Chapter 39

After seeing his friends off, the holiday ended, and Yang Jingxing immediately immersed himself in intense practice. "Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3," with its three movements, lasting over half an hour, is a massive and weighty piece, considered one of the most challenging in the world. To perform it well, one needs not only technique but also perseverance, endurance, and courage... For most people, just looking at the thick stack of sheet music for a few pages is enough to make them dizzy and disoriented. Even many established masters can only sigh in admiration, and some who are not deterred end up practicing until their hands are worn out.

Octaves and large leaps, which are already challenging, are just the basics in the Third Concerto. This piece almost encompasses all piano performance techniques, pushing the instrument's expressive capabilities to the limit. The powerful notes that pour down like a storm across the entire piano range convey all the emotional power—sadness, joy, grandeur, confusion... The finger independence that piano teachers emphasize so much is fully demonstrated in this piece, requiring one to multitask, sometimes even juggling three tasks at once, or it would be impossible to achieve the perfect harmony of multiple voices.

Yang Jingxing's first attempt at the Third Concerto was at Jiu Chun's house, where he had transcribed the piece from a CD. Not to mention bookstores, even specialized music stores outside the conservatory rarely carry such sheet music. He spent three evenings just transcribing, with the piece's lightning-fast chords and densely intricate ornaments almost driving him to the brink.

Transcribing was just a small part; it was only when he started playing that he realized what it meant to be tested by fire. Yang Jingxing practiced every evening, but it wasn't until half a month later that he managed to play through it completely for the first time.

When Li Yingzhen handed him the two or three hundred pages of sheet music, she did so with the solemnity of a commission, saying, "Take your time to study it, don't rush." There was also a full orchestral score, which was even more daunting.

Yang Jingxing quickly flipped through it and noticed a problem: "It's different from the version I heard."

The version Li Yingzhen gave him had OSSIA, which means simplified passages for particularly difficult sections. No one would mock you for using it; even masters do it.

But Yang Jingxing was unwilling and played his version for Li Yingzhen to hear.

After listening, Li Yingzhen stared at Yang Jingxing for a while, then slapped her thigh and stood up, pointing at him and asking, "How long have you been practicing?"

Yang Jingxing replied, "Just playing around during the holiday."

Li Yingzhen scolded him, "You want to achieve everything at once!"

Yang Jingxing laughed sheepishly.

The teacher and student went to the library to find the authentic score and checked for any errors in Yang Jingxing's transcription. There were indeed some, given the sheer number of notes.

Then Li Yingzhen had Yang Jingxing play again while she listened and quickly flipped through the score, making notes. Although his performance surprised her and was stage-worthy, it still hadn't reached his full potential.

They skipped lunch, and Yang Jingxing played four or five times, with Li Yingzhen constantly pointing out details that needed improvement and making corrections.

In the afternoon, piano students came for their lessons, but Li Yingzhen wanted to reschedule them. Yang Jingxing felt embarrassed and said, "Professor Li, please teach them. I need time to digest the content. What would you like to eat? I'll go buy it."

Li Yingzhen didn't hesitate: "Anything, just a boxed meal, light and simple."

Yang Jingxing hurried off, ate quickly, and brought back a meal with two dishes and a soup. Perhaps because Yang Jingxing hadn't made any major mistakes recently, the second-year student became the scapegoat, receiving a severe scolding. Yang Jingxing felt embarrassed and quickly retreated to the student practice room.

The student practice rooms were on the 15th to 18th floors of the new teaching building. There were many, but the number of students needing to use them was even greater. Students used the rooms with a card issued by the school, with piano students getting the most time, followed by composition students. Departments like education and management had it tough.

Because the rooms were in high demand, no one could monopolize them for long. However, Yang Jingxing was an exception, receiving special attention from Li Yingzhen. Even though he spent four or five hours in the room, the management teacher would never drive him out, even if piano students needed to use it.

In the elevator, a boy about the same height as Yang Jingxing greeted him, "You're a first-year, right?"

Yang Jingxing nodded, "Please take care of me."

The boy asked, "Not from the piano department?"

"Composition department."

The boy was surprised, "Are you Yang Jingxing?"

Yang Jingxing was a bit nervous, "Ah! Am I famous?"

The boy laughed and introduced himself as a third-year, saying he had heard about Yang Jingxing from his teacher and classmates, and knew quite a bit: "You've been studying with Professor Li since you were young?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Sort of."

