Qing Yun picked up the violin in silence and lovingly stroked the scratches on its body before getting up with it in his arms.

“Hey, what’s that look on your face? I told you to get out of the way a long time ago, but you didn’t listen, did you?” Lin, who hit him earlier, stood in front of him and wanted to taunt him some more but found that this young man, who was silent and gloomy in the past, had a different kind of sharpness in his eyes.

“Get lost!” Qing Yun raised his eyes and gave a cold, hard rebuke. Then, he walked straight to a corner where there was no one.

Lin stood in place and scratched his head, not understanding how this person had the guts to be so bold today.

The rest of the people saw that and immediately laughed: “Lin, you can’t ah. The prodigy is playing before you today, and you are already scared before the competition.”

“Heh, I’m not afraid of him. He’d be lucky if he’s half as good as he was when he was a kid.” Lin disdainfully scowled and walked into the crowd, discussing with them what he was going to play at the competition.

This side was filled with joy, while the corner where Qing Yun was sitting was lonely with only him there.

Qing Yun was happy to be in silence as he tuned his strings and sorted through the information he received in his mind. His name in this world was Xiang Chenyu, a famous musical prodigy before he was twelve years old.

He lived without a father or mother in an orphanage and mastered the technique simply by learning the violin from the orphanage director, an amateur violinist. He seemed to have been born into music, and the doors to this beautiful world of art opened easily for him.

When Xiang Chenyu was ten years old, he performed in the square with the rest of the orphans in the orphanage under the guidance of the director and immediately gained the crowd’s attention.

People were interested in this orphan who lived in great poverty and did not even have parents because his sound was so unique. When he played with his violin with his eyes closed, his expression was so joyful that it infected many people through his music.

Although his technique has many shortcomings, his innocence and sensitivity make up for his lack of skill. The video of Xiang Chenyu’s performance was soon posted on the Internet, where it was well-received and attracted the attention of many musicians.

A number of famous violinists in the music industry praised him and concluded that the child had supreme musical talent and would definitely become a great musician if trained properly.

But this was the beginning of Xiang Chenyu’s painful life. A musician couple who had lost their child adopted him, and he went from being a small feather in an orphanage to becoming Xiang Chenyu.

The couple put all their expectations on Xiang Chenyu, trying to raise him to be the greatest violinist in the music industry. Xiang Chenyu began training in all kinds of advanced techniques, and he spent every day with his violin, his fingers constantly worn out by the strings. The violin was not just a joyful toy for him but also a tool to please his adoptive parents.

Because the attitude of Xiang Chenyu’s adoptive parents towards him would always change depending on his playing skills and performance. If he succeeded in playing a difficult piece, Xiang Chenyu would receive a great deal of praise from them. They would lift little Xiang Chenyu, hug him joyfully, and spin him around, kissing him passionately on the cheek while telling how much they loved him.

This was the happiest time for Xiang Chenyu.

But if Xiang Chenyu played a wrong note, he would face a sudden change in the faces of his adoptive parents. He would have to endure the coldest and most merciless scolding and even physical punishment.

However, Xiang Chenyu didn’t care about any of this, because as an orphan, he had the most extreme desire for his parents and affection since he was little. He felt that they loved him. Otherwise, how could they raise him with such dedication?

Later, Xiang Chenyu’s adoptive parents found their biological son, Xiang Chenjin. Since then, Xiang Chenyu has known what real affection means.

Xiang Chenjin would not be forced to learn the violin, and their parents would gently tell him, Baby, it’s okay as long as you are happy.

When Xiang Chenjin tried to learn the violin and cut his finger on the string, his parents would throw the violin aside and look at the tiny wound on his finger as if the sky was falling.

When Xiang Chenyu faced the same situation, he could only get a sentence: Don’t delay your practice.

The fear of being abandoned rushed into Chenyu’s heart again because he found that even if he behaved well, he could not make his adoptive parents happy compared to a simple “mom and dad” from Chenjin.

