The Mystery of Revenge (6 page)

The recital was held at the Jordan Hall in New England Conservatory. Having served musicians and local residents for nearly a hundred years, the hall was in desperate need of renovation. In spite of its old age, however, it was on the short list of highly regarded prime music halls in the nation that musicians all over the world would come to play
in.

Sitting in the first row of the balcony with June, Jim, and her friends, Yi-yun listened intensely as the pianist showered the audience with the cadenced sound of beautiful music. Swinging rhythmically and moving gracefully, his fingers danced on the keyboard, waltzing as fast as a gust of wind, pounding as loud as thunder, and floating as light as drops of sun. Soon, Yi-yun was carried away to a fantasy world that she never knew
existed.

“Bravo!” Jim shouted when the last notes disappeared into the thin air. Even Shao Mei was clapping like
mad.

“That was incredible!” Ann turned to Amy who sat next to
her.

“Wow! He could play a concerto all by himself!” Shao Mei wondered
aloud.

Yi-yun was in a dreamland when the thunderous applause pulled her back to the reality. She had never before heard a musician who could stir up her emotions as dramatically as this Tom Meyers, not even her next-door neighbor who made her fall in love with the piano when she was a preschooler. During the summer months, Yi-yun would sit on the porch and longingly listen to the familiar pieces her neighbor used to play while fully aware she would never have the chance to learn because private lessons had been struck down as a crime during the Cultural Revolution. Her neighbor could only play a few pieces, so he often repeated the songs he knew. They were never anything fancy, but to the ears of a young girl, they were beautiful and
everlasting.

“Shall we visit him backstage?” June asked her
husband.

“Of course,” Jim said. He turned to Yi-yun and her friends. “Do you all want to meet him?” All of them wanted to go. Shao Mei was so excited that she was simply beside
herself.

To everyone’s delight, Tom turned out to be a good-looking young man with pale blue eyes and curly brown hair. When he smiled, the lines around his eyes became boyishly soft, making him look extremely sweet. In a black tuxedo, he looked as classic as the pieces he just
played.

“Tom, I would like you to meet Yi-yun and her friends,” Jim said after giving Tom a bear hug. Tom’s eyes twinkled when Yi-yun told him how much she loved his
music.

“I’m flattered,” he said with a boyish
smile.

The meeting was short, but the handsome and talented musician left a lasting imprint on Yi-yun.

“How does he make money?” Yi-yun asked when she and June talked about his recital the next day. Since recitals were given for free, he had to do something to support
himself.

“Freelancing,” June said. “He plays for local churches, clubs, and
restaurants.”

“Is freelancing lucrative?” Yi-yun asked curiously. She couldn’t believe anyone could hold so many jobs at
once.

“No,” June said. “The churches pay peanuts, the clubs and restaurants only slightly more. I don’t think he’s making good money. Otherwise, he would do tours or competitions. Jim says he has to skip big competitions because he can’t afford
them.”

How sad! Yi-yun shivered as she recalled how difficult her own life used to be when she had no
money.

It was a complete surprise when she ran into Tom at Star Market, the local grocery store she shopped a few times a month. She was heading into the produce aisle when her shopping cart crashed into somebody else’s. Looking up apologetically at the man behind it, she cried out rather joyfully: “Oh! Tom, it’s Yi-yun. We met at your recital at the New England
Conservatory.”

“Of course, Yi-yun,” he seemed equally excited. “How nice to see you again,” he said. He looked very handsome in a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt.

“When are you giving another recital?” Yi-yun asked as they walked along. “You have to let me know. All my friends love to hear you
again.”

“Not until the end of the year,” he said, picking up a few apples. “I can’t afford to give free concerts all the time you
know.”

“But you have to! You’re so good,” Yi-yun said, following him to the frozen meat aisle. “You’re the best pianist I’ve ever
heard!”

“Why don’t you come to the Ritz?” he said. “I’m playing at the restaurant three nights a
week.”

“Really, when?”

Yi-yun went with Fang Chen the following Sunday. She figured if she had liked Tom’s music so much, Fang Chen would appreciate it as well because his whole family played instruments and his younger sister was a concert
pianist.

Even before stepping into the dining room, she heard Tom playing a sweet and melodic waltz. “That’s Tom!” she told Fang Chen excitedly. “Isn’t he
great?”

Fang Chen shrugged while walking up the
stairs.

They were seated at a table not far from the grand piano. As they sat down, Yi-yun caught Tom’s pale blue eyes.
He’s so
cute!

The grand dining room was less than half full; besides the tinkling sound of piano, it was rather quiet. When the main dishes arrived, they came with a note: “Thank you for coming. This song is for
you.”

Yi-yun was breathless when “You’re Always in My Mind” started to
flow.

“How lovely,” she sighed. Her heart melted as the echo of the last notes disappeared into the high
ceiling.

“These are the best lamb chops I’ve ever had,” Fang Chen sighed, facing the dish with his fork half raised. “So delicious,” he said with great
satisfaction.

Yi-yun turned and looked at him incredulously. How could he be so ignorant! He hadn’t paid any attention to Tom’s playing, and he used to tell her how much he loved classical
music!

Though she had hardly tasted the food, Yi-yun agreed with Fang Chen passionately when he remarked on the way home that the Ritz housed one of the best restaurants in town. “Oh, yes,” she cried. “It has the most beautiful dining room, the greatest music–definitely the best place to spend an
evening.”

“Only if you have deep pockets to take care of the bill,” Fang Chen said
sarcastically.

Yi-yun smiled; she was too smitten to say a word, and she didn’t care how much her husband paid. For the next few weeks, she tried in vain to get Fang Chen to go again. Finally, she went alone when Fang Chen was tied up at school as
usual.

