Chapter 345: Moonlight and Cat, Making Their Entrance!
古. Classical Music?
Zhu Ye took another glance, confirming she wasn’t seeing things.
“Is this for real?”
Before Zhu Ye could ponder any further, a massive chord erupted.
The live performance surged to a thrilling climax, forcibly yanking Zhu Ye’s attention back.
Mao Wei Ang’s cello grew more intense, as if the instrument had been enchanted with special musical magic:
The bass strings emitted a sound reminiscent of an old radio struggling to tune into a frequency.
The bow danced across the four strings, like a street dancer grooving to off-beat rhythms.
As the final climactic segment approached, Mao Wei Ang leaned back, directing the cello’s neck skyward, as if aiming to sh**t notes into the cosmos.
In that moment,
Everyone in the audience – including those in the commentary booth –
Became subjects of this marvelous spell, their cells gleefully responding.
“This is the King of Pop Music!!” Feng Ye exclaimed excitedly.
As the music drew to a close,
In a tide of applause and cheers,
Mao Wei Ang stood up, still hunched over his tiny frame, and approached the stage.
Humbly and politely, he bowed to everyone,
Exuding gentlemanly grace.
“Bravo!!”
“Masterful presence! Teacher Mao’s cello plays live and upholds his esteemed reputation in the Chinese music scene!!” Zhu Ye cheered.
The judges nodded in agreement, their faces relaxed like never before.
This was pure enjoyment on stage.
An impeccable performance.
An astonishing original composition.
The piece titled “A Sonnet of Electric Currents and Catgut Strings,” as its name suggested, was an auditory feast crafted purely by leveraging the synergy of instruments, showcasing the charm of the notes themselves!
Almost all the listeners easily felt the purest essence of music –
Which is to bring joy to people!
Such a performance,
In the context of the 2025 Dragon Zither Cup, is truly representative, reflecting the openness and inclusiveness of today’s music scene, leading the direction of the entire music industry.
In the judges’ eyes,
This was a politically correct masterpiece worth a perfect score!
Not all politically correct pieces stand in opposition to the public; on the contrary, this trend exists to cater to popular aesthetic preferences.
It could be said this represents a “People’s Correctness!”
Zhu Ye’s interpretation raised the stakes of the competition, making the live broadcast’s atmosphere reach unprecedented heights.
And the audience’s reactions perfectly echoed this sentiment.
[Honestly, don’t laugh at me, it’s my first time watching a competition—most of the pieces before felt like I only half-understood. But the moment Teacher Mao played, I instantly knew – it’s a good piece!]
[Exactly! I’ve seen my fair share of competitions, and honestly, I usually can’t tell who’s good or bad. But I can’t help but admit that Teacher Mao’s performance finally made me feel I understood something!]
[Hahaha, so true! Teacher Mao’s cello is way better than the previous ones!]
[I might be a bit uncultured, but I just love it!]
[.]
As the moment of Mao Wei Ang’s performance came to a close,
The Dragon Zither Cup’s official live broadcast saw online viewers peak at a staggering 500k+.
It’s not an exaggeration to say,
This 500k+ is already the upper limit of audience reach for music competitions in Tianchao.
Moreover, many people were watching such a grand music competition for the first time!
Meanwhile,
The title “A Sonnet of Electric Currents and Catgut Strings”
Simultaneously climbed to the top of Weibo’s trending searches!
And it dominated public interest on major video platforms like Douyin and Bilibili.
Just minutes after the performance,
Clips and recordings began flooding the internet.
This marked the heavyweight debut of the cello competition this year!
Of course, this had much to do with Teacher Mao’s star power as a pop music king,
But the quality of the music itself was a powerful driving force behind all this.
[The first complete cello competition I watched was thanks to Teacher Mao!]
[Ahhh, who gets it! Teacher Mao really looks so cool playing the cello!]
[It’s so beautiful it’s like my ears got pregnant! I didn’t know music without lyrics could be so enchanting!]
[Can we get someone to write lyrics for this piece and re-release it? Maybe have Chen sing it? Haha!]
[.]
The online buzz was buzzing like a beehive.
Meanwhile, the two commentators at the booth were no longer sparing any words of praise.
“Even though it’s his first competition, Teacher Mao’s performance is nothing short of a final round standard!” Feng Ye remarked.
“Yes, today there were quite a few performers playing in the same genre of pop music. Objectively speaking, some of the pieces chosen by the other artists aren’t necessarily inferior to Teacher Mao’s “Sonnet.””
