Old Wolf Fran

The two principals spoke a few words and then took their seats.

This was not only a competition but also a concert, with a full audience below the stage. Xia Yu even saw his own Chinese language teacher there.

The language teacher sat next to the principal and handed Xia Yu a card: "Your clothes are in the backstage wardrobe, this is the card."

This competition was to be recorded and broadcast, with local news also showing a few clips, so appearance was very important. Xia Yu's current casual attire was not suitable for the stage.

Taking the magnetic card, Xia Yu thanked him.

"No need to thank me, as long as you can defeat Ma Feng in the end. This is our principal's obsession; he won't rest until he wins a match," the language teacher said.

"It's Feng Ma." The principal corrected the name but did not deny what the language teacher said later.

It was unknown what kind of story there was between him and the principal from the 2nd school when they were young. It didn't seem like they were enemies, but rather old friends.

"Feng Ma's mother is Ma Xiao," the principal said to Xia Yu, "But don't feel pressured, I'll be happy as long as you can get in the top three and secure a spot in the next round."

Ma Xiao was a fairly famous piano teacher.

"Your talent is not bad. After the competition, I can take you to meet Ma Xiao," said the principal, thinking that Xia Yu intended to pursue a career in piano.

However, Xia Yu only used the piano as a money-making skill and participated in the competition solely to obtain the rewards from the sponsors.

Moreover, Xia Yu only planned to play the piano in the preliminaries and possibly the second round at most. Later on, he intended to switch to playing the guzheng.

He still played the piano because he could see that the principal had a soft spot for it. The previous bet was likely made in a large part due to the piano.

Once he entered the finals, his past piano-playing experience would definitely be dug up, so it would be better to show it openly.

He was already prepared, and his current level was at the brink of level 3. After learning the remaining piano pieces, he could break through to level 4. In the past few days, he had been practicing constantly in the coffee shop, suppressing his playing level to the middle of level 3 and changing some small habits to adopt others.

An Siyao was not loyal like a dog and thus would not recognize him under such circumstances.

After reviewing his plan and making sure there were no flaws, Xia Yu looked up, and the competition had already begun.

There were a total of 23 participants in the competition, and his number was 23.

Onstage, the three judges were in position. They were either professors from music colleges or well-known musicians.

The first student took the stage, and his instrument was the accordion.

Seeing the accordion, the three judges remained expressionless.

Just like the guitar, the accordion was often played while singing, but this was an instrumental competition.

When the performance was over, the three judges still displayed no expression and showed no intention of speaking.

The student could only bow with a flushed face, then step down from the stage.

The second participant to take the stage made a better choice with his instrument, using the piano and playing "Treasure Carp in the Lake," but due to nervousness and lack of skill, he made two mistakes.

Two judges remained expressionless, and the third unapologetically furrowed his brow.

It wasn't until the fifteenth contestant passed, and there was a five-minute intermission, that the best expressions from the three judges was a nod of their heads.

"These three judges are really strict," Xia Yu sighed.

However, the level of these fifteen contestants was indeed not that impressive.

"The people in front are just making up the numbers, our school's band is at this level. The people in the back are a bit better, there are probably three people at your level," the principal said to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu nodded to show that he understood.

He looked at Feng Ma, wondering what level the person that the principal insisted he couldn't beat was at.

Level 4?

Forget it, after all, for piano, he only planned to use a mid-level Level 3 skill, not to mention he had only just touched the threshold of Level 4.

He looked back at the judges, who were discussing.

"Are these all fillers, where are the good seeds?"

"I heard it's random draw, and the good seeds were all drawn to the back."

"How many do you think will pass?"

"About three, maybe none. The only one worth looking forward to is Ma Xiao's son."

"Which contestant is Ma Xiao's son?"

"The twenty-second one, quite the finale position!"

The five minutes passed quickly, and the three judges continued to watch the competition.

The level of the contestants afterward was indeed much more reliable, and a more amiable judge even showed a smile on his face.

By the twentieth person, Xia Yu stood up and went backstage to change clothes and prepare.

In the backstage lounge, he saw Feng Ma.

Feng Ma was wearing a suit, sitting straight on the bench, and slightly nodded to Xia Yu.

This was usually a gesture from a leader to a subordinate.

Xia Yu merely nodded back at him without any emotion, then sat on the side and started playing with his cell phone.

Feng Ma looked at him again, shook his head, with a pitying expression.

His look didn't escape Xia Yu's eyes, and Xia Yu felt even more negatively about him.

Although he had lived two lifetimes, Xia Yu was not a good-tempered person, and thought that after he reached Level 4 and won in the upcoming competition, he would definitely mock back at him.

Unfortunately, he would be using the guzheng at that time, and the joy of winning would be diminished due to the switch of instruments.

"Feng Ma, it's your turn," the staff member brought Feng Ma closer to the stage.

Xia Yu also followed and stopped at the corner to watch before entering the stage.

Upon entering the stage, Feng Ma bowed to the audience below and bowed to the judges. His demeanor was indeed elegant, and a round of applause rang out from the audience.

The three judges also showed smiles, nodding to Feng Ma.

Sitting at the piano, Feng Ma raised his arm, and a series of soothing notes were played under his fingers.

It was Dance of the Pope.

The Dance of the Pope was only a moderately difficult piece, but the quality of a piano performance wasn't based on the difficulty of the piece, but the level of the performance.

Xia Yu listened attentively for a while, his face becoming somewhat strange.

The level of this guy seemed to be a bit inferior, just around a mid-Level 3?

That's right, when the principal listened to his piece last time, he had just entered Level 3, so it was no problem for him to say that Feng Ma was stronger than him.

Turned out he was just an overrated performer.

Xia Yu sighed, feeling bored.

On stage, Feng Ma moved his fingers, pressing the piano keys back and forth. His arms rose and fell, his body swayed, and his eyes were slightly closed.

With his decent-looking face, Xia Yu had to admit that the other party was somewhat handsome.

The elegant first part passed, the rhythm quickened, and the notes became a bit messy, expressing a turbulent era. Next was the arrival of the third part, combining the elegance of the first part and the rapid playing of the second part.

As Feng Ma pressed the last note and bowed to the audience, there was a burst of applause. The three judges also showed their smiles, clapping twice.

When the applause subsided, the three judges spoke for the first time: "Very good! Although there were some flaws in the third part, it is already a rare masterpiece. I was not as good as you at your age!"

"Keep it up! Surpass your mother."

"Consider coming to my Kaiyang Music Academy instead of college."

Feng Ma thanked each of the judges and went backstage.

He passed by Xia Yu, smiled at him, and said, "Don't be nervous."

Xia Yu simply responded and went on stage.

Unlike Feng Ma's flamboyance, Xia Yu sat quietly in front of the piano and began to play.

He was the last one; the competition was coming to an end, and the three judges were already daydreaming about what to eat for lunch.

The food scenes in their minds were shattered by Xia Yu's crisp and powerful melody.