184. Semi-finals, Let’s Get This Party Started! (Third Update)
—
Watching Nanaly push the glass door and leave, Lin Tian was left puzzled.
What did she mean by that?
Only the winner has the right to chase their musical dreams—was that what she was saying?
For any musician with the world championship on their mind, losing means two whole years of no Dragon Zither Cup or Ke’er Cup.
It’s pretty much a life-or-d*ath battle.
In two years, things could have changed so much, who knows what the situation will be like then.
No matter the reason,
After watching so many competitions, you’d know.
Some people can’t afford to wait those two years.
Lin Tian turned around to look at Gan Yan Yu.
The young lady stared blankly in the direction Nanaly had left.
“Gan Teacher.”
“Huh?”
“Stop daydreaming, we still have to practice our song!”
After another two hours of duet practice,
It was past 11 PM.
Even though both could play the sheet music for “Ode to Love” flawlessly,
They still hadn’t achieved the effect they wanted.
Not quite there yet.
Still not quite!
At this rate, they might as well skip the semi-finals.
“Lin Tian, let’s try another song,” suggested Gan Yan Yu.
“What?”
Lin Tian didn’t expect her to suggest changing the song.
She didn’t seem like the type to give up mid-competition.
“Lin Tian, you’ve played wonderfully, I’m just dragging you down. Maybe it’s just not time yet.”
Gan Yan Yu stood up and approached the piano,
“In the future, maybe one day, we’ll nail this, but not today. We don’t have the luxury of time, so let’s perform the songs we know by heart on stage.”
Her tone was calm and serious.
Clearly, she had given it serious thought.
Lin Tian felt conflicted inside.
Now wasn’t the perfect opportunity to put in that extra effort? Would there ever be a better chance?
He liked the piece he chose—it perfectly suited his style—if he could pull it off, he could definitely win the semi-finals!
Why change now?
After some pondering, he lifted his head and asked:
“The competition starts the day after tomorrow, can we switch songs now?”
January 3rd, Qingzhou City.
Sunny Day Concert Hall.
A dazzling display of lights, and bustling chatter.
The audience seats were packed; the host was giving an enthusiastic opening speech on stage.
The atmosphere was electric.
“A Group, looks like it will be a clean sweep for Bai Xi,” commented one of the judges.
Thirteen judges settled into their seats.
Yao Han glanced at the list in his hand, a sly grin on his face,
“No suspense here!”
“On the other hand, B Group is a ‘d*ath Match’. Yun Qiu Qiu, the monster from Rongzhou City; Christine, the new British cello superstar; Mao Junfeng, the dark horse in the preliminaries; and then there’s Gan Yan Yu.”
“Wowzers.”
“Even now, you’re still pulling for Gan Yan Yu?” Huo Shu Mo picked up his tea cup, and sipped it calmly,
“Her kind of playing won’t go far.”
“I—”
Yao Han wrapped an arm around Huo Shu Mo and flashed an evil smile,
“You gave Gan Yan Yu an ‘A+’ in the prelims, didn’t you?”
“Fair enough, but it doesn’t change my opinion,” answered Huo Shu Mo coolly.
“Was it the pretty face? I can see that happening!”
Yao Han elbowed him.
Huo Shu Mo brushed him away,
“I know what you’re getting at. You think I’m just pretending to support Teacher Tuoba, while secretly backing Gan Yan Yu.”
Huo Shu Mo took a sip of water and placed the cup back down,
“Don’t worry, me and you, we’re both absolute supporters of Teacher Tuoba.”
“We locals call us the ‘Capital Trio,’ and we’re expected to stay united in our rankings. But even if we weren’t, I respect Teacher Tuoba very much. Her statements about Gan Yan Yu hit the nail on the head!”
“Good stuff! Just as I would expect from our scholar.”
Yao Han patted Huo Shu Mo’s shoulder with a chuckle.
“In the preliminary round, I could justify giving an ‘A+’ based on performance. But had Gan Yan Yu played like last time, I’d give her an ‘E.'”
“But—”
Huo Shu Mo paused, stroking his chin as if deep in thought,
“But her accompanying pianist, Lin Tian—a man who dared confront Teacher Tuoba—I don’t think he’s like others.”
“Professor Yao Han, are you familiar with this pianist?”
“He? I don’t know.”
Yao Han chuckled mischievously,
“Do I know every pianist?”
“Right.”
Backstage, in the Rest Room.
A group and B group were separated into different lounges.
Where they used to be packed, only four contestants remained, plus a few makeup artists and staff—just over ten people total, making the place quite empty.
Lin Tian found it a bit unsettling.
On the side,
Mao Junfeng watched competition tapes, Nanaly groomed herself in front of the mirror, and Yun Qiu Qiu, that gloomy otaku, continued to play games alone.
Can this guy really play the cello well?
Lin Tian thought this guy probably couldn’t even take care of himself.
“…”
The draw list was revealed.
B Group goes first.
1st is Mao Junfeng.
2nd is Yun Qiu Qiu.
3rd is Nanaly.
4th is Gan Yan Yu.
Turns out, before the competition, Lin Tian found online that
B Group is called “the d*ath Match,” unlike A Group where Bai Xi’s victory seems certain. In B Group, any competitor could advance.
But Lin Tian didn’t believe this.
He had reviewed the match videos properly.
First off, Mao Junfeng, the mysterious wildcard who emerged in the prelims with barely any fame, had just made it through with a single composition.
To Lin Tian, he was just noise—a no-brainer.
Nothing to fear.
For Gan Yan Yu and himself, the real challenge will come from Yun Qiu Qiu and Nanaly.
Though Lin Tian criticized Yun Qiu Qiu’s outfit, knowing artists are usually eccentric, it might all be just appearance.
Because of the order, it was obvious who’s the biggest challenge after their performances.
As the big screen announced, the first contestant,
Ma Junfeng, stepped up.
The half-finals of the Parrot Zither Cup—
A true battle for redemption—
had begun!
(The chapter ends here)
