Chapter 116: The Piano

Yang Jiekai straightened up and leaned forward, waiting intently for Lin Wen to take the stage.

But after a long while, no one appeared, and the audience began murmuring among themselves.

Just as Yang Jiekai sensed that something was wrong, the host suddenly walked onto the stage and addressed the audience. “My apologies, everyone. There was a minor incident backstage just now, and contestant Lin Wen may not be able to participate in this round. Let us welcome the next contestant…”

The performer who came out next was a hip-hop singer with hair dyed in every color imaginable. He bounced and leaped across the stage to the beat of the music.

Yang Jiekai had no heart to appreciate the performance. He immediately rose from his seat and hurried backstage.

There he saw Lin Wen crouched in a corner, her head buried between her knees. Her shoulders trembled with what seemed to be quiet sobs.

“Xiaowen, what happened?”

Yang Jiekai hurried over and asked her. Lin Wen raised her head, her large eyes brimming with tears.

“Brother Yang, I can’t compete anymore.”

“Why? Are you feeling unwell?”

Yang Jiekai was bewildered and worried. “Where does it hurt? Should I take you to the hospital?”

Lin Wen shook her head gently. “Forget it. It’s not because I’m sick.”

“Then what is it?”

Yang Jiekai was utterly confused. How could she have given up the competition for no reason? Anyone who knew how difficult it was to reach the finals of China’s Best Songs—a hugely popular program hailed as the country’s greatest star-making platform—would realize that something had to be wrong with Lin Wen’s sudden withdrawal.

Only after Yang Jiekai pressed her repeatedly did Lin Wen choke out, “The pianist refuses to accompany me.”

“Why?”

The more Yang Jiekai heard, the more confused he became.

Lin Wen gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a tissue before telling him the whole story.

Yang Jiekai flew into a rage.

It turned out that the pianist in the band was behind everything. He was not only the band leader but also the music director of the competition.

On the surface, the man looked polished and respectable. In private, however, he was a beast. From the first moment he saw Lin Wen, he had been captivated by her beauty and had directly demanded that she sleep with him as the price for his assistance.

Lin Wen naturally refused. Enraged, the pianist threatened to make her pay.

At the time, Lin Wen had not thought much of it. She had believed that as long as she sang well, everything would be fine. She never expected the pianist to make things difficult for her at the critical moment.

When it was finally Lin Wen’s turn to perform, the pianist simply claimed that he was feeling unwell and refused to accompany her.

As the music director, he wielded considerable authority. And without the piano, the arrangement truly could not be performed. Lin Wen had no choice but to withdraw.

“I’ll be damned!”

Yang Jiekai was furious. He turned on his heel, ready to find the vile pianist and settle the matter.

“Brother Yang, don’t go!”

Lin Wen grabbed him and lowered her head. “There’s no point. He’s the music director. We can’t do anything to him…”

“To hell with his music director title!”

Yang Jiekai clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. He shook Lin Wen off and strode straight toward the band.

By then, the hip-hop contestant had finished performing. Since the event was being broadcast nationwide, advertisements had to be aired between segments, and the competition was temporarily suspended.

The pianist had been playing for quite some time and was beginning to feel tired. He had lit a cigarette and was lazily blowing smoke rings.

“You. Come here!”

Yang Jiekai walked over to the band and immediately spotted the pianist.

The pianist turned his head and cast him a contemptuous glance. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m asking you—why did you refuse to accompany my friend just now?”

Yang Jiekai suppressed his anger as he stepped closer.

The pianist paused. Realizing who Yang Jiekai meant, he gave a cold snort.

“My fingers are a little uncomfortable. The contestant’s song is too complicated. I can’t play it.”

“Go to hell!”

Yang Jiekai was already seething. Seeing the pianist’s arrogant expression, he could no longer hold himself back. He kicked the man to the ground.

Before the pianist had time to react, Yang Jiekai rushed forward and delivered a merciless barrage of kicks.

“Security! Security!”

Several band members finally snapped out of their shock and began shouting for the guards. One of them tried to intervene, but Yang Jiekai punched him to the ground.

“Stop!”

Several security guards hurried over and tried to pull Yang Jiekai away. He drove an elbow into one of them, knocking him down, then followed with a combination of punches that sent all of them sprawling.

“Call the police!” one of the band members shouted in panic.

“Call the police?”

Yang Jiekai gave a cold laugh. “Go ahead. Do it quickly. When the police arrive, you can explain everything to them—especially how this bastard pianist threatened a female contestant with his disgusting demands!”

That struck the pianist’s most vulnerable nerve. Though his face had been beaten into a swollen mess, he struggled to his feet and frantically waved his hands, signaling everyone not to call the police.

