Chapter 3: Libiamo ne’lieti calici

Mei Yun's seating position in class was always near the window, not that the view was any good. With St Mary's located near a nature reserve, the scenery was full of trees and not much else. Luckily for her, she was seated right behind Wu Jiahui which made it easier to observe her during lessons.

Mei Yun was a Master's student in biochemistry in her last life, meaning that her current classes in biology, chemistry and to some extent, mathematics were a great refresher course on the basics. She didn't need to study as much as she did then which allowed her to focus more on her plan. It was also a good thing that all her teachers were not in the habit to call on their students to answer questions during lessons.

'Chemistry class is boring today.'

Mei Yun began to solve some of the challenge questions located at the back of her notes. She recalled how tough these were in the exam before but now she needed to do something stimulating to wear down the boredom. After solving a couple of questions, she glanced at Wu Jiahui who was slouching and looked to be struggling to keep her head up.

'Jiahui looks tired. It seems she didn't sleep at all last night. Poor thing.'

The first break finally came and Mei Yun took the chance to catch Wu Jiahui's attention.

"Jiahui." She called.

Wu Jiahui turned around, "Mei Yun…" She acknowledged with an exhausted expression.

"Wanna have break with us?" Mei Yun gestured to Xiao Lingling who was standing at the door waiting for them.

"Er…Sure, I guess." Wu Jiahui hesitated but agreed in the end.

The trio walked to the cafeteria and bought the usual baozi before sitting down to eat. Once they finished, Mei Yun was the first to speak,

"Jiahui, you remember what you told me a few days ago?"

"A few days ago?" Wu Jiahui didn't seem to catch on at first.

"The percussion room." Mei Yun hinted, hoping to jog her memory.

"!!!" Wu Jiahui's eyes lit up and opened her mouth to speak.

"Wait. It's too dangerous to talk about this here. Come with us after school to upper downtown S-City so we can discuss."

Wu Jiahui seemed to hesitate and Mei Yun felt a sliver of panic run through her body.

"You're not free?" She managed to remain calm as she asked.

"No! I am free." Wu Jiahui immediately replied, "It's just…I didn't think you would care."

That statement hit home and Mei Yun could only wryly smile. Like Xiao Lingling, Wu Jiahui also thought Mei Yun was too focused on her problems and ignored those who mattered most to her. Mei Yun and Wu Jiahui were not that close in her last life but they were acquainted since they were both in the music programme. As such, Wu Jiahui knew a bit about Mei Yun's troubles.

'I've never noticed but Jiahui, you are astonishingly perceptive.'

"Yeah, I was like that before but I've realised that I can do much better if I stop complaining and made something of myself."

"That's…nice to hear." Wu Jiahui gave a gentle smile. She looked less tired than earlier that morning.

With the tense atmosphere cleared, Mei Yun was glad that everything she predicted was falling into place. She hoped that her luck wasn't running out just yet.

After school that day, the trio made their way to MontBlanc café in upper downtown S-City. As Thursday classes ended early before 2pm, they decided to have their lunch there. Xiao Lingling ordered chicken pot pie, Mei Yun ordered a falafel sandwich, Wu Jiahui ordered a croissant sandwich.

Once their orders arrive, they began to discuss.

"You were right Mei Mei! Director Luo and the Principal are having an affair!" Xiao Lingling couldn't hide her shock as the rumours were confirmed by the one who witnessed everything.

Wu Jiahui solemnly nodded, "Love between two people is usually a beautiful moment but what I saw that day was like two animals rutting in the woods."

Xiao Lingling, "…"

Mei Yun, "…"

Despite her Wu Jiahui's quiet façade, she obviously knew more about human relationships than the two of them, and Mei Yun is a reborn woman!

"Ahem…setting aside the animal fornication analogy, they did see you Jiahui." Mei Yun awkwardly steered the conversation in a different direction.

