Those beautiful, painful, seemingly desperate hardships, and those pathways leading to a hopeful future…
All of it: himself staggering forward through the cold winter, and the dawn at the end of the Sky Dome, pursued by countless people.
A reminiscent smile touched the corner of his lips.
Even his stern eyes softened. He closed them slowly, basking in this rare moment of relaxation and joy.
When the violin's melody gradually faded, silence descended.
In the vast auditorium, all was quiet. In that prolonged hush, it seemed as though everyone was savoring the lingering notes in their memories.
At last, the silence was finally broken by Old Zhao's approving applause.
Then, like a raging storm, a torrent of applause engulfed everything, and fervent shouts came from the audience.
On the chair, Huai Shi MK-II rose, nodded reservedly, and bowed in gratitude.
A graceful smile touched his lips.
"Touching, heavenly music."
In the alumni section, even the most critical spectators couldn't help but offer their applause, nodding in admiration. "Watching that kid play takes me back to my youth."
"Oh, please. You were too timid back then to compare with him," someone shot a glance at the man, unable to resist deflating him. But recalling the music, they still couldn't help but praise, "Truly a genius. Even someone like me, with no ear for music, nearly teared up."
The graceful lady from before already had reddened eyes. She picked up the microphone and asked directly, "An outstanding performance, young man! What inspired you to play such miraculous music?"
It's the Potion. I dosed them! Twenty milligrams of Love Potion plus one milligram of Clear Wake Dream, finally mixed into one hundred milliliters of alcohol to create a volatile Alchemy Potion. When skill is lacking, technology will help. Seriously, if the dosage were higher, I could make a pig cry, let alone a person.
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
On stage, the young man stood up and replied with a smile, "A little bit of talent, and relentless effort. Thank you, everyone."
With that, he took two steps back and turned to walk backstage.
"Such politeness!"
The principal, still immersed in the emotion of the moment, didn't forget to turn to the elderly man beside him. "Old Zhao, what do you think?"
After pondering for a long time, Old Zhao couldn't help but sigh. "These rising stars are truly formidable… Every time I see such young people, I feel old. By the way, did you just say he's planning to go professional?"
The principal nodded, his eyes sparkling.
"Ms. Li, let me have him," the old man said, looking toward the similarly interested woman on his left. "Such a promising talent would be wasted at Yaochi Entertainment."
"Now, now, pop music is music too. Besides, the kid has idol potential."
Although she said that, neither was serious enough to fight over a young person. Ms. Li just smiled and reminded, "Young people willing to take the hard path of classical music are fewer these days. If he changes his mind later, you can't blame me."
"He has talent."
Old Zhao, leaning on the table, rose slowly and looked towards the principal. "Could you accompany me backstage?"
"Of course!"
The principal nodded enthusiastically.
Five minutes later, Huai Shi MK-II looked at the smiling old man standing before him, seemingly not registering what was happening, clueless to the situation.
Seeing him at a loss, the principal quickly interjected, "Old Zhao is an internationally acclaimed performer! The etudes you're practicing were written by him. You've always wanted to go professional, right? What are you waiting for with such a great opportunity?"
He frantically winked at Huai Shi, signaling him to nod quickly.
If the real Huai Shi were here, he would surely have been ecstatic.
Unfortunately, standing here wasn't Huai Shi but a cold, unfeeling humanoid repeater—Huai Shi MK-II—and its pilot.
Guaranteed admission to Dongxia Music Academy? A famous performer's closed-door disciple? What's that about? Absolutely not! Huai Shi has to join me in becoming a Sublimator!
Upon hearing this old fellow wanted to poach the tender new talent from her own backyard, Raven was fifteen thousand times displeased. If she herself were there, she'd have rolled her eyes and dismissed him without a second thought. Unfortunately, now wearing Huai Shi's face, she had to consider the impact and could only smile in gratitude before politely declining.
Although his decision was unexpected, Old Zhao didn't persist or become angry. He just nodded, left a business card for Huai Shi, and then turned to leave.
"Although pop music is more popular, true art still resides in classical music." Before leaving, Old Zhao added, "If you change your mind, call me anytime. I'll be in Jinling for the next few months."
"Okay."
Huai Shi MK-II smiled, accepted the business card, and then sneakily tossed it into a corner.
Just as he turned around, he saw that the corridor behind him was already filled with youthful and beautiful female students, countless tender looks fixed upon his face.
In astonishment, Huai Shi MK-II couldn't help but slap his forehead.
Oops, looks like I overdid the Potion a bit… I'm out of practice. No, I shouldn't have used Huai Shi's usual dosage as a baseline; even one-tenth of that was too much… But what now? I'll just play along for now. The effects will wear off eventually, and things will return to normal.
With that thought, Huai Shi MK-II stylishly adjusted his hair and turned back with a smile.
"Are you young ladies here to see me?"
As he moved, the afternoon sun shone on his exquisite and handsome side profile. The mischievous smile on his lips seemed to carry an invisible, infectious charm, rendering his handsome face even more roguishly attractive.
At this moment, the signature professional smile directly taught by Liu DongLi, the number one Cowherd, had already surpassed the master's.
Amidst a chorus of delighted gasps, Huai Shi MK-II opened his arms and was engulfed by the crowd of teenage girls.