Chapter 164: Somewhat Perverted

Will he lose or win?
Ye Fangfei did not want to answer this question.
Yet, deep down, she actually held expectations.
To be honest, although in terms of connections she was perhaps closer to Wang Yanhua and Song Yi, at this moment she found herself hoping that Lu Zhou would win!
However...
Reality was still quite cruel.
Given the current situation, what were Lu Zhou's chances of winning?
If the competition was purely about flexing technical skills, Ye Fangfei had virtually no confidence in Lu Zhou.
She had heard him play the piano a few times during their time on the show, and his proficiency was certainly praiseworthy, but she did not believe his piano skills had reached a level where he could go toe-to-toe with Wang Yanhua and Song Yi...
Therefore, his odds of winning...
To put it bluntly, they were not optimistic.
Unless he could carve out a completely different path...
Yet, how could one carve out a different path amidst a sudden, unprovoked challenge?
It would be extremely difficult, wouldn't it?
Consequently, Ye Fangfei anticipated his victory, but lacked any confidence in it.
"Hard to say," Ye Fangfei replied to Gao Ting'an's question. "There is one thing others might not realize: Lu Zhou's advantage actually doesn't lie in the piano, making this competition meaningless in itself."
Gao Ting'an looked at Lu Zhou on the stage with growing interest and smiled as he picked up the thread of conversation: "Not necessarily meaningless. Judging by his demeanor, he doesn't look like someone who lacks conviction."
Hearing this, Ye Fangfei turned her gaze toward Lu Zhou on the stage as well. Indeed, he appeared utterly composed, though it was impossible to tell whether he was simply putting on a brave face or truly harboring absolute confidence.
Up on the stage, Song Yi raised an eyebrow upon seeing Lu Zhou bravely step forward to accept the challenge under such circumstances, and he glanced over at Wang Yanhua in the audience.
Did this guy actually have some genuine tricks up his sleeve, or was he just putting his pride on the line and stubbornly pushing forward?
The two exchanged a silent look, suddenly realizing that this new junior brother might not be as weak as they had imagined. At the very least, he had the guts not to cower.
Song Yi prepared to cede the stage. Before stepping down, he gently patted Lu Zhou's shoulder and laughed softly, "Good luck."
Lu Zhou returned his smile. "I will."
Song Yi descended from the stage, returned to his seat beside Wang Yanhua, and waited with full anticipation for Lu Zhou's upcoming performance.
So did everyone else in the audience.
All eyes converged upon the small stage in the banquet hall. There were no spotlights, but the burning anticipation in their gazes felt even hotter than any spotlight.
Lu Zhou took his seat at the piano.
"The previous two senior brothers were simply too formidable, and now I'm feeling immense pressure," Lu Zhou remarked to the audience in a lighthearted, bantering tone before beginning his performance.
A wave of low chuckles rippled through the audience.
It had a touch of humor to it—feeling immense pressure yet still daring to take the stage showed admirable courage!
To say nothing of Lu Zhou, even among the other accomplished pianists present, there were very few who would truly dare to step up and duel with Wang Yanhua and Song Yi right now.
One could only say that this young man possessed quite a bit of daring.
"Admitting defeat is nothing shameful," someone in the audience called out in a persuasive tone.
"This isn't a competition, so where is the talk of admitting defeat coming from?"
Seated at the piano, Lu Zhou massaged his muscles to relax his fingers while answering the person's remark.
A smattering of laughter erupted across the room again.
Not a competition?
In truth, it was a competition; it was just that no one had explicitly said it out loud.
However, the audience now realized that Lu Zhou possessed a certain cleverness. By proactively stating that "this is not a competition," he had provided himself with a graceful way out in advance.
"I'd like to get familiar with the piano first. Everyone will allow me to test the keys and find my feel, right?"
Having relaxed his fingers, Lu Zhou smiled as he looked out at the audience.
People burst into soft laughter. Oh lord, it was almost too painful to watch; he even needed to test the keys...
The previous two masters had both walked straight up and gone into action immediately. Could this be considered being knocked out right at the start for Lu Zhou?
Ye Fangfei scratched her forehead, almost lacking the courage to keep watching.
It was too agonizing...
At this point, Qin Yi spoke up:
"Some people need to get acquainted with the instrument. Testing the keys to find the feel is completely normal, and of course it's allowed."
"Relax. You were right just now—this is not a competition, merely an artistic sharing, and there's no need to vie for superiority or ranking."
Old Qin's intention to shield his protege was exceedingly obvious. Naturally, it also revealed Old Qin's own assessment of Lu Zhou: in this segment, he could not possibly win against his two senior brothers.
Lu Zhou smiled and nodded toward Old Qin.
Subsequently, he adjusted his posture, his gaze settling upon the keys.
"Ding ding ding, dong dong dong..."
His left and right hands casually played a short segment of musical notes across the keyboard, beginning his sound check.
The audience members were slightly stunned. Huh?
This... the familiar melody, is that *La Campanella*?
Listening more closely, it really was *La Campanella*! Specifically, the most difficult little section of *La Campanella*!
