Chapter 404: Speaking With Results
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The fragrance was elegant and light, bringing with it a slightly familiar feeling. It was really the smell of the plants that Ji Hanxue had cultivated.
He had planted those flowers for two to three months and had already developed feelings for them. Now that he smelled them, his mood was naturally different.
“Very rare.” He accepted the item. It was unclear whether he was referring to the essential oil or s.h.i.+ Jin herself.
Yan Chu poured tea for the two of them and casually said to Ji Hanxue, “Director Ji, if we can’t film this sunrise, we can only use special effects to achieve the effect you want.”
“The sunrise is easy.” Ji Hanxue picked up the teacup and took a sip. He picked up a gourd-shaped object on the table. “The difficult part is still the sound of the xun. It looks like it can only be synthesized.”
When Yan Chu saw s.h.i.+ Jin looking over, he introduced, “This is a mother-son xun, a very ancient instrument. Xuns are easy to learn, but difficult to master. In our movie, there is a piece that requires the accompaniment of a xun. Director Ji wants to use a mother-son xun to play it. We found someone who can play a xun. There are many people who can play a xun, but there aren’t many who can play a mother-son xun.”
s.h.i.+ Jin took it and looked at it. The mother-son xun was divided into two parts, the mother xun and the son xun. They looked very simple and the patterns on them gave off an ancient feeling.
“The mother xun and the son xun must be played together by two people. It’s not difficult to play them separately. However, the mother xun and the son xun players must have high coordination. They need to be played together in a precise and complete manner to produce good music,” Ji Hanxue added.
He pointed at Yan Chu. “In order to film this movie, he learned how to play it, but he just can’t blend with me.”
s.h.i.+ Jin knew that Ji Han was strict when it came to making movies, but he was so strict that even the main cast had to learn how to play the xun. He was indeed the only one in this industry who could do it.
Yan Chu smiled and shook his head. “I can’t catch up to your level.”
Not to mention him, there were a few professionals who couldn’t match up to Ji Hanxue. Of course, when they worked together, they couldn’t achieve the effect that Ji Hanxue wanted.
s.h.i.+ Jin caressed the son xun, looking very interested.
Ji Hanxue remembered that she had a good sense of music and asked casually, “Do you know how to play this?”
“I can try, but I don’t know what song you’re playing.”
“This.” Ji Hanxue’s score was right beside him. He pushed it over for s.h.i.+ Jin to see.
He didn’t actually expect her to be able to play it.
He thought that she might be in a bad mood because of the compet.i.tion, so he found something to ease her mind. This could be considered as returning the favor he owed her.
Since he had nothing else to do, Ji Hanxue even wanted to spend time teaching her.
s.h.i.+ Jin took the score and looked at it for a while. She had a rough idea and started playing the son xun.
Ji Hanxue and Yan Chu both picked up their teacups and drank their tea. After she played for around ten seconds, both of them raised their heads to look at her.
The son xun was harder to play than the mother xun. It only had three holes, and the change in tone was all due to the coordination of the hands. However, the sound was clear, and the tone was light and lively, just like a child.
The feelings had to be as innocent and pure as a child. Any distracting thoughts would completely change the characteristics.
As for s.h.i.+ Jin, her playing was just right.
Ji Hanxue could not help, but pick up the mother xun and play with her.
The mother xun had eight holes. The tone of the xun could be tactful, but it could also be pa.s.sionate. The feelings were complex, restrained, and deep.
The mother and son1 played a duet, like a mother playing with a child, or like a child acting spoiled.
This was the relations.h.i.+p between the male lead and his parents in this movie. Whenever the male lead played the xun, he would think of his childhood with his parents.
After s.h.i.+ Jin finished playing, she received a WeChat message from Fu Xiuyuan asking about the compet.i.tion.
She informed Ji Hanxue and Yan Chu, “Director Ji, Mr. Yan, I have something to do. I’ll go up first.”
“Go ahead.” Ji Hanxue nodded.
When he could only see her back view, he said with a smile, “Don’t you think that when she played with me, we had a very good rapport?”
“Congratulations, Director Ji.” Yan Chu also smiled. “People actually suspected that her composition was copied from another person. That’s ridiculous.”
