Chapter 190: Total Victory! (4K)
As the music reached its peak…
The judges’ eyes shifted from the initial astonishment at the music to the performances of the two contestants.
He Shu Mo watched the two who were playing.
He was trying hard to calm the storm of emotions from earlier.
One must admit, this piece was indeed a bombshell!
As a music critic who has composed works himself and has spent years on stage as a guest appreciating a variety of musical creations, he felt this was the first time he was so thoroughly blown away by the beauty of a piece upon just hearing it.
But, that’s why it’s a cello competition!
The choice of piece couldn’t influence the scoring.
Even if, following Yao Han’s hint, He Shu Mo already knew Lin Tian was the composer of this piece.
Holding onto his shock and excitement,
From the judges’ perspective, he had to maintain an objective and fair attitude, scoring the performers based on technique, understanding, emotional expression, and other elements!
Despite that,
He Shu Mo couldn’t help but want to scribble an “A+” on the score sheet right away.
No matter what, he had to hold back!
A piece so excellent taking the stage had to display its most charming aspects, completely, in front of the judges and the audience!
“.”
As the climax officially arrived.
The girl on stage closed her eyes.
The cello began to resonate!
The unique performance style of Gan Yan Yu—was here!
At that moment,
In this flowing music,
The girl, barefoot, stepped into a green forest.
Here, the birds chirped and the flowers blossomed; all animals coexisted harmoniously with nature. There were no wars, no struggles; even humans could wander freely here.
In such a place,
Even the angriest person could find their heart cleansed.
Even the most broken person could find salvation here.
Words like harmony and eternity echoed again and again in people’s hearts, walking into their spiritual worlds beneath the cello’s melody.
“Wow, amazing!”
Mao Junfeng couldn’t help but murmur,
“Teacher Gan Yan Yu really sounds like a fairy!”
Another accompanying musician nodded fervently.
Just listening to such a healing sound produced such vibrant vitality, showcasing the flourishing realm right before their eyes.
No wonder,
Tuoba Laoshi would say something like that during the last performance.
Amidst such an enchanting and beautiful performance,
Behind it was Gan Yan Yu’s terrifying depth of empathy and immersion.
Sufficient to send chills down the spine of every cellist.
Performance, performance—
The word “perform” was before “play.”
Everyone’s playing was a “performance.”
But Gan Yan Yu was “experiencing.”
As fellow colleagues,
No one could grasp the weight of Tuoba Laoshi’s words better than this group of performers.
But precisely because they were peers, all young contestants, they couldn’t help but ponder the seniors’ words.
What kind of spiritual world did such a performer have?
Would she one day, totally lose control, and turn the stage into a disaster? Would it really impact the real world?
All the musicians were thinking.
Old Gan.
Why?
Why teach her such performing techniques?
“.”
In the center of the judges’ table,
Tuoba Jianhui, usually so stoic, let out a heavy sigh amidst the sweet melodies.
As a principal conductor,
Tuoba Jianhui had mentored many famous musicians throughout his life.
The relationship between a conductor and performers isn’t simply “superior and subordinate” or “captain and crew.”
It’s more like a brain and the limbs and organs that absolutely obey it.
In an orchestra, musicians need to understand and fully comply with the conductor’s artistic interpretations and emotional expressions.
Performers cannot express excessive personal emotions in the music.
They must follow through completely and act according to the conductor’s ideas and intentions.
The orchestra is just a tool to help the conductor interpret the music.
An excellent conductor can lead performers toward progress and breakthroughs, collaborating to create one great piece after another.
So, many musicians regard “having performed in a great orchestra” as a significant part of their résumé.
This indicates an artist who fully understands how to express what the conductor thinks and can keep pace with the conductor’s ideas.
However,
That lad was the exception.
Back then, Tuoba Jianhui was 38, in the prime of his career, and that boy was someone he discovered while at the conservatory.
At 23, he was the youngest performer in the orchestra, a flutist.
