Chapter 83

When the student organizing the exam called Cheng Xiaoyu to prepare, Cheng Xiaoyu stood in front of the classroom in advance, waiting for the second-to-last candidate to finish playing.

Obviously, the student who played after Du Mu Linsha did not perform well. This girl with glasses also played with many stumbles, and in the end, when she played Chopin's Op. 10, No. 4: "Prelude in C-sharp minor," she became so nervous that she forgot the score. She sat on the bench, at a loss, and started to cry.

The examiner announced the end of the exam, comforted her, and told her to come back next year. The girl could only stand up and leave the classroom with tears in her eyes.

Cheng Xiaoyu walked to the piano and bowed.

The middle-aged white-haired male teacher said, "Cheng Xiaoyu, right! You are the last one. Play well, don't be nervous." This was the first time the examiner called out a candidate's name.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, teacher. I'm not very nervous."

At this moment, Du Mu Linsha, standing outside the classroom, was even more nervous than Cheng Xiaoyu. After her exam, she didn't leave but stood outside waiting for Cheng Xiaoyu, also listening to see how well Cheng Xiaoyu played the piano.

Cheng Xiaoyu sat confidently on the bench and said he would play in E-flat minor, BWV 853.

The teachers had no expression, but it was clear that they thought this piece was too easy.

However, Cheng Xiaoyu's first touch on the keys surprised the three teachers. Such beautiful and rigorous notes coming from a student's hands made them disbelieve, and they put aside their condescending attitudes and listened intently to Cheng Xiaoyu's performance.

Cheng Xiaoyu clearly demonstrated the layers and charm of Bach's fugue. When he played slowly, the notes seemed to jump out one by one, and when he played quickly, the notes splashed like a waterfall, creating a dazzling effect.

Cheng Xiaoyu played Bach, imagining his left hand as one person and his right hand as another, as if two people were having a conversation. The scenes were distinguished by the key of the piece, with some pieces sounding like two people arguing, some like whispering sweet nothings, and others like two aunties discussing the price of vegetables.

Clearly, he played with a sense of independence between his left and right hands, and the left hand was not just an accompaniment but a completely different melody.

More frighteningly, Cheng Xiaoyu's control over speed and rhythm was extremely strong, always playing at a steady pace, with a constant, rigorous, and stable rhythm, like a human metronome. The lines flowed naturally, and the correct use of accelerando and ritardando gave a comfortable feeling.

The entire piece was played without a single flaw.

But if you were to say which part was particularly outstanding, you couldn't pinpoint it. The whole performance was textbook-perfect, playing exactly as the score dictated.

This was the standard answer in the exam. But in terms of piano performance, it lacked personal characteristics, and ordinary students could not appreciate the powerful control Cheng Xiaoyu demonstrated in this piece.

In the ears of the three teachers, of course, each had their own evaluation. But most teachers would prefer students with more distinct personal characteristics, as such students generally have the potential to become masters. Cheng Xiaoyu's performance, however, was more suitable for a teacher.

In most cases, such a performance made it difficult for the examiners to score, as the difficulty level was low, but the performance was perfect.

But because Zhou Peipei had already spoken to them, whether he passed or not was not a problem. Even without her intervention, they felt that this level of performance would pass the preliminary exam without controversy.

The issue was how to evaluate this performance, not from the perspective of the exam but from the perspective of a performance.

In the context of the exam, this performance could receive a perfect score, but from the perspective of a performance, it created a lot of contradictions.

But the three examiners didn't have time to dwell on it, as Cheng Xiaoyu's next piece was about to begin.

Cheng Xiaoyu chose Chopin's Op. 10, No. 9 in F minor, also known as the "Canal" prelude.

The technique of this piece lies in the left hand's span, and the speed is not particularly fast, but the emotional intensity is high.

The difficulty is not great.

After finishing, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't pause and immediately played Op. 25, No. 1.

This piece features opposite chords in both hands, with a beautiful and melodious melody. Cheng Xiaoyu himself considered this the most beautiful of Chopin's preludes.

The difficulty lies in the 4-6 span and the large-span arpeggios.

These two consecutive pieces were also played flawlessly according to the score, with no errors at all. However, they did not reflect any personal interpretation of the music, strictly following the content marked on the score.

The middle white-haired examiner, who had been invigilating for many years, had never encountered such a student. If you said he was a genius, the difficulty was not high, and he was just playing from the score.

