428: Chapter 428 Understanding people is harder than understanding techniques

Ye Xi's gaze bounced back and forth between Lin Que and the old man for three rounds, like a radar that had jammed.

"You two... know each other?"

Her voice rose by half a tone, the ending trailing off with a twist.

Elder Ye was amused seeing his granddaughter like this.

A layer of a smile rippled across that wrinkled face.

He raised his hand and pointed toward Lin Que, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"The last time I came back from Xidan Bookstore, that young man I kept mentioning to you—it's him."

Ye Xi was stunned.

Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes widened bit by bit.

"The bookstore..."

A few months ago, after her grandfather returned from Xidan Bookstore, he had uncharacteristically talked for a long time at the dinner table.

That day, he had an extra hardcover edition of the little prince in his hand. He flipped through it several times while eating and repeatedly muttered one sentence.

"I met a young man who said fairy tales are painkillers for adults who have forgotten they were once children."

At the time, she only found it interesting and even asked her grandfather if he had met some college student.

Grandfather shook his head, saying he didn't know the person's name,

but that the composure and clarity radiating from his bones didn't seem like something that could be taught.

Later, her grandfather mentioned it two more times.

Once was when he was flipping through the little prince in the study, muttering to himself, "That kid was right; you only realize fairy tales aren't just for coaxing children once you've grown up."

The other time was when he was chatting with an old friend on the phone; he specifically brought it up to tell the story.

Ye Xi had never seen her grandfather give such high praise to a young man he had only met once.

And now, that "bookstore boy" her grandfather had repeatedly mentioned was standing right in front of her.

Ye Xi stared at Lin Que for several seconds, her lips moving, but in the end, she only squeezed out a very faint breathy sound.

Lin Que, on the other hand, was composed.

He bowed slightly, his posture natural.

"Hello, Elder Ye. We met briefly at the bookstore last time, and I didn't have time to introduce myself. I am your junior, Lin Que."

The angle of his bow and the rhythm of his speech were just right.

There was neither the excessive tension one feels when facing an elder nor the common flippancy of youth.

Elder Ye sized him up for two seconds and nodded.

"Lin Que."

He rolled those two characters over the tip of his tongue.

"A good name."

His gaze fell on the distance between Lin Que and Ye Xi,

then looked at his granddaughter's slightly red earlobes, and a meaningful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I was wondering why that girl suddenly had an epiphany these past six months."

Elder Ye's tone was unhurried.

"Before, playing the piano was like paying off a debt—bitter-faced and complaining about everything.

Then one day, she suddenly understood. She didn't cry about being tired during practice anymore and even took the initiative to discuss music theory with me.

I asked her what happened, but she just smiled and refused to say."

He looked at Lin Que, a sharp glint hidden in his eyes.

"That friend who got her to sit back on the piano bench... I'm guessing he's right here in front of me."

The hallway went silent for a moment.

Ye Xi's breath hitched for half a beat.

She instinctively wanted to open her mouth to explain something, but just as her lips moved, Lin Que had already taken up the conversation.

"Elder Ye flatters me."

His voice wasn't loud, and his pace was steady, every word hitting the mark.

"Ye Xi's ability to play to this level tonight is thanks to her own efforts.

At most, I handed her a glass of water from the side.

The one who truly sat back on the piano bench and brought the piece to life was her."

He paused for a beat.

"And to be honest, her performance tonight far exceeded my expectations.

As a friend, I have nothing to take credit for. As an audience member in the seats, I very much enjoyed this competition."

Elder Ye's gaze lingered on Lin Que's face for a full five seconds.

During those five seconds, the warm light of the hallway lamps stretched their shadows very long.

The curve at the corner of Elder Ye's mouth slowly deepened, becoming warm and kind.

He didn't reply, but simply gave a nod.

That nod was very slow, as if he were weighing the gravity of every word the young man had just spoken.

Listening from the side, Ye Xi felt as if her chest had been gently bumped by something, feeling both warm and full.

Before she could think about where this feeling came from, her mouth moved before her brain.

"Grandpa, Lin Que is my classmate.

He was just recommended for admission to Qingbei University and is currently participating in special training for the Qinglan Project."

Elder Ye turned to look at her.

In those eyes that had seen all the world's vicissitudes, the smile receded slightly, replaced by a layer of clarity that saw through everything.

"A friend is a friend; why did you get anxious and call him a classmate?"

