As the name suggested, the entire dress named Huai’an was white. This white Hanfu suit was completely inconsistent with the cheap white Hanfu that Liu Man wore when she met Coco.

It was a real piece of ancient Chinese clothing. The whiteness of it was very upright. It was the whiteness of cotton and linen, not the pure whiteness of modern fabrics. If one studied it closely, they could see the position of the placket and skirt were embroidered with silk. The petals of the locust blossoms were very lifelike. What was more beautiful was that when the lights hit the locust blossoms’ petals, the petals would turn into a shade of very, very light green.

Green and white were both comforting colors. Perhaps this was why the designer named it “Huai’an”.

Liu Man finished changing, Tao Zhiyao clapped for her, “The Hanfu Goddess is here again!”

“White fits you,” Li Xiaoru smiled.

Didn’t Liu Man get famous in a white Hanfu back then?

However, in this place, Shen Mozhen was the protagonist, Liu Man was the supporting role. The clothes are very fashionable, so Miao Xiaomei diluted Liu Man’s make-up and only put on foundation and a blush that matched her skin tone to make her look more uniformed in the spotlight. The hair Miao Xiaomei combed for Liu Man was also a relatively simple bun, not as complicated as last time.

After Miao Xiaomei was finished with Liu Man, the performance of Shen Mozhen and Wen Fangfei had already begun.

The two of them performed a Guzheng duet, “Everlasting Longing”.

This song was modified from Bai Juyi’s famous poem, “Everlasting Longing”: “Waters of Bian flow, waters of Si flow, flow to the old ferry of Guachow, the hills in Wu bow in sorrow. My longing seems to grow, my grieving seems to grow, grow until comes back my yokefellow, we lean on the rail in moonglow.”

TL’s Note: Credits to Afezeria and rialm for helping us with translating this poem. ❤

Wen Fangfei began the piece with her solo.

Because of professor Su’s high-pressure learning style, Liu Man not only knew the life of Bai Juyi, she also memorized this poem. But she had never heard of this piece before.

It was no surprise that Wen Fangfei had skills in Guzheng, considering her being Shen Mozhen’s Junior. Liu Man had already known of her talent in previous rehearsals.

In Wen Fangfei’s melody, Liu Man could hear the melancholy and homesickness. She was portraying the same emotions as the poem.

After Wen Fangfei finished her part, Shen Mozhen was next. When her melody started, Liu Man’s eyes lit up.

Liu Man could hear the difference between the two. The grievance was still the grievance, but no matter how affectionate, no matter how lonely, no matter how farewell hurt, it would be in the breeze.

Shen Mozhen was on a whole different level than Wen Fangfei!

Maybe this was why Shen Mozhen got praised as the Folk Song Goddess. Her talent and savvy were unparalleled by anyone.

After the piece, there was another burst of applause from the audience.

Shen Mozhen and Wen Fangfei both stood up and bowed.

Wen Fangfei left the stage from the left side, and Shen Mozhen looked to the right, smiling. She made a welcoming gesture.

The screen showed the last piece of tonight, “‘Mountain Stream’, Guzheng: Shen Mozhen, Guqin: Liu Man.”

The auditorium, which had always been solemn and quiet, had low whispers of surprise and discussion at this moment.

Everyone was discussing: “Is it the Liu Man?”

In the Capital Music University, how many Liu Man’s could there be?

When Liu Man walked out from backstage towards Shen Mozhen, the audience was shocked.

It is that Liu Man?!

There was only one Liu Man who could play the Guqin.

But weren’t they rivals in love? Shen Mozhen was willing to invite her to partner up in performance? Everyone was very surprised.

Most of the audience have heard Liu Man’s Guqin performance of “Butterfly Lovers” and were very impressed with her. At the same time, they had expectations for the piece, “Mountain Stream”.

But in the audience, Wei Wanru, whose heart was upset these days, suddenly became energetic. She sat upright and leaned forward slightly, seeming to be a little excited. Next to her, Shen Mozhen’s father also known as the famous composer, Shen Heng, asked her curiously, “Who is this child? You seem to be very excited to see her.”

Shen Mozhen’s mother, the famous Yangqin player, Yun Sa, was puzzled as well. They were all elegant musicians and rarely paid any attention to things on the internet. However, Shen Mozhen had told them that she had broken up with Tang Tu, but she did not mention Liu Man.

“She’s a genius and can even best your daughter,” Wei Wanru smiled mysteriously, “you’ll see when you hear her playing ‘Mountain Stream’”.

Shen Heng and Yun Sa were very surprised. Wei Wanru cherished her words like gold and was strict and rigorous as a teacher. Even their daughter rarely received compliments as high as this. How good was this girl?

Shen Mozhen only changed twice during the concert; first before the big ensemble, then when performing with Wen Fanfei.

Her Hanfu was white on the top half and light orange on the bottom, and it suited her kind personality. The professional stylist also gave her a retro Han Dynasty hair bun, with a delicate make-up that Miao Xiaomei disliked so much.

The two girls stood together, both wearing beautiful Hanfus, both were young and beautiful, and both had classical elegance in them. Their temperament looked similar but was actually completely different.

Shen Mozhen’s temperament was purer. She was a professional and sophisticated artist, while Liu Man’s temperament was mysterious. She had a sense of literature and art. Literature and art were usually associated with refreshing musicians, but her temperament could match the atmosphere equated with nobility.

The two sat in front of their respective instruments.

Shen Mozhen’s fingers moved, and she started playing first.

They had rehearsed beforehand with a clear division of parts. Shen Mozhen was in charge of the main theme, while Liu Man performed the variation.

“Mountain Stream” was a piece every Guzheng student had to know, but very few could play out the true meaning of the piece.

Shen Mozhen had played “Mountain Stream” many times before, and her version was highly praised on by her teachers, parents, and classmates. Now, she was only performing it again.

But in truth, she wasn’t in great condition to play. Shen Mozhen was only 22 years old, this was her first solo concert in her life, of course, she couldn’t last the whole performance in prime condition.

Unlike before, when she only needed to play one or two pieces, and she could exit the stage perfectly, now she was playing for one and a half hours continuously. It was also completely different from the usual rehearsal. She was facing thousands of audiences. Among these audiences, some of them were broadcasting live on their mobile phones. She was under a lot of pressure and needed a high level of concentration. Playing the musical instrument itself required a high level of concentration as well, and normal people would’ve been exhausted at this point.

When she was playing with Wen Fangfei, Shen Mozhen was already on the brink of collapsing since she had already passed her limits.

Now, she was playing with Liu Man. She occasionally looked as if she went into a trance, and she accidentally played one or two notes wrong, but she quickly realized the problem and corrected it immediately. Most people could not hear her mistake at all.

Translated by: Yutong/Puppxteer

Edited by: Sydney