Chapter 432 - Untitled
Chapter 432: Untitled
Jiang Shifeng was Jiang Shiyu’s elder brother and Song Ci’s Uncle.
In Coleman’s autobiographical movie, there was also a plot of the character Jiang Shiyu. In the movie, Jiang Shifeng was acting as a Chinese actor. Back then, when “Le Chi” went to China to choose a role, countless first- and second-tier male celebrities had tried their roles, but they were later seized by a fourth- or fifth-tier young actor.
Later on, “Le Chi” won the Oscar for Best Movie, and this actor’s value also rose along with it. He was now a quasi A-list actor in the country.
Song Ci knew that she had an Uncle, but this was the first time she saw him. Song Ci stared at Jiang Shifeng’s appearance. If she looked closely, she could still find similarities between Jiang Shifeng’s face and Jiang Shiyu’s.
Their eyes were all narrow and long. Such eyes were very charming. Jiang Shifeng was not very handsome and could only be considered average, but those charming eyes added a lot to him.
Song Ci shifted her gaze from Jiang Shifeng to Coleman’s face. She stared at the hearing aid on his ear and asked loudly, “How’s Jiang Shifeng’s piano skills?”
Coleman didn’t hear it clearly at first. Song Ci asked patiently again before Coleman heard it clearly. He answered, “Feng was a very outstanding pianist. At that time, our piano skills were close friends.”
Coleman was a talented pianist. Jiang Shifeng was talented and willing to work hard. He was the only opponent that Coleman acknowledged among his peers.
Song Ci could tell that Coleman admired Jiang Shifeng. She asked curiously, “How is he compared to you?”
Coleman commented very seriously, “A little inferior to me.” Coleman had always been arrogant on the piano.
Coleman was a world-renowned top pianist, and Jiang Shifeng was only slightly inferior to him. Logically speaking, he should be a famous pianist.
But Song Ci had never heard of a pianist called Jiang Shifeng in the piano world.
With a question in her heart, Song Ci was not happy to not ask. She leaned closer to Coleman and asked curiously, “Nowadays, there is no Jiang Shifeng’s name in the piano world. Did he abandon the piano later?”
Hearing this, Coleman thought of something unhappy and remained silent for a moment. He turned around in silence, leaned on his walking stick, and groped his way to the sofa.
Coleman supported himself with the armrest of the sofa and slowly sat down.
The assistant brought the coffee over and invited Song Ci and Han Zhan to take a seat.
Most autistic patients were very paranoid. Coleman was such a paranoid person. He had many fixed little habits and would not allow anyone to change them without permission. Once someone messed up his lifestyle, he would be very anxious, panic, impatient and even mad.
At this moment, he was holding a coffee cup in his left hand and a spoon in his right hand. He stubbornly wanted to scoop up the sugar from the plate on the table and put it into the coffee cup. But he couldn’t see anything now, so he tried many times, but in the end, he still couldn’t successfully scoop the sugar.
Coleman started to get frustrated.
He frowned and said quickly in French, “I can’t see. I can’t see. I can’t see where the sugar is. I can’t see anything…”
Coleman suddenly knocked over the coffee cup in his hand and threw away the spoon. In a panic, he wrapped his arms around his head and repeated, “I am blind. I can’t see sugar or the piano keys. I can’t play the piano anymore. I am a cripple. I am a cripple…”
Han Zhan reminded Song Ci softly, “His condition is acting up.”
Song Ci stood up and tried to comfort Coleman, but the moment her hand touched his arm, he pushed her away crazily. “Don’t touch me!”
Han Zhan hurriedly hugged Song Ci and brought her to a safe place.
The assistant walked out of the kitchen when he heard the commotion. Seeing that Coleman had gone crazy, he acted calm and methodical. “Alright, Coleman, there’s nothing wrong with you. You need to calm down now. Calm down. We’ll take our time. I’ll help you find the sugar. Coleman, calm down…”
Coleman hugged his head and curled up on the sofa, his body trembling non-stop. After shaking for a long time, he gradually regained his composure under his assistant’s comforting.
The assistant gently patted Coleman’s arm and said to Song Ci, “Coleman is originally an autistic patient. After losing his sight and hearing, he will always fall ill over various small matters. His current condition is very dangerous.”