If you said he wasn't a genius, how could a non-genius play so perfectly and flawlessly from the score? Many teachers might not even be able to do that, let alone a student.

The white-haired examiner was momentarily stunned and wanted to ask Cheng Xiaoyu if he could play more difficult piano pieces, but thinking of Zhou Peipei's instructions, he said to Cheng Xiaoyu, "You played well. You can go now."

Cheng Xiaoyu stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, teachers," and walked out of the multi-functional music classroom with composure.

The three teachers silently tidied up the things on the table, their minds full of this peculiar student.

Du Mu Linsha had not yet reached the level to appreciate Cheng Xiaoyu's performance, only knowing that he played very smoothly and the sound was beautiful. Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu come out, she quickly asked, "How did it go?"

Cheng Xiaoyu was somewhat surprised that Du Mu Linsha was still waiting for him and said, "You haven't left yet?"

Du Mu Linsha blushed and said, "You haven't given me your phone number yet!"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "You can ask your friend! She has my number, right?" As he spoke, he handed his phone to her.

Du Mu Linsha took the phone, dialed her own number, and saved her name, smiling and saying, "It's more sincere to ask myself."

Cheng Xiaoyu took back his phone and walked out of the school with Du Mu Linsha, not noticing He Mingzhe following them.

He Mingzhe had been listening to Cheng Xiaoyu's exam, but his level was not high enough to appreciate the subtleties of Cheng Xiaoyu's performance. He only heard that Cheng Xiaoyu chose three very simple pieces. In his view, playing such pieces without errors would not get him into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, unless he had connections.

So he had to do something to prevent Cheng Xiaoyu from entering the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Watching Cheng Xiaoyu and Du Mu Linsha walk away, He Mingzhe felt a deep pain in his heart, and only the thought of Cheng Xiaoyu being expelled from the school made him feel better.

Cheng Xiaoyu and Du Mu Linsha said goodbye at the school gate, saying, "See you at the复试."

Cheng Xiaoyu watched Du Mu Linsha get into an Audi and drive away.

Cheng Xiaoyu walked from the school gate to the school parking lot, thinking that the extra effort would help him lose weight. Opportunities to walk with a beautiful girl on campus were rare, and he had to seize them.

Cheng Xiaoyu sniffed the air, as if it still carried the enticing scent of Du Mu Linsha.

In his previous life, Cheng Xiaoyu would never have let such a beauty like Du Mu Linsha slip away, but now, with his introverted personality, he had become more reserved in matters of the heart.

Physical pleasure was important, but what he wanted more was a soulmate. Cheng Xiaoyu thought about this and wanted to slap himself. Soulmate, my ass! This was clearly something to be discussed later.

Thinking about how long he had been in this world and that he still had his first kiss, he felt a deep sadness and decided to watch a movie with Wang Ou that night to comfort his lonely body.

---

The list of candidates for the second round was announced the day after the exam.

Cheng Xiaoyu was not interested in seeing the results; he had no doubt he would make it to the second round.

Aunt Zhou called to tell him.

Du Mu Linsha also sent him a text message congratulating him, clearly having gone to see the results.

Nearly 500 people had been reduced by 80%, and the next round would eliminate another 70%. This was a brutal battle, and in a sense, the arts exam was even more cruel than the college entrance exam.

Many people chose the arts exam out of necessity, not realizing that such a choice required greater effort and unwavering dedication, and it might not even be useful.

The second round was the next day, and Cheng Xiaoyu planned to go home early and practice the pieces he intended to play, even though his current skills were unlikely to cause any problems. He still wanted to strive for perfection.

Cheng Xiaoyu, however, did not know that a storm was brewing against him, and he was just a small boat in the surging current.

He Mingzhe, lurking in the shadows, went to a black internet cafe, used a fake account to post on the Shanghai Conservatory of Music forum and Baidu Tieba, with the title "The Shame of the Shanghai Conservatory, I Cry for You, Campus Beauty!"

The suggestive title immediately piqued people's interest.

Many students of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music opened the post and found that it was about Cheng Xiaoyu, the rich kid who had hit the campus beauty Pei Yanchen last year, who had the audacity to apply to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music this year. Not only was he scheduled to take the exam last, but he only played three pieces of extremely low difficulty and made it to the second round. The post also claimed that according to informed and righteous sources, Cheng Xiaoyu's relatives had already smoothed everything over, bribing the examiners to get him into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and he had even boasted that the Shanghai Conservatory of Music was easy to get into. The post included photos of Cheng Xiaoyu during the exam and the beginning of the pieces he played.

