Chapter 405: If You Don’t Believe Me, Can You Not Believe Jade?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“s.h.i.+ Jin is here!”
“Daughter is finally here!”
“Compete! Compete on the spot!”
“Judges, the compet.i.tion you want is here again.”
“s.h.i.+ Jin must have come prepared.”
On the stage, s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s breathing suddenly became hurried. Her nostrils flared as she let out rapid breaths.
No, impossible!
She clenched her fists and calmed herself down. It was impossible for s.h.i.+ Jin to have any evidence.
Her score had been found in the s.h.i.+ family mansion and had been modified. It had nothing to do with s.h.i.+ Jin. Those were all hers. How could s.h.i.+ Jin turn the tables?
s.h.i.+ Xuexin smiled as she looked in s.h.i.+ Jin’s direction. Her emotions quickly calmed down.
Chu Ling frowned slightly. He looked in s.h.i.+ Jin’s direction and raised his eyebrows at her.
After a brief moment of silence, there was a commotion.
“I made it, so is the compet.i.tion still taking place?” s.h.i.+ Jin said in Ramos’ direction.
The interpreter immediately relayed the message.
“Of course you can.” Ramos put away the trophy and said, “s.h.i.+ Jin, forgive me for being blunt, but we have reason to believe that the song you played is the same song s.h.i.+ Xuexin played. It’s just that both of you have modified it. There are some things that we didn’t say explicitly, but this compet.i.tion is an original composition compet.i.tion. We need the two of you to prove that the song was created by yourself. If you can’t prove it, then I’m sorry, but the champion can only belong to the other party.”
He did not mention the word plagiarism and he didn’t say anything about theft. However, the person who couldn’t prove herself was destined to be humiliated tonight.
“How can we prove that?”
“It’s so difficult.”
“s.h.i.+ Xuexin has s.h.i.+ Baozhi’s support and the recording of her alb.u.m, can it prove that she is the original?”
The comments were buzzing.
Everyone present also made similar comments.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin picked up the microphone and said, “I have the VCR as evidence. I have been composing this score since two years ago. My aunt is a pianist. I have shown her my piece many times.”
The VCR was brought up and placed in front of everyone.
Pianists often recorded videos that were not edited in order to send a recording to partic.i.p.ate in the preliminary rounds of compet.i.tions that were inconvenient for them.
It was also to correct some of their bad habits.
Previously, s.h.i.+ Jin had sent a video to partic.i.p.ate in the preliminary round.
Regarding this point, those watching the livestream knew about it. The video that s.h.i.+ Xuexin had taken out also had a date to prove it. Furthermore, s.h.i.+ Baozhi was the witness. It was very difficult for s.h.i.+ Jin to defend herself.
s.h.i.+ Jin’s fans were worried for her.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin said, “I can also perform live again.”
There was a piano at the venue. She did as she said and immediately played the song with deep emotions.
s.h.i.+ Jin stood at the side of the stage and looked at s.h.i.+ Xuexin coldly.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin felt her hair stand on end. However, s.h.i.+ Xuexin still raised her head to look at s.h.i.+ Jin. She was not afraid!
After s.h.i.+ Xuexin finished playing, s.h.i.+ Jin took over the microphone. The moment she opened her mouth, she spoke in fluent Polish without needing any translation!
“Dear judges, Mr. Ramos, s.h.i.+ Xuexin previously told you that this song is called ‘Not Sad’, right? Then, I can also tell you that this song is actually called ‘Ode to Music’. It’s a light and simple song.”
Everyone present knew how to play the piano, so they exploded. “Impossible! This song has nothing to do with being light and fast.”
“That’s right, there’s a hint of sadness in it.”
“That’s right. It’s the kind of low emotion that you have to suppress your sadness. How is it light-hearted?”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin also said seriously, “s.h.i.+ Jin, don’t spout nonsense. This piano piece did not express such emotions.”
“No?” s.h.i.+ Jin asked.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin had a moment of self-doubt when she was looked at with such clear and calm eyes. However, she had played this song many times and thought that she understood it very well, so she quickly became determined. “No.”