It was dangerous to others but also very dangerous to himself.
The world of autistic patients was already very painful. Now that Coleman was blind, deaf, and couldn’t play the piano anymore, he naturally felt despair and wanted to commit suicide.
It took Coleman more than half an hour to regain his composure. He sat back down and adjusted his bow tie in slow motion. Then he tilted his head and asked softly, “Are you still there, Cherry?”
Song Ci gave Han Zhan a comforting look before walking up to Coleman and telling him, “I’m here.”
Song Ci sat down in her original position. Before she could think of what to say, Coleman said, “Cherry, I can’t touch the piano anymore. My life is boring and dull. The piano gave me the joy of living, but now, I’ve lost the only joy.”
“Cherry, it’s very difficult for me to live on. I want to leave all the time. To me, death is the release.”
“Cherry, I am a weakling.”
Coleman French was ill and was slightly depressed. A few strands of neat blonde hair fell from his forehead. Song Ci hesitated for a long time before reaching out to gently tidy up the hair on Coleman’s forehead.
Coleman was very nervous at first, but he was forcing himself to accept Song Ci’s touch.
After tidying his hair, Song Ci asked, “Coleman, can I hold your hand?”
Coleman clenched his fists and straightened his back.
He was very nervous.
Every pore on his body was screaming that he was unwilling! But in the end, he nodded gently. “Okay.”
Song Ci tried to reach out to Coleman’s hand. Just as she got close to his finger, Song Ci noticed that he frowned in discomfort.
She waited for Coleman to get used to it before opening her fingers and tapping them gently on the back of his hand like she was playing a piano.
Coleman didn’t understand what she was doing at first, but soon, he relaxed. He closed his eyes and hummed the same tune as Song Ci.
Soon, Coleman’s emotions calmed down.
Song Ci stopped tapping and told Coleman loudly, “Coleman, your piano is in your house. You just need to take a few steps back to touch it.”
“It is there. It will never leave you. Coleman, although you can no longer see, you have been with Jean your entire life. It has long been engraved in your heart.”
“Even if you can’t see, you can still move your hand. You can get to know it again. It is your friend. It will definitely fall in love with you very soon.”
Coleman thought about that possibility following Song Ci’s words. He thought of something and smiled. “You’re right. I can still move my fingers. I shouldn’t give up.”
From this moment on, Coleman treated Song Ci as his confidant. She could understand his heart.
Song Ci was also happy to see Coleman’s face glow again.
She said to Coleman, “Coleman, I want to invite you to the finals of Queen Elizabeth’s violin in three months to play for me.” Song Ci was very confident in entering the finals. She had already been considering who to play for the finals. Seeing Coleman today, she finally had a candidate in her heart.
Coleman was slightly shocked. “The finals? You’re inviting me?” In my current state, Song Ci still wanted to invite me?
“Yes.” Song Ci wanted to give Coleman more motivation and pressure. She thought for a moment and said, “Back then, my mother must have also wanted to win the Queen Elizabeth Award. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the chance. Coleman, are you willing to accompany me to win the Queen Elizabeth Award?”
Coleman’s heart was filled with fighting spirit at the thought of Jiang Shiyu.
Fight for her!
“Okay!”
Song Ci heaved a sigh of relief after receiving Coleman’s affirmative answer. “Alright, see you in three months!”
Coleman picked up his coffee and took a sip. He thought of something and said slowly, “Previously, you asked me if your Uncle gave up on the piano after that?”
“Ah.” Song Ci had already forgotten about this. Hearing Coleman mention Jiang Shifeng again, she hurriedly said, “Yes, I think if Jiang Shifeng had been playing the piano, based on his standards, he should have been a pianist long ago. But I’ve never heard of his name.”
Coleman kept stirring his coffee with his spoon. The sugar had already melted, but he didn’t stop.
When he stirred the coffee, the spoon would make that piercing sound at the bottom of the cup, making Han Zhan’s bones feel uncomfortable. Han Zhan said to Song Ci, “You guys chat, I’m going out to take a breather.”
Song Ci suppressed her laughter and nodded.
