In City B, the Golden Hall is the finest music sanctuary in the entire Huaxia country. Over the decades, it has hosted numerous spectacular and grand music concerts.
This building, constructed in the imitation of Baroque classical style with pure white marble, stands proudly on the square. The front facing the street forms a wave-like pattern, with Greek god statues holding instruments in the recessed areas, presenting a magnificent appearance.
As the night descends, in front of the Golden Hall, numerous cars gradually come to a stop. Men and women dressed formally walk hand in hand, entering through the intricately decorated doors.
The audience seats, accommodating 1,300 people, are already filled.
This is the last performance in Huaxia for Alfred Hess, one of the world’s top three pianists and the most outstanding conductor. After concluding this world tour, Alfred Hess will retire from the stage.
As a result, countless music enthusiasts from around the world have gathered, eagerly awaiting the start of the concert. The media, even more anxiously, awaits this destined extraordinary musical event.
Backstage.
Ye shanshan is nervously twitching his fingers. He looks at his teacher, whose hair has turned white, with a pleasing smile. “Teacher, I…”
“Shut up!” Hess, whose anger rises in waves, shouts at Y eshanshan, frightening the people around them to move further away, fearing being affected by the master’s anger.
Y eshanshan also wants to hide, preferably a kilometer away. However, he is the target of the enemy’s firepower and can’t escape.
“Teacher, please don’t be angry! You have high blood pressure, do you have your medicine?” Y eshanshan says with a bitter face. “You also know that I really have no talent in piano—”
Before he can finish speaking, he is interrupted harshly.
“No talent? Then, in this entire orchestra, everyone can be considered mediocre!” Master Hess speaks fiercely in German, like launching missiles, making Ye shanshan want to cover his ears.
—But he dares not.
Ignoring the fact that the teacher has accumulated a lot of resentment for him, Ye shanshan only feels that his teacher is difficult to please, even more so than the Great Demon King Gong Yue.
“Teacher, I do have talent, I do! Otherwise, why would you accept me as your student? But you also know that I really can’t break through in the aspect of passion and emotion. So, isn’t it good for me to develop a hobby and shift my efforts elsewhere? What do you think?”
Since Ye shanshan told Master Hess that he was going to take acting seriously, his teacher exploded. The gentleman who was originally in a tailcoat, polite and courteous, instantly turned into an angry mammoth.
It’s going to make me cry!
Seeing the little stick soaked in his tears and sweat in the teacher’s hand, Ye shanshan runs as fast as a rabbit, “whoosh,” hiding behind Gong Yue. He grabs Gong Yue’s clothes tightly with both hands and then peeks out half of his head.
“Teacher, we are all citizens illuminated by the radiance of the Music Goddess. We cannot be cruel and resort to violence! We must be elegant, civilized, and compassionate!”
After saying this, he shows off for three seconds. The implication is, I have a backing, and you can’t touch me!
Hess looks at the smug little guy behind Gong Yue and feels his lungs are about to explode.
Shaking his beard, he looks at Gong Yue, who remains calm, “Aren’t you going to do anything? Are you just going to watch him waste his talent, filming those third-rate romantic films?”
Gong Yue stands steadily in place, blocking Ye shanshan behind him. After hearing what Hess said, he doesn’t even furrow his eyebrows. “As long as he’s happy.”
Hess, almost driven to madness by these two people, looks at Ye shanshan, who is hiding behind Gong Yue, enjoying himself. His eyes widen, “Come over here! Are you planning to hide until the end of the performance? Come, let me hear if you’ve been slacking off during this time!”
Ye shanshan realizes that his teacher may not be so angry anymore. He walks out slowly from behind Gong Yue, feeling that he has passed this level—indeed, the power of the Great Demon King is truly boundless!
With his hands behind his back, Ye shanshan sneaks a “V” sign to Gong Yue. He walks slowly and reluctantly with Hess, heading towards the piano placed in the corner.
“Are you sure?” Hess looks at Ye shanshan, who has undergone quite a few changes compared to three years ago, with a complicated expression. “Tell me seriously, are you really sure?”
Ye shanshan glances at Gong Yue not far away, as if gaining courage. He nods towards Hess, “Teacher, actually, you also know that I’m a bit abnormal in the emotional aspect.”