Xiang Chenyu’s talent was slowly worn down by years and years of mechanical practices, as well as the indifferent attitude of his adoptive parents. He even longed for his adoptive parents to send him back to the orphanage again. How good would that be?

In the orphanage, he had dear companions and a kind and amiable director, while here, he only had the violin.

But how could the Xiang family, a famous couple in the music industry, send him back to the orphanage again just because he has no talent? If they did, the media would definitely not let them off the hook.

Therefore, Xiang Chenyu could only live a monstrous life in the terribly indifferent Xiang family. He became silent and gloomy from a lively and cheerful one. He even began to like to work against Xiang Chenjin openly and secretly because he found that……the pieces he wrote would always be played by Xiang Chenjin in front of their parents first.

After sorting out the information in his head, Qing Yun touched his left ear expressionlessly.

The world only thinks that Xiang Chenyu is just an example of a broken person, but they do not know that there is a reason for his declining achievements in music. This is because the boy has long been deaf in his left ear, which is why he did not hear Lin’s voice today and collided with him.

It was because Xiang Chenyu once pulled a wrong tone and was slapped hard by his father. This was followed by a night of high fever, which caused irreversible deafness in his left ear.

It was the night before Christmas when the twelve-year-old Xiang Chenyu was tossing and turning in bed in agony due to a high fever. His adoptive parents were happily eating dinner with their biological son, Xiang Chenjin. It was only until the next morning when the fever-comatose Xiang Chenyu was taken to the hospital.

Normally, the violin is held in the left hand and the bow in the right hand. The left cheek rests against the violin, so the loss of hearing in the left ear was a big blow to Chenyu. His father and mother were afraid that word of the incident would affect their reputation, so they were adamantly opposed to Xiang Chenyu holding the violin in the opposite hand and were unwilling to order a backhanded violin for him.

Qing Yun looked at his left hand, and his eyes could not help but show a trace of harshness. This is a violinist’s hand, and it is not delicate. Although his fingers, which have been pressing the strings for a long time, are not calloused, they still have small scars. Even the index and middle fingers of his left and right hands are not equal in length, resulting from childhood efforts to stretch the fingers to press the strings.

He’s already been trained like this, so even if he starts practicing the backhand violin later, it’s too late, right?

But fortunately, although the damage to his left ear is irreversible, Qing Yun can improve the hearing of his right ear to the greatest extent.

Today is the final of the preliminary round of the International Music Conference, and Qing Yun must win. He wants to make the name Xiang Chenyu once again resound throughout the music world.

The competition has already started, and the first numbered contestants already started to perform on stage, while the rest of the contestants are getting nervous. They are either tuning their instruments or thinking about the pieces they will perform.

At that moment, a contestant wearing a custom-made black suit for the music conference walked towards Qing Yun. This person had a smiling expression and kept greeting the people around him along the way.

He slowly walked up to Qing Yun and looked down at the silent teenager. The gentle expression on his face unchanged, but his words took on a hint of untraceable arrogance: “Mother asked you to come home today.”

Qing Yun looked at this world’s protagonist, Xiang Chenjin. He did not speak and merely nodded in silence.

Looking at Xiang Chenyu’s still gloomy expression, Xiang Chenjin suddenly hooked the corners of his mouth and seemingly politely reminding, “By the way, it seems that your instructor still failed your grade this semester. So, be careful when you go back. Father is also at home.”

With that said, Xiang Chenjin also pretended to be intimate and reached out to touch Xiang Chenyu’s head. However, Chenyu turned his head to avoid it and fiercely knocked his hand away.

Xiang Chenjin took back his red hand, but the rest of the players who watched the two of them interact with each other let out a cry of surprise. A young man who came from the area next to them immediately came over and worriedly took Xiang Chenjin into his arms: “Chenjin, is everything okay?”

“It’s alright.” Xiang Chenjin shrugged off his hand and said toward the contestants surrounding him, “This is Chenyu’s character.”

