Pleasing Start-Over Chapter 32: Arc 3 Part 3
Author: 橘子
On the third day, the finals began. More people arrived in Jingfeng city than the first and second days combined. There were only a select few who would partic.i.p.ate in the finals, they rest were all spectators. People with reserved seats continued to enter the largest concert hall in the castle to watch the compet.i.tion. Those who did not have seats could only watch from the outside as they broadcast the compet.i.tion on the exterior screen.
Many of the spectators who came to watch the compet.i.tion were Ferney’s fans. He was now one of the most famous musicians on the capital planet. He was only in his twenties, but he already become a level eight musician. His fans adoringly called him a rare musical genius and had specifically come to watch Ferney play and win the prize.
Ferney was the last compet.i.tion’s champion, so he was able to go straight to the finals without taking part in the prelims. The last time he won the compet.i.tion, he was only a level seven musician. Now that he was at level eight, coupled with the fact that there weren’t any musicians that truly matched him nor did they have any significant breakthroughs, his fans were very confident about him keeping his t.i.tle as the champion.
Ferney made high-profiled entrance to the finale’s garden from the center of the outside square on a red carpet. He smiled and waved to his fans as they enthusiastically cheered him on like he had already won the contest.
When Qiao Chen was going through the city gate for ident.i.ty verification, the inspector who previously helped him looked at him in surprise and asked, “You’re in the finals?”
“I am.” Qiao Chen nodded calmly.
The site supervisor was holding Qiao Chen’s ID card for a while, shocked. How could a level one musician make it to the finals?
His coworker who looked down on Qiao Chen’s level one ident.i.ty commented, “It should have been a fluke or some kind of trick with his instrument. Just hurry up and let him in. It’s better if there are a few more people like him to make Ferney look better. Besides, the finals are strictly monitored. When the time comes, they’ll pull off his mask and expose the truth of it all. We’ll just wait and see him look like a complete fool.”
Both of them were huge Ferney fans, especially the one who conntinually looked down on Qiao Chen. In his mind, the other finalists were there just to serve as props to showcase Ferney’s excellence. Qiao Chen looked at the man, grinned, and took his ID card back. Then he entered the castle.
Because the risks and dangers that came with the process of opening the seven different crystal blossoms were too great, only the partic.i.p.ants were able to enter the compet.i.tion site. Everyone else had to watch the contest through a live stream to screens in the concert hall or outside of the castle. There were also numerous simultaneous live streams throughout the interplanetary network.
Listening to the music live was the best way to restore spiritual strength. Watching through the screen wasn’t very effective, but people were still willing to pay a lot of money to reserve seats and enter the castle to watch the contest. Because even if they couldn’t restore their spiritual strength, they could still enjoy the music played by higher leveled musicians.
The compet.i.tion used a computer to randomize the order for the musicians to play. Qiao Chen used his system to control the computer. He put himself last on the list with Ferney playing right before him.
The compet.i.tion finale had the musicians attempt to open seven types of crystal blossoms at the once. Ferney won the last compet.i.tion by opening three different colors of crystal blossoms at the same time. Three year had pa.s.sed since then, and he had a significant breakthrough in his level. Everyone a.s.sume that there wouldn’t be a problem with him opening four crystal blossoms at the same time.
After the rest of the compet.i.tors finished, Ferney confidently headed to the garden to claim a position for himself. Ferney’s fans excitedly clapped for their idol once they saw him. The applause lasted until he officially began to play.
Even many of the upper-cla.s.s and wealthy people in the concert hall came to watch Ferney’s performance. And when it was finally his turn to play, they all expected him to perform better than before. Luckily for them, Ferney didn’t disappoint. The music he played was melodious and emotionally moving. Three crystal blossoms bloomed throughout his song. Everyone watched as the forth crystal finally blossomed at the end of his piece.
When Ferney finished playing, his fans all burst into a long applause. And even though the compet.i.tion had yet to conclude, many people began to get up and prepare to leave the concert hall before the next performer started. They wanted to quickly go to the banquet hall and wait for Ferney to receive his award.
In the VIP area on the second floor, many people also prepared to leave.
“Ferney didn’t disappoint us… Let’s invite him to play at this year’s banquet.” A lady stood up and said. She was in a very good mood.