Ordinary people really couldn’t get along with a person like Coleman.
Coleman didn’t notice that Han Zhan had left and was still stirring his coffee. Song Ci stared at Han Zhan’s back view as he left. Suddenly, Coleman said, “20 years ago, your uncle was involved in a burglary. He was set up and was forced to break his knuckles. From then on, he couldn’t play the piano anymore.”
Hearing this, Song Ci widened her eyes in shock. “His knuckles were broken? What exactly is going on?” How jealous must one be to be so heartless as to break the knuckles of a pianist!
That would completely cut off Jiang Shifeng’s dream!
“I can’t say this.” Coleman didn’t want to talk about his old friend’s pain, so he shut up. He was an autistic patient. When he didn’t want to speak, no one could force him. If they forced him, he would go crazy.
Song Ci also knew that she couldn’t force Coleman, so she didn’t ask further.
After accompanying Coleman for a while, Song Ci got up and bid farewell.
The assistant sent Song Ci off.
Standing by the bushes in front of the door, the assistant told Song Ci, “Sir is very happy today. Your words have made him regain his hope for the piano. Thank you very much, Cherry.”
Hearing this, Song Ci still didn’t dare to really relax. She was worried that after she left, Coleman would still take things too hard and do silly things. She decided to stay a few more days in Old City. “I will stay here for a few more days. If it’s convenient, I can come and chat with him every day.”
Hearing this, the assistant was overjoyed. “That’s great.”
Han Zhan agreed with Song Ci’s decision. They stayed at a nearby hotel. The next day, when Song Ci went to accompany Coleman, Han Zhan didn’t follow her anymore.
He was sure that Coleman didn’t have any love for Song Ci. It was just the feelings of an elder towards a junior. If he went with Song Ci, he would appear petty.
On the afternoon of the third day, Song Ci accompanied Han Zhan for lunch and went to a dessert shop to buy a box of macarons. She walked to Coleman’s house and before she entered the house, she heard a man’s voice.
The man spoke in London English. He was narrating the plot of a movie to Coleman. Although he spoke loudly, he still gave off a very well-mannered feeling.
Song Ci looked puzzled.
Who is this?
Song Ci entered the house with the dessert box and saw an unfamiliar man standing beside Coleman’s piano.
The temperature in Leon was only about 20 degrees Celsius. The man was 1.75m tall and was wearing a light brown British suit. But from the back, he looked like an elegant man.
Song Ci stood in the middle of the living room and smiled slightly. She asked, “Coleman, am I interrupting your reminiscing with your friend?”
Coleman didn’t hear Song Ci’s voice from afar, but the guest did.
The guest turned around and met Song Ci’s eyes. The man had a pair of narrow and charming eyes, but his gaze was as clear as water. After seeing Song Ci’s face, the man’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
He looked at Song Ci in a daze and couldn’t help but call out, “Xiaoyu…”
Song Ci guessed this person’s identity when she heard Xiaoyu.
He was Jiang Shifeng, Jiang Shiyu’s elder brother and my uncle!
Jiang Shifeng’s appearance had changed a lot from when he was young. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were like the tails of a goldfish, full of age. His sideburns were slightly white. Compared to the elegant young man in the photo, the change was earth-shattering.
It was probably because the wings of his dreams had been broken and his edges had been worn down by life, so he aged quickly.
Jiang Shifeng quickly snapped out of his ecstatic state. “You are not Xiaoyu.”
He quickly walked up to Song Ci and stared at her face that was 70% similar to Jiang Shiyu’s. He asked carefully, “Are you Song Ci?”
Song Ci nodded. It looked like Jiang Shifeng already knew of her existence. She raised the macaron box and asked with a reserved smile, “Mr. Jiang, do you want to have afternoon tea together? I have macaron.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Shifeng and Song Ci went to the rooftop of the Coleman house for afternoon tea.
The assistant had already brewed black tea. Seeing that Song Ci and Jiang Shifeng had arrived, he greeted them and left.
The weather here was cooling. Song Ci put on a thin windbreaker over her halter dress. The sun was scorching now and it was still slightly hot. She took off her windbreaker and draped it over the back of the chair.
