Chapter 12, Song 12...

"Okay, tell me how you performed it?" Qu Jiaying asked curiously.

Yan Zheng started by repeating his old argument: "By reading biographies and trying to understand Beethoven's feelings at the time, you can understand how he arranged things and then you can perform them well."

Qu Jiaying grabbed his arm: "I don't understand what you're saying! Didn't you give me some good advice last time? Although I can't do it yet."

"Have you tried reading it?" Yan Zheng asked.

Qu Jiaying pouted: "There are too many words, I didn't finish reading it."

“If you want to become a soloist, you have to learn these things,” Yan Zheng earnestly advised.

"But……"

Yan Zheng shook his head: "Don't say 'but.' I understand you. You're not satisfied with that evaluation. You want to win the championship in international competitions. If you don't understand the composer's intention, you can't improve."

Qu Jiaying was very unhappy. It's true that she was competitive, but it wasn't for the sake of being number one. She was dissatisfied because she wanted to play even better!

Suddenly everything became clear, and Qu Jiaying's eyes lit up. The champion and soloist awards were easy prizes after a better performance.

But she was still unhappy. Yan Zheng neither understood her nor explained how he performed well, nor did he provide any effective help.

Qu Jiaying grabbed her violin case and started to walk back.

Yan Zheng anxiously grabbed her, and Qu Jiaying turned to look at him.

Yan Zheng's lips moved slightly. He didn't want to tell her about his inferiority complex and his secret rivalry with Xiang Min, as these were the keys to his performance of "Symphony No. 5".

“Nothing I say can compare to your own understanding. You’re not the kind of person who can be helped by theories or other people’s explanations; you have to experience it for yourself,” Yan Zheng said softly.

Qu Jiaying understood, but being naturally impatient, she just wanted to hear a few words of advice, so she said goodbye to him impatiently.

After eating dinner at home, she was still thinking about it, and went to see Xiang Min again that evening.

"You still know to look for me?" Xiang Min said sarcastically as soon as he saw her.

Qu Jiaying asked in confusion, "Why don't you know?"

Xiang Min sighed. Sometimes he didn't know if she was pretending to be stupid or if she really didn't understand. He often felt powerless in front of Qu Jiaying. She completely abided by the rules of the game and didn't say a single unnecessary word when they met.

Their bodies are so close, yet their hearts are so far apart.

They were inseparable, yet they never chatted.

Xiang Min didn't want to appear to care, and he strictly adhered to her rules.

His thoughts were in turmoil, but the more he wrote, the more smoothly he became.

Qu Jiaying straddled him, nuzzling his face affectionately, unconsciously breaking her own rules, and asked, "How do you perform the 'Symphony No. 5' well?"

Xiang Min leaned against the headboard, his hand on her waist, his expression slightly shifting: "Didn't we agree to just sleep in bed and not chat? I have no objections."

Qu Jiaying rolled out of bed and smoothed out the rolled-up hem of her clothes: "Never mind, I'm leaving."

Xiang Min quickly sat up and grabbed her wrist: "Wait a minute, I'll tell you. I revised the score. I understand the notes, structure, and theme better."

Qu Jiaying's complexion improved slightly, but not by much. She didn't shake off Xiang Min, but she couldn't understand things overnight.

Xiang Min was also troubled. He had learned many musical instruments and could quickly grasp the concepts by analogy, understanding how to perform the same piece of music on different instruments. However, he couldn't explain it clearly: "If I were good at talking, I wouldn't have studied music." He then asked, "Are you still leaving now?"

Qu Jiaying sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed again.

Xiang Min gently stroked her hair and tenderly kissed the side of her neck, asking, "Why didn't you ask me when we were rehearsing together before?"

Qu Jiaying didn't want to ask Le Yi why he was able to grasp the feeling so quickly.

But Yan Zheng and Xiang Min couldn't help her, so they could only ask Le Yi for advice.

"I'm the last one," Le Yi complained frankly, then laughed. "Then next time you have to come to me first."

Qu Jiaying paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."

Her competitive spirit was instantly melted away by Le Yi.

Le Yi asked, "Did you glean anything from their performances?"

Qu Jiaying didn't pay much attention; she only focused on the technical aspects. Although the other two were better than her in terms of musicality, she had to cover up their shortcomings in other areas.