"Yes…Director Luo threatened to cut my scholarship in St Mary's if I told any of the administrative board. In addition, she began to make it difficult for me to pass any of my music classes…"

"Are you serious?!" Xiao Lingling angrily exclaimed, "She might as well take your scholarship away and forget about making the threat! If you told someone, you would lose your scholarship but if you didn't tell anyone, you would STILL lose your scholarship!"

"It was a lose-lose situation either way." Mei Yun grimly summarised.

St Mary's School gave out music scholarships every year to outstanding music students from low income families. The conditions to be rewarded a scholarship was easy to fulfil but to keep the scholarship was tricky as the student will have to maintain a high GPA in the music programme. Wu Jiahui came from a single parent household and could not have attended St Mary's normally as the school fees were expensive. To leave Wu Jiahui without a future was despicable act done by the corrupt head of music and school administration.

Xiao Lingling patted the despondent Wu Jiahui's shoulder, "It's not your fault. It was always known that the school was corrupt to the core."

"And yet you attend this school." Mei Yun smirked.

Xiao Lingling shrugged, "It's my mother's alma mater, she wanted me to go there. Had I known about the evils behind the stellar music programme, I would have gone to a different school. But despite all that garbage, I met such great friends."

Wu Jiahui smiled at Xiao Lingling calling her a friend.

"In any case, we have a witness. But we need more proof of the affair and the threats towards Wu Jiahui." Mei Yun changed the subject.

"Can't we just sneak into the administration office and steal the documents or something?" Xiao Lingling took a bite of her chicken pot pie.

"I…don't think that is possible. The doors are electronically locked and only the staff can get in." Wu Jiahui shook her head.

Mei Yun ate her sandwich and became deep in thought.

'With the Principal backing Director Luo, it would be difficult to prove anything with just a statement. We need something solid like a video or something. It also would be great if we had an insider to help us. I'm sure there are staff who dislike the current school administration…'

'An insider…but who?'

'...'

Only one name came to mind: Tao Xinyin.

However, Mei Yun wasn't sure if she was going to agree. Tao Xinyin was a woman with a cheerful disposition, albeit a bit high maintenance when it came to her love choices. Mei Yun didn't know how close she was to Director Luo but she suspected it was more on the grounds of respect than of total admiration. She also knew that the treatment of the struggling students worsened when Tao Xinyin became the teacher's assistant. She wasn't completely sure why but she theorised it was a ploy to prevent Tao Xinyin from knowing the true nature of the music programme and Director Luo.

In any case, she had no way of knowing what Tao Xinyin is like to make a sound judgement on her character.

Or does she?

"I may have someone who can gather the proof we need." Mei Yun finally spoke after a long time.

"You are kidding?! Mei Mei, you are starting to scare me with all this unknown knowledge." Xiao Lingling's eyes widened.

"Who would that be?" Wu Jiahui asked.

"Tao Xinyin." Mei Yun replied.

Wu Jiahui's eyes lit up in shock, "The teacher's assistant? But she's Director Luo's favourite student. She wouldn't help us get the proof we need."

"I agree." Xiao Lingling nodded, "For all we know, she could be in cahoots with them."

"Look, guys, hear me out." Mei Yun assured them, "Jiahui and I know for a fact that the treatment of the struggling students has worsened since Tao Xinyin joined as a teacher's assistant. 'Why might that be?' you might ask?"

Mei Yun finished her sandwich and folded her hands on the table, "There could be only two scenarios: Either she is in on the abuse OR Director Luo is threatening them to stay quiet lest she finds out the true nature of the programme and by extension the true nature of Director Luo."

Xiao Lingling and Wu Jiahui were silent after Mei Yun revealed the possibilities. Then Xiao Lingling spoke up,

"Ok, so we have two ideas on Tao Xinyin's role in this whole thing. But how would you know which scenario is the one that is actually occurring?"

Mei Yun revealed a slow smile and told the pair about Wang Jun and how they met.

Xiao Lingling and Wu Jiahui were silent for the second time in a row.

"Sigh…Mei Mei, once again I say you are becoming quite terrifying with all this unknown knowledge. He's the guy who's in that Piano Trio you're preparing for?"

"Yeah, that's him. If anyone can tell me about Tao Xinyin's character, it's him."

