ECG -Chapter 175 Mr. Qian Xiaoqiang’s Piano Solo Concert

Qin Ruoyun had a look of sudden realization on her face. Her sexy, rosy lips parted slightly. “I understand now. This song ‘The Wanderer’ was also written by you?”

Lin Hao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and shook his head repeatedly. “No, really not!”

Qin Ruoyun was wearing sunglasses, so Lin Hao couldn’t see her expression clearly. Hearing him say that, Qin Ruoyun was also stunned. She couldn’t quite understand it. If it wasn’t a case of someone plagiarizing his song, why did he want to meet this Gao Shuai?

“Then why do you want to see him?” Qin Ruoyun asked in confusion.

Advertisement

Lin Hao’s mind spun rapidly. This matter really wasn’t easy to explain, so he could only tell half the truth and half a lie.

“I once heard a disabled beggar singing this song on a train. I was very curious at the time because it was a song I had never heard before. Also, the song was catchy, easy to spread, and sounded really good.”

“Back then, I asked that beggar whose lyrics and melody it belonged to, but he couldn’t really explain. So today, when I saw that the lyrics and composition were credited to this Gao Shuai, I started wondering whether it was really his original work.”

Qin Ruoyun still didn’t quite understand. You’re not some professional copyright investigator; what does it matter to you who the original creator is?

Although they hadn’t held any formal ceremony, and had half-seriously acknowledged their brother-sister relationship, the two of them weren’t yet at the point where they could tell each other everything. So she didn’t ask that question out loud.

Advertisement

After thinking for a moment, she said, “I’ll ask a friend. He should be familiar with Gao Shuai.”

Lin Hao hurriedly nodded.

Qin Ruoyun originally wanted to wait for another opportunity to bring it up, but seeing him staring at her without blinking, she had no choice but to take out her phone.

As she searched through her contacts, she found it rather amusing. She felt that his current state was actually more normal. This was what a restless young man should look like.

“Jinglong, where are you fooling around?” Qin Ruoyun asked casually.

“Ahhh—”

The shout from the other end of the phone was so loud that even Lin Hao could hear it clearly.

“Sis Yun, you haven’t seen me in quite a while!” The man on the phone spoke with a strong Beijing accent.

“Don’t bother with useless talk. Help me contact Gao Shuai. I need to see him about something.”

“Gao Shuai?” The person on the other end was clearly startled. “Why are you looking for him? That sly guy has been getting pretty arrogant lately. I haven’t even seen him for quite a while!”

“Can you arrange it or not? If not, I’m hanging up.” Qin Ruoyun frowned, losing patience.

“Don’t, don’t! Tell me the place. As long as it’s anywhere in Beijing, I’ll definitely arrive within an hour!”

Qin Ruoyun thought for a moment. “Let’s go to Sister Chuan Ying’s place.”

“Got it! Just leave it to me!”

After hanging up, Qin Ruoyun smiled and said, “Jiang Jinglong, Qin Bing’s manager. He’s slippery and full of tricks, but he grew up together with Gao Shuai.”

“Qin Bing?” Lin Hao was slightly surprised. The name sounded familiar. In recent years, he had starred in many major films and was one of the outstanding young actors in the country.

Qin Ruoyun nodded. “Let’s go. It’ll take some time even if we drive.”

The two of them didn’t return the way they came. They left Wangfujing, took a shortcut back to a building’s underground parking lot, and retrieved the car.

The red Ferrari continued driving east. About twenty minutes later, as they passed Dongsi Shitiao Bridge, Lin Hao immediately spotted a huge painted advertisement on the side of Baoli Theater:

“World-renowned piano doctor Mr. Qian Xiaoqiang’s Piano Solo Concert!”

“Sis, pull over!” Lin Hao hurriedly asked Qin Ruoyun to stop the car.

Lin Hao got out and stood there in a daze, staring at the huge advertisement across the road. He casually lit a cigarette.

Qian Xiaoqiang?

Qian Xiaoqiang!

A world-renowned piano doctor?

It had to be him!

He remembered it very clearly. Once, at his teacher Fan Gang’s home, after drinking too much, his teacher had talked about his two students with tears streaming down his face. One was named Ai Xinnan, and the other was Qian Xiaoqiang!

After the two of them graduated from their master’s programs, they went to America. They had been gone for so many years and had never returned.

During the first year or two after they left, they still kept in touch. At the very least, they would call Fan Gang during holidays to send their regards.

But later, they rarely called anymore. Fan Gang counted the days on his fingers and felt that the two of them should have already finished their doctorates. He even looked up a lot of information, hoping that before they returned to China, they could participate in a few more overseas piano competitions and increase their reputation. That way, when they came back, their status would be completely different.

At that time, neither of the two had mobile phones, and communication was indeed inconvenient, so Fan Gang did not think too much about it at first.

Later, he saw in the news that Ai Xinnan had won the gold medal in the piano category of the Geneva International Music Competition. That same year, Qian Xiaoqiang won the gold medal in the piano category of the Schumann International Music Competition.

Both students had won international awards. Fan Gang was so happy that tears filled his eyes. But after waiting and waiting, neither of them ever called him.

In the year before they won their awards, Fan Gang had already been unable to reach them by phone. He guessed they had probably both moved.

This time, Fan Gang really couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He ignored Li Bohai’s attempts to stop him and contacted some friends over there, asking them to help look for the two.

A few days later, his friend told him that both of them had already become American citizens and were planning to settle there.

Fan Gang was shocked. He hurriedly asked his friend if he had gotten their phone numbers.

His friend hesitated at first, but later, unable to contain his anger, he started criticizing those two students over the phone. He said how arrogant the two of them were, and that the two ungrateful people had not even called him.

He even said, “You’re their teacher, why do you insist on contacting them?”

Fan Gang knew that this friend must have been treated coldly by them. He spent quite some time apologizing, then hung up the phone and sat there completely lost.

Lin Hao remembered very clearly that night.

His teacher cried like a child.

“Brother Hao, you know this person?” Qin Ruoyun stood beside him and lit a cigarette as well.

Lin Hao did not notice that Qin Ruoyun had changed the way she addressed him. His eyes were still fixed on the elegant half-body portrait of Qian Xiaoqiang wearing gold-rimmed glasses on the promotional banner.

He slowly nodded.

“Sis, help me buy a ticket!”

Qin Ruoyun did not ask any further questions. If he wanted to listen, then she would just buy the tickets!

She took out her phone and made a call.

“Hello, Aunt Tan, there’s a piano solo concert at the Poly Theater tonight?”

“Oh? That impressive? Save three tickets for me. Tonight, I’ll go with some friends to enjoy it!”

“First row? Even better. Thank you, Aunt Tan!”

“What do you mean by being polite? You’re the one who has everything under control in the cultural and artistic circles. You could crush the livelihoods of us little artists anytime, anywhere. How could I not treat you with respect?”

She did not know what the person on the other end said, but Qin Ruoyun giggled. After exchanging a few more polite words, she hung up.

“Done!”

Lin Hao thought for a moment.

“Sis, please make some preparations. I’m going on stage to slap him in the face!”

Qin Ruoyun was stunned. She didn’t understand what he meant.

“Who? Slap whose face?”

Lin Hao pointed the cigarette between his fingers toward the enormous face on the banner—the face of the man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Qin Ruoyun was startled. She didn’t understand why Lin Hao had a grudge against this person, nor why he said he wanted to slap his face.

How was he going to slap him?

Before getting into the car, Lin Hao took one more deep look at that huge face, then finally got inside.