Chapter 39

Shi Luyi hadn't experienced the feeling of speaking in front of so many people for a long time.

When he gave up friendship and chose himself, he had a premonition that he would reach the top again.

After all, people who value sentimentality always don't live a good life. Otherwise, why is there the saying that good people don't live long while evil people leave their mark for thousands of years?

He has just been walking on the path he has laid out according to his own ideas. He has never made any mistakes in the past and there should be no mistakes in the future.

Why can't he, who gave up everything, sit in the best position?

Thinking this way, he, who appeared strong on the outside but was actually weak on the inside, had tears soaking his quilt the night before his speech.

The taste of victory without fighting is bitter and sour, and makes you want to vomit just by smelling it.

Under such circumstances, Shi Luyi finally understood that being the rightful second place was much better than being the first place that was questioned by everyone.

I have heard the statement “If Lin Mian had not been ill, Shi Luyi would not have been the first this time” more than once, and this is still considered to be the nicest part.

Among the students of this class at Beishi Middle School, Lin Mian is particularly appealing.

Whether it was the band that was originally placed in the audience being called to perform at the school anniversary or the opening ceremony of the sports meet, or running or jumping first at the sports meet even though she was shorter than those around her, Lin Mian, who was originally shining with gold because of her first place in the grade, attracted the attention of students who cared about grades and those who didn't.

There are some outstanding students in this class, but Lin Mian stands out too much.

Her flashing light was enough to overshadow everyone, and it was like a mountain pressing down on Shi Luyi, making it hard for him to breathe.

Now, Shi Luyi, who was questioned and ridiculed for "taking advantage of the leak", suddenly remembered that when the first test results came out, many people's malice towards Lin Mian was not much weaker than this, and was even more intense.

But she is much stronger than him.

At least I won’t hide in the quilt and cry like him.

But compared to these, Shi Luyi felt that there was a place in his heart that was even more painful.

What is it exactly?

He was a little confused and puzzled.

The answer is not too late.

In the new semester, Lin Mian, who was surrounded by people, was distressed because he received too many gifts. When he smiled, his eyes were curved like crescent moons.

Shi Luyi seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move anymore.

The cloud that was blocking my heart was finally slowly dispelled.

Rather than getting the "first place", he wanted to be a friend who cared about Lin Mian like before.

The moment he saw Lin Mian recover, he didn't think that he would no longer be the first place because of Lin Mian's return. Instead, he thought, it's great!

She still looks as healthy as before, how great!

When he couldn't help but utter those caring words, he gathered his strength to lift his legs closer to her, but he stopped when he saw her eyes clearly seeing him but ignoring the past.

Everything dimmed.

It was still sunny, but it was already covered with dark clouds.

Shi Luyi didn't know how he got back to his seat.

Just like in the following time, he didn't realize that although they were classmates, they seemed to have never spoken to each other again.

He stood in the dark and saw the twinkling stars of light on her body slowly gathering together, becoming brighter and harder to look at, as if even getting close would burn him.

He was like a mouse that was afraid of the light. He could only watch the horses on the grassland running recklessly. Once he got close, the horses that couldn't see him would just raise their hooves and stomp down.

Even if I restrain myself from looking, I can always hear people around me mention her.

"Did you know that Lin Mian from Class (1) has become a 3rd dan Go player? Oh my god, if my cousin hadn't told me during the competition, I wouldn't have known that she is the youngest 3rd dan Go player in China, or even the youngest 3rd dan Go player in Asia. Many reporters want to interview her!"

"Wow, isn't that like a celebrity?"

"Yes, my cousin told me that if it weren't for the rule that only one level can be promoted per year, Lin Mian would be more than three levels."

"Wow!"

This was the sound of amazement and admiration from the students passing by him.

"Lin Mian is first in the city joint exam again this time. Oh, never mind. I've never won an exam before anyway."

This was the mother's final calm voice after she was so disappointed. It was like a death sentence that made people breathless. The words "I will definitely beat her in the exam next time" that she had said countless times were interrupted at the very beginning.

"You've tried so many times, have you ever done it? Don't say you can't do it, it's embarrassing."

Under the sharp gaze, Shi Luyi could only lower his head even lower, feeling quite ashamed.

Even in this city joint examination, he was ranked second among the tenth schools in the city, which is a very commendable result. But he was not first, which was meaningless in front of his mother.

He heard the sound of his own heart breaking. Perhaps, this sound would become smaller and smaller. After all, a heart that had been broken so many times would eventually get worse, right?

"Congratulations to our student Lin Mian for winning the championship in Group A of the 10th ETLG International Youth Piano Competition. Let us give Lin Mian a warm round of applause."

This was the joyful voice of the leader on the stage. He was even a little excited and clapped his hands so hard.

Yes, this is a very valuable award, and Lin Mian is the first Chinese to receive this award.

Not only the newspapers in North City, but newspapers in many other places also posted photos of her looking triumphant after receiving the trophy.

How could he not hear these sounds?

Even if she forgot to ask for leave, the teachers would be tolerant and just think that she was going to compete somewhere again.

Sometimes she couldn’t even come to the exam, but that didn’t matter, because everyone knew she would definitely get first place if she came.

