Chapter 257: Strong Opponents
"Long time no see, Teacher Lin Tian."
Yao Han walked over with a smile and shook hands with Lin Tian.
After seeing Teacher Gan Yanyu next to him, he turned and pretended to be surprised,
"Isn't this our Qingjiang's number one cellist, Teacher Gan Yanyu who just won the Yingqin Cup championship?"
Gan Yanyu didn't speak, only nodded politely.
Then she hid behind Lin Tian.
She didn't know much about Teacher Yao Han and didn't care to.
For some reason, Gan Yanyu intuitively felt, that as a performer herself, she was not the same type of person as Yao Han.
But knowing that Lin Tian seemed to be in touch with him privately, she maintained basic politeness.
"It hasn't been that long, just over a month," Lin Tian said.
...
Meanwhile.
Because of Yao Han's loud voice earlier, many people around had turned their attention to this scene.
"(I remember... that must be Mr. Yao Han from China?)"
"(A great pianist! I attended his concert in New York, he is among the top ten young pianists in the Heavenly Dynasty!)"
"(But who is the other person talking with Teacher Yao Han? He looks like someone from the Heavenly Dynasty too.)"
"(So young, is he also a contestant?)"
"(How come I've never heard of this pianist from the Heavenly Dynasty....)"
Many people were discussing curiously, showing interested glances.
Lin Tian also keenly noticed these glances.
He quickly figured it out.
— Yao Han, apparently, is quite well-known here.
Standing with Yao Han, he easily attracted attention. This chapter was made possible by the MV_LEMPYR community.
However, before the competition had even started,
This "attention" was not something Lin Tian deemed beneficial.
So, Lin Tian unconsciously took a step back.
Then,
Yao Han seemed to grasp his thoughts.
Directly, he put a hand on Lin Tian's shoulder and leaned in close.
As Lin Tian was about to push away this over-familiar gesture.
Yao Han said:
"Teacher Lin Tian, have you familiarized yourself with the contestants here?"
Hearing this, Lin Tian halted his motion to push him away.
"Not yet."
"Haha, that's understandable, this is your first time abroad, isn't it?"
"This is my first time out of Qingzhou."
"?"
Hearing this, Yao Han turned his head toward Lin Tian with a somewhat shocked expression.
But soon, he cracked a smile,
"Right, after all, you are our great composer, Mr. Moonlight, who can create classical music with flavors from different countries while staying indoors... No worries!"
Immediately after, Yao Han raised his index finger and mysteriously pointed towards the distance.
"Alves Burke, a French pianist, with a PhD from Paris National Music College."
"At the age of 24, he had already won the championship at the Ariski International Music Competition, hailed as the most creative pianist of the 21st century."
"His playing style is fierce, highly aggressive, possessing a strong ability to engage his audience emotionally, making him a top contender for the Golden Award in this competition!"
Lin Tian followed the direction of Yao Han's pointing.
A seemingly quiet and reserved Caucasian man was sitting alone at the corner of the banquet hall. While everyone else was conversing, he was reading a book.
He certainly had an independent stance.
Quite the contrast to the "highly aggressive pianist" described by Yao Han.
"And there's this one."
Yao Han then pointed to another direction.
This time, he pointed to an Asian-faced man, who, compared to the previous one, was energetically chatting with others.
"Nishikawa Yuubei, from Japan, graduated from Tokyo Art University."
"Media reviews say he's the top hard-power competitor in this contest, his competition feature is similar to yours."
"Like me?" Lin Tian was puzzled.
"The pieces he played in the competition were mostly his original compositions."
"This means that he can achieve perfection in understanding and interpreting his own compositions."
"Oh."
Lin Tian nodded.
That is indeed impressive.
In instrumental competitions, composition is never a criterion for judging.
Even though many pianists themselves have strong composing abilities, they may not choose to play their own pieces in major competitions.
Choosing the right piece based on the competition theme, environment, venue, and even international trends is the most important.
"On an international stage like Xiao Bang, although everyone participates as individuals, every pianist actually represents their own country."
"Alves Burke and Nishikawa Yuubei, both born after the 90s, their duel is now being called the century duel between the new generation of pianists from France and Japan by the media."
Yao Han was talking effusively to Lin Tian.
It had quite a feeling of discussing heroes over wine.
"I see."
Lin Tian, born after '05, gave a thumbs up.
Although he wasn't related to the main duel of this competition.
But he was happy to have someone introduce him to the details of the competition.
Suddenly, Yao Han's tone changed, saying in a very sharp tone:
"In fact, these international media's evaluations are ultimately short-sighted, they can only judge based on past competitions and historical experience, but they often overlook some newcomers who are not very experienced but possess considerable strength, especially from countries not well known for their musical strength."
Yao Han implied deeply, then switched his tone again.
"In order to create a theme of 'music rivalry among three different cultural countries and regions', besides these two, the media has always been looking for a new contestant."
"They introduced Germany's Bud Lloyd, New Zealand's Camilo Williams, Russia's Evgeny Ivanovich Romanov, ... but I think they are not up to the mark! To use an old saying — mere mice."
Then, Yao Han whispered in Lin Tian's ear with a slightly frivolous tone,
"I think, the only one who can complete this 'century duel' puzzle as the third person is just one."
"Who?" Lin Tian asked.
Yao Han looked at Lin Tian.
He smiled without speaking.
The meaning was very clear.
"..."
"Me??"
Lin Tian quickly waved his hands,
"Not interested, and I don't think I can!"
"Teacher Lin Tian is being too modest, your strength, to compete with them, is undoubtedly capable."
"No, I'm really not interested."
Lin Tian said with a smile, scratching his head.
Before coming here, he had already mentally prepared himself, his goal wasn't at all about winning the championship.
He was just here to get some exposure and perhaps, incidentally, snag a special award... that's all.
"How can you not be interested, Teacher Lin Tian?!"
Yao Han got a bit excited,
"I've told you so much, don't you have any intention to compete with these people at all?!"
"No."
Lin Tian said seriously, patting Yao Han's shoulder, giving a thumbs up,
"Teacher Yao Han, I think, the only one who can represent the Heavenly Dynasty in piano here is you!"
After that, Gan Yanyu tugged at Lin Tian's clothes.
"I need to use the restroom....."
"Okay."
Lin Tian looked up,
"I need to go to the restroom, Teacher Yao Han, thanks for sharing so much with me.... see you!"
After saying that, Lin Tian left with Gan Yanyu.
Leaving Yao Han dumbfounded, standing there in a daze.
After a long while.
"Ha, that's Teacher Lin Tian for you!"
"Well, it looks like I have work cut out for me then....."