Chapter 23

This weekend, Yang Jingxing still went to the music academy. What made him embarrassed was that He Hongchui took the initiative to come and ask how his variation was coming along.

Yang Jingxing could only play the version he had played for Tao Meng. This made He Hongchui give him a lesson on the spot, explaining the chord function circle, the tonic chord, the subdominant chord, the dominant chord... and then let Yang Jingxing go back and continue to work hard.

He Hongchui explained very simply and broadly, with a lot of content, hoping that Yang Jingxing had enough understanding and divergent thinking.

Yang Jingxing had already progressed to 740 in his practice pieces. For him, this level of difficulty was no big deal. So Li Yingzhen's plan for him was to study both composition and piano, to get a double degree, even though he hadn't even been admitted to the school yet.

Hu Yiqing privately suggested that Yang Jingxing might not need to waste too much energy on cultural classes, as getting into the music academy was almost a sure thing.

Yang Jingxing said he wanted to be an excellent high school graduate.

On Sunday evening, Tao Meng asked Yang Jingxing, "Is the score really something you composed yourself?"

Yang Jingxing nodded, "If you ask a few more times, it won't be."

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing with an unhappy expression, "So stingy... I went home and looked at it, it's a bit difficult."

Yang Jingxing was delighted, "Haha, now you know how tough it is."

Tao Meng was even more proud, "I played it!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Actually, it's super simple."

Tao Meng didn't take it personally, "Actually, I like the theme song the most."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Which one?"

Tao Meng thought for a moment, "The one with 'crazyforyou.'"

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "Can't remember."

After a few seconds of giving up, Tao Meng still couldn't help it, "It goes da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da..." She hummed very softly, almost inaudibly.

Yang Jingxing indeed laughed, and it was definitely a sly laugh.

Tao Meng immediately turned her head and started reading a book, using her left hand to block her head.

Yang Jingxing protested, "You're really hurting my self-esteem, did I laugh that badly?"

Tao Meng covered her ears with both hands.

Yang Jingxing stood up again, "Alright, I'm going to practice, move over."

Tao Meng didn't move.

Yang Jingxing was really spineless, "I'm sorry, I apologize."

Tao Meng still covered her ears, using her buttocks to push the chair forward a bit.

At 6:30 PM on the 20th, Yang Jingxing called Liu Miao.

Liu Miao answered quickly, "Hello."

But she didn't hear Yang Jingxing speak. After a few seconds, piano music came through, easily recognizable as the birthday song.

It was Liu Miao's birthday, and her family was having dinner to celebrate. Wu Heyu and Liu Chiwei saw their daughter answer the phone and say "hello," then they looked down at the table, smiling sweetly, not moving for two minutes, not knowing who was talking on the other end.

After finishing the piano piece, Yang Jingxing picked up the phone and said, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Liu Miao finally spoke, standing up and going back to her room, "Have you eaten... I'm at home... She's back... Of course, unlike you."

Yang Jingxing was sad, "Is this not a gift!?"

Liu Miao had high standards, "Can't even see you, no sincerity."

Yang Jingxing was angry, "Better than your two-word text message!"

Liu Miao chuckled, "Don't forget Xia Xue's."

"Impossible! Hey, what day is it?"

Liu Miao laughed, "I'll tell her!"

...

Wu Heyu and Liu Chiwei waited for their daughter for five minutes and asked her, "Was it Yang Jingxing's call?"

Liu Miao nodded.

Wu Heyu asked again, "What did he say, why were you silent for so long?"

"Nothing, he played the piano for me."

...

On Friday afternoon, Yang Jingxing gave Tao Meng three handwritten sheets, the piano version of "da-da-da." This piece was quite simple, making it easy for Yang Jingxing and also catering to Tao Meng's taste and skill, which were not as high as he had imagined.

Yang Jingxing said, "Consider it a thank you for helping me fulfill my dream of sitting next to a beautiful girl in high school."

Tao Meng, feeling a bit embarrassed, pushed the sheet music back to Yang Jingxing's desk, "I don't want it."

Yang Jingxing groveled, "Alright, I apologize."

