Chapter 173

"It is one of my most satisfying works to date."

"Mr. Wu, there is no need to be polite. If you have any dissatisfactions, feel free to point them out directly."

Wu Wu Guangren nodded slightly and continued.

"This piece is quite good."

"Especially since it leans more towards showing off technique; it is perfect as an etude for students."

An etude for students?

The students of the Imperial Music Academy held back their laughter with great difficulty.

Mr. Wu was truly wicked; what did he mean by "an etude for students"?

Ferdinand also caught the implication, and his expression immediately soured.

"Mr. Wu, I would like to know, what do the students at the Imperial Music Academy usually use for their etudes?"

Wu Wu Guangren smiled faintly and said calmly.

"Jian Mingcheng!"

"Teacher!" A student stood up from the crowd and said respectfully.

He was also one of the participants in this exchange.

He had also appeared when Su Meng came to crash the venue last time.

"How is your practice of Mr. Su's 'Flight of the Bumblebee' coming along?"

Jian Mingcheng's face immediately fell.

"Teacher, this piece is still too difficult for me."

"After practicing for so long, I can only play it at about seventy or eighty percent proficiency."

"Seventy or eighty percent? That's about enough." Wu Wu Guangren did not mind.

The students' progress was all under his control.

"Since this is an exchange, why don't you practice this piece."

"Very well, Teacher!" Jian Mingcheng walked onto the stage and spoke to the audience.

"Dear friends who have traveled from afar, I am Jian Mingcheng, a piano student at the Imperial Music Academy."

"Next, I will perform 'Flight of the Bumblebee'."

"This is also a piece written by one of our school's teachers."

Another new piece? Also written by a teacher at the school?

The group from Berklee was stunned.

Was this too much of a coincidence?

On stage, Jian Mingcheng had already begun his performance.

Being able to represent the piano department of the Imperial Music Academy, his level was naturally extraordinary.

He had been practicing this piece for two months and was already quite proficient.

On the black and white keys, his ten fingers danced, leaving behind trails of afterimages.

It seemed as if dozens of wild bees had flown up from the black and white keys, dancing throughout the entire concert hall.

Seeing this scene, everyone from Berklee was dumbfounded.

They were all experts; how could they not see the brutality of this piece?

……

Bai Bai Bai Xiaoling in the back row suddenly burst into a giggle.

Seeing Hu Zheng's curious expression, she explained.

"Teacher, look, Berklee brought 'Blooming Wildflowers'."

"Mr. Su brought 'Flight of the Bumblebee'."

"Bumblebees are specifically for gathering nectar from flowers; isn't this too interesting?"

"Indeed." Hu Zheng gave her a meaningful look and said leisurely.

"It seems that kid Su Meng is quite skilled at 'gathering nectar'."

Bai Bai Bai Xiaoling shook her head subconsciously, and just as she was about to retort, she stopped.

She felt something was not quite right.

……

After the piece ended, Jian Mingcheng slowly stood up.

Before he could speak, Ferdinand had already stood up, his face looking quite unpleasant.

"This round, we at Berklee have lost!"

"In terms of technique, difficulty, speed, and every other aspect, this piece is... stronger than mine."

He was an expert and naturally understood the gap, so admitting defeat directly seemed more straightforward.

Everyone at the scene nodded; wasn't it obvious?

Wu Wu Guangren, however, shook his head slightly and said calmly.

"This is just an academic exchange; where is there any talk of winning or losing?"

"Learning together and improving together is the main purpose of this exchange."

But his gesture of goodwill received no response.

Ferdinand continued.

"Since your school has such an excellent piece, we cannot keep our secrets either."

"Some time ago, the teachers in our school's piano composition department collaborated on a piece called 'King of the Piano'."

"The performance difficulty of this piece is extremely high; even in our school, only a few teachers in the piano department can present it perfectly."

"In the next round, the head of our Berklee exchange delegation, Mr. Benedict, will perform this piece himself!"

What?

Everyone at the scene was stunned, and then burst into warm applause.

Benedict was an internationally renowned performance master!

To have the honor of hearing him perform in person this time?

And it was a new piece?

However... "King of the Piano"? What a bold claim!

Amidst the applause, a middle-aged man stood up and walked slowly onto the stage.

Sitting in front of the piano, his entire aura changed.

He took a deep breath, and his ten fingers flew rapidly across the black and white keys.

As soon as the music began, the entire concert hall entered a state of frenzy.

It seemed as if countless notes were flying out from the keyboard simultaneously, weaving into a giant net.

It covered everyone in the hall, making it hard to breathe.

"Berklee College of Music, truly lives up to its reputation."

Wu Wu Guangren savored the music while secretly marveling.

But then again... is our Imperial Music Academy any worse?

……

After the piece ended, the scene erupted into warm applause.

Benedict stood up, bowed slightly, and said calmly.

"This piece is extremely difficult; using it for an exchange is indeed a bit of an unfair victory."

In his words, he had already placed himself in the position of the winner.

"Hehe." Wu Wu Guangren slowly stood up.

"What a coincidence, the teacher at our school, besides writing 'Flight of the Bumblebee', also has a piece called 'The Clock'!"

"Since Mr. Benedict has personally stepped out, let me have an exchange as well."

What? Wu Wu Guangren was actually going to perform himself?

The students of the Imperial Music Academy were immediately excited and burst into warm applause.

The people from Berklee, however, were stunned.

So what if you perform?

What do you have to counter our "King of the Piano"?