time to react, pulled the door open, and slipped out.

"Hey! Xiao Xi, you should change..."

Sister Yang's suggestion to change clothes was left unfinished as Ye Xi's figure disappeared around the corridor corner.

Holding up the heavy skirt, she moved like an eager, weightless butterfly.

Avoiding the VIPs still holding wine glasses and chatting grandly in the front hall, she followed the staff passageway,

hurrying all the way toward the left-front audience seat from the photo.

Her high heels tapped rapidly against the wooden floor.

"Left side... third row... first row..."

Ye Xi stopped, panting slightly.

Most of the stage lights were already dimmed, with only a few work lights still on.

She stood before the familiar seat, her eyes scanning the area urgently.

It was empty.

Nothing lay on the dark red velvet seat. Lin Que wasn't there.

A huge wave of disappointment instantly gripped her.

Her heart, which had been racing from the run, suddenly skipped a beat.

"He really left?" Ye Xi bit her lip, her eyes inexplicably stinging.

He crossed half the globe just to listen to one piece, then left without even meeting her? What was that supposed to mean?

Just as she turned to leave, her peripheral vision caught something unusual on the armrest of the seat.

A Golden Hall official program lay there quietly.

Ye Xi walked over quickly and picked up the paper.

The front of the program listed her repertoire for the evening,

but on the back, in the blank space, was a simple sketch drawn with a black pen.

It depicted an incredibly lifelike, plump pigeon pecking at grains.

Next to the pigeon was a large, drawn-on silly face.

"Pfft."

Looking at the plump, utterly unaesthetic pigeon, Ye Xi's earlier disappointment vanished completely.

"Buzz—"

The phone she was clutching tightly vibrated.

A WeChat message popped up.

[Mu Xia]: The musician's gift has been received.

[Mu Xia]: If you still have energy for a late-night snack, why not come out? Let me return the favor.

Looking at the two lines of utterly atmosphere-breaking text on the screen,

and imagining Lin Que's expression as he sent them, Ye Xi couldn't help but laugh out loud.