Chapter 24 Jiang Zhiyao's grades are invalidated

How do you know you'll definitely be number one?

An Shixia interrupted Jiang Zhiyao directly, and after speaking, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up.

Perhaps the topic of rankings was somewhat attractive, because several gazes seemed to fall upon them unnoticed.

Jiang Zhiyao felt a little uncomfortable, but in front of so many people, she pretended to be calm and tried her best to maintain her persona: "I just overheard someone say that 99.5 is the highest score."

Before An Shixia came down, Jiang Zhiyao was engrossed in the video's comment section.

Everyone praised her, and she was certain that she would be the champion this time.

"That's hard to say."

An Shixia turned around and found an empty seat to sit down, while Jiang Zhiyao, perhaps feeling guilty, followed closely behind her, wanting to talk to her.

An Shixia frowned and said in a voice that could only be heard by the two of them, "Jiang Zhiyao, when you stole my sheet music, did you think about the bad consequences?"

Jiang Zhiyao was startled when she heard her say that, but thankfully no one else heard it, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

An Shixia didn't say it out loud, which meant she didn't want to pursue the matter. Her current behavior was definitely because she hadn't performed well and was angry.

Jiang Zhiyao also lowered her voice, "Shi Xia, I promise I didn't do it on purpose, please don't tell anyone, okay? Besides, didn't you say before that this competition wouldn't make a difference? As long as you're not angry, I promise to say good things about you to Brother Sheng."

It was half coaxing, half coaxing.

An Shixia remained unmoved by his words: "I don't need it."

Jiang Zhiyao gritted her teeth. Damn it, when did An Shixia become so hard to coax?

It's okay, just tolerate her this time. When she's pursuing Brother Sheng, let him embarrass her again.

"Shi Xia, just tell me how you can keep it a secret, and I'll do whatever you say."

"But... I've already told them."

Jiang Zhiyao was completely petrified; she felt like there was something wrong with her ears.

It's been revealed? What's been revealed?

Could An Shixia really be that stupid as to tell the referee that she stole her sheet music?

Did she really play the same piece as me...?

Thinking of this, a hint of panic appeared on Jiang Zhiyao's face, but the panic only lasted for a few seconds before she calmed down.

Since I went on stage before An Shixia, even if I played the same piece, I could easily say that she plagiarized me.

Which contestant is Jiang Zhiyao?

A group of people suddenly appeared outside the lounge. The first person to arrive was an old man, with Yun Ranshu standing beside him.

"It's actually Senior Mu! I heard before that Senior Mu was planning to take on disciples. Could he be here to choose his apprentices?"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

It seems Jiang Zhiyao really is number one; she's a true dark horse. Elder Mu must be planning to take her as his disciple.

Listening to the discussions of the crowd, Geng Wen felt a mix of emotions.

She had heard some rumors, so she prepared for the competition for a very long time, but in the end she still lost because of nervousness.

The mistake, which had never happened before, left her filled with regret.

However, she had just come across a video of Jiang Zhiyao playing the piano. Although she had never met her before, she accepted her defeat wholeheartedly. Since she had no chance to become Master Mu's apprentice, she sincerely wished the other person well.

When Jiang Zhiyao heard someone call her name, her eyes lit up, and she raised her hand: "I am Jiang Zhiyao."

Old Master Mu's gaze passed through the crowd and landed on Jiang Zhiyao, who tried her best to straighten her back and stand up straight.

He didn't understand what elegance was, but he had observed An Shixia and saw that she usually stood like this. Although she didn't want to admit it, An Shixia had a very good grasp of temperament.

What she didn't know was that An Shixia was just standing there casually, without paying much attention to her manners. In the end, her attempt to imitate An Shixia was like blindly copying someone from Handan, making her seem somewhat out of place.

An Shixia met Yun Ranshu's gaze, her eyes crinkling slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Elder Mu's gaze remained fixed on Jiang Zhiyao, and the question he asked was quite sharp.

"Under what circumstances did you compose this musical score?"

Jiang Zhiyao was a little flustered. After seeing the sheet music, she had also thought about this problem and made up some of her own ideas, but when faced with Elder Mu's question, she found it difficult to speak.

The person in front of me is a senior in the piano world; if I say anything wrong, I will definitely get into trouble.

"Old Master Mu is asking you a question, why aren't you answering?"

Seeing that Jiang Zhiyao was slow to reply, Yun Ran reminded her.

She had felt the music sounded familiar before, but when An Shixia mentioned it, she remembered that she had heard her play one of the pieces a few years ago, though she hadn't paid attention to it at the time.

Jiang Zhiyao tried hard to suppress the panic in her heart. She felt that this was a test. As long as she answered in a way that satisfied Elder Mu, he would accept her as his disciple.

"When I was writing this sheet music, I happened to be passing by the riverbank near the school, and the river was as smooth as a mirror..."

Jiang Zhiyao had only spoken half a sentence when Old Mu slammed his cane hard on the ground.

Jiang Zhiyao trembled in fright and dared not speak any further.

"Nonsense! What does this piece of music have to do with what you're saying?"

Old Master Mu's voice was authoritative without being angry, and everyone present couldn't help but hold their breath, as if they were the ones being scolded.

Yun Ranshu spoke up at this moment: "I organized this music competition to promote friendly exchanges among everyone. I never expected that someone would cheat. I hereby declare that Jiang Zhiyao's results are invalid and she is no longer allowed to participate in any competitions organized by the Piano Association."

Jiang Zhiyao took two steps back, her face full of disbelief: "Impossible, impossible... I didn't cheat! Yes, creation is unrestricted. I created the score under those circumstances, and you can't just dismiss it!"

Even at this point, Jiang Zhiyao was still making excuses, convinced that these people had no evidence.

She couldn't admit it, because if she did, she would be cut off from the piano forever. Even if she couldn't become Master Mu's apprentice this time, it wouldn't matter.

"You're right, creation is limitless, but are you really sure that's your work?"

Old Master Mu was showing signs of anger. He had been playing the piano for so long and had met countless people, but he had never seen such a daring plagiarist.

"An Shixia, did you play the same piece as me on stage? Say something, admit you copied me!"

Jiang Zhiyao's face flashed with madness as she reached out and shook An Shixia's arm, her eyes seeming to want to devour him.

Seeing her hysterical state, Yun Ranshu stepped forward and pulled her back: "Please don't touch or grope other candidates."

"Teacher Yun, she plagiarized me! I went on stage before her, and she must have seen how well I played and secretly memorized my melody!"

Jiang Zhiyao looked earnestly at Yun Ranshu, as if she wanted her to give her justice.

The referees behind Elder Mu were giving him strange looks; they had previously thought Jiang Zhiyao was very talented.

Surprisingly, he confessed without being asked.

"You say she plagiarized you, what evidence do you have?"