【New Red Mansion】Perfect World

Sure enough, Shui Rong's phone rang. Shui Rong hung up the call without thinking and then set it to the blacklist.

"Is she the girl we met in the bar last time? Yours? A relative's child?" When she saw her on the surveillance camera just now, Pin'er felt that she looked familiar. Now when she saw Li Shuirong's name on the caller ID, she realized it was her.

"Well, I suspect she did it on purpose." Shui Rong sighed.

"Why? How did our store offend her?" Pin'er was puzzled. Wasn't she his relative? Why did she harm him like this?

"Kid, you listened to other people's instigation and took the wrong path." Shui Rong said lightly. As soon as he looked at the surveillance video, he guessed that the girl next to him was the mastermind because she kept winking at Li Fuon.

"She should learn a lesson." After saying that, Shui Rong turned off the surveillance camera and closed the laptop.

"Okay, I'll ask Shifan to come down and take us back."

"What about up there? Aren't we going up?" asked Pin'er.

"No need, Wu Qing can handle it. Let Shifan take us back, and then go get the fish we caught this morning. Our fishing plan has been interrupted this time. I'll take you out to play after the competition is over." Shui Rong coaxed her.

Pin'er thought: Yes, there will be a guqin competition next week, so I should concentrate on practicing. So she put aside what happened just now. Shui Rong said Wu Qing could handle it, and she saw that Wu Qing could handle it on her own, so she felt relieved.

Later, Wu Qing called. She said the matter was resolved, Li Fu Nong reluctantly paid for the cheongsam, but refused to admit his mistake and ran away in disgrace. She also said that today's incident seemed to have been used as negative publicity, and many ladies came in the evening, seemingly to gossip, and also ordered a lot of cheongsams.

*

The venue for the Guqin Magnolia Award was chosen to be held in the Beijing Concert Hall. Shui Rong also took a day off to accompany her to the event. He invited a professional makeup artist to his home to do her makeup in the morning, and she also changed into her performance clothes at home. Although there was a dressing room in the concert hall, Shui Rong was worried about the crowds and the noise, so he prepared at home before going.

The pure white short cheongsam with a middle collar has a few camellias embroidered with pearls on the neckline and chest. The petal sleeves make her look ethereal and otherworldly.

She was covered with a light pink mohair knitted cardigan and put on the violin case. Zijuan handed her two thermos cups in a paper bag and gave her a few more instructions before they set off.

After arriving at the entrance of the concert hall, Lin Pin'er's competition number was in the middle and back, so she had to wait in line. There were some outdoor landscape areas on the west side of the concert hall, and many musicians who arrived first took photos there. Shui Rong was wearing a coffee-colored vest and trousers suit with a light milk tea-colored silk shirt. There was a retro camera hanging on his chest. He was dressed in the style of old money.

Shui Rong found a spot with a stone background and asked Pin'er to take a few photos while standing and then sitting. Everyone around was attracted by this pair of beautiful girls. They were so pleasing to the eyes. It was as if they brought everyone around into the mood of a movie in the Republic of China.

Professor Yue arrived early. Although she was not a judge, she was invited to come in and enjoy the competition repertoire. This year's contestants are mostly young guqin learners, some of whom have participated in previous years. However, guqin really depends on talent, aura, and self-perception, and it is very particular about the unity of man and instrument.

Professor Yue was already having a headache after listening to only one-third of the competition today. Didn't most people choose "Flowing Water" in previous years? Why did so many courageous students choose "Guangling San" this year? Professor Yue's temples were throbbing, and there was no appreciation or enjoyment of music at all. The contestants seemed to be full of impetuous resentment, which finally spread from the backstage: Students who chose "Guangling San", if you are not sure, change the song immediately, because it is said that the previous "Guangling San" has been completely wiped out.

The second most popular piece of competition music is "Xiaoxiang Water and Clouds", but these kids certainly haven't practiced enough, and the faster they play, the more impatient they are to achieve results without being able to control the rhythm, which ultimately leads to their brains being led by their fingers.