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing, a bit agitated, "Sometimes you really make me feel lost, do you know that! Can't we just talk like normal classmates?"

"Oh," Yang Jingxing nodded.

Tao Meng then took the sheet music back herself.

On Saturday, Yang Jingxing was taken over by He Hongchui from Li Yingzhen for the whole morning. He Hongchui said that Yang Jingxing's newly revised "Night Rain Variations" had some good points, but was mostly immature and unorthodox.

The prelude was poor, a bit overbearing. The theme was presented thinly, with unnecessary embellishments, which Yang Jingxing didn't handle well. The first variation moved the theme to the left hand, which was embarrassing. The second variation was clearly imitating Haydn. The third variation was clearly imitating Mozart... and the imitation was poor.

He Hongchui critiqued and commented on each measure in front of Yang Jingxing, explaining theoretical knowledge, which was very beneficial to him.

He Hongchui was so dedicated, and Li Yingzhen was even more serious, making Yang Jingxing work on Chopin's "Waltz in C-sharp minor" for the whole afternoon.

Yang Jingxing's first attempt was met with a scolding, "Listen to yourself, how can you be so restless in your sadness! I see you're restless now!"

The second attempt was still met with scolding, "The octaves are so artificial! Who can listen to that!"

The third attempt wasn't much better, "The D major section should be the gentlest part of the piece, how did you play it!"

Behind him, Zhang Chujia gloated, "Finally, the oddball is getting a taste of our life."

Hu Yiqing comforted Yang Jingxing, saying that Li Yingzhen was being strict to help him improve under pressure. In fact, Yang Jingxing was already playing very well, and for a young person, a bit of exaggeration in such pieces was nothing serious.

On Sunday, the 21st of the ninth month in the lunar calendar, it was the Frost's Descent, the weather was gloomy, cool, and a bit cold. The autumn wind blew, and leaves fell everywhere.

In the morning, standing on the balcony of the second floor of the north building of the music academy, Yang Jingxing could hear music and a girl's voice coming from above. It was from room 306, practicing a piece he hadn't heard before.

This piece was very gentle and quiet, completely different from "Contra." The main roles were played by the flute, yangqin, electronic keyboard, and pipa, and the different parts blended well, sounding very pleasant.

Seeing Yang Jingxing standing there motionless, deep in thought, Li Yingzhen didn't urge him to hurry back to practice. This child was indeed a bit restless lately. Li Yingzhen regretted being too eager, praising his talent too much, and making him start composing so early. Perhaps he really needed to rest and calm down.

After listening to the performance upstairs, Yang Jingxing went back to his room, sat at the piano, and played the piece he had just heard without any preparation.

Li Yingzhen didn't interrupt, as Yang Jingxing played quite well and was very focused. Yang Jingxing also played it simply, without adding unnecessary embellishments or complex chords.

After finishing, Yang Jingxing sat there in a daze. A female voice from upstairs called, "Hey, downstairs."

Yang Jingxing didn't rush out to respond. After resting for two minutes, he played the "Waltz in C-sharp minor" again.

Hu Yiqing and Zhang Chujia didn't dare to comment, looking at Li Yingzhen. Li Yingzhen didn't praise Yang Jingxing but asked, "What do you feel?"

Yang Jingxing seemed to be answering a different question, "The world of music is too profound and vast, my thoughts are too naive."

Li Yingzhen sighed and comforted him, "No matter what your thoughts are, as long as you work hard, they can't be called naive."

Yang Jingxing smiled, "Thank you."

During dinner, Zhang Chujia asked Yang Jingxing, "You're not being scolded into stupidity, are you?"

Yang Jingxing made a congenitally stupid face.

Hu Yiqing laughed, "No, he's very confident."

Zhang Chujia also said, "Do you think I have nothing to do, coming here every day to suffer with you, just to see what miracles this oddball can create."

Hu Yiqing suggested, "Take a few days off, really, don't go to the practice room at night."

Zhang Chujia continued, "Don't feel defeated, or I, who has been practicing for over ten years, won't be able to live... and those who never wrote a piece in their life might as well die early."

