Chapter 96

Feeling the intense excitement and anticipation in Wensha's words, Lin Zai Shan thought calmly for a moment and asked her, "Is the competition you want to participate in a formal national competition?"

Yuan Yue answered on behalf of Wensha, "In the sand painting world, the competition organized by the Royal Academy of Arts is the highest-level competition in the country. If she can win the gold medal, Wensha has the chance to represent China in the international sand painting competition. This is a biennial competition, and the opportunity is very rare. Not everyone can participate in this competition; there are only three slots for the entire Minzhou, and Wensha is one of them."

Wensha added, "Uncle Lin, if your music can be performed on the stage of the national sand painting competition, it will greatly benefit the promotion of your music. Although sand painting is still a niche art form, it has been promoted by royal figures behind the scenes—this is no longer a secret. In recent years, more and more people have accepted and fallen in love with this art. The Royal Academy of Arts' sand painting competition is a very high-level art competition. The finals will be broadcast live on national television by the Royal TV. I don't know if you watched the sand painting finals two years ago, but if I remember correctly, the peak viewership rate was over 8%! This is much higher than the average TV program."

Seeing Lin Zai Shan smiling faintly without responding, Wensha realized she had gotten a bit too excited and said too much. She quickly changed the subject, "Of course, your work doesn't necessarily need such a channel for promotion. But I sincerely hope you can lend a hand and help me participate in the competition."

After a pause, Wensha continued, "The prize money for the gold, silver, and bronze medals in the Royal Academy of Arts' sand painting competition is very high. The bronze medal is 100,000 yuan, the silver medal is 500,000 yuan, and the gold medal is 1,000,000 yuan. If you can help me participate and win, you will also share in the prize money."

After hearing Wensha's words, Lin Zai Shan's first impression was that this girl was very smart. She knew how to persuade someone from the right angle.

She seemed to be able to guess what the other person was thinking and to see what they valued more, rather than just pushing from her own perspective.

Usually, super beauties are very capricious and self-centered.

Wensha's ability to consider things from others' perspectives was rare.

The prize money she mentioned at the end really moved Lin Zai Shan.

If Wensha could win the gold medal—1,000,000 yuan! Even if he got a third of it, he would still get 300,000 yuan! That's not a small amount!

However, this matter came too suddenly. If Lin Zai Shan made a hasty decision, it wouldn't be responsible, neither to himself nor to others. After all, he was not an "ordinary person." If he appeared in a national-level competition, it was hard to predict what kind of impact it would have.

"I will think about this carefully, and you should also think about it carefully. Don't make a decision out of impulse. Decisions made in a state of impulse are not necessarily correct."

Lin Zai Shan's words sounded like a gentle refusal.

Wensha, who was rarely refused, was a bit stunned for a moment before she said softly, "Alright, you think about it, and I will also think about it carefully. I really hope to get your help."

"I understand, and I am willing to help you. But the competition you want to participate in seems very important to you, a rare opportunity. Think about it carefully and see if you really need to use my work to participate."

"Thank you very much, no matter what. The performance you accompanied Huang Ying with tonight was fantastic. Thank you and White Dove for helping our sand painting club."

"I am happy to help you students. As the saying goes, 'Helping others and aiding those in distress is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation.'"

"Haha, Uncle Lin, you only said half of it. The other half is, 'When we help others, we can get even greater benefits from them, which is the highest wisdom of the Chinese nation standing among the world's nations.'" Yuan Yue, being very outgoing, joked along with Lin Zai Shan.

"You students talk without restraint, saying all sorts of things!"

"That's not what I said; it was said by someone from the royal family, right?"

"Haha—"

Lin Zai Shan and Sun Yuzhen both laughed.

"Uncle Lin, sister, we won't disturb you anymore. I wish you a wonderful evening."

Wensha gently pulled Yuan Yue to stand up, giving Sun Yuzhen a soft and meaningful look before bidding farewell, speaking to Sun Yuzhen with some embarrassment.

Sun Yuzhen stood up to say goodbye to the two girls. Lin Zai Shan also patted the sand off his back and stood up to see them off.

From their retreating figures, Wensha's white dress fluttered in the evening breeze, looking ethereal. As soon as they walked away, Sun Yuzhen immediately sat down and said to Lin Zai Shan, "Uncle, the sand painting competition organized by the Royal Academy of Arts is very famous! If your work can be performed on the stage of the Royal Academy of Arts' sand painting competition, the impact will be enormous!"

