Chapter 27

When Cheng Xiaoyu and Xia Shamo walked out of the mall, he casually bought a long down jacket and put it on Xia Shamo. At the entrance, they hailed a taxi and rushed to the Fudan University Auditorium.

On the way, Cheng Xiaoyu answered countless phone calls and replied to numerous text messages. However, he was still relatively calm inside, as their performance was still a long way off. Still, such behavior was a serious violation of discipline.

When Cheng Xiaoyu and Xia Shamo arrived at the backstage corridor, the performance was already halfway through, and the next act was Su Yuxi's piano solo, "The Clock."

Cheng Xiaoyu and Xia Shamo were almost dissected by their homeroom teacher, Wang Wei, as specimens. Fortunately, Teacher Ji Xin was sitting on the stage, or there would have been another person to make Cheng Xiaoyu fall apart. Cheng Xiaoyu sent a text message to Teacher Ji saying they had arrived and then walked with Xia Shamo into the backstage.

The backstage was chaotic, with some still applying makeup, some standing in the corner rehearsing their lines, and some quietly warming up their voices. There were two blonde foreigners in European noble attire, performing "Romeo and Juliet" from Gezhi Private School. There was also a student from their school, Sun Zihao, in Zhao Yun's Peking Opera costume, performing "Changbanpo." Various people were moving around backstage, creating a stark contrast to the calmness on stage.

When Chen Jiajun, the announcer, loudly said, "Next, please welcome Su Yuxi from Class 2(3) of Fudan High School, performing the piano solo, 'The Clock,'" the entire backstage suddenly fell silent. Many performers crowded to the side curtains, the only place where they could watch the performance from backstage.

Cheng Xiaoyu took the opportunity to pull out two stools, found a makeup table, and asked Xia Shamo to sit down. He took out the cosmetics from the paper bag and piled them on the small makeup table. Then he heard thunderous applause from the audience.

Cheng Xiaoyu could imagine Su Yuxi standing by the piano, bowing in acknowledgment, then sitting on the piano stool and lifting her long, slender hands to play the keys with swift, graceful movements.

Cheng Xiaoyu was also familiar with this piece; he had practiced it before. When Liszt adapted Paganini's virtuoso "Concerto for Violin in B minor, Op. 7, No. 2, III. Rondo" into "The Clock," he clearly stated, "Only a few people have the ability to play such an etude..." Therefore, "The Clock" is perhaps the most challenging and technically demanding of all piano works.

Cheng Xiaoyu perked up his ears, closed his eyes, and listened carefully to Su Yuxi's performance. The piece began with a brief prelude, quickly leading to the "Clock Theme" in the high register of the piano. The clear and pleasant sound of the high register and the use of harmonics created a series of short, powerful sounds, forming a vivid and realistic series of bell chimes. Since the high register of the piano is more suitable for imitating the sound of bells than the violin, the effect was even more pronounced. The next theme (1=b4/6) continued to use the high register to produce different rhythms of bell sounds. These two themes alternated and varied, forming a highly challenging and brilliant section.

"The Clock" primarily uses variation techniques, constructed from the alternation of two themes. Its high technical demands include: large interval broken chords with one hand, agile jumps over long distances, rapid repeated octaves, simultaneous melody and trills with one hand, and rapid runs of notes. Su Yuxi performed these challenging techniques flawlessly. For example, the large interval broken chords in the high register are very noticeable if even slightly off, like a bell suddenly malfunctioning, and the jumps far exceed the limits of human hands. This level of accuracy requires extensive practice. Moreover, Liszt required the melody to be prominent, meaning not only precise jumps but also the clear highlighting of the main melody. In some parts, there were even large jumps with ornaments, making it even more difficult. Cheng Xiaoyu himself could not yet perform it perfectly.

Su Yuxi's superb piano skills were not just about technical mastery; she made the entire performance full of imagery. From the beginning, the ethereal octaves made Cheng Xiaoyu hear the distant, faint sound of bells through the wind, a subtle and enchanting sound that heralded the start of a grand feast. The beautiful melody was played through the root notes of broken octaves, and the transparent crown notes vividly depicted the "ding-dang" sounds of various sizes of bells colliding. The warm calls of the left-hand arpeggios made Cheng Xiaoyu feel as if he could sense the beautiful, flowing water-like moments from the performer's meticulously crafted keyboard playing. The swaying rhythm, changing textures, and supreme techniques made the music seem like a kaleidoscope of colorful soap bubbles, with a variety of colors and shapes. The contrast in harmonic color, the crisp ornaments, and the light, playful patterns echoed each other, gathering the festive and humorous atmosphere into a lively whirl. The exquisite playing, accurate poetic expression, and clear dance-like qualities elevated Cheng Xiaoyu's imagination to a climax like a sudden storm.

The four-minute performance completely changed Cheng Xiaoyu's impression of the piece. He originally thought Liszt had adapted it just to show off, as the high technical demands were daunting. After hearing Su Yuxi's performance, he discovered the extreme beauty of the piece, a beauty that only a few could express.

The piano sound stopped, and outside, thunderous applause erupted. In this era, more people appreciated classical music than in the past, and everyone had a good sense of the quality of the performance. Moreover, due to the limitations of innate conditions, famous female pianists were rare, and someone like Su Yuxi was truly a rarity. Her performance of "The Clock" could be considered at a master level, and she was also exceptionally beautiful. How could she not be popular? "The Artist" magazine had even invited Su Yuxi for an interview, but she politely declined, feeling that her skills were not worthy of such a top-tier magazine, though she didn't realize her value extended beyond just piano.

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed inwardly, finally understanding why so many people had advised him not to perform a piano solo.

