Chapter 072: I Am the Chosen One, and I Am the only One
Lin Lang replied, "Mengyao, you're right. We can't underestimate Li Yundi."
"As far as I know, Li Yundi participated in the 5th Liszt International Piano Competition in the Netherlands last year and achieved an excellent third place. In the same year, he won third place in the 2nd China International Piano Competition."
"This year, Li Yundi, this kid, is poised to win the Master Cup and become famous in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, his opponent is me, Lin Lang, humph humph~"
"If Zhou Yu was born, why was Zhuge Liang born?!"
"I, Lin Lang, am Zhuge Liang, restraining Li Yundi, that old Zhou Yu, and firmly suppressing him, making him uncomfortable." Lin Lang had a mischievous smile.
Zhou Mengyao laughed after hearing him, "If you are Zhuge Liang, then who am I?"
Lin Lang jokingly replied, "If I am Zhuge Liang, then you are naturally Huang Yueying!"
(Huang Yueying was Zhuge Liang's wife.)
"I don't want to be Ugly Huang! This young lady is so beautiful. If I were born in the Three Kingdoms period, Diao Chan would have nothing on me!" Zhou Mengyao stuck out her tongue playfully and smiled.
"If I really transmigrated to become Zhuge Liang, I would take his place, execute the useless A'dou, directly declare myself emperor and ascend the throne, and snatch you, this beauty even more stunning than Diao Chan, to be my wife."
Zhou Mengyao also semi-jokingly said, "You haven't transmigrated to become Zhuge Liang, but you can still snatch me to be your wife now!"
"Uh... can I really snatch you to be my wife?" Lin Lang scratched his head with an awkward smile.
Zhou Mengyao playfully replied, "How will you know if you don't try?!"
Before Lin Lang and Zhou Mengyao could continue to probe each other on the ambiguous edge, Li Yundi, who was performing on stage, had already finished his piece, a selection from the piano piece "Feux Follets," earning enthusiastic applause from the audience.
AI generated a beautiful image of Zhou Mengyao.
Without any surprise.
Li Yundi successfully advanced to the quarter-finals.
The lowest score from the five judges on site was 8.5 points, ensuring his undisputed advancement to the quarter-finals.
In fact, among the five professional judges, three praised Li Yundi's piano performance, calling him a genius pianist and a strong contender for the championship.
Li Yundi was delighted upon hearing this, his nose bubbling with joy. After bowing in thanks, he walked off the stage, unable to hide his happiness.
Zhou Mengyao reminded him, "Lin Lang, you're next to perform on stage. Are you nervous?"
Lin Lang joked, "My name is Not Nervous."
"Hehe..." Zhou Mengyao pursed her lips and smiled.
Immediately after, they heard the female host announce, "Next, we invite contestant B007, Lin Lang, to perform. Contestant B008, Wu Chun, please prepare."
"Contestant B007, Lin Lang, will perform his original piano piece, 'Time to Pretend.' Please begin your performance."
Lin Lang, dressed in a double-breasted suit, stepped onto the stage with an air of arrogance, slowly walked towards the piano, and sat down on the piano stool. His powerful aura was like that of a new king ascending the throne.
The five judges at the scene exchanged glances after hearing this and conversed in low voices, "This is the only contestant in this Master Cup competition who is performing an original piano piece, right?"
"Yes!"
"It seems this contestant named Lin Lang is very confident in his original piano piece!"
"Then let's wait and see if this contestant B007 can amaze everyone with his original piano piece?!"
"Alright..."
Zhou Mengyao stood below the stage, looking at Lin Lang on stage from afar, giving him a thumbs-up to cheer him on.
The on-site cameraman zoomed in, giving Lin Lang a handsome close-up, which was so impossibly handsome it felt like it was breaking the rules.
The production team would film videos of every audition contestant, and Lin Lang was no exception.
The mixed-race beauty director, Marry Yang, watched the handsome Lin Lang on the camera monitor, sitting like a piano prince on the stool, his fingers beginning to dance on the keys, and a passionate melody flowing out.
As soon as the deep yet stirring prelude began, the eyes of all five judges below the stage lit up.
After listening for five seconds, all the judges secretly exclaimed, "Holy cow!" in their hearts.
As the piano piece progressed, Lin Lang's fingers danced faster and faster on the keys, and the music swelled, surging like ocean waves.
After listening for ten seconds, all the judges were secretly astonished, "Awesome!" in their hearts.
Under Lin Lang's playing, every note was filled with power, composing and performing a super-igniting sense of oppression.
Lin Lang's damned elegance shone brightly on the stage, like a brilliant light appearing in a monotonous night.
The extra-long piano prelude was like charging up for a big move, making people unable to stop listening.
The five judges on site were all deeply shocked by Lin Lang's talent in composition and his peak artistry in piano performance.
Invincible.
It was simply f*cking invincible.
This feeling was as if Lin Lang, with this piano piece, had seized the judges' critical points, completely dominating them.
It was clear that the judges had never heard such a unique and passionate melody. Lin Lang's piano playing skills were even more astonishing.
This damned sense of scope, awesome!
This piece was like the light of a sunrise, breaking free from the shackles of darkness, emitting an incomparably dazzling dawn before the five on-site judges.
This damned sense of oppression, truly f*cking awesome!