Was he going to play *La Campanella* later? Did he intend to use it to lock horns with his two senior brothers?
The audience: "..." Such nerve! But you might as well go ahead and nail your own coffin shut.
Hearing this melody, Wang Yanhua couldn't help but smile.
Lu Zhou, while testing the keys, had launched straight into the most difficult section of *La Campanella*. His tempo, dynamics, note clarity, and tactile articulation were all grasped quite well, showing that he possessed a solid foundation.
However... wanting to catch up to his level?
Brother, did anyone tell you that testing the keys isn't done this way? You've completely killed the audience's anticipation.
Fine, this was truly boring... he wasn't an opponent at all.
Just as Wang Yanhua lost interest, the melody on the stage suddenly shifted.
He frowned slightly, snapping his gaze back to the stage. "???"
The audience wore equally bewildered expressions: "???"
Lu Zhou had changed the melody, abandoning the movement belonging to *La Campanella*; the music at this moment had transformed into *Danse Macabre*.
What he was playing now was the large-leap tremolo section of *Danse Macabre*, and he had genuinely conjured up the grand momentum.
Song Yi's face darkened instantly as he looked at Wang Yanhua. "What on earth is he doing?"
Wang Yanhua twitched the corner of his mouth. "Didn't he say so earlier? Testing the keys..."
Song Yi wore a speechless expression. "So which piece is he actually going to play?"
"Whichever piece he plays, there's only one outcome," Wang Yanhua said confidently.
At that moment, the piano music suddenly stopped dead.
Then, Lu Zhou looked at Wang Yanhua and Song Yi, smiled, and said, "I tested the pieces our two senior brothers just played, and as expected, your performance levels on these two compositions are heights that remain currently unreachable for me."
Wang Yanhua: "..."
Song Yi: "..."
The audience: "???"
So, was this a direct surrender?
Ye Fangfei had already silently resumed eating. It was too agonizing, though she had to admire Lu Zhou's mindset; he really knew how to let go.
Even Gao Ting'an was amused by Lu Zhou's antics.
This particular method of conceding defeat was rather interesting, to say the least.
Yet, just when everyone thought Lu Zhou had straight-up surrendered, he shifted his tone and declared:
"Since today is my master-apprenticeship banquet, on such a special occasion, I suppose I shouldn't simply pay tribute to other people's works. Next, I will present an original piece of my own for everyone."
"I have named this composition *Starlight Sonata*."
"It makes its first public appearance today, and I hope it wins your affection."
The moment Lu Zhou finished speaking, a bright light flashed in Qin Yi's eyes.
Wang Yanhua and Song Yi frowned at each other in mutual bewilderment. What on earth was he playing at???
Ye Fangfei's chopsticks halted mid-air, and she curled her lips into a smile. Her earlier guess had been correct; he really had carved out an unorthodox path.
The rest of the audience: "???"
Using an original composition to fight against works by these classic masters?
They honestly didn't know whether to praise him or laugh at him...
Having announced the details of the piece he was about to perform, Lu Zhou put away his previous casual joking demeanor, his expression turning much more serious.
His ten fingers hovered above the keys.
He brewed his emotions for five or six seconds. During this seemingly static waiting period, Lu Zhou's serious expression inexplicably caused the audience to hold their breath in concentration.
The silence broke. The very instant Lu Zhou's ten fingers descended, the sound of the piano rang out immediately.
The audience gradually widened their eyes.
Lu Zhou's ten fingers danced across the keys with the smoothness of flowing water!
The opening section of this composition began right away as a passionate presto!
The music possessed an immense sense of force, resembling a fierce fury and a roar!
A rhythmic precision akin to a hammer striking iron poured forth from the keys, carrying a high-octane passion and an unyielding will.
Right at the start of the movement, Lu Zhou's left and right hands played so fast they became a blur, yet under this high level of difficulty, his left hand still managed to grasp the dynamics of the contrasting loud and soft sections brilliantly, perfectly executing that progressive layering of inner passion.
The rapid flow of musical notes combined with the thunder-and-lightning crash of chordal structures!
The unfolding of this movement resembled a high-speed train hurtling forward at 350 kilometers per hour into a pitch-black night swept by a violent storm.
As the tempo reached its absolute peak, the trills and tremolos lashed against the window glass like sudden, heavy rain, carrying a sense of profound tragedy.
Then, the speed of his fingers gradually slowed, and the dynamic details in the left hand slowly became more pronounced, carrying a poignant, desolate beauty mixed with tenacity, as though it were the resilience of one who had survived a catastrophe.
The music sounded like raindrops growing lighter, followed immediately by the soothing tranquility after a storm—clouds unspooling across the sky, a gentle starlight, embodying a certain hopeful longing for a better future.
Immediately afterward, the force behind Lu Zhou's fingers intensified once more, and the piano notes regained a powerful explosive velocity. The imagined scene morphed back into lashing torrential rain, the roar of gathering dark clouds...
The entire movement progressed in layers, transitioning from gentle to dramatic and back to progressive heights, granting the listeners an infinite space for imagination.
Ultimately, the movement concluded with a tremolo brimming with immense power.