“No matter what method you use to express yourself?” s.h.i.+ Jin continued to ask. Her tone was neither high nor low, as if she was just having a casual conversation. However, that sense of oppression came straight at her.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin gulped. “No!”
“Are you sure?”
“Why can’t I be sure of my own creation? I’ve already said that I wrote this song when I left my hometown. I couldn’t hide the difficulties and sadness in my heart, so I wrote this song. I can’t feel happy about leaving my family!” s.h.i.+ Xuexin did not want to be tricked by s.h.i.+ Jin, so her att.i.tude was exceptionally firm.
“Good, very good.” s.h.i.+ Jin raised her eyes and walked towards the piano.
Ramos looked at s.h.i.+ Jin with interest. “What do you mean?”
“Everyone, listen to my song and you’ll know.” s.h.i.+ Jin sat down and started playing.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin clenched her fists.
Everyone looked at her expectantly and p.r.i.c.ked up their ears, afraid to miss any sound.
Then, everyone heard a song that was completely different from s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s performance during the compet.i.tion.
It was light and fast, but it was two songs!
Although the standard, capability, and infectious tune that s.h.i.+ Jin played were indeed very strong, what was the point of talking about a different tune?
“What’s going on? Is s.h.i.+ Jin messing with us?”
“Is she afraid and deliberately trying to mislead us?”
“Stop, stop, stop. What’s going on?”
After s.h.i.+ Jin finished playing, there was more discussion.
Ramos’ pupils dilated. “This…”
“That’s right, Mr. Ramos. I’m playing the song that s.h.i.+ Xuexin named ‘Not Sad’. Actually, it should have been called ‘Ode to Music’. The reason why everyone sounds different is because when I played it the opposite way. From the last note to the first note. In other words, ‘Not Sad’ itself was played backwards.”
When s.h.i.+ Jin said that, the experienced organizing committee immediately enlarged the score between her and s.h.i.+ Xuexin to compare.
The audio graphics from when the two of them were playing were placed in front of everyone. They could clearly see that the one song was the opposite version of the other.
“This… is really the opposite!”
“So the song was composed by s.h.i.+ Jin?”
“It turns out that this song has such a mystery. Normally, it’s a slightly sad main tune, but backwards, it’s a light and charming tune.”
“So it’s s.h.i.+ Xuexin that plagiarized!”
“The two of them lived under the same roof. It’s really easy to get their hands on each other’s things.”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s face turned pale as she immediately shook her head. “You discovered the mystery behind my melody, so you specially used it…”
“You’ve been practicing for more than two years, composing your own piece. You’ve been working on it for hundreds of days and nights, but you haven’t discovered anything special. I just saw it, and I’ve already discovered the mystery?” s.h.i.+ Jin looked at her with a faint smile.
“Who knows if you got my tune early on? You used to live with me and have a chance at any time,” s.h.i.+ Xuexin denied.
The fans who were watching the video suddenly fell silent.
Only Wei Zai could not help but say loudly, “s.h.i.+ Jin is being unreasonable. What’s the point?”
Someone went forward and pressed him down. “Calm down, let’s finish watching first.”
Gu Jingyuan looked indifferent and did not say anything.
Wei Zai sat down again.
On the other hand, Gla.s.ses Boy was very worried and had sweaty palms. He had heard of the piano piece composed by s.h.i.+ Xuexin before. It was really not bad. Although he was not professional and could not tell how outstanding it was, he knew that s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s tune could move him.
Good music had no standards. If it could move people, people would go crazy and pay for it.
s.h.i.+ Jin’s songs were similar to s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s. He was especially worried about s.h.i.+ Jin’s situation.
s.h.i.+ Jin nodded and raised her eyebrows slightly. “In that case, do you know the meaning behind that song in the semi-finals? Do you know that that song can also be played backwards? Do you know that that song can mix the scores of both hands and form a new song?”
When s.h.i.+ Jin was speaking, her hands did not leave the piano at all. Instead, she used her left and right hands to adjust the music score. Indeed, everyone could hear the tune from her performance in the semi-finals, but it was different. This change was extremely interesting.