"No wonder... I study with Professor Xie."

When they reached the practice room, the tall boy clearly wanted to hear Yang Jingxing play. Yang Jingxing didn't refuse, nor did he hold back, and played a piece from the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Experts can tell the level of skill just by watching someone do a basic move. The tall boy smiled, "Our department hasn't produced anyone in years... Have you never participated in competitions?"

Yang Jingxing was modest, "Far from it."

The boy guessed, "But now, competitions are meaningless. I won't disturb you."

Once the boy left, Yang Jingxing immediately started practicing the Third Concerto. He chose a version with large chords for the first movement's cadenza and practiced it several times. Then he focused on the sections Li Yingzhen had pointed out as needing improvement. Li Yingzhen was an expert in listening and critique, able to spot many details that Yang Jingxing had missed.

The building had many practice rooms on each floor, with good soundproofing in the walls but not the doors. Walking down the bright, clean corridor, you could clearly hear the piano music from each room.

After practicing for two hours, Yang Jingxing suddenly heard a knock on the door. He said, "Come in," and six people entered—three men and three women, including the tall boy.

The tall boy was a bit embarrassed, "We've been listening for half an hour. This is my classmate and girlfriend." He introduced the girl next to him, who looked gentle.

Yang Jingxing acted as if he knew her well, "Beautiful, are you here to show off?"

Everyone laughed and introduced themselves. Two were second-year piano students, two were third-year piano students, and one was from the conducting department.

The conducting student was quite dissatisfied, "Just play through it once, you're driving us crazy!"

The others agreed, "Yeah, it's already so good!"

Yang Jingxing flattered them, "Seniors, please give me guidance."

Yang Jingxing started playing, and the others stood to listen. As he played, the conducting student became increasingly excited, his conducting gestures growing more and more exaggerated. By the second movement, he was almost kissing the ground. In the third movement, his gestures were so dramatic that everyone around him was startled, unsure if he was conducting Yang Jingxing or if Yang Jingxing was conducting him.

When the piece was over, Yang Jingxing was drenched in sweat. The conducting student shouted first, "Great, too great!"

The others clapped, and a second-year girl asked, "Why haven't we heard of you before?"

Another asked the old question, "Have you participated in any competitions?"

Yang Jingxing was modest for a while before sending them off and continuing his practice.

Of course, he still had to attend his own classes. Composition classes were indeed tedious, with daily sight-singing and ear training, listening, but not for enjoyment. Then there was harmony, analyzing chords in each measure... and a lot of homework! Although it was like elementary school math to Yang Jingxing, he still took it seriously.

Professor He Hongchui wasn't as focused on Yang Jingxing as Li Yingzhen, but he still cared. Although he hadn't started teaching him yet, he had met with Yang Jingxing a few times, assigning him some self-study tasks and writing assignments. These writing tasks weren't about freely expressing one's inspiration and talent but had strict format requirements, specifying what chords to write and what connections to use... also tedious!

On October 13th, a Friday, it was drizzling and a bit cold. In the afternoon, Tao Meng called, asking if Yang Jingxing had time over the weekend. She wanted to visit the conservatory.

Unfortunately, Yang Jingxing's daytime was dominated by Li Yingzhen. The old professor was willing to sacrifice her rest time to tutor him for free, so Yang Jingxing couldn't just say he was going to meet a high school friend.

Yang Jingxing asked, "How about in the evening?"

Tao Meng loudly said, "Of course not, I have to go home in the evening."

Yang Jingxing said, "Then next weekend, I'll come pick you up."

Tao Meng scoffed, "Forget it, I don't even want to go." She hung up.

Yang Jingxing called back, warning, "If you hang up again, I'll get used to it and won't call anymore!"

Tao Meng didn't respond and hung up again.

It seemed Yang Jingxing wasn't used to it yet. He called back, "Honestly, who are you? I often suspect you're not Tao Meng."

Tao Meng was annoyed, "Can't you recognize my voice?"

Yang Jingxing said, "So I just suspect. Tell me, how many moles does Tao Meng have on her face?"

Tao Meng might have had to check in the mirror, "None."

Yang Jingxing exclaimed, "Sure! She has one in front of her left ear. Who are you?"

"Even that small one counts! Aren't you bored?" Tao Meng softened a bit.

