ECG -Chapter 150 Majestic and Grand, Yet Reeking with Stench

Choosing The Flight of the Bumblebee was also the result of repeated discussions and careful consideration between him and Fan Gang. Originally, Lin Hao wanted to play Ivanovici’s First Piano Concerto, but Fan Gang rejected the idea.

Although First Piano Concerto was more difficult, Fan Gang felt it was unsuitable. Playing such a piece in a university student piano competition would be overdoing it and completely unnecessary.

The pieces for the finals of this competition could be freely chosen, so choosing one of Lin Hao’s own compositions was no problem. The Flight of the Bumblebee had a moderate level of difficulty, a decent artistic mood, and a very pleasant melody.

Because the piece was so fast, at first hearing it would shock people and make them think the performer was incredibly skilled. In reality, the piece only tested finger agility—nothing more than something that could be mastered through practice.

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Lin Hao understood Fan Gang’s thoughts. A piece that had not yet spread widely could now be personally performed by him on such an occasion. It would be easier to gain the judges’ approval and would also help the piece become more widely known.

Although over the past year or so, many third- and fourth-year students at the art academy had been practicing this piece, its spread was still very limited.

The Flight of the Bumblebee?

The judges looked at each other. None of them had heard of this piece before. Then they remembered that the contestant had just said it was a piece he had once improvised, and their interest was immediately piqued. They listened attentively.

Lin Hao’s piano began to ring out.

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When Chen Chen heard that rapid descending chromatic scale from the high register, she was stunned for quite a while.

This finger speed was way too terrifying, wasn’t it?

Wan Yong was also shocked by Lin Hao’s piece.

This was the first time he had heard this “famous” The Flight of the Bumblebee. When Lin Hao had played this piece for the first time, the school orchestra had been rehearsing, so many people had witnessed it. As a result, the news had spread like wildfire throughout the academy.

But after Lin Hao successfully transferred departments, he became extremely low-key every day. He didn’t even fight with others for practice rooms. On top of that, during the final professional assessment, the pieces he chose were all ordinary and unremarkable, so many people said he was nothing more than a pretty vase.

And by the time those senior students started practicing this piece, Wan Yong had already left the art academy.

At this moment, Wan Yong’s stomach began making loud gurgling noises. His intestines seemed to have started twisting as well. He endured the cramps and didn’t dare get up to go to the restroom.

He absolutely had to stay and watch—watch how Lin Hao would embarrass himself on stage later.

The entire audience seemed to have bees buzzing in their ears.

When the melody changed octaves and the theme returned, after a long ascending run of accompanying notes, Lin Hao ended the piece cleanly and decisively.

This time, he only used 52 seconds—eight seconds faster than the first time he played it.

Lin Hao stood up, walked to the front of the piano, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed deeply toward the audience.

“Boom—”

Thunderous applause erupted, startling both Lin Hao on stage and Wan Yong below.

Wan Yong stared at Lin Hao, who stood on stage with a reserved smile, his eyes almost spitting fire.

Why didn’t his stomach hurt?

Why was he able to successfully perform the entire piece?

Could it be that he hadn’t drunk that bottle of Guo Li Cheng orange drink?

Chen Chen was also clapping wildly. She didn’t notice that the two of Wan Yong’s legs beside her had already begun rubbing against each other, and the sweat on his face was increasing.

The more than ten judges looked back and saw that most of the audience had stood up, so they also stood and gave him warm, approving applause.

Lin Hao slowly straightened up, only then noticing that all the judges had stood up. He had no choice but to bow again.

As soon as he bent down, another wave of applause surged through the hall.

Several judges quickly turned around and raised their hands, pressing downward. Some staff members also hurried toward the audience seats. After a long while, the audience finally sat down and the applause gradually faded.

Lin Hao stood straight and smiled as he looked at the audience.

He knew it was done!

The gold medal for first place was definitely his!

Several judges whispered among themselves for quite some time. Finally, one judge raised his scoring board.

10 points!

When the host announced the 10 points, the entire hall erupted into another round of enthusiastic applause.

In the end, all the scores were revealed. The highest score was 10 points. Not many judges gave anything below 10—only four people didn’t give him a perfect score, but even their lowest score was 9.82.

In less than a minute, Lin Hao’s final score came out.

As expected, his final score was 9.98, the highest so far!

Lin Hao bowed once again to express his thanks, then walked backstage amid the applause.

A female contestant with a melon-seed-shaped face and long hair was just about to go on stage. When they passed each other, she smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Lin Hao smiled and nodded in thanks.

A judge with gray hair picked up his phone and sent a text message.

At that moment, Fan Gang was sitting in his office smoking. Hearing his phone ring, he quickly picked it up.

The message contained only eleven characters:

“Old Fan, you’re lucky. This kid is extraordinary!”

…

“Wan Yong, what’s wrong with you?”