The lady next to her echoed her praise, “That’s what I think so too. But now that Ferney’s popularity is getting better and better, I’m afraid it’ll be a little hard to get him to come.”
Everyone moved to exit , but those who had reached the outside of the hall immediately stopped when they heard the music coming from inside the hall.
“Who’s playing this?” A different lady stopped and asked her husband.
“I’ve never heard this song before. Let’s go back in and take a look.” The lady’s husband replied. He saw many people return with them.
On the screen, Qiao Chen stood on the steps of the white pavilion in the garden. He played a cla.s.sical composition called “Early Spring”. There was the feeling of that the spring season had just begun. The cold had pa.s.sed, and everything took in a breath to awake. Spring meant a season of recovery from the frigid cold. The last gasps of winter dissipated as the warm air and cool winds of comfort approached. This planet held nearly a constant temperature. There weren’t many seasonal or temperate changes, but the crystal blossoms seemed to feel as though the breath of spring arrived. They all began to blossom.
Those who had initially left the concert hall had already returned to their original seats. The images on the screen were so beautiful, but they also wanted to close their eyes and feel the rare, beautiful, and moving music. However, they also didn’t want to take their eyes off the screen. Their dilemma faded as they became intoxicated with the music.
They faintly thought that even though they were watching and listening to the music from a screen, they seemed to feel that their spiritual strength recovering.
“Who is this? Why haven’t we seen them before?” The two ladies who had just left had also returned.
“Don’t talk.” Another lady raised her hand to stop the other person’s voice and slowly relaxed back into her seat. She couldn’t pry her eyes away from the screen and wanted to just enjoy this rare beautiful event.
Qiao Chen had only played half of his song, but all seven of the crystal blossoms had fully opened. Soon, the entire garden of crystal blossoms began to bloom as well.
Augea sat alone in the VIP table and smiled at Qiao Chen’s performance. He glanced down at the people who had become entranced with the music. Augea suddenly had the idea of locking up Qiao Chen and keeping him to himself. However, he knew that the person was destined for a bright and glorious future. He wouldn’t hide him even if he wanted to.
——
On the outside, the people who had walked away from the screen and down the stairs to celebrate Ferney once again gathered under the screen. They stared at the images of Qiao Chen playing his violin on the screen. They were subconsciously and completely immersed in the beautiful song.
“Who… just who is this person? What kind of level one musician can actually perform at this level?” The inspector and site supervisor who verified his ident.i.ty were shocked. The one that looked down on Qiao Chen couldn’t believe his eyes or ears while the other just kept his eyes glued to the screen, speechless.
——
After Ferney finished his performance, he entered the lounge with pride. His biggest rival was Coleman, who was at a similar level than him. However, Coleman only caused three crystal blossoms to open. He had already asked around and there were no other musicians who had a higher level than him in the compet.i.tion. He was the second to last musician. All the musicians before him had already played, so he believed that he had won the compet.i.tion again this year.
Ferney took off his dress coat and sat relaxed. He messed with his hair a bit and took the coffee from the servant. He suddenly laughed quite proudly. My opponents weren’t too weak. It’s just that I’m too strong.
But when Ferney heard Qiao Chen’s performance, his face crumpled into a dark look. He threw his cup away and stood up. The servant who was watching the performance was startled. He took a careful glance at Ferney and quickly picked up the fallen cup.
Ferney rushed to the screen and stared at Qiao Chen’s figure playing the violin on the screen. Who was this person? How is it possible to play music at this level? How could a musician under level ten play this kind of music? Impossible- if there was such a person, how could I not know about them?
The camera had consistently the hovered in the air to take a panoramic shot and feature the crystal blossoms opening. It flew closer towards Qiao Chen and showed a close up of his face. Ferney opened his eyes wide in shock and took a few steps back.
It’s him? Did he come back? Impossible! Even if he did come back, how could someone with a scattered mind and a compromised spiritual strength play at this level of music?
“What’s the musician’s name?”Ferney gruffly questioned one of the servants on the side.
“Uh….. I don’t know.” He replied. The servants on the other sides of him couldn’t name Qiao Chen either.
“Then hurry up and check for me!” Ferney roared.
“En- yes. I’ll check it right away.” The servant immediately bolted out to find a site supervisor for Qiao Chen’s information.
