How could Qin Zhilan not see through her intentions? With a cold smile, she announced to everyone, "Your composition, the climax part, is a direct copy of Tianyin's 'Wish'!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent. What? The climax part of Lu Muyao's composition was actually a copy of Tianyin's work?!
Tianyin was a legend in the piano world, having won numerous prestigious awards both domestically and internationally in recent years. She was considered a master on par with Master Long. However, Tianyin was more mysterious than Master Long. No one had seen her before, and no one knew her exact age.
"President Qin, how can you be so sure that Lu Muyao copied Tianyin's work?" The host tried to mediate, "I'm also a fan of Tianyin, but I've never heard of a piece called 'Wish' by Tianyin... Do you have any evidence?"
Lu Muyao felt a faint sense of relief. Even the host hadn't heard of Tianyin's 'Wish.' Moreover, she had obtained the climax part of the composition in Qing Yan's room, and it was even handwritten by Qing Yan. Furthermore, she had searched online many times and couldn't find that part of the composition. That's why she felt confident and boldly used it in her own piece.
Qing Yan raised her lazy gaze and looked indifferently at the scene on stage. She could even hear Xu Aiqin's voice behind her, filled with anger and embarrassment.
"What's wrong with this President Qin? If she doesn't want to present an award to Yaoyao, that's one thing, but accusing her of copying a master's work! Does Yaoyao, who is so talented at playing the piano, need to resort to plagiarism?"
Xu Aiqin couldn't help but want to rush up on stage and confront President Qin. However, Lu Zhenhai held her hand and said, "Maybe President Qin has listened to so many piano compositions that she hears similarities and thinks Yaoyao copied. Let's remain calm and wait a bit longer."
Gao Yang, standing beside them, had a vague sense of unease. "Yang, President Qin has always been fair and just. If she didn't have sufficient evidence, she wouldn't say such things..."
"Yang, why don't you believe in Yaoyao? Just now, you were praising her skills in front of her..." Xu Aiqin became somewhat angry.
"It's strange..." Madam Li couldn't help but interject, "Didn't President Qin just chase after your Yaoyao, wanting to take her as her disciple? Why would Yaoyao say on stage that President Qin looks down on her and doesn't want to accept her? And she even said she's not worthy of the clothing and jewelry designed by Master Muqing?"
Xu Aiqin's face stiffened, and she didn't know how to lie. "Do, do I have evidence?"
She actually forgot about this!
Earlier, she had bragged in front of Madam Li that President Qin wanted to take Yao Yao as his disciple, but they thought President Qin's level was too low and only wanted to be a disciple of Master Long...
She was truly digging her own grave...
Madam Li also realized that she was lying and looked at her with a hint of disdain and contempt.
"Evidence? Of course, I have!" Qin Zhilan's words were firm and powerful, shocking the entire audience.
Lu Muyao's face turned pale. No, it couldn't be...
"Before I present the evidence, I want to ask you, what does the climax of your piece 'Sorrow' express?"
Lu Muyao gained some confidence from her question. She had asked her private tutor before, and the tutor had said that she heard immense sadness in that part of the music.
"Of course, it's sadness! Everyone has a different interpretation of music, but I believe that good music can resonate with people. The piece I composed, just like its name suggests, expresses boundless sorrow! A person enveloped by sorrow, wanting to break free but unable to..."
"Heh." Unexpectedly, Qin Zhilan laughed and looked at Lu Muyao with a shallow gaze. "You've misunderstood! If you don't believe me, you can ask others here what they associate with the climax. Come on, who wants to share?"
The host spoke first, "I indeed heard intense sadness, being engulfed and torn apart by waves of sorrow. I didn't know how long it lasted, but then a ray of sunlight shone through, and suddenly, a force pulled me, urging me to live on..."
Some audience members stood up in the crowd, and the host passed the microphone to them.
"I heard the courage and strength breaking free from sorrow..."
"I had images in my mind of the earthquake reported in the news last year..."
"Same here. Countless lives were lost in the Chengdu earthquake last year. When I heard the climax, those earthquake scenes flooded my mind..."
"I also associated it with natural and man-made disasters!"
...
Qin Zhilan saw Lu Muyao's face gradually losing color and coldly smiled. "Exactly! The Chengdu earthquake from last year shattered countless families. The survivors were in extreme pain, immersed in sorrow, unable to escape. Maestro Yin composed 'Wish' with the intention of using the power of music to give them hope and warmth, to help them emerge from the darkness!"
Lu Muyao, who didn't understand music theory, had a mediocre tutor who was just as clueless. Consequently, she only heard superficial and shallow aspects of music.
They only knew that the climax of a piece evoked sadness, but they were unaware that beneath the destruction of sadness, there was a force pulling the survivors, urging them to live on.
"Why am I so sure that Senpai Tingyin composed 'Wish'? Because! It happened in March this year! Due to its positive and uplifting impact, I personally ensured that her composition was included in the music curriculum. The new textbooks have already been printed, and in September this year, everyone will be able to see Tingyin-senpai's work! It hadn't been announced before!"
Everyone was stunned.
No one expected this turn of events.
Even Lu Muyao was dumbfounded, unable to believe it.
"The original composition by Senpai Tingyin is leagues above your version in terms of appeal!"
"If I'm not mistaken, you copied the climax from Senpai Tingyin's piece, but fearing that others would notice, you wrote the rest yourself. However, you couldn't reach that level, and the preceding and following sections couldn't support the grandeur. It's an odd combination!"
"When I first listened, I didn't notice it, and I even found it somewhat unpleasant! It wasn't until the climax played that I vaguely felt something familiar!"
"If it weren't for the climax, the judges wouldn't have let you advance."
"Your preceding and following sections are unremarkable and lackluster. If taken separately, they're utterly uninspiring! Forget about second place, you wouldn't even make it to the top twenty!"
"You plagiarized Senpai Tingyin's work and yet refuse to admit it. You don't deserve this award! You're even less deserving of being in this field! On behalf of the Piano Association, I reject your membership for life!"
President Qin's words resounded strongly, and the hearts of everyone present could no longer be described as just shocked.
No one expected that young Lu Muyao would dare to plagiarize a senior's work. Not only did she refuse to admit it earlier, but she also tried to slander President Qin, attempting to divert attention.
Lu Muyao's face turned incredibly unsightly, and she could barely stand. The President of the Piano Association publicly declared that she would never have a career in this field again—it was even more unbearable than death itself!