Chapter 79

When he arrived at the music college examination site, Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the examination notice and saw that the preliminary piano exam was divided into six examination rooms, with the morning session running from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the afternoon session starting at 2:00 PM. Each session had about seventy to eighty people, meaning that nearly five hundred people were competing for admission to the piano department, with only thirty spots available, resulting in an acceptance rate of less than 6%. This acceptance rate, excluding the Central Conservatory of Music, was probably the lowest in China. Other music colleges generally had an acceptance rate of around 15%.

But everyone wanted to try their luck to see if they could enter such a top-tier institution. After all, as long as the timing didn't conflict, taking exams at multiple schools increased their chances.

Compared to the film and drama schools, where the acceptance rate was often as low as one in two hundred, this was already considered quite good.

Every year, the entrance of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music was filled with media and photography enthusiasts capturing the fresh faces of the film and drama students. Generally, students in these two majors were handsome boys and beautiful girls, and many future stars might be born among them.

Because the entry threshold was relatively low, anyone who looked good would come to compete in terms of appearance, so the number of applicants was very high. It was said that in this year's cohort, over three thousand handsome boys and beautiful girls were vying for forty spots.

Based on his admission ticket number, Cheng Xiaoyu began to find out which examination room he belonged to. After checking, he discovered that he was the last number, meaning he would be the last to take the exam in the sixth room. He guessed this was Aunt Zhou's arrangement, and he smiled, thinking that he would have nothing to do in the morning.

Cheng Xiaoyu's sixth examination room was in a small multi-functional music hall on the first floor of the music college. He entered the hall from the front door and found that many people were already seated, so he had to go to the back and find a seat.

Since he was bored, he took out a composition book and started drawing musical scores. He planned to upload a new song to GG Music soon, but he hadn't had time to check the four songs he had already uploaded. Even if no one had listened to them, he wasn't too worried, believing that talent would eventually shine through.

While Cheng Xiaoyu was focused on drawing the scores, the exam had already started. There were three invigilators, two men and one woman, and they called out the admission numbers and names of the candidates who were to perform.

Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is a daily practice for every piano student, and Cheng Xiaoyu could play all the pieces by heart. This was quite impressive, as most candidates only memorized the pieces they had chosen.

This year's exam did not include a selection test, so the pressure of memorizing the scores was not too great.

The first candidate was a handsome boy. He went up to the piano, bowed to the three teachers, and loudly announced that he would play the G minor Prelude and Fugue BWV885 from "The Well-Tempered Clavier."

The G minor Prelude BWV885 is a strict four-part piece in the slowest tempo, but it is not required for the exam. The candidate started directly with the fugue, which is also a four-part piece. The structure of BWV885 is intricate, with the relationship between the theme and the counter-melody not just the usual octave relationship but also using double counterpoint techniques that can be converted to a tenth or twelfth interval. In "The Well-Tempered Clavier," this piece is of medium difficulty.

The difficulty of the pieces in "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is generally determined by the number of voices in the fugue, with more voices making it more difficult. For the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, a four-voice fugue is a basic requirement, but if a candidate performs a three-voice fugue exceptionally well, they might receive a higher score.

The fugue is the highest and most complex form of polyphonic music, and its development has been a long process. Only in Bach's compositions did the fugue achieve perfect expression. Bach's fugues are not just abstract music; they are also rich in philosophical depth and poetic emotion. Therefore, "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is not only the best piano practice material but also a required piece for all piano exams.

The first male candidate was clearly nervous, sitting in a tense posture that was not relaxed, which affected the speed and fluidity of the piece. Fortunately, he did not make any wrong notes. One of the key aspects of playing "The Well-Tempered Clavier" is speed and rhythm, and he did not perform well in this regard.

For the second piece, he chose two Chopin etudes from Op. 10: the C major etude and the E major etude.

Chopin's etudes, particularly those from Op. 10 and Op. 25, are exemplary in their combination of artistic and technical elements, with the musicality often surpassing the technical demands. In Chopin's piano compositions, the etudes are among his most important and representative works.