The post concluded with a passionate declaration, lamenting that in our great nation of China, which has nurtured generations of Chinese elites over five thousand years, even the ivory tower of university campuses is being invaded by ugly power and money.

We, the students of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, who have normal reason, common sense, and a general sense of crisis, must stand up to maintain the purity of our school and protect this last piece of pure land.

For the sake of the campus beauty Pei Yanchen, for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and for justice, we must demand that the school revoke Cheng Xiaoyu's second-round qualification! The post also linked to various news reports about Cheng Xiaoyu's lack of talent and misbehavior.

The Baidu Tieba and school forum immediately exploded. Many people commented that a scoundrel like Cheng Xiaoyu should not be allowed into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Many replied that they would go to watch the second round tomorrow. Some admirers of Pei Yanchen began organizing people to stage a big event tomorrow.

He Mingzhe posted the thread, made it stick, and returned to his dormitory, monitoring the thread's development. When everything unfolded as he had predicted, he couldn't help but laugh with satisfaction.

When his dorm mates started discussing the thread, he even treated them to a late-night snack and agreed to go "watch" the event together tomorrow.

He Mingzhe did not think that such an activity would challenge the school, but he had another ace up his sleeve for tomorrow!

This was his fatal move, one that would ensure Cheng Xiaoyu could not recover.

---

The list of candidates for the second round was announced the day after the exam.

Cheng Xiaoyu was not interested in seeing the results; he had no doubt he would make it to the second round.

Aunt Zhou called to tell him.

Du Mu Linsha also sent him a text message congratulating him, clearly having gone to see the results.

Nearly 500 people had been reduced by 80%, and the next round would eliminate another 70%. This was a brutal battle, and in a sense, the arts exam was even more cruel than the college entrance exam.

Many people chose the arts exam out of necessity, not realizing that such a choice required greater effort and unwavering dedication, and it might not even be useful.

The second round was the next day, and Cheng Xiaoyu planned to go home early and practice the pieces he intended to play, even though his current skills were unlikely to cause any problems. He still wanted to strive for perfection.

Cheng Xiaoyu, however, did not know that a storm was brewing against him, and he was just a small boat in the surging current.

He Mingzhe, lurking in the shadows, went to a black internet cafe, used a fake account to post on the Shanghai Conservatory of Music forum and Baidu Tieba, with the title "The Shame of the Shanghai Conservatory, I Cry for You, Campus Beauty!"

The suggestive title immediately piqued people's interest.

Many students of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music opened the post and found that it was about Cheng Xiaoyu, the rich kid who had hit the campus beauty Pei Yanchen last year, who had the audacity to apply to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music this year. Not only was he scheduled to take the exam last, but he only played three pieces of extremely low difficulty and made it to the second round. The post also claimed that according to informed and righteous sources, Cheng Xiaoyu's relatives had already smoothed everything over, bribing the examiners to get him into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and he had even boasted that the Shanghai Conservatory of Music was easy to get into. The post included photos of Cheng Xiaoyu during the exam and the beginning of the pieces he played.

The post concluded with a passionate declaration, lamenting that in our great nation of China, which has nurtured generations of Chinese elites over five thousand years, even the ivory tower of university campuses is being invaded by ugly power and money.

We, the students of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, who have normal reason, common sense, and a general sense of crisis, must stand up to maintain the purity of our school and protect this last piece of pure land.

For the sake of the campus beauty Pei Yanchen, for the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and for justice, we must demand that the school revoke Cheng Xiaoyu's second-round qualification! The post also linked to various news reports about Cheng Xiaoyu's lack of talent and misbehavior.

The Baidu Tieba and school forum immediately exploded. Many people commented that a scoundrel like Cheng Xiaoyu should not be allowed into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Many replied that they would go to watch the second round tomorrow. Some admirers of Pei Yanchen began organizing people to stage a big event tomorrow.

He Mingzhe posted the thread, made it stick, and returned to his dormitory, monitoring the thread's development. When everything unfolded as he had predicted, he couldn't help but laugh with satisfaction.

When his dorm mates started discussing the thread, he even treated them to a late-night snack and agreed to go "watch" the event together tomorrow.

He Mingzhe did not think that such an activity would challenge the school, but he had another ace up his sleeve for tomorrow!

This was his fatal move, one that would ensure Cheng Xiaoyu could not recover.