### Chapter 339: How to Explain Facing the Toughest Connections in History?
With the announcement of the first competitor’s name,
the stage lights converged, signaling the official start of the Dragon Zither Cup.
At this moment,
inside the official livestream room,
the number of viewers was skyrocketing.
[Just tuned in, who’s playing??]
[Has Moonlight and Cat come on stage yet? Go, big sister Cat!]
[Whoa, this stage is HUGE! Is this really a national competition?]
[Came for Maestro Mao, it’s my first cello competition, can someone explain what’s going on?]
[I’ve always loved the cello, hope to see the best performance today!]
.
In just a few minutes, the number of people in the livestream room had already surpassed “100,000+”.
The b*llet comments rolled in the bottom left corner.
This was just the preliminary round, and such an exaggerated scene was something even Lin Tian was witnessing for the first time.
This crowd was definitely more than those who followed the Parrot Zither Cup.
After all, it was a national competition; that’s understandable.
In Tianchao, there’s a whole bunch of viewers who usually don’t care about LPL, KPL, or the major European leagues.
But when the finals and the World Cup roll around, these folks swarm into the channels, even if they don’t know anyone on the field, they watch with rapt attention.
They’re all about the excitement and the atmosphere.
The same goes for the Dragon Zither Cup now.
If before, those who followed the Parrot Zither Cup were primarily music fans and cello enthusiasts, the audience at the national competition had multiplied several times over.
Not to mention this year, with pop music celebrity “Mao” joining in, the attraction was off the charts.
It’s no wonder there needed to be commentators in the livestream room for such a national competition.
Just so that casual viewers who aren’t familiar with the scene can still understand what’s going on in the competition.
“Alright, now competitor Nanaly has made her way to one side of the stage,”
commentator Zhu Ye said with a smile,
“Let’s switch the camera to the stage!”
With the commentators’ words still hanging in the air,
the camera swiveled.
On stage, a golden-haired young woman walked over with elegant steps.
Upon seeing the girl, commentator Feng Ye couldn’t help but exclaim,
“Such a beautiful cellist!”
At that moment, it wasn’t just the commentator.
Even Lin Tian was taken aback.
Is this Nanaly??
— Dressed in a brown Victorian-style performance gown, topped with a collegiate blazer, and with a gold brooch pinned on her chest.
Usually seen in frilly Lolita dresses, Nanaly always gave off a doll-like vibe.
But today, she looked quite formal, radiating an academic air, and paired with her golden locks, she gave off a very prestigious feeling.
In her hands, she held her beautifully carved cello adorned with snake motifs.
Lin Tian had never really paid attention to the origins of that cello.
Not until he saw someone comment online during a concert did he learn that this cello was a family heirloom from the 18th century, inherited by Nanaly.
He was honestly worried she might accidentally ruin the old antique during her performance!
Although he didn’t understand why Nanaly had opted for this look today, when she stepped up to the front of the stage, Lin Tian was undeniably amazed.
Actually, in a way,
Nanaly might be more suited for this elegant and affluent style.
She clearly had the vibe of a mixed-race beauty.
But she always dressed like a kid, wearing her cute princess dresses.
Her looks were somewhat sealed away.
Lin Tian might not be a fashion expert.
But he definitely had an eye for beautiful women.
At that moment,
the b*llet comments in the livestream were flying by with unique playful remarks from netizens.
[Whoa, what a beautiful cellist!]
[I need this person’s full background in 10 minutes!]
[I declare she’s already won!!]
[This name sounds foreign, definitely a foreign gal! She looks so at home with the cello!]
.
“I can see everyone is really passionate about competitor Nanaly,” Zhu Ye said.
“Yeah, after all, it’s quite rare to see such a pretty face among professional cellists,” Feng Ye chuckled, “Can’t deny, I like it too!”
Compared to the more official commentary style of Zhu Ye, Feng Ye’s vibe was bolder, often saying out loud what the audience was thinking but too shy to voice.
This was the unique style they had developed during their years of working together.
Zhu Ye stuck to the professional route, ensuring official rigor.
Feng Ye, on the other hand, leaned more toward playful banter, ensuring the younger audience’s delight.
And he kept it pretty tame most of the time.
Like now,
only the commentators, separated from the live audience, could comment on the appearance of the cellist during such a serious competition.
“Let’s look at Christine Nanaly’s details; we see she’s British and emerged from the Qingjiang Province league. Moreover, she’s a direct descendant of Greta Clyden Nanaly,”
Zhu Ye said, his expression growing more astonished.
Feng Ye beside him also displayed a look of surprise.
“Wait, is that the Nanaly??”
“Yep.”
“The viewers in the livestream may not be familiar, but Greta Clyden Nanaly is a really great British musician, highly regarded in the music world. Historically, the Nanaly family has produced many famous musicians.”
Zhu Ye continued,
“But we need to view it objectively; even though she comes from the Nanaly family, at the core, she’s just an ordinary person like you and me.”
“Exactly,”
Feng Ye quickly created a serious tone in agreement,
“From what we can see now, Nanaly reached the top eight in the Qingjiang Province. This year, there are three competitors from Qingjiang, and Nanaly is ranked third among them.”
Three people in total, ranking third.
That means she was practically at the bottom!
Once the audience caught onto this,
considering the unique competition format of the Dragon Zither Cup,
where each province only has 2-3 spots, it’s clear that non-championship candidates are chosen with serious consideration.
A candidate like Nanaly making the cut, and just so happened to be ranked “third,” was clearly tied to her background of representing the “Nanaly family.”
It’s hard for anyone to believe that she was selected without considering her background.
In plain terms, she’s a connections baby!
However, that doesn’t make it embarrassing; after all, there are plenty of connection babies in the Dragon Zither Cup every year.
These invited competitors often have backgrounds, connections in music associations, or simply influence.
As long as they aren’t those sponsors who are completely inept and have no appeal, people are generally pretty forgiving about it.
But how much anticipation there is
— that’s a different story.
Especially for the commentators.
In competitions like this, usually, commentators won’t directly point out the pianist’s mistakes or where they fall short, but instead, they have to adopt a more tactful approach; in plain speak, it’s all about saying good things and not bad ones.
When faced with someone who’s a “connections baby,” it’s often hard to give a favorable comment.
And if the pianist has a special background, the commentary has to be even more “tactful,” even going out of their way to cover up mistakes when they happen.
Commentators need to know how to sail with the wind.
What can they say about someone from such an impressive lineage?
“.”
Before the performance even began, Feng Ye was already feeling the pressure.
Watching as Nanaly set up her bow at the center of the stage.
“Let’s see her performance, then later we can tell everyone more about the Nanaly family’s history,”
Zhu Ye commented.
Feng Ye shot him a glance; the two exchanged knowing looks, immediately understanding each other’s intent.
They had it all figured out.
Facing a talent with such a towering background,
it won’t be easy to cover up regardless of how her performance turns out.
The more they say, the more likely they’ll mess up.
Better to change the subject and chat about music history, specifically the Nanaly family!
That way, they could avoid risk and stay on topic.
Genius!
(End of Chapter)