This young man, despite his outstanding talent, kept making mistakes in ensemble play, even disrupting other musicians.
At that time, Gan Hua was also a cellist in Tuoba Jianhui’s orchestra; they were colleagues and best friends who often debated how to convey music.
Years of experience allowed Tuoba Jianhui to see immediately.
That boy’s thinking was totally different from everyone else’s.
He had a unique understanding of music and was completely unaffected by others, getting so deep into the music that once he started playing, no one could rein him in; even other musicians would struggle to keep up, and those who played with him felt intense pain.
This was a big no-no in an orchestra.
Tuoba Jianhui ended up in a heated argument with Gan Hua.
Gan Hua believed that this musician’s performance was incredibly dangerous, that his presence was a detriment to the orchestra, and he should be kicked out.
But Tuoba Jianhui felt that the boy was a gem.
Using the orchestra as a platform to temper him, they could potentially cultivate a great musician.
So, Tuoba Jianhui kept him in the orchestra, often calling him over to discuss and exchange ideas, using the boy’s understanding of music whenever he felt it was good.
In the end.
Reality proved Tuoba Jianhui wrong.
He never imagined that the 23-year-old lad would end up causing so much destruction.
Even he, a skilled conductor, couldn’t control it.
He watched helplessly as the boy fell into the abyss, no one able to save him.
His extremism, his obsession with music could only be described as a “malady,” still left an indelible mark on Tuoba Jianhui’s memories.
A person who dedicated his life to sharing his musical understanding with everyone one day nearly got consumed by another person’s musical world, watching as that individual’s life was destroyed by music.
Old Gan.
What were you thinking?
Back then, you fiercely opposed that kind of performance.
Now, why teach similar methods to your precious granddaughter?
That blow from the Ke’er Cup.
Was it really that significant?
After all…
This is your own granddaughter!
Over twenty years have passed.
Perhaps Tuoba Jianhui has aged, and no longer possesses that deep obsession with music.
Now, watching Gan Yan Yu on stage,
All that filled his heart was a pang of pain.
Gan Yan Yu,
Compared to that boy back then, is simply surpassing him in every way.
That legendary cellist Gan Hua has taught his granddaughter so well.
To the point that she played the piece to such a sublime level, even the former boy couldn’t match half of it.
Tuoba Jianhui absolutely couldn’t just stand by.
Watching this girl incite tragedies reminiscent of the ones from years ago in the music world.
Watching Gan Yan Yu bring the same disaster that befell that boy.
If—
If even my orchestra!
Can’t control her performance!
Then tell me!!
What in this world!
Could possibly restrain her!!
——The piano sounded.
Soft as water, warm as the wind.
Lin Tian closed his eyes, lost in the moment as he played.
The young man’s lips curled into a slight smile; the music was like a harmonious breeze, sweeping over the audience, brushing against the guests.
It blew across Tuoba Jianhui’s face, one marred by the marks of time.
Under the tender caress of “Pachelbel’s Canon in D,”
The old man was dumbfounded.
“Awesome!!”
Yao Han exclaimed inwardly.
He did it!
He actually… managed to suppress Gan Yan Yu!
The two melodies entwined together in a sweet embrace.
The piano enveloped the cello, pushing boldly forward.
It neither overshadowed the cello nor overshadowed the solo performance’s position.
Instead, it acted like a guide, delicately caring for the cello while moving forward, cautiously, as if walking on thin ice.
This… was the pinnacle of harmony in Canon!
At almost the same moment,
Many judges began to notice.
“Wow, excellent! Which pianist is this?!”
“Just a single variation from the piano changed the entire feel of the piece!”
“Wonderful! Though this is the cello competition, it’s truly refreshing to hear such an outstanding duet.”
Several judges nodded to one another, marveling.
Meanwhile, backstage,
Many contestants were equally captivated by the piano sound.
Mao Junfeng scratched his head, his expression rich and unable to suppress a smile.
“How mysterious; I can’t explain it at all.”
“This piano performance just made all earlier feelings of unease vanish.”
