Chapter 11: Blue and White Porcelain
The hundred-member folk orchestra began the next piece: A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.
After that would be Han Leina's Kangding Love Song.
But while everyone was lost in the forest-like atmosphere of the music, Kael slipped out of his seat.
He didn't return even as Han Leina prepared to sing.
Lina Ba muttered unhappily, "Where is he? Did he fall into the toilet?"
Han Leina stepped onto the stage.
She spoke into the mic with a warm smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Originally, the next song would be Kangding Love Song, but we've decided to add a special, unexpected piece. Please enjoy."
The crowd cheered immediately.
More music was always welcome.
But then everyone stared in shock.
In the middle of a folk music hall, the crew rolled out a piano.
And right behind it came a set of huge, ancient chime bells—the real heavyweight treasure.
Staff carried them piece by piece and set them up carefully.
One by one, more instruments appeared:
guzheng, bamboo flute, xylophone, pipa, yangqin.
All traditional Chinese instruments… except for one grand piano standing out sharply at the front.
Microphones were set.
Performers took their places.
Lina, Aisha, and Aurora all gaped.
Kael was walking onto the stage too.
While everyone else wore traditional costumes, Kael stood among them in a sharp black tuxedo—tall, confident, breathtakingly handsome.
Even the world-famous Han Leina stepped aside, acting as his announcer.
"Please welcome Mr. Kael Voss, with his original Chinese-style pop song:
Blue and White Porcelain."
Kael didn't even blink.
This song was released by Jay Chou in 2007.
But this was 2005.
If he performed it first, it was his.
Lina Ba grabbed Aurora's arm in panic.
"He really wrote a Chinese-style pop song?! What if he's just showing off? It'll be so embarrassing if it's bad! Can we make him get off?"
Aurora smiled and calmed her. "Relax. Kael isn't a child. He knows what he's doing."
Backstage.
Lila Hart had just gotten her ten Lau concert tickets.
She was about to leave when she saw Kael in a tuxedo, preparing for something.
Their eyes met for a second.
Lila opened her mouth to speak… but Kael was led onto the stage.
Curiosity burned in her.
What was he doing up there?
She slipped around to the side of the hall to watch.
Kael smiled lightly, bowed to the audience, then sat at the piano.
In that moment, every girl in the room—except calm Aurora—was stunned by his looks and grace.
Including Lina Ba and Lila Hart.
Kael spoke softly into the mic.
"This song… is for someone special here tonight."
Squeals broke out quietly.
Girls pressed their hands to their chests, wondering:
Is he singing about me? But I don't even know him!
Lina's eyes widened.
Is it me? Or Aurora? I challenged him! It must be for me… right?
Lila, standing at the side, held her breath.
A crazy thought jumped into her mind:
Kael… is this for me?
Kael raised his hand.
The ancient chime bells rang out.
Two deep, clear notes.
Then wooden clappers and drums joined in.
The guzheng flowed in.
Every performer had sheet music—prepared by Kael.
As the heir of a wealthy family, playing piano was second nature to him.
Piano and guzheng wove together perfectly, like a misty Jiangnan painting come to life.
Soft, dreamlike, beautiful.
Then Kael began to sing, his voice gentle and clear.
Unmarked clay, brush turns light to dark,
Peonies on the body, just like your first mark.
Incense drifts through the window, I know your heart.
My brush stops halfway on the scroll.
The melody was smooth, elegant, perfectly blending piano and Chinese instruments—no clash at all.
They completed each other.
The entire audience, even Han Leina herself, stared in awe.
Glazed lady's portrait, charm hidden away,
Your smile blooms like a flower about to sway.
A wisp of your beauty drifts away,
To a place I cannot reach.
Wow.
Everyone covered their mouths.
They were completely stunned.
This was pop and Chinese folk, fused into something entirely new.
Lyrics and melody were perfect.
It rewrote everything they thought music could be.
Lina's eyes were huge.
She squeezed Aurora's arm so tight it must have hurt.
Even calm Aurora was shocked speechless.
A song this good—lyrics and music both masterpieces—would spread across the country in no time.
The guzheng played a short transition.
Kael smiled faintly.
The chorus came.
Sky blue waits for rain,
And I wait for you.
Smoke rises slow,
Across a thousand miles of river view.
I write Han script on the bottom,
Copying the elegance of old.
Take this as my clue…
That I was meant to meet you.
Anyone who knew anything about porcelain understood.
The legendary sky-blue glaze could only be made on humid, rainy days.
It had to wait for the weather.
The lyrics were on another level.
Sky blue waits for rain,
And I wait for you.
Moonlight is pulled up,
Blurring the end we're heading to.
Like a timeless blue and white vase,
Beautiful all on its own.
Your eyes hold a smile…
Eyes widened.
Goosebumps rose on every arm.
Even the performers on stage felt like kneeling in admiration.
Every one of the hundred musicians played with perfect focus.
This felt sacred.
One wrong note and they might ruin the magic.
Aurora closed her eyes.
Everyone closed their eyes.
They let the music sink in.
This wasn't just a song.
It was a poem.
A love letter.
White and blue koi leap inside the bowl,
I copy Song script, but my mind is on you soul.
Your secret hidden in kilns for a thousand years,
Soft as a needle falling, quiet against all fears.
Outside the curtain, rain teases the banana leaves,
The door knocker turns green with age and breeze.
I passed Veyra University…
And I met you.
Veyra University.
The whole hall caught that line.
The girl he was singing about was from their school.
In that exact moment, three girls thought the exact same thing:
Aurora Hale.
Lina Ba.
Lila Hart.
Each one frozen, breath caught.
He's singing… for me.