The world's number one pianist

"This year, you get back here!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was very serious and full of control, which made people feel a chill at the first time.

A chill that made people want to refuse.

However, He Shen just picked up the phone, looked at the name on the phone, and didn't know what to say for a while. He just sat on the steps without saying a word.

After the person on the other end of the phone said that, he never said anything more to He Shen, and he fell into silence again.

This silence spread, and the air was so cold that it seemed to freeze.

Xu Yuqi and her agent Sister Li hid in the corner and looked at each other, not daring to say a word.

They didn't even dare to walk back now.

They were too close to He Shen now. If He Shen was on the phone or something, they could still walk.

But...

He Shen didn't say anything, and the whole surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that it was scary.

Therefore, if they walked away now, they would...

be discovered by He Shen!

Eavesdropping, no matter what, is still eavesdropping, not listening openly.

This is the main reason why they dare not move.

He Shen had no intention to care about them at this moment. He held the mobile phone in his hand, and the joints on his fingers were clear.

He had never played the piano so hard before.

"Are you... dumb?"

The voice on the other end of the phone came again, and he asked He Shen in an extremely cold manner.

"Didn't you understand what I just said to you?"

"..."

He Shen still didn't speak. He looked at the name on the phone in his hand and still said nothing.

After a long while, He Shen slowly said.

"This year, I don't want to not go back..."

"I said, come back this year!"

The person on the other end of the phone heard He Shen's voice, and his voice became colder and colder. He spoke to He Shen with a cold tone that seemed to chill people's hearts.

"You have no excuse to let you go. Your credit has been lost with me! Don't you know that?"

"You said you will be allowed to stay for two years. So, what have you done in these two years?"

"When you left, you said you would become a pianist according to my ideal!"

"What about you now? What are you doing now?"

"Do you think... you are a pianist?"

"Do you think you are still qualified to be a pianist now? Are you still qualified to be a pianist?"

"I don't want to say it too harshly. I will leave you the last bit of self-esteem. Don't let me repeat it for the third time..."

"I... let you come back this year!"

"..."

"..."

He Shen didn't speak. The person on the other end of the phone was waiting for He Shen to speak.

Therefore, the atmosphere in the entire corridor became extremely quiet and strange...

No one spoke.

After being scolded by the person on the other end of the phone, He Shen didn't say much.

He just took a deep breath and sighed slowly.

"The last year, this is really the last year, I will prove it to you this year..."

"You said the same thing last year, so I gave you a year last year."

"This year, it's really the last time..."

"He..."

He Jianguo, the person on the other end of the phone, had an extremely cold tone, smiled coldly at He Shen, and the sound of fingers tapping on the table came from the other end of the phone.

"Have you... forgotten the oath you made to me this year? Do you want me to read it to you?"

"At the beginning of the year, you said that you would become a pianist this year, and said that if you don't succeed, you will come back. So tell me, how much progress have you made towards becoming a pianist this year?"

He Shen pursed his lips and said slowly, ""I have now joined the Jiangzhou Normal University School of Music as an assistant teacher..."

"Teaching assistant? Your goal is to be a teaching assistant? A teaching assistant is a pianist?" The voice on the other end of the phone mocked.

"I also won the Golden Piano Award..."

"The Golden Piano Award is an award that is only famous in China. No one abroad looks up to this award! Are you trying to fool me with this?"

"I..."

He Shen held the phone, not knowing what to say for a moment...

If it is really based on the standards of a musician, he really didn't accomplish anything this year.

No concerts...

No international competitions.

He just dominated the country with his students.

He won the China Music Higher Education Competition and the Golden Piano Award...

Internationally, he is not even famous.

He Shen listened to his father's ridicule, his eyes were extremely painful, he pinched his eyebrows and said with difficulty.

"Next year, I have already won the Chopin International..."

"Enough!"

He Jianjun's voice came over suddenly, and he said indifferently.

"I said, enough..."

"I don't want to hear any other excuses from you, I'm just telling you that you must come back this year!"

"By the way, I want to remind you that before you make excuses, take a look at what you have done..."

"I ask you to take a good look at yourself! What are you doing recently?"