From the performance, it was clear that the male candidate had not met the standards of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Before he finished, the teacher in the middle called a stop and declared the exam over.

The boy walked out of the classroom, looking dejected. Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head, thinking he probably wouldn't be accepted. The two Chopin etudes he played were technical and fast, and he used wrist staccato instead of finger staccato, which is more suitable for imitating the crisp sound of a harpsichord. Additionally, his right-hand accuracy was poor, and he should have prepared all his fingers simultaneously rather than lifting one finger at a time, which caused him to miss notes and play inaccurately.

Since the multi-functional music hall was not very large, Cheng Xiaoyu could clearly see the movements of the performers even from the back. At his age, being able to play the piano well was already impressive, and being able to identify and hear the shortcomings of others was even more remarkable. However, Cheng Xiaoyu did not know where he stood.

He listened to a few more candidates, but none of them were particularly outstanding, so he felt relieved. Assuming the candidates' levels were roughly the same, he decided not to worry and started to lean against the table to sleep. Since he was the last one, he wouldn't have a chance to perform until the afternoon.

When Cheng Xiaoyu woke up from the noisy piano sounds, the morning session was almost over, and most of the seventy or so candidates had already finished. He had no interest in watching further and left the multi-functional music hall to find something to eat.

The afternoon session was not to start until 2:00 PM, and Cheng Xiaoyu wanted to find a place where he could eat and rest to pass the time. However, his wish was not easily fulfilled. Due to the large number of candidates and their parents waiting outside, the places to eat near the Shanghai Conservatory of Music were all crowded. Cheng Xiaoyu had to walk along the street, looking through the windows to see if there were any available seats. Finally, he found a more expensive Western restaurant that seemed less crowded from the outside, so he decided to try his luck.

Upon entering, the hostess led him to a four-person table in the middle, which still had water stains, indicating that the previous diners had just left. Cheng Xiaoyu sat down, took out a tissue to wipe the table, and the waiter came to take his order. Without looking carefully, he ordered a sirloin steak and a glass of iced orange lemonade and started playing with his phone. His admission ticket was placed in a transparent file folder on top of his composition book. Wang Ou and Xia Shamo had sent him messages asking how the exam went. He replied that he would take the exam in the afternoon and received encouraging messages from them.

Before the food arrived, a manager in a black suit came over and asked if he minded sharing the table with two girls who couldn't find a place to eat. Cheng Xiaoyu, believing that being considerate to others is also being considerate to oneself, agreed. Of course, if it had been two men, he wouldn't have agreed so readily.

Cheng Xiaoyu continued to play on his phone and only looked up when the two girls sat down across from him. One of them was very beautiful, with sharp eyes and a proud expression, wearing the uniform of Gezhi Private School and texting on her phone. The other girl, dressed casually, was average in appearance but still considered attractive by most people. Cheng Xiaoyu, who had high standards, thought that the girl in the school uniform was a fresh and beautiful young girl, at least a class beauty.

The two girls did not thank Cheng Xiaoyu for agreeing to share the table, but he didn't mind. Having beautiful girls to look at while eating was a bonus.

Cheng Xiaoyu was playing a piano app called "Perfect Piano" on his phone. The interface completely mimicked a real piano, but to ensure a good user experience, not all keys were displayed. The app automatically adjusted the key positions during play, and users could also adjust the number of keys displayed, which increased the difficulty.

Cheng Xiaoyu wore headphones and lightly tapped the screen with his fingers. The girls across from him looked at him with curiosity, as they were still using stylish flip phones and had not seen smartphones before. Their phones only had games like Tetris and Snake, so seeing a piano game like this was a new experience for them.

The iPhone 3G was much better than the iPhone 1, with its curved white ceramic shell and beautiful large screen, which immediately caught the attention of the girls who loved buying delicate items.

The beautiful girl leaned over to her friend and whispered something, and then the average-looking girl spoke up, "Hey! Hello, classmate."

Cheng Xiaoyu, wearing headphones and fully focused on the game, which was Schumann's "Dreaming," did not hear her. The girl then reached out and tapped him.

Cheng Xiaoyu was surprised to be approached and looked at the girls with a puzzled expression. He took off his headphones and asked, "Is there something you need?"