Xia Shamo noticed Cheng Xiaoyu's dejection and asked, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled bitterly and said, "I thought the gap between us wasn't that big, but now I realize I underestimated her and overestimated myself. I'm starting to doubt whether I'm suited for playing the piano."

Xia Shamo smiled and said, "You're wrong to think that way. Everyone has different talents. I believe your talents are something Su Yuxi doesn't have. She can only play others' compositions here, but we are different. Because of you, we can create a performance that no one has ever seen before. I can even imagine you using your music to start a new era."

Cheng Xiaoyu looked into Xia Shamo's shining eyes and said, "Thank you for your encouragement. I feel much better. Let's go tell them that there are even cooler notes in the world."

Xia Shamo nodded slightly.

At this moment, the actors backstage began to applaud, and Su Yuxi returned. Cheng Xiaoyu turned around and saw Su Yuxi with a single ponytail, wearing a white knee-length chiffon dress and silver high heels, thanking the applauding actors. Her face was bare, as if it was just a regular performance for her.

Su Yuxi also saw Cheng Xiaoyu, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over, her voice as light as snowflakes, "How are you preparing?"

Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit stunned, completely surprised that this girl would speak to him so unusually. After a moment, he asked, "Are you asking me?"

Su Yuxi nodded, and the surrounding boys' breathing quickened. Su Yuxi actually spoke to a fat boy; the scene was too beautiful for them to bear.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "It's going well, I shouldn't embarrass myself."

Su Yuxi didn't show any encouraging smile, just said plainly, "Good luck," with a look of ordinary politeness, then walked toward the backstage exit.

As she left, she paused and quietly said to Cheng Xiaoyu, "Oh, by the way, don't offend Xu Qinling anymore. If she causes trouble, just give in a bit; she won't really do anything to you."

Cheng Xiaoyu felt that this was the main point of her conversation, hinting at some danger, and he broke out in a cold sweat, then nodded.

Cheng Xiaoyu turned back and thought, "What am I afraid of? What can a girl do to me?" Feeling a bit more at ease, he asked Xia Shamo to lean in so he could apply makeup to her.

Xia Shamo, unusually curious, asked, "Do you know each other?"

Cheng Xiaoyu casually "hmm"ed and explained, "Her father and my mother know each other, so we know each other."

Xia Shamo didn't ask more, as Cheng Xiaoyu asked her to close her eyes so he could apply makeup.

In this era, makeup was still heavily focused on bold and heavy styles, especially for stage performances, with many female actors applying thick layers of foundation, heavy eye makeup, and blush. Cheng Xiaoyu found this extremely tacky.

When performing, Cheng Xiaoyu's band's makeup was always done by him. He had even played in a visual kei band for a while, though the visual kei style had been ruined by non-mainstream groups in China, forcing him to give it up. (The original visual kei in Japan is based on glam rock, often confused with heavy metal and punk. The visual kei style is actually diverse, and in terms of appearance, it is closer to gothic. Do not confuse it with the cheap and tacky styles in China, which are as different as the distance between Gao Yuanyuan and Feng Sister. Playing visual kei requires money and high-level makeup skills.)

Here, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't plan to give Xia Shamo an exaggerated look but instead applied a "tear makeup" style. Xia Shamo was already very delicate, and heavy makeup would only cover her beauty. So, he applied a light foundation to enhance her skin's luster. To create a sparkling effect, he applied shimmering eyeshadow all over her eyelids, using a natural brown eyeshadow in the middle to add depth. He divided the eyelids into three parts and added a slight tear effect to the inner third. After completing this crucial step, he applied false lashes, a light eyeliner to deepen the eye contour, and a touch of blush. Finally, he shaped her eyebrows with tweezers, completing the facial work.

When Cheng Xiaoyu turned to find a comb, several girls had already gathered behind him. Someone even asked Xia Shamo if this was a professional makeup artist she had hired, ready to pay to have Cheng Xiaoyu redo their makeup. Cheng Xiaoyu was speechless.

Cheng Xiaoyu borrowed a comb and a hairdryer, first styling Xia Shamo's bangs into waves and setting them with a spray. He then tied her hair into two pigtails with a pink ribbon. Yes, the pigtails were purely to satisfy Cheng Xiaoyu's small fantasy, but fortunately, the naturally beautiful Xia Shamo could easily pull off the look that ordinary beauties found hard to manage.

Cheng Xiaoyu asked Xia Shamo to take off her down jacket and stand up to see the effect. When Xia Shamo, with her slender figure, revealed a lustrous pearl-white silk cheongsam, gasps of admiration immediately filled the air. Xia Shamo quickly put the down jacket back on, afraid of attracting more attention.

Cheng Xiaoyu, stroking his chin, thought that such a Xia Shamo might threaten Su Yuxi's status as the Fudan Goddess. He smiled happily, feeling a unique sense of satisfaction, as if he had created a flawless, beautiful work of art.

When the crowd dispersed, Cheng Xiaoyu did the final touch, placing diamond tear-shaped stickers under Xia Shamo's eyes. After carefully examining her face and finding it perfect, he took out a pair of Jimmy Choo crystal shoes and said to Xia Shamo, "Put them on, Cinderella. The ball is about to begin, and you will be the most beautiful focus."

Xia Shamo took the shoes, and the dazzling crystal shoes almost blinded her. She squinted, looking through the shimmering rainbow light and said firmly to Cheng Xiaoyu, "I am not the prince's Cinderella; I am SUMMER, Xia Shamo."

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Xia Shamo and smiled happily, softly saying, "Forever summer?"

Xia Shamo, who was putting on the shoes, didn't hear this whisper.

Finally, Cinderella put on her crystal shoes, and the ball was about to begin.

---

Page Flip AD Start

Page Flip AD End