"Open your eyes wide and take a good look! Look at what you have done this year..."

"You know how people around you evaluate me!"

"A father who is about to become a big star?"

"I trained you to make you a big star? To make money?"

"You said it yourself, you have the ability, you play the piano well, you can make a living by playing the piano, you make a living by doing this?"

"Depending on licking those traffic stars? Being the dog of those traffic stars? Licking them to get a bite of food?"

"Where do you want me to lose face?"

"Do you also want to follow that Li and embarrass our family in Zhongzhou Zhongcheng?"

"Oh no, I almost forgot, you can't even achieve half of the achievements of the Li..."

"I don't want to say anything more to you, you must come back to me this year."

After that, the phone call was immediately interrupted, leaving only a few beeps.

He Shen looked at the phone in his hand, and after a moment of silence, he put the phone in his pocket and sat on the steps without saying a word, a little at a loss.

He Shen was extremely silent, and had no idea what he should do now...

He Jianguo, his father...

Exactly the same as all the parents of piano masters in China...

His father was also the kind of person who was particularly irritable and had a strong desire for control.

He wanted to grasp everything in his hands...

It has been like this since he was a child...

He Shen finally went to Wuzhou Conservatory of Music when he was in college and escaped from his clutches.

In college, it was okay, because He Shen was at least a little famous in China and sounded like a future pianist, so his father didn't say much.

All this stopped after he graduated from college...

After graduation, his father directly stopped all financial support for him, which led to him living directly in a very small basement in Jiangzhou.

Even this year, he almost had no money to eat and pay rent because he only had more than 30 yuan left.

Now that he has succeeded a little bit, he feels that he can do it. He wants to prove to his father that he can really make a living by playing the piano...

The result...

The result is that before he has proved himself, his father scolds him and says that he is a dog of those traffic stars?

He Shen turned his head and looked at Xu Yuqi and Sister Li who popped up from behind. He didn't know what to say in his heart...

Becoming a hand substitute means being a dog for them?

He Shen shook his head, stood up, walked to their side, looked at them, and nodded slightly.

"Get up, don't watch, there's nothing to see..."

"Eh...Okay..."

Xu Yuqi glanced at Sister Li beside her, not sure what He Shen was thinking now.

Just now, He Shen...should be his father?

His father's voice was very loud, so loud that they were a little scared.

Especially the curses inside...

They had no idea that there would be a father who would treat his children like this?

Xu Yuqi looked at He Shen's figure walking into the concert hall and whispered to Sister Li beside him.

"Sister Li, do you think Mr. He is depressed? Being scolded by his father..."

"It's obviously a good thing. I looked at Weibo before. Everyone is praising him and saying that he plays the piano very well, but why..."

"Why is his father so disgusted with Mr. He's fame?"

Sister Li glanced at Xu Yuqi, then at He Shen who had disappeared, and spoke uncertainly.

"I'm not sure. It's hard to say what's going on in someone's family..."

"However, I think it's normal for the fathers of musicians like Mr. He to have a desire for control."

"I've heard about the three Chinese piano masters before, Lang Liangyue, Li Diyun, and Shen Yu. The fathers of the three of them all have very strong desires for control."

"Lang Liangyue was an hour late for piano practice, so his father grabbed his neck and dragged him to the balcony. He pointed at the balcony with a bottle of medicine and said that either they would take the medicine together and die, or they would jump off the building and die. He could choose any one."

"Li Diyun was the same, but he was a little luckier. He didn't do anything wrong before, so his father was just strict, and there was no other special punishment. He just didn't give him any entertainment opportunities."

"Shen Yu, he..."

Sister Li hesitated a little when she mentioned Shen Yu, turned out her pocket, searched it quickly, handed it to Xu Yuqi, and spoke slowly.

"His father is more controlling. He thinks his child is a pianist, won the second place in the Elisabeth Competition, won the Rachmaninoff Piano Competition, and is a world-class pianist. He did not allow Shen Yu to continue to go to school, forced him to give concerts all over the world, and even forced him to break up with the best teacher in Germany, thinking that he was not worthy of teaching him."

"Teacher He's father should be a little gentler than these people's fathers?"