The screen continued to show that Qiao Chen caused all seven colors of the crystal blossoms to completely bloom. Ferney balled his hands tightly into fists. The better Qiao Chen played, the angrier he became. Soon, he even wanted to smash the screen showing the live feed of Qiao Chen’s sperformance.
“I found out about the young master. The person is named Qiaoxi with a level one rank.” The servant rushed in and reported to Ferney.
When Ferney heard the name Qiaoxi, he stopped listening. He closed his eyes and thought, Qiaoxi. Sure enough, it was Qiaoxi who came back. Qiaoxi returned.
When Ferney opened his eyes again, his eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with malice. He came back. How? He couldn’t defeat me before. He couldn’t even be compared to me either. Without even mentioning his current strength and position in the music industry, what backing does he have compared to me? If worse comes to worse, I’ll just drive him away again. Ferney thought darkly
After Qiao Chen finished playing, there wasn’t a long applause like Ferney. Everyone was still in a daze. They didn’t even realize the song had ended. It wasn’t until the announcements for the upcoming award ceremony rang did everyone come back to their senses. They quickly stood up and hurried out.
Before the award ceremony officially began, the people in the crowd were discussing Qiao Chen’s performance. It seemed that Ferney’s performance was thrown to the back of their heads. As a matter of fact, because Qiao Chen played too well, no one really remembered the other musicians in the compet.i.tion anyways.
“Who was that last performer? How could no one have ever seen him before?”
“I’ve never seen him at the capital before and for him to play at such a level- I mean if this was the capital from the old ages, we might not have known him. Maybe he’s a musician from another planet?”
“I haven’t seen him with the other famous musicians on any of the other planets.”
“Why don’t you invite him to play at our dinner party?”
“Oh gosh- if he’s willing to accept the invitation? I’d be willing to pay a pretty penny too. As long as he can play that song again…by the way, what is the name of the piece he played? Why haven’t I heard of it before either?”
“I had you listen to recordings from history’s famous musicians before. You were the one who only wanted to listen live performances. Now don’t you feel like a ignorant and narrow minded? The song is called ‘Early Spring’. It’s a very difficult cla.s.sical song. It was written thousands of years ago by the great and famous Hedona. Due to its difficulty, many musicians don’t have the ability to play it. As a result, seldom play this song.”
When the host announced the official start of the awards, the crowd’s voices all quieted down. Qiao Chen was unequivocally the winner of the compet.i.tion. When he walked onto the state to receive the prize, he simply said a few words and had the host take over. His eyes scanned the crowd for Augea’s figure. That guy wouldn’t leave after I finish playing would he?
Augea stood at a hidden corner and smiled at Qiao Chen’s actions. He sent a message telling Qiao Chen his location.
Qiao Chen looked at his wrist communicator and immediately looked at that place and found Augea standing in the corner.
The host first praised Qiao Chen’s performance with various beautiful adjectives. Then, he said a few words to comfort the other musicians who hadn’t won the context. Finally, he invited the guest of honor to the stage to present the award to Qiao Chen.
In addition to the very generous prize money, there were seven different colors of crystal blossoms, and the right to have free access of the city for three years. This access to the city was something that the royal family members could only enjoy.
The compet.i.tion rules also allowed the winner to take home as many crystal blossoms as they caused to bloom. Crystal blossoms were one of the few things besides music that can restore spiritual strength. They could be packed into special containers that allowed them to last for several years without withering. They were also beautiful décor for any room as it not only accented the room’s beauty, but also improved the person’s mental health. It was a very precious object that money couldn’t buy.
“Long time no see Ferney.” Qiao Chen went over and offered a greeting.
“I didn’t think you’d ever come back.” Ferney replied with an uncertain air.
“This compet.i.tion was a little return gift I thought to give you. How do you like it?” Qiao Chen asked with a slight provocation.
“Hah.” Ferney laughed sarcastically. “Do you think you can get your revenge if you win a little contest? It looks like you’re still just as naïve as you were when you were a kid. I will definitely make you regret coming back.”
“Really?”Qiao Chen asked as slowly walked forward. He paused for a second as he pa.s.sed Ferney and commented, “Hmm, who will really regret it more? Let’s wait and see.”
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Let me know if there’s are any mistakes! Happy reading~