Chapter 144: The Weak Never Lose!

Ten days later, night had fallen. Inside the Heavenly Music Pavilion’s finest rehearsal room, Yue Xiaotian gave Ziwei her final guidance.

“If you want to stir an audience’s emotions, the quality of the piece itself is only part of it. The most important thing is the performance. And beyond technique, emotion is what matters most.

“People associate different songs with different moods. So if you want the audience to imagine something, you must first sing in a way that evokes it. Then there is the audience’s cultural background. Take love songs, for instance. What kind of love do they actually long for?

“The love song I want you to sing is called ‘Heartbeat.’ Its purpose is to make every member of the audience cry—to strike directly at the depths of their souls. Do you understand?”

Ziwei pondered this crucial question carefully. Thinking back on the days she had spent with the famous Yue Xiaotian, she felt as though she were living in a dream.

His conducting ability was simply too powerful—far too powerful.

Yet he had taught her gradually, leading her from the simple to the profound and guiding her forward step by step.

At first, he had taught her only how to sing. Later, he made her study the background of the song, the mood within the lyrics, the volume, speed, force, expression, and state of mind required for every word, the breaths and pauses between lines, the points of entry, the rhythm, the melody, the overall tempo, and even the invisible melodic line of the composition. He had adjusted every detail until she was in the best possible condition.

Many of these things could never be marked on a musical score.

Her expression, for example: what kind of look she should have in her eyes, how she should gaze into the distance, what expression she should wear, how she should position her hands, how she should walk, and how she should breathe. These were all immediate and impossible to quantify. They depended entirely on his guidance from beginning to end.

Realizing that she had chosen the right person, Ziwei smiled blissfully.

“Ziwei understands.”

Yue Xiaotian rose and took her little hand.

“I’m very satisfied with your performance. Come on. We’ll submit the registration first, and afterward I’ll take you to a magnificent meal. We’ll have a little wine as well and discuss the meaning of life.”

Feeling the suggestiveness in his gaze and voice, as well as the warmth flowing from his hand into hers, Ziwei blushed.

“You shameless man!”

Yue Xiaotian moved his lips to within less than half an inch of hers and murmured gently, “Be careful, or I’ll punish you. Hoo…”

Her entire body trembled involuntarily. The warm breath he exhaled seemed capable of melting her from head to toe.

Realizing this, Ziwei said aggrievedly, “Conductor, you’re bullying me! Ziwei doesn’t want to talk to you anymore. Boo-hoo.”

A knowing glint flashed through Yue Xiaotian’s dark eyes, and he burst out laughing.

“All right, I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s go.”

After leaving the Heavenly Music Pavilion, Yue Xiaotian went straight to the registration office that night and submitted “Heartbeat.” Only after handing over all the relevant documents did he take Ziwei out for dinner.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by a host of stars. That night, the white beach along the Lan River was crowded with people eating seafood, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

After choosing a stall that looked relatively clean, Yue Xiaotian led Ziwei to a small square table.

Roadside stalls did not bother with too many formalities, and service was quick.

The moment Yue Xiaotian sat down, a waiter who had been greeting customers along the way placed a menu on the table.

“You two are here for the first time, aren’t you? You should try our specialties.”

By now, Yue Xiaotian knew what Ziwei liked and disliked eating. She was not the rigid sort who avoided meat and oil; she simply preferred lighter dishes.

Keeping that in mind, he began ordering.

“A large serving of lotus-seed fish soup, ten double-bladed lobsters, extra spicy…”

Before he could finish, a woman’s voice suddenly rang out behind him.

“Brother Xiaotian?”

Yue Xiaotian put down the menu and saw a blue-clad girl standing in front of him, her face alight with excitement.

“Wow, it really is you! Brother Xiaotian, I’m Little Lan!”

Just as he was about to reply, dozens of figures appeared before him amid excited screams.

“It’s Teacher Xiaotian!”

