They don't actually think I like them, do they?

so many people!

Even though it was only a little past eight in the morning, the theater entrance was already crowded with audience members.

News media, newspapers and magazines, and even the cellist's personal fan club all gathered here!

It seems that with the cultural and entertainment industry developing better and better, there are far more people paying attention to cello competitions than I imagined.

The age range is also extremely wide; judging from the audience at the scene, the audience ranges from retired seniors to college students.

Actually, this is understandable.

After all, compared to art forms like traditional opera and drama, music has a much lower barrier to entry. With proper promotion, many college students are willing to pay for a ticket to attend a concert.

"Miss Su, there's a support sign for you!" Lin Han suddenly saw someone holding up a light board that read "Su Ruxue" in the distance.

Some people even pointed to "小雪酱ovo". That's Su Ruxue's Bilibili ID!

“That’s normal,” Su Ruxue said. “Many people idolize cellists, so they can only hold up light boards outside since they’re not allowed to do so inside the auditorium.”

As Su Ruxue was speaking, she turned her head and suddenly noticed that Lin Han had put on a mask and sunglasses at some point.

"Teacher Lin Han, what are you doing?"

"With so many cameras here, it would be troublesome if I were recognized."

Seeing so many media outlets, Lin Han realized that if he were recognized, the trouble would be much greater than that for Su Ruxue.

Fortunately, Lin Han had made preparations in advance, carrying sunglasses with him wherever he went, which is what you call the qualities of a superstar.

"So what if I get recognized?" Su Ruxue muttered to herself.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing, let's go in!" Su Ruxue quickly adjusted her expression and smiled slightly.

The two walked in through the main entrance, and the fans on both sides quickly recognized Su Ruxue and screamed excitedly.

"Look! It's Su Ruxue!!"

"Wow!! She's still so elegant!!"

"Is that guy in sunglasses a bodyguard?"

"Hiss, why does the bodyguard look so颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a sense of listlessness, apathy, and a lack of motivation)? He doesn't match Su Ruxue's temperament at all!"

Upon hearing these words, Lin Han almost couldn't resist throwing a pair of sunglasses at them.

It seems that no matter the industry, the presence of fan groups always equates to rudeness!

Lin Han noticed that Su Ruxue's fervent fans were almost all girls, with hardly any men in sight.

This is probably not because Su Ruxue is not attractive to men, but because she is too attractive to women!

Every girl has her own dream of becoming.

Su Ruxue, an elegant, poised, and sophisticated young woman, possesses extraordinary charm, stunning beauty, and exceptional talent—she's practically the epitome of a novel's heroine. Su Ruxue is exactly what every girl dreams of being!

However, only Lin Han knew what kind of person Su Ruxue was beneath all these appearances.

Yes, if Lin Han were reborn with a gender change, he definitely wouldn't choose her body! Merging personalities would absolutely give him schizophrenia!

Afterwards, Su Ruxue went backstage to get her makeup done.

Lin Han, who followed him to the backstage dressing room, was also shocked by what he saw.

There were three lounges in total. Lin Han only walked into one of them and immediately felt the overwhelming heat.

many people.

The various noises were very annoying.

The reason for this is quite simple.

Because it was the preliminary round, there were a lot of participants today, which made the backstage lounge overcrowded.

The "professional group" of this Longqin Cup consists of champion representatives from 28 provinces across China, as well as 36 contestants recommended by the China Conservatory of Music and the China Music Association.

As the most prestigious cello competition in China, the grouping process is extremely rigorous.

There are three groups: "Professional Group", "Junior Professional Group" and "Children's Professional Group". The competition awards are independent for each group, and the contestants are grouped according to age, so no one group affects the other.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, the title of "Longqin Cup Champion" can be held by three people.

However, for obvious reasons, the "professional group" has the highest level of recognition, and only the champion of the "professional group" can be considered the "number one cellist in China".

Interestingly, when the Longqin Cup was first established, the full name of the "Professional Group" should actually have been "Adult Professional Group," meaning that only adults could participate in the group.

However, with the emergence of more and more talented pianists, these types of geniuses cannot be treated as normal human beings. They create a huge gap between themselves and other contestants in the "junior group," which seriously damages the young mentality of their peers.

Therefore, a new regulation was later formed.

If you are 16 years of age or older, have obtained a "Level 3 Cellist" certificate or above, and are not interested in the "Junior Professional Group" awards, you can voluntarily apply to participate in the "Professional Group".

Such exceptional participants appear every year, and each time they do, they attract widespread attention.

Su Ruxue was like that before. From childhood, she was known as the "Dream Killer" in the children's and junior groups. There were countless children who were shattered by her on the field, cried bitterly, and whose only thought for the cello in their lives was to give up.

It wasn't until Su Ruxue turned 16 that everyone finally sent this promising young cellist to the professional group. If they had waited another two years, who knows how many more young cellists would have lost their dreams...

However, within the Dragon Qin Cup, there exists a rumored unspoken rule—

For underage pianists who are exceptionally admitted to the professional group, the judges usually choose to temper their arrogance and give them a lower score.

This is also for the sake of the pianist's future. Reaching the Longqin Cup at this age means that she has never stumbled along the way and has hardly experienced failure. It is inevitable that she will be proud and arrogant, and various deep-seated hidden dangers may have already been buried.

