January 15, Beijiang University lecture hall.
With the badge representing her qualification to compete pinned to her chest, Lin Lu stood in the corridor backstage.
She was wearing a pure white evening gown, the badge gleaming on her chest.
Chen Yuwei walked over and asked Lin Lu, “So, are you nervous?”
“Nothing to be nervous about. It’s just a small scene,” Lin Lu said, slightly surprised.
“Besides, a piano competition doesn’t require looking at the audience. Just ignore them all and play for yourself.”
“Good, as long as you’re not nervous. Alright, it’s time to go on stage. Do your best!”
“Huh? I can’t tell that you have such strong nerves,” Chen Yuwei said with a smile.
Lin Lu nodded, turned, and walked toward the stage.
Her high heels clicked crisply against the floor.
Behind the curtain was the audience seating.
Lin Lu walked down the central aisle toward the stage.
As she passed the middle section, she suddenly heard Su Tang’s quiet muttering…
“Hello, everyone! Welcome, dear viewers! I’m your host, Su Tang! Today, I’m at the Beijiang University lecture hall, livestreaming for you all—the preliminary round of the Beijiang Intercollegiate Piano Competition!”
Lin Lu almost stumbled.
‘Since when did Su Tang start doing livestreams?’
She glanced over.
Su Tang was sitting right in the middle, holding a glow stick in one hand and her phone in the other, the screen facing herself as she broadcasted.
A ring light was clamped to a phone stand in front of her, shining as bright as a little sun.
Chen Xingye was also sitting beside her, assisting with the work.
“Everyone can see the atmosphere here is super lively! The seats are basically full! Right in front of me is the stage, and soon our school belle, Lin Lu, will be performing! Wow! It’s almost Lin Lu’s turn! Yes, the one with the silver hair! What do you think? Pretty, right~”
Su Tang also noticed Lin Lu, pointed her phone camera toward her, and gave her a wave.
Su Tang was always coming up with unexpected things.
Lin Lu shot her a glare.
Xiao Qing and the other Piano Club members were sitting together in a designated area on the side, all wearing matching white T-shirts printed with Lin Lu’s chibi avatar.
They held up three different support banners, each with different slogans cheering for Lin Lu.
Xiao Qing stood at the front, holding a bouquet of pink carnations.
Seeing Lin Lu appear, the host on stage began the announcement: “Next up, our fifth contestant, Lin Lu from Beijiang University. Her selected piece is the third movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata.'”
Applause sounded from the audience.
“Let’s get the chat going!” Su Tang shouted into her phone, “Lin Lu is about to go on! Let’s see those comments, everyone!”
Su Tang held up her phone; the comment feed on the screen was scrolling rapidly.
[Here she comes! School belle senior!]
[That silver hair is so beautiful!]
[The gown is gorgeous too!]
[Look at me, sis!]
Xiao Qing raised her banner, and the club members followed suit.
The three banners stood out prominently in the audience, their golden tassels glittering under the lights.
“One—two—three—!” Xiao Qing called out.
“Go, Senior Lin Lu—!” the members shouted in unison, their voices loud enough to be heard throughout the entire lecture hall.
The audience turned to look at them in surprise, many breaking into smiles.
Lin Lu nodded toward Xiao Qing and the others, then walked to the piano.
She bowed deeply to the audience and judges before taking her seat.
She lowered her head, looked at the keys, took a deep breath, and pressed the first note.
The sound of the third movement of the “Moonlight Sonata” filled the lecture hall as Lin Lu’s fingers moved.
The room instantly fell silent, everyone listening intently to the music.
Su Tang aimed her phone steadily at the stage, remaining quiet herself, with only the comments on her phone continuing to scroll.
[Sounds amazing!]
[I kneel before that finger speed…]
[She’s beautiful and plays piano? Too talented!]
During the second passage, Lin Lu’s finger slipped, hitting a wrong note.
While an ordinary listener might not have noticed, the judges were professionals and could pinpoint even a single off-key sound.
Lin Lu didn’t stop because of the mistake; she calmly continued playing.
When the final note faded, the hall was quiet for a second before erupting into thunderous applause.
“She’s done! Did you all hear that, viewers? Wasn’t that incredible!” Su Tang yelled into her phone.
The comments went wild.
[We heard it!]
[It made me so confident I sat down at my own piano…]
[I’m going to the finals in person!]
“Senior Lin Lu is number one!!” Xiao Qing led the club members as they stood up, raising their banners and shouting together.
The audience joined in with more applause.
Lin Lu stood up, bowed, and quickly left the stage, making way for the next contestant.
