Chapter 340: The Caged Swan – Nanaly
At this moment, the spotlight focused on the young woman.
The whole venue went silent.
The red eyes of the Guadagnini cello from the 18th century opened up under the top light, with its gold-wrapped snake patterns spitting at the judges’ area like tongues.
Nanaly pulled the strings.
The first note of the Dragon Zither Cup resonated!
When the first note was born from the contact point between the bow and the D string, the air vent suddenly froze—like a specimen encased in amber resin in the entire concert hall.
Gentle and soothing music flowed down with the young woman’s melody.
“St. Ro’s ‘Flying Goose,'” whispered Gan Yan Yu, quickly recognizing the origin of the song.
“Flying Moth?”
“No, the goose like a swan.”
Gan Yan Yu added.
Lin Tian pondered, thinking this author really had a knack for interesting names, as if the name was about insects.
Hmm?
Something’s off!
Almost immediately after hearing the prelude, Feng Ye’s frown grew deeper.
“She seems to be pretty good,” Feng Ye said, stroking her chin.
In terms of expressiveness and skillful use of the cello…
She’s meeting the standards of a professional cellist for the Dragon Zither Cup.
Not as terrible as I imagined!
Hearing this comment, Zhu Ye—who was momentarily stunned—tapped Feng Ye under the table.
What do you mean, “pretty good?”
By saying that, aren’t you showing our true thoughts?
Feng Ye snapped out of it when tapped.
d*mn!
Too shocked, didn’t pay attention—
“It’s a beautiful piece,” Feng Ye quickly recovered, shifting the topic.
“Based on our previous records, Ms. Nanaly seems to prefer classical music or modern pop with classical elements.”
“Tonight, her choice of pure modern dance music ‘Flying Goose’ seems specially prepared for the Dragon Zither Cup.”
Feng Ye explained seriously for once.
However, while excellent,
It’s not that breathtaking.
Seems fitting for third place in Qingjiang Province, both her understanding of the instrument and musical expression were outstanding.
But… to advance further…
Not quite there yet.
Meanwhile,
In the rest room, watching the performance, Lin Tian leaned back against the sofa.
“Nanaly has such a composed side?”
He wasn’t used to seeing her play so gently.
Even more unexpected,
She abandoned classical music?
Thinking it over, true.
Nanaly never showed much interest in classical music around them.
Her goal seemed to be solely to beat Gan Yan Yu.
Since it’s just to defeat Gan Yan Yu,
It’s no surprise what music she plays for victory.
“Lin Tian,”
Suddenly, Gan Yan Yu whispered next to him, staring intently at the big screen.
“Yes?”
“Don’t you find Nanaly’s performance kinda weird?”
“Weird?”
This was the first time Lin Tian heard this word from Gan Yan Yu.
A weird performance?
Lin Tian looked back at the screen.
To be honest,
This was the first time he saw her play such a “composed” piece.
Moreover, tonight her outfit was very… composed.
Though, he preferred this style.
“She isn’t like this,” Gan Yan Yu said, watching the screen, “At least, her music isn’t like this.”
Lin Tian puzzled over this.
After all, not every cellist was obsessed with classical music like Gan Yan Yu.
At the Dragon Zither Cup, changing to win was normal.
Playing different pieces or styles—nothing extraordinary.
“Being composed is fine. She used to play too aggressively, anyway,” Lin Tian commented.
He remembered how Nanaly’s cello, initially, was famous for its aggressive style.
“No,”
Gan Yan Yu stared blankly at the screen,
“She is in pain.”
A dark red dress spread perfectly on the customized stool; crystal butterfly pins shivered against the beat.
This gown was Kelly Ann’s gift from London Savile Row, every crease steeped in the British Museum’s aura.
Under stage lights, Nanaly’s pearl necklace shimmered with a pale glow.
The teenage girl meticulously recreated her mother’s recorded instructions: right shoulder dipped fifteen degrees, left ring finger kept two-point-three cm away from the neck.