Achieving the greatest success at this time could actually ruin a person!

024. Su Ruxue's Rivals

In fact, this is also why Su Ruxue has such complicated feelings about the Longqin Cup.

It is widely rumored in the music world that Su Ruxue's failure three years ago was due to the fact that her classical music was not recognized by the mainstream cello community.

However, many people also say...

Su Ruxue was at a disadvantage due to her age. She was fully capable of reaching the final round, but the judges from the Tianyin Association decided to "put her arrogance to the test."

Su Ruxue didn't know the extent of the latter's influence. But if it were true...

In your so-called "for my own good," you caused Grandpa to lose his last chance to see me fulfill my dream.

This time, I'll make sure you all suffer!

"Miss Su!"

"Huh?" Su Ruxue came back to her senses. Lin Han patted her shoulder and pointed into the distance.

"Who is that person? Why are so many people watching?"

Su Ruxue looked in the direction of the sound.

A bearded man who looked to be over 30 years old was standing at the entrance of the lounge, surrounded by others.

"Fujiko Ken."

Su Ruxue looked at the uncle thoughtfully and said,

"Representative contestant of the Sakura Cello Association".

"Sakura person?"

Lin Han glanced at Teng Zijian again.

Putting everything else aside, this uncle is quite handsome, with a middle parting and a beard that gives him a mature and charming look.

"Yes. He's a very tough opponent. He's good at serenades and romances, and he likes to play love-themed pieces in competitions, which is especially popular with female judges."

"Wow, that's awesome!" Lin Han exclaimed.

There are plenty of people who use musical instruments to flirt with girls. In fact, many beginners start learning musical instruments with the intention of flirting with girls.

But to use musical instruments to flirt with girls to such an extreme degree, achieving the best musical talent in the entire province, is probably the first person to do that. You can't argue with that!

"But I don't like him."

"What?"

"Greasy." Su Ruxue gave him a disgusted look. "The strange confidence he exudes makes me very uncomfortable. He has the most scandals in the cello world."

Lin Han imagined it. A news article appeared in a magazine full of serious music academic reports, claiming that Fujiko Ken had cheated on someone with his girlfriend.

That's definitely enough to cause a mudslide.

After saying that, Su Ruxue suddenly smiled and moved closer to Lin Han.

"I still prefer someone like Teacher Lin Han."

"No, I'm just an ordinary man." Lin Han refused to be teased by the bad woman.

"The most trustworthy man in the world," Su Ruxue corrected.

Soon, another commotion broke out at the other end of the road not far away.

This time, the person being watched was a girl who looked very young, with short brown hair and a student-like appearance. She seemed quite shy and obviously not used to the environment.

"Wen Nanqing".

Su Ruxue stared intently at the girl, her gaze softening slightly compared to before, yet still filled with respect.

"At 17, the champion of Jiangbei Province, he was exceptionally admitted to the 'professional group'. He is the youngest contestant this time and is extremely strong."

"Are you as strong as you were back then?"

"That's hard to say."

A rare look of arrogance appeared on Su Ruxue's delicate face.

"Jiangbei Province has always been ranked relatively low in cello playing. There aren't many skilled cellists there. The strongest cellists are generally recognized to be from Jinchuan, Yinghua, and Shanghai."

"Got it, it's the difference between a suburban king and a canyon king, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Su Ruxue tilted her head, then said, "However, we can't deny Wen Nanqing's strength because of this."

"Good, good, good! Our most powerful Miss Su, the number one in Jinchuan, will definitely crush them this time." Lin Han echoed Su Ruxue as if coaxing a child.

He turned his head and looked at Wen Nanqing again. This petite girl was surrounded by reporters at the entrance of the lounge. When questioned, the girl was so anxious that her face turned red and she looked like she was about to cry at any moment.

Is this guy really the best cellist in the province...? I feel like he'd wet his pants if he went on stage.

Lin Han felt somewhat helpless. He stood up and walked straight over.

"Ms. Wen, how confident are you about winning this time? What are your thoughts on being the youngest contestant in the professional group this time?!"

"I...I..." Wen Nanqing

"Excuse me, could you please move aside?"

Lin Han reached out and cut a gap in the encirclement.

Everyone stared blankly at Lin Han, completely bewildered.

"Ms. Wen, your makeup artist has been waiting for quite some time. May I ask if you can come over now?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Nanqing was taken aback, then nodded enthusiastically.

The reporters had no choice but to reluctantly give up their seats so that Lin Han could lead Wen Nanqing inside.

"I still have an hour to get my makeup done, thank you..."

As she entered the lounge, Wen Nanqing turned around, bowed to Lin Han in gratitude, but dared not raise her head.

"It's okay, keep going."

Lin Han had no intention of getting to know the girl; it was just a small favor. After saying that, he returned to Su Ruxue's side.

Su Ruxue had already started putting on makeup. Seeing Lin Han return, the young woman smiled slightly.

"Did Teacher Lin Han intervene to help someone in need?"

"Idleness is also idleness."

"17 years old is not young. How can you be so useless? Besides, that's my competitor."

"Miss Su didn't stop me when I went there, did she?"