After a quick calculation, Sun Yuzhen continued, "I remember that the finals of the Royal Academy of Arts' sand painting competition are held on the last Sunday of the year, and the Royal Cultural Channel broadcasts it live nationwide. This year, it should be on December 30th. That day, our 'Singers' show should be airing the eighth episode— the second round of the team PK matches, and you are likely to appear in that round. At that time, the competition will be at its most intense. According to the schedule from two years ago, the Royal Academy of Arts' sand painting competition is broadcast at 6 PM and ends at 8 PM. Right after that, it's our 'Singers' show! If you can appear on both programs, your popularity will skyrocket!"

"Haha, you really have it all figured out."

Lin Zai Shan laughed, but then dampened the mood, "Have you forgotten the cold reception I got during the recording? Not everyone is as willing to accept me again. My background is a bit... sigh, I don't even want to mention it. If this girl uses my work for such an important competition, will the judges evaluate her work with a biased eye?"

"They probably won't. The competitions organized by the Royal Academy of Arts are always very formal."

"Because they are formal and traditional, with an academic atmosphere, I am worried that the girl will be affected by me. I accept the consequences of my past, but I can't let others suffer because of me."

"So, your meaning is—?" Sun Yuzhen asked, somewhat surprised, "You don't plan to help her?"

"Let's see. Maybe the girl just had a momentary impulse after hearing my song. After she thinks it through, she might not need my help. Thinking too much about it now is meaningless. If she really needs my help, I will consider how to help her."

"She really needs your song to participate. You won't refuse to sing and let someone else sing to help her, right?"

"That's unlikely. I think my song 'White Birch Forest,' as a piece of pop music, can evoke deep emotions and create a sense of sadness or beauty. But to use this song as the background for a sand painting, it might be too thin in structure and content. Fundamentally, these two art forms are different. Music is an abstract art that can evoke deep thoughts, while sand painting is a concrete art. Turning the song into a sand painting might result in something like an MV, like Huang Ying's 'Unforgettable Day,' rather than a truly weighty sand painting work. Such a work, even if it were to participate in the competition, probably wouldn't achieve good results."

Sun Yuzhen thought about it carefully and found that Lin Zai Shan's words made sense.

The 'Unforgettable Day' she saw at the sand painting performance and the 'Four Seasons' created by Wensha and her team felt completely different.

Watching 'Unforgettable Day' felt like watching an MV, while watching 'Four Seasons,' although she couldn't understand what the creator was trying to express, it felt like watching a sand painting art piece.

"If the girl really needs my help, I can create some more substantial music for the same theme, making her story more complete and better showcasing the art of sand painting."

"Uncle, you are really amazing!"

Sun Yuzhen couldn't help but praise Lin Zai Shan.

Lin Zai Shan was just talking, but Sun Yuzhen had great faith in his abilities and character.

If he said he could help, he would definitely do it in a spectacular way.

As long as it was related to music, this uncle was an invincible and unconquerable god of war!

Lin Zai Shan wasn't just boasting.

When Wensha asked him for musical support, he thought about trying to bring over the representative work of a Ukrainian sand painting artist from another world—Kseniya Simonova's 'Crazy Sand.'

This classic sand painting tells a much more complete story than 'White Birch Forest.' In just nine minutes, it narrates the experiences of an ordinary Soviet family during World War II—from peace to war, from birth to destruction, from hope to displacement, from sacrifice to hope—almost all the thoughts that the war years left in people's minds are included.

Its main theme is extremely touching. The story, presented through the special art of sand painting, can truly pierce the heart, making people feel the cruelty of war and cherish the current peace.

The challenge of bringing this work over is that it incorporates a lot of classic Soviet music, which may not exist in this world. But even if it doesn't, Lin Zai Shan can create it. After his reincarnation, he remembers many things from his previous life very clearly, and he can recall many details.

He can almost remember the entire process of Simonova's work, and the magical transformations of the sand. If needed, he can guide Wensha through every detail of the sand painting.

Although using a foreign work in China might have some cultural barriers, truly beautiful art can move people regardless of nationality.

This world's Chinese Empire has also experienced the pain of World War II, and Wensha herself has Ukrainian heritage. If she really needs to create a work rooted in something like 'White Birch Forest,' Lin Zai Shan believes that 'Crazy Sand' would be a better choice.

"Uncle, I've always been curious, how did you know I've never been in a relationship? When we first met, you said I had never been in a relationship. Do I look like someone who has never been in a relationship?"

Perhaps moved by Wensha's gaze and attitude, Sun Yuzhen suddenly became curious about this question that had been nagging her.

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[The next chapter will be updated tomorrow afternoon.]

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