Chapter 55

（The content of these two chapters might seem a bit dull, but it is essential and not just filler. It lays the groundwork for Cheng Xiaoyu's character. As a穿越者 (穿越者 means someone who has traveled through time or to a different world, but in this context, it refers to someone who has a unique perspective or background), he does not want to follow the path of copying songs to make money and seduce girls. He is passionate about music, not just chasing the dream of being a star. A new year is about to begin, and Cheng Xiaoyu's more colorful life is about to unfold. Here, I wish all the viewers good health and success in everything.）

The day the piano arrived, Cheng Xiaoyu was very excited. In the end, Qiao San bought him a C. Bechstein D228 grand concert piano worth two million yuan, the best one.

Of course, you can't compare it to the Bechstein Louis XV 7-foot gold triangle piano worth over 20 million yuan. For most piano students, having a C. Bechstein D228 is already a dream come true.

For Cheng Xiaoyu, who had been playing on a Pearl River piano for countless days, this was like the difference between a Lamborghini and a Chery. Excited, Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't sleep well that night and woke up early in the morning to wait for the piano to be delivered. Of course, today was not just about the piano; there were also a lot of recording studio equipment to be installed.

Around nine o'clock, a truck carrying the piano drove into the villa, and Cheng Xiaoyu immediately went downstairs.

Fortunately, Cheng Xiaoyu's music room was on the first floor, so there was no need to use a crane. After the Bechstein was carefully moved into the music room by professional piano movers and the protective plastic and foam were removed and assembled, a professional piano tuner sent by Bechstein began his work.

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the Bechstein, which gleamed with a black luster, filled with love, and couldn't wait to play a piece.

Cheng Xiaoyu's new music room, though smaller than Su Yuxi's, was still quite spacious. The outer wall was triple-layer vacuum soundproof glass. Inside, instead of curtains, there were vertical silver metal blinds. The walls, ceiling, and even under the oak white hardwood floor were soundproofed by a professional renovation company. The walls and ceiling were covered with deep gray wallpaper, giving a sense of solemnity and technology. A sky-blue Persian carpet was laid on the floor where the piano was placed, accompanied by a silver leather sofa, adding a touch of elegance to the entire music room.

The blueprints for the entire music room, including the adjacent recording studio and music production room, were completed according to Cheng Xiaoyu's requirements. The color scheme, decoration, and furniture were all chosen by Cheng Xiaoyu himself. The renovation was filled with a postmodern dark tech style, which matched Aunt Zhou's aesthetic very well. After the renovation was completed, Aunt Zhou praised Cheng Xiaoyu for his taste.

The Bechstein tuner was a lean middle-aged man in a black work apron. Clearly, he also appreciated the exquisite and personal decoration, and he praised Cheng Xiaoyu. While Cheng Xiaoyu chatted with the tuner, Mr. Fan Jianguo, he watched him prepare to tune the piano. Mr. Fan Jianguo gave Cheng Xiaoyu his business card, saying that he could call him for future piano maintenance and tuning.

Many people think this job is called a "piano tuner," and their impression mostly comes from the American writer Mason's novel "The Piano Tuner." In fact, it is more accurate to call this profession a "piano technician."

Mr. Fan Jianguo opened a brown leather case larger than a briefcase, revealing wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, and other tools, which made Cheng Xiaoyu a bit dazed. Tuning a piano, such a delicate and elegant task, seemed more like a not-so-noble "manual labor."

Mr. Fan Jianguo, as if reading Cheng Xiaoyu's thoughts, smiled and said, "It really is manual labor. This tool case, I have to carry it around all the time, and it weighs over ten kilograms."

Cheng Xiaoyu also smiled and said, "Playing the piano is also a form of manual labor."

Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu's interest in tuning, Mr. Fan Jianguo opened up and explained, "A piano has over 8,000 parts, over 220 strings, and 88 keys. Only by following the 12-tone equal temperament can the precise sound of each key be tuned." The lean middle-aged man, while speaking, skillfully opened the piano lid, removed the thick "top board," and took off the key cover.

"Tuning a piano is a precise process. First, the A key is tuned to a frequency of 440 Hz, the international standard pitch. Based on this, a basic octave (12 notes, or 12-tone equal temperament) is derived, and the lower octave is tuned from this. After tuning the low notes, the higher notes are tuned. Finally, the strings are adjusted with a wrench to tune the piano—each note has three strings, and they must be in tune, or there will be unpleasant dissonance." Mr. Fan Jianguo explained while working, and Cheng Xiaoyu listened with great interest.

After watching for a while, Cheng Xiaoyu found it a bit boring and went to the recording studio. In reality, the job of a piano technician is not as artistic as described in books; it is somewhat monotonous, mechanical, and tedious. The tuning process requires absolute silence, and during the two-hour tuning, Mr. Fan Jianguo mostly worked in silence, only the sound of the notes he tested indicating that someone was working in the music room.

In the recording studio, three sets of monitoring speakers were already installed, including the headphone distribution system, microphone preamplifier, and five monitoring headphones in their respective positions.