Chen Chen turned her head toward Wan Yong and saw his face looked extremely twisted. She hurriedly asked with concern.

“N-no… I can’t… I can’t hold it anymore!”

Wan Yong said this while trembling as he stood up. His legs were clamped tightly together as he slowly moved toward the exit.

The melon-faced girl’s piano music had already begun on stage. Accompanied by the elegant melody, Wan Yong squeezed his way out along a row of people’s legs, occasionally releasing a faint:

“Pffft!”

sound.

People along the way were already covering their noses. A six- or seven-year-old girl covered her nose with her tiny hand and said:

“Mom, it smells so bad!”

A middle-aged fat man pulled in his chubby legs and rolled his eyes at Wan Yong, who was bent over and shuffling past him.

He cursed under his breath:

“You little brat… what’s wrong with your brain? You farting around here…”

“Pff—”

Wan Yong answered him with a muffled sound.

The fat man immediately covered his mouth, which had been nonstop cursing.

Chen Chen knew Wan Yong must have a bad stomach and couldn’t hold it anymore, so she quickly stood up and followed him out.

Wan Yong used every ounce of strength he had. Even his breathing had become rapid.

He kept telling himself:

Hold on!

You must hold on!

No matter what, hold on…

Finally, he crossed through row after row of legs and reached the wider aisle in the middle. Chen Chen followed closely behind and grabbed his arm to support him.

Wan Yong clenched his legs tightly and carefully shuffled forward in tiny steps. His eyes were fixed on the restroom sign glowing on the left.

He kept encouraging himself:

Hold on, hold on, you have to hold on…

Once he reached the intersection in the middle and turned left, the restroom would be right there.

Wan Yong, you absolutely must hold on. Otherwise, this humiliation will be huge!

At this moment, the melon-faced girl on stage had reached the second movement.

It was a dreamy and surreal passage. The audience was completely immersed in the atmosphere.

Chen Chen supported Wan Yong. Just as they shuffled to the intersection of the aisle in the middle of the audience seats, a heaven-shaking sound suddenly rang out:

“Pfffft—”

Wan Yong instantly froze.

He felt his pants become strangely warm, and his legs felt as if they were soaking in warm water…

Chen Chen was also stunned. It was her first time encountering something like this, and she wished there was a crack in the floor she could crawl into.

But she couldn’t abandon Wan Yong and run away alone.

“So stinky!”

“God, it reeks!”

“Damn! Who did that?”

“F***…”

“You little brat…”

People on both sides of the aisle started cursing one after another, attracting even more distant audience members to look over.

At this moment, Wan Yong finally understood everything. It must have been Lin Hao who had switched the two bottles of drinks. Otherwise, if it were just an ordinary stomach problem, how could it be this violent?!

He could only blame himself. When Lin Hao went on stage, he had already started feeling something was wrong. He should have hurried to the restroom back then, but he wanted to personally watch Lin Hao embarrass himself. And now what was he supposed to do?

The two of them froze at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal aisles. This place was right in the center of the entire theater, and Wan Yong had an utterly dumbfounded expression.

“Pffft—”

Another thunderous sound rang out. It was grand and magnificent, soul-stirring, and the stench spread everywhere!

Chen Chen came back to her senses. They absolutely could not keep standing here and continue humiliating themselves. She had to get Wan Yong out quickly!

She grabbed Wan Yong’s arm and pulled him toward the left exit, but Wan Yong didn’t dare walk fast at all. His thighs were tightly clamped together, and his calves stuck outward as he shuffled along like a duck.

Chen Chen was so anxious she was about to cry. She shouted, “Can you walk any faster?!”

Wan Yong also knew he couldn’t keep moving like this, so when Chen Chen pulled him, he took a big step forward.

Just now, he had kept his legs tightly pressed together. Only by tensing his muscles could he keep everything sealed shut. And even then, he still couldn’t hold it in.

Now that he relaxed and started walking, his whole body loosened up. It was like a tightly twisted valve had suddenly been opened. Immediately, every step he took came with a thunderous blast.

Accompanied by the gentle piano music…

“Pffft—”

“Pffft—”

“Pffft—”

“……”

Chen Chen pulled him along, crying and laughing at the same time. These people who studied music really were something else—even their farts had such a sense of rhythm. Every single sound landed perfectly on the beat, without the slightest mistake.

Wan Yong desperately wanted to run out, but every step sent another wave of heat rushing out. By now, even his leather shoes were filled. He couldn’t run even if he wanted to.

The audience on both sides of the aisle covered their noses, and some even started cursing loudly.

Because of the lighting, the oval-faced girl on stage couldn’t clearly see what was happening below. The more confused she became, the more her hands trembled, and soon the piano music became chaotic.

After Lin Hao went off stage, he went to the restroom, then came back outside and sat in his usual spot to smoke a cigarette.

He slowly walked back toward the theater. As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw Chen Chen dragging Wan Yong out, followed by a wave of unbearable stench.