“Is this a matter of character? You came over here to care for him, and he treats you like this?” The young man said unhappily and then turned his head to look at the silent Xiang Chenyu, “I hope you don’t forget that all your achievements now, including your food, clothing, housing, and transportation, all rely on the Xiang family. In the future, be polite to Chenjin.”

With that, the youth pulled Xiang Chenjin away.

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Qing Yun looked up and took a glance at the young man’s background. Then, he moved his eyes away with a lack of interest. The man just now is the young master of the Wei family, Wei Shiang. His family is rich enough to rival the country. He only came to the music circle for fun, but he has a good relationship with Xiang Chenjin in the Conservatory of Music.

It’s funny because Xiang Chenyu, who practically lived in the dark, fell in love with Wei Shiang, a cheerful senior, as soon as he started school. In the beginning, Xiang Chenjin still had nothing to do with Wei Shiang. Still, by chance, after knowing that Xiang Chenyu liked him, the two were inexplicably getting closer and closer.

In Qing Yun’s opinion, there is nothing good about this Wei Shiang. But his words are true, Xiang Chenyu’s current situation was completely thanks to the Xiang family.

For the parents, Xiang Chenyu is just a tool, while Xiang Chenjin is the son they really love. Perhaps their attitude towards Xiang Chenyu at the beginning can be described as expecting their son to become a dragon, but at the end? Xiang Chenyu has become the couple’s tool to vent their anger.

The contestants from afar began to gather around Xiang Chenjin again and slandered Xiang Chenyu. This section was basically all students of the music school, and Xiang Chenyu has a bad reputation in the school.

With the halo of a prodigy hanging over his head, he performed mediocrely in school, and even his tutor, who expected nothing less from him, ended up criticizing him. He even said in the most sarcastic tone that even the music simulated by electronic instruments had more emotion than his playing.

As for his classmates, many of them spent their childhood in the shadow of Xiang Chenyu. Now, they see the “prodigy” who has been stepping on their heads fall to such a state, so how can they not mock him.

In addition, there is also Xiang Chenjin around, so Xiang Chenyu’s life will only get worse.

“Damn, your hand is so red from the hit. This person isn’t trying to break your hand so you can’t get on the stage, right?” Lin reached out and took a look at the back of Xiang Chenjin’s hand and curled his lips in mockery.

The rest of the people immediately followed suit.

Qing Yun paid no attention to them but followed the usual silence of the original body. He took his violin, left the lounge, and went to the back of the stage.

“By the way, does anyone know what piece he’s going to play in this competition?” Lin looked at Xiang Chenyu’s back and couldn’t help but ask the students around him out loud.

“Who knows, he is so gloomy, who dares to talk to him.” Someone snickered.

“I know!” One girl raised her hand with a smile, “I just looked at the list in the host’s hand. Do you guys have any idea what he’s going to play?”

Seeing the crowd’s eyes placed on her, the girl finally stopped playing around and said, “He’s actually going to play “Flowing Water”, Khrutaf’s “Flowing Water” Oh, haha……”

When the girl’s words came out, several contestants followed with a gasp of surprise and then laughed out loud, “It’s really the style of a prodigy. After all, a playing machine like him can only choose such a piece that only involves skill.”

Someone shrugged and gloated, “It’s a pity, it’s a pity that eight of the ten judges present are emotionalists. I’m afraid their faces will turn green when they see the prodigy’s performance.”

“Tsk tsk, I have to say his guts for choosing Flowing Water is really big. That piece is filled with difficult trills, and I don’t believe he can play it flawlessly.” Lin looked down and thought about it. Then, he rubbed his chin and shook his head.

He formerly tried to play the second movement of “Flowing Water”, which is known for its difficulty, and was never able to play it entirely without mistakes. This movement is also known as the Devil’s Trill, which only the best violinists can play in its entirety.

“Aren’t you talking nonsense? If he chooses the second movement, he’s really out of his mind. I guess it is just the simpler first movement……”

Qing Yun was unaware of these players’ discussions as he carefully played the piece back in his mind.

The first movement? The second movement? No, he wanted to present this piece in its entirety to the audience, as it should be.