Many people had their mouths agape. So piano scores could be played in this way.
When it came to other people, all the notes had to be placed strictly in every place. Everyone had their own place and eventually formed a tune. However, on s.h.i.+ Jin’s side, it was like a building block owned by a child. It could change endlessly and build different things.
s.h.i.+ Jin then looked at s.h.i.+ Xuexin and said with a smile, “There’s also a song in the CD that you recorded. It sounds like this, right?”
She immediately played that song.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s face turned increasingly pale.
“Did you know that there was such a transformation in that song?” s.h.i.+ Jin’s notes changed and the style became completely different, but the tune was still the same.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin subconsciously took a few steps back.
After s.h.i.+ Jin finished playing one song after another, the audience was already in an uproar.
The discussions were all in Polish, but when s.h.i.+ Xuexin was mentioned, they were filled with contempt and coldness.
Chu Ling’s expression turned ugly. He had been caught in the plagiarism crisis previously and had tried his best to get himself out of it. He did not want to hear anything related to this word. And now, all he could hear was this. He was disgusted.
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Hu Lai pressed his hand down. “Many eyes are looking at you. You can’t leave in anger.”
Chu Ling forced himself to sit down again.
Hu Lai looked in s.h.i.+ Baozhi’s direction. Jade should be arriving soon. As long as Jade spoke up for s.h.i.+ Xuexin, the situation would definitely be salvaged.
s.h.i.+ Baozhi had already contacted her old friend in Poland, who agreed to introduce her to Jade.
She heard that Jade was attending the award ceremony of the Chopin Award and would be here soon.
Hu Lai placed her hopes on Jade. s.h.i.+ Xuexin also placed her hopes on Jade. She looked in s.h.i.+ Baozhi’s direction. These scores were not copied from s.h.i.+ Jin!
She had found it at home. She had even modified it many times to make it more suitable for the performance and more grand. What did it have to do with s.h.i.+ Jin? What right did s.h.i.+ Jin have to s.n.a.t.c.h her things?
“Jade, do you know about Jade? s.h.i.+ Jin, even Jade has verified my score! What makes you think that all of this is yours? I created all of this. You are just playing tricks here and putting everyone in your trap.”
Although she had yet to see Jade, s.h.i.+ Xuexin could not be bothered anymore and brought him out.
Everyone looked at her, not knowing who to believe. After all, it was Jade, the champion of Chopin International Piano Compet.i.tion.
If even he was on s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s side, s.h.i.+ Jin’s scheme would be exposed.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin looked down the stage. “Auntie, am I right? Jade will come over and he will prove it for me! Don’t tell me everyone doesn’t believe Jade’s words?”
The comments also formed two completely opposite sides. However, compared to s.h.i.+ Xuexin, s.h.i.+ Jin still had more people standing.
Everyone was waiting to see what Jade would say!
“Where is Jade?”
“Where is he?”
Everyone in the bullet screen couldn’t wait any longer.
Everyone was waiting, looking around, antic.i.p.ating his arrival. Everyone looked towards the entrance.
A lot of people remembered that tonight was also the Chopin Awards ceremony.
That was a world-cla.s.s music award. It was the most prestigious award, and it was also the undisputed king of awards.
Due to the partic.i.p.ation of celebrities and a series of hype, everyone’s attention was focused on the Ivy League compet.i.tion, causing everyone to be unaware of the Chopin award situation.
“Xuexin, you said Jade is coming, where is he?” the host asked.
A faint smile appeared on s.h.i.+ Jin’s lips.
She crossed her arms and looked at s.h.i.+ Xuexin. She raised her eyebrows slightly. “You said that Jade will come over, right?”
“Yes, of course he will come, and his mentor too. They will clear my name. They will tell the world that you just want to play with piano skills and want to take my things. s.h.i.+ Jin, such a thing will never happen. I may not be as good as you in terms of skills, but in terms of character, I dare say that there is nothing wrong with me.”
s.h.i.+ Xuexin threw caution to the wind when she realized that s.h.i.+ Jin had not produced any crucial evidence after going on stage for so long.
s.h.i.+ Jin was able to convince everyone with her glib tongue, so why couldn’t she? Moreover, her aunt had repeatedly promised her that Jade would be there today. He was introduced to her by her aunt’s friend, so how could he not speak up for her?
