Chapter Eighty-Nine: Yes, I Wrote the Piano Piece (First Update, Please Subscribe)

The students who had come to attend the music and arts event were, by and large, all acquainted with Zhao Shu. After all, his standing in the music world was much like He Zhixing’s in the world of literature.

Many students privately called him Uncle Zhao. The name carried both warmth and respect.

At that moment, when Zhao Shu entered the classroom, the onlookers first obtained permission from the students of the literary exchange and then filed in behind him one after another.

Their curiosity was even greater than Zhao Shu’s.

Anyone could see that if Professor Zhao had reacted with such intensity, then perhaps they had still underestimated the young man’s skill at the piano.

The moment they stepped into the classroom and saw Wang Mo’s true appearance, their minds were in turmoil.

"What the hell, he’s insanely handsome!"

"Being handsome is one thing, but his piano skills are this good too? Does he even want to live?"

"Does anyone know who this guy actually is?"

"Why do I feel like he looks kind of familiar? Like my future husband."

"Get lost!"

"…"

Many of the female students, especially, stared blankly.

A man, when wholly absorbed in doing one thing, is at the height of his charm.

But if that man is also gifted at it, even overwhelming the room, and on top of that has a strikingly handsome face, then for a university student it is nothing short of devastating.

Yet they had not expected the real shock to begin only now.

When the melody of "All That I Miss Is the River of Stars" began to flow, these students were not as quick to react as Zhao Shu. At first, they only felt that the score sounded unfamiliar.

It was not until He Yan, following behind Zhao Shu, covered her mouth and cried out softly in surprise: "This piece... is it new?"

As an outstanding student from the Central Conservatory of Music, she could be said to have performed nearly every somewhat renowned piano work in the world.

Even if she had not deliberately memorized the scores of many pieces, the instant the melody rang out, she would remember them.

But she had never heard this melody before.

Just after He Yan’s exclamation, she saw Zhao Shu’s expression and movements.

In that instant, it felt as though current had run through her entire body, leaving her tingling all over. If even Professor Zhao was shaken so profoundly, then there could only be one explanation.

The other students gradually came to the same realization.

"What the hell!"

"No way, right?"

"Could this be an original piano piece?"

"This young man is a bit terrifying."

"…"

Of course, everyone kept the震惊 in their hearts and did not say it aloud.

The classroom grew even quieter than before.

Only the piano voice grew more and more lyrical.

Wang Mo was already immersed in his own world, playing as if no one else were there.

The tone of the piano was beautiful, sounding in everyone’s ears. The deep and dreamlike melody interpreted the splendor and mystery of the starry river, as if one could hear it breathing and feel the vastness and infinity of the cosmos.

Zhao Shu stood rooted in place, listening motionlessly to Wang Mo’s performance.

At the most exquisite passages, his face even showed excitement, and he clenched his fist hard.

Only after a minute or two did Wang Mo finally finish playing "All That I Miss Is the River of Stars."

"Sure enough, the professional-level piano skills the system gave me are something else. Playing the piano feels so much better than before."

A smile appeared on Wang Mo’s face.

At the same time, he was extremely satisfied with the piece "All That I Miss Is the River of Stars."

Although it was not a world-famous composition, and its fame among ordinary people in his previous life had not been especially great, the vastness, lightness, and grace it displayed all showed that its quality was quite high.

It was just a little short.

Only a little over a minute.

But Wang Mo did not mind.

Short was good... because the essence was all condensed within it.

With his hands resting lightly on the keys, and after all sound had faded, Wang Mo let out a soft breath.

Then he suddenly realized that the atmosphere around him was somewhat off.

Why was it so quiet?

What the hell, who was this weird old man?

Why was he looking at him like that?

And why were there so many more people behind the old man?

Wang Mo’s gaze finally settled on He Zhixing, and he offered a shy smile. "Professor He."

He Zhixing asked in surprise, "I didn’t expect your piano playing to be this good?"

From Zhao Shu’s expression, He Zhixing could tell that Wang Mo’s piano skills were exceptionally high. But he did not understand that Zhao Shu’s intense reaction had not been due solely to Wang Mo’s mastery of the piano; much of it had been because of the piece Wang Mo had just played.

"I just played around a bit," Wang Mo said. "When I was standing at the door earlier, one of the students may have mistaken me for someone else and thought I was the pianist. I happened to be a little bored, so I just went along with the mistake and played a few pieces."

As he spoke, he spotted Luo Hui and said with an apologetic expression, "Miss, I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble."

"…"

Luo Hui flushed bright red at once, wishing she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

This misunderstanding had really blown up.

But who could have imagined such a coincidence? It was one thing to have mistaken him for someone else, but for this young man to actually know how to play the piano, and play so incredibly well at that...

The others, hearing Wang Mo’s words, all had different expressions.

Just playing around a bit?

That was "just playing around" to the point of startling Professor Zhao of the Central Conservatory of Music.

Zhao Shu, who had originally been about to step forward and greet him, turned in astonishment toward He Zhixing. "You... know this student?"

He Zhixing had been about to introduce Wang Mo’s identity to Zhao Shu, but then remembered that Wang Mo’s situation was sensitive. So he only nodded slightly. "Yes."

But Zhao Shu could not hold back any longer.

With his left hand gripping He Zhixing and his right hand gripping Wang Mo, he strode out of the classroom.

Soon, the three of them arrived at an empty office.