Leaving the listeners to draw in a sharp, shock-filled breath deep within their chests.
With this performance, it concluded.
A prolonged silence settled over the banquet hall.
This was a piece he had written?!
If one had to use two words to describe the inner feelings of every listener present at this moment, they would be: Holy crap!
Who on earth was he to be able to write such a soul-stirring fantasy sonata in his twenties?!
The notes that had just cascaded from the piano beneath his hands possessed supreme beauty, overflowing emotion, and profound depth for thought.
This movement was exceptionally fascinating; its initial design featured a rapid, cascading series of arpeggios!
During his performance, Lu Zhou struck out a continuous string of sixteenth notes in one breath before resolutely cutting off the phrase with two block chords!
The momentum was extraordinarily strong, instantly delivering a tremendous auditory shock from the very beginning and stirring up passion within the listeners' hearts.
The entire movement cleverly and vividly combined and designed techniques such as arpeggios, trills, legato, ornamentation, and large leaps.
Was the performance difficult? Difficult!
Yet, listened to as a whole, its performance difficulty did not surpass the sheer physiological challenge of *Danse Macabre*.
However, at this very moment, did anyone still care whether its performance difficulty surpassed that of the previous two?
Not a single person cared!
Because the richness of artistic appreciation brought by Lu Zhou's original composition could no longer be confined simply to whether its technical difficulty was high or low.
Every musician present shared a single thought in their minds right now: Holy crap, this guy is a freak!
Who actually won?
Heh...
The internal monologue of Wang Yanhua and Song Yi in the audience: Junior brother was right earlier; this wasn't a competition, so how could there be talk of winning or losing?
Ah, indeed, this wasn't a competition...
It had already transcended the boundaries of a competition.
Oh lord, they suddenly understood why their master had taken him on as a disciple.
As expected, anyone capable of entering Qin Yi's lineage had to possess at least a touch of freakish attributes...
Meanwhile, Qin Yi was feeling profoundly ecstatic inside.
Everyone today had truly given him an enormous amount of face! Especially Lu Zhou—he hadn't misjudged him at all! A genius, a sheer genius! With an abundance of spiritual talent!
The scene remained deathly quiet.
The passion ignited in their hearts by the piano music took a long time to calm down. Ye Fangfei was the first to react to the realization that Lu Zhou's performance had concluded.
Aish, how annoying, she had been charmed by him again this time!
Ye Fangfei let out a sharp, clear whistle that shattered the stunned, dead silence of the audience. She stood up with a radiant smile and offered him a resounding round of applause.
"Super awesome!" she said.
The very next second, deafening applause erupted throughout the banquet hall.
Lu Zhou rose from the performance seat, took a few steps forward, and bowed politely and slightly to all the audience members. "I have made a fool of myself!"
Wang Yanhua's mouth twitched slightly as he picked up the remark: "Junior brother, you are being far too modest."
Song Yi raised both thumbs at him simultaneously and asked, "When are you going to share the sheet music? My hands are already itching to practice it."
The crowd chuckled.
Clearly, Lu Zhou's performance on stage just then had successfully subdued these two arrogant senior brothers.
Today's master-apprenticeship banquet had truly been extraordinarily thrilling.
Stepping down from the stage, Lu Zhou was swarmed in turn by enthusiastic professional masters eager to converse with him about the creative inspiration behind this musical piece.
Ye Fangfei did not go over to join the commotion.
Ouyang Xue, her best friend sitting beside her, leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a low voice, "The way your man looked on stage just now was simply heart-stoppingly charming!"
Hearing this, Ye Fangfei's pupils dilated in shock, and she lashed out beneath the table to kick her. "Are you drunk?"
Ouyang Xue laughed out loud. "Reserving him in advance, nothing wrong with that."
Ye Fangfei: "..."
Meanwhile, Gao Ting'an, interrupted by the laughter, withdrew his gaze from Lu Zhou.
Here, he was an outsider; his appreciation for music had not reached the level of the other professionals present. Even so, he was still able to perceive Lu Zhou's formidable capabilities.
Analyzing purely from his own aesthetic perspective as an ordinary listener, he actually preferred Lu Zhou's original piece over the ones Wang Yanhua and Song Yi had played earlier.
He felt that the piano piece played by Lu Zhou suited his taste better; listening to it just then had even stirred up the deeply conflicted and struggling side within his own heart.
The emotions conveyed by this composition shocked his inner self, and he even felt as though this piece had been written specifically about him.
One had to admit that this young man was indeed no ordinary character.
No wonder Old Qin had taken him in as a disciple, and no wonder he had managed to win Ye Fangfei's favor. He truly possessed some genuine substance.
The phone in his trouser pocket vibrated a few times, and Gao Ting'an took it out to glance at it.
Having received a phone call, Gao Ting'an bid farewell to Ye Fangfei due to pressing matters to attend to, asking her to convey his apologies and departure to Old Qin on his behalf.
Amidst his busy socializing, Lu Zhou silently glanced at Gao Ting'an's departing figure, then casually resumed his nonchalant banter and laughter.