CHAPTER 572: 223 STUNNING PERFORMANCE, IT TURNS OUT TO BE ANN

The left and right hands intertwined, the notes undulating like ripples on a gently disturbed water surface.

When the music first reached the force of F, it was like a tide crashing in, unleashing a passionate climax, with thirty-second note arpeggios progressing layer by layer, like surging waves, stirring turbulent emotions.

Pearl looked up in shock.

Simultaneously, all the audience members absorbed in the music saw a beam of light falling onto the dark stage.

On the right side of the stage, in front of a white grand piano, sat a delicate silhouette.

The light poured down from above, like a divine ray cast from the heavens, softly yet powerfully enveloping the girl.

She sat gracefully, her back elegantly straight, relaxed and natural.

The girl slightly bowed her head, revealing a slender and white neck, her exposed skin under the light was as delicate as porcelain, akin to the finest white jade, so beautiful that one couldn’t help but want to lock it in a safe to treasure.

A black cocktail dress complemented the pearls in her hair, exuding the somber mystery of a long night as well as the elegant simplicity of a quietly blooming lotus.

Her face unseen, yet effortlessly, breathtakingly beautiful.

But the most shocking part was yet to come.

Those slender jade hands rested easily on the black and white keys, everyone thought, this girl must know magic, as the notes under her fingers seemed to be granted new life.

Many people didn’t understand the difficulty of this piece, but some did, like Gu Bichen, like Liu Runxi, like... Yu Ruohuan.

And Qin Xiangge, stunned backstage.

"This is impossible, it must be fake play, Shen You’an must be faking it, how could she play this piece?"

"Phantom of the Night" is acknowledged as one of the most difficult piano pieces in the world of music, because Ravel’s refinement of technique has reached an obsessive level, only a handful of pianists can truly perform this musical poem.

Most have form but lack spirit, succumbing to mechanical craftsmanship.

The reason Qin Xiangge chose this piece was because it’s highly challenging, widely renowned, and mastering its technique easily fools those who don’t understand piano; even those who play piano but haven’t tackled this super difficult piece would admire her boldness to challenge it.

She chose the third movement "Phantom," the most complex and difficult part.

But Shen You’an, she played three movements consecutively, adding her own poetic recitation, achieving flawless perfection in both rhythm and technical performance.

Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she must concede, compared to Shen You’an’s performance, her own playing was utter garbage.

Qin Xiangge had a vague feeling that this piece under her fingers was not merely perfect; the shock she brought was enough to unleash a hurricane.

This premonition made it even harder for her to accept.

Even her most proud piano ability was mercilessly crushed by Shen You’an.

The earlier sneers and wild boasts seemed to still linger in the air, as Qin Xiangge’s face turned pale and green, contorted in a grimace of difficulty.

"The bell echoes among the city walls beyond the horizon."

"The setting sun dyes the hanged man’s remains a bright red."

The girl’s ethereal voice painted an atmosphere of ultimate terror.

The repeated staccato of the right hand at the octave felt like the tolling of fate’s bell, heavy and mournful.

In the dusk’s afterglow, a death row inmate hanged on the gallows; with the left hand’s octave chords, one could almost hear the convict’s heavy lament in the chilly autumn wind, reflexively making one shiver in fear.

The extreme use of harmony perfectly created a gloomy, eerie, terrifying world of death.

"Laughter emerged from the wardrobe in the bedroom, the bed’s canopy danced with her."

"In the tranquil moonlit night echoed strange sounds."

"I’ve listened so many times, yet my heart cannot find peace."

"She descended from the ceiling, spinning on one foot."

"Like a spindle falling off, circling and flying through the room."

"I’ve watched so many times, yet can’t fall asleep deep into the night."

A sonata of freedom, in an incredibly complex structure, sketched a mischievous and peculiar phantom image of a wickedly cute little spirit, showcasing a fervent and romantic style.

The music concluded in a gentle chord.

The scene remained silent for a long time.

Until the first clap resounded, soon followed like a wave, the applause ceaseless, the auditorium filled with a fervent and excited atmosphere.

Most didn’t understand piano music, nor knew the difficulty of this piece, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t appreciate it.