Zhao Shu’s eyes shone brightly, and his voice trembled with excitement. "Old He, there’s no one here now. You can finally tell me properly. Just who exactly is this young man?"

Wang Mo also looked puzzled. "Professor He, who is he?"

He Zhixing said to Wang Mo, "This is Professor Zhao Shu. He is a towering figure at the Central Conservatory of Music, and also a famous Chinese music artist. He is an expert in piano, composition, and other musical fields."

So he was a big shot!

Wang Mo was secretly startled and quickly said respectfully, "Professor Zhao, hello."

After introducing Wang Mo, He Zhixing looked at Zhao Shu with a smile. "Old Zhao, have you forgotten what I told you earlier? I said I would introduce you to the lyricist and composer of Dragon’s Scale of Heaven and Earth. You..."

Zhao Shu immediately caught on. "You mean he’s the creator of Dragon’s Scale of Heaven and Earth, the one called Voiceless?"

He Zhixing nodded. "Exactly. You know his identity is somewhat sensitive, which is why I didn’t say it aloud just now. Keep this in mind and don’t go spreading it around. His real name is Wang Mo."

"Wang Mo? Who’s Wang Mo?"

Zhao Shu looked utterly blank, clearly having never heard the name before.

He Zhixing had no choice but to explain.

After hearing it all, Zhao Shu was completely stunned. "A... fallen idol star?"

His face was full of disbelief; it all felt far too absurd.

He Zhixing laughed. "Let the past be the past. In any case, Wang Mo’s identity has to remain secret for now, or public opinion could very well ruin him."

Zhao Shu frowned. "The online environment these days is truly a filthy mess. The authorities should have gotten a handle on it long ago."

After saying that, his gaze snapped back to Wang Mo, and he eagerly asked the question he most wanted answered: "Xiao Wang, where did that piano piece you just played come from? Was it something you composed yourself?"

Wang Mo, thick-skinned as ever, said without changing expression, "Yes, I wrote it myself."

"Just as I thought! I knew it was your original work."

Zhao Shu was so excited that even the braid at the back of his head seemed to tremble. "Does it have a name?"

Wang Mo said, "All That I Miss Is the River of Stars."

Zhao Shu closed his eyes, as if savoring the piano piece from before. After a moment, he opened them again. "What a title. To be able to compose such a high-quality piano piece at your age—your future is limitless. Could you give me the score later? I’d like to take it back and let the students at the Central Conservatory study it carefully."

Wang Mo said modestly, "That would be my honor."

Zhao Shu said, "That said, now I finally understand why you were able to create Dragon’s Scale of Heaven and Earth in the first place. Composition is one of those fields where mastery in one thing often opens the door to many others. If you can write excellent songs, then by extension you may very well be able to write excellent piano pieces too. Xiao Wang, in my opinion, your talent for piano is actually stronger than your talent for songwriting. Have you ever thought about pursuing further study in piano? If you’re willing, the Central Conservatory can welcome you at any time..."

It was not easy for the piano world to produce a promising talent.

Especially someone like Wang Mo, gifted both in performance and composition. Such a genius was exceedingly rare.

That was why Zhao Shu had begun to think about poaching him.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

He Zhixing had originally been smiling as he listened from the side, but the more he heard, the more he frowned. In the end he could not help interrupting Zhao Shu. "I say, Old Zhao, you’re trying to poach Xiao Wang to the Central Conservatory right in front of me? That’s a bit shameless, don’t you think?"

Zhao Shu raised an eyebrow. "With musical talent like that, coming to the Central Conservatory is the proper path. What, does he also understand literature?"

"You actually got that right!"

He Zhixing bristled, his beard seeming to stand on end.

...

On the other side, after Zhao Shu had dragged Wang Mo and He Zhixing away, the crowd, silent for a long while, finally erupted into a storm of noise.

"My God, what exactly was that piano piece the boy just played? It was insanely beautiful."

"I’m practically drunk on it."

"That piano level of his has already reached performance level, right?"

"More than that. He Yan just said he’s even stronger than her teacher."

"So terrifying? He Yan is a piano prodigy from the Central Conservatory. I’d long heard her piano skills were at performance level. And this man is stronger than her teacher? That’s unbelievable."

"Where did this monster come from?"

Countless people began to chatter.

Soon, the discussion turned to the young man’s identity.

One person asserted confidently, "He must be one of ours from Qingbei. We Qingbei have always hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

At once, another person sneered, "I won’t deny Qingbei’s strength, but in music, our Central Conservatory is supreme. If this guy isn’t a student of ours, I’ll eat shit standing on my head."

As soon as those words were spoken, even more people objected.

"Please. Do you think the Chinese Conservatory of Music doesn’t exist?"

"If you want to freeload, just say so. Don’t come up with such flimsy excuses. The Central Conservatory is indeed strong in music, but not every musical genius comes from there."

"Is being good at piano automatically the Central Conservatory’s territory? Couldn’t he be from the Film Academy?"

"I, Renmin University, refuse to accept this!"

"I, Lantian, refuse to accept this!"

"…"

Finally, a girl said timidly, "Why do I feel like I’ve seen this boy somewhere before? He kind of looks like Wang Mo?"

A girl beside her asked, "Which Wang Mo?"

The first girl said, "The little idol star who said Yue Meng was Yue Fei, and then fell from grace overnight."

The girl beside her said, "Who are you insulting?"

The first girl hurriedly said, "I must have seen it wrong. I’m not sure. Let me look again."