Looking at the twenty or thirty young men and women who had suddenly gathered around him, Yue Xiaotian glanced at Ziwei, then smiled.

“Bring your tables and chairs over. I’ll buy you all some drinks.”

“Wow! Wow!”

Another wave of delighted screams rose up. The young people were ecstatic.

Twenty minutes later, after some conversation, Yue Xiaotian learned a few things.

The thirty-six young men and women were all musicians who had attended his recruitment auditions. Naturally, none of them had yet caught his eye.

As he set down a plate of fragrant, spicy lobster, Yue Xiaotian asked, “Why aren’t you concentrating on rehearsing? What are you doing here eating barbecue?”

The lively atmosphere suddenly changed. Little Lan, who was seated beside Yue Xiaotian, spoke with a hint of grievance.

“Brother Xiaotian, our conductor ran away. We’re planning to leave in a few days, so we wanted to spend a little time enjoying Imperial Dragon City.”

After taking a large gulp of beer, Yue Xiaotian said with a trace of disappointment, “To put it bluntly, if you want to bring out a hundred percent of your ability, even a third-rate conductor could manage it. Your conductor abandoning you at the last moment clearly means he wasn’t very capable. In that case, just find another one. You still need to train. You’re starting from a low point, so don’t become too distracted by having fun.”

The musicians lowered their heads. A young man sitting across from him explained, “Teacher Xiaotian, you’re right. It isn’t that we don’t want to train. It’s just… we’ve been stripped of our performance qualification.”

As soon as he finished speaking, sorrow appeared on the faces of all thirty-six musicians, along with an indescribable desolation and unwillingness.

Wiping his mouth, Yue Xiaotian asked in confusion, “Oh? You were disqualified from performing?”

Fearing that he might misunderstand, Little Lan quickly explained.

“Brother Xiaotian, it happened like this. There have been many world champions here lately, so the number of performances has increased. More importantly, the pop diva Red Plum has arrived. In order to accommodate the musicians and orchestras connected to her, the organizers canceled the performance qualifications of many others. We were among them.”

“That’s right, Teacher Xiaotian. Please tell us—hasn’t the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Kingdom acted unfairly?”

“We rehearsed painstakingly for one or two years, all so we could perform at least once. But this is what happened. I’m not willing to accept it.”

“Exactly! Why should we be disqualified just because a diva arrived? Why?”

“If we had never been selected in the first place, we could have accepted that. But now they’ve forcibly canceled our qualifications!”

The more they spoke, the more agitated they became. Several of the girls already had tears glistening in their eyes.

Yue Xiaotian waved his hand.

“Don’t get worked up. Eat first. From what you’ve told me, I more or less understand the situation. Really, it isn’t such a big deal. Ability comes first, understand? I’m not saying you’re incompetent. I’m saying that giving the performance opportunity to those with greater ability is the best choice. Only that way can you do right by the audience, after all—”

Before Yue Xiaotian could finish, the hearts of all thirty-six musicians shattered. Several of the girls ran off in tears.

The musicians rose one after another and left with gloomy expressions. One young man managed a bitter smile.

“Teacher Xiaotian, thank you for inviting us. But we still have something to attend to, so we’ll leave first.”

At the end, Little Lan choked back a sob.

“Brother Xiaotian, Little Lan is leaving.”

As she departed, she also called out to Ziwei.

“Sister Ziwei, Little Lan is leaving first. Take your time eating.”

Looking at what had happened, Yue Xiaotian turned toward Ziwei and said in disappointment, “Young people these days really are…”

He stopped halfway through, because he noticed that Ziwei’s expression was unusual.

Meeting his eyes, Ziwei spoke softly.

“Conductor, you once asked whether I liked singing. Ziwei can tell you now that I like singing very, very much.”

After a pause, she asked, “Conductor, would you agree to all of Ziwei’s requests?”

“Of course,” Yue Xiaotian replied naturally. “You’re my musician. Whatever you want, I’ll give you. What do you want now?”