“You played well,” Chen Yuwei said.
“Ah… it’s a shame about that one wrong note,” Lin Lu sighed with regret.
If that note hadn’t been off, the entire piece would have been flawless.
“It’s fine,” Chen Yuwei looked at her and said, “Your handling afterward was excellent; you covered up that mistake. The judges won’t drastically lower your score for just one off note.”
After all the contestants had performed, the judges stood up.
Holding a microphone, one of them read out the list of names advancing to the finals.
There were ten in total.
First place went to Qin Shiyu, and second place went to Lin Lu.
“But first place is probably out of reach…” Lin Lu murmured quietly.
“Still, making it to the finals is what matters. That’s when the real competition happens,” Chen Yuwei nodded in agreement.
Hearing the result from the audience, Su Tang was also a bit surprised.
“I didn’t expect that tsundere kid to be so strong! She actually got first place!”
“Indeed, her skill shouldn’t be underestimated,” Lin Lu nodded.
“Right, the finals are the key,” Chen Yuwei said.
Su Tang spoke into her phone, “Everyone, Lin Lu made it to the finals! It’s a bit of a shame she didn’t get first… but it’s okay, we’ll fight again in the finals!”
Comments flooded the screen.
[Second place is still amazing!]
[When are the finals? I want to go!]
[Go, school belle senior!]
Xiao Qing led the club members over to surround Lin Lu.
“Senior! You were awesome! You were so close to getting first!”
Lin Lu smiled at her sparkling eyes and said, “Thank you.”
As they walked out of the lecture hall, Su Tang finally bid farewell to her livestream audience.
“That’s all for today’s stream, everyone! Remember to follow the host. See you at the finals!”
“Ugh, I’m exhausted. Held my phone up for half an hour,” Su Tang sighed.
“Huh? Didn’t you want to livestream yourself?” Lin Lu asked, puzzled.
“Not at all! The fan club asked me to!” Su Tang sighed again, “They said they wanted to build up your popularity online. I thought it was a pretty good idea, so I agreed. See? We peaked at over two thousand viewers just now!”
Lin Lu smiled and shook her head, ‘Well, if they want to go through the trouble, let them.’
“Lin Lu.” A voice came from behind.
Lin Lu turned around.
Qin Shiyu stood at the lecture hall entrance, holding her bag.
“Huh? Qin Shiyu, what are you doing here?”
“I was waiting for you,” Qin Shiyu said, “I didn’t expect you to actually play quite well. No wonder Chen Yuwei has so much confidence in you.”
Lin Lu was taken aback for a moment.
“But that wrong note… I heard it,” Qin Shiyu pointed at Lin Lu, a hint of smugness in her tone, “At the beginning of the second passage. Your finger slipped.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think you’d catch that.”
“Hmph! Don’t look down on me. Even if you could play that piece flawlessly, you’d still be no match for me. Go tell Chen Yuwei to prepare to accept my challenge.”
Lin Lu smiled, “When you actually beat me, she’ll naturally accept your challenge. Chen Yuwei isn’t one to go back on her word.”
Qin Shiyu snorted and turned to leave.
Su Tang and Chen Xingye exchanged a look.
Su Tang muttered, “That girl… She was clearly complimenting Little Lu, but she had to make it sound like a declaration of war.”
“That’s just how she is. You’ll get used to it,” Chen Yuwei said, walking over from the side and glancing at Qin Shiyu’s retreating figure.
“For tomorrow’s finals… don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s okay even if you can’t beat Qin Shiyu.”
“Huh? Don’t you believe in me now?” Lin Lu raised an eyebrow at Chen Yuwei.
“Of course I believe in you. I’m just saying that so you don’t have too much psychological pressure,” Chen Yuwei also smiled.
“Go back and get some good rest. I’m looking forward to you winning the championship tomorrow.”
After parting ways at the school gate, Lin Lu checked her phone.
She hadn’t noticed the messages during the competition.
Now she saw that Lin Xiaoxi had sent several messages.
[Lin Xiaoxi: Sis! I have something to do tomorrow morning, so I can’t make it to your competition…]
[Lin Xiaoxi: But don’t worry, sis! I’ll watch your match and cheer for you on Su Tang’s livestream!]
[Lin Xiaoxi: Also, Mom and Dad said to come home early after your school holiday starts.]
[Lin Xiaoxi: They miss you a lot since you… well, changed. You haven’t contacted them in a while.]
Looking at the messages, the corner of Lin Lu’s mouth curved upward.
[Lin Lu: Got it. See you tomorrow.]
She then put her phone away and quickened her pace toward home.
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