In her heart,
She chanted:
“You can do it, Nanaly.”
Listen to your mother, follow her wishes—
At least on the Dragon Zither Cup stage, she didn’t need any distractions.
Just follow her mother’s mind.
Only then could she beat Gan Yan Yu.
Only then could she fulfill her promise to return home.
“…”
Ripples of lake water stirred in the cello.
Yet tiny notches hid within the smooth bows—
like the scales piercing beneath the swan’s graceful neck.
The heat forced Nanaly to clench her teeth.
Vaguely,
Gan Yan Yu worried, clutching her fists.
It felt like—
Nanaly was just a puppet pulling the strings on the stage.
She didn’t understand why—
Why Nanaly would suppress her nature so.
She couldn’t fathom what Nanaly was enduring, forcing herself to play through pain.
Suddenly—
When reaching measure forty-seven, Nanaly pressed the bow harder.
A frenzied rhythm sliced through the melody, the bow jumping madly across G and C strings!
It was as if—hidden within this Shostakovich-style col legno technique—
a shattered ceramic swan from twelve years ago, now with shards ricocheting with each strike and landing within the eight-note pauses.
“Great instrument!”
Zhu Ye exclaimed in awe,
“This must be an excerpt from the Second Cello Concerto! This technique is incredible!”
“An act of rebellion embedded seamlessly, leaving no sense of disharmony,” Feng Ye exclaimed,
“Oh man, what a pleasant surprise, audience friends!”
Even though the viewers didn’t fully understand, they buzzed in the chat:
[What does this mean? Is she incorporating classical music within ‘Flying Goose’?]
[Wow~ It’s the Dragon Zither Cup! So bold, from the start?!]
[Amazing! She’s showing off her skills, right?!]
[I must say, that insertion was abrupt. It sent shivers down my spine.]
Yep, shivers are exactly correct.
Now Lin Tian understood where Gan Yan Yu’s “unease” came from.
The piece was a window into Nanaly’s inner turmoil.
That unexpected shift—
Rather than trying for a stark contrast,
It exposed flaws under her otherwise glossy facade.
Underneath the cracks lay Nanaly’s volatile spirit.
“Why… Why hold back like this?”
Lin Tian couldn’t comprehend.
On stage,
Top lights formed a ninety-centimeter cage, pinning Nanaly at the light-dark boundary.
Sweat trickled down as she tightened vibrato by one-point-five millimeters.
A subtle mistake undetectable to her mother, turning what should have been a pure, holy lake into rust-infected waters.
The expected climax never occurred.
The performance ended.
As curtains fell, applause surged up like rising tides.
Nanalyze’s bow-like posture in thanking the audience was perfectly mechanical, but as she bent, her crystal hairpin tumbled.
Nanalyze paused, picked it up, and bent again.
Her gesture earned even greater applause from the crowd.
“What a beautiful performance!”
Lin Tian raved in the live chat,
“True to Nanaly’s lineage—what a soulful cello performance!”
Although many nuances in the song eluded him,
The sheer technical mastery overwhelmed him.
As a commentator, he found this revelation sufficient.
[Family history of Nanalyze?]
[Wasn’t it supposed to be discussed?]
[Yeah, why’s it disappearing??]
The streamer, Feng Ye, groaned. Now was not the time for a lengthy discussion—it would never end!
He glanced at Zhu Ye.
Unbeknownst to him, Zhu Ye hadn’t come out of her reverie fully.
Once alert, she muttered,
“Surely this is only the third-place level in Qingjiang.”
Feng Ye nearly choked.
Right.
Why were we treating her as a special guest?
Ultimately, it was all because of the awkwardness of being third.
This performance was leagues beyond a “special guest.”
Her talent could easily shine anywhere.
If Nanalyze placed third,
Who were the top two in Qingjiang Province?
Feng Ye swiftly skimmed the list.
“The top two in Qingjiang are—”
“Baixi, Gan Yangyu?”
(End of Chapter 340)
