Chapter 152: Piano Melody

"Thank you to the big boss 'Chief Referee YY' for the tips, and to all the big bosses for your monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Immensely grateful."

Jinghua, the side entrance of the Grand Music Hall.

"Sister Qin!"

As soon as Yang Qing came out with little Qiu'er, he saw Qin Xue and Qin Hao waiting there. Little Qiu'er spread out her tiny arms and, with a happy, milky cry, flung herself straight into Qin Xue's embrace.

"Ahem, ahem..."

Qin Hao gave a dry cough, his eyes looking at little Qiu'er with a mixture of grievance and anticipation.

"Hehe, Brother Hao~~"

Little Qiu'er called out in a sweet, soft, and cute voice. Instantly, Qin Hao grinned broadly and pulled a soft-serve ice cream cone from behind his back to hand over.

"Thank you, Brother Hao."

Little Qiu'er took it happily, then looked over at Yang Qing who was walking closer and said, "Brother, you eat."

"Brother doesn't want any, you eat."

Yang Qing patted her little head with a smile, then turned to Qin Xue and said, "Then I'll head back first. Once things wrap up today, we should be able to return to Yangcheng tomorrow."

"Wait one more day," Qin Xue said softly. "I need to go back to my parents' place tomorrow, so let's head back the day after."

"Alright." Yang Qing smiled and nodded.

With those words, Yang Qing gave little Qiu'er a kiss, waved goodbye to the two of them, and turned to walk back inside.

"Brother, do your best!"

Little Qiu'er raised her small fist and shouted in her milky voice, with a bit of ice cream cream still clinging to the corner of her little mouth, looking utterly adorable.

"Mm, I will!"

...

"Darling, did you eat well at noon?"

Holding little Qiu'er's hand as they walked toward the venue, Qin Xue asked with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, very well," little Qiu'er raised her little eyebrows and said. "There were fish-fishes, little chicken drumsticks, little duckies, and lots and lots of veggie-veggies! Qiu'er tried so, so hard to eat, but I still couldn't finish it all. What a pity!"

Qin Xue smiled. "Our Qiu'er is truly a thrifty, good baby. Did you take a nap?"

"I did! An older sister took Qiu'er to a big, big room to take a nap."

"An older sister?"

"Mm, an older sister. She has a kitty cat, very white and very cute! But the kitty cat doesn't eat little mice; it eats little dried fish. The little fish-fishes are so pitiful."

"Chuckle... Are the little fish-fishes pitiful, but the little mice aren't?"

Finding the little one's question quite amusing, Qin Xue teased with a smile.

"Yes!"

Little Qiu'er put on a serious little face and said, "Little mice are very bad! Granny gave Qiu'er a big apple, and Qiu'er couldn't bear to eat it yet. I left it in the little cabinet because I wanted to wait for my brothers and sisters to come back and eat it together. But in the end, a little mouse took a huge bite out of it!"

"It had a bite this big, and lots of other little holes too."

Little Qiu'er gestured with her small hands. "Granny said that once a little mouse has eaten something, you can't eat it anymore, or you'll get sick. So the big apple had to be thrown away, and Qiu'er cried for a long, long time."

Hearing this, Qin Xue paused, and just as she was about to speak, little Qiu'er continued:

"The little mouse even chewed holes in Dong'er's little shoes! Granny had spent a long, long time sewing those little shoes specially for Dong'er. And Second Sister's schoolbag got chewed through by the little mouse too..."

As if opening the floodgates of her memories, little Qiu'er chattered on continuously in her milky voice all the way there.

Qin Xue and Qin Hao listened quietly, their hearts completely filled with tenderness and a tinge of heartache.

...

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the much-anticipated Masters' Exchange Conference finally began.

Dressed in a suit, Yang Qing greeted the elderly, friendly masters one by one with a warm smile, and then took his seat.

On the stage, Lu Baiwu appeared. Seated at the piano, he looked like an elegant elder at that moment.

A self-composed masterpiece of his, "Whispers of the Mountains," opened the curtain of the exchange.

While welcoming applause, it also allowed people to hear the love and beauty of the mountains, as well as their sorrow.

A sentiment of protecting the environment and cherishing the trees spontaneously arose in the hearts of the listeners.

