Chapter 5 - Nocturne
The Wang's Mansion was located at the South side of the City. It was currently rush hour, so Jiang Yue was forced to endure being stuck in the traffic.
Jiang Yue was excited to see her grandfather, Wang Guiren. In her past life, Grandfather Wang pampered her, but her poor choices alienated her from the old man. Grandfather Wang must have been really disappointed in her previous self. She couldn't help but sigh. Her maternal family doted on her so much.
The Wang family is one of the four prestigious families, not just in Xin City, but in the whole country. Although it's not as old compared to the other families, the Wang family's fortune could still compete with the other three. The Wang family's iComms tech International was a very well known company both inside and outside the country. They were a conglomerate company that focuses on technological innovations. They started off as a small business, but with the past three decades of staggering technological updates, iComms tech international was able to rise up to the top. .
Her Grandfather, Wang Guiren, was the founder and current patriarch of the Wang Family. He had twins. Wang Rou, her mother, and Wang Hou, her beloved uncle. At first, Wang Guiren was reluctant to let Wang Rou enter the Jiang Family. But he had to honor his promise to his best friend, Jiang Chanming's father, Jiang Linfang.
After Wang Rou's death, Jiang Yue became the only female in the Wang Family. This made everyone, including her only male cousin, dote on her. Jiang Yue couldn't help but smile while thinking about her maternal family. She missed them. This will be the first time that she would spend some time with the Wang family after her rebirth.
Jiang Yue was still in deep thought when she noticed the deceleration of the car. She lifted her head and gazed at the luxurious Mansion in front of her. The Wang ancestral house is a luxurious 19,000 square foot mansion. It had a warm and cozy vibe that made you feel comfortable just by looking at it. The exteriors were made of lilac block stones, and pressure treated spruce, giving it an expensive and elegant appeal. Its interior floor was made of cozy Bavarian oak. It also featured beautifully designed wood ceilings and wenge walls.
Jiang Yue quickly got out the car and bounced her way into the house. Her excitement was clearly visible on her face.
"Good morning young miss. Your grandfather is waiting for you in the Gallery." She vaguely heard the attendant say as she skipped her way to the second floor.
The gallery was on the second floor of the Mansion. Inside the gallery was a collection of paintings and sculptures that her grandfather loved. This included some of Wang Rou's paintings. Her mother was a very talented artist, and she loved to paint, sing and play musical instruments. This was the reason why her grandfather made the Gallery connect to a music room where you could play the piano.
Opening the door, she saw an old man standing in front of a framed black and white photograph.
"Grandfather!" She called. The old man looked at her and gave her a longing smile. Jiang Yue knew that her grandfather was looking at Wang Rou's photo again. After Wang Rou's death, her grandfather insisted on framing a black and white photo of his daughter. He decided to put it in the Gallery, Wang Rou's favorite place in the mansion.
"Grandfather, you can't stand too long. You need to take care of yourself. Come, let's go to the music room. I will play a piece for you." She said with a sincere smile. Jiang Yue was aware that her grandfather missed her mother.
She helped Wang Guiren into a chair and proceeded to sit in front of the black and shiny piano. Silence enveloped the room as she slowly let her fingers fly over the keys. She decided to play Nocturne in E Flat Major, her mother's favorite piece. Before long, she became engrossed in its dramatic flair. She closed her eyes to let the memories drown her.
In her past life, she became so determined to earn her father's approval and love that she didn't even cherish moments of peace and happiness like this.
Her father started despising her when she was 5, and she lost her mother when she was 15. She started making wrong decisions after her mother's death. At 18, she chose to become an actress just like Jiang Mian even though she hated acting. At 19, she lost her innocence to a director just to steal a role from Jiang Mian. She got married to the despicable Yu Chen at 21, and became a divorced woman at 24. Later on, she died of a car accident alone at 25.
The tone started to build up and she could feel the vibrations tingling into her skin. Her heart raced, banging against her chest. She let her fingers caress the piano, her emotions flowing everywhere. Then finally she hit the last note.
She opened her eyes as a single tear slowly cascaded down her cheeks. She glanced at her grandfather. Wang Guiren gave her a proud smile, eyes gleaming, full of affection.
*Clap-Clap-Clap* Her attention was drawn to the person clapping beside her grandfather. She saw a man who looked exactly like her mother. It was her uncle, Wang Hou.
"Wow! I didn't know someone else could play that piece aside from your mother, Little Yue." Wang Hou exclaimed.
She gave them a smile, and slowly made her way to her grandfather and her uncle.
"You look just like your mother when she was your age. Come give your uncle a big hug." Wang Hou cheekily said as he opened his arms wide.
"Stop it old man, you are not a kid. Come, Little Yue, give this handsome young cousin of yours a hug instead." Another voice butted in. Then Jiang Yue saw her cousin, Wang Minghua, elegantly stride in and give her a hug.
"How dare you call me an old man? How about we talk about your engagement instead? What do you say, Wang Minghua?" Spouted Wang Hou.
"Engagement? How about I tell Grandfather what you-" Wang Minghua was not able to finish his words as Wang Hou covered his mouth.
"How about we let Little Yue eat some of her favorite cookies that you baked especially for her, son?" Wang Hou said. His cold gaze fixed on the smiling young man.
Jiang Yue beamed while watching the father and son banter in front of her. She was not able to witness such a warm scene in her past life.
"Stop this nonsense! How embarrassing! You are giving me a headache." Her grandfather said while shaking his head. He stood up and started walking. "Come, Little Yue, let us ignore these two embarrassing people here."
Jiang Yue couldn't help but let out a little chuckle as she followed Wang Guiren. Her uncle and cousin didn't even notice their departure as they continued to banter like teenagers.
Edited by Alaedja+Cajun.Lesi