Chapter 54, Song 54...

As it turns out, Le Yi wasn't talking nonsense.

Qu Jiaying heard Ruan Qi's Ernst version of "The Last Rose of Summer" outside the practice room rented by her teacher, Müller.

Although both are arrangements by Ernst, "The Last Rose of Summer" is quite different from "The Devil," as it is adapted from an Irish folk song.

The piece is very difficult, but Ruan Qi performed all the challenging techniques flawlessly, whether it was the large leaps, the fast scales, or the left-hand plucking. At the same time, she perfectly conveyed the beauty and sorrow of "The Last Rose of Summer".

Only this one rose is still blooming; the others have all withered and died, and she will soon follow them.

Qu Jiaying seemed to see a beautiful yet sorrowful oil painting of a woman dying by the water holding a still-blooming rose in her hand.

Ruan Qi's technique was perfectly stable, and her emotions were extremely full. Qu Jiaying was pleased that she was still practicing hard, but at the same time, she was anxious because she was falling behind.

After listening to Qu Jiaying's "The Devil," Professor Muller also advised her not to rush.

Qu Jiaying answered in German. Although Professor Müller also spoke fluent English, he felt more relaxed and in a better mood communicating in his native language.

Qu Jiaying still felt she wasn't good enough and was dissatisfied with her performance.

Teacher Muller advised: "Actually, your performance is very original, which I like very much. And most importantly, you will be very popular. Your charisma is strong. It's a good thing that you feel it's not good enough. It means you are still working hard to improve, but don't underestimate yourself."

He had nothing left to teach her, so he sent her to the United States earlier. Qu Jiaying had already received an offer from Curtis.

“That’s great. You’re self-taught in German, right? If you have the time, you can also learn Russian. You haven’t been able to participate in the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition for the past few years, but there are many masters around the world whose native language is Russian, which will be very beneficial for your future.” Teacher Müller was a Russian-speaking person and not very politically sensitive. He almost treated Qu Jiaying as his own grand-disciple, imparting all his experience to her.

Mr. Muller gave a few more words of advice about the challenges he might face in the United States. After all, it is an immigrant country, and the competition will be more intense. There are also some equal rights regulations. Music schools may choose a lower-level African American instead of a higher-level Asian American who makes up the majority of the students.

Going to Europe is the opposite. They are not immigrant countries, and there is a language barrier. The proportion of Asians is not as high as in the United States. Institutionally, they need to highlight the diversity of the environment with Asian students. However, some colleagues or listeners will question this. Europeans consider themselves the owners of Western classical music and assume that Asians cannot understand Mozart regardless of the facts.

Teacher Muller reminded Qu Jiaying not to worry too much about nationality and ethnicity; what's important is her own performance.

Qu Jiaying nodded. She would definitely pay attention to her nationality and gender in her daily life, but she wouldn't care at all when she was performing.

Qu Jiaying believes that music can transcend language and all boundaries and obstacles.

Although she knows that times have changed, she still believes in the ideal of a global village, having grown up in it.

As she prepared to leave, Qu Jiaying couldn't help but wonder about Ruan Qi's current skill level.

Ms. Muller was worried about influencing Qu Jiaying, so she didn't talk to her much, but she did tell Ms. Xia Xiaolei some of it carefully.

However, Qu Jiaying was still affected.

She couldn't sleep for half the night before the competition, even though she usually sleeps very well and always gets a good rest the day before any competition or exam.

Qu Jiaying kept tossing and turning in bed, trying to find a sleeping position, while her mother was already fast asleep on another bed.

Qu Jiaying took a deep breath and asked herself, what exactly is she anxious about?

Is it a competition? She's been to stages big and small, and she participated in competitions of this level last week, so there's nothing to be anxious about.

She had heard that some masters get nervous before going on stage every time, but she wasn't that type.

So there's no reason why I can't sleep.

So it was because of the musicians on the same stage. After listening to Ruan Qi's performance, she felt that the subtlety of her technique and the emotional expression of her music were simply incomparable.

What else can we do?

The competition is tomorrow, can I still expect to receive instruction in my dreams?