Before that,
Though Gan Yan Yu’s performance was splendid,
Mao Junfeng always felt that behind such beautiful sound, something made one think too much.
After all, “performance” and “real life” are different.
When someone has entirely immersed themselves in the role, reaching a point of “reality on display,” audiences find it impressive, yet other performers sweat in fear while feeling admiration for the acting.
It’s akin to someone playing a murderer so convincingly that those eerie eyes evoke shouts of “Check those ancestors for three generations!”
But once the piano reached a climactic variation,
That feeling of unease vanished.
Everything turned extraordinarily harmonious.
In its place was the beautiful duet that dug deep into their hearts.
On the other side, in the rest room.
Bai Xi watched the performance on the big screen.
At that moment, she slightly nodded, her eyes fixed intently on the piano boy’s face.
“Lin Tian… I truly haven’t misjudged you.”
“You are the kindred spirit all musicians envy and long to have in this world.”
Yes, indeed.
What a moving performance, Lin Tian!!
Yao Han crossed his arms, excited to the point of trembling all over.
It was worth all the effort he had put in.
As long as he could witness such a performance, this trip to Qingzhou wouldn’t be in vain.
Oh, right.
Our “dear” senior Tuoba.
Concentrating all focus on Gan Yan Yu, completely oblivious to the variable known as “Lin Tian.”
How does that face feel?
By now, I bet he’s about to burst with rage, bleeding from his seven orifices?!
Yao Han smugly turned his gaze aside, only to freeze in place.
At this moment,
Tuoba Jianhui was staring at the performance on stage.
In a daze, the wrinkles on his face seemed to have diminished, and his somewhat stooped back straightened slowly, almost like a sturdy young man in his thirties.
He stood there, completely entranced, motionless.
In the ethereal ending notes of “Pachelbel’s Canon in D,”
Tears brimmed in his eyes.
“Clap clap clap—”
Amidst unprecedented thunderous applause from the audience,
The music came to an end.
Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian stepped forward one after the other, bowing in gratitude.
During this process, Lin Tian raised his gaze, wanting to catch a glance at Old Deng, but found Tuoba had already left. Instead, he locked eyes with Yao Han.
Yao Han raised his palm, waving it in front, making a slitting motion across his neck.
m*rder?
No, it means total victory.
Implying that,
They had utterly annihilated all performers, including Tuoba Jianhui, their opponent.
Yao Han flashed him a grin.
Next, all the B group contestants had completed their performances, entering the intermission.
Soon, the winner of group B will be announced after the judges finalize their scores once the break ends.
Thus, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu took a breather in the rest room.
Taking advantage of the break, Lin Tian stood up to go to the restroom. However, as soon as he stepped out of the rest room door, he encountered Tuoba Jianhui standing in front of him in the corridor.
Tuoba Jianhui, as usual, held a thermal cup, exuding an aura that commanded respect without needing to be angry.
Lin Tian felt a bit wary.
The score reveal would happen shortly.
He knew the man could be petty.
Lin Tian wasn’t counting on getting any high scores from Tuoba. His previous performance was purely to slap Tuoba’s face; he didn’t care about the consequences.
As long as his performance was excellent enough, he could advance through the high scores of the other judges.
Lin Tian didn’t know what Tuoba was up to, intending to sidestep him.
Just as he took two steps, the aged voice called out:
“Lin Tian.”
“?” Lin Tian turned back.
Tuoba Jianhui looked at him, surprisingly wearing a relaxed yet somewhat mournful expression.
“Your piano playing is excellent; you will become a great pianist.”
Lin Tian halted, listening intently.
Tuoba Jianhui paused, his expression a bit conflicted, but he pressed on:
“I admit, my previous assessments were too hasty. I didn’t expect that beside Gan Yan Yu, there would be a pianist like you who understands and supports her. If Gan Yan Yu is entrusted to your hands, I would feel at ease.”
Lin Tian frowned:
“Who do you think you are?”
(End of Chapter)