Sitting in a corner, Yi-yun drank her coffee while watching Tom play. The music had changed its voice from whispering to singing while the notes were flying high. When she heard “You’re Always in My Mind,” tears welled up in her
eyes.

It didn’t take her long to decide to wait for him after
dinner.

“What a performance!” she exclaimed when he came over to sit down with her. He smiled his boyish smile, and his eyes were sparkling with crystal
grins.

“Are you playing again tomorrow?” she asked. For some reason, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, as if they held her under a
spell.

“No, I’m going to teach private students at home tomorrow,” he said, taking a sip from her coffee
cup.

“Besides playing at churches, clubs, and restaurants, you give private lessons as well?” She looked at him in
amazement.

“Yes,” he said without a
smile.

“Isn’t it awful?” Yi-yun sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. “I mean, having to work so
hard!”

“Not exactly,” he said, looking down at his well-shaped fingers. “I’m happy when I’m doing what I love. I knew I was going to be poor when I decided to be a pianist. Most musicians are poor, you know. But I love playing and performing so I don’t mind working hard. Besides, I believe in myself, and I know I’ll be famous
someday.”

“Have you considered entering international competitions?” Yi-yun asked. June had told her he couldn’t afford to go, but some competitions could make him famous
overnight.

“Of course,” he said. For the first time, Yi-yun saw the bitterness in his beautiful eyes. “I’ve won quite a few local competitions, but I haven’t had the chance to go abroad, and all the major ones are held in foreign countries. It’s just too expensive. Besides the registration fee, you have to pay for the airfare, the hotel, the whole nine yards.” He sighed. “I simply don’t have the
money.”

“But you have to go,” Yi-yun said urgently. “You are simply too good not to let the world
know.”

“Yes,” he said with a good humor. “I’ll go when I have enough
money.”

“But you have to,” she
insisted.

“By the way,” he swiftly changed the subject with a tap of a finger on her hand. “I really appreciate you waiting for me
tonight.”

She felt her color rising suddenly, and she dropped her eyes to avoid
his.

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her
cheek.

“I think we should go,” she jumped up, and her heart started racing violently. “It’s getting
late.”

“Okay, let’s go,” he said
cheerfully.

They stood side by side when they were outside, waiting for her car. He was quiet, but she could feel the
tension.

“Yi-yun?” he said when the valet handed her the
key.

“Yes?” she was startled when she saw his eyes; they were painfully
intense.

“Do you want to join me in Newport next weekend?” he asked in a low and tense voice. “I’m scheduled to play at the Casino, one of the oldest restaurants in Rhode Island, on Saturday. When I play, you can have lunch there. Afterward, we can tour the town, and visit some of the mansions – make a day
trip.”

“That sounds lovely!” she cried. Never once had Fang Chen offered her a trip like this. The invitation was very
tempting.

“Will you come?” he
asked.

“Yes, definitely!”

“Why do you want to go to Newport?” Fang Chen was furious when he heard her plan. “Isn’t it enough for you to go to the Ritz to listen to
him?”

“Because I want to have a fun day exploring the town,” she snapped. “We haven’t been anywhere since getting married, and you’re always too busy to spend time with me. If you don’t want me to go with him, then you go with
me.”

“I have to work!” Fang Chen growled. “You know how important it is for me to finish writing my dissertation. This is my last
semester!”

“But I’m tired of being alone,” she said firmly. “I’m going with Tom if you are not going to come, so make up your mind before
Saturday.”

Fang Chen eventually backed off. He just couldn’t take a day off to go sightseeing with his
wife.

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day as the sun was shining and the air was refreshing; the leaves were vibrantly green while the sky was a cloudless blue. On the way to Newport, they kept the windows open so they could take in as much of the sweet scent of nature as
possible.

“I’m so glad you came,” Tom said, smiling at her behind the
wheel.

“I’m glad you invited me,” she said. “I haven’t been out of the city since our honeymoon.” She and Fang Chen honeymooned in Cape Cod after their civil ceremony more than a year
ago.

“Really?” he was genuinely surprised. “What is your husband thinking? If I were him, I would want to be with you all the time and take you to everywhere you want to
go.”

She laughed bitterly. “I wish you were him.” What a difference it would make if Fang Chen could be with her from time to
time!

He smiled, then said: “I should’ve invited you a long time
ago.”

“How long ago?” she asked. “We’ve only known each other for a few
months.”

“The first day I saw you,” he
said.

For some reason, she wasn’t surprised because she too realized that she was attracted to him the first time they met; only the fact that she was married had prevented her from acting on it. Since meeting Tom, Yi-yun had felt nothing but the resentment when she thought about her husband. When had Fang Chen ever taken her on a trip or planning a fun activity with her? Throughout their entire marriage, he cared about nothing but his studies as if everything in their lives revolved around his
work.

The prolonged silence made Tom turn to her inquiringly. When he saw her tears, he placed his free hand on her leg affectionately without saying a word. In a sudden impulse, Yi-yun leaned over and kissed
him.

Bending toward her, he caught her mouth. Before he could stop the car properly, they were already locked in each other’s
arms.

Chapter 7

“Of course Tom killed her,” Shao Mei said to Paul Winderman forcefully. “People always suspect the husband, but I’m telling you, Fang is the nicest guy you could ever meet.” She emphasized her declaration with a nod. How could the police be so stupid. Just look at Fang Chen. They should figure that out, such a nice man and so much in love. Her heart ached when she remembered the first time seeing Fang Chen and Yi-yun together. The two lovebirds, she had called
them.