It's not impossible. Tantric Buddhism seems to have similar practices, which involve meditation first.

Qu Jiaying prayed silently: Ernst, come into my dreams...

She fell asleep without realizing it.

Although she hadn't slept for eight hours, she had still gotten more than six hours of sleep. Qu Jiaying woke up feeling refreshed, and her parents had also had a good rest. They had been keeping the zither, which was worth ten times more than the entire Qu family's wealth, safe and sound. They had taken the high-speed train from home to the competition city and hadn't dared to let the zither case out of their sight.

But Ms. Xia Xiaolei only slept for four hours; she kept thinking about what Mr. Muller had told her a few days ago.

Although Ruan Qi had also been under Xia Xiaolei's care for a while, and it was Xia Xiaolei who pushed Ruan Qi to Teacher Muller, she still had a deeper relationship with Qu Jiaying.

Mr. Müller said that Ruan Qi had made greater progress in ensemble playing. He felt that Ruan Qi had retreated into her comfort zone, which was not good. He suggested that she participate in more symphony orchestras in Germany, and even those outside of school.

There are many amateur orchestras outside of school, but due to varying individual abilities, Ruan Qi had to communicate with them, which helped her understand other musicians and improve her ensemble skills.

Teacher Xia Xiaolei was a little frustrated. Teacher Muller didn't teach her this way back then. Because she went abroad to study at a younger age, the teaching methods in China weren't as good as they are now. She also learned from her parents, so there was still a lot of room for improvement in her skills. Teacher Muller emphasized both skills and style, but she couldn't change her style, so he only focused on skills later.

Teacher Müller fully grasped the Russian school's spirit of teaching according to aptitude. Ruan Qi's technique and style had already been basically formed, so the focus was on details and musical expression.

However, on the other hand, by focusing solely on technique, Mr. Muller essentially abandoned Ms. Xia Xiaolei. Nevertheless, she learned his teaching methods and produced Qu Jiaying, whom Mr. Muller greatly admired.

Coach Muller believes that Qu Jiaying will go further than Ruan Qi, but Ruan Qi is currently achieving more in the competition than Qu Jiaying.

After washing up and putting on light makeup to cover her tired face, Xia Xiaolei went to find Mr. and Mrs. Qu. She had known them for many years and knew that they always had unwavering trust in their daughter's abilities. She wanted to give them a heads-up so that they would have some expectations in case the result wasn't ideal. There were still many competitions to come, and there was no need to rush to achieve great results in this one.

Just as Teacher Xia Xiaolei was about to knock on the door, Le Yi was about to come out. He shared a room with Qu's father, while Yan Zheng and Xiang Min shared a room. Le Yi hadn't slept a wink all night and couldn't fall asleep at all, but he had been lying with his eyes closed and was in pretty good spirits. He was sure he could get through today.

Le Yi wasn't very nervous, but Yan Zheng and Xiang Min, who weren't going on stage, were extremely nervous.

Yan Zheng handled the entire itinerary, confirmed the competition venue, and finalized the most convenient transportation route. Upon arrival at the competition venue, they went to check in first, while Xiang Min was responsible for overseeing the details, such as Qu Jiaying's dress, cosmetics, and stress-relieving wine, as well as Le Yi's tuxedo and hair gel.

Le Yi listened helplessly as Xiang Min muttered that there was a small wrinkle on the tuxedo and it needed to be ironed again.

Le Yi was thinking of not using it, but it was hard to tell, and besides, where was there an iron?

As soon as he turned around, Xiang Min borrowed the coat and asked Le Yi to take it off.

Le Yi couldn't do anything about him; if he didn't obey, he would be accused of not taking Qu Jiaying's matter seriously.

Xiang Min felt that his requirements were not strict at all. He had been unhappy with Le Yi's hair for a long time. Although he hadn't dyed it much in the past two years, Le Yi's new hair was brown. He originally wanted Le Yi to dye it black, but in the end, he didn't force him.

Le Yi couldn't stand Xiang Min anymore. He came out of the dressing room to catch his breath, turned a corner, and stopped in his tracks.

