Chapter 2, Song 2...
The first time they practiced together, they managed to keep up. The second time, they sped up the tempo and the metronome was turned up a bit. Gao Ying couldn't keep up with the rhythm, and the two practiced several more times, but she couldn't adjust it properly for a long time.
Qu Jiaying put down her bow. The music room was small, and it was already packed with a piano, music stand, and chairs. She couldn't even turn around. All she could hear was the ticking of the metronome.
Gao Ying raised her hand and turned off the metronome.
"I'm sorry, I'll practice again." Gao Ying looked down at her delicate hands.
Qu Jiaying didn't know what to say. She glanced at the time and realized it was getting late, so she quickly packed her things and left.
However, she has no intention of taking a break.
Qu Jiaying's father was a teacher of Western music history. As soon as the new campus was built, it provided housing for teachers, and her family also bought one so that she could practice the piano.
As a child, Qu Jiaying lived in the staff quarters of the old campus. Teacher Xia Xiaolei lived in the same building. She first became friends with Qu Jiaying's mother, and later thought of having Qu Jiaying learn the violin from her.
Qu Jiaying called Xia Xiaolei "Auntie" since she was a child, and she had classes at Xia Xiaolei's house every week. It wasn't until she went to university that she started calling her "Teacher" and it took her a long time to get used to it before she started attending classes in the school classroom.
Qu Jiaying's father's classes today are all at the old campus, and her mother, a lawyer, has a major case going to court. Both of them have gone back to the old campus, which means she can practice a little longer tonight.
The room was well soundproofed, so it didn't disturb their or the neighbors' rest. They just felt that she practiced for too long and was working too hard.
Unlike most people, Qu Jiaying has never needed her parents to supervise her practice since she started learning the piano.
She was also very lucky; Xia Xiaolei was a gentle and kind teacher, unlike most strict teachers.
Although Qu Jiaying's father was a music academy teacher, he didn't know how to play any musical instruments and didn't want to overstep his bounds, so he handed it all over to a reliable colleague.
Qu Jiaying's mother is very busy with work and is not a music enthusiast, but as long as her friend is teaching her daughter with all her heart, that's enough.
Other parents often envy Qu Jiaying's parents, who don't have to worry about anything, as Qu Jiaying practices the piano diligently on her own.
The next morning, Qu Jiaying went to class yawning. She had practiced until late last night before resting. The first class was her father's Western music history, and she couldn't skip it; she had to stay focused and pay attention.
The theory classes are mostly large lectures, and students from other majors besides the violin department attend.
Qu Jiaying couldn't find Gao Ying. She had just found an empty seat and was texting Gao Ying when someone took the chair next to her.
"Hi!" The blond youth came over.
"How come you..." Qu Jiaying had barely opened her mouth when she realized that Le Yi, like Gao Ying, was a first-year student in the piano department.
Le Yi was already quite striking, and his blonde hair made him even more noticeable, so Qu Jiaying couldn't ignore him either.
Qu Jiaying's father had already started lecturing when she lowered her voice and asked, "Why don't you just form a trio?"
Le Yi asked with genuine doubt, "The quartet's music sounds better." He paused, "If it were just the two of them, they might use some fancy technical terms."
Qu Jiaying was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Yan Zheng and the others probably have different ideas from you."
Le Yi was a little embarrassed: "You guessed it?"
Qu Jiaying said irritably, "Their attitude is very clear."
Le Yi raised his head slightly and spoke in a willful and self-centered manner: "If we continue to indulge them in their pickiness, they won't even graduate."
Qu Jiaying was a little annoyed: "There are already about a hundred violinists across the four grades. You should have other candidates, right?"
Le Yi said with distress, "The three of us each have our own standards. I want us to work together until at least graduation, so I'm not considering the junior and senior years. But many of the freshmen and sophomores aren't good enough, and the two of them won't pass the test."
Qu Jiaying still remembers Yan Zheng's viola skills. Overall, he played quite well, but not because of technique, but because of his interpretation after understanding the works, especially profound pieces like Bach.
Yan Zheng practiced violin for six years in elementary school, but failed to get into the affiliated middle school of a music academy. He was very good at academic subjects and was admitted to a key middle school. In junior high school, he switched to viola, which is generally less difficult. He later won good results in competitions with his performances.
Qu Jiaying reluctantly forgave Yan Zheng's pickiness, but what was that cellist from the composition department doing?
Le Yi tugged at her sleeve, drawing her attention back to him. He smiled and said, "You play very well and have a great passion for the violin. I'd like to play with you."
The blond young man, full of youthful energy, spoke so sincerely, and Qu Jiaying couldn't help but honestly reply, "I want to become a soloist, and I don't have much free time to devote to other things."
Le Yi's mood visibly dropped.
Qu Jiaying, on the other hand, was curious: "I heard from Gao Ying that you are very good at the piano, so why do you still spend your energy on playing a quartet on the violin, which you are not very proficient in? Why don't you focus on preparing for the piano competition?"
"I'm not interested in competitions, and I've hardly ever participated," Le Yi said sullenly.
"There really are people like that," Qu Jiaying thought, looking at Le Yi, who was lying on the desk with his golden hair hanging in front of his eyes.
She doesn't actually enjoy competitions; it's just that these are the rules of the game in the world of classical music. Once you participate, you have to abide by the rules. But now she doesn't know if she should continue participating in competitions. If she doesn't improve her performance, she won't be able to win the championship, let alone become a soloist.
