Only compared to the memory, it seemed less languid, more gentle and soothing.
Qin Xiangge scrutinized carefully but saw only the silhouette of the girl, along with her soft long hair cascading over slender shoulders, gentle and graceful.
Qin Xiangge let out a sneer. How could it possibly be Shen You’an? It’s just that the voice and figure bore some slight resemblance. Googlᴇ search novel~fire~net
Pearl raised an eyebrow. "Your parents must be very much in love."
The girl lowered her lashes slightly, her expression gentle and tranquil.
During scoring, the three judges had a disagreement. The female judge believed that Contestant #16’s choice of music was simplistic, lacking in technical and professional demonstration, and overly emotional. Thus, she gave a score that was moderate, far below Contestant #15’s score.
The male judge, however, gave a score that was moderately high.
Pearl curved her lips and effortlessly awarded the highest score at the venue.
The female judge’s eyes narrowed and she couldn’t help but mock, "Teacher Pearl, this is a competition, not your classroom. Please be fair."
The man playfully smirked. "If I’m not mistaken, Teacher Qian was quite enraptured earlier too. Why not admit someone’s excellence? This is the narrow mindset of Hua Country’s music community—placing too much emphasis on technique and complexity. One must understand that emotional theory plays a guiding role in music creation. Music is, foremost, the expression of emotions. Take Contestant #15, for instance; the way she played Schubert’s Serenade was a travesty of the creator’s original intent. Yet Teacher Qian awarded her a high score—is this respect for music coming from a pianist?"
Pearl’s sharp rebuttal left the female judge speechless, her face alternating between pale and livid hues.
As a result, Contestant #16 achieved the best score of the event.
There were more contestants afterward, but none managed to stand out.
Qin Xiangge returned to the backstage lounge but didn’t see Contestant #16 anywhere.
She grabbed a passing staff member.
"Contestant #16, she seemed to have gone to the restroom..."
The staff member called out Lu Nan’s name before walking away.
She waited until all the contestants had performed, but Contestant #16 still hadn’t returned.
The wait for the score calculations felt unbearably long for Qin Xiangge.
For all the contestants, it was a form of torment too.
Finally, when the host held the card with the top three names written on it, Qin Xiangge couldn’t help but hold her breath.
On the final day of November, the rare clear weather was a blessing.
The sky was pristine, the white clouds drifted leisurely, and the bright sunlight poured down unapologetically, bringing a hint of warmth to the coldest days of winter.
In Year One, Class A, Hao Yun hid behind the door, waiting for Xun Meng near the entrance to cautiously signal her. Upon seeing it, Hao Yun fired the ribbon cannon.
"Surprise! Welcome our piano princess, the first-place winner of the competition!"
Qin Xiangge, who had just stepped into the classroom, was showered with ribbons.
Her steps slowed abruptly, her expression visibly darkening at an alarming speed.
Hao Yun bounced excitedly in front of Qin Xiangge. "Xiangge! Congratulations!"
The class had people offering genuine congratulations, while others just parrotted absent-minded phrases of support.
Qin Xiangge coldly pulled the ribbon off her hair, crushed it in her palm, and said expressionlessly, "Thank you."
The way she said it had a faint trace of gritted teeth.
Hao Yun cheerfully hopped next to Qin Xiangge. "Xiangge, you must be the first-place winner, right? Shouldn’t you treat us to some milk tea?"
Qin Xiangge took a deep breath and replied word by word, "Sure. In this cold weather, a cup of milk tea to warm up sounds nice. You buy it, and I’ll reimburse you later."
"Xiangge, you’re the best!"
At that moment, a lightly smiling voice floated in from outside the classroom. "May I share in this privilege as well?"
Hao Yun looked up to see Gao Yuyue stepping in, followed by Shen You’an, who had his head tilted, focused on his phone.
Hao Yun squinted teasingly at Shen You’an behind Gao Yuyue. "In our class, everyone gets a share after Xiangge wins first place in the piano competition. Spread the cheer! But not like some people who make bold promises—doesn’t it feel a bit shameful drinking milk tea they haven’t earned?"
Shen You’an acted like she hadn’t said a word, calmly strolling past the pair.
As he passed Qin Xiangge, he sidelong glanced at her, a sly and playful smile stretching his lips.
"First place, huh~" He purposefully heightened his tone, the ending lilt alluring, his gaze full of intrigue.
Qin Xiangge’s heart jumped fiercely but steadied herself, quickly lifting her head. By then, Shen You’an had already turned and walked away.
"Congratulations, first place."
The girl’s voice, languid yet laced with humor, drifted melodiously.
For reasons unclear, Qin Xiangge suddenly recalled the unforgettable voice of Contestant #16 during yesterday’s competition.