A middle-aged man in a suit was standing in front of him. He paused for a moment when he saw Le Yi staring at him, then realized what was happening and was about to approach when Le Yi turned and walked away.

The middle-aged man quickened his pace to catch up with him, and said with a look of satisfaction and happiness, "Le Yi! Long time no see! You've grown up and become more sensible. You know you still need to participate in the competition honestly. But isn't today the violin group?"

Le Yi took a deep breath. After all, this was his mentor. He forced a polite reply and said, "Teacher, I am a pianist."

"Oh, so you're still not planning to participate in the competition? But since you're a pianist, you should know the unspoken rules, right?" the middle-aged man said with a sarcastic smile.

Le Yi was well aware that most of the contestants had connections with the judges, skirting the rules. The rules required that contestants not study with the judges for more than three months, so many contestants attended the judges' master classes, usually within two months, just to become familiar with the judges.

Or perhaps they learn from the judges' teachers or fellow students, or even further away like Qu Jiaying, but it still has a connection. Since Professor Muller's students are judges, Teacher Xia Xiaolei took Qu Jiaying to visit Professor Muller, who had brought Ruan Qi to the competition, in advance.

This circle is only so big, and everyone follows the rules of the game, which means that no one is cheating.

However, there are still some people who are unwilling to join this rule, such as the musicians that Qu Jiaying met abroad last week, and Yue Yi when he was a child.

Le Yi first learned piano from this teacher when he was in elementary school. He didn't have much of a trauma from being hit during piano lessons, and it didn't affect him much.

The shadow was cast after he signed up for a local competition where the teacher had his parents pay money to guarantee him first place.

Le Yi's parents and he himself were unwilling, but because he was very talented and practiced the piano diligently, and the audience consisted of parents and relatives of piano students who could distinguish between good and bad, the judges had no choice but to give him fourth place. On the day of the award ceremony, he was required to play another piece to thank the audience. The competition organizers asked him to choose "Für Elise," a piece that even beginners could play, but he insisted on playing a piano piece that could showcase his skill level.

The audience liked it, but were puzzled as to why he didn't get first place.

The judges were furious. They stood up and called for someone to drag him off the piano chair and off the stage.

From then on, Le Yi changed teachers and refused to participate in competitions anymore.

Xiang Min had finished ironing her tuxedo, but couldn't find Le Yi. There wasn't much time left before Qu Jiaying went on stage.

While sending messages, Qu Jiaying ran around looking for people, lifting the hem of her black skirt.

Yan Zheng sent the map to the group chat. Qu Jiaying saw a fire door leading to the terrace. For some reason, she felt that Le Yi was there, so she pushed the door open and looked over.

Le Yi leaned against the railing of the terrace, gazing at the bustling street scene ahead.

Qu Jiaying, panting, laughed, "I found you."

Le Yi turned around, sighing and smiling. Today always gave him the feeling of yesterday repeating itself.

"I'm sorry, I don't know if I can still go on stage..." Le Yi's hands were trembling. He gestured to Qu Jiaying and briefly explained what had just happened.

Qu Jiaying had heard him mention it before, so she gently took half a step forward and hugged Le Yi.

Le Yi couldn't help but shed tears, choking back sobs as she said, "He didn't even apologize! It's as if my compliance proves he's right! He shouldn't be punished for not complying!"

Qu Jiaying understood him, but she couldn't be so arrogant as to say that they would change the future. She tightened her arms around him slightly.

Le Yi slowly calmed down and synchronized her breathing with Qu Jiaying.

Le Yi awkwardly withdrew from Qu Jiaying's embrace.

"You didn't use my clothes to wipe your tears, did you?" Qu Jiaying teased deliberately.

Le Yi laughed and said, "If I use my bow tie, Xiang Min will definitely nag me again."

Qu Jiaying knew he had recovered and breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing how much her body had been clenched inside.

Le Yi, dressed in a sharp black tailcoat, smiled broadly and said, "Let's go, Demon King."

Qu Jiaying carried a violin in one hand and lifted the hem of her black dress with the other, walking step by step onto the stage.