Zhu Ye added,
“But regarding the interpretation of pop music, none can compare to Teacher Mao!”
“Exactly, after all, he’s an exceptional music producer!” Feng Ye sighed.
Compared to the various cellists in Tianchao, who have received differing musical education in local music academies,
As music competitions increasingly lean toward “modern pop music,”
Mao Wei Ang, with his pure pop music lineage from the Chinese music scene, boasts years of experience producing pop hits.
To those struggling only to study the cello,
In terms of pop music research,
Teacher Mao absolutely delivers a crushing blow!
This blow was vividly illustrated in this performance.
In the same genre of pieces,
Teacher Mao can compensate for the “cellist technique” shortcomings with his creativity and pop music interpretation, utterly outclassing similar performers!
Having listened closely,
It seems the only contenders that could rival Teacher Mao’s performance are Nanaly’s “Flying Goose” and Bai Junze’s “Blue Bohemian Rhapsody.”
This was terrifying!
A newbie cello player who came to the Dragon Zither Cup as a “featured guest”
Managed to outshine a plethora of seasoned cellists!
“Just got word from the director that “A Sonnet of Electric Currents and Catgut Strings” has hit number one on Weibo’s trending!”
At the commentary booth, Feng Ye excitedly conveyed this news to the viewers,
“Thank you all for your support. It brings me great joy to witness such an excellent piece being born here at the commentary table.”
“Not good at all.”
In the rest room, gazing at the spectacular scene on stage,
Gan Yan Yu simply muttered, almost in a whisper.
“Huh?”
Hearing this, even Lin Tian was taken aback.
He stepped up to Gan Yan Yu, staring into the young woman’s eyes,
“Not good?”
Although they were rivals, even Lin Tian had to admit the greatest advantage of the piece he just heard – it was enjoyable!
Now, just moments later, the commentary team was raving about it, the audience was ecstatic, and the whole internet was showering praises!
Even Lin Tian, now feeling the heat, had no clue how to compete with such a piece.
And yet, for Gan Yan Yu? All it got was a casual “not good?”
“It’s empty.”
Gan Yan Yu let her gaze drop, speaking softly.
“Empty?”
“Yeah.”
Gan Yan Yu said,
“I can’t hear anything. Its soul has no voice.”
Lin Tian was stunned into silence.
He turned his head back to the big screen.
After a moment of deep thought, the meaning of Gan Yan Yu’s words began to sink in.
She was right.
What does “A Sonnet of Electric Currents and Catgut Strings” express?
Nothing.
Every note’s arrangement was merely for auditory pleasure, serving to delight the listener. One couldn’t hear the composer’s voice from the music.
If we must delve into its core, there is one, but it’s merely a proactive endeavor to inject educational meaning during comprehension so future generations can appreciate.
It’s not a complete work but resembles an “exercise” or an “experimental piece” from a composer… and to say that feels a bit generous since its difficulty isn’t high.
It is a “commercial piece” that brings joy to everyone.
Without lyrics, it even fails to leave space for an imaginative narrative.
But that is pop music.
It sacrifices part of its artistry to secure a larger audience, allowing more people to easily derive happiness from it.
Like “The Avengers.”
Renowned director Martin Scorsese once commented:
“I tried, you know, but that’s not called cinema. Honestly, the most accurate description I can think of is a theme park—well-produced. The actors put forth their best effort, but it isn’t where they express the nuances of human emotion.”
Setting aside this long-debated topic in the film industry,
A purely popcorn movie—no one expected to feel deep emotions from it.
As long as it’s produced well, with impressive special effects, and keeps everyone at the edge of their seats—it’s already worth the ticket price.
Not everyone enjoys films like “Dancing Elephants.”
And Mao Wei Ang’s “Sonnet” takes this even further.
It transcends typical pop music or “popcorn cinema.”
It is an epitome of it all.
Maximizing the strengths of pop music inevitably magnifies its flaws.
In fact,
This isn’t about right or wrong.
It’s just a matter of choice.
Everything is a selection made by the market and the times.
But when Gan Yan Yu openly said, “not good,” it still surprised Lin Tian.
“Well, it can’t be said to be completely unlistenable.”
Gan Yan Yu’s expression turned a bit lost as she replied.
“I just don’t hear any sound in it. I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”
Gan Yan Yu lifted her head to look at Lin Tian, her expression suddenly turning somber,
“Lin Tian, what should I do? I can’t even tell why it’s successful, how am I supposed to compete?”
So now she’s blaming herself?
Lin Tian choked up, hurrying to reassure her,
“It’s not your fault. It’s normal not to find it enjoyable. Your taste hasn’t failed you.”