Yang Jingxing changed the topic, "This weekend really doesn't work, next time."

Tao Meng said, "Whatever, I might not have time... Are you adapting to college life?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Except for not having a beautiful desk partner, everything else is fine."

Tao Meng chuckled, "In our large classes, there are five or six people at each desk."

Yang Jingxing asked, "Do you sit alone?"

"How could that be!"

Yang Jingxing was sad, "You're not keeping your promise!"

Tao Meng was annoyed, "I always sit with girls."

Yang Jingxing praised, "That's better, keep it up."

Tao Meng asked, "How do you attend classes?"

Yang Jingxing described, "About ten people, one person per desk, scattered, except for sight-singing and ear training."

Tao Meng was interested, "What is sight-singing and ear training?"

So, the two discussed their respective studies. When Tao Meng learned that Yang Jingxing didn't have math classes, she was both envious and regretful, saying it was a waste for him not to study math. What a waste? He only scored 130 on the college entrance exam.

Yang Jingxing educated, "You should learn to appreciate math, the pleasure of logic."

"Even... can't you use a different word?" Tao Meng was unhappy.

Yang Jingxing compromised, "Okay, the joy of logic."

Tao Meng said, "I joined the student council, the publicity department, and we're doing a questionnaire activity."

Yang Jingxing asked, "What kind of questions?"

Tao Meng said, "Surveying the thoughts of first-year students and promoting encouragement... Does your school have many activities?"

Actually, the conservatory had many activities, not just music-related but also others, including political and ideological studies. However, Yang Jingxing hadn't participated in any.

Tao Meng complained, "You're always like this... Have you made any new friends at school?"

Yang Jingxing was a bit embarrassed, "Not yet, what about you?"

Tao Meng said, "Classmates get along well... I miss high school life a bit. Here, the gap feels bigger, and I want to live at home because a girl in the dorm is so unhygienic, leaving her instant noodle boxes on the table!"

Yang Jingxing said, "That's just bad luck, you happened to encounter her."

Tao Meng added, "Although there are no major conflicts, it feels a bit cold between people."

Yang Jingxing comforted, "It's like this at the beginning. If they were too friendly, they'd have ulterior motives. Not everyone is like me."

Tao Meng huffed, "You're friendly? How many times have you called or texted?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Twice today."

Tao Meng said, "When I get home, I'll have nothing to do. Do you have any new sheet music?"

Yang Jingxing said, "Yes, the Third Concerto, do you want it?"

"I meant something you composed!"

Yang Jingxing said, "Tell me what you like, I'll give it to you next week."

Tao Meng said, "I don't know, you choose."

Yang Jingxing spent the entire weekend on the Third Concerto, receiving a lot of praise from Li Yingzhen. On Monday afternoon, Li Yingzhen called the head of the conducting department, Mr. Sun, to listen to Yang Jingxing's performance. Mr. Sun immediately agreed to have the Puhai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra collaborate with Yang Jingxing for a concert on campus.

The conservatory's symphony orchestra had a history of several decades, but the members changed every year, with an average age of twenty, mostly students, some graduate students, and young teachers. The level was average, but the orchestra had collaborated with many masters and frequently performed in Europe and America, often for political or social reasons. In this aspect, Mr. Sun, the head of the orchestra, had been quite successful.

Li Yingzhen didn't ask Yang Jingxing if he was willing; the on-campus concert was just a warm-up. Most people didn't have such an opportunity. Li Yingzhen also instructed Mr. Sun, "Make sure they prepare well!"

Mr. Sun nodded repeatedly and told Yang Jingxing, "No problem, I'll contact Zhang Jiahe, who is in Puhai." Zhang Jiahe was a famous conductor in China, with many titles, including Vice Chairman of the National Musicians Association, Chairman of the Puhai Musicians Association, Music Director of the Rongcheng Symphony Orchestra, and Chief Conductor of the Puhai Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Sun and Zhang Jiahe had a good relationship, so he was confident he could get Zhang Jiahe to conduct the orchestra for Yang Jingxing.

Later, Li Yingzhen told Yang Jingxing, "Zhang Jiahe is very enthusiastic. He might help you contact other orchestras or competitions. Thank him, but don't get distracted."

Yang Jingxing nodded, "Understood."

Li Yingzhen said earnestly, "You must become a true performer, a true musician!"