Shen Wei is a chef who nearly lost everything. Grieving for his twin brother he finds a lifeline in Zhao Yulan, an up and coming cello and violin playing superstar.
The concert had been predictable and tedious, right up until Zhao Yunlan had taken the stage. Shen Wei had been stunned by his beauty first, he could admit that. His had a face that could start wars, with smouldering obsidian eyes and the mouth of a poet, combined with a tall, athletic body, dressed in a navy blue suit.
Shen Wei was not the only one bedazzled as he had glided onto the stage and watched breathless as he captivated the audience, bowing respectfully, before sitting down on the stage chair with a smile.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Beauty was one thing, but when he began to play an exquisitely carved cello, the world stilled and changed, flowing and dancing to the notes he brought forth. The skill was stunning but the emotion and passion with which he played, was nothing short of breathtaking, daring anyone not to be moved, to the very soul.
It was extraordinary and he had experienced the strangest urge to kneel at his feet, to see that smile and watch his fingers dancing over the fingerboard up close. Ye Zun had nudged him, amusement clear. "To see you so enamored Gege...I should have forced you out more!"
He had blushed, shoving his twin and had tried not to be so captivated, but when he left the stage, he had been bereft, only to watch with joy when he returned after the intermission, this time with a violin.
"He plays both?" Ye Zun had asked, as if daring him to be less of a violinist.
Some instinct wanted him to defend this man. This beautiful stranger. He had taken the center, bowed to the conductor again and began. Within moments, the pianist began Carmen Fantasy Opus 25 and five seconds later, Zhao Yunlan had already enthralled the audience. Again. One minute later, Shen Wei had forgotten how to breathe, so absorbed by his graceful movements, so entranced by the difference between his glorious first piece and this exquisite rendition. When that too was over, he swore he might have clapped the loudest, ignoring Ye Zun's laughter.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
His phone buzzed, startling him from memory, but he ignored the call. It was nothing urgent, so he pressed play, focusing on Zhao Yunlan who came into view, standing in front of a hotel bed. He was in Quebec, playing at a classical concert marking a famous anniversary, but the details escaped Shen Wei as he took in the tight jeans artfully ripped at the knee and the grey t-shirt stretched over that sculpted chest.
His Savior waved as he always did, grinning. "Zhao Yunlan here. Soo...the flight has been delayed because of the weather. It's ten below freezing! So, we are all jammed into this hotel, the only one that had enough room and we have nowhere to go for another four to six hours."
Shen immediately wondered if he was dressed warm enough.
His second thought was that of a premier chef. How bad was the food? Had he eaten? His gastritis might be playing up...
Da Qing landed on the bed beside him and enthusiastically waved, wearing his usual dungarees with a red flannel shirt in respect to the weather Shen supposed. He liked Da Qing. He had been friends and one of Zhao's staunchest supporters, for decades, famous in his own right as the lead guitarist of a heavy rock band, Zhao also sometimes played for, plus a studio drummer. "We thought we would post something instead!"
"Damn Fatty you nearly killed me!" Zhao griped, shoving him.
Da Qing just shoved back and picked up his acoustic guitar. "You ready or you need time alone?"
Zhao Yunlan rolled his eyes and moved his cello into view. "I wrote this about a week ago, it's called Autumn Memories and I would really love some feedback. Love it, hate it, and say it in the comments below!" He commanded imperiously, then grinned and bowed towards the camera.
It was romantic and surprisingly joyful. At the end, he thanked his sponsors for their amazing support, causing Shen to blush slightly, since he was one of them. He stared at the comments box. He could write an essay on how much he had loved it, but that was too much. So, four minutes later he typed "One of your best. Love it!"
Closing his laptop, before he was tempted to watch another, Shen Wei was ready to face the world. He smiled, a shy sweet smile hardly anyone had ever witnessed. Traffic would be terrible and if he was stuck in traffic, he could listen to quite a few songs on Zhao's latest album, Rivers and Mountains before getting to the restaurant.
