Ever since Maestro Liu Wei got unofficially banned from most of the country's major concert halls and high society events, he took solace from the classical music community. Even though his connections to high society were stripped away from him, he remained an influential figure in the country's classical music scene. He was still Maestro Liu Wei, after all.
At the request of a long-time friend who was the president of a private music academy, Maestro Liu Wei guested as a special one-time lecturer. Almost all the students and the instructors attended, so it was a big event. The lecture was scheduled on the same night as when the latest episode of "A Closer Look with Feng Jiu" aired.
Of course he was aware that Iris Long's interview would be airing. He wanted to watch it, but since he had an earlier commitment with the music academy, watching the interview had to wait.
There was also something bothering him for the past few days. Two of his students suddenly stopped coming to see him. He also couldn't contact them. He asked around and it seemed that the two returned to their hometowns. He was feeling a bit peeved because the two didn't even inform him. Was it that difficult to send him a text message?
Putting the matter of his students aside, Maestro Liu Wei successfully completed his lecture at the academy. He was gathering his notes from the lectern on the stage when he heard some disturbance arising from the students who had yet to leave from their seats in the audience. Almost all of them were looking at their phones, tablets and laptops.
A disapproving frown appeared on his face. Young people these days just didn't have the same discipline as his generation. He, the lecturer, hadn't even left yet and they were already acting like monkeys let loose in the jungle.
After a few moments, he realized that something was amiss. Why were they whispering to each other while looking at him? Why did it feel like they were mocking him?
He scowled, intending to complain to his long-time friend. As the president, he should discipline the students of his music academy and teach them how to respect their elders. He was about to leave the stage when some of the conversations reached his ears.
"I really didn't think much of Iris Long before, but now I think that she's very impressive. It seems that she has a close relationship with Maestro De Luca based on their conversation during the video call. Even our own maestros in this country can't boast such a level of familiarity with him. I'm also very surprised that she can speak fluent Italian."
"Exactly. If she didn't perform with Maestro De Luca at his concert in Germany, I don't think we'll even know that she's such a talented classical pianist. That 'Toccata' was insane! I think she played it better than my professor."
'Don't make me laugh,' he sneered.
Then he heard something that made him stop in his tracks.
"I agree with what Maestro De Luca said. Music, be it classical or not, shouldn't have any borders. As classical music students or professionals, our training or skills shouldn't be a reason for us to discriminate against others when it comes to music."
"Uwah. This is so embarrassing. If I were Maestro Liu Wei and a world-renowned figure like Maestro De Luca called me out on national television, I wouldn't have any face left to show the world. I'll probably hide inside my house and never come out until I die."
"Sssh! Look at him. It looks like he doesn't know what happened yet."
What were they talking about? Maestro Liu Wei was very confused. Although he didn't yet understand what was going on, something was telling him that it wasn't anything good. A sense of dread started to weigh heavily on his chest, especially at the mention of Maestro De Luca.
Finally, his long-time friend and the music instructors came to him, handing him a tablet. It showed several video snippets of Iris Long's interview with Feng Jiu.
His complexion turned paler and paler the more video snippets he watched. So this was the reason why his two students suddenly disappeared! Those rascals! Their presence in the show only worsened his image to the public, especially since Maestro De Luca appeared in a video call immediately afterwards.
Then he watched the videos of Iris' two performances at Maestro De Luca's orchestra concert.
Despite his feelings of animosity towards Iris Long, he was still a classical musician at the end of the day. Her masterful interpretations of Schumann's two pieces impressed him. Based on what he watched, she was definitely on a different league from any of his own students.
A group of students sitting in front of the audience walked near the stage. They looked at Maestro Liu Wei, the academy president and the instructors. Barely concealed scorn could be seen from their expressions.
"Maestro Liu Wei, Iris Long is a great and talented pianist. Why are you so critical of her? As far as we know, she never did anything to you."
"I—"
He was about to defend himself and say that Iris used her family's influence to suppress him but stopped. He thought about the situation more carefully. He didn't have any evidence for his accusation. If he continued to badmouth her, he would just project himself to others as a petty and spiteful person.
A young female beside the guy who just spoke up stepped forward and curled her lips in disdain. "Hmph! I respect your achievements as a classical musician but as a person, you suck, Maestro Liu Wei! So unlike our Boss Iris who's beautiful in and out. Not to mention she's very talented as a musician. And yes, in classical music too!"
"Yeah, Boss Iris is the best! Aren't you ashamed that someone you're criticizing has been acknowledged by Maestro De Luca himself? It's disgraceful that Europe appreciates her talents but her own countrymen do nothing but pull her down. I feel so bad for her!"
The others in the group nodded their heads in agreement.
"Shush! The academy president and the instructors are in front of us," another guy scolded his companions. He looked up at Maestro Liu Wei's group and bowed apologetically. Then he pulled his companions out of the place while continuing to scold them. "Are you all nuts? Do you want to be kicked out?"
It turned out that this group of classical music students were all Black Stars. If it wasn't mandatory for them to attend Maestro Liu Wei's lecture, they wouldn't even bother attending. Not only because they had bad feelings against the maestro for criticizing their boss, but also because they would rather watch the interview with Feng Jiu than listen to the maestro's boring lecture.
As for Maestro Liu Wei, he felt mortified after the scene with the students. He could feel the mocking eyes of the surrounding people stabbing at him.
"Old Wei, don't worry. I'll make sure to punish those students and discipline them," his friend told him.
"No need," he said in a stiff tone, shaking his head. "I'm tired. If you'll excuse me, I'll head home now."
His friend sighed and then patted his shoulder. "Alright. I'll walk you to your car."
An hour later, Maestro Liu Wei sat in his living room watching the full interview of Iris Long on his laptop. He tried contacting his two students many times but it seemed that they blocked him.
He felt furious and humiliated. He cursed Iris Long, Maestro De Luca, his two students, and all the people mocking him. He began to hate Iris even more now.
Many times he watched the part where Maestro De Luca spoke about music. Gradually, his fury and hatred transformed into self-reflection and then shame.
Maestro De Luca's words struck a chord in him. His pride of being a celebrated national maestro made him forget the essence of his passion for music. He had been blinded by all the recognition and awards he received earlier in his career. Now he realized that he had become too cocky.
This was enough. He already fell from grace.
He wouldn't allow himself to fall even further because of his pride. His reputation in the classical music world was in tatters now, but no matter what, he was still a maestro. It was a fact that he made a lot of contributions to the country's classical music world throughout the years. Nobody could take that away from him.
"I guess it's time to retire," he sighed in a sad and regretful tone. "Seems like my time is really up. It's time for the next generation to take over. Iris Long, I'll be watching you. Let's see how high you'll ascend or whether you're really worthy of Maestro De Luca's acknowledgement."