Zhu Xiyang opened the list which contained the information Liu Man and Li Xiaoru first reported to him, confirmed it again, and explained to Wei Wanru, “The program they submitted is a trio of piano and Guzhen, and there is nothing wrong with the report.”

“But on the stage is indeed a Guqin, not a Guzhen,” echoed other professors in the folksong majors, and they were also surprised, “Could it be that they changed the instrument midway? Why didn’t they inform Professor Zhu in advance? The difference between a Guzhen and a Guqin is still quite big.”

“Two people with three instruments. Do they think this performance is a child’s play?” Wei Wanru scolded.

Zhu Xiyang was afraid of her anger and said quickly, “I will cancel their qualifications now.”

“Isn’t it too late to cancel it? They are all on the stage. Is it even possible to chase them off the stage? Oh, how decent is it to let the audience see a joke.”

Wei Wanru’s remarks made all the judges have no interest in this piece, and they even started to disgust it.

There was only one professor in the piano department, who vaguely remembered that Liu Man seemed to have mentioned during the piano examination that she knew how to play the Guqin, but the professor was not sure about her memory, so she didn’t say a word.

The concert hall had always been a high-tiered place, and listening to music concerts was also a compelling pastime. The audience was generally a high-quality crowd. At the beginning of the show, everyone knew they should keep quiet to show respect for the performers.

But at this moment, when it was Liu Man and Li Xiaoru’s turn to play, the audience was still noisy. The two girls walked to the front of the stage in such an environment. Li Xiaoru pressed her right hand onto her chest and gave the audience a gentle bow with her left hand lifting her dress’s hem. Bowing was a standard and professional gesture commonly used by a pianist to show respect to their audience.

Liu Man put her hands together on her chest, bent her knees slightly, and had a faint smile on her face. She looked just like the ancient ladies, calm and dignified.

Under the spotlight, the two girls were undoubtedly beautiful.

Everyone had the instinct to look at pretty. Even if one of them was already notorious, everyone still got attracted to her face. The whispering gradually subsided, and the audience was finally willing to calm down. Everyone looked at the Hanfu Goddess and her companion, wondering how exactly they were planning on pulling this off.

Everyone thought that the song “Butterfly Lovers” would be played with each of them on a piano. However, they surprisingly discovered that Liu Man was walking directly to the “Guzhen” in the center.

And Li Xiaoru walked to the piano on the left.

The two sat down in front of their respective instruments. Liu Man raised her hands and placed them on the strings. She turned her head to face Li Xiaoru’s eyes, and Li Xiaoru nodded gently.

Within the next second, a low and ethereal note leaped from Liu Man’s fingertips.

“Butterfly Lovers” was a famous song; everyone is familiar with it. However, Liu Man’s “Butterfly Lovers” actually sounded unfamiliar to most of the people there.

There was no music score on the table. Liu Man played purely by memory while also combining her thoughts with it. The elegant and quiet tone of a Guqin could not be as crisp and cheerful as a Guzhen or a violin, so the prelude of the bright spring and the fragrance of birds and flowers was performed impressively by Liu Man, bring everyone into a silent and far away world.

The audience was also quite cooperative, so it was silent. No one was speaking, and everyone was staring at the girl in the center of the stage.

Liu Man’s back was very straight, and it wasn’t tilting at all. Her knees were naturally brought together, her feet were flat on the ground, and her loose but not messy hair drifted appropriately with the melody. It was conceivable that she must have been carefully taught the posture of “caressing” the Guqin. She received a restrained education and developed an elegant temperament.

The prelude was short, and as the last note ended, Li Xiaoru’s piano sounded immediately.

Li Xiaoru played the main melody, which was also the most important part. Her piano skills were great. The melodious melody, the high-quality sound, and the story that had been passed down through the ages made everyone see two butterflies, playing and chasing each other on the piano, in a trance.

The black of Li Xiaoru’s dress seems to blend with the black of the piano. It was luxurious and elegant. At this moment, her talent made her seem as beautiful as jade and made her shine brightly.

Would Wang Nina still dare to say that such a Li Xiaoru was an ugly girl?

When everyone was paying attention to Li Xiaoru, Liu Man sat quietly in front of the piano. When they realized and relive that, Liu Man’s piano had already merged with Li Xiaoru’s playing.

The lower part she played was still soothing and deep, neutralizing Li Xiaoru’s lightness and softness. The two people’s piano sounds were intertwined, and they gradually introduced the melody to the climax, as if the duo’s sincere and pure friendship was constantly deepening and sublimating.

At this moment, Liu Man’s piano sound stopped abruptly. She got up and walked back to the Guqin quickly, sat down, and started “caressing” it once again. Li Xiaoru’s performance did not stop and continued.

This time, Liu Man used the Guqin as Li Xiaoru’s accompaniment. The combination of Chinese and Western instruments did not feel abrupt but felt very harmonious, surprisingly.

The connection between the Guqin and the piano contrasted with the two completely different tones more vivid. It was just like an ancient and elegant girl from afar holding hands with a modern and colorful girl while dancing together. They inexplicably touched everyone’s soul, and some viewers even wanted to cry.

If Li Xiaoru was a western oil painting with bright colors, then Liu Man was a Chinese light-colored water-color painting.

At this stage, Liu Man made the unpopular Guqin have the same status as the popular piano, and her simple and monotonous Guqin sound had not been suppressed by the majestic piano sound at all. They were equal.

The melody soon came to an end. Li Xiaoru’s piano sound gradually became softer and softer until it finally disappeared. Only Liu Man’s pure Guqin sound echoed in the whole hall.

In the artistic mood she created, the dancing girls turned into butterflies, and the butterflies flew higher and higher, flying into a world where only them were a flower. She was immersed in her artistic scene, and she showed a faint smile, which was stunningly beautiful.

The audience was still silent, and nobody realized that their performance was over. The audience felt that five minutes passed so quickly! Why didn’t they get ten or even twenty minutes to perform?!

Liu Man and Li Xiaoru walked to the front of the stage again. Facing the audience, Li Xiaoru thanked and bowed at everyone, while Liu Man bent her knees to respect the audience. She looked up at the warm yellow halo of the spotlight above her head.

Before, her Guqin could only be played in the cold palace for herself, Madam Xu, Little Zhao, and a group of grieving women and servants. Now, she could finally stand on a stage openly and show everyone the sound of her Guqin.

She felt happy and appreciated this opportunity that God granted her.

Every audience in the hall stood up, replying to their performance with thunder-like applauding, which seemed as if it never ended.

Even when the two girls had already left the stage, the applauding continued. Everyone was astonished by their performance and could not forget it for a long, long time.

Translated by: Sydney