Pre-Competition Banquet

Xia Yu arrived with Feng Ma from the second middle school, and Feng Ma spent the whole journey feeling embarrassed about the last incident.

The principals of both schools were also present.

This time, the principal didn't bring a Chinese teacher, as the organizers had only given him one spot.

Upon getting off the high-speed train, the group headed to the hotel first. The organizers arranged for them to stay in a room with two bedrooms, one for Xia Yu and the other for the principal.

As Xia Yu was about to return to his room, the principal stopped him.

"Remember to change into this tonight," the principal handed Xia Yu two suits, "You'll need to wear them for the competition in Kaiyang. It won't be as casual as it was in Ziluo."

During the competition in Ziluo, Xia Yu had only changed into a suit right before going on stage.

After taking the suit, Xia Yu returned to his room, changed into it, and tying his tie. The suit was very fitting as it was specially tailored.

At 5:30 PM, Xia Yu and the principal arrived at the 10th floor of the hotel, where the banquet was being held.

Many contestants had already arrived. Most of them could hold a glass of juice skillfully and chat with each other, but a small portion seemed somewhat clueless.

The banquet began at six o'clock. Xia Yu scanned the hall, but An Siyao had not come yet.

With her personality, she would definitely come unless her team leader or someone else in charge said she didn't have to.

After scanning the hall again, Xia Yu spotted Zhong Yunze, who also saw him.

Zhong Yunze was astonished and approached Xia Yu.

"How did you advance with such poor Guzheng skills?" he asked incredulously, "This competition will be broadcasted on television. How could you manipulate the results like this?"

Zhong Yunze's judgment of Xia Yu's Guzheng skills was still based on the first time he saw Xia Yu.

"...If I'm not good at playing the Guzheng, can't I play another instrument?" Xia Yu didn't explain his Guzheng skills.

"What did you play? Let me see." He pulled out his phone and found the video of the competition in Ziluo City on the official forum, and when he found Xia Yu, he watched intently.

"Why would you learn Guzheng if you're so good at piano!" he looked at Xia Yu.

"Because I want to rely on my Guzheng skills to get into the finals," Xia Yu told the truth.

"Hahaha, stop kidding me," Zhong Yunze just thought Xia Yu was joking, "We might not even make it through the three rounds, let alone the finals!"

"What's the situation for this competition?" Xia Yu took the opportunity to inquire.

"I did some research. About four or five people can advance, but there are two people from Yaoguang who are way above us, taking up two spots, and two from Kaiyang who are also above us, taking up another two spots. We can only hope for the last remaining spot," Zhong Yunze said.

"That spot might not even exist."

"Exactly, that spot might not even exist! Maybe only those four people will advance," Zhong Yunze sighed, "There are just too many strong competitors."

"After all, it's a provincial competition, and there are people from Yaoguang," Xia Yu casually comforted Zhong Yunze while pondering about the situation.

Those four people and Zhong Yunze were not on the same level. Excluding the off-standard An Siyao, the rest seemed to be of the upper-class LV3 level.

Relying on the unique qualities of the old Fran Wolf, he could stand out from the pack of LV3 contestants. If there was a fifth spot, he could definitely grab it.

But what if there was no such spot?

He couldn't expose his ancient zither now. The zither was only at the upper LV3 level, and the corresponding tunes were still not very skillful. It would draw a lot of attention if it suddenly became LV4 during the competition.

Xia Yu rubbed his forehead and sighed.

Fortunately, he had been prepared in advance.

After exchanging a few words with Zhong Yunze, Xia Yu swept his gaze around the hall and found An Siyao.

An Siyao was wearing a white evening gown, standing in the corner. The tight-fitting gown outlined her body's curves.

She was sipping pomegranate juice, her eyes occasionally sweeping the surroundings like a wary hamster.

Xia Yu now understood why she didn't go on the study tour.

She would feel frightened even in the hotel's hall, and it would be even worse outside.

"That's one of the two people from Yao Guang. She's on a different level than the other three. Many famous pianists couldn't compare to her!" Zhong Yunze also looked at An Siyao.

A smile appeared on Xia Yu's lips. How could An Siyao, who had taught him piano for over a month, not be formidable?

"The girl from the north can't compare to her either. She's pretty much guaranteed the championship!" Zhong Yunze's words carried a hint of bitterness.

There was another expert from the north? Xia Yu grasped the information.

Whatever, he only wanted a spot in the finals anyway. There were ten spots in the finals!

He looked at An Siyao again, wondering if he should go and say hello.

Two seconds later, he gave up on the idea. Approaching a stranger would only increase the girl's stress and leave a bad impression.

However, while he didn't move, others stepped forward.

Three boys surrounded An Siyao.

After exchanging a few words, the boys sensed An Siyao's reluctance, but she didn't directly or indirectly drive them away, so they didn't leave.

Among the thirty contestants, there were ten females. An Siyao was the most beautiful and the most skilled.

"Those three are all from Kaiyang. Besides the one without glasses, the other two are guaranteed to advance." Zhong Yunze said.

Xia Yu didn't respond. He walked straight toward An Siyao.

The three boys, who were constantly trying to strike up conversations with An Siyao, noticed Xia Yu approaching. They stopped talking and watched him come over.

If one had a weaker mental disposition, they would walk away under the silent scrutiny, but Xia Yu was not a coward.

"Do you mind if I join your conversation?" Xia Yu asked, shaking the juice in his hand.

"We're discussing some personal matters." Among the three, the one with gold-rimmed glasses spoke. He seemed to be the leader of the trio.

"Then I won't bother you." Xia Yu turned to look at An Siyao.

He had originally planned to go along with the gold-rimmed glasses' words and use the excuse of discussing private matters to pull An Siyao away.

But he wasn't sure if An Siyao would go with him. In the girl's view, the difference between him and these three guys was only that of a lion and a jackal.

He said to An Siyao, "So, would the young lady mind having a chat with me?"

An Siyao shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind.

Xia Yu knew that she actually minded very much. With such a personality, if she wasn't born in a wealthy family, he would have deceived her away without anyone else's help.

Seeing An Siyao agreeing, the three boys looked unhappy. The one with gold-rimmed glasses said to Xia Yu, "I've seen your piano performance, Fran's old wolf is indeed good, but sadly, Fran can't escape the fate of being subjugated at the beginning of the First World War."

He meant that Xia Yu could only show off in the preliminaries, and he'd have to go home after the second round.

Xia Yu followed up, saying, "I've heard your piano as well. You played 'Rosalia's Bedside' very well."

"I didn't play that piece," the gold-rimmed glasses guy said, puzzled.

"Really? Was it not the one you played last week, but the one you played this week? Perhaps today? That superb first part, it really made me marvel," Xia Yu said with a smile.

Not only the gold-rimmed glasses guy, but all three of them blushed.

The first part of Rosalia's Bedside, also known as "Meng Lang," is an impudent, shameless melody of wandering in Rosalia's bedroom. It was a satire on their harassment of An Siyao.

An Siyao didn't understand the complicated verbal confrontation, and her face showed confusion. Her confusion was mistaken by the guilty gold-rimmed glasses guy as being toyed with.

He finished the juice in his glass in one gulp and turned to leave immediately, with the other two following suit.

Only Xia Yu and An Siyao remained in their original spot.