Next to take the stage was the Italian master, Francesco. His heavily bearded face gave off a keep-your-distance vibe, but his piano melody was so tender it felt as sweet as an autumn romance.

This was precisely the new piano piece he had composed over the past year, "Autumn Sunset."

Thunderous applause and the enthusiastic cheers of the Chinese audience made the sixty-something old man feel as if he had returned to his youth.

Consequently, he played another world-renowned classic, "Symphony Movement 26."

The piano notes were sometimes as warm as a spring breeze, sometimes as sudden as a torrential downpour, filling the entire venue with a tense yet anticipatory atmosphere.

As Yang Qing listened and watched, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that this renowned old man truly lived up to his legendary reputation!

His playing technique, skill, and even his grasp of every single note in the piece had reached a pinnacle ordinary people could never hope to attain.

Yang Qing thought to himself that if he didn't have his "cheat system"...

Tsk... Better not think about it, who told him to have one anyway!

Following Francesco, one master after another seemed stimulated, each pushing their piano mastery to its absolute peak, competing like martial arts experts in a duel, neither yielding an inch.

The entire venue was immersed in this ocean of piano music, leaving everyone deeply and passionately intoxicated.

Master after master took the stage. Sometimes, while listening to a piece, a master would be struck by a sudden wave of inspiration, discuss it with the masters around them, and then excitedly take the stage for an impromptu improvisational performance.

Time flew by, and finally, it was Yang Qing's turn to take the stage once again.

Appearing on stage for the third time, he had completely adapted to the eager gazes and thunderous applause of the audience below.

Bowing in gratitude, he seated himself on the piano bench, resting his slender fingers lightly upon the keys.

"Wah! Big brother! Big brother is so handsome!"

Little Qiu'er remained Yang Qing's most loyal little fan, wriggling her small body excitedly in Qin Xue's arms and shouting in her milky voice.

"Mm, Big brother is the most handsome!" Qin Xue agreed with a smile. "Let's listen carefully to Big brother play the piano."

"Mm-hmm! Big brother, do your best!"

Lu Baiwu and Zhao Zhuzhu, sitting in the front row, were also full of anticipation, though one wore an expression of trepidation and nervousness, while the other beamed with appreciation and encouragement.

"Ding, ding, ding..."

Yang Qing's fingers lightly rose and fell upon the black and white keys, and instantly, notes of exquisite beauty leaped forth.

As the melody permeated the air, Francesco and a few other masters immediately lit up.

This piece sounded truly graceful and quite wonderful.

Gradually, however, as Yang Qing's performance progressed, their expressions shifted. It was no longer calm appreciation, but profound, incredulous shock.

"This is... this is..."

The masters muttered in stunned disbelief, while the audience sat in rapturous, intoxicated enjoyment.

Especially Qin Xue, whose heart held deep affection for Yang Qing; her gaze was hazy as she looked at the stage, hearing in the melody a magnificent romance and sweet, lingering attachment.

Little Qiu'er stopped bouncing around as well, sitting quietly with a sweet smile on her little face.

At that moment, the little girl's mind was completely filled with the thought: *Big brother is amazing, and his tune sounds so good.*

Finally, after just over three minutes, Yang Qing's performance concluded. Smiling, he stood up to bow and thank the enthusiastic audience, but was suddenly interrupted by an excited voice.

"Yang! Magnificent! Your piece is simply magnificent! Can you tell us what musical form you used for this composition? (Simultaneous interpretation)"

It was Francesco, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, while all the other masters looked at Yang Qing with eager anticipation.

"Of course," Yang Qing smiled. "This piece is written in rondo form, featuring three distinct refrain sections throughout. I wonder if the masters are satisfied with this piece?"

"God!"

Francesco exclaimed excitedly, "Yang, you have opened a brand-new door for us! Thank you, praise be to you. Can you tell us what this piece is called? (Simultaneous interpretation)"

"What it's called..."

Yang Qing fell silent for a moment, pondering before he replied, "The title of the piece is 'To My Beloved'."

"'To My Beloved', God!"

Francesco stood up in pleasant surprise, and alongside him, every single one of the other masters rose to their feet.

Applause erupted. Amidst the thunderous clapping, Francesco's words left the entire audience dumbfounded.

"Yang! Congratulations on creating a new world masterpiece—'To My Beloved'!"