The most critical mixing console would be delivered in the afternoon.

A mixing console is an audio device with multiple input channels (each with adjustable equalization) and multiple output channels. It is mainly used in stage performances, bars, and live TV broadcasts, and is a widely used audio device.

For a recording studio mixing console, in simple terms, it mainly coordinates the volume of each instrument, controls their output power, and adds some reverb and other sound effects.

If the volume of each instrument is not well controlled, the masking effect will occur. For example, if the drums are too loud, they will cover up the guitar. To highlight the guitar, the guitar volume must be significantly increased.

The mixing console coordinates the volume of each track.

Music colleges have a specific major for this. Relatively speaking, a mixing console is very difficult to use well, and it requires a good ear.

Cheng Xiaoyu stood in front of the large glass observation window of the recording studio, looking at the irregularly shaped light gray walls inside the recording booth, and thought about how to make the recording studio look impressive in his previous life.

First, the room should be irregularly shaped during renovation, and you can tell clients that it is a professional acoustic design, which is very expensive.

Second, there should be many monitors, at least two on the workbench, and a few more on the walls. Without enough monitors, it won't look high-tech.

Finally, there should be many speakers, of various sizes and heights. Regardless of whether they make sound, they should all be labeled with foreign words and painted white, which will create a very impressive effect.

Cheng Xiaoyu's recording studio was very impressive, but it was also highly professional. Of course, it couldn't compare to the professional recording studios of large companies, which can cost tens of millions of yuan. Different instruments usually have different recording studios designed based on different acoustic principles.

Sometimes Cheng Xiaoyu would wonder why he was so determined to continue on the path of music.

As a wealthy second-generation, he didn't need to work hard to live a comfortable life. He spent four to five hours a day practicing the piano, and in the gaps between afternoon rehearsals, he practiced the guitar and drums, often working late into the night. This was a long and arduous journey.

This was not his life. He should be racing cars, going to nightclubs, meeting gold-digging and alluring girls, living a life of debauchery and luxury. That's what enjoying life is, right?

If you say no, these things are not enough, they are not impressive enough. We should have ideals, be a big star, command the wind and rain, have a large fan base, yachts, and model parties, walk the red carpet, have a socialite on one arm and a sexy actress on the other. That's what the protagonist's life should be like.

But for Cheng Xiaoyu, a穿越者, are these things difficult? Not at all. He has too many resources, so many that he is afraid of himself.

Afraid of forgetting his love for music.

Thinking back to his previous life, the reason he played so many instruments was that he was not content with just listening to recordings. The feeling of playing his favorite pieces himself was completely different from listening to recordings, even though most of the pieces he liked were not very difficult to play, and his playing level was far from that of the masters in the recordings. But the way of connecting with something he loved was simply irresistible.

Interacting with a favorite instrument is like being in a relationship.

Those notes that evoked countless memories flowed from his fingers, intertwining the two things he loved.

Perhaps this is what is called emotion and resonance.

He learned the guitar because of "Hotel California."

He learned to play the blues harmonica because of "Irish Lark."

He wanted to learn the piano because of the Canon and the music from Miyazaki's animations, but he couldn't afford a piano, so he learned the keyboard.

He learned the drums because of "Black Dream."

Often, playing an instrument is not about technique or results.

The feeling of being immersed in one's own world is worth cherishing and savoring.

You can't truly appreciate how fast "Flight of the Bumblebee" is unless you practice the piano yourself.

You can't truly appreciate how magical the right hand of Kiyoshi Ueno is when he plays "Wing - You Are the HERO" unless you practice the guitar yourself.

You won't know how to play 32nd notes on a snare drum unless you practice it yourself.

You won't know that a trombone has no keys and the pitch is controlled by the position of the slide unless you play it yourself.

You won't know that being able to play the violin without sounding terrible is already a skill unless you play it yourself.

You won't know how difficult it is to play legato and how wonderful arpeggios are unless you play the trumpet yourself.

You won't know that not everyone can stand in front of an orchestra and conduct unless you try it yourself.

Listening to music is about a state of mind.

Playing music is about passion.

When those notes that move you, infused with your emotions, dance beautifully on your hands and fingertips.

Those bleeding fingers, sore arms, twisted necks, exhausted bodies, blurry eyes, and dizzy tremors... are all worth it.

In music, we seek not only destruction but also strength.

True musicians embrace notes by burning their lives.

Although, in essence, Cheng Xiaoyu is just a humble plagiarist. But he is so madly in love with music and sincerely wants to share these beautiful things with others.

To himself, he is a martyr, putting his name on things that don't belong to him, which makes him somewhat uneasy. He is in painful conflict, plagiarizing the works he admires, which goes against his noble qualities as a musician.

Those magnificent compositions shine in his memory, and he can't stop the strong desire to play them.

Making a profit is not his intention. Indeed, his integrity is not so high that he has no desires. If it were just for money, writing and selling them would be enough. Why torture himself so much?

Because of his love for music.

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