Everyone below the stage seemed to have been convinced.
The fans watching the livestream also felt relieved. However, there was no change in s.h.i.+ Jin’s expression. He said, “Do you think that Jade will clear your name?”
“Yes!” s.h.i.+ Xue said firmly.
“You think he can prove these things are your original creations?”
“Of course!” s.h.i.+ Xuexin immediately responded.
She said loudly, “If you don’t believe me, how can you not believe Jade?”
“Very good…” s.h.i.+ Jin looked at the crowd and said in fluent Polish,” Everyone, I’m sorry that I’m late for the ceremony today. I made everyone wait for a long time because I was receiving the award at the Chopin Award Ceremony. I apologize on behalf of myself—Jade.”
s.h.i.+ Jin’s words were fluent and smooth.
After she finished speaking, the audience erupted.
“Jade! So s.h.i.+ Jin is Jade!”
“In other words, the winner of the five-year Chopin Award is s.h.i.+ Jin!”
Everyone started talking in Polish.
As s.h.i.+ Xuexin did not understand Polish, she did not know what had happened.
Compared to the Chopin Award, this award was nothing.
The host was also very surprised. “You are Jade?”
“I am. My name, Jin, means jade. Jade is me, I am Jade.”
“Welcome, welcome. Welcome to today’s venue.” The host was so excited that he was incoherent.
As for what s.h.i.+ Xuexin said about Jade being able to clear her name, it sounded like a joke to everyone.
She did not even know who Jade was and she dared to boast. Who would believe her other words?
This was especially so for the professionals present. The value of the Chopin Award was completely different from the award in front of them.
When Chu Ling heard the interpreter’s words, he could no longer sit still. His eyes were cold as he looked at s.h.i.+ Xuexin on the stage.
Hu Lai also felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She asked s.h.i.+ Baozhi, “Teacher s.h.i.+, what’s going on?”
s.h.i.+ Baozhi had a lot of prestige in the country, but in Warsaw, her piano skills were not enough for her to come into contact with the judges, contestants, and experienced senior pianists of the Chopin Award.
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She had indeed contacted her friend and asked them to introduce her to Jade. The other party had also agreed to help her as much as possible. When the time came, she would even get Jade and s.h.i.+ Xuexin to work together. However, she had never expected that Jade would be s.h.i.+ Jin and s.h.i.+ Jin would be Jade.
When s.h.i.+ Jin heard the news, she must have been secretly laughing at them.
At the thought of herself becoming a laughing stock, s.h.i.+ Baozhi’s expression turned ugly as though she had been splashed with paint.
Hu Lai saw the look on her face and knew it was going to be hard to fix.
Chu Ling could no longer watch on. He stood up and left.
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Hu Lai immediately followed Chu Ling. “Chu Ling, Chu Ling!”
Chu Ling had long disappeared.
Hu Lai immediately made an international call. “Is it too late to take back s.h.i.+ Xuexin’s original piano composition CDs?”
“Sister Lai, what kind of joke is this? These CDs are already produced. The cost of 200,000 CDs exceeds 3 million yuan. We haven’t even calculated the production and distribution costs. How can we take it back?”
On the stage, s.h.i.+ Xuexin had a blank look on her face. The translator kindly translated s.h.i.+ Jin’s words into words so that s.h.i.+ Xuexin could understand.
s.h.i.+ Xuexin suddenly widened her eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared at s.h.i.+ Jin blankly and hatefully.
“You are Jade? Why are you Jade?” Her voice was dry and bitter. It was so unpleasant that it did not sound human.
Why didn’t anyone tell her this? Wasn’t Jade a boy? Even Sheng Tian had confirmed this! Why would Sheng Tian lie to her? Why? Was s.h.i.+ Jin doing this on purpose? She was doing this on purpose!
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