"Hm, but from what you're saying, their breakup was quite messy. Wouldn't it be insensitive of you to ask him about his ex?" Wu Jiahui questioned.

"…" Mei Yun fell silent.

'That's right! How could I forget his morose expression when he was talking about her! I'm already 26 years old, why did I make such a basic blunder!'

In response to Mei Yun's sudden silence, Xiao Lingling tried to reassure her,

"L-let's forget about Tao Xinyin for now. If we need documents, we should get them ourselves."

Mei Yun snapped out of it, "Indeed, but you heard what Wu Jiahui said, the doors are electronically locked. We can't enter so easily."

Xiao Lingling smirked, "What if I told you that we can?"

At the remark, Mei Yun and Wu Jiahui's eyes were fixed on Xiao Lingling.

"I've been dabbling in hacking here and there. It not impossible for me to hack into the door and unlock it." Xiao Lingling revealed.

Mei Yun was speechless. She knew that Xiao Lingling was a math and computer whiz, even majoring in computer science and doing a Master's. What she didn't know was that she was already that good in Secondary School.

"Lingling…don't tell me. All those free high-end items from Gucci, Prada et cetera which can only be won through a lucky draw were…"

"Yup! Hacked into the lucky draw mainframe and drew the correct numbers." Xiao Lingling revealed with a smile.

"…"

'Forget me being scary. Lingling, you're the scariest one of all.'

"Ok, Lingling can break into the staff room. But we still need to know where the documents are." Mei Yun sighed.

"Oh, I can do that." Wu Jiahui spoke up, "I always go to the staff room for help with my assignments. I basically know where everything is."

"Great! That takes care of the threats towards the struggling students. Now, we need to find proof of their affair." Mei Yun started to brainstorm again.

"Since I discovered them by accident, we can assume that they won't go to the music building for their rendezvous." Wu Jiahui shuddered at the memory.

"True. They would be more careful doing these kinds of things around students. So maybe the staff room as well since it's electronically locked." Mei Yun suggested.

"But isn't the staff room full of other people? Won't they get caught again?" Xiao Lingling questioned.

"Not really…" Wu Jiahui disagreed, "The Principal's office is far from the staff cubicles and Director Luo gets her own office which is close to the Principal's one. I know this because I get called to her office a lot…"

"Ok, we have a room but now we need some sort of camera to record every single tryst." Mei Yun continued to sip her chai latte.

"I don't think we need a camera. The staff room has cameras inside." Wu Jiahui spoke.

"Does it? Then, there is no way that they would conduct their trysts in the Principal's office if there are cameras around." Mei Yun sighed in disappointment.

"No, wait." Wu Jiahui interrupted, "I overheard some teachers talking about the new cameras installed in the staff room. Apparently, they are small and unnoticeable. Director Luo and the Principal were not in school when they were installed and the they only knew about these new cameras through a computer science teacher who told them."

"That's good and all but the Principal and Director Luo would have heard about the new cameras eventually and stopped meeting in the staff room." Mei Yun still wasn't convinced.

"Not really." Xiao Lingling disagreed, "While it's true that they might have stopped meeting in the Principal's office, it doesn't meet there is no footage. As long as the camera wasn't damaged, I can still retrieve the footage."

"Well, that's great! That takes care of the proof of the affair." Mei Yun beamed, "Don't worry Jiahui, we will save your scholarship and I can leave this toxic programme with a great bang!"

"Mei Yun…you're quitting the music programme?" Wu Jiahui was surprised.

"Yeah, there are too many bad memories there for me to continue. Ah, but don't worry, I will still do music. I'm planning to enter S-City University though special admission." Mei Yun explained.

"Ah, well if it's you, I'm sure you will do well." Wu Jiahui smiled.

With a plan to expose the corruption of the Principal and the Director of the music programme underway, the trio finished their lunch and chatted about mundane topics. However, Mei Yun couldn't settle a sense of discomfort in her stomach. For the plan to succeed completely, there is still a need to acquire insider help.

