The finals of the original music competition were held at the Jiang Chen Grand Theatre.
The top fifty musicians ranked by online voting would compete here. They would perform their music live on - stage to win the recognition of the guests and judges.
Even after entering the venue, Nanyu still thought it was too much of a coincidence.
The staff of the competition committee led the two of them into the venue and showed them to their seats.
The Jiang Chen Theatre was very large and could accommodate up to three thousand people at the same time.
Originally, Nanyu should have been one of the contestants.
Her eyes quickly swept across the grand piano on the stage and then she immediately lowered her head and quick - stepped to catch up with the person in front.
On the chairs in the front row, there were guest name cards prepared in advance.
Nanyu followed Tan Linyuan, stooping as they walked in. On the chair next to his name card, the words “Nanyu” were clearly written.
In an occasion like this, the seats of every guest were pre - arranged. There was no such thing as last - minute addition.
It seemed that his invitation that morning was so casual, but in fact, it had already been part of his plan.
“How did you know I would come?” Nanyu asked him in a low voice. “If I didn't come, this seat would be empty.”
“If you didn't come, there would be two empty seats,” Tan Linyuan glanced down at his watch and said slowly.
His explanation seemed nonchalant, but it was very much in his style.
He always kept a low profile in the public eye. He really wouldn't attend such non - essential occasions.
After they were seated, Nanyu began to feel uncertain.
If so, then why did he come?
The venue gradually filled with people, and it started to get noisy. There was a constant buzz.
Tan Linyuan obviously frowned, and there was a hint of annoyance on his face.
A staff member from the organizer came over and bowed obsequiously to him, clearly flattering and currying favor.
He never liked such an environment, and his coldness was obvious.
Outsiders would only think: “Ah, no wonder he's like a living Buddha. His aura makes people stay away respectfully.”
But Nanyu knew that he just simply hated it.
Nanyu turned to look at him. Her eyes were bright, as if she had something to say.
Tan Linyuan understood and leaned down closer to her. The distance between them shortened.
“You don't like this place. Why did you still come?”
“I was invited as a representative of the sponsor.”
This reason seemed far - fetched. Even if the organizer invited the sponsor, there was no need for him to come in person.
Moreover, when they just entered the venue, Nanyu saw the overwhelming promotional materials for the sponsors at the entrance. Of course, that wasn't what she was asking. “I mean, why did you want to come? You're not interested in music.”
In the bustling competition venue, no one noticed the two of them whispering to each other.
The light was dimmer on the lower level than on the stage. He brazenly leaned close to her ear, and his breath tickled her earlobe.
It was hot and itchy.
She heard his deep voice, with an obvious smile in his tone.
His voice was gentle, like the tenderness of a coat covering her on a cold winter night.
“I'm not interested, but the little girl at home is.”
Nanyu felt that the heat in the venue made her whole body burn. She was like a frightened deer. Her eyes trembled for a moment, and then she quickly sat up straight and looked ahead.
Tan Linyuan laughed again.
“Coward.”
...
The finals officially began. The organizer showed great sincerity. At the beginning, they invited a symphony orchestra to play, which kicked off the competition.
Then came the part of introducing the contestants. Photos and biographies of each musician were shown on the big screen.
As the images flowed on the screen, Nanyu watched intently one by one until it was Jia Yinyue's turn.
Her resume was very impressive. She graduated from a famous music school in the United States, had many original piano pieces under her name, and had won many awards.
Of course, the most impressive one was “Return”, which had been very popular recently.
On the stage, Jia Yinyue was being interviewed by the host. Nanyu stared at her without blinking.
She always felt that this girl's face was a bit familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere.
Oh, she remembered.
That day at the door of Wu Xiaxian's office, the girl who accidentally bumped into her but still walked into the office arrogantly.
Nanyu took a deep breath. She understood that everything had left traces long ago. It was her own stupidity that made her fail to notice the problem.
Then, Nanyu heard Tan Linyuan's cold voice beside her: “They're really promoting her to the sky.”
Nanyu looked at him puzzledly.
So Tan Linyuan told her that Jia Yinyue was the current favorite of General Manager Tang and he took her everywhere.
It was obvious that he doted on her very much recently.
Nanyu didn't know much about the people in that circle: “Who is General Manager Tang?”
“He's in his fifties. His wife has passed away. He has two sons, about the same age as you.”
This information made Nanyu's eyes widen suddenly.
But Jia Yinyue on the stage was clearly just in her early twenties!
“She could be his daughter,” Nanyu whispered, unable to imagine that the beautiful and delicate girl on the stage had such a sordid background.
“Well, maybe it's because he's never had a daughter,” Tan Linyuan said sarcastically. The implication in his words was obvious.
People in this circle were like this. Once they had a little power or money, they wanted to try something beyond the rules.
As long as they were powerful and wealthy, people around them would have to smile and praise it as a “May - December romance”.
No matter how big the mess was, they could always find a way out.
Nanyu sighed and murmured to herself: “No wonder Wu Xiaxian wants to promote her.”
Wu Xiaxian was a person who only cared about interests. With Jia Yinyue's background, of course he would try his best to curry favor with her.
“Oh?” Tan Linyuan pretended to know nothing and then asked her, “Do you have a history with her?”
Nanyu thought he really didn't know and gently pointed at Jia Yinyue on the stage: “She plagiarized my piece.”
Tan Linyuan nodded and said seriously, “Then later, give her the lowest score.”
Nanyu laughed and said that it might be unfair: “But the piece she's competing with is my work.”
“Then you should give her the lowest score even more.”
His tone was casual. “Even just stealing someone else's ideas will make people look down on you for a lifetime, let alone directly stealing the fruits of others' labor.”
“I want to be more serious,” Nanyu said softly, word by word. “Can I make her withdraw from the competition directly?”
Only after she said it did she realize that this was actually her most sincere thought in her heart.
That was her thing. Why should she give it away?
Moreover, that was the music she created to commemorate her parents. It had more important value to her.
She shouldn't suffer such grievances.
The same was true for “Return”.
Tan Linyuan lowered his eyes and looked into hers.
After a moment, he said calmly, “She has General Manager Tang as her backer.”
Nanyu's breath suddenly stopped.
What did this mean?
Was he telling her that her request was a bit excessive and he couldn't do it?
Yes, he had said before that there were things he couldn't do in his position.
Moreover, the competition had already started. The result was a foregone conclusion. How could he turn the tables?
It was her being unreasonable.
The tremor in her heart gradually spread to her whole body. Shame and embarrassment made her feel so ashamed that she could hardly breathe.
She opened her mouth, her voice trembling, but still tried to squeeze out a smile: “I was just joking. You can think of me as...”
Tan Linyuan locked his eyes on hers and continued the second half of the sentence teasingly: “But unfortunately, your backer is even more powerful.”
Taking advantage of the dim light on the lower level, Tan Linyuan placed his hand on the back of her cold hand and kneaded it casually.
His palm was dry and warm, passing waves of warmth to her.
Nanyu tightened her fingers. Her heart was pounding. She subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.
“I thought our Yuyu would make some even more excessive requests.”