Xiaoqin was a little surprised. At the ball more than a year ago, wasn't Miss Mu and Liao Simin getting along very well? She thought they were already engaged. How come she has another boyfriend from the Zhong family?

At this moment, Mu Jinzhi's performance on stage ended, and she closed the piano lid. "This piano is a beloved possession that has been with me for a long time. Now, for the wounded soldiers in the military region and for the future of Xicheng, I want to auction it off."

She rose gracefully and bowed.

Mu Jinzhi's beautiful appearance, superb piano skills, and noble character have garnered her a large following among young people.

Chasing Mu Jinzhi is the trend, and it won't change even if she makes a fool of herself today. This is the momentum that the Mu family has been building for her for a long time. She is the bright moon among all the stars.

In the end, the piano was bought by Zhong Yunsheng for 50,000 silver dollars. When the two went on stage to take a photo together, their eyes were filled with deep affection.

"I heard that Miss Bai has also brought us a wonderful performance," the emcee announced with a smile. "I wonder what Miss Bai will be auctioning? Shall we look forward to it?"

The spotlight shone on Bai Yan, and Xiao Qin looked at Bai Yan with curiosity.

"Dr. Bai, are you prepared to perform? What are you auctioning?"

Bai Yan raised her eyes slightly. She knew what Zhong Rentao had been doing lately and what he was planning. So she smiled gently and said, "I'm not prepared, but it's okay to step in temporarily."

There was no shortage of musical instruments at such a ball, so Bai Yan borrowed a piano from backstage.

She walked up to the stage. At that moment, Mu Jinzhi and Zhong Yunsheng came down the steps together. As Zhong Yunsheng passed by her, he snorted, "A poor imitation."

Mu Jinzhi also said in a low voice, "Miss Bai, I know you resent me, which is why you deliberately targeted me. But I don't blame you. I just hope you won't be in a difficult situation... You are, after all, the wife of the Zhong family. If the items don't sell at auction, Yun Sheng will also lose face."

“An ordinary piano costs four or five hundred silver dollars, but yours is just an ordinary wooden piano. It’s neither a popular instrument nor an antique. No one will pay a high price for it.”

Bai Yan glanced at her and said, "You can go on stage even if you've missed seven or eight beats in a song, so why can't I?"

Mu Jinzhi: ...There were no seven or eight beats, at most three missed!

Wait, how did she figure that out? Does she play the piano?

Bai Yan had already stepped onto the stage. She looked at the crowd below and said with a smile, "Nowadays, many people in Xicheng love Western music, but our five thousand years of Chinese history and civilization also include folk arts and musical instruments as brilliant treasures."

"Western civilization certainly has its merits, but looking back through history, during the golden ages of China, when all nations came to pay tribute, wasn't it also because they learned our writing and music?"

"The Qin King's Battle Song" was popular for nearly three hundred years from the early Tang Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty, and it was even famous abroad at that time. Now the score has no trace in China. This score was obtained by my father by chance, and I dedicate this piece to you.

"This is the voice of China, a symbol of the nation's golden age. The sound of the piano is certainly beautiful, but at this moment, I think nothing sounds better than 'it'."

When a nation is weak, its national self-confidence also weakens. People think the moon is always brighter in foreign countries, and that foreign music and instruments are always better.

Just as the moon has its phases, the spine of the Chinese people will not be bent forever.

The melodious music flowed from Bai Yan's hands. Music needs to convey emotions, and Bai Yan had experienced war and the rise and fall of countless countries. She was never lacking in such emotions.

This is already a very moving piece of music, especially since it came from the most prosperous period of China. Many elderly people, thinking about the present situation, had tears in their eyes when they listened to it.

"The piano may be a novel and pleasant instrument, but Chinese culture has a history of thousands of years! As for string, wind, and string instruments, back when all nations came to pay tribute, they were still uncivilized peoples. How could they possibly compare in terms of culture!"

"The sense of conquest in Miss Bai's zither playing alone surpasses all the previous decadent music!"

Mu Jinzhi bit her lip. Was that seductive voice referring to herself?

“Miss Bai, your piano skills are indeed good. But this kind of instrument is like outdated ideas from the past; it's no longer popular.”

Mu Jinzhi was young, and she couldn't suppress her emotions: "You should move on from the past, listen to Western music, and experience the free and open culture abroad."

She wanted everyone's attention to be on her, just like before. She was Miss Mu, a progressive woman from the West City, who was in control of the latest fashion and music trends from abroad.

This has always been the case; she could always attribute everything to differences in ideology and culture, but this time it clearly didn't work.

These old fogies aren't the young people that Ren Mu's family is trying to fool with in the newspapers.

"You keep talking about Western culture, but is our Eastern culture not beautiful? I think Miss Bai's cheongsam is very beautiful, and her piano playing is even more melodious! This Miss Mu likes the piano, yet she says that our Chinese musical instruments are dross. What's the difference between you and a traitor?"

Mu Jinzhi looked aggrieved and upset. She hurriedly explained, "I didn't say it was dross. I was just talking about the free spirit in foreign piano music..."

She never said musical instruments were trash! She was talking about ideas! Can't these idiots understand?

“Western cultural invasion and the fact that other countries are stronger than ours are unavoidable.” An old man stood up. “But our Chinese civilization cannot be lost. It has never been dross. I am willing to offer 100,000 silver dollars to bid for this musical score.”

No one wanted to talk to Mu Jinzhi; those who could sit in that position saw things clearly. The Mu family had sided with Britain, abandoning even their native culture.

Why bother with something that has no roots?

"I'll offer 150,000."

Two hundred thousand.

Unlike before when they were all young people, now they were all elderly people in power. Before long, Bai Yan's musical score was auctioned off to an old general for 300,000 silver dollars.

Amidst rounds of praise, Bai Yan smiled, bowed, and left, while Mu Jinzhi's face grew increasingly aggrieved. Finally, she covered her face, sobbed, and ran out. Zhong Yunsheng, however, stared blankly in Bai Yan's direction for a long while before chasing after her.

Zhong Rentao, on the second floor, angrily slammed his pipe down, yelling, "Useless thing!"

She had a perfect opportunity to shine, but another woman stole it from her!

"General, this Miss Bai is quite capable," a trusted aide said. "Those old generals seem to like her quite a bit too..."

Zhong Rentao frowned. Everyone likes a smart person. If she hadn't been able to win over these people after what happened before, he would certainly have been willing to accept her as his daughter-in-law.

But now that everything has been agreed upon with the Mu family, and besides, Zhong Rentao doesn't like being taken advantage of because of his life-saving grace!

"Have you brought the people from Fancheng? And Bai Jingye, are everything arranged?"

The confidant replied, "Everything has been arranged."

Zhong Rentao instructed, "Alright. Go and talk to the Mu family about this, and give Miss Mu another way out."

"yes!"