“You think I’m afraid of you just because you hit me?” Blood covered the pianist’s face, and his head was swollen beyond recognition, yet his tone remained defiant. “Whom I choose to accompany is my business. Even if you beat me to death today, I still won’t accompany that woman!”

Yang Jiekai froze for a moment. Then he suddenly kicked the pianist back to the ground.

He seized the man’s wrist with one hand and twisted hard.

Crack!

The pianist’s wrist snapped.

“Ahhh!”

The pianist let out a shriek like a slaughtered pig.

Yang Jiekai pointed at him as he writhed on the floor. “A pianist with a mind this filthy has no business touching a piano again. Looks like you won’t be playing one in the future.”

He then pointed at the remaining band members. “And as for the rest of you—if anyone wants to end up like him, take one step forward. I’ll be happy to oblige.”

The other musicians had long since been terrified out of their wits. None of them dared make a sound. Instead, they instinctively took a step backward.

“What happened here?”

The host hurried backstage.

Yang Jiekai looked at him. “You came at just the right time. Go outside and announce that Lin Wen will be performing next.”

“But…”

The host was actually a man with a strong sense of justice. He understood perfectly well why Lin Wen had suddenly withdrawn, but there had been nothing he could do about it.

Now, seeing the pianist lying on the floor with his wrist twisted out of shape, and Yang Jiekai standing there in a fury, he knew without asking what had happened.

“But what? Are you his accomplice too?”

Yang Jiekai pointed at the pianist on the floor. “Keep wasting time, and I’ll cripple you too!”

“That’s not what I meant!”

The host instinctively took a step back under Yang Jiekai’s furious, almost flaming gaze. He glanced at the pianist and said, “I only meant that you’ve injured him. Who’s going to play the piano later?”

“That’s none of your concern. Just do as I tell you.”

Yang Jiekai stepped forward, seized the host by the collar, and enunciated every word.

“Listen carefully. Do exactly as I say later. If you dare cause any trouble, I’ll make sure you don’t even get the chance to regret it.”

He shoved the host aside and added, “Remember this: don’t take my words as a joke. I never joke with people who aren’t my friends.”

The host was terrified by his manner, but out of professional duty, he still asked, “Then who’s going to play the piano?”

“I am.”

Yang Jiekai rolled his shoulders and waved dismissively. “That’s enough. Stop worrying about it. Just say whatever you’re supposed to say.”

The host stared at him in disbelief. Seeing that the commercial break was nearly over, he hurried back to the stage.

Yang Jiekai went backstage, found Lin Wen, and told her to prepare to perform. He also asked her to sing the piece she was about to perform so he could hear it without accompaniment.

“Brother Yang, can this really work?”

Lin Wen had been given another chance to perform, and while she was delighted, she could not help feeling anxious. Her song relied heavily on the piano accompaniment. Without a pianist, she truly had no idea how she was supposed to perform it.

Yang Jiekai gently patted her on the head. “Don’t worry. Just focus on singing your song well. Leave the rest to me.”

Then he looked into her eyes and added, “Trust me.”

Looking into those eyes, Lin Wen suddenly felt a sense of security unlike anything she had ever known. It was as though, as long as their owner was there, she had nothing to fear—not even if the sky came crashing down.

The host returned to the stage with a smile.

“Good evening, everyone. We have some good news. An incident backstage prevented contestant Lin Wen from performing just now, but after our staff handled the situation, she is able to compete after all!”

He then announced loudly, “Please welcome contestant number sixteen, Lin Wen, who will perform an original song for us!”

The host maintained his smile throughout, but inside he was terribly uneasy. He could not imagine what the result would be without piano accompaniment.

Lin Wen wore a cool-toned dress, her long, lustrous black hair cascading over her shoulders. She walked gracefully to the center of the stage like a princess.

The instant she appeared, her regal bearing and flawless beauty captivated the entire audience.

Several seconds passed, yet there was still no response from backstage.

Lin Wen grew increasingly anxious.

Then, all at once, a melodious piano melody rang out, and the entire venue fell silent.

Lin Wen froze as well.

How could the sound of that piano be described?

It was as though ten thousand white birds were skimming across the surface of the water. It was like an elf singing deep within an ancient forest. It resembled hazy moonlight gliding slowly across the clouds…

Lin Wen began to sing.

Her voice was pure and perfectly natural, free of even the slightest impurity. In an instant, it merged seamlessly with the incomparable beauty of the piano.

The song lasted a little over three minutes. Throughout those three minutes, every audience member unconsciously held their breath, listening with rapt attention to a voice that seemed to have drifted in from the world of elves.