Ziwei rose as she shook her head.

“Conductor, you dote on Ziwei. I don’t want to put you in a difficult position. Ziwei only wants you to know that she hopes you can take them onstage and give them an opportunity. Ziwei understands how they feel.”

Yue Xiaotian frowned slightly as he looked at her standing before him. His voice became solemn.

“Ziwei, you need to understand. Only the truly weak complain that the world is unfair. Fate has always been in our own hands. Every stage is sacred. Those with ability go on; those without it step down. It’s that simple. That is respect for yourself and for the audience. This is not child’s play. Do you understand?”

From an emotional point of view, Ziwei very much wanted Yue Xiaotian to intervene. But she understood even more clearly that what he had said was the truth.

She opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again. At last, she said, “Ziwei will go back first.”

As he watched her retreating figure gradually disappear, Yue Xiaotian’s expression grew darker and darker. In the end, he could only gulp down his beer.

Because the crowd was large and noisy, and because Ziwei was a water spirit, the entire scene had unfolded under the attention of the people around them.

At that moment, a man some distance away raised his glass toward Yue Xiaotian and smiled.

“Friend, drinking alone is no fun. Shall we have one together?”

Yue Xiaotian set down his glass, his eyes blazing with fury.

By the time the people around them realized that something was wrong, it was already too late.

With a sudden leap, Yue Xiaotian was in front of the young man. Under the boy’s astonished gaze, Yue Xiaotian struck him across the face with a resounding slap.

The young man was sent flying, blood spraying continuously from his mouth.

In a panic, the others began to fight back. Still enraged, Yue Xiaotian knocked down two more of them in rapid succession.

One was sent tumbling more than ten feet away. Another was lifted up and smashed through a table before Yue Xiaotian planted a foot on him.

Then Yue Xiaotian roared furiously, “Damn it! If I want to drink alone, I’ll drink alone. Who asked you to come over and run your mouth? What are you staring at? Don’t you know that one look can start a bloodbath?”

Apparently still unsatisfied, Yue Xiaotian kicked another table away. The plates, bowls, and chopsticks on it shattered across the ground.

“You’re still thinking about eating? Get lost! All of you, get lost!”

The young men badly wanted to fight him properly, but Yue Xiaotian’s displayed strength was too great, and his speed far too fast. Meeting him head-on would only mean humiliating themselves. Thus, they ran without even leaving behind a threat.

Yue Xiaotian turned toward the dumbfounded owner, still burning with anger.

“What are you looking at? I’ll pay for it! Come over and drink with me.”

Only when Yue Xiaotian walked back toward the seat where Ziwei had been sitting did the people around them begin whispering among themselves.

“Those boys had it coming. They had no sense at all.”

“Exactly. That guy clearly had a disagreement with his friends. They practically brought the trouble on themselves.”

“Tch. I don’t think it was their fault. What was wrong with saying a few words? I just can’t stand this Yue Xiaotian.”

“I agree. Who does he think he is?”

Ignoring the noise that had once again filled the area, Yue Xiaotian looked at the owner, who had already sat down across from him.

“Tell me, boss. Aren’t young people these days too delicate?”

Before the owner could answer, Yue Xiaotian struck his right palm repeatedly with the back of his left hand, producing a series of sharp smacks.

“I merely said something a little harsh, and their self-esteem was wounded? If they can’t even endure a little grievance, what hope do they have of becoming stars? Boss, you’ve lived longer than they have. You understand how difficult life can be. I was kindly trying to warn them so they could avoid taking the long way around. And what happened? One after another, they threw a tantrum at me. Honestly. Am I not right?”

The middle-aged man in his forties raised his glass with a smile.

“Don’t be angry, friend. Young people are like that nowadays. Come, drink. Drink.”

And so, because this was the first time Yue Xiaotian and Ziwei had disagreed, he spent most of the day chatting with a complete stranger. He drank until late into the night, yet the anger in his heart remained unresolved.