Chapter 361: I’m Definitely Going to Win the Championship
【Who??】
【Is that Nanaly? Oh my gosh, I barely remembered her from the preliminaries!】
【Seriously, didn’t her solo stage barely have 300,000 views?】
【What the heck, she’s a dark horse in the semifinals!】
【How did she become so powerful all of a sudden? I guess all the monsters come from Qingjiang Province, huh?!】
At this moment, not just the two commentators looked stunned.
Even the non-professional online audience was filled with “Whoa!” reactions.
There was no need for fancy words to embellish this performance.
When the music began, a tremendous force filled the air.
How do I describe it?
Aggressive. Yes, aggressive!
Nanaly wielded her bow like a brush, and under her masterful strokes, the cello roared with deafening cries, suddenly unveiling a magnificent painting on the blank canvas before her.
Lin Tian just sat there, wide-eyed, as he watched Nanaly’s performance return to her most primal form.
He still remembered the first time he met Nanaly; he described her just like this.
An extremely aggressive performance!
Back then, Nanaly had already made a deep impression on him.
But after being defeated in the Parrot Zither Cup, Nanaly had softened considerably. To beat Gan Yan Yu, she’d polished her surface to a shine and her skills became mature and steady. This was clearly progress.
But it seemed that such progress, upon reaching the Dragon Zither Cup, had constrained Nanaly.
And now, Nanaly, fully unleashed, had returned to her original self, sporting an intensity far stronger than before!
“I remember! ‘Caged Bird.’ That was Nanaly’s performance in the preliminaries.”
Feng Ye murmured while watching the stage.
This isn’t just some semifinal explosion!
This is Nanaly’s true strength!!
“Looking at it this way, Nanaly must’ve been going through something during the preliminaries. Her performance back then left a strong impression; she was clearly highly skilled but felt restrained.”
Feng Ye pondered with a furrowed brow, while Zhu Ye chimed in,
“So you’re saying, today’s performance by Teacher Nanaly is a complete release of herself?”
“Pretty much.”
Feng Ye frowned,
“Though I don’t understand what Teacher Nanaly figured out, one thing is for sure—”
“The competitive landscape of this Dragon Zither Cup is about to change!”
“Bang bang bang!”
With strange sounds echoing, even the symphony orchestra on the side froze.
Everyone turned their gaze to the center of the stage.
Nanaly was raising her bow, striking the cello—
The music transitioned into the third movement: Ink-Splash Painting!
She cradled the cello like a massive palette, wielding her bow as if painting, the strings screeching with a clash of titanium white and red vermilion.
Nanaly smiled as she played.
All the watercolor and ink flowed around her.
Is this the scene you envisioned, Bai Junze?
They all laughed at you, saying they couldn’t get what you were doing.
But I truly envy you.
If such a feeling could be exchanged for everything I have…
I’d agree to it again and again.
The music reached its final climax!
Beads of sweat the size of peas dripped from the young woman’s forehead as Nanaly smiled, accelerating her playing.
During this time,
Nanaly’s gaze skimmed over the front row of the audience.
It passed right over that woman.
But it barely lingered even a second, just a fleeting glance.
It was as if all of the girl’s performance had nothing to do with her.
Ke Lian froze.
She had expected such overwhelming aggression to be directed her way.
However, she was blatantly ignored.
Ke Lian first wore a puzzled expression before a bittersweet, slightly gratified smile emerged.
“(Looks like the one being abandoned is me.)”
Ke Lian knew her daughter well, or rather, she knew the Nanaly family of cellists.
This gesture meant Nanaly’s music had nothing to do with Ke Lian anymore.
From now on, no matter where Nanaly went with her musical talent, or how she used it, it was no longer Ke Lian’s concern.
At least,
The moment Ke Lian caught Nanaly’s gaze, she understood.
No matter what means she employed, she couldn’t control someone willing to give up everything.
Ke Lian had totally lost her daughter.
As the final note ended with the cello’s head crashing against the floor, shattered rosin floated like stardust in the air.
The iron chains of childhood snapped, hitting the ground heavily.
The entire venue fell into a hushed silence.
