Chapter 144: Let’s Form a Team!

Sitting in front of the guzheng, Xia Yu put on the artificial fingernails that Liu Manman had just removed.

His action once again drew sharp glances from the surrounding men.

Placing his hands above the strings, Xia Yu felt a sense of nostalgia. Although he had played a piece now and then over the past two months, it had been a long time since he last performed in front of others.

He pondered what piece he should play.

Play E-Ending again?

He didn’t want to repeat a piece he had already played.

Then, which one would be better?

He could think about the piece for a while later—first, let’s start with elegance.

In the eyes of the surrounding tourists, Xia Yu’s demeanor suddenly changed.

The women present lit up with excitement.

Even Liu Manman couldn’t help but feel a slight tremor in her heart.

Grandma chose him correctly—without even starting to play, he already impressed everyone, perfectly embodying the concept of Hua School guzheng.

However, I’m not a successor of the Hua School guzheng, but rather the inheritor of the Northern School. Looking good doesn’t count toward scoring. What matters is how well the piece sounds.

Although she felt confident about winning, Liu Manman still felt uneasy, worrying that Xia Yu’s E-Ending might surpass her.

After Xia Yu started playing, this uneasiness was cast aside by Liu Manman.

This wasn’t the prelude to E-Ending, but rather the prelude to Water City. He foolishly abandoned his advantage—he definitely won!

Joy appeared on her face, but after Xia Yu finished the prelude, the joy vanished, and uneasiness returned.

This piece, did it sound better than hers?

Impossible! She had already made rare progress in these two months. How could he have improved even more than her?

Her mind was completely in disarray, and she had no heart to listen to the piece.

Except for her, everyone else was captivated by the music.

Among them, Kong Hanyue was the most deeply affected.

The piece “Water City” expressed a sense of tranquility. She had heard Xia Yu play it before, but his previous rendition was nowhere near this impressive.

Ordinarily, when a piece is played, it simply conveys what it’s supposed to depict—the musician is like a machine playing notes. But this time, Xia Yu had incorporated some of his own variations into the piece.

Listening to this music, what appeared in Kong Hanyue’s mind wasn’t a city submerged in water, but a vast expanse of white snow.

The music blended with the snowy scenery outside, transforming “Water City” into “Snow Mountain.” Both exuded tranquility, but this tranquility now carried a touch of snowy chill.

The melody was clear, like falling snowflakes. On the endless snowy mountain path, the wind and snow filled the eyes. Walking on the snow, everything around was silent.

As Xia Yu struck the final note, a snowflake drifted down onto the guzheng.

Outside, snow began to fall again.

Removing the artificial fingernails, Xia Yu returned to his seat and sipped his floral tea.

The applause from the crowd didn’t stir any emotions in him.

Liu Manman stared at him blankly.

She really wanted to ask Xia Yu how he had improved so much in just over two months.

She recalled what her grandmother, Liu Ronglan, had said—that Xia Yu had mastered the piece E-Ending in less than a month, a piece she had studied for three years without success.

Was this the difference between a genius and an ordinary person?

She thought of An Siyao again, another girl who seemed to cheat at life.

She felt dispirited and even began to doubt whether she should continue participating.

However, moments later, she dismissed the thought of giving up.

“You’ve surpassed me now,” Liu Manman said gloomily.

“You’re not bad either,” Xia Yu replied casually.

“There’s something I’d like to ask you,” Liu Manman continued.

So her real intention wasn’t just the competition?

Putting down his teacup, Xia Yu asked, “What is it?”

“Let’s form a team together and participate in the Global New Generation Music Competition,” Liu Manman said, her eyes shining as she looked at Xia Yu. “With our guzheng duet, we can definitely secure a spot!”

“I refuse,” Xia Yu replied. He had no interest in music and didn’t want to pursue it further.

Besides, after he refused, the game didn’t issue any new tasks either.

“Why? This is an international competition! The fifteen selected teams will perform live on a global broadcast!” Liu Manman couldn’t understand why Xia Yu would reject her invitation.

“Do you already have a teammate?” She asked again.

“No,” Xia Yu shook his head.

“Then are you planning to go solo? Duet performances are easier to get selected. In this district, you won’t find another guzheng player qualified to pair with you!” Liu Manman pressed.

At the same time, her heart was complicated. Originally, she thought among all the new generation musicians in the district, only Xia Yu’s guzheng could match hers. But today, she realized that Xia Yu’s guzheng skills had improved so rapidly that he was already close to her grandmother’s level, making her seem like a mere foil.

In ten years, Xia Yu would surely become the leading figure of the Hua School guzheng, even the top name in guzheng overall.

“I’m not planning to participate in this competition,” Xia Yu considered how to refuse her. Should he directly say he was planning to become a programmer instead of pursuing music?

If he said that, Kong Hanyue and Liu Ronglan might be shocked.

But he had to say it eventually.

Before Xia Yu could speak, Liu Manman grabbed his hand: “The competition won’t interfere with your practice. Experiencing the world’s top-level performances will help broaden your horizons.”

In Liu Manman’s view, Xia Yu’s rapid progress over two months must be due to his talent combined with diligent practice. That’s why he rejected her—he must be focused solely on practicing guzheng.

However, during these two months, Xia Yu had been doing nothing but eating and drinking, only recently getting busy due to Xu Youxiang’s matters.

“I…” Before Xia Yu could finish speaking, Liu Manman interrupted him again.

“Please forget what I just said,” Liu Manman felt ashamed of her lofty but empty words when she realized Xia Yu didn’t even care about such a prestigious opportunity as the Global Music Competition.

Grasping Xia Yu’s hand again, she tried to persuade him once more: “My talent doesn’t match yours. With your exceptional skill, you will surely become a world-class musical master. This competition means nothing to you, but it’s one of the few opportunities I have—it might be the only highlight in my guzheng career. Please help me!”

“I refuse,” Xia Yu remained unmoved.

“I’m your senior!” Liu Manman started pulling rank.

“I’m busy,” Xia Yu said truthfully. He still had the mission of dominating the academy to complete, and as soon as school started, he would fully commit to building a better campus.

“You can make a request. As long as it’s reasonable, I’ll agree,” Liu Manman said.

Her words sparked Xia Yu’s interest. He mentally reviewed what he didn’t have that Liu Manman did, but the only thing he could come up with was her herself.

Was she trying to use a beauty trap?

Glancing over her body, Xia Yu evaluated:

Her face wasn’t as pretty as An Siyao’s, her upper body wasn’t as attractive as Yan Wei’s, and her legs weren’t as seductive as Xu Youxiang’s.

Although she was a rare beauty, everything about her was just average—nothing particularly charming.

“Do you remember Ning Qiuer? She’s practically the goddess of otakus. I can introduce her to you!” Liu Manman whispered conspiratorially.

So it wasn’t herself she was offering, but her best friend.

However, Xia Yu had only heard of Ning Qiuer and knew she was a singer—nothing else. Without knowing more, he naturally had no interest.

“No interest.”

Rejected again, Liu Manman sighed.

Guess she had to go find An Siyao then?

But piano and guzheng didn’t blend well together.