Chapter 148: The Pianist

The China Music Golden Bell Award is a comprehensive, professional grand award in China's music sector, co-sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Chinese Musicians Association. It stands as a national-level artistic accolade on par with the Plum Blossom Award for drama, the Golden Eagle Award for television, and the Golden Rooster Award for film.

The piano competition of the Golden Bell Award is among the most authoritative and professional piano contests in the country, and ordinary piano players simply lack the qualifications to contend for its crown.

It was precisely by winning first place in the Fourth Golden Bell Award Piano Competition that Tan Shan gradually made his mark in the industry.

When Huang Guolun stated that he had also participated in the Fourth Golden Bell Award Piano Competition, it left Tan Shan somewhat perplexed.

Tan Shan remembered very clearly who the contestants in the fourth installment had been. Almost all of those individuals were now renowned pianists within the industry or professors at music conservatories, and not a single one of them was a nobody.

Try as he might, he could not recall anyone named Huang Guolun among them.

Han Yue had initially looked down upon Huang Guolun slightly. Upon hearing that he had competed in the same Golden Bell Award edition as Tan Shan, she instantly viewed him in a new light.

She was well aware of the weight carried in the industry by those capable of participating in the Golden Bell Award Piano Competition. A rare, appreciative smile surfaced on her face as she asked, "Teacher Huang, you actually competed on the same stage as Teacher Tan? What a wonderful coincidence."

Huang Guolun quickly explained, "No, no, I didn't make it to the final stages of the Golden Bell Award. I was still in school back then and won first place in our conservatory's piano competition. Later, I represented the school to participate in the preliminary selections for that Golden Bell Award, but unfortunately, my skill level wasn't sufficient, and I was eliminated in the first round."

So that was how it was. Tan Shan smiled with sudden understanding; no wonder he couldn't recall anyone named Huang Guolun among his competitors back then.

No sooner had Han Yue begun to look at Huang Guolun with newfound respect than Huang Guolun promptly poured cold water on himself. Han Yue muttered speechlessly, "You didn't even qualify for the final competition? Then that doesn't count as having participated in the Golden Bell Award Piano Competition at all."

Sensing that Han Yue had once again lapsed into her habitual condescension, Cai Yafang wanted to help Huang Guolun save some face, so she asked, "Teacher Huang, you won the championship of a conservatory piano competition? That must be very impressive as well, right?"

Tan Shan asked with interest, "Are we from the same school? Are you also an alumnus of the Central Conservatory of Music?"

Huang Guolun replied somewhat awkwardly, "I'm not from the Central Conservatory; I'm from the Huaxia Conservatory of Music."

"The Huaxia Conservatory of Music?" Tan Shan was dumbfounded, having never heard of such a music conservatory at all.

Han Yue, however, had heard whispers of this third-rate music school. She asked Huang Guolun in disbelief, "Are you talking about that Huaxia Conservatory of Music in Langfang?"

Huang Guolun calmly replied, "Yes, that's the one. Our school simply cannot compare to the Central Conservatory."

Han Yue almost laughed her head off upon hearing this. She thought to herself, this crappy school dares to compare with the Central Conservatory, China's top institution of music? A single cafeteria at the Central Conservatory could completely pulverize that wretched school!

This Teacher Huang had actually graduated from such a trashy music institution. One could easily imagine how low the ceiling of his musical ability must be.

For such a person to be hyped by Zhao Jing as a super musical genius—Han Yue felt like an idiot just thinking about it. She had actually argued with Zhao Jing for half the day; she must have eaten too much salt—simply idle and meddlesome!

Huang Guolun could sense that this aloof female music teacher from the Central Conservatory looked down upon his alma mater. And it was hardly surprising; it would be a miracle if a prestigious, high-end music institution like the Central Conservatory could ever look favorably upon a third-rate music school like theirs, which couldn't even squeeze into the lower tier.

Yet Huang Guolun felt no inferiority about his background at the Huaxia Conservatory; he simply decided not to pursue the topic with Han Yue any further.

Shifting his attention to Tan Shan, he said, "The piano competition for that year's Golden Bell Award was actually held right there in Langfang, so our school leadership attached great importance to it. They insisted on selecting a champion from among our students to go and give it a try, and so I was pushed out there. But I didn't even get to touch the gates of the Golden Bell Award before I was wiped out."

Han Yue listened in speechlessness, thinking to herself, isn't that stating the obvious! For a student from a music school that couldn't even be called third-rate to dream of competing in the country's highest-level Golden Bell Award Piano Competition was nothing short of delusional!

Huang Guolun continued, "However, I watched every single moment of the final matches of that Golden Bell Award. Teacher Tan, the 'Rach 3' you played in the finals can truly be said to have stunned everyone present. If I remember correctly, this should have been the first time in a domestic piano competition that someone used such a high-difficulty piece to compete."

Hearing Huang Guolun speak so candidly, Tan Shan developed a favorable impression of him. Showing no trace of boastfulness or complacency, Tan Shan modestly replied, "I was hot-headed and full of youthful vigor back then, and my opponents were far too formidable, leaving me with no choice but to put everything on the line and bring out 'Rach 3' for the competition. Looking back now, using 'Rach 3' in a competition at that time was truly a terrifying endeavor. Had I failed to withstand the pressure, I would have plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation."