***
Although Fu Xiuyuan trusted s.h.i.+ Jin, he couldn’t help feeling worried. He sent a WeChat message to ask about the situation.
“I already have plans. We’ll see each other at the award ceremony tomorrow,” s.h.i.+ Jin replied.
“I asked Song Fan to go over urgently. If anything happens, he can help.”
s.h.i.+ Jin sent an emoji. “There’s no need to be that urgent.”
“Of course there’s a need.”
Because Fu Xiuyuan had an important collaboration project to discuss, he couldn’t leave to come over. However, he was very concerned about s.h.i.+ Jin’s situation.
Everyone was waiting for the results.
He sat in his office while Song Fan was making a report before he left. “I heard that s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s side is sure to win. Xiuli is already in a hurry to produce her piano pieces as CDs.”
Fu Xiuyuan looked up at him. Song Fan quickly flipped to the back and said, “They made 200,000 copies.”
A mocking smile appeared on Fu Xiuyuan’s lips.
“They probably think that Chu Ling and s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s official announcement this time will bring them a wave of fans. Therefore, the 200,000 CDs will definitely be bought up.”
After Song Fan finished his report and saw that Fu Xiuyuan had nothing else to say, he turned around and left. He still needed to board the plane urgently to help s.h.i.+ Jin. However, he was also very puzzled. Could Xiuli really recoup their costs with such a huge investment?
Also, did s.h.i.+ Xuexin really not feel guilty about where her songs came from?
s.h.i.+ Xuexin did not feel guilty. Not only that, she was also full of confidence.
In order to prepare for this sure-win battle, Hu Lai had even arranged for a reporter to interview her.
She spoke confidently to the reporters.
“s.h.i.+ Jin and I have lived together for more than three years. We have a good relations.h.i.+p, so it’s normal for us to have similar songs.”
Yan Chu, who was watching her interview, raised his head and said, “In other words—I lived with s.h.i.+ Jin before. It’s easy for her to get my things.”
His manager looked at him in surprise. What was wrong with Yan Chu?
Forget about paying attention to s.h.i.+ Jin. Why is he looking for hidden meanings in s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s interview? Was he that bored?
s.h.i.+ Xuexin continued, “Actually, even if s.h.i.+ Jin isn’t a member of the s.h.i.+ family, we have always treated her as family.”
Yan Chu said coldly, “The hidden meaning is—I’m the daughter of a rich family, but s.h.i.+ Jin isn’t. So it’s obvious who did the plagiarizing.”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin said, “I’ve been learning piano from my aunt, s.h.i.+ Baozhi, for a long time. My aunt is very skilled in piano. If s.h.i.+ Jin wants to learn, my aunt is actually willing to teach her.”
Yan Chu replied coldly, “The hidden meaning is—I’ve been learning it for a long time, but s.h.i.+ Jin has never learned it. It’s obvious who’s more capable.”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin: “At tonight’s award ceremony, Auntie has contacted her friend, Jade. Jade is the champion of the Chopin International Piano Compet.i.tion. He will be attending the award ceremony—right after he attends the award ceremony for the Chopin Award. I will introduce Jade to everyone then.”
1
Yan Chu: “….???”
Yan Chu: “…!!!”
He found Ji Hanxue and asked for s.h.i.+ Jin’s WeChat. Then, he sent her a message anxiously. “Do you know that s.h.i.+ Xuexin knows Jade?”
s.h.i.+ Jin opened the friend request and the first thing she said was this.
After adding Yan Chu, she realized that it was him.
“Mr. Yan, what’s the matter?”
“It’s about that matter that I mentioned. Jade will attend s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s award ceremony. If he is the one who backs s.h.i.+ Xuexin up, it will greatly increase everyone’s trust in her. Also, Jade will definitely know many famous people in the piano industry. If you don’t have complete evidence, how will everyone believe you?”
“Thank you, Mr. Yan. I have sufficient evidence.”
Since s.h.i.+ Jin said so, Yan Chu had no choice but to believe her. However, worry still lingered.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s fans were already determined to win. “So Xuexin knows Jade! She’s really amazing!”
“I heard that Jade knows a lot of big shots in the piano industry. In that case, no one can deny Xuexin’s talent.”