Seeing Hess nod, he continues, “When I first started acting, it was because I wanted to pretend to be someone else and then construct that person’s life. Through this method, I could perceive many emotions that I would never have otherwise.”
He wanted to run his hand through his hair but found that it was fixed in place with styling spray, so he had to put his hand down. “Later, I discovered that through acting, I could live many completely different lives. This made me feel very happy, very fulfilled.”
This was something he never dared to imagine when he was a child.
“Did you give up the piano then?”
“No.” Yeshanshan looked at his teacher, who had put a lot of effort into him. “Just like how even though you retired from the classical music world, the piano will forever stay in your heart until you meet God. I may not have such deep love, but I also like the piano.”
His eyes revealed a bit of nostalgia. “There was someone, like a mother to me, who once told me when I was a child that the piano is the most wonderful instrument in the world, and the soul can find peace in it.”
In the laboratory, he often couldn’t sleep all night for various reasons. At such times, Gong Youli would play piano music to help him fall asleep. That’s why, four years ago, he asked Gong Yue to find a piano teacher for him to learn this instrument.
“So, Teacher, I won’t give up the piano.”
Hess looked at his student standing in front of him, silent for a long time before nodding slightly. His tone softened, “Let’s go, accompany your teacher to bid farewell to this stage properly.”
“Okay.” Ye shanshan nodded obediently but suddenly remembered an important question, “But Teacher, when do I go on, at the end? Or in the middle? I’m a bit hungry, and there’s some time to grab a bite…”
“No, the opening! If you mess up, I’ll tie you back to Austria!”
“Wait, wait, Teacher, you’re deceiving me! Wasn’t that not the agreement at the beginning—”
At exactly eight o’clock, the silent stage finally revealed its huge curtain.
Alfred Hess stood in the center of the stage and, as usual, delivered the opening remarks, thanking the audience for their presence.
“The opening of today’s concert will not be by me, but by my student. He possesses the musical talent I have seen once in my lifetime, making one marvel at God’s favoritism. Although he has decided not to climb higher peaks in classical music, I wish him a radiant life.”
The stage lights dimmed.
Half a minute later, with the first sound of the violin, as if disturbing the silence, a beam of light suddenly illuminated a corner of the stage.
The Steinway grand piano, like a whispering figure in the dark night, shone brightly against the brown-red floor. A young man in a black tailcoat sat on the piano bench, his back straight, delicate and fair fingers resting on the black and white keys. The light cast a layer of silver sand on his silhouette, and every inch of his skin seemed bathed in the soft moonlight.
A strand of hair fell from his side, enhancing his handsome and refined face, resembling a masterpiece crafted by a divine creator.
In the grand hall, his fingers danced rapidly, almost too fast to see clearly, yet each note sprang to life like a lively spirit under his fingertips, flowing into the gentle night.
Every tone was pure and cool, light and enchanting. The strength and weakness of each note, the highs and lows of each rhythm, all reached perfection. The dancing notes flowed through the entire concert hall, surrounding everyone’s ears with vibrant vitality.
Master Hess watched Ye Shanshan in the center of the stage, his eyes filled with satisfaction and joy. “He is truly a rare genius!”
Gong Yue kept his gaze fixed on the pianist, without any movement. He enjoyed hearing praises for Ye Shanshan, and for once, he nodded in agreement, saying, “Mm.”
Of course, Shanshan was the best.
Next, as if immersed in the music, both of them fell silent and just focused their gazes on Ye Shanshan.
As the piano composition entered its second half, Master Hess suddenly looked at the young man, who, despite his young age, seemed profound. He spoke with a complex tone, “You know, in his heart, you hold significant weight.”
After giving a deep look at Gong Yue, Hess sighed, “Take good care of him.”
“I will.”
At the moment when the last note gently fell, Ye Shanshan finally exhaled. If it weren’t for the inappropriate occasion, he felt like standing up and applauding himself!
By now, his palms were sweaty, not from nervousness, but from exhaustion – if it weren’t for his diligent practice beforehand, his thin arms would surely have cramped.
I really planned ahead!
As the stage lights all brightened, the previously silent audience seemed to be awakened, and countless “bravos” accompanied thunderous applause, sounding like a torrent ready to flip the roof of the concert hall.
