Chapter 280: Some Are Jubilant, While Others Are Despondent
“In all honesty, I was hoping to get a hug from Teacher Gan at the end of this competition.”
Lin Tian sighed deeply, feeling like the husband who came home exhausted after a long day of work but didn’t get a hug from his wife. He sounded both helpless and heartbroken.
“Only once a month, and you’ve already used your limit,” said Gan Yan Yu, unimpressed with Lin Tian’s tactics. She winked at him, adding, “No crossing the line!”
It seems if you get too cocky, Little Gan will put you in your place.
“Glad to see you’re okay. Are you feeling alright?” asked Gan Yan Yu.
Of course.
Lin Tian thought to himself, feeling he could probably run another couple laps and play a few more songs right now. The effect of those performance enhancers lasts for half an hour, and he’s still going strong. Man, that’s pretty cool!
But if you want to be technical about it.
Those performance enhancers only extend the duration, though they do give him an edge – kind of cheating, but hey, he wouldn’t have made it this far without the techniques he’s learned along the way.
Lin Tian realized that the farther he goes down this “performance” road, the more he understands just how impressive Teacher Gan really is in her field.
Before, when he was just composing and playing, he hadn’t felt this keenly about her skills.
Now, standing on his own as a soloist, he gets it—no wonder people describe her performances so extravagantly!
There’s no way she hasn’t put in a ton of effort since childhood.
“Little Gan,” said Lin Tian, “I owe you big time for all the hard work you’ve done before.”
“Huh??”
Gan Yan Yu looked confused.
The final round of the piano competition had concluded, and now the judging committee was having tense discussions. Music critics and media bigwigs were chiming in too, picking winners for awards beyond the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
This was always an agonizing time for the contestants, who could only sit tight in the waiting room, awaiting their fate.
Good thing some family members and sponsors could come and visit.
Suddenly, the lobby became a flurry of activity, with folks coming and going, delivering food and drinks. But many couldn’t even eat due to nerves.
Those who had already given up on winning just relaxed and waited for the drama to unfold.
The top contenders kept checking their phones, scrolling through various apps, unable to focus. It was tense in there.
As a matter of fact, the suspense wasn’t as heavy for everyone.
Most people already expected who would rank in the top three and win the special awards.
They knew who was genuinely good and who had advantages.
But two pianists with no backing appeared on stage, shaking things up. One of them was Lin Tian; the other was Watanabe Satoru.
Lin Tian’s stunning original pieces quickly became the talk of the competition.
If he got a top three spot, it wouldn’t surprise anyone much.
But him becoming a total wildcard and constantly disrupting the rankings… that threw everything off.
His performance in “Nocturne” affected everyone else. Now everyone’s heads were spinning.
Not long after, He Zhi Chen brought some news to Lin Tian.
Sitting beside Lin Tian, looking at the message on his tablet, he almost burst out laughing.
“Mr. Lin, according to online rumors, the judges are bickering now.”
“They did?”
“Heard your name comes up most frequently.”
He Zhi Chen adjusted his glasses and looked smug,
“I bet they have no idea how to judge your performance!”
“There are flaws in this tournament system,” he continued. “Since it’s a performance contest, the top spots are usually predetermined. This time, they weren’t expecting such a huge gap in levels between the players.”
“If they don’t give you a high rank, it won’t look good to the public.”
“The stuffy old judges must be having a tough day today…”
At this, He Zhi Chen laughed heartily. This issue clearly tickled his fancy.
Although he was being tactful…
Lin Tian knew what he was hinting at—he’d probably snag the Best Newcomer award. And there might be some extra surprises lurking around.
“Hey, Mr. Nishikawa!”
Lin Tian saw him sitting nearby and approached him.
“Congrats, Mr. Lin!”
Nishikawa Yuha’s face was tired but hopeful as he smiled at Lin Tian,
“Now you’ll be famous in Japanese piano circles.”
In music, fame means everything. Getting noticed overnight is truly enviable.
“Sorry about that,” said Lin Tian.
Although he didn’t care much for the awards, he felt slightly bad that he was the reason behind all this attention on Nishikawa twice.
Wait, maybe he should write a song for Nishikawa. Without copyright!
No, that sounds worse!
“Don’t worry. After all, skill beats luck any day.”
Nishikawa Yuha sighed,
“It’s better to blame ourselves for not creating superior compositions rather than complaining about bad luck.”
Nishikawa Yuha stood up, relieved,
“Whatever the outcome, I’m accepting it!”
“—”
Just then, the announcement boomed:
“The 2025 Sato Sakura International Piano Competition award ceremony is about to begin!”
(End of Chapter 280)