The audience had completely fallen into chaos. Some people had already started leaving, but they were all heading in the opposite direction. Behind Wan Yong and Chen Chen was another exit. The two emergency doors faced each other, one on the left and one on the right, right in the middle of the theater.

Amid the sounds of “pffft, pffft—”, Chen Chen and Wan Yong had already reached Lin Hao’s side.

Lin Hao almost got knocked backward by the overwhelming smell. He was completely confused and had no idea what happened. Did Wan Yong hate him so much that he actually brought some kind of biological weapon?

Chen Chen’s face turned bright red. She was too embarrassed to greet Lin Hao anymore. After finally reaching the door, she dragged Wan Yong and hurriedly ran toward the restroom.

Wan Yong’s face and head were covered in sweat. He twisted his head and glared fiercely at Lin Hao. That look was filled with naked hatred.

As the “pffft, pffft” sounds gradually faded into the distance, Lin Hao stared at their backs in confusion. Then he looked down and saw two yellow trails left on the polished stone floor, still emitting waves of foul odor.

The oval-faced girl on stage had already stopped playing. Sitting on the piano bench, she turned around and stared at the chaotic audience below.

Because she was far away from the stage, she still hadn’t smelled anything. She had no idea what had happened, and her pretty face was filled with confusion.

The smell finally reached the judges’ seats, and the judges also covered their noses and hurried out.

Seeing that not only the audience was running away, but even the judges were pinching their noses and leaving, the oval-faced girl’s tears instantly flowed out.

Was her playing really that terrible? How could she have driven so many people away?

But then she thought about it again.

Wait, that wasn’t right.

If it sounded bad, shouldn’t they be covering their ears? Why were all of them covering their noses and mouths?

Could it be…

Could it be that her performance disgusted them so much they wanted to throw up?

……

Only then did Lin Hao suddenly realize what had happened.

It seemed Wan Yong had mixed laxatives into the drink, and after Lin Hao switched the bottles, Wan Yong had ended up drinking the bottle of orange drink that had been tampered with.

Sigh!

This really was a case of bringing disaster upon oneself!

There was no way he could stay in this theater anymore, so he followed the crowd and walked out.

Several staff members shouted loudly:

“Everyone, please rest in the courtyard first! The competition isn’t over yet. We’ll clean everything up soon, and it will continue shortly!”

Wan Yong rushed into the restroom and immediately entered a cubicle. He pulled down his pants and sat on the toilet.

Outside the men’s restroom, Chen Chen could hear one earth-shaking sound after another coming from inside. The frequency was so dense it sounded like firecrackers going off on New Year’s Eve.

She was completely at a loss. She hadn’t even gone on stage yet, and a perfectly good competition had been completely ruined by Wan Yong.

After a long while, Wan Yong finally quieted down. But his stomach was still twisting painfully, and he didn’t dare stand up.

“Wan Yong, are you okay now?”

Hearing that it had gone quiet inside, Chen Chen called out from outside.

He replied weakly, “Help me buy a pair of pants. These ones can’t be worn anymore!”

Chen Chen didn’t hear him clearly. Enduring the smell, she shouted inside:

“Speak louder!”

Wan Yong was so miserable he almost wanted to cry his heart out. Using all his strength, he yelled:

“Help me buy a pair of pants!”

After saying that, he burst into loud sobs.

Anyway, there was no one else in the restroom, and Chen Chen couldn’t come inside. So he might as well cry!

A man can cry, crying isn’t a crime…

Hearing his crying, Chen Chen’s nose turned sour, and she felt a pang of sympathy.

She shook her head and turned to leave. She had no idea where nearby she could buy pants.

Sigh!

Wan Yong cried for a long time. When he heard someone seemed to enter the restroom, he quickly stopped. The person outside cursed at something, didn’t even use the toilet, and then left.

He felt he probably wouldn’t need to go anymore. He took off his soaked leather shoes, then used his feet to push off his sticky jeans.

It seemed it wasn’t just the pants. The brand-new leather shoes he had bought in Yanjing before coming here were also ruined.

Carefully, he opened the cubicle door a crack. Seeing no one outside, he quickly walked out with his bare bottom exposed.

Standing in front of the sink, he turned on the faucet and scooped water with both hands, pouring it over his lower body. At this point, he didn’t care whether the water was cold. Since no one was around, he quickly washed himself.

Front, back, left, right—he soon cleaned himself completely.

Although the smell was still strong, he couldn’t worry about that anymore.

Just as he was about to return to the cubicle, his stomach suddenly cramped violently again. He hurriedly bent over, supporting himself on the marble sink counter with both hands.

“Pffft—”

Another thunderous sound erupted, and he instantly felt much better.

He tremblingly turned his head to look…

Damn!

The snow-white wall behind him had actually been painted by him into a huge yellow “landscape painting.”