Halfway there, Aunt Lisa called again to urge him.
Judging by her tone, it sounded like something serious was happening and she was desperate for William to get there as fast as possible.
"Driver, can you go a bit faster?" William asked cautiously.
"No problem!"
The driver was clearly the passionate type. As soon as he answered, he hit the gas and started weaving through traffic like crazy. William felt like the side mirrors were brushing against other cars, but somehow the driver always managed to overtake safely.
In the end, they arrived four minutes earlier than expected.
Before he even got out of the car, William saw Aunt Lisa standing anxiously at the entrance of the music store. There was a crowd gathered inside, and William even spotted a TV crew.
Did someone die?
If it were something that serious, Aunt Lisa would have called Uncle Zach, not him—so maybe it wasn't that bad.
"Hurry, come with me."
As soon as he stepped out of the car, Aunt Lisa grabbed his arm and pulled him into the store, not giving him a chance to ask anything.
As William passed through the front of the music store, he noticed a big crowd gathered—it looked like a show was being filmed. A little girl, around seven or eight years old, was performing in front of a guzheng, with several people standing beside her.
Aunt Lisa explained, "That's the Riverdale TV crew. They're here today to shoot a special episode for the new year."
Riverdale TV?
William couldn't help but take another look. The host standing next to the little girl was none other than Wang Yun, who often showed up on Aunt Lisa's TV after dinner. She was known as the "flower of Riverdale."
Next to Wang Yun stood another woman—only her side profile was visible, but it was clear she was just as beautiful.
Maybe she noticed William looking, because she turned slightly and waved in their direction.
For a moment, it felt like something hit William right in the heart. He couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face.
But before he could react, Aunt Lisa had already pulled him into the staff lounge and handed him a suit that she'd clearly prepared ahead of time. "Go change quickly. I already talked to the crew—you'll be performing too."
"What?"
William stared in shock. He never imagined Aunt Lisa had called him over just to get him on the show. Sure, the old William had always dreamed of showing up on TV and making a splash, but that was the old him. The new William didn't have that dream anymore.
"What are you thinking?!" Aunt Lisa knocked him on the forehead—not lightly this time.
The pain snapped William back to reality. Then he thought, even if he becomes a game producer, he'll still have to show his face to players now and then. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Besides, he owed that old version of William some thanks anyway.
He quickly changed into the suit, and Aunt Lisa led him to a piano classroom on the second floor. She told him, "Wait here," before hurrying back downstairs.
That left William standing awkwardly at the doorway, listening to the guzheng performance below slowly coming to an end, while three big questions filled his head:
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
Even with two lifetimes behind him, William couldn't stop the nerves from creeping in. But his eyes soon landed on the piano in front of the classroom.
It was a Steinway grand piano.
A great pianist can make beautiful music on even the simplest piano, but a great piano still makes things easier.
"Go on, play it," a voice echoed in his heart. It was the voice of his inner pianist, gently urging him forward.
Having such high-level piano skills and not using them would be a waste.
The noise downstairs was getting louder. The energy in the building was all moving toward a single moment.
"You really like that kid, don't you? Isn't Zach going to get jealous?" Tiffany said with a smile as she walked next to Aunt Lisa. The two of them had been close friends for over twenty years, on top of being boss and employee. "But I gotta say, he is pretty good-looking—way better than all those pretty boys all over the place."
Aunt Lisa's face turned red. "What are you even saying?"
"Just being honest," Tiffany teased.
"Let's not talk nonsense," Aunt Lisa said, clearly wanting to drop the topic. "Once you hear him play, you won't be thinking that way anymore."
Just then, Wendy, who was walking next to them, pointed and asked, "Is it that room?"
You had to admit, the three women walking together really were a beautiful sight.
The cameraman was loving it, giving them all the shots he could.
Just as Aunt Lisa was about to answer Wendy, music suddenly rang out from the classroom.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
A soft and slow intro—eight notes in total, each one echoing the first.
The second part was the same. Eight notes, all following the pattern of the first.
Third, fourth...
The music kept looping in circles, but it never felt repetitive—instead, it was beautiful and moving.
Canon in D, also known as Pachelbel's Canon Variations.
From meeting and falling in love to parting ways, this piece tells the story of a couple's life together—sweet yet sorrowful.
Everyone stayed outside the classroom, not daring to step in, afraid they might interrupt the music. Only the cameraman found an angle to film from the doorway.
The piano played for over five minutes, and the crowd waited in silence the whole time. Only when the music stopped did they burst into thunderous applause.
No one noticed Tiffany quietly wiping away a tear.
William had actually noticed their arrival earlier. Nervous, he started playing the piano—and once he did, everything else faded away. It felt like only he and the piano existed.
Now that the performance was over, the noise of the world rushed back in, and his anxiety returned.
"Hi, I'm Wendy, the host of Riverdale TV's New Year special." Wendy stepped into the classroom first, followed by the camera crew and a crowd of curious onlookers.
"Hello." William shook her hand, sneaking a glance at Aunt Lisa and Tiffany.
"Is he looking at you or me?" Tiffany whispered to Aunt Lisa.
Aunt Lisa ignored her, focused on William and Wendy's conversation.
"That piece was incredible. Did you compose it yourself?"
"Uh..." William dodged the question.
Wendy, being a professional, didn't press further. Instead, she asked, "Does it have a name?"
"Canon in D."
"Canon?" Wendy's eyes lit up. "Is that some new technique?"
"Yes."
"Could you explain it to us?"
"Maybe next time?"
William didn't actually know much about canons—he'd just picked a piece he liked, originally planning to add it to his game's new mode. Now that it was out in the open, it at least helped build hype for the update.
"Then I'll look forward to interviewing you again." Wendy smiled, shook his hand once more, and left.
Her team was on a tight schedule. With just two weeks left until New Year's and a daily show to produce, they couldn't stay in one place for long.
"Wait, please?"
Just as Wendy's team was about to leave, Aunt Lisa suddenly called out to them.
William's heart dropped—he had a bad feeling about this.