'How do I bring up Tao Xinyin with Wang Jun?'

**

The first piano trio rehearsal came and Mei Yun was standing outside St Michael's Concert Hall as planned. She arrived 15 minutes early as she didn't know the place and was glad that she found the back door easily.

The weather was not too hot nor too cold, there were some clouds that may indicate rain but Mei Yun was confident that it would not rain. She stood with her back to the wall next to the back door and stared at the people passing by. She was still wearing her uniform as she came straight from school and many of the passers-by took notice.

Mei Yun shrugged,

'St Mary's is quite famous after all. People often see St Mary's students with musical instruments in front of piano studios or rehearsal venues.'

She took out her phone and checked for messages.

Mei Yun: I'm here (*^_^*)

Wang Jun: Ok :) I'll be there in 10 minutes. Liu Fan is with me.

Mei Yun: (.・∀・)ノ

Wang Jun didn't reply after her latest message so she assumed that he was on his way and had no time to stop and text.

Just as she was putting away her phone, a voice called out to her,

"Mei Yun!"

It was Wang Jun with another young man she assumed was Liu Fan. She waved to the two men who walked to her location.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Wang Jun apologised.

Mei Yun shook her head, "I didn't wait that long. Thanks for inviting me to your rehearsals."

Wang Jun wore a white-collared shirt, long black pants and carried a sling bag with enough width to store A4-sized papers. He dressed quite smartly for a 22-year-old which combined with his boyish good looks made him look youthful yet mature and reliable.

'Ah, what a good-looking man. That style of clothing gives off a mature adult feel. I'm glad I'm friends with him in this lifetime.'

Wang Jun smiled and gestured to Liu Fan, "This is Liu Fan, the guy I told you about. He plays the cello."

Mei Yun extended her hand, "It's nice to meet you, Liu Fan. My name is Mei Yun."

Liu Fan retuned her smile and shook her hand, "Likewise. I'm glad we have a violinist to complete the trio."

Liu Fan opened the back door with his access card and gestured for Mei Yun to enter first. Once Mei Yun disappeared into the corridor, Liu Fan whispered to Wang Jun,

"What gives? You didn't tell me this girl was still in Secondary School?"

Wang Jun was confused, "So? Professor Wen said that the piano trio can only have one player from outside the course. He didn't specify how old the player must be."

"Yeah but she's so young. I'm worried that she can't keep up with the repertoire." Liu Fan voiced his concerns.

"She's in her last year so she has the skill. There's no need to worry." Wang Jun reassured his best friend.

Or so he says. The last time he saw her play was during the performance exhibition and that wasn't a good indication of her skills since she was nervous which affected the quality of her playing. However, he wasn't going to admit that to that big-mouth Liu Fan. He didn't want to hurt her feelings on their first rehearsal together.

"Well, alright then. If you say so." Liu Fan accepted his answer and entered the concert hall.

Wang Jun tested the grand piano once again to ensure it is still tuned while Mei Yun and Liu Fan set up their stands and instruments. They placed the chairs a few steps in front of the piano and positioned it so that both Mei Yun and Liu Fan can see Wang Jun and vice versa. Once everything was set up, the trio got into position and began to work on Mendelssohn's two trios, their first and second item.

Usually, the first rehearsal is conducted to establish how each player plays their part and adapt accordingly. If the players know each other well, this acclimatisation process is skipped but since Mei Yun is a new face, they had to test their initial compatibility.

"Let's start with Mendelssohn No. 1." Wang Jun suggested.

Both Mei Yun and Liu Fan nodded and prepared accordingly.

Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor starts with the first movement where the cello and piano open with a lyrical melody followed by the violin playing a similar theme. Wang Jun looked at Liu Fan, simultaneously took a breath and started to play. Since the pair were familiar with each other, they came in on time and the sound blended well with no jarring parts. Then came Mei Yun's part; she entered on time and listened carefully to the quality of the sound that Wang Jun and Liu Fan made. It was faster to adjust to their pace than them accommodating her.