“Everyone thinks it’s good music, but I can’t sit through it. Doesn’t that mean there’s something wrong with me?”
The girl’s eyes were already filled with despair.
“No, no, no!”
Lin Tian slapped Gan Yan Yu’s shoulder,
“How do you know that other classical musicians aren’t grappling with the same doubts you have right now?”
“.”
Gan Yan Yu was silent.
Lin Tian took a deep breath, as if a light bulb suddenly illuminated in his mind, and couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s so funny?” Gan Yan Yu asked.
“Teacher Gan, this is actually your edge!”
Lin Tian looked gently at the girl, smiling.
With a completely different thought process than regular players.
An unusual and perplexing cellist.
Can hear sounds that others cannot.
In front of such dazzling music, she even lost her ability to judge it.
It’s like a passive skill.
Good news: she can see the essence.
Bad news: she can’t see the surface.
Just like how Kusuo Saiki only recognized Kinesaki Kokomi’s true appearance at the finale after losing his x-ray powers; in that moment, after three seasons of buildup, he finally felt moved. Up until then, all he saw were a bunch of bone people.
But precisely because of that,
She can completely avoid being misled or influenced by any exterior and assess every soul equally.
Perhaps,
It’s precisely because of someone like Gan Yan Yu that she can perfectly interpret truly exceptional classical music.
“.”
Just then, a staff member knocked on the rest room door.
In the still somewhat dazed gaze of Gan Yan Yu,
Lin Tian stood up, stretching his limbs.
He smiled at Gan Yan Yu:
“Let’s go.”
“Since you don’t like it, let’s show them what real music sounds like!”
At that moment on stage,
The first half of the competition had just concluded, with a fifteen-minute intermission just passed.
Yet, whether in the audience, at the commentary booth, or in the live stream,
Everyone was still enveloped in the tremendous aftershock brought by Teacher Mao’s “A Sonnet of Electric Currents and Catgut Strings.”
A fervent atmosphere.
Until the girl host with her signature smile took the stage to announce.
“The next contestant is Gan Yan Yu from Qingjiang.”
As this voice rang out, it quelled the excitement in the room.
– Only to spur it toward another high peak!
[Whoa, it’s Moonlight and Cat! Are they finally coming?]
[Ahhhh, finally! I’ve been waiting so long!!]
[Cat Sis, go for it!!]
[Let’s go! Moonlight Brother, take him out!!]
[Especially the one who just played that pop piece—give him a beatdown!]
[.]
In a blink of an eye,
The 500k+ live stream was suddenly overwhelmed by a burst of long-dormant mysterious fans!
The barrage of comments multiplied several times over!
This spectacle was no less impressive than when Teacher Mao stepped on stage!
Gazing over the comments:
It was all either [k*ll, k*ll, k*ll] or [Charge, charge, charge].
What a sight!
Many new viewers from the pop music scene, brought over by Teacher Mao, were now getting their first taste of a cello competition. They had heard the names Moonlight and Cat and knew of their substantial influence in the music realm.
But witnessing this terrifying barrage made it clear they hadn’t prepared enough!
[OMG, the music industry has its own fandom!]
[Whoa, why are the comments flooding so fast? Are we really living in the same world as them?]
To add to the bewilderment of new viewers,
The barrage wasn’t the only surprise.
At that moment, the live stream director’s camera randomly panned to the backstage rest room.
—Several other cellists, upon hearing the name of the contestant, immediately revealed excited expressions.
Even some participants who had been fiddling with their phones hastily stowed their devices, focusing intently on the big screen, displaying looks of admiration and respect.
Wait, really??
The new viewers were stunned.
They didn’t realize the stature was so high!
When Teacher Mao, the king, stepped on stage just now, it wasn’t even this extreme, was it?!
“.”
At the same time,
In order to keep up with the overwhelming heat, commentator Feng Ye tightened his verbal structure, aiming to find topics from “Moonlight and Cat’s” repertoire, just like before.
However, just then, Zhu Ye patted his thigh from under the table.
In Feng Ye’s puzzled gaze, his attention was redirected to the performance piece line-up—
“Blue Danube.”
“.”
Feng Ye’s eyes widened in shock.
Zhu Ye, however, appeared to have already come to terms with it, showing a slightly bitter expression.
At this moment,
The stage lights focused.
Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu walked onto the stage.
In that instant, Feng Ye understood Zhu Ye’s meaning.
Wow,
This is going to be a tough battle for Moonlight and Cat!
(End of Chapter)