The first place he got at this time was only because Lin Mian was not there.

It seems to be a matter of course that he cannot compare to Lin Mian.

And what is Lin Mian, whom he is constantly thinking about, doing at this moment?

She is taking classes at the karting club in North City.

All of this goes back to the piano competition that Lin Mian participated in abroad.

Because when Lin Mian was young, she had won almost all the gold medals in the children's group of prestigious piano competitions in the country. In addition, her teacher Li Zhiyuan had not seen any students more talented than Lin Mian in various competitions in the past two years. If she continued to participate, she would only win the prize again.

Li Zhiyuan was not a student who had not won the gold medal in the domestic piano competition. He accepted Lin Mian not because of Jiang Dan but because of Lin Mian. It was because Lin Mian rekindled the ambition of his youth in this man in his fifties who had almost lost his ambition.

To train a pianist for the world, a pianist from China.

And Lin Mian is a child with such talent.

Under Li Zhiyuan, Lin Mian received a lot of help, and her piano skills also improved rapidly.

After participating in several domestic youth competitions, Li Zhiyuan felt relieved that his results were far better than the second place.

He was afraid that Lin Mian would get stage fright when he stood on the stage again after not participating in a competition for a long time.

But the facts told him that this would not be the case.

Lin Mian on the stage was shining brightly, and he was extremely dazzling whether he looked up or down.

So Li Zhiyuan stopped letting Lin Mian participate in the competition and asked her to calm down and polish herself.

After choosing the song and practicing continuously to make sure that the judges would be absolutely impressed, Li Zhiyuan sent the video.

As he expected, Lin Mian became one of the 35 people who passed the Group A preliminaries of the ETLG International Youth Piano Competition.

After Jiang Dan learned about this, he begged and pleaded to go to Germany with him. He even covered the fuel costs, food and lodging for the two of them, which made it difficult for Li Zhiyuan to refuse.

Lin Mian had just finished participating in the promotion tournament, and his brain was in a state of emptiness. After all, it was very tiring to think all the time.

So in the first-class cabin of the plane, facing Jiang Dan who kept wanting to chat, Lin Mian began to regret that he should have booked his own ticket earlier and not taken the same flight with Jiang Dan.

Lin Mei now gives her a lot of pocket money, so she can pay for a first-class ticket herself. Besides, Lin Mian is not a materialistic person. If Jiang Dan hadn't booked the ticket, she wouldn't think it's a big deal to sit in economy class. After all, the ultimate goal of transportation is to reach the destination safely.

Lin Mian's eyes were blank, letting Jiang Dan's voice buzz in his ears.

Li Zhiyuan couldn't stand it anymore, so he used his teacher status to suppress Jiang Dan's silence.

Lin Miancai fell asleep in a daze.

In her dream, countless ducks were chasing after her and making noises, which made her annoyed. She conjured up a roll of tape and taped up all the ducks' beaks.

When the last duck was caught, Lin Mian woke up and the plane descended.

The momentary feeling of weightlessness, accompanied by the sound of his beating heart, made Lin Mian realize that it was not a dream.

A good night's sleep is necessary.

It was morning when they set out from the north city, and it was still morning when they arrived in Germany.

In order to adapt to the time difference, she can only sleep at night, which is why Li Zhiyuan brought her here early.

Moreover, the return flight was booked a few days late. The main reason was that coming here early was not the time to have fun in Germany. Lin Mian still had to practice and would have fun after the competition.

Jiang Dan was also very helpful and hired an interpreter to accompany them, as no one in the group could speak German.

The hotel they booked was also a five-star hotel, and there was a piano in Lin Mian's room for her to practice.

Chen Xiaoqiu's room was not that good. Lin Mei thought that the people traveling with her were all men and it would be difficult for them to take care of Lin Mian. Chen Xiaoqiu had been taking care of Lin Mian for several years, so Lin Mei was very relieved and paid for Chen Xiaoqiu to come along.

Even this was something that Jiang Dan agreed to only after Lin Mei and Jiang Dan had a long phone call. He wanted to cover all the expenses, and he was indeed good at dealing with elders.

To this day, Lin Mian still doesn’t know how Jiang Dan, who behaved like that in front of her, could get Lin Mei to praise him.

While practicing, resting, and hiding from Jiang Dan, the time for the preliminary round soon arrived.

Although she is not tall, Lin Mian has good proportions and looks good in any skirt.

But this time the competition was held abroad, so Lin Mian specially used her pocket money to order a few dresses.

The skirt she wore today was unique among the foreign teenagers.

The ivory silk fabric with a pearly luster is a deep blue like a gem, but the shade of blue also varies slightly, like the diffusion of porcelain glaze.

It really looks like blue and white porcelain.

Jiang Dan, who was sitting in the audience, thought so.

Unlike previous competitions, Lin Mian will perform four pieces covering different musical periods and styles.

This places higher demands on both physical strength and skills.

Players from all over the world gave their all for this competition.

If Lin Mian wants to come out on top, he cannot hold back.

Amidst the indifferent or routine scrutiny, there was no sense of tension, but instead a smile spread across the corners of his mouth.