In the past, I always prepared pieces with the goal of competing in a major competition. If I'm not competing in any major competitions in the near future, what pieces should I practice?
Qu Jiaying shook her head, deciding to focus on the immediate issue, the most urgent being the midterm exams. She then turned on her phone.
Gao Ying sent a message saying she was going to the hospital for a check-up and asked the teacher to help her get a leave of absence if the teacher called roll.
Qu Jiaying quickly pressed for more information.
Gao Ying replied, "I hurt my hand while practicing the piano last night. It hurts as soon as I move it this morning. I went to the hospital for a check-up. It's not a big problem. I'll be fine after a few days of rest. But I might not be able to take your midterm exams. I'm sorry."
Qu Jiaying hadn't expected Gao Ying to work so hard for her, so she quickly told her to get some rest.
However, she does not have a piano accompaniment now. With exams approaching, most of her classmates have found partners. The number of students in the violin department is about the same as that in the piano department, so there may not be any piano students who have time to practice her pieces.
Qu Jiaying's gaze shifted to Le Yi beside her. He was listening to the lecture, but quickly noticed her gaze, turned his head to look at her, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Just as Qu Jiaying was about to speak, her father on the stage, who had been staring at her for a while, was already unhappy that she hadn't been paying attention. Noticing this, she hurriedly said, "I'll talk after class."
After the school bell rang, Qu Jiaying's father left after assigning homework. Qu Jiaying soon received a message from her father telling her to remember to come home for dinner.
Qu Jiaying replied to the message; the classroom was almost empty, leaving only her and Le Yi.
"Gao Ying got injured while practicing the piano. Can you accompany me on the piano?" Qu Jiaying asked.
Le Yi exclaimed excitedly, "Really? I've never done it before!"
Qu Jiaying was stunned: "Haven't you ever partnered with other violinists before?"
Le Yi shook his head, but he was full of confidence: "But don't worry, I'm better than Gao Ying and the others."
He even wanted to demonstrate his skill to Qu Jiaying on the spot. There was a piano next to the podium in the classroom. He sat down, opened the lid, and played a scale smoothly.
"I just tuned it, and the tone is great." Le Yi smiled at her, then turned back to play.
A light melody begins to play, and outside the window, lush greenery abounds, with leaves rustling gently in the breeze.
Le Yi was engrossed in the music. He was playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Variations," and he started to speed up the music on his own, adding many embellishments.
His fingers danced across the black and white keys effortlessly, as if they were an extension of his body; he was completely free.
Qu Jiaying understood why Gao Ying called him a genius; he was perfect for Mozart, and joyful, light music rushed towards her.
She was looking forward to working with Le Yi.
Before that, she had to go see Gao Ying and bought some food and drinks before heading to the dormitory building.
Gao Ying opened the door in her pajamas, looking dejected.
Qu Jiaying didn't know how to comfort her, and said in a flustered and awkward manner, "I have already found other people to help, you should take good care of your injury."
Gao Ying's expression turned even more ominous: "Who did you find?"
"...Le Yi."
"Hmph!" Gao Ying reluctantly accepted this choice, her expression still dejected. She looked down at her hands, "What do you think of my hands?"
Qu Jiaying glanced at her blankly: "Your fingers are very long."
Gao Ying held it up: "You compare."
Qu Jiaying pressed her palms together; Gao Ying's hands were a size smaller than hers.
“My fingers are naturally long, so I always played better than my peers when I was a child. But my hands stopped getting bigger, so it was more strenuous for me than for others. I chose to practice desperately, and as a result, I got injured,” Gao Ying said softly.
Qu Jiaying blushed slightly. It turned out it wasn't for her after all. She had been too narcissistic.
Unlike violins, which can be customized and children can change to different sizes as they grow, pianos are only available in this one form.
There has been discussion both inside and outside the industry about whether the piano is more suitable for the size of a man's hands.
“There are still female pianists, think about Yuja Wang,” Qu Jiaying said.
Gao Ying was speechless: "You're comparing me to her?"
She also admires Qu Jiaying's positive attitude, always wanting to compare herself with the best performers, as if she were competing on the same stage. Is it because of this mentality that Qu Jiaying has been able to improve so quickly?
“Having small hands doesn’t mean you play worse than others. There are so many people studying piano across the country, but you got into this school with your small hands and became one of the top 20 in this year’s class. Isn’t that enough to show how amazing you are?” Qu Jiaying said.
Gao Ying smiled helplessly: "I just don't want to fall behind you. You're running too fast, and I can't keep up with you now."
“Why are you saying such things? I’m not as perceptive as you,” Qu Jiaying said.
“This is all I can do. Look at your fingers, they’re very long, but your little finger is longer than average, which is an advantage, just like an athlete’s innate physical attributes,” Gao Ying said.
“But music is not just about technique,” Qu Jiaying said softly.
"Now that you understand this, you're not far from being able to perform well." Gao Ying was much more in good spirits, and then asked curiously, "Did Le Yi agree to be your piano accompanist?"
“Well, he’ll practice a bit today, and we plan to try going over it together tomorrow. The exam is next Monday,” Qu Jiaying said, then added with some doubt, “He said this is his first time being a pianist.”
"I don't think I've ever heard of him accompanying anyone before, but he's very skilled, so he should be able to learn quickly and won't take up too much of your time," Gao Ying said.
Qu Jiaying nodded with doubt and worry.
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