This piece was also like the glow of a sunset, emitting its last rays, dragging the five on-site judges into endless darkness.
Didn't it just ignite?
Didn't it just start to become noble?
Every movement Lin Lang made while playing the piano appeared so fluid and natural; each touch of his fingertips could evoke a melodious note.
The five judges below the stage were completely captivated by Lin Lang for the entire piece, their minds filled with images of a passionate and exhilarating mood.
This damned sense of destiny.
As they listened, their adrenaline started to surge.
Listening further, they f*cking wanted to reclaim everything they had lost; no one could f*cking stop them, just do it!
Who understands this feeling of never giving up?!
That's right, "Time to Pretend" is a dark and oppressive BGM. Listening to it feels like turning the tide against adversity, or like God kissing me with pain, and I stab him in the heart with a knife in return.
The immersive quality of this song is simply too f*cking strong.
The immersive quality is so strong that listening to it feels like raising the China flag on Mount Fuji in Sakura Country, incredibly awesome!
The immersive quality is outrageously strong, like breaking through an encirclement in the dark, a long blade in hand, fighting a bloody battle against a hundred thousand enemies, and carving out a dawn, giving all five on-site judges goosebumps.
Besides the words "awesome," there was no other way to describe Lin Lang's almost explosive live piano performance.
That beam of light falling on the piano keys was the path to salvation. This was Lin Lang's divinely inspired battle, and even though it was just the preliminary audition stage, the piano piece Lin Lang offered was already a trump card, leaving the audience and judges completely stunned.
What is shock?
This is f*cking shock!
Was Lin Lang playing the piano?
No.
He was showing off!
I am invincible, you all can do as you please.
Yes.
Elegance is timeless.
Lin Lang was incredibly impressive at this moment, his slender fingers flying across the black and white keys, his passionate piano performance creating a visual image of bringing light to overcome evil on a land shrouded in darkness.
The five on-site judges were almost unable to stay seated in their chairs, and it seemed that even the mineral water on the judges' table had suddenly turned into 43-degree brandy under the magic of this piece.
When the last note fell, the entire hall fell into a brief silence.
Some audience member, shocked, exclaimed, "Holy cow!" Then, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.
Lang Lang stood below the stage, unable to help but shout, "Awesome!"
Li Yundi broke out in a cold sweat, wiping it away while thinking, "This contestant B007, Lin Lang, is too f*cking awesome, isn't he? I'm f*cking kneeling!"
Marry Yang watched on the camera monitor as Lin Lang played the last note, then gracefully stood up and performed a gentleman's bow to the audience, looking incredibly handsome, as if he could explode on the spot.
"How can there be such a talented and breathtakingly handsome man in this world?" Marry Yang's heart pounded; she was utterly infatuated.
AI generated a beautiful image of Marry Yang.
Zhou Mengyao, standing below the stage, was stunned speechless.
"Uh..."
"Is Lin Lang trying to directly take the China Piano Performance Master Cup on the stage of the preliminary audition?"
"Lin Lang came to blow up the venue today!"
"Shouldn't such a passionate, super-igniting, and perfectly performed piano piece be something Lin Lang uses to win the championship in the finals?" Zhou Mengyao felt her whole body ignite.
Lin Lang finished his piece.
The five professional judges below the stage all stood up simultaneously, showing Lin Lang the highest respect, and applauded, exclaiming, "This contestant Lin Lang is truly a gifted pianist!"
"Yes!"
"Lin Lang's piano playing skill is a height that ordinary people, no matter how hard they try, cannot reach."
"It's not an exaggeration to say that Lin Lang has achieved a state of unity between man and piano!"
"Contestant B007, Lin Lang, is comparable to Chopin of China. His original piano piece 'Time to Pretend' is simply brilliant; it's truly invincible."
"Exactly!"
"The piano was almost smoking from Lin Lang's playing; this piece is simply too beautiful!"
"Lin Lang, your talent and skill are truly astonishing!"
"This original piano piece of yours, not only has beautiful and moving melodies, but it is also full of passion and power. It is the best modern piano piece I have heard in nearly twenty years."
"Lin Lang, you are a once-in-a-century musical genius; your future will surely be brilliant!"
"No suspense!"
"Lin Lang, you are the pinnacle among contemporary Chinese pianists!"
"At the same time, Lin Lang, you are also the leader among contemporary Chinese piano composers; you possess great talent!"
Lin Lang, standing on stage, replied, "Thank you, esteemed judges, for your praise!"
"However, esteemed five judges, you need to control yourselves and stop praising me. I'm afraid if you praise me any more, you'll just hand me the Master Cup championship trophy right here on the preliminary audition stage."
"Haha..."
All five on-site judges laughed, their eyes filled with admiration for Lin Lang.
Immediately after, the five judges began to score, with four judges giving a perfect ten points and one judge giving nine points.
"Genius contestant Lin Lang, I'm giving you nine points. The remaining point is not given because I'm afraid you'll become arrogant!"
"Congratulations on successfully advancing!"
"Lin Lang, your performance today was outstanding. We look forward to your performance in tomorrow's quarter-finals."
All five judges were full of praise for Lin Lang, and the contestants still waiting in line to perform all felt immense pressure due to Lin Lang's perfect performance in the preliminary audition.