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "What defeat, at most, I have a bit more self-awareness."

Zhang Chujia encouraged, "Keep it up, maybe 306 will have a new guy."

That night, Yang Jingxing indeed didn't practice, not because practice was useless, but because the progress he made from practice was too easy for him, something he could do anytime.

But when he looked to his future, could he really make contributions and breakthroughs in music composition? It was hard not to doubt. He even worried that getting things too easily might limit his level.

Even if he could play all the world-famous pieces to a high standard within a year, for Yang Jingxing, it would still be nothing. He still couldn't create something of his own and share it with others.

A new week began. Early in the morning, Tao Meng interrogated Yang Jingxing, "Were you in the city again last night?"

Yang Jingxing shook his head.

Tao Meng didn't bother to ask in detail, "I played the score at home, it sounds good."

Yang Jingxing nodded, "Thank you."

Tao Meng glanced at Yang Jingxing twice and didn't say anything more.

The classmates around the second group's fourth desk felt that things had been a bit unusual lately, quieter, without hearing Tao Meng's laughter or anger. When she and Yang Jingxing discussed problems, the academic atmosphere was particularly intense.

During the last class on Thursday morning, after Tao Meng listened to Yang Jingxing analyze an application problem, she thanked him and then asked quietly, "Yang Jingxing, are you angry?"

Yang Jingxing was puzzled, "Why would I be angry?"

Tao Meng was serious, "Don't pretend, you must remember."

Yang Jingxing said, "Oh, the Ferrari, it's not a big deal. Besides, you agreed to take me, but I didn't seize the opportunity."

Tao Meng smiled symbolically, "There you go... you're not angry?"

Yang Jingxing looked at Tao Meng, "If you're talking about my way of speaking, I'm not angry. Think about it, if I were angry, would I still listen to you? I would have annoyed you to death by now!"

Tao Meng laughed, "Good, you're not angry, don't make it sound so serious."

Yang Jingxing felt it was quite serious, "If I affect your mood, it affects your studies..."

Tao Meng reaffirmed, "It's not that serious!"

Yang Jingxing asked, "Do you know what the most serious thing is?"

"What?"

Yang Jingxing was quite disappointed, "It's realizing that I actually have no influence."

"It's not that serious..." Tao Meng regretted her words as soon as they were out.

Yang Jingxing hit his head on the desk in sadness.

Tao Meng hugged her arms, buried her head, and after a while, stood up with a flushed face, looking at Yang Jingxing, "Let's agree, no talking about these things in class."

Yang Jingxing nodded.

After the bell rang, the teacher left. Yang Jingxing jumped up and called to Tao Meng, "Finally, come on, come on!"

Tao Meng buried her head again, and after a while, stood up, ignoring Yang Jingxing, and ran away.

On Saturday, Yang Jingxing handed the new manuscript of "Night Rain Variations" to He Hongchui. He Hongchui was really surprised. Yang Jingxing seemed to have forgotten everything he said last week about the ideas and theories. This new manuscript was completely different, very simple.

The embellishments and inverted chords were almost gone, leaving only a simple three-measure prelude. Then came a clean and bright theme, repeated twice. There were four variations, all using very simple methods. It ended with a long note of the tonic chord, clean and peaceful.

After looking at the score for a while, He Hongchui sat at the piano and played it twice. The second time was slower and smoother, with more emotional depth. Then, he started modifying the score, changing the subdominant chord, and asked Yang Jingxing to play it himself.

Playing his own piece, Yang Jingxing seemed a bit artificial. But both professors still praised him.

Li Yingzhen was focusing on training Yang Jingxing's understanding of Chopin. Chopin was really hard to play. Many pieces seemed simple to beginners, but when you delve deeper, you realize how hard it is to grasp Chopin's essence. Many people accumulate emotions when playing Chopin, wanting to burst, but Chopin never lets them, which is truly frustrating.

The little "Nocturne in E-flat major" was played over and over, almost making Yang Jingxing doubt his own playing ability.

After practicing for a whole morning, Yang Jingxing barely passed. Hu Yiqing and Zhang Chujia were tired of listening and went to chat on the side, laughing happily.