She was enjoying the music, so how could she be nervous?

Gently raise your hand and a familiar melody will sound.

Um, a three-part fugue?

One of the judges, Oyachi, became interested. He opened the entry form. 10 years old?

It's a song beyond her age level.

However, since he has the courage to choose this song, he will surely not be disappointed, right?

In fact, not only was he not disappointed, he was quite pleasantly surprised.

The difficulty of this piece of music lies in the fact that its tonality, harmony, and form are constantly changing and developing. It is both unified and complete, yet also full of changes and strong contrasts.

Every key played by Lin Mian was steady and resolute, and every note was clear and independent, yet they echoed, chased, and merged with each other.

Oyachi straightened his back involuntarily, his eyes gradually becoming focused, until Lin Mian's fingers left the keys and naturally fell on his knees, he gradually came to his senses.

Ah, it’s over. He actually felt a little reluctant to leave. This was a feeling that none of the previous contestants had ever given him.

However, anticipation welled up in his heart again. This girl was not as weak as she looked. Her piano music told everyone that if they underestimated her, she would reveal her sharp teeth at any time, bite the enemy's neck and deal a fatal blow to the prey.

Lin Mian took two deep breaths, and only after making sure she had cleared her mind of the emotions from the previous song did she put her hands back on the keys.

For the second classical sonata, Lin Mian also chose a piece that was beyond her age and skills.

She has always been a girl who is good at giving people surprises.

However, for other players, this may not be a surprise.

Suzuki Yuki from Japan, who was standing backstage waiting, covered her mouth with her hands, for fear that she would scream.

It turned out that she knew from the first song that the girl in front of her would definitely be her strong competitor, but she didn't expect that Lin Mian's second classical sonata would be so amazing.

Music can convey emotions, enthusiasm, optimism, and positivity, just like a vibrant and upward-looking flower blooming in the days of poverty and hardship.

This reminds Suzuki Yuki that even though life was not going well, her mother was always positive about life and raised her better than any other child of the same age.

A tear quietly slid down her cheek, and Suzuki Xue realized that she was crying.

With such a resonant song, is she really competing on the same stage with her?

But like a miracle, the tension disappeared. Suzuki Yuki had a premonition that there would never be another contestant like her again, and all the contestants would be overwhelmed by the brilliance of this little Chinese girl.

What else does she have to be afraid of?

It’s better to relax, enjoy the music, and enjoy the beauty that this girl brings.

When the second song was finished, everyone was immersed in this gentle emotion. They thought, if the first and second songs were so gentle, then the third song would also cleanse the soul and make people tremble slightly, right?

But unlike the obvious connection at the beginning of the second song, the arrival of the third song was the next second when Lin Mian raised his wrist slightly, and the suffocating, almost inhuman storm crashed into everyone's ears.

Lin Mian's fingers turned into two blurry afterimages, jumping and flying wildly on the piano keys, causing many people in the audience to break out in cold sweats. The confusing and mysterious atmosphere seemed to make the temperature of the entire hall drop.

It is not easy to conquer this song. Sweat flowed down the hair, and some of it accidentally fell into the eyes, blurring the vision, but it did not disturb Lin Mian.

She entered a state of ecstasy. The energy released from her trembling body was transmitted along with the sound of the piano, like an invisible electric current running through the judges and audience in the audience. Their bodies were stiff, and all their minds were focused on the girl on the stage and the music she played.

Those in the crowd who knew her age couldn't help but ask themselves, is this really a 10-year-old girl?

Are these skills and feelings that a 10-year-old girl can possess?

But rather than questioning, people want to stop thinking and listen to the music.

And in this suffocating storm, Lin Mian is the center of the storm.

When she reached the most frantic climax with an almost cold concentration, her fingers fell with an even more decisive gesture, making the audience in the audience feel like they were on a roller coaster and were caught up in a bold, fiery painting.

As the last note fell, the lingering sound trembled and hissed in the air like a substance.

Absolute silence spread throughout the audience, and no one spoke.

It was as if the air had frozen, and everything was as unsettling as an ice cave.

The only person who took action was Lin Mian.

She took out a tissue to wipe her hands. The song she just sang had consumed a lot of her energy, but it wasn't over yet.

Lin Mian's eyes became firm and sharp again. She put down the tissue and gently let her fingertips fall, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

The melody is as gentle as a feather falling gently, as pure as the twinkling stars, and it flows quietly like a stream under the moonlight.

The melody of this song is simple, but every note carries a dreamlike haziness and the deepest attachment, which leads people into a light and ethereal dream world without them realizing it.

The almost divine compassion and tenderness comforted everyone.

The last note dissipated into the air, taking away a sigh.

The creator of the dream slowly stood up and bowed to the audience.

Only then did people come to their senses, and then, like a volcano erupting, applause and exclamations swept through the entire hall.

The girl on the stage chose to smile in response to their kindness and admiration, and she would accept all the compliments.

The contestant who had finished playing breathed a sigh of relief, feeling lucky to have competed before her.

And the contestants after her don't need to panic because everyone knows the predetermined ending.

In front of her, they could only compete for second place.