Chapter 277: Meeting Again
After all the dust settled, Aria's life truly turned a new page.
She completely shed all the baggage of her past and threw herself wholeheartedly into the music she loved. Her days were peaceful and grounded.
Returning to the symphony orchestra, her schedule was busy yet fulfilling.
As a core member, she spearheaded the team's restructuring.
She discarded the old, rigid, outdated model and combined her years of stage experience and on-the-spot arrangement insights to optimize ensemble rhythm, section transitions, and harmony details. She worked steadily with veteran members while patiently honing the fundamentals of promising newcomers.
The orchestra's atmosphere improved day by day.
Everyone focused on their duties, dedicated themselves to practice, and the previous scheming completely vanished.
In just over a month, the orchestra's overall standard skyrocketed. They secured headline spots at two major city-level exhibitions in succession, their reputation soaring as they completely shed all past negative shadows.
Aria's state reached an unprecedented level of ease.
Her left hand's old injury had completely stabilized. Daily rehearsals and solo performances were entirely unaffected.
She no longer tensed her nerves, fearing mistakes, nor did she doubt herself because of past slander.
When standing in the rehearsal hall or on stage, her eyes held only her beloved music.
In her spare time, she no longer confined herself to small spaces agonizing over right and wrong, gains and losses. Instead, following her heart, she developed a habit of short trips.
Every few weeks, after finishing intensive rehearsals and performances, she would carve out three to five days, decline all work, and travel alone to a quiet small city to unwind.
In late autumn, after finishing a symphonic solo performance, Aria arranged a short trip for herself.
This time she chose a vacation town nestled in mountains. The temperature was pleasantly cool, the mountain forests ablaze with autumn colors, tourists were sparse—tranquil and healing.
She had no itinerary, no checklist. She slept until she naturally woke, spent days walking slowly along mountain trails, or sat in mountain cafés wearing headphones listening to instrumental music, occasionally jotting down impromptu melodic inspirations. Her days were leisurely and carefree.
On the afternoon of the third day, Aria sat on a mid-mountain observation terrace, holding a cup of hot Americano, quietly gazing at the distant rolling mountains.
Just as she lowered her eyes to organize the melodic fragments recorded on her phone, a cool, upright figure unexpectedly entered her field of vision.
The man wore an extremely simple black casual outfit, his tall frame with sharp, clean lines.
It was Larry.
Aria's posture stiffened slightly, only mildly surprised.
Nearly a year had passed, and they'd run into each other again.
Larry had clearly seen her too.
The man's footsteps paused at the terrace entrance, his deep dark eyes landing on her with a flash of brief astonishment before returning to his usual composure.
After a few seconds of silence, Larry walked first to the terrace railing, maintaining a half-step distance from her, his posture relaxed and natural.
"Here to unwind?"
His voice was low and warm, as if addressing an old acquaintance he hadn't seen in a while.
Aria looked up at him and nodded lightly.
"Yes, after the performance ended, I came to relax for a few days. Are you here too?"
"Yeah, handling some private matters, staying for a couple days."
Larry responded casually, his gaze sweeping over the distant mountain scenery before returning to her calm profile.
"You look really well."
Having weathered great storms and countless treacherous manipulations, both had shed their youthful impetuousness and stubbornness, becoming perceptive and composed.
They stood side by side on the observation terrace, chatting casually for a few moments, tacitly avoiding all mention of the past throughout.
The most dignified reunion between adults after a long separation was nothing more than this.
After ten-some minutes, Aria glanced at the sky and said softly,
"It's getting late. I should head back to the hotel."
"Alright."
Larry nodded, his tone gentle.
"Be careful on the way."
After a simple goodbye, Aria turned and walked slowly down the mountain trail.
When she reached the upscale resort hotel at the mountain's base, Aria took her room key to the front desk and inquired about checkout procedures for the next afternoon.
Since the hotel offered shuttle service, she asked about that as well.
After verifying her reservation information, the front desk staff mentioned with a smile,
"What a coincidence, Ms. Grey. Among the VIP guests who checked in yesterday, there's a Mr. York who also plans to leave tomorrow afternoon, heading to the same destination as you."
This remark surprised Aria once more.
She hadn't expected that she and Larry would not only run into each other in the same small town but had also checked into the same hotel.
Aria didn't dwell on it. After thanking them politely, she turned and took the elevator back to her room.
The room had an excellent view—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the evening mountain forest scenery, quiet and serene.
After a simple wash, she leaned by the window, organizing the melodic inspirations she'd recorded over the past few days, reviewing new arrangement ideas, completely unbothered by the coincidence of staying at the same hotel as Larry.
Her life no longer needed anyone's presence to add color.
Soon, night deepened and the entire hotel gradually fell silent.
At two in the morning, nearly all guests on every floor were sound asleep.
In the darkness, no one noticed a faint trace of smoke quietly seeping from the ventilation opening of the vacant room next to Aria's.
The flames were hidden and cunning, rapidly climbing along soft furnishings and wooden cabinets, silently devouring surrounding objects. Thick smoke also quickly penetrated through gaps, soundlessly flooding into Aria's room.
In the sealed room, oxygen gradually thinned as acrid smoke enveloped everything in layers.
Aria had been traveling for days, her body and mind relaxed, sleeping particularly deeply.
The moment intense smoke invaded her nostrils, she only felt her head suddenly grow heavy and swollen with pain, her chest suffocating and tight. Her consciousness rapidly scattered—she had no time to wake and get up, much less dial for help.
In mere seconds, she completely lost consciousness, sinking softly into the bedding, falling into a coma.
The fire spread far faster than imagined. Within minutes, open flames exploded in the adjacent room.
Roaring fire burst through the door, scorching the hallway carpet and walls.
The firelight stained the pitch-black corridor red as thick smoke billowed, completely sealing off the entire floor.
The instant the fire alarm shrieked, the entire hotel plunged into chaos.
Room bells, alarm sounds, and guests' panicked screams mingled together, shattering the silence of deep night.
Larry, staying on an upper floor, became alert almost the instant the alarm sounded.
Years of cultivated vigilance made him rise immediately. His nose instantly caught the intense smell of smoke and scorched materials in the air.
Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly threw on his jacket and rushed out of his room.
The hallway was already filled with smoke, visibility severely obstructed.
Scorching heat waves hit him head-on. The fire sprinkler system sprayed water at full force, yet still couldn't suppress the wildly spreading flames.