In the afternoon, it was the "Nocturne in B-flat minor." With more experience or perhaps because he liked this piece more, Yang Jingxing only played it ten times before Li Yingzhen praised him, "That's the feeling, especially sweet and very beautiful."

Zhang Chujia revealed, "He likes that kind of thing."

In the evening, Yang Jingxing had to call Liu Miao and Xia Xue to play "Wedding in a Dream" on the piano. This was a huge contrast, and Liu Miao and Xia Xue couldn't even tell that "Wedding in a Dream" had a Chopin feel.

After listening to the piano piece, Liu Miao had something to ask, "When you went to Europe during the summer, did you meet any foreign girls?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Of course, don't underestimate me."

Liu Miao asked, "Do you have photos?"

Yang Jingxing was frustrated, "Did you see them?"

Xia Xue said, "We heard from Zhou Longlong."

Liu Miao asked urgently, "Why didn't you show us?"

Yang Jingxing said, "They're not good-looking."

Liu Miao exclaimed, "Your mom is using the photo as her computer wallpaper!" How could Xiao Shu Xia do that!

Yang Jingxing explained, "Their aesthetic is completely different."

Xia Xue asked, "Is it cold in Puhai? It's only ten degrees here."

...

As November began, the midterm exams were only two weeks away, and everyone wanted to boost their confidence for their senior year, making the atmosphere a bit tense.

Tao Meng, however, was confident and relaxed. On Sunday evening, she brought a recorder and played "Slam Dunk" for Yang Jingxing to listen to.

Yang Jingxing, of course, flattered her, "Smooth and easy, shows you're calm, very good."

Tao Meng asked, "Are you definitely going to the music academy?"

Yang Jingxing nodded.

Tao Meng said, "I never expected it. Remember when we started high school, I looked at you... you seemed so strange, not at all like a student. I thought you would be very troublesome."

Yang Jingxing countered, "When I first saw you, I didn't expect you to be a serious and responsible class president."

Tao Meng asked, "What did you think?"

Yang Jingxing laughed, "I thought you were a romantic, beautiful, happy, and lively little girl."

Tao Meng sneered, "Sorry to disappoint you."

Yang Jingxing said, "What, this is a pleasant surprise!"

Tao Meng laughed lightly.

Yang Jingxing looked at Tao Meng, satisfied, "I've compensated myself."

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing, confirming he wasn't embarrassed, and then got angry, "I saw from the beginning that you were a hateful person, and you still are."

Yang Jingxing was pleasantly surprised, "You don't have to be so cooperative."

Tao Meng really didn't put her left hand down for a long time, until they needed to discuss a problem.

On November 16th, the midterms began, lasting three days, with the same intensity as the college entrance exam. After each exam, there were some happy and some sad. Yang Jingxing was neither happy nor sad.

"How do you feel?" Tao Meng asked him.

Yang Jingxing said, "I feel you're a good desk mate."

Tao Meng laughed, "I don't deserve that."

On the evening of the 18th, Yang Jingxing called Xia Xue again, playing the birthday song.

Xia Xue was also celebrating her birthday at home, and Liu Miao was there with her, about to have dinner. Liu Miao saw Xia Xue answer the phone and not speak, so she asked, "Is it him?"

Xia Xue nodded.

Liu Miao stood up and put her ear to the phone, "Let me listen... it's a bit different."

After finishing the piano piece, Yang Jingxing said on the phone, "Happy birthday, Miao Miao's ears are very sharp."

Xia Xue said, "Wait, I'll put it on speaker."

Liu Miao closed the door and asked loudly, "How did you hear me?"

Yang Jingxing said, "I held the phone to my ear."

Xia Xue managed to say, "Thanks... the beginning is 'Happy Birthday,' but the end is very different?"

Yang Jingxing showed off, "This is called 'Birthday Song Variation,' I'll explain it to you later."

Xia Xue said, "One part is fun, like a waltz."

Yang Jingxing asked, "What gifts did you get?"

Xia Xue said, "From Miao Miao, a phone charm, it's pretty."

...

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