Qin Continent takes music copyrights very seriously. As long as Lin Yuan uploads his songs to the company, he needn't worry about any twist and turns.
Day two.
Lin Yuan resumed his regular campus life.
But the music composition department only had one class that morning. After class finished, most students went back to their dorms to play games since it was still early.
Lin Yuan did not plan to go back.
With the pressure of exams gone, he still seemed attentive in class, but now that his free time has been freed up, he wouldn't waste it in the dorm.
So, how should he spend his free time?
Lin Yuan sent a message to Jian Yi and Xia Fan, inviting them out. But both of them declined—
They still had classes.
Although they all attended the same university and have been close friends since childhood, they hardly saw each other due to different majors.
Lin Yuan was not disappointed.
Because he thought of something to do.
That is, playing the piano in the practice room.
The System awarded Lin Yuan with professional-level piano skills, but he hadn't tried them out yet.
The score for "Big Fish" was based largely around the piano. Lin Yuan wanted to test his piano skills now, and if they were up to scratch, he would even consider completing the piano part of the arrangement by himself.
...
Ten minutes later.
Lin Yuan arrived at the piano room.
Qin Continent Art Academy places great emphasis on developing musical talents, so numerous public piano rooms are available to students. Each room has pianos of different brands. There are grand and upright pianos, all choices that maximize freedom of choice for the students.
This was very convenient for Lin Yuan.
Most students were in class at this time, so many piano rooms were empty, providing him with plenty of choices.
Walking down the long corridor of the piano room,
Lin Yuan found the one he was interested in at the very end.
It's a typical upright piano with elegant keys, a beautiful white laquered finish, and streamlined design. It was clearly a notch above the pianos in other rooms!
Here it is.
Lin Yuan entered the room, sat down at the piano, and casually played a piece from the original host's memory, a classic Blue Star song, "Heart's Desire".
He chose this piece out of nostalgia.
This was the first piano piece his mother taught him, and he was once tormented by it to insanity.
But now, revisiting the song, Lin Yuan found it somehow endearing—
That must have been the original host's feelings.
And also Lin Yuan's feelings at the moment.
Moreover, Lin Yuan felt a sense of empowerment!
Every time he struck a key, it was so comfortable now. Not just the rhythm and timing of the notes, they just naturally appeared in his mind.
In his memory,
All the piano playing problems that the original host couldn't solve could now be solved with ease. You know, before, Lin Yuan even found it difficult to play this song by reading sheet music.
But now,
Not only can he seamlessly play the entire song, he can also make some small adaptations.
In addition, he is aware of details like the depth and rhythm of pedal use, and the improvements each detail contributes to the quality of each note.
And those technically challenging parts in the song, like playing chords, now pose no trouble to him with his flexible fingering.
After playing through the song, Lin Yuan was about to fall in love with the feeling of playing the piano.
Five minutes later.
At last, "Heart's Desire" came to an end. His dramatic improvement in piano skills filled Lin Yuan with confidence!
He decided to try "Mariage d'Amour".
However, as Lin Yuan was about to strike the first note, a rather cold voice interrupted, "Who let you in here?"
Lin Yuan looked up.
A long-haired girl in a black coat was standing at the door. The sunlight shone behind her, highlighting her tall figure. The cold aura she exuded couldn't be concealed. Her beautiful but frosty eyes were staring right at Lin Yuan.
"Isn't this a public area?"
Lin Yuan thought this girl was bizarre.
She scoffed, "Don't you recognize me?"
Lin Yuan was more confused, "Have we met before?"
She glared at Lin Yuan, then gradually regained her composure, "This piano belongs to me. As for this piano room, it's exclusively for my use by the school's permission. So stop torturing my piano with your clumsy skills."
Lin Yuan could only get up and say, "I'll let you have it."
She solemnly corrected him, "Not let, but return, because this was my piano in the first place."
"Alright, I'll return it to you."
As Lin Yuan headed for the door, just as he was about to pass her, she suddenly said, "There have been many people trying to get my attention, but you've used the worst possible method. Pretending to be dumb really vexes me."
"What?"
Lin Yuan was puzzled.
