"People always say that Qingjiang is a major province for music, but really, I don’t see anything special."
"Even though these are just the preliminary rounds... some pianists are not even up to par with the basics!"
The two judges sitting near the center furrowed their brows, delivering sharp critiques.
They both appeared to be in their forties; one was a university professor, a scholar named He Shumo, wearing glasses, sporting an intellectual demeanor.
The other, a pianist by background, named Yao Han, spoke more directly and boldly.
There were a total of three invited judges from the Capital Zhonghua Music Association for this Yingqin Cup.
Aside from the well-known international musician Tuoba Jianhui occupying the central seat, He Shumo and Yao Han were the other two.
Coming from the capital didn’t necessarily mean they were superior to the local judges of Qingjiang, but their status meant their words carried more weight and drew more reference and attention from the media and other judges.
The competition had been going on for an hour now, with dozens of contestants having performed.
But to the two of them, the overall performance of these dozens... was notably unsatisfactory; many contestants had not even reached the level of evaluating "expressiveness" and "emotion", as they couldn’t even "play the music without errors" completely.
It’s hard to imagine that this competition is supposed to represent the highest level of Qinjiang.
"I think the standard here has been overestimated due to the presence of the esteemed Gan Hua, right?"
After some observation, Yao Han gradually lost interest; he reclined in his chair and said in a flippant tone.
Of course, such remarks were only made "behind closed doors" and wouldn’t be recorded by any journalists or cameras, allowing them to speak more freely than in front of the cameras.
Beside him, He Shumo adjusted his glasses and said coolly,
"Although it’s still too early to say... it does seem that way for now."
Yao Han drummed his fingers lightly on the table and continued,
"To be honest, most of the people here wouldn’t even make a ’C grade’ in my book! Just listening to this level of performance is putting me to sleep..."
As Yao Han kept talking,
His gaze also frequently shifted towards Tuoba Jianhui beside him.
The old master frowned slightly, staring intently at the stage, still not uttering a word.
The formidable aura he exuded made Yao Han couldn’t help but shiver.
On the surface, Yao Han kept grumbling, speaking unpleasant things.
A large part of it was also to vent the anger on behalf of Mr. Tuoba.
If Yao Han didn’t do this, when Mr. Tuoba eventually spoke, the whole stage might very well crumble!
"Oh... the next one is Bai Xi."
Just then, He Shumo looked at the list in his hand and expressed his surprise.
"I remember she’s... was the runner-up in the last competition? And she recently won the Star Cup championship?" Yao Han confirmed.
"23 years old, interesting."
Yao Han lay back in the judge’s chair, looking at the information, but still said reservedly,
"To be honest, after an hour of this competition... let’s keep an open mind."
Yao Han smiled with a hint of sarcasm.
In a situation where the overall standard is not high, the local champion naturally raises questions to the effect of "in times without heroes, even the mediocre may be celebrated."
With the spotlights converging, Bai Xi, dressed in red, walked gracefully toward the stage.
The moment Bai Xi appeared, a smattering of discussion and some light cheers suddenly came from the seats behind.
This was the first time such a reaction occurred since the competition began.
It made Yao Han curious enough to turn his head to glance at the audience.
"The presence is strong,"
"Is it because she’s pretty that you say she has a strong presence?" Yao Han said with a laugh,
"You’re still the same as before, fond of paying attention to good-looking pianists."
Before the Yingqin Cup, the two had met at offline events held by the Music Association.
Back then, Yao Han didn’t like He Shumo.
Isn’t everybody gaining honors while young? Yet he always put on a stern face, posing as a literati.
In reality, he always paid attention to young female pianists with good looks, dozing off during other performances but becoming extra attentive when a pretty one was playing.
"No, if I really appreciated her appearance, I wouldn’t be so calm,"
"Observe her bodily movements as she walks on the stage; they are clearly rehearsed, and her eyes are constantly aware of the camera’s position, aiming to show her best side to the lens."
"To be so conscious of your appearance in such a competition, one cannot do this without absolute confidence in one’s own music..."
Yao Han waved his hands, not wanting to listen anymore.
Who would seriously say something like "I wouldn’t be this calm"? It’s a bit too forced.
Maybe, deep down, he has already started scoring her secretly?
But indeed, this "Bai Xi" turned out to be one of the most visually appealing contestants thus far.
Every gesture exuded charm.
She didn’t resemble a cellist so much as a dancer.
As for why Yao Han was so concerned about Bai Xi’s appearance rather than her cello playing...
After watching the pianists from Qingjiang Province perform for an hour, it was hard to remain interested.
Bai Xi took her place in the center of the stage.
After briefly tuning,
She drew her bow across the strings—