“Waiting for a certain someone to be slapped in the face.”
s.h.i.+ Jin’s fans believed that she would not plagiarize. However, the current evidence was not enough to convince them.
Everyone’s worries were inevitable.
***
Ivy League Composition Compet.i.tion.
At the awards ceremony venue.
It was a grand scene.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin, who had something to rely on, was a popular contender for the champions.h.i.+p. She led with high scores.
The reporters from Country S started a live broadcast for everyone.
“Currently, s.h.i.+ Xuexin is close to ten points ahead of second place. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be the champion today. This is also the first time in the history of the Ivy League compet.i.tion that someone from Country S has won the champions.h.i.+p.
We’ve won Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and other awards, but this is our first time winning an original composition award. ”
The media had a collaboration with Xiuli Entertainment. As soon as they opened their mouths, they raised the award to an extremely high position.
Although in reality, the Ivy League compet.i.tion was far from being a top award.
For example, compared to an award like the Chopin Award, it was not worth much.
“Everyone, today, we will witness a moment of history! We will witness the moment when Country S wins the Ivy League champions.h.i.+p for the first time!”
At the same time, s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s news about her original piano alb.u.m CD was posted on Weibo.
Xiuli Entertainment, s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s Weibo, and other artistes under Xiuli Entertainment reposted it one after another.
Xiuli had elevated s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s award to the level of glory for the country.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s fans even boasted, “This is a world-cla.s.s compet.i.tion. To be able to achieve such results after debuting and bring glory to the country, your future is boundless.”
“s.h.i.+ Xuexin is the best!”
“Way better than a certain artist who debuted in some talent show.”
“When it comes to results, Xuexin never backs down!”
Pa.s.sersby who did not know the truth naturally liked to partic.i.p.ate in such activities. Everyone’s patriotism was buried deep in their bones. As long as it was something that could bring honor to the country, they would be able to win everyone’s applause.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s reputation was unparalleled.
The CD had not been officially released yet, but its ratings had reached 9.7.
The reporter said to the camera, “Oh my G.o.d, there’s even a popular guest that no one expected to come to our venue today!”
Everyone was looking forward to it, wondering who it was.
“This guest is very important. He’s here specifically for s.h.i.+ Xuexin. Guess who he is?”
“Could it be Xia Peifeng?”
“I think it’s Chu Ling!”
“It’s not impossible for it to be Wen Yaoming.”
“Whoever said Wen Yaoming, stop trying to b.u.t.t yourself in!”
“Yan Chu, Yan Chu! I heard from an insider that Yan Chu bought a plane ticket to Warsaw.”
“Isn’t it Jade? Xuexin already announced his name!”
The reporter turned the camera to the door.
A familiar handsome face appeared in front of everyone.
“It’s Chu Ling!”
“Wow, it’s Chu Ling!”
“Brother! Brother is so handsome!”
“What’s going on with Brother and s.h.i.+ Xuexin?”
“Same company, don’t think too much.”
Hu Lai led Chu Ling over.
Indeed, Chu Ling would not announce that he was together with s.h.i.+ Xuexin before the award ceremony. Only when Xuexin became the champion would their announcement have a greater effect.
Chu Ling faced the camera.
He had been a top celebrity for many years. Even though he had been involved in scandals before, his fans had never given up on him. He was still popular.
The comments were already blurred by his name.
“Greetings, everyone. I’m here to witness the miracle of Country S.” Chu Ling was refined and dressed appropriately. The moment he opened his mouth, everyone was in a frenzy.
“s.h.i.+ Xuexin is my junior sister. I hope that she can achieve good results and fill in the gap for this award in Country S. I also hope that everyone can support the development of talented newcomers in the entertainment industry.”
“Support!”
“Support!”
“Brother is always right!”
“Then I’ll go and take a seat first. See you later.” Chu Ling politely waved goodbye to everyone.
A moment later, the judges, guests, and contestants were all present.
The atmosphere was heated.
The camera panned over to the venue. All the contestants had arrived. However, s.h.i.+ Jin’s seat was empty.
The judges glanced at her seat and frowned.
Today, the judges wanted to confirm the owners.h.i.+p of the song between s.h.i.+ Xuexin and s.h.i.+ Jin through an additional round of compet.i.tion and questioning. However, s.h.i.+ Jin was late, or rather, she wouldn’t come.