Han Yue rebuked Tan Shan, "Can you stop being so modest all the time? Didn't you withstand the pressure back then? In your subsequent concert tours, you played 'Rach 3' at almost every single performance. In the domestic piano circle, you must be the pianist who has played 'Rach 3' the most often and the best."

"Incredible, truly incredible." Fully aware of the terrifying nature of "Rach 3," Huang Guolun showered Tan Shan with endless praise.

Having watched Tan Shan perform "Rach 3" live and knowing just how monstrously difficult the piano piece was, Cai Yafang chimed in with praise, "I don't attend many piano recitals, but I've been to those by Lang Lang and the others, and I've never seen them perform 'Rach 3' at their concerts. Teacher Tan, I've only ever seen 'Rach 3' at your piano recitals. Your rendition of 'Rach 3' must be completely unrivaled in the country."

"Stop flattering me, you guys." Whether out of modesty or speaking from the heart, Tan Shan said, "Whenever I hold piano recitals nowadays, I am pressured by you music fans into having to play 'Rach 3' at every single show. If it were up to me to choose, I really wouldn't want to play 'Rach 3' ever again."

"Why is that?" Zhao Jing asked out of curiosity. "Aren't you the best in the country at playing this piece? Why wouldn't you want to play it?"

Zhao Yan guessed from the side, "Because you're sick of playing it?"

This pair of sisters was still at an introductory stage in their understanding of classical piano pieces and had no idea what kind of composition "Rach 3" actually was.

Tan Shan smiled bitterly as he explained the reason to them, "It's not that I'm sick of playing it; it's that 'Rach 3' is simply too agonizing."

Zhao Jing couldn't help asking, "What on earth is this 'Rach 3'? Is that the name of a piano piece?"

"Yes, it is," Huang Guolun answered on behalf of Tan Shan. "The full name of 'Rach 3' is *Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3*."

"Such a long name." Zhao Yan's brain short-circuited slightly, leading her to ask a quintessential novice question: "Who wrote this?"

Huang Guolun, Tan Shan, Han Yue, and Cai Yafang all turned to look at Zhao Yan with astonished expressions.

Being clever, Zhao Jing figured it out instantly and teased Zhao Yan, "Sis, you're such an idiot. They already said the piece is called *Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto*, so it obviously was written by Rachmaninoff! ... Right, Teacher Huang?" Uncertain herself, Zhao Jing half-knowingly turned to Huang Guolun.

Huang Guolun smiled, nodded, and said, "Since it's named after him, of course he wrote it."

Deeply embarrassed, Zhao Yan picked up her coffee cup to shield her face and said shyly, "My ignorance is showing, how disgraceful."

Unwilling to let up, Zhao Jing teased her mercilessly, "You're always showing your ignorance, Sis. We're already used to it."

Tan Shan, Cai Yafang, and the others were all amused.

Zhao Yan argued back helplessly against Zhao Jing, "As if you don't show your ignorance all the time. Do you even know who Rachnimanov is?"

"Pfft."

The name uttered by Zhao Yan made Huang Guolun and the others laugh even harder.

Completely bewildered by the laughter of the group, Zhao Yan asked, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong again?"

Cai Yafang smiled and corrected her, "His name is Rachmaninoff, not Rachnimanov."

Zhao Jing laughed heartily, "Haha, if you don't understand, don't talk about it. How utterly embarrassing!"

Blushing, Zhao Yan bickered with Zhao Jing, "Oh, and you understand? Do you even know this... Rachmaninoff?"

"Of course I... don't know him." Changing the subject, Zhao Jing asked Tan Shan, "Since this person could write 'Rach 3', he must be extremely powerful, right? You must be a super musical genius too!"

Tan Shan waved his hands and said, "I am no super musical genius. My playing of 'Rach 3' is primarily the result of hard physical labor and sheer, grueling practice."

Huang Guolun praised, "You are far too modest, Teacher Tan. Merely being able to play 'Rach 3' from start to finish is already an extraordinary feat. For you to repeatedly perform this piece at your concerts is truly remarkable."

Steering the conversation, Zhao Jing asked, "Teacher Huang, can you play 'Rach 3'? Why don't you make a fool of yourself and go play 'Rach 3' on the piano outside to broaden our horizons?"

Huang Guolun quickly replied, "I certainly cannot play 'Rach 3'. That piece isn't something just anyone can pull off."

Zhao Jing said in surprise, "Is this piece really that difficult? Even you can't play it?"

Huang Guolun stated with certainty, "I honestly can't play it."

Seeing Huang Guolun back down, Han Yue displayed her signature aloof smile, once again concluding that this unassuming high school music teacher was nothing special.

Yet this middle-aged man did have one redeeming quality: he possessed a clear sense of self-awareness, unlike that brainless, busty Zhao Jing, who understood nothing yet was always prone to spouting wild claims.

At that moment, Han Yue genuinely wished to witness Huang Guolun's true prowess and see just what this legendary super musical genius was really made of.

If she could publicly put Zhao Jing in her place on the spot, that would be even better.