Le Yi could tell that they had a lot to say. On the surface, it was their dissatisfaction with each other, but on a deeper level, it was their resentment towards their fate.

He concealed the superficial part: "Just like them, you don't like the grandmother's evaluation of you. If you want to interpret this theme well, you should play the violin with that emotion in mind and see if you can express it."

Qu Jiaying couldn't do it.

She didn't know why she was closing herself off.

Despite dating many people, none of them have developed into a stable and long-term relationship.

Gao Ying accused Yan Zheng: "It's all because of him that you avoided all the questions, making you afraid to show your true feelings."

Qu Jiaying wasn't one to shirk responsibility. She couldn't be sure it was Yan Zheng who caused it, and was about to explain when Yan Zheng pushed the door open and came in.

He was both annoyed and confused: "What did I do wrong? Gao Ying, I even brought you coffee."

"I only drink iced Americano." Gao Ying is very concerned about calories.

Yan Zheng didn't make a mistake. He remembered bringing milk tea for Gao Ying before, but she didn't drink a drop, which made him very embarrassed.

"It's nothing," Qu Jiaying said quickly, taking bread and a latte from the paper bag.

Gao Ying, holding her iced Americano, asked, "Yan Zheng, what brings you here?"

"I promised Jiaying that I would help her play Beethoven's 'Fate' well." Yan Zheng brought Beethoven's biography and specifically turned to the chapter on the composition of this symphony.

“Since you don’t want to watch it, I’ll tell you,” Yan Zheng said. “After all, it’s the final exam, and Teacher Xia Xiaolei should have already explained the scores to you. I won’t presume to teach you, but I’ll tell you about Beethoven.”

Qu Jiaying looked pained: "Then hurry up and tell me."

Yan Zheng chuckled softly and began by talking about European society at that time, when Xiang Min brought over a music theory book.

Qu Jiaying didn't know whether she should be glad that she found a large music room that could fit four people.

Gao Ying winked at her, and Qu Jiaying's glare couldn't stop her.

Yan Zheng and Xiang Min explained Beethoven one after another. He was a pinnacle figure of the Classical period, who developed and innovated the structure of the symphony based on Haydn's work. Later generations could only imitate him but could not surpass him.

When Beethoven first began composing his Symphony No. 5, there was no possibility of him being cured of his deafness. In addition, his lover broke up with him, and his hometown of Bonn was occupied by Napoleon's France. In the end, it took him about four years to complete this masterpiece.

Qu Jiaying is not stupid. Yan Zheng and Xiang Min explained things clearly and simply, and she learned them all. She did well on the Beethoven part of music history and the music theory final exam.

But she is an intuitive creature and cannot express herself through theoretical concepts.

Before the final exams, Qu Jiaying hesitated for a long time, but still sent a message to Chen Li, asking her to bring Grandma Chen Fang to the school auditorium to listen to her performance.

Their music academy's final exams were modeled after competitions and held in the auditorium. The exams were conducted on the same day, with different majors but not different grades. Some students had strong mental fortitude and could listen from the audience, while others, not wanting to be disturbed by others playing the same pieces, chose to wait outside.

On the day of the exam, Qu Jiaying received a reply from Chen Li. Grandma Chen Fang's condition had relapsed, and she was hospitalized again. Her condition was quite serious, and she couldn't be discharged as quickly as before. Chen Li was also taking care of her, and she might not even have time to come over.

Qu Jiaying put away her phone and looked up to see Le Yi dressed seriously in a black suit backstage. She was a little surprised because she hadn't seen Le Yi for the past few days and had actually run into him here.

What are you doing here? Isn't the piano department's exam today?

Le Yi scratched her blonde hair, which was styled with hairspray, and said a little embarrassedly, "I received a message from senior Ruan Qi a while ago. She had a fight with her pianist partner. She found out that I was free, so I came to help."

Is that Ruan Qi, a third-year student in the violin department? Qu Jiaying heard gossip from Gao Ying that her piano accompanist is her boyfriend, no wonder she changes partners when they argue.

"What piece did Senior Ruan Qi choose?" Qu Jiaying knew that Ruan Qi was very good and considered her a rival in her heart.

"It's also Beethoven, his 'Pathétique Sonata'," Le Yi said.

Qu Jiaying clenched her hands; this performance had to be even better.