### Chapter 145: Enjoy the Exam Room
As Wu Yi pressed the piano keys, the sound of the piano erupted.
A passionate and intense piece echoed through the exam room.
The tempo was fast, the melody easy-going yet exhilarating.
“.”
Outside the window, a bunch of exam takers perked up, ears straining to listen.
“This piano… is amazing!”
“I heard he’s been playing since elementary school. There aren’t many who are this talented!”
“This song is so fast; I’d be shaking like a leaf under pressure!”
“.”
No doubt about it, he was the star pupil from the neighboring Spring and Autumn Training Institution.
As soon as he began playing, the difference became apparent!
Instantly, the teachers sitting on stage showed approving expressions, nodding in agreement.
Although not as melodramatic as the exam takers outside, their mood lifted upon encountering such a promising student.
This performance could be considered exemplary for the entire day’s exams.
There were almost no mistakes; his emotional expression was spot on, and he was well-prepared.
In the grand scheme of the art exam, he was definitely among the top contenders.
An outstanding art exam candidate!
Several teachers mentally awarded him high marks.
“.”
After finishing his performance, Wu Yi bowed in gratitude to the teachers and left the classroom.
Great!
Wu Yi thought to himself.
He hadn’t made any mistakes out of nervousness; he’d performed with a calm mindset!
At the very least, he hadn’t let down the expectations of his teachers.
He’d completed the image of what a role model should be in the eyes of his classmates.
Wu Yi let out a sigh of relief.
That guy should have listened properly, right?
Exiting the exam room, Wu Yi spotted Lin Tian nearby, leaning against the railing, absorbed in his phone.
Hadn’t heard a thing?!!
They were both in the same situation, and he had aced the sight-reading!
If Lin Tian wanted to compete for the top spot, then he was Wu Yi’s main rival… and didn’t even care to listen?
Suddenly, Wu Yi’s heart raced.
It had been the same when they had crossed paths in the stairway.
It felt like Lin Tian had never taken him seriously.
“Number 13, you’re up!”
A teacher called out from the exam room, heading into the hallway.
“Oh!”
Lin Tian pocketed his phone and headed toward the classroom.
“Here he comes, the handsome guy!”
Soon, the other exam takers began to chatter.
“Wow! How is he in the same exam as us again?”
“I saw his photo in the group; he looks even better in person!”
“I heard he finished both written exams first?”
“Such an unexpected big shot! I couldn’t make out what he played during the sight-reading; finally, I can listen carefully now.”
“.”
Compared to Wu Yi, who was already a familiar face among the art exam institutions before the day of the unified exam, Lin Tian was more of an “unexpected surprise.”
His mixed reviews and air of mystery drew even more attention from the students.
As Lin Tian entered the classroom, he felt the gaze of numerous exam takers upon him.
“.”
Before him was an empty classroom, cold recording equipment, and a few teachers trying to wear friendly smiles but still emanating fatigue and coldness.
Lin Tian took a deep breath.
He had worked hard for a month for this art exam.
He even sacrificed time with Gan Yan Yu, missing her Star Cup competition.
Had he participated in the Star Cup with her, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
But it didn’t matter now.
Having worked so hard to get here,
he just had to enjoy the exam.
After all, the art exam was probably a once-in-a-lifetime event.
It wouldn’t do to treat it lightly just because he wasn’t sharing the stage with Gan Yan Yu.
This place too carried the dreams of countless music students.
Lin Tian sat down at the piano.
Time to record.
The pieces he intended to perform were:
Can-Can and G Minor “Pathetique” Symphony.
Let’s get started!
As Lin Tian pressed the keys,
the lively music flowed, tilting down the musical passage.
“Wait, is that Moonlight and Cat’s song? That’s super gutsy!”
A nearby candidate recognized it, astonished.
The art exam did not have stringent rules against choosing songs from online composers. Essentially, the performance assessed how well the candidates mastered their instruments.
But let’s face it, this was an art examination!
It was an annual event that dictated the musical fate of many.
Most candidates typically opted for more “academic” pieces—those that were familiar and widely recognized.
You could never be sure if the “old fossils” monitoring the exam could understand and appreciate the pieces you chose to play.
What if they had never heard your song before? That would be an awkward situation!
Moreover…
Moonlight and Cat’s pieces aren’t exactly easy!!
The Can-Can and G Minor “Pathetique” Symphony were among their notoriously difficult works.
Playing these during the art exam was purely a recipe for disaster.
Totally asking for trouble!
“.”
However,
any doubts quickly evaporated as the music continued.
Because Lin Tian’s piano left them no room to question!
Just a few bars in,
and goosebumps sprang up on all the candidates!
So fast!
So fast they couldn’t even process it!
With a rhythmic beat and beautiful melody, it felt like a concert-level piano performance.
“Is this really an exam?”
One candidate murmured, dumbfounded.
If other candidates’ performances resembled a gasping cough revealing their flaws,
Lin Tian’s performance was a burst of a waterfall.
Sleek to the point of leaving no room for criticism!
For a moment, it even gave the impression that this might just be a recording.
“Is this level of performance really possible at an art exam?”
“That’s absolutely absurd—it feels more like a performance than an exam!”
Some exam takers were on the verge of losing it.
They couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief:
“Did he take a wrong turn? Is there a possibility that with this level, he shouldn’t even be in the competition?”
Earlier, for Wu Yi’s performance,
as soon as the first note sounded, everyone could immediately tell where they fell short.
After all, they were all art exam candidates who had put in countless hours into piano playing.
So, they were more aware of their gap compared to the art exam star.
But with this guy’s performance,
where was the gap?
They couldn’t tell; it was simply beyond their realm! How could they even discuss a difference?
At this moment,
many art exam candidates came to a realization.
They rushed down the hallway, searching for that figure.
The one everyone had designated as the future top contender since the beginning.
Finally, in a corner, they found Wu Yi.
There he was, leaning against the wall, eavesdropping on the performance, with a look of relief washing over his face.
It was as if a heavy stone he’d carried for years had finally dropped to the ground.
He was done.
It felt good to lose here.
No more pretending to act tough or saying cool things.
Maybe this sudden monster, with no background or training experience, was sent from above to liberate him.
“Doo-doo—”
The phone rang.
Wu Yi picked it up.
An urgent voice from the other end blurted out:
“Wu Yi! Bad news! We’ve found out about that candidate! His name is Lin Tian; he just performed at Sunny Day Concert Hall last month!”
“He’s not just any regular art candidate—he’s a professional pianist!!”
(The End of This Chapter)