Jiang Shifeng saw that it was too cooling for Song Ci to take off her clothes. Worried that she might catch a cold, he got up and said, “Wait a moment, I’ll go downstairs to get something.”
“Okay.”
Shortly after, Jiang Shifeng returned. When he returned, he had a male shawl in his hand.
Jiang Shifeng placed the knitted shawl on Song Ci’s shoulder to cover her smooth, fair shoulders. “You are pregnant now. Don’t catch a cold. This shawl is a present I wanted to give to Coleman this time and I haven’t had the time to give it to him. Don’t mind it.”
Song Ci tightened her shawl, her heart warm. “Thank you, Mr. Jiang.”
Jiang Shifeng was disappointed to hear him call him Mr. Jiang, but he couldn’t express it.
Jiang Shifeng picked up the teapot and poured Song Ci a cup of black tea. Song Ci took the opportunity to glance at Jiang Shifeng’s hand. There was a scar on the middle of his five fingers.
His knuckles were really broken.
Song Ci had deep doubts about Jiang Shifeng’s broken knuckles, but she couldn’t bring herself to mention it in front of him.
After pouring the tea, Jiang Shifeng unbuttoned his suit and sat down. He looked at Song Ci’s beautiful face and suddenly asked, “I heard that you have a twin sister who is a virus specialist?”
Song Ci nodded. “Yes, her name is Song Fei. She was born five minutes earlier than me.”
Jiang Shifeng nodded and praised. “You are all very outstanding children. You are even more outstanding than I imagined.”
Song Ci took a sip of black tea and looked down slightly to conceal the emotions in her eyes. She asked, “Mr. Jiang, when… did you know of our existence?”
Jiang Shifeng sighed. “To be honest, I only knew of your existence yesterday when I spoke to Coleman.”
This surprised Song Ci. She said, “I thought you had seen that movie…”
Jiang Shifeng shook his head. “No, I didn’t watch Coleman’s autobiography. Now that I think about it, I really regret it. If I had known that you were the female lead of the movie, I should have watched it earlier. That way, I could…”
Jiang Shifeng didn’t continue.
Hearing this, Song Ci was relieved. After knowing her mother’s identity, Song Ci and Song Fei had investigated Jiang Shiyu’s maternal family. They found out that her grandfather and grandmother had passed away five years ago. Now, her maternal family only had one uncle.
That year, “Le Chi” had won the Oscar for Best Director and was very famous. Song Ci thought that if her uncle really wanted to acknowledge them, he would naturally look for them after watching the movie.
But he didn’t.
Jiang Shifeng didn’t take the initiative to look for the sisters, so Song Ci and Song Fei didn’t take the initiative to contact him. Now that she knew that it wasn’t that her uncle didn’t want to acknowledge them, but just that he didn’t know of their existence, the knot in her heart was finally untied.
]Jiang Shifeng might have guessed Song Ci’s mentality. He didn’t want Song Ci to misunderstand him and hurriedly told her, “If I had known about your sisters’ existence, I would have gone to China early to reunite with you. It’s just that fate makes fools of people. I actually never knew of your existence…”
Song Ci instinctively said, “But Coleman already knew.” She thought that he would tell Jiang Shifeng.
Jiang Shifeng was stunned for a moment, before he smiled helplessly. He said, “You don’t understand Coleman. He’s a very solitary person. He never takes the initiative to call anyone. In fact, before today, we haven’t seen nor spoken to each other for 15 years.”
Song Ci was speechless.
She didn’t understand the world of autistic patients and thought that Coleman would take the initiative to contact Jiang Shifeng after knowing about her relationship with Jiang Shiyu. Unexpectedly, Coleman actually broke contact with Jiang Shifeng.
This time, Jiang Shifeng also heard that Coleman had suffered the greatest blow in his life and had committed suicide a few days ago. He recalled their friendship when he was young and was truly worried about his old friend. After asking around, he finally got his old friend’s number.
Coleman’s mood improved after Song Ci’s counseling. After receiving a call from his old friend, Coleman told Jiang Rufeng about Song Ci’s existence.
Once he heard that his sister had a daughter in this world, Jiang Shifeng rushed to France to meet his niece.