The two principals said a few words and then sat down.
This was both a competition and a concert. The audience was packed, and Xia Yu even spotted his Chinese teacher.
The Chinese teacher sat beside the principal and handed Xia Yu a card: “Your outfit is in the wardrobe backstage. This is the access card.”
This competition would be recorded and broadcast, and local news would also show a few clips, so appearance was important. Xia Yu’s current casual clothes were unsuitable for the stage.
Taking the magnetic card, Xia Yu thanked him.
“No need for thanks. Just make sure you beat that Feng Ma. This is our principal’s obsession; he won’t rest in peace without a win,” the Chinese teacher said.
“It’s Feng Ma,” the principal corrected the name but didn’t deny what the teacher had said afterward.
It was unclear what kind of story there was between the principal and the principal of the Second High School back in their youth. They didn’t seem like enemies but more like old friends.
“Feng Ma’s mother is Ma Xiao,” the principal continued to Xia Yu. “You don’t need to feel pressured. If you can make it into the top three and secure a promotion spot, I’ll be very satisfied.”
Ma Xiao was a relatively well-known pianist.
“You have great talent. After the competition, I can introduce you to Ma Xiao,” the principal assumed Xia Yu intended to pursue a career in piano.
But Xia Yu only viewed piano as a way to earn money, and he participated in the competition merely for the manufacturer’s mission reward.
Moreover, Xia Yu planned to play the piano only in the preliminary round, at most in the second round, and then he would switch to the guzheng.
The reason he still played the piano was that he noticed the principal had a special fondness for it, and the previous bet likely stemmed largely from this.
Once he reached the final, his piano playing would definitely be uncovered anyway, so he might as well showcase it openly.
He had already prepared himself. His current level was at the threshold of level 3, just needing to learn the remaining piano pieces to break through to level 4. These days, he had been constantly practicing in the café, keeping his performance at a mid-level of level 3, adjusting some small habits and replacing them with others.
An Siyao wasn’t a dog; she wouldn’t recognize him in a situation like this.
After reviewing his plan and confirming there were no loopholes, Xia Yu lifted his head. The competition had already begun.
A total of twenty-three people participated in the competition, and his number was twenty-three.
On stage, three judges had already taken their seats. They were either professors from music universities or well-known musicians.
The first student took the stage, playing the accordion.
Seeing the accordion, the three judges remained expressionless.
Like the guitar, the accordion was often used for singing while playing, but this was an instrumental competition.
After he finished his piece, the judges still remained expressionless, showing no intention of speaking.
The student could only bow with a red face and walked off the stage himself.
The second contestant chose a more appropriate instrument, the piano, playing “The Treasure Carp in the Lake,” but due to nervousness and insufficient skill, he hit two wrong notes.
Two judges remained expressionless, while the third openly frowned.
Up until the fifteenth contestant, during the five-minute intermission, the best expression the judges showed was merely a nod.
These judges were quite strict, Xia Yu sighed.
However, the skill level of these fifteen contestants was indeed not very impressive.
“All the early ones are just filling seats. The wind department in our school is about this level too. The following contestants are somewhat better. There are about three who are at your level,” the principal told Xia Yu.
Xia Yu nodded in understanding.
He looked toward Feng Ma, wondering what level the person was at, whom the principal insisted he couldn’t surpass.
Level 4?
Well, in terms of piano, he only planned to use a mid-level 3 skill, and even now, he had only just reached the threshold of level 4.
He looked at the judges again. The three were discussing something.
“All these are just fillers. Where are the promising talents?”
“I heard it was random draw, and all the promising talents got drawn later.”
“How many do you think will pass?”
“About three, maybe even less. The only one worth expecting is Ma Xiao’s son.”
“Which number is Ma Xiao’s son?”
“Number twenty-two, wow, the closing act!”
The five minutes passed quickly, and the three judges continued watching the competition.
The following contestants’ level was indeed more reliable. One relatively amiable judge already had a smile on his face.
When it came to the twentieth contestant, Xia Yu stood up, went backstage to change clothes, and prepared himself.
In the backstage lounge, he met Feng Ma.
Feng Ma was dressed in a suit, sitting upright on a chair, giving Xia Yu a slight nod.
This was usually a gesture from a superior to a subordinate.
Xia Yu remained unfazed and nodded slightly to him before sitting aside, playing with his phone.
Feng Ma looked at him again, shook his head, giving a look of pity for someone who couldn’t strive.
His expression didn’t escape Xia Yu’s eyes. Xia Yu raised his eyebrows, his impression of this person worsening.
Although he had lived two lifetimes, Xia Yu wasn’t a person with a good temper. He thought that once he reached level 4, after defeating him in the following competitions, he would definitely mock him back.
Unfortunately, he would be using the guzheng then, and the cross-instrument aspect affected the satisfaction.
“Contestant Feng Ma, it’s your turn.” A staff member led Feng Ma onto the stage.
Xia Yu followed, stopping at the corner before entering the stage to watch.
Stepping onto the stage, Feng Ma first bowed to the audience, then to the judges. His posture was indeed elegant, and a round of applause arose from the audience.
All three judges smiled and nodded at Feng Ma.
Sitting at the piano, Feng Ma raised his arms, and a series of soothing notes emerged from his hands.
It was “The Temple Dancer.”
“The Temple Dancer” was merely a piece of moderate difficulty. However, the quality of piano performance wasn’t determined by the difficulty of the piece but by the performance skill itself.
Xia Yu listened more attentively for a while, his expression becoming somewhat strange.
This guy’s skill seemed a bit poor? About mid-level 3?
That’s right. The principal had heard his music last time when he had just entered level 3. It was indeed accurate to say Feng Ma was better than him back then.
Turns out he was a fraud all along.
Xia Yu sighed, feeling uninterested.
On stage, Feng Ma moved his fingers, pressing the keys back and forth. His arms moved up and down, his body swaying slightly, eyes slightly closed.
Combined with his decent looks, Xia Yu had to admit he looked somewhat handsome.
The elegant first part passed, the rhythm quickened, the notes became somewhat chaotic, representing the turbulent era, followed by the third part combining the elegance of the first part with the fast-paced playing of the second part.
When Feng Ma pressed the last note, stood up, and bowed to the audience, loud applause erupted. The three judges also smiled and clapped a few times.
After the applause subsided, the three judges spoke for the first time: “Very well done. Although the third part still has a few flaws, it’s already a rare good piece of music. When I was your age, I couldn’t play as well as you!”
“Keep it up. The young surpass the old, better than your mom.”
“Why don’t you come to my Kaiyang Music College?”
Feng Ma thanked each judge and went backstage.
Passing Xia Yu, he smiled at him again and said, “No need to be nervous.”
Xia Yu simply acknowledged with a short response and stepped onto the stage.
Unlike Feng Ma’s flashy performance, Xia Yu sat quietly at the piano and began to play.
He was the last contestant, and the competition was about to end. The three judges had already started daydreaming about what to have for lunch.
Their mental images of delicious food were shattered by a powerful, resounding melody.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage