The Missing Piece: 貌合神离
Extra Story 6: Ambitions
Liang Yunsheng first met Zhao Yi when he was invited to attend a singing competition as a guest.
It had been three years since the devastating car accident. After rehabilitation, Liang Yunsheng was able to walk with the help of a cane on his right leg.
A friend of his had invested in the competition and wanted him to make an appearance. He owed this friend a favour, so he could only show up and go through the motions.
One of the contestants was Zhao Yi. The contestants were all young and lively, some with especially good looks and others with especially unique voices; Zhao Yi definitely didn’t stand out.
Despite his handsome looks, his singing was no more than mediocre. Liang Yunsheng only heard him sing once, but he knew Zhao Yi had no talent for singing.
And yet, Zhao Yi still made an impression on Liang Yunsheng.
All the contestants were young adults who had just plunged into the industry; most still had innocence in their eyes. Zhao Yi was different. He was still so young, but he already seemed so experienced.
He stood on stage generously, showing a certain ambition in his eyes.
Once, as Liang Yunsheng was walking out of the lounge backstage, he saw Zhao Yi standing right at the door. Smiling, Zhao Yi said, “Mr Liang, I’m a fan of yours.”
Liang Yunsheng nodded with courtesy. He had heard these words too many times.
Three years ago, when his name had been at its peak, thousands of people said the same words to him every day. But the car accident took everything away.
Zhao Yi added, “I love your songs, Mr Liang.”
Liang Yunsheng thanked him politely.
“Do you think I can win this competition, Mr Liang?”
Liang Yunsheng couldn’t help but smile. It was good to be young—so reckless, and even speaking so directly.
So Liang Yunsheng also gave him a direct reply, “You’re not good at singing.”
“I know.” Zhao Yi’s tone was brisk. He didn’t seem upset at all. “But I want to sing one of your songs, Mr Liang.”
“That’s a pity,” Liang Yunsheng said. “I don’t write songs anymore.”
When he finished his words, he walked around Zhao Yi, his cane knocking dully on the ground, and left.
In the final round, Zhao Yi did sing a song by Liang Yunsheng. It was an old song from ten years ago, one that Liang Yunsheng had written when he was about Zhao Yi’s age.
Zhao Yi didn’t have a good voice, and his singing wasn’t adequately emotional either. The results of the contest were just as Liang Yunsheng had predicted—Zhao Yi didn’t even make the top five.
The contest was broadcast live on TV, but there was fierce competition between similar programs. And so, despite the initial advertising, only the contest winner made a bit of a splash, while the others faded into obscurity.
Two months after the contest, Liang Yunsheng’s friend came to visit him, asking him to write a song for someone.
“He’s new, but he has great potential.”
Liang Yunsheng smiled. “You know I don’t write songs anymore.”
“Why not? It’s been three years. Are you still thinking of…”
His friend stopped halfway through. Liang Yunsheng was in the middle of making tea. Holding the teapot, his hand trembled, and he spilt a little.
The car accident that had happened three years ago not only injured his right leg but also took his beloved away. Whenever he closed his eyes, he’d remember the lorry driving towards them that night. He’d turned the steering wheel immediately, yet it was still too late.
Liang Yunsheng gulped down the tea in his cup, turning down his friend’s request. His friend left in disappointment and soon after had someone else write a single for the newcomer.
Liang Yunsheng heard the song on the radio in his car. It was the kind of old-fashioned love song that had been popular many years ago, and it imitated his own style from back then.
The singer was Zhao Yi. His voice still sounded mediocre; even though he sang earnestly, there was no impressive quality to it.
After hearing it, Liang Yunsheng only smiled.
The song couldn’t make any waves. After being broadcast on the radio a few times, it was gradually forgotten.
A year later, Liang Yunsheng saw Zhao Yi again on TV. Zhao Yi was playing a supporting role in a costume drama.
Dressed in white and carrying a long sword, he looked as though he was made of pure jade.
Of course, the person backing him off-screen had already changed.
Liang Yunsheng’s friend had ended his relationship with Zhao Yi peacefully. Upon mentioning Zhao Yi again, he only praised Zhao Yi, “He knows what the right thing to do is. He knows when he should laugh and when he should cry. Most importantly, he knows what he wants, and he’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.”
But Liang Yunsheng couldn’t tell whether this was praise or criticism.
As the two chatted about Zhao Yi, Zhao Yi’s drama happened to be playing on TV.
He was the third lead, a young, unfortunate hero whom the villain framed and the heroine misunderstood—quite a tough fate. In this episode, the heroine, thinking he was working with the villain, gave him a hard slap on the face. He didn’t defend himself, and only turned his head slightly to the side. Two or three seconds later, a tear rolled down one of his cheeks.
This was much more touching than the love songs he sang.
Liang Yunsheng’s friend gazed at the impeccable features on the TV screen. Suddenly, he asked, “Do you have any alcohol here?”
Liang Yunsheng had long since quit drinking. Luckily, he still had a bottle of wine at home, so he opened it for his friend to enjoy. He himself still drank tea, though.
Halfway through, his friend asked out of the blue, “He’s bound to become famous, isn’t he?”
“Of course.” Liang Yunsheng recalled Zhao Yi’s eyes. “He’s an ambitious person.”