The girl took out a tissue from her bag and meticulously cleaned the piano keys that Lin Yuan had just played. At the same time, she spoke in a cold, mocking tone, "Although Abigail's 'Heart's Desire' is my favorite piece, it doesn't mean I would enjoy it played by anyone. Your skills might be a bit better than my other suitors', but it's not enough to stir my heart. Also, I don't like roses. I already threw them in the trash downstairs."
"Oh."
Lin Yuan thought she must have misunderstood something. He wasn't mad, nor did he plan to clarify. After all, it didn't cost him anything. He just seriously reminded her:
"I washed my hands before playing the piano."
Some piano lovers are particularly concerned about cleanliness, fearing that the keys would be stained with obvious fingerprints. Lin Yuan thought this room was also a public piano room, so he washed his hands with soap out of consideration for public hygiene before playing the piano.
The girl just ignored him and kept wiping.
Even the piano body that Lin Yuan didn't touch wasn't spared.
Lin Yuan could only switch to a different room.
He sat down in front of the piano in the new room.
Just as Lin Yuan was about to play, he remembered how the girl had criticized his skills. He couldn't help but ask the system he hadn't communicated with in a long time, "Are my skills really that bad?"
"Not at all."
"That's a relief."
Just as Lin Yuan let out a sigh of relief, he heard the system say: "To those with higher performance levels, anyone whose piano skills are inferior to theirs is considered mediocre."
"…"
So that's how it was.
Lin Yuan didn't expect that girl's piano skills were even better than his, considering his skills were bestowed by the system at a professional level.
She was probably a piano prodigy or something.
Without lingering on the thought, Lin Yuan started playing Mariage d'Amour, a piece he got from the Silver Treasure Chest.
…
Finally, the piano was clean.
Gu Xi sat in front of the piano, her mood somewhat gloomy.
The piano was a gift from her father, it had been with Gu Xi since she was seven.
Upon being admitted to Qin Art, she even requested the school to allow her to bring this sentimental piano.
Since Gu Xi owned the piano, no one else had touched the instrument.
Because she had stayed up too late practicing on the piano last night and forgot to lock the door, this piano, was used today by a stranger.
It was as if her toothbrush had been used by a stranger, which upset her.
Her mood ruined her enthusiasm to practice today.
At the time when she was somewhat irritable, a foreign piano piece, surprisingly, lessened Gu Xi's irritability —
A classic piece in G minor.
Gu Xi listened attentively.
This was Gu Xi's first time listening to the piece, she had no idea if it was from a prominent composer, but she felt enveloped in the waves of piano music, unable to help but lose herself in the sea of music.
Sometimes, it was as warm as the wind.
Sometimes, it was as soft as a rainbow.
When the romantic atmosphere swept in, the melody was so sweet, as if honey melted in her heart. Gu Xi almost felt like she was in a sanctified wedding church…
No, that's not right.
This piece was not entirely about romance and sweetness. On closer examination, it seemed more like hopeless love, where a man hungry for love wanders in his dreams, desiring to embrace love but afraid to break the dream - until he sees the woman he loves, dancing gracefully in the illusory wedding.
The performer revealed their emotions through the music.
The piano went fast then slow.
The tone went high then low.
When the piece ended, Gu Xi had a sense of waking from a dream after a moment of daze. She stared at the piano in front of her, then suddenly stood up and sprinted out.
"Who was that?"
She tried to find the source of the sound, running through every piano room, but she was unable to find the performer of the piece. Instead, she was greeted with a few shocked or confused gazes.
"Who was it!"
Her eyes shone brightly.
She was eager to know who played that unfamiliar piece, she desperately wanted to know what the piece was called!
Just then,
A nervous-looking boy appeared, "If you don't like roses, it's okay to throw them away, but could you tell me what kind of flowers you do like? Next time I…"
"Roses?"
Caught in the disappointment of not finding the performer, Gu Xi's emotions were on a roller coaster. She was suddenly interrupted, her eyebrows immediately furrowed, "So the flowers from before were from you?"
The boy stammered, "Ye... Yes."
Gu Xi opened her mouth to say something, remembering the guy's face, her expression turned even colder, "I'm allergic to pollen."
The air felt cold.
The boy immediately retreated.