With Wang Jun's large hands, he was able to exert pressure on every single note equally which allowed massive colours to emerge in his sound that other pianists would not be able to produce. Liu Fan's playing clearly expressed his love for the melancholy. The cello rang with deep lyrical longing but that didn't overshadow the other two instruments. Mei Yun's playing could be described as adaptable and all-rounded. This made her the perfect last-minute member to add into a trio or quartet.

Wang Jun stopped, "Hm, I think you two can compliment each other more in the call-and-answer parts."

Mei Yun stopped and looked at her score, "Here huh?" She looked at Liu Fan who was also analysing his score, "Liu Fan, should we emphasise it like hairpins?"

Liu Fan nodded, "Hm, yeah. Mendelssohn wrote a countermelody for this one, didn't he?"

"Yeah, this one was written in a Schumann-like style. Very early Romantic." Mei Yun mused.

"Ok, let's try that."

Wang Jun was calling the shots for this Piano Trio since the piano part is more prominent compared to the other two trios. Mei Yun and Liu Fan followed his musical direction with no questions, only giving suggestions here and there.

Suddenly the piano playing stopped.

"Sorry!" Wang Jun apologised, "The pages keep flying away."

"You should get a page turner. We can't keep stopping because you turned the pages wrong or fail to turn the page." Liu Fan sighed.

Wang Jun didn't reply to his comment. He just made tiny triangles in the pages to make it easier to turn. He wasn't one to get a page turner since he usually memorised the notes so even if he made a page turn fail, he would still be able to play. This is the first rehearsal though so he hadn't memorised the score yet.

The trio continued to play through and now they were at the Finale. The piano part was exceptionally busy in this movement and Wang Jun found that his speed was becoming inconsistent.

"Wang Jun, your speed is a bit erratic. I'm having a hard time to keep up with you." Mei Yun spoke up.

"Sorry guys. The piano part has a lot of notes in this movement. It's a challenge to maintain unity and execute the technical aspect at the same time." Wang Jun sighed as he raked a hand through his hair.

Mei Yun couldn't help but chuckle at the exasperated Wang Jun.

'So, even talented players get stressed. I learnt something new about you today.'

However, Wang Jun noticed.

'Is she laughing at me? Is it something I said?'

Liu Fan noted the weird exchange that just occurred and quickly changed the subject, "In any case, I'm glad we managed to complete most of the trio in under two hours. It's only this movement that is giving us some trouble."

"Let's try it one more time." Mei Yun suggested.

The trio played the Finale numerous times until they managed to get a somewhat consistent speed and decent unity. However, they noted that this movement will be priority for next week's meeting. Wang Jun promised to work on the speed and technique which ended the three-hour-long rehearsal on a good note.

After packing up, Liu Fan rushed off as he had plans with friends, leaving Wang Jun and Mei Yun alone.

"That was a good rehearsal, wasn't it?" Mei Yun beamed.

Wang Jun nodded, "It was. You played well."

Mei Yun was surprised for a second, "Is that so? I guess I managed to redeem myself from the performance exhibition flop last week."

Wang Jun chuckled, "Yes you did. I'm glad too."

Mei Yun was perplexed, "Why are you glad?"

Wang Jun looked at the far distance before looking at Mei Yun directly, "Because my hunch about you was correct." He turned and started walking away from her.

Mei Yun was stunned.

'Hunch? What hunch? Does he think my playing is good? If that's true then, wow! I just got acknowledged by the Wang Jun!'

"Wait Wang Jun! What hunch are you talking about!" Mei Yun ran after him.

"It's a secret." Wang Jun placed a finger to his lips and continued to walk.

"No fair! You can't keep me hanging like this! I want to know!"

"Nope."

"C'mon!"

"Nope."

When Mei Yun went to bed that night, she realised that she forgot about Tao Xinyin. She was too focused on rehearsal to find a way to bring her up to Wang Jun without hurting his feelings.

'We don't have much time. Wu Jiahui may be dropped from the scholarship at any moment. The sooner we get an insider to help us, the better. But how do I bring this up??'

She sighed and entered into a deep dream to escape those thoughts.