Everyone shook their heads. They naturally did not have a good impression of her.
The fans were also very anxious. “Where’s our daughter? Where did she go?”
“Is s.h.i.+ Jin afraid to come?”
“After all, she is in the wrong.”
“Little Stone must have been delayed by something. Her place is quite far from here.”
“If you don’t dare to come, then you don’t dare to come. You even gave such a refres.h.i.+ng reason.”
The host stood on stage and announced that the award ceremony would officially begin tonight.
“Thank you, everyone, for partic.i.p.ating in this original composition compet.i.tion to uncover outstanding creative talents… Tonight’s third place is…”
The third contestant was a German. His name was too long, and the audience in Country S did not know much about him. They were only waiting for the first place.
The second place was also announced. It was an American composer.
“The first place is…” The emcee looked at the judges,” Dear judges, have you decided on the candidate? ”
The judges had been troubled by this matter for two days.
Ramos picked up the microphone on behalf of the judges. “In this compet.i.tion, we have discovered s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s creative talent. However, s.h.i.+ Jin’s ability is not to be underestimated either. However, both parties’ tunes have many similarities in terms of style and even specific notes. Therefore, we have yet to determine who will be the champion. In today’s venue, we wanted to let s.h.i.+ Xuexin and s.h.i.+ Jin perform again so that we can determine the best candidate. However…”
Ramos stared helplessly at the empty seat of s.h.i.+jin.
The two of them were playing the same tune, so one of them must have done something despicable.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin came in high profile today and s.h.i.+ Jin was nowhere to be seen. Everyone had already come to a conclusion.
It was a shame, he had wanted to have a good chat with s.h.i.+ Jin.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin raised her head. She knew that her various methods had worked. The information that she had released to the public had frightened s.h.i.+ Jin.
She did not dare to come over personally to compete with her in order to protect her reputation, but how could reputation be so easily preserved?
Ramos continued, “But s.h.i.+ Jin did not come today, so we can only give this award to s.h.i.+ Xuexin directly…”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin stood up while Hu Lai led the applause.
Amidst the applause, s.h.i.+ Xuexin stood on stage.
As a representative, Ramos walked towards s.h.i.+ Xuexin with the trophy.
She was wearing a custom-made outfit and had exquisite makeup on, showing off her gentleness and generosity.
She took the microphone from the emcee and said, “I’ve studied piano and composition for many years. It’s my honor to be able to win this champions.h.i.+p. I also hope that more people will love our cla.s.sical piano music. However, I want to wait for s.h.i.+ Jin. Perhaps she will come?”
The emcee said, “It’s almost time. There’s still one more minute. If she doesn’t come, this award will have nothing to do with her.”
“Then I’ll wait for her for another minute.” s.h.i.+ Xuexin smiled.
She wanted to win fair and square. She wanted to use the loudest slap on s.h.i.+ Jin’s face.
“s.h.i.+ Xuexin, do you think that the dispute between you and s.h.i.+ Jin will end the moment you pick up the trophy?”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin said with a smile, “Definitely. Composing is a very personal matter. It’s the condensation of one’s own hard work. However, when hard work becomes a published piece, it belongs to everyone and the entire world. All hard work cannot be sullied, nor can it be tainted by the superficial glory of the mortal world.”
Her words were clearly belittling s.h.i.+ Jin.
Chu Ling stood below the stage and smiled at her.
As s.h.i.+ Xuexin looked at his gentle eyes, her heart began to beat faster. Waves of it pounded against her heart.
The clock on the screen was still moving forward.
In just a few seconds, s.h.i.+ Jin would be nailed to the pillar of shame of history.
Today, the beautiful livestream would also record her actions.
s.h.i.+ Jin, she retreated.
As the clock approached and s.h.i.+ Xuexin was about to reach out to take the trophy, the door opened and s.h.i.+ Jin, who was dressed in a long black dress, appeared before everyone.
Her skin was so fair that it was as if she had a natural glow. The black dress did not suppress her clear and dazzling white skin. Instead, it made her even more conspicuous.
The lights that were originally reserved for the contestants were suddenly switched on, enhancing her arrival.