"At least, he didn't come directly, took the medicine, and forced Teacher He to commit suicide?"

"Just want... to let him go home for the New Year?"

"I just don't know, should he let him go home for the New Year, or..."

When Sister Li talked about this, she also had a little uncertainty, not knowing whether He Shen's father was good or bad.

After all, this is someone else's family affair, and she really can't say anything.

Xu Yuqi glanced at the information on her phone, then glanced at the direction where He Shen left, her eyes were extremely complicated, and she murmured softly.

"Still... gentle?"

She shook her head gently, thinking of her father...

Both her father and her mother were quite friendly. Basically, apart from being strict with her body management, there was really nothing else.

It seems that there were really no special strict requirements for him for other things...

So, this is parents of different professions?

Xu Yuqi nodded her chin and tilted her head to think.

I always feel that these parents who set instrumentalists as their children's next goal are not particularly easy to deal with.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yuqi finally put this matter behind her and walked into the concert hall.

At this moment, He Shen was already standing in front of the director, talking to the director.

The director patted He Shen on the shoulder and praised him very much.

"Teacher He, it's amazing. There's really only one word for it: awesome! Two words: awesome! Thanks to you, the overall details of our show are fully developed, which directly eliminates the biggest shortcomings of our show before!"

"Not bad."

He Shen smiled gently and didn't say much.

The director seemed to see that He Shen's expression was not quite right, and immediately asked.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing..."

"Is that so..."

Although there was still a little doubt in his heart, the director suppressed it directly in his heart and didn't ask questions for the time being.

Since he didn't want to say it, then he didn't say it. When he wanted to say it, he could say it.

Therefore, the director just smiled and patted He Shen's shoulder and comforted him.

"Don't worry, there is nothing you can't get over. You will definitely get over it when you turn around. By the way, do you want to come to our celebration party? You are our great hero! Tonight."

"No, forget it. I have to go back quickly today."

He Shen shook his head and smiled at Xu Yuqi and Sister Li who had just walked in.

"Xu Yuqi, if you still want to go to class, send me a message later. See you after the New Year."

After that, He Shen waved to the other employees around him and left first.

Everyone looked at He Shen's back as he left and glanced at each other.

"Did something happen to Teacher He?"

"I don't know. I just received a call, and then suddenly it was like this..."

"Huh? Received a call? Could something have happened?"

"I don't know. If he doesn't say it, who knows..."

"Hey, Sister Li, we saw you just came in behind Teacher He. Do you know the situation?"

Sister Li looked at everyone and said slowly after a long silence.

"Teacher He's father scolded Teacher He because he saw Teacher He enter the crew..."

"And Teacher He seemed to want to prove to his father that he could become a pianist..."

"Hiss..."

Everyone couldn't help but take a breath, watching He Shen's back as he left, especially his back that was obviously worried, and didn't know what to say for a while.

I just felt a little blocked in my heart.

He Shen didn't know how the others around him felt. He just came out of the crew, went back to the hotel to get his clothes, and then went to the airport.

The school can reimburse the money for the economy class ticket, so He Shen doesn't need to care at all.

He Shen didn't have much luggage on him, he just carried a bag full of clothes.

Passed the security check and walked towards the boarding gate.

Sitting on the bench next to the boarding gate, looking at the plane outside the window through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass.

Even though it is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, it is only two days away from the New Year...

You can even say that it is only one day away.

Most people celebrate the most abundant day on New Year's Eve, not on New Year's Day.

Therefore, there are not many people in the entire airport.

There are not many planes either.

After all, most people who can go home for the New Year have already gone home, and those who cannot go home have basically given up going home.

There are fewer flights than usual.

"Passengers from Zhongcheng to Ningcheng, please go to Gate 24 to board the plane!"

...

He Shen raised his head and looked around. Passers-by around him walked towards the boarding gate one after another. After checking their tickets at the door, they walked directly from the boarding bridge to the plane.

People gradually became sparse, and everyone except He Shen entered the plane.

The broadcast was played again, asking those who had not yet entered the plane to quickly enter the plane. He Shen then stood up, handed the ticket to the staff, walked into the plane, and sat down.