Nanaly set down her bow, taking a deep breath.
She lifted her head, gazing at the ceiling, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief.
Stepping forward to face the audience, the girl offered a deep bow.
As she raised her head again,
19-year-old Nanaly felt tears streaming down her face.
From this day forward—
Nanaly’s rebellious phase had begun.
“Three movements: Sketch, Watercolor, Ink-Splash. What a terrifying contestant.”
In the office,
He Shu Mo leaned against the desk, hugging his knees, exclaiming,
“I’ve never seen such terrifying musical talent before; even Gan Yan Yu pales in comparison!”
“Indeed,” Yao Han added.
He Shu Mo picked up the documents on the desk and said,
“I thought she was something special at the Parrot Zither Cup, she left a deep impression on me.”
“Isn’t that because she’s pretty?” Yao Han asked, puzzled.
“That’s beside the point.”
He Shu Mo adjusted his glasses feigning calmness,
“The point is, back then, Nanaly didn’t have this kind of talent at all.”
“Is it possible that the old Nanaly never really gave her all?”
“Truly a talent that can drive one to despair.”
Did she just coast on talent and somehow reach the Dragon Zither Cup?
He Shu Mo sighed deeply; toward such a genius, despair was the only emotion he felt.
“However, I still can’t figure out how she suddenly came to this realization and chose such a piece.”
He Shu Mo said this as he turned to Yao Han, showing a sincere gaze.
“Didn’t you visit Nanaly’s rest room during the preliminaries? I know you did. What did you do?”
“Don’t concern yourself with that useless stuff!”
Yao Han stood up from the chair, walking to the window.
With wide eyes, he watched the stage.
His expression was filled with excitement:
“Forget that, the most anticipated thing now is how Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu will handle this version of Nanaly!”
“cr*p!!”
Back in his rest room,
Lin Tian plopped down on the couch.
“Why is she so fierce?!”
Even Lin Tian was baffled.
Hold up,
They barely exchanged a few words,
How did a monster come out of it?
Now, Nanaly is way scarier than Bai Xi!
For sure, Nanaly must have secured her spot in the finals.
One spot has directly vanished, not to mention,
The finals just gained a competitor that could rival Bai Junze and Mao Wei Ang.
Just like one commentator said earlier.
—This is clearly championship level.
Lin Tian’s mood was unexplainably awkward.
In a bid to help a friend, he ended up creating a BOSS for himself.
Idea King.
An absolute Idea King.
Lin Tian couldn’t help but admire himself a bit.
But now, there was no going back; it was what it was.
Just consider it rescuing another troubled girl—a good deed.
All those past jokes about rollercoaster rides could be considered evened out!
At this moment,
In the rest room, Gan Yan Yu was also stunned.
The girl stood in front of the big screen, frozen, likely also shaken from the performance.
Just think about it:
She came to today’s competition feeling happy, fully mentally prepared to face it with a good attitude.
Not only had she been scolded and cried earlier,
But now she was watching her “rival” most likely advance, taking away a spot that was already scarce.
Her mood surely wasn’t great.
Now, on the big screen, Mao Wei Ang had already taken the stage.
As usual, this maestro performed his catchy pop music.
“.”
Lin Tian approached Gan Yan Yu, patting her shoulder.
“It’s okay, don’t be sad, Teacher Gan. Even though we’ve got one more tough rival and one less spot, as long as we perform well on this next piece—”
Lin Tian was interrupted midway as Gan Yan Yu turned her head.
“I’m not sad.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m quite happy,”
Gan Yan Yu turned back to the big screen, softly saying,
“It was great seeing Nanaly’s confidence on stage just now; she must have felt the joy of performing!”
“.”
Lin Tian should’ve seen that coming.
How could such an angel like Gan Yan Yu have any ulterior motives?
In contrast, Lin Tian’s earlier worries seemed pretty small-minded.
But he couldn’t entirely blame himself.
After all, just a moment ago, Nanaly had put little Gan through the emotional wringer, and Lin Tian had already held a small grudge.
Seeing her lift herself up, it was only natural for Lin Tian to feel a hint of pettiness.
“Hey, Little Gan.”
