The Inconceivable Flame: A Fallen Angel's Disguise

Xiao Zhi-Yuan was in awe seeing the spacious and magnificent apartment of Ru. He had his fair share of coming across rich people and their lifestyle- being one himself- but there was a distinct charm in this apartment.

What made it glamorous was the artwork and what made it unpretentious was the minimalistic interior. Xiao Zhi-Yuan instantly fell in love with those black marble hallways.

"Make yourself at home, I’ll bring something for you to drink," Ru told him in a modest manner before leaving him alone in the sitting area. Xiao Zhi-Yuan pulled open the curtains to see the beautiful view of the green grass and trees.

"Can I look around the house?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan beseeched Ru with his bright black eyes. Ru looked at him and nodded.

There was nothing in her house that she would hide from anyone. And the stuff that was supposed to be kept behind closed doors was already safe and sound in her inconspicuous lockers.

Xiao Zhi-Yuan walked all around the first floor and went upstairs using the spiral stairs. He admired all the masterpieces of artworks lining in the hallway. There were two doors on the second floor. When he opened the first door. His eyes widened as they slowly brightened up.

The room behind the doors was akin to a music instrument gallery. It was spacious. There was a huge piano in black in the corner near the glass wall. There were different instruments like cello, violin, zither, Erhu[1], Dizi[2], guitar, and plenty of other instruments which Xiao Zhi-Yuan was not familiar with.

Xiao Zhi-Yuan wasn’t interested in any other instrument than the violin before him. That dark mahogany colored violin looked enticing to him as if calling Xiao Zhi-Yuan to come closer. And he couldn’t stop himself from picking that violin off its stand.

Xiao Zhi-Yuan always loved the violin. He believed that a violin could create the sweetest sound if it was in right hands. As for in wrong hands, one might not need to imagine much. He loved the fact that a violin’s music had the ability to capture human emotions making them feel pain, happiness, and all other emotions with just a melody.

When Xiao Zhi-Yuan touched the violin, he could feel its smooth and polished surface. From the handcrafted bridge to the holes, every single delicate detail had been made with skill and care.

After admiring the design of the violin, Xiao Zhi-Yuan supported the violin between his shoulder and chin and placed the violin’s bow on its four strings making a slight screeching sound. He took a deep breath and tried to remember the composition in his mind.

As his eyes closed, his hand moved on its own accord and a beautiful symphony floated out in the air as if a genie had escaped from the bottle.

Ru had placed the fresh juice for Xiao Zhi-Yuan in the living room when she heard the slow melody making her turn towards the music room upstairs. Ru leaned against the door to see Xiao Zhi-Yuan lost in his own world. The melody was pensive and quiet, building and stirring up to the grandiose climax. Ru loved this balance of sophistication, elegance, calm and yet uplifting ambiance.

When Xiao Zhi-Yuan finished his melody, he heard a couple of enthusiastic claps and turned to see Ru leaning languidly against the doorframe. "You got some hidden talent," Ru reckoned.

"Nah... It’s nothing. I have stopped practicing for a few years now." His eyes turned to the violin in hand as he went on, "But seeing this gem of a violin, I couldn’t stop myself from touching it. But a slight touch was not enough. So, I decided to play it. Hope you don’t mind?" He was looking expectantly at Ru.

She shook her head lightly saying, "I definitely don’t mind after listening to that beautiful piece." Ru praised him without hesitation. She could feel his passion and emotions in the melody. And she had a feeling that it was his own composition. But if it really was then she couldn’t help being intrigued to know about the reason behind such a sad and soulful melody.

"Thanks. But I think this violin is to be praised. This is truly a tour de force[1]." Xiao Zhi-Yuan praised the violin instead.

"Well, if it’s in my music gallery then it’s a given that it has to be a gem." Xiao Zhi-Yuan didn’t understand her meaning until she explained. "Kiddo, the violin in your hand is one of a kind. It originally belonged to Sir David which means it’s a century-old violin which I bought in an auction a few years ago."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan was startled by her words. He was holding a non-replaceable violin in his hand? His hands trembled a bit but thinking that his life might not be able to cover its loss, he managed to put back the violin safely at its spot.

After a while, his eyes darted all around in the room and he asked, "What about the other instruments?"

"They all are one of a kind. All have their own history and value." Ru answered calmly.

"Why?" Ru knew his meaning was to ask why she had so many instruments.

"Because I like collecting things," Ru answered matter-of-factly. "Oh, and you can take the violin if you like it. For me, it’s just a showpiece. At least, you can play it."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan shook his head and his hands as well emphasizing his point, "No, no... It’s too much for me. Also, I’ve stopped playing."

"May I ask why?" Ru tried to probe him a bit.

Xiao Zhi-Yuan sighed heavily and answered, "When mom died, my elder brother brought a music teacher for me to learn violin since he didn’t want me to fall into depression. I lost my interest after a while." Ru knew that he was hiding something since the way he just so plainly talked about his mother’s death showed his lack of affection for her. But she didn’t have a right to pry any further.

She had a rule, ’One should probe others as much as they would like others to do with them.’ Since she wasn’t gonna share her secrets, she didn’t have the right question his secrets.

"Oh, can you play any instrument?" Xiao Zhi-Yuan changed the topic.

"Not really..." Ru lied trying to avoid his gaze. She knew how to play zither and the flute but both of these were traditional instruments and for someone young like Xiao Zhi-Yuan, she felt like he wouldn’t be interested in them. "Come downstairs, let’s start your first lecture."

Xiao Zhi-Yuan followed her down to the sitting area and took a seat at the couch while Ru sat beside him. She offered him fresh fruit juice before starting the lecture.

"So, how are we going to do it? The learning part." He asked with an eager look.

"Look, I have one rule for you," Ru started solemnly. "If you know, recognize that you know. If you don’t know, then realize that you don’t know. That is knowledge.[4]" He knitted his brow in confusion making Ru explain further, "You have to keep in mind that there is no use of learning without knowledge. And we are here to gain knowledge. Not to learn. There is a clear distinction in both." Xiao Zhi-Yuan nodded his head eagerly.

"Now, this young master is going to make you top this so-called Chinese Literature with ease." Ru winked at him playfully as she gave him the confidence in her own weird ways.

[1] "Erhu": Chinese two-faced fiddle

[2] "Dizi": Chinese bamboo flute

[3] "tour de force": a work of outstanding artistry.

[4] It’s a saying from Confucius.