Perhaps because he was in a hurry to go home for the New Year, the plane was pushed directly to the runway not long after He Shen sat down.

As the engine sound became louder and louder, a strong push on the back pressed He Shen into the chair.

The plane flew towards Ningcheng.

The sky outside was very dark, very dark...

The only thing that could be seen in the sky was the flashing lights on the wings.

The other passengers around were also very silent, each doing their own things.

The whole cabin was extremely depressing.

He Shen looked at the flashing lights outside the window, his eyes full of hesitation.

He didn't know whether he should go home.

He really wanted to disobey his father's compulsion and just stay in Midtown.

But……

Perhaps it was the lingering influence from his father, and he himself had originally planned to return to Jiangzhou as soon as possible.

This allowed him to get on the last plane directly from Zhongcheng to Jiangzhou.

After arriving in Jiangzhou, should I take the train back to my hometown?

Or should I just stay in Ningcheng, Jiangzhou?

He Shen didn't know that he didn't have a very definite answer now.

If you ask him to talk about music and why it should be played like this, he can say a lot.

Talking a lot.

You can even talk about music for a whole class, or even a semester.

However, when He Shen was asked to follow his father and do it face to face, He Shen had no intention of resisting...

He has been beaten since childhood. Even though He Shen has been away from his father for two years now, he still has lingering fears when talking about his father.

Therefore, when He Shen faced his father's call, he really didn't know what to do.

The plane flew quickly through the sky, leaving Zhongzhou Zhongcheng and stopping at Ningcheng, Jiangzhou.

People around him quickly stood up from their seats and prepared to walk in the direction of their homes.

Everyone has their own home, and they are all looking forward to tomorrow's New Year's Eve, when everyone will get together.

Except, He Shen...

He Shen looked at the people hugging each other and the scene of family reunions, feeling slightly silent.

He also wanted to go back, but...

He always felt that if he just went back like this, he might be hung by his father at the door and beaten half to death tomorrow.

His father told him to go back. It was absolutely impossible to praise him and say that he had done a good job!

The only possibility is to hit him and beat him up...

He Shen picked up his luggage, shook his head, followed the flow of people and left the airport, returning to his basement.

Click...

The lights were turned on, and the basement was still the same as it was before He Shen left.

An extremely clean, kawaii SK-II was placed in the middle of the room, and no one had picked up the scattered sheet music on the ground.

On the mattress next to it, the quilt was piled in a mess.

The well-folded lollipop paper that I had folded before was still placed in the cabinet very safely.

Nothing has changed.

He Shen walked to the piano bench and sat directly on it. He looked at the piano in front of him, slowly raised his fingers, and then pressed down.

Great……

A crisp voice sounded from the piano.

Listening to this figure, He Shen closed his eyes.

Bach, Goldberg Variations…

First movement.

The sound flows slowly from the piano like a stream.

This sound was originally supposed to make people fall asleep slowly.

At this time, there was too much sadness mixed in the music.

He Shen had no control over his thoughts at all, and allowed his body and hands to run on the piano keyboard.

No matter what kind of interpretation this piece of work is.

It doesn't matter to him.

finally……

When the whole song ended, He Shen slowly lifted his hand from the piano, walked to the side, and sat on the mattress, his eyes dull.

After an unknown amount of time, He Shen stood up, turned off the lights next to him, and got into bed.

Facing the extremely dark basement, He Shen stretched out his hand from the quilt and opened it...

In the air, squeeze slowly.

In the darkness, looking at the dark outline of his hand through the wisp of light coming from the window on the side, He Shen shook his head.

"I...will never go back!"

"It's not for any other reason..."

"I just want to prove a point!"

"I...can become a pianist! I must also become a pianist!"

"I not only want to be a pianist, I want to be the best pianist in the world! Prove to everyone! I... can do it!"

"I'm not the dog of those actors, I'm just doing my job..."

"Just like, I am on my way to becoming a pianist step by step, just like..."

He Shen put down his hands and slowly fell asleep

I don’t know when it started to snow slowly outside.

An incredibly thick layer of snow.

(Volume 2, end)