There were also students with mysterious power. Professor Yue felt that they were like students who had switched from playing guzheng to playing guqin. Guqin emphasizes stability, elegance and smoothness. They shook their heads and excitedly, and occasionally shook their bodies and nodded. The judges and Professor Yue were embarrassed. They were so weird.

If you come across one or two people who adapt Western music and pop music into guqin performances, it’s okay for them to just shoot a small video to attract fans, but they will be at a disadvantage if they really take part in a formal competition.

The more Professor Yue looked at them, the more restless he became. He stood up and went outside to get some fresh air, while looking for Lin Pin'er and the others in the waiting line.

"Teacher, we are here." Shui Rong waved to Professor Yue on the stairs, then slowly walked up.

Professor Yue pulled Shui Rong to the side of the stairs and said, "Give Pin'er more encouragement. The more I listen to her, the more confident I am in her. Don't be nervous when you go on stage, and don't look at the audience. Tell her that she can't see the people clearly even if she looks at the audience, because it will be pitch black when the lights are on. Just concentrate on the piano and get rid of all distractions."

Professor Yue had to go in soon and was familiar with the judges. So he tried to avoid talking to Lin Pin'er, to avoid any bad people saying anything about them. He only sent a message to Shui Rong, then turned around and went back to watch the competition.

When I went in again, the music on stage was much more pleasant to the ears. Maybe the organizer had just reorganized the contestants at the back, so the contestants who came on stage were much more stable now.

The first relatively good contestant of this show appeared, a boy wearing a black silk shirt. He sat down very steadily and raised his hand to play "Shenren Chang".

The pitch, fingering, rhythm, and posture of the musician should all have received high scores, but Professor Yue could faintly hear a suppressed depression in his piano playing, as if it had been formed over a long period of time and was deliberately hidden for the sake of the competition today, but a murderous aura could still be felt.

Next was an older contestant. From the moment he came on stage, he looked steady and composed, befitting his age. He played most of the notes he pressed with his hands, and it was clear he had learned a lot of the Six Arts. However, his piano playing still shone with some worry.

A few contestants later, it was Lin Pin'er's turn. She placed her guqin in place and adjusted her sitting position. Although the person before her also played "Flowing Water", Pin'er felt that their styles were not the same.

Pin'er breathed a sigh of relief, remembering what Professor Yue had just said that Shui Rong had conveyed to her. She did not look at the audience, but focused her attention on the guqin itself, and gently raised her hand.

Professor Yue in the audience was even more nervous than Lin Pin'er, but she could see that Lin Pin'er was different today. She had a feeling that everything was in control. Her mind was very delicate at the moment, and the scales she played were indeed as gentle and calming as a trickle of water.

Sometimes it sounds like a gurgling stream, sometimes it sounds like a rushing torrent. If you close your eyes and listen, it feels like you are walking among the mountains. As you gradually get into the mood, the music becomes one with the guqin.

Because he couldn't go backstage, Li Shuirong went to the back of the concert hall's viewing area. He was still holding Pin'er's sweater jacket in his hand. He forgot to take pictures when he saw Pin'er playing confidently on the stage. He was just a little excited, as if she was his own child who had finally achieved success after many days of hard practice. He felt a sense of pride from within.

The competition lasted until the afternoon, and the results were announced at 4:30, with Lin Pin'er finally winning the second place in the Magnolia Award. The first and second place decisions were also the subject of the most discussion among the judges.

One or two of the judges turned around and chatted with Professor Yue, praising her for having a good student and a good seedling, and praising her for her good teaching. Professor Yue also felt proud.

Afterwards, the awards on stage pushed the atmosphere to a small climax. The winners came on stage amid applause, and their skills and performances were highly praised. The trophy shone brightly under the lights. It was the first time for Lin Pin'er to receive an award. Unexpectedly, this competition actually opened up another mode for her. This is a story for later.

Holding the certificate in one hand and the slender crystal trophy in the other, Lin Pin'er was extremely happy.

Li Shuirong found a way to follow Professor Yue into the backstage and came to the front of the stage to take pictures of Lin Pin'er. Holding the trophy and certificate, Lin Pin'er smiled particularly sweetly.