An Siyao's Abnormality
In this competition, the players' pieces were not revealed beforehand, so both the audience and the judges had to discern the pieces for themselves. This was part of the fun. Normally, the judges could guess the name of the piece within ten seconds of the prelude, but this time, it took the five judges a bit longer. They even began discussing quietly:
"What is this? Is there such a guzheng piece?"
"It sounds a bit like E Ending, but isn't E Ending an ensemble?"
The five judges were silent for a moment, then continued to think carefully. After another ten seconds, one of them took a deep breath:
"It is E Ending! It's the E Ending from the flower-style secret technique!"
"Is it the one that Liu Ronglan played when she was young?" The other judges also reacted, because Liu Ronglan was already old, and no one could play the solo version of E Ending, so they were somewhat unfamiliar with it.
Once they had confirmed the piece, the five judges stopped talking and listened and watched intently. At the same time, their hearts were not calm.
Liu Ronglan started playing this E Ending during her college years, while the young man in front of them was only in his last year of high school!
The wild bee tied the world record, and the guzheng reproduced the E Ending. Although the piano was a bit slow, this level was already monstrous!
They couldn't help but glance at Liu Ronglan in the audience, who had a proud look on her face and even winked at them.
This old woman was actually hiding such a genius disciple!
At this point, Xia Yu had been playing for thirty seconds, and the speed of his hands was getting faster and faster, to the point where human eyes could no longer keep up with his fingers' speed.
The rapid playing brought an impassioned sound, like a torrential summer rain, striking everyone's surroundings, making their hearts race and their nerves tremble.
The storm still raged, and by the one-minute mark, Xia Yu's playing speed reached its peak, and the audience felt as if the dome was being upturned, and floodwaters gushing down from the sky.
The five judges were also extremely excited, with three of them focusing on Xia Yu's main hand, their hearts echoing with astonishment:
"Wheeling fingers, sliding back, rubbing strings, and this shaking finger technique!"
"This is... left-hand playing!"
In the guzheng, the left hand is generally used for auxiliary purposes, while the right hand is the main playing body. Although it is publicly stated that the left hand should be as dexterous as the right hand, in reality, the left hand is always inferior to the right hand.
At this moment, Xia Yu was able to play with the same effect using his left hand at such a speed!
The other two judges were focused on Xia Yu's auxiliary hand.
Generally speaking, the right hand is used for plucking, while the left hand is used for pressing and rubbing. Although the right hand, which is used for plucking, seems to be the main body, in reality, the left hand is the soul of the guzheng!
The right hand plays the guzheng by pressing on the strings, which can be clearly seen; while the pressing depth, vibrato control, and release control of the left hand can only be perceived through one's ears and feeling.
The same sheet music, the same piece, can be played with different tastes due to the subtle nuances of the left hand's pressing and sliding techniques.
The charm of a piece comes from the left hand.
The two judges looked at Xia Yu's left hand, watching the smooth pressing and shaking, and the busy yet seemingly slow fingers due to their composure, and their hearts were filled with admiration.
As the piece approached its end, the speed slowed down slightly, but in the end, it concluded with a very fast speed and an impassioned tone.
The sudden downpour of sound came to an abrupt halt.
However, the audience still felt the rain by their ears, echoing.
After eight or nine seconds, applause erupted, rumbling like thunder.
"No one can be faster than you now," the judge sighed.
"Young people are truly to be feared."
"Liu Ronglan has a good disciple."
They didn't comment on Xia Yu's skills. The emotions contained in the E ending were passionate, and they had exhausted their own enthusiasm during the listening process. At this point, they only felt dull.
Reluctantly cheering up, they said a few words of encouragement, and the five judges allowed Xia Yu to leave the stage.
Not only them but also the audience at the scene and those watching the live broadcast on TV, no matter what they were doing, no matter how excited their mood was before, they now put down their things and began to drift.
At the TV, Feng Ma from Second High School let out a sigh. During the first competition, he had underestimated Xia Yu because he was from First High School. Although he had later placed Xia Yu in the right position, he still thought about the idea of "the last one to put on weight is not considered fat, but the last one to crush the platform," intending to chase and struggle for the position of the top performer in Purple Jade.
But at this moment, after listening to the E ending piece, his fighting spirit had completely disappeared.
How could he possibly catch up with such a genius?
In the classroom, secretly watching the TV on her mobile phone, Yan Wei lay weakly on the table.
What a brilliant young man, how many love rivals he would attract!
In the hall, Liu Ronglan and Kong Hanyue held hands, full of satisfaction. Liu Ronglan was satisfied that the flower faction Guzheng had not gone extinct in her hands. Kong Hanyue was satisfied that Xia Yu did not disappoint the trust, and the Kong family would gain an additional unique skill.
An Siyao's emotions fluctuated even more intensely.
Her complexion was a little pale.
She hadn't planned to participate in this competition, she had only come because "he" seemed interested in the competition.
She had also made inquiries before the competition, there were no contestants more outstanding than her, and this was her stage to shine.
Especially after 15 days ago, when "he" had said he would watch the live broadcast, An Siyao had been looking forward to this competition.
But the sudden appearance of Xia Yu had shattered her plans.
She knew that with such an excellent performance and superior emotion in his music, even if her playing was much better than his, she could not win back the audience's attention. Afterward, they would certainly discuss him instead.
Coughing softly twice, An Siyao felt a little indecisive.
On the one hand, she was looking forward to "his" reaction to her performance. On the other hand, she was afraid that "he" would shift his attention from her to someone else.
It was because of music that she was chosen by "him." What if "he" felt that someone else was better?
"Yao Yao?" The teacher sitting next to her patted her back, "If you're not feeling well, you don't have to participate. This competition means nothing. Real pianists never care about these things."
Shaking her head, An Siyao expressed her firm determination.
Her teacher began to feel sorry for her again: "You were up all night, and what were you doing? You were fine before, but you sat up all night and it got worse."
"It's okay," An Siyao's voice was a bit weak, and her heart was filled with loss and anxiety.
Yesterday was already the fifteenth day, and she had thought she could wait for "him."
"What's wrong with Yao Yao?" In the front row, Liu Ronglan noticed something wrong with An Siyao.
"Her cold has gotten more severe," An Siyao's teacher replied.
"Well then..." Halfway through her sentence, Liu Ronglan stopped talking, waved to Xia Yu who was walking off the stage, and asked him to sit next to her.
When Xia Yu sat down beside Liu Ronglan, he looked back at An Siyao. Just now, he could feel that the girl's demeanor was somewhat wilted, but he didn't expect it to be so serious. The pale complexion was not caused by an ordinary cold.
"Yuyu, look up there, that's your senior sister," Liu Ronglan said to Xia Yu.
Senior sister? Is it Liu Ronglan's granddaughter who learned the Beipai ancient zither?
Looking on stage, Xia Yu saw the girl who had played the Songstress in the amusement park during the third competition.
Liu Ronglan continued to talk about her granddaughter, but Xia Yu was not in the mood to listen. He was concerned about An Siyao's condition.
An Siyao would be the second contestant after Liu's granddaughter. After Liu's granddaughter finished her performance, An Siyao got up and went backstage to prepare.
As she stood up, her body staggered a bit.
"Are you alright?" Xia Yu held her hand.