Chapter 97: Croatian Rhapsody
Huge cheers erupted from every direction, and the noisy yet passionate atmosphere stirred a faint ripple in Lin Weiyin’s heart.
She took a deep breath and began to listen to the first pianist’s performance.
In the third round of the preliminary selection confrontations, opponents were still determined by random draw, and the theme for this match had been announced a week in advance, which was—War!
Contestants had a week to prepare a theme piano piece for the competition. Although the event was billed as an original piano competition, the organizers did not impose overly strict requirements on the performers. It could be an original composition or an existing piano work.
Although more than seven thousand people were present, there were only two thousand one hundred valid votes.
For the confrontation sides, if one artist received more than fifteen hundred votes, they would advance directly. Those with fewer than one thousand votes would continue to the second round of confrontation until the top one hundred were formally selected.
Lin Weiyin had come full of anticipation, but after hearing the performances of several contestants in succession, her face involuntarily displayed a look of pain.
The regional director, Liang Qingquan, kept a close watch on this renowned great pianist. Knowing the purpose of this goddess appearing here, he immediately ran over to console her: “Miss Lin, please bear with it a little longer. Uncle A will be up soon.”
Lin Weiyin nodded, her expression easing slightly.
At that moment, a photographer noticed the scene and trained the lens on Lin Weiyin.
It was only pointed once.
This photographer was evidently a beauty collector enthusiast, and in the ensuing time, whenever switching the lens, the photographer would subconsciously direct it toward Lin Weiyin.
No way, this woman was too beautiful, too fresh and otherworldly!
Her temperament and appearance radiated like the sun, constantly illuminating the entire audience area.
The photographer secretly rejoiced.
This action instantly sent the viewers in the J Station Southern Regional live broadcast room into a frenzy of refreshing “666.”
Countless viewers praised Lin Weiyin’s appearance and temperament.
But before long, several bullet screens caught people’s attention.
“This is Lin Weiyin! First place in the Chopin International Piano Competition!”
“My god, she actually came to the venue to watch!”
“Something big is happening!”
“Lin Weiyin is hailed as the number one beneath Chopin, and she can perfectly convey the essence of Chopin’s entire etude cycle.”
“I saw her teaching video back then, when she was still just a university student…”
“She actually personally appeared at the Emperor Four Kings Competition, that shouldn’t be right…”
“Fake, it must be fake, my goddess couldn’t possibly lower herself like this!”
The accidental capture of Lin Weiyin’s appearance caused the online population in the live broadcast room to surge rapidly.
After many people used search engines to look up Lin Weiyin’s detailed information, they excitedly rushed back to the live broadcast room, frantically refreshing “Lin Goddess!”
But none of this was known to Lin Weiyin and the others at the scene.
An hour later, finally, during Lin Weiyin’s moment of gazing down at her phone, another burst of fervent cheers rang out from the venue.
“Uncle A!”
“Uncle A!”
“Uncle A!”
Lin Weiyin looked up in surprise.
At this moment, Liao Yuan, wearing a mask, heard his name displayed on the large screen and rose from the guest seating area, walking step by step onto the stage.
At this moment, more than a dozen pianists hidden in the shadows saw Liao Yuan ascend and all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
They each finally removed their earplugs, revealing expressions of anticipation.
Gao Feiliu, while munching on potato chips, said to his neighboring friend Mei Shuguo with contempt: “I’ll tell you, don’t judge how awesome Uncle A looks right now. If it were me performing in the competition, this kind of person—I could defeat ten of them!”
Mei Shuguo had been overjoyed moments earlier, but upon hearing this he whipped his head around, eyes blazing with murderous intent: “Shut your mouth! You’re not even worthy to polish A God’s shoes!”
“You… hum, I won’t stoop to your level, brainless fan!”
Gao Feiliu continued chewing his chips with fierce energy.
The other contestant confronting Uncle A had just finished his performance and felt it had gone well, looking triumphant, when he heard the background broadcast announce Uncle A’s name and was instantly stunned. “No way? That’s unlucky!”
At this moment, every camera on the stage was trained on the performance area.
Whether on the venue’s large screen or in the live broadcast room, Uncle A’s face filled the view.
Uncle A’s fans, under the leadership of the famous J Station tycoon “Send You Farewell,” on the Southern Regional live platform, continuously sent multiple rockets and yachts, automatically triggering a full-station broadcast.
The Southern Regional live platform instantly attracted over a million viewers.
On the stage, Liao Yuan patted his mask lightly, slightly tilting his head as if pondering something.
The next moment, he came back to himself, left hand slowly resting on the white keys, right hand raised high.
The entire hall fell instantly silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Countless pairs of eyes opened impossibly wide!
The sight showed the man’s right hand, like lightning striking, descending heavily.
At that moment, it was as if a tornado wind.
But just as it approached the keys, all the fierce whistling was instantly transformed into gentleness…
Thus, crisp piano notes like the tinkling of spring water quickly rang out.
“Tinkling—”
“Tinkling—”
…
From the instant Liao Yuan began to play, Lin Weiyin was shaken to the core, instantly sensing the difference between Uncle A and the other pianists.
Expressing war, his piano sound, though seemingly joyful, was even more tragic.
As if a series of paintings, smiling yet with tears, were being slowly unfolded.
In the setting sun, the battlefield of blood, tears, and dust reflected.
Beneath the shattered walls, a young boy lying on the ground, gray-faced and disheveled, raised his head, gazing at the soldiers brandishing knives and guns…
Several exclamations rose from the crowd.
Liao Yuan played with both hands opening and closing broadly.
At that instant, the style was swift, lively yet sorrowful, oppressive and explosive at once.
Its sound was like churning rivers, endless!
The immense sadness, panic, and tense atmosphere slowly unfurled in the solemn hall…
All eyes were fixed on Liao Yuan; at this moment no one could discern Uncle A’s emotions, yet they could feel the tragic sorrow like wind and rain!
He poured his entire being into the piano piece.
Only his constantly swaying body and increasingly urgent piano tones remained.
As if telling the whole world.
I come, I see, I conquer!
“He’s glowing!”
Lin Weiyin tightly clasped her hands together, staring at Li Qing, murmuring to herself.
…
Liao Yuan’s performance grew increasingly swift, the climax of the entire work arriving rapidly.
When his hands flew rapidly across the keys, what appeared before everyone’s eyes were scrolls of history unfolding.
Under the sky, torrential rain poured down, making it impossible for people’s vision to see beyond three meters.
Yet danger lurked everywhere.
Shells shot cyan-gray light in all directions.
In the visible world, fields shook and the earth trembled.
To the east, extremely violent explosions echoed.
To the west, that hidden small city now bloomed like a volcano.
To the south, bullets flew through the air.
To the north, on the vast boundless plain, rain mingled with night, occasionally broken by faint wails.
Days later, in the ruins ravaged by war.
An unknown white little flower swayed in the wind…
May the world be at peace!
…
When Liao Yuan played the final black and white key, the entire hall fell into silence.
People’s hair stood on end.
It seemed the passionate melody still lingered in their ears.
The shock in every heart was belatedly realized at this moment.