When Liang Yunsheng said those words, he didn’t expect to meet Zhao Yi again in the future. Over the years, Liang Yunsheng had lived a simple life on his own, but some of his friends couldn’t bear seeing him so gloomy and were intent on having him come to dinner.
He couldn’t turn down their kindness, so he had to go and socialise. Those who showed up were all old friends of his whom he hadn’t seen in years. Everyone had their own achievements, but only he stood in the same place, as though time had stopped right before the accident.
After several toasts, their conversations became more casual. Some people encouraged him to cheer up, or restart his career, or begin a new relationship.
Holding a teacup, Liang Yunsheng only thanked them distantly.
Right then, a sharp sound came from the next room, as if cups and plates had fallen on the ground. Arguing voices also came intermittently. Perhaps some people had become so drunk that they started fighting in the hotel.
Most of Liang Yunsheng’s table felt that they’d had enough drinks anyway, and now that the clamour had spoiled their mood, they decided to end the meal right there.
Liang Yunsheng walked behind everyone. When he passed the room next door, he saw that the quarrellers had already left.
The servers were coming in and out to clean the shattered dishes. Through the half-opened door, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Liang Yunsheng’s footsteps paused.
The person inside saw Liang Yunsheng as well. He smiled and called, “Mr Liang.”
It was too late for Liang Yunsheng to pretend that he hadn’t seen him. Zhao Yi was a mess. His clothes were drenched. Water dripped down even to the tips of his hair, and his white shirt was also heavily stained. But he still had an elegance about him as he sat there with a smile on his face, as if he was attending a banquet in formal dress.
By now, Zhao Yi had already gone from playing supporting roles to main roles. His dramas aired on TV every day, and Liang Yunsheng had heard there’d be a movie soon. Some said Zhao Yi had good luck, but Liang Yunsheng knew how hard Zhao Yi must have worked.
Liang Yunsheng walked inside the room and asked out of politeness, “Would you like me to drive you home?”
Zhao Yi smiled and said no. Instead, he pointed to a glass of wine on the table. “Have a drink with me, Mr Liang.”
Liang Yunsheng replied, “I don’t drink.”
“Then have some tea.”
As Zhao Yi spoke, he had the waiter bring over a pot of tea. Amber liquid poured into the wine glass. He toasted Liang Yunsheng and then gulped down all of the tea in the glass.
Zhao Yi had said only one drink, and this one glass was indeed all he drank. Afterwards, he gestured to Liang Yunsheng and said, “Sorry for taking your time, Mr Liang.”
Liang Yunsheng asked, “You’re not leaving yet?”
“I’m waiting for my assistant to bring me clothes.”
It was early spring, and the days were still somewhat cold. The wet shirt stuck to Zhao Yi’s body, its fabric so thin that the skin underneath could be seen.
Liang Yunsheng thought for a while, then took off his jacket and handed it to Zhao Yi. “Wear this for now.”
Zhao Yi was surprised for a moment. Next, a smile split from his eyes, and he put on the jacket naturally.
Liang Yunsheng thought, if this was acting, Zhao Yi’s acting was excellent indeed. But he didn’t say anything else and left with his cane.
A few days later, Liang Yunsheng received a call from an unknown number—it was Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi first thanked Liang Yunsheng for drinking with him that night, then said he would like to return the suit jacket.
Liang Yunsheng didn’t think Zhao Yi needed to go to such lengths for just a jacket, but he knew Zhao Yi must have had quite a difficult time asking around for his phone number. So, with much reluctance, he invited Zhao Yi to his house.
Zhao Yi came the next afternoon. When he entered the house, however, he paused for a second. “Your house is really clean, Mr Liang.”
Liang Yunsheng only smiled.
Everyone assumed Liang Yunsheng was living a decadent life, either drinking his days away or staying up every night. In reality, he had a routine.
In his spare time, he made tea and grew flowers. His terrace was covered in all kinds of flowers and plants.
Zhao Yi smiled and said, “It’s as if you’re already living the retired life.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Your fans will be disappointed though, Mr Liang.” Zhao Yi took a sip of the tea made by Liang Yunsheng.
“Don’t you plan on making a comeback? Even if you don’t write songs anymore, you can still sing them.”
Liang Yunsheng didn’t reply.
Zhao Yi continued, “I’ll be doing a movie in two months. The theme song hasn't been decided yet. Would you be interested, Mr Liang?”
Liang Yunsheng had heard that Zhao Yi had also invested in the movie—so it seemed this was true. But Liang Yunsheng wasn’t interested at all, of course.
As he was about to turn down the offer, Zhao Yi said, “You can take your time thinking, Mr Liang. There’s no need to give me an answer immediately.”
When Zhao Yi finished, he took out his phone and made a call. Liang Yunsheng’s mobile phone was right on the table, and soon, it began to ring.
Zhao Yi glanced at Liang Yunsheng’s phone, grinning. “I knew you never saved my number.”
Then, without waiting for Liang Yunsheng to reply, he took Liang Yunsheng’s phone and saved his number on it.
It had already been many years since their first encounter with each other. Just like back then, Zhao Yi still smiled at Liang Yunsheng as he said, “I hope I’ll get the chance to work with you, Mr Liang.”