Chapter 135
Hope lightened her footsteps, moving as softly as a cat, afraid of startling Renly before her. She stopped by the guitar case, took out a ten-dollar bill from her pocket, and tossed it into the case. Then, with her hands neatly folded behind her back, she nervously and anxiously fixed her gaze on Renly again. However, she felt shy, unable to meet his eyes directly, only daring to steal glances at his well-defined, broad, and slender hands.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Renly’s smile. She looked up and instantly met his bright eyes, which rippled with a smile as luminous as the moonlight. Her heart seemed to stop beating; flustered, Hope quickly averted her gaze, even holding her breath.
“Ha.” A soft laugh escaped. Hope stole another glance and saw the smile in Renly’s eyes extend to the corners of his mouth. His soft lips curved into a carefree arc, and the whole world seemed to brighten.
The melody abruptly ceased. William and Graham stopped in their tracks, glancing at Renly, then at Hope. Their eyes eventually landed on the golden trophy in the guitar case. Finally, they looked back at Renly with utter disbelief, as if unable to discern whether they were in a dream or reality.
“It seems we’ve drawn an audience,” Ed Sheeran bowed slightly in acknowledgement and raised his voice. “Thank you for accompanying the last song. Now it’s your turn to shine—what do you say? Got any ideas?”
Renly’s mind was teeming with songs, but none seemed fitting for the night’s atmosphere. Suddenly, the image of the girl in the dining car flashed in his mind—Ophelia. He remembered the name because it was the name of one of the most famous tragic heroines in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It seemed her parents must have been fond of Shakespeare.
The night’s liveliness, splendour, wildness, chaos, emotion, and the sense of no regrets—all these feelings coalesced into a melody, gently leaping at his fingertips. Renly looked up. “Do you have a tambourine?”
Ed bent down, rummaged through the nearby items, and pulled out a brightly coloured tambourine. “How about this African tribal-style one?”
Renly broke into a big smile. “Perfect. Now, give me a rhythm!”