ECG -Chapter 184 Dr. Qian’s Piano Solo Concert

When Lin Hao and Qin Ruoyun arrived at the Baoli Theater, it was already past six-thirty. There was nothing they could do—the distance was not far, but the traffic at this hour was simply too congested.

While they were on the way, Yang Qianyi called Lin Hao and said that she had already arrived. Lin Hao repeatedly apologized and asked her to wait a little longer.

The person Auntie Tan had arranged to deliver the tickets also contacted Qin Ruoyun. She gave him Yang Qianyi’s phone number and told him to give the tickets to her first.

When they entered the theater, the two-story venue was completely packed. The solo concert had already begun, so the three of them quickly walked to their seats in the middle of the first row, slightly to the right.

On the stage, Qian Xiaoqiang was wearing a black suit and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He truly looked mature, refined, and elegant.

At that moment, he was playing Pathetique Sonata. In his previous life, this piece was considered the pinnacle masterpiece of Beethoven’s early piano sonatas.

Lin Hao had also played it when he was in school. Although the composer was not the same person, he was also German, and the style of the piece was roughly similar. The dramatic melody of this piece was extremely beautiful, but the difficulty was not particularly high. Whether in terms of content, melody, or structure, it was infused with the unique rationality of the Germanic people.

The pieces continued one after another. Every time one ended, it received thunderous applause from the audience, and each time Qian Xiaoqiang would elegantly and politely stand up and bow.

Yang Qianyi listened as if she were intoxicated. She had learned piano since childhood and had graduated with a piano major, so her appreciation of music was naturally impeccable.

Qin Ruoyun would occasionally glance at Lin Hao, wondering when he would go on stage.

Lin Hao remained as steady as a mountain. He was not as angry as Qin Ruoyun had imagined. Instead, his expression remained calm as he enjoyed the performance on stage.

Qian Xiaoqiang’s piano technique was brilliant and unrestrained. His music tended toward profound perfection, and his methods of expression were extremely rich. His performance was filled with passionate emotion, smooth and carefree yet carefully structured. At times it was enthusiastic and bold, while at others it was delicate and poetic.

The pieces he had chosen this time were also very diverse, ranging from fugues, to inventions, to variations, sonatas, and so on.

Lin Hao was equally absorbed in listening. This Qian Xiaoqiang might have a bad character, but his piano skills were indeed extraordinary. He had listened to Liang Haizhou’s performances many times online, and he could say that Qian Xiaoqiang’s level was not inferior to his at all—he was only at a disadvantage because of his younger age.

However, Qian Xiaoqiang’s performance was smoother and more polished. Many small inspirations came naturally to him, showing just how rich his stage experience was.

After one hour and twenty minutes, the solo concert ended. The organizers arranged for many audience members to go on stage to present flowers and take photos.

Qin Ruoyun began to grow anxious. Everything had already been arranged beforehand—why hadn’t Lin Hao made his move even though the concert was already over?

Lin Hao was not in a hurry. When he first entered, he had noticed that most of the audience consisted of parents who had brought their children. In addition, the promotional banners on both sides of the stage belonged to an art school in Yanjing.

At that moment, he already knew that the performance would not simply end like this. For this kind of event, the sponsor would definitely arrange a question-and-answer session with the parents of young piano students. Otherwise, wouldn’t the school’s money have been wasted?

When a training school or music academy invited a master to perform, selling tickets to make money was definitely not the goal. The most important thing was to let the parents see the strength of their school.

Lin Hao had not chosen to stand up while Qian Xiaoqiang was performing, because that would have been irresponsible to these audience members. Only when it reached the question-and-answer session would it be the best time to make his move.

With justification and reason on his side!

Sure enough, after the host finished speaking, they began inviting parents to ask Dr. Qian questions.

A female parent raised her hand first. The microphone was passed to her.

“Dr. Qian, my son doesn’t like practicing piano and is very resistant to it. Should I insist on making him continue?”

Standing on the stage, Qian Xiaoqiang chuckled.

“Hello, this parent. You need to understand one principle: if you force him now, he may hate you, but one day in the future, he will definitely thank you.”

“Learning a musical instrument is actually a bit against human nature. At the age when children are most suited to learn, it’s also the time when they have the least interest in it. If you ask any mentally normal child what they like the most, the answer will definitely be: playing!”

“You should know that a child who genuinely likes learning an instrument from the bottom of their heart—there may not even be one in ten thousand.”

The parent asked again, “May I ask if you liked it when you were young?”

Qian Xiaoqiang burst into laughter. “When I was little, whenever it was time to practice piano, I would hide under the bed. Every time, my mother would take a rolling pin and beat me until I came out!”

Laughter spread through the audience.

The microphone continued being passed around. From time to time, parents asked questions. Qian Xiaoqiang’s way of speaking was rather humorous, and he often made the parents burst into laughter.

Lin Hao lowered his voice and said to Qin Ruoyun, “Help me get a microphone!”

Qin Ruoyun nodded. She was actually feeling a little excited. She took out her phone and sent a text message. Less than two minutes later, a staff member brought over a wireless microphone.

At this moment, a male parent asked, “Teacher Qian, do you think it’s necessary for children to go abroad for further studies?”

“Parents, if a child has decided to pursue a professional path in piano, I strongly recommend that they study overseas.”

“Piano is a Western instrument. By going to Western countries to study, they can better understand the authentic essence of the piano! Every type of music has an extremely deep connection with its country of origin and history. If one does not seek its cultural background and history from its roots, I believe the expressive ability of that music will be limited!”

“Because of that heritage, the methods become more advanced, the research becomes more extensive, and things become more accurate as well!”

“My company is currently developing this kind of service. After the event ends, everyone can pick up some information at the exit and take a look. If there is anything you don’t understand, you can contact me anytime…”

Only after hearing this did Lin Hao understand. It turned out that Qian Xiaoqiang also ran an agency for children studying abroad for piano. It seemed this was something he had already coordinated with the organizers beforehand.

“Teacher Qian, may I ask who your teachers were?” An elderly man who had gotten the microphone asked.

Qian Xiaoqiang stated the names of three foreigners, and then attached numerous titles and world-class awards to them. They all sounded extremely impressive, and the audience was filled with sounds of admiration and envy.

“Mr. Qian, may I ask if Professor Fan Gang, the head of the music department at Long Province Art Academy, was not your teacher?” Lin Hao’s voice finally rang out.

This was exactly the kind of question he had been waiting for. Coincidentally, the old man had just thrown out the bait, so Lin Hao took the opportunity to draw out the answer.

Qian Xiaoqiang on the stage was clearly stunned. His personal introduction did not mention Fan Gang at all. In his opinion, given his current status, if he wrote the name of a Chinese person as his teacher, it would be a disgrace—a very embarrassing thing.

Who was this young man? How did he know about Fan Gang?

Qian Xiaoqiang was not some inexperienced young man. Having been through many situations, he reacted quickly. He gave a dry laugh.

“Yes, Professor Fan was indeed my teacher when I was in China!”

He couldn’t deny it. At this moment, he had no choice but to admit it.

Hearing that he stopped there, Lin Hao asked in a surprised tone, “Oh? That’s it?”

Qian Xiaoqiang’s anger gradually rose in his heart. He sensed that something was wrong. This young man was clearly here to challenge him. Otherwise, why would he be so aggressive?

“Mr. Qian, as far as I know, before you went abroad, you studied at Long Province Art Academy for both university and graduate school, right?”

Qian Xiaoqiang nodded. Then he looked toward the backstage, only to realize that there was not even a single staff member there anymore.

His heart suddenly tightened. He had no idea what had happened…