Lin Tian switched his tone, earnestly stating,
“Competitions are all about competition. When someone rises, someone else has to be eliminated. If you always think about others, who thinks about us?”
“Not me.”
Gan Yan Yu widened her eyes in surprise.
“I never thought Nanaly could win against me.”
“.”
Lin Tian fell silent.
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to praise Gan Yan Yu for having grown to this extent,
Or to tease her for still being the underdog who had lost to Gan Yan Yu in numerous music competitions over eight times.
She was actually exhibiting such confidence.
In fact, situations like Nanaly’s are colloquially known as “Little Gan” in Lin Tian’s past life.
But no matter how you look at it, since Nanaly had grown to this level,
He and Gan Yan Yu also had to take things seriously.
“I want to win the championship! I will definitely win the championship!”
Nearby,
Gan Yan Yu, who had just dropped a profound quote, began mumbling to herself again in the corner.
Lin Tian looked over, and the moment their eyes met, the girl’s face turned bright red.
“I, I, I just wanted to see what it feels like to say that.”
Gan Yan Yu hastily waved her hands, flustered in her explanation.
“Smack!”
Lin Tian grabbed both her hands, bringing them together.
With a smile, he asked,
“So how does it feel?”
“It’s nice, a feeling I’ve never had before!”
Gan Yan Yu replied earnestly.
At that moment, Lin Tian was convinced.
Her sharp comments about Nanaly weren’t born from her past experience’s confidence.
It was purely that—
Gan Yan Yu had transformed.
Now she could boldly say “win the championship”— embracing that dream as well.
This was the mindset a true demon king should possess!
“Then let’s go and crush them all,” Lin Tian declared.
He was sure,
Gan Yan Yu was the most suited to the piece they were about to perform!
As thunderous applause erupted in the venue,
Lin Tian knew this meant Mao Wei Ang had finished his performance.
Apart from his pop music, no other musician could provoke such a response from the audience at this competition.
Lin Tian shifted his gaze to the live stream room.
At that moment, two commentators were engaged in a fierce review.
“That was satisfying, as expected from Maestro Mao!” Feng Ye exclaimed.
“Indeed, after listening to a whole competition, it’s still Maestro Mao’s music that refreshes the soul.”
While Zhu Ye spoke, her face showed pure ecstasy,
“This piece ‘g*n Comes Like a Dragon’ truly lives up to its name, as if this Dragon Zither Cup today is exactly the martial arts tournament depicted by Maestro Mao, heroes from all walks of life gathered around. The audacity in the music is captured perfectly by Maestro Mao. It’s simply incredible!”
With such praise from the commentators, you can imagine how the audience reacted.
In the live stream room,
The responses from netizens were even more intense.
【Where are those who said our Maestro Mao’s music is without depth? Come out, doesn’t this look cool?!】
【I was listening when this new song just came out, the lyrics are really awesome! It’s traditional style! Can you rustic folk even understand traditional style lyrics? Our traditional lyrics are nothing short of amazing, alright?!】
【A piece like ‘g*n Comes Like a Dragon’ truly showcases Maestro Mao’s heroic spirit, single-handedly battling through the Dragon Zither Cup!】
【What a pity for coming out too early; after this piece, I’m probably going to fall asleep during the rest of the performances.】
【Who’s the next contestant? If it’s boring, I’ll just take a break, I might as well go listen to the original ‘g*n Comes Like a Dragon’ a few more times.】
Meanwhile,
At the stage entrance.
Right before the curtains were about to lift for the final ascent, Lin Tian seemed to remember something and froze in place.
“Oh, Yan Yu, I had a dream last night, and I just recalled it now that we’re about to go on stage.”
“What dream? Can’t we talk about that after performing?” Gan Yan Yu asked curiously.
“Actually, it wasn’t anything big; it just felt a bit strange, and I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Lin Tian rubbed his head and said,
“I dreamt that you suddenly told me you wanted to be with me more than winning the championship.”
“.”
“Ah?”
Gan Yan Yu was still in a daze when Lin Tian gently pushed her back,
“Okay, let’s hit the stage!”
(End of Chapter)