The Austrian music critic sitting in the front row couldn’t help but stand up, raising both hands and loudly shouting, “Bravo!” expressing his admiration.
Ye Shanshan couldn’t help but smile, standing up from the piano bench and walking to the center of the stage.
Following his movements, the spotlights moved with him, revealing his tall and slender figure to everyone. When he faced the audience, opened his arms, and then bowed ninety degrees, the previously boiling audience suddenly quieted down, as if a switch had been turned off.
“Oh, truly God’s most beautiful creation!” Someone exclaimed softly.
After a few seconds of silence, another round of thunderous applause erupted. The person who had flawlessly performed Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz” – a piece known as the “most difficult étude in the world” – left the audience in awe.
Back in the backstage area, Ye Shanshan greeted the orchestra members with a smile, fulfilling the teachings of his etiquette teacher. His eyes scanned left and right, but he didn’t find the person he was looking for, feeling a bit disappointed.
Ah, did the Demon King get lost? Suddenly, there was a sense of loss in his heart.
“Shanshan.”
Despite the noise around – footsteps, voices, and various sounds of instruments – Ye Shanshan was extremely sensitive and caught this particular voice.
Demon King!
Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Gong Yue standing under a secluded crimson curtain, watching him.
Ye Shanshan’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. Almost like a shot, he rushed towards Gong Yue, then hung himself directly on Gong Yue’s body, a well-practiced move.
Leaning against the wall, Gong Yue slightly bent one long leg, lifting the incoming person effortlessly, letting him dangle.
He didn’t ask Ye Shanshan to stand on his own.
“Very brilliant.”
Feeling Gong Yue’s breath against his ear as he spoke, Ye Shanshan squirmed a bit. “Brother, it’s ticklish.”
But because of the praise, his eyes curved into a smile.
Ye Shanshan’s voice was clear and transparent, somewhat resembling the piano notes he played. He usually enunciated each word clearly, but when facing Gong Yue, the tail of each word tended to drag a bit, carrying a hint of unknowing coquetry.
Holding onto his slender waist, Gong Yue said, “Mm, be good, don’t squirm.”
Ye Shanshan was obedient and stopped squirming. However, he always felt that when Gong Yue said this sentence, his voice seemed a bit husky.
But he didn’t think much about it, obediently lying in Gong Yue’s arms, hands encircling the other’s neck. “Brother, did you hear it? I didn’t make any mistakes at all. Wasn’t it extraordinary?”
“Mm, very extraordinary.”
This praise was entirely sincere. Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz” was known as the “most difficult étude in the world,” featuring challenging double-note techniques that required extremely high finger and hand coordination.
Simply playing the notes correctly was already quite an achievement, let alone conveying a light and joyful feeling. Just looking at the sheet music made people feel like their hands were cramping, so until now, there were very few pianists in the world who dared to perform “Mephisto Waltz” publicly.
Therefore, Ye Shanshan’s choice to showcase his skills with “Mephisto Waltz” not only did not overshadow Master Hess’s performance but also led to a perfect finale.
With a flash of inspiration, Ye Shanshan immediately entered the drama mode. His voice became weak, “Brother, my hands are so tired. I have no strength left. That piece was too difficult.”
Feeling the hands tightly wrapped around his neck, Gong Yue remained calm. “Mm.”
Sensing the perfect opportunity, Ye Shanshan decided to press on, “When we go back, I want to eat a slice of cranberry cake, no, two slices. Can I?”
“Sure.” Gong Yue’s lips relaxed, “The concert is over. You go up and thank Mr. Hess, and then we’ll go back.”
He agreed so easily? It felt surreal! However, that didn’t stop Ye Shanshan from sincerely praising him.
“Brother, you’re the best!”
After the concert ended, countless media reporters waiting below the steps of the Golden Hall swarmed towards the group that had just come out, creating a congestion that was almost impassable.
Master Hess stood on the steps, making a gesture and speaking in a gentle tone in English, “We will hold a press conference in half an hour, and later you will receive invitations.”
A white journalist at the back shouted loudly, “Mr. Hess, will the mysterious Eastern boy from the opening appear?”
Master Hess paused— that would depend on whether that fellow decided to return to his den.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