The average-looking girl said, "Classmate, your phone is so beautiful! Can you tell us where you bought it?"

Cheng Xiaoyu realized what she meant and felt a bit disappointed that he couldn't get to know such beautiful girls. He thought it would be a pity if they didn't end up in the same school. Although he had his own thoughts, he smiled innocently and said, "This is called the Apple iPhone 3G. A friend gave it to me. I think you can buy it at Dixin Tong or other large phone stores."

The average-looking girl, who was quite talkative, asked curiously, "Was that a piano game you were playing? Does it help with playing the piano?"

Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head and said, "It's not really helpful, just a fun way to pass the time. Sometimes it can help with memorizing melodies and improving finger dexterity."

"Can I play with it?" the girl asked with big eyes.

Cheng Xiaoyu took off his headphones and handed her the phone. The two girls, seeing such a fun phone for the first time, couldn't put it down.

The beautiful girl started playing "Dreaming" on the phone, and the average-looking girl introduced herself, "I'm Zuo Yan, and this is my friend Duanmu Linsha. We're both from Gezhi Private School."

Cheng Xiaoyu stood up to shake hands but thought it was too formal and awkwardly sat back down, scratching the back of his head and saying, "I'm Cheng Xiaoyu, from Fudan High School."

The beautiful girl, still playing with the phone, said, "What a coincidence, you're also taking the piano performance exam, right? I saw your name."

Cheng Xiaoyu thought his name was quite common and wondered why the beautiful girl, Duanmu Linsha, remembered it. He asked, "You're not in the same examination room as me, are you?"

Duanmu Linsha smiled and said, "Yes, I'm just before you. And your name is very familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen it." She frowned, trying to recall.

Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit embarrassed, thinking that the memory might not be good, and quickly said, "There are many people with my name, and there are a few in my school with the same name!"

Zuo Yan added, "I also find your name familiar!" After thinking for a while, she exclaimed, "Aren't you the fat boy who fell on stage during the New Year's cultural performance?"

Cheng Xiaoyu could only smile bitterly and nod, thinking it was better than being remembered as a rich kid who hit people. He said, "Did you go to the performance? I was tricked by my friends."

Duanmu Linsha returned the phone to Cheng Xiaoyu and said, "No wonder your name and face are familiar. Your orchestra's video is quite popular online." Her eyes showed hidden joy, but her expression remained serious.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "I'm not sure about that. I rarely go online and don't have much time to surf the internet because I have to practice the piano."

Zuo Yan snatched Cheng Xiaoyu's phone and said, "That won't do. We need to exchange phone numbers. Let me tell you, don't be fooled by Linsha's calm demeanor. She really likes your orchestra. She watches your videos every day and even said she wants to learn the guitar after hearing 'Dunmen Kezhan.' Oh, and many of my classmates like your lead singer. Is she not applying to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music?"

Cheng Xiaoyu, not paying much attention, thought about Xia Shamo, who had decided to apply to the music department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music but was strongly opposed by her mother, who tearfully recounted her own misfortunes. The filial Xia Shamo had never gone against her mother's wishes, but seeing her mother's determination, she became conflicted. She asked Cheng Xiaoyu what to do, and he told her that as long as she wanted to sing and liked singing, she could do it at any school. He offered to teach her the necessary skills, and Xia Shamo was relieved and decided to give up on applying to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Cheng Xiaoyu shook off the thoughts of Xia Shamo and smiled, "She's applying to Fudan, but don't worry, our band won't break up."

Zuo Yan saved her number in Cheng Xiaoyu's phone and said, "Ha, you must let me know when you have a performance! Your New Year's performance is still fresh in my mind!"

Cheng Xiaoyu replied, "Sure."

At that moment, a male voice came from the side, "Linsha, I've been looking for you. You didn't reply to my texts or answer my calls."

Cheng Xiaoyu looked up and saw a young man with a very proper appearance, the kind that older people like, but with a proud and arrogant expression. He was standing next to their table.

The young man looked at Duanmu Linsha with intense affection, but she remained expressionless.