Elder Ye looked at her, smiling meaningfully.

"You are in Jinling, and he is in Jiangcheng. This 'classmate' relationship isn't exactly close-range."

Ye Xi's words got stuck in her throat.

She opened her mouth, her eyes darting away for a moment before darting back.

Beating around the bush in front of him was equivalent to handing over the leverage herself.

"It's... we met by chance while participating in a competition in Jinling before."

Ye Xi's voice dropped significantly, the ending almost sticking to her throat.

Elder Ye looked at her and gave a laugh.

It was the kind of indulgent laugh unique to elders.

He waved his hand, the veins on the back of it shaking along with the movement.

"Fine, fine, you make your own friends. Your grandfather isn't some old fossil; I can't control who you know."

He looked at Lin Que, a layer of warmth added to his gaze.

"Little Lin, did you come specifically to watch the competition?"

Lin Que nodded.

Ye Xi's earlobes turned another shade of red.

She turned her head away, pretending to look at the photos of past champions on the hallway wall.

Elder Ye's eyes swept back and forth between the two young people. He said nothing, but his smile deepened slightly.

Immediately after, his expression switched from kind to serious.

It was as if a switch had been flipped; that pressure unique to those who have long held high positions seeped out from his bones.

"Since you're here, this old man will take advantage of his seniority to test you with a question."

Elder Ye put his hands behind his back, his chin tilted slightly.

"What do you think of my granddaughter's performance tonight?"

Ye Xi's fingers tightened around her skirt.

She turned her head and looked straight at Lin Que.

In that gaze, there was nervousness and expectation. It was even more earnest than when she had faced the two thousand four hundred audience members on stage just now.

Lin Que met Elder Ye's gaze and remained silent for two seconds.

It wasn't hesitation; he was organizing his words.

"Elder Ye, regarding the technicalities, I wouldn't dare show off my meager skills before you."

Lin Que's tone was very steady.

"But I have heard of that period of creative slump the master went through.

Being unable to write, doubting oneself, being stared at by blank manuscript paper until one can't breathe—"

"When translated to the piano, those things are the underlying tone of tonight's piece."

Lin Que's speaking rate wasn't fast, but every word carried weight.

"Technical thresholds can be crossed through practice.

But that sense of power rising from the depths of despair isn't something that can be practiced.

So the two judges were right before the opening: choosing Rach 3 at this age carries immense risk."

Elder Ye's expression didn't change, but his body leaned forward slightly by five degrees.

"After the first theme passed, her piano music suddenly sank."

Lin Que looked Elder Ye in the eye.

"The entire method of touching the keys changed.

Those notes were no longer being played from the fingertips; it was as if they were being dug out from somewhere deeper.

She handled the chords in the lower register very heavily, but it wasn't a 'smashing' kind of heavy. It was a weight pressing on the chest, a weight from gritting one's teeth and making no sound."

Ye Xi held her breath.

"As for the technical completion of the cadenza, you and the judges know better than I do."

Lin Que paused.

"I can only say that I heard a person there who finally stopped hiding."

"If I didn't hear wrong, she put all the irritability and boredom suppressed by rules over the years, as well as the unwillingness after sitting back on the piano bench, into it."

Only the low hum of the air conditioning vents remained in the hallway.

"So the thing that moved the judges most tonight was that she didn't just chase the difficulty of the piece.

She used this piece to exhale that breath she had been holding in for many years."

Lin Que stopped talking.

Elder Ye still stood there.

He brought his hands from behind his back and let them hang at his sides.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Then Elder Ye smiled.

It was a hearty laugh that welled up from his chest.

"Good lad."

He reached out and patted Lin Que on the shoulder.

The force wasn't light, carrying the straightforwardness unique to the older generation.

Standing beside them, Ye Xi's nose felt prickled.

She watched her grandfather pat Lin Que's shoulder, something swirling in her eyes.

Elder Ye withdrew his hand, and something extra appeared in his gaze as he looked at Lin Que.

It wasn't politeness, nor was it the social posturing of appreciating talent.

It was the solemnity that only someone who has stood in an industry for most of their life shows when they truly recognize a junior.

"Back at the bookstore, I felt you were no ordinary young man."

Elder Ye's voice lowered, emphasizing every word.

"It seems now that you are indeed extraordinary."

He glanced at Ye Xi, then back at Lin Que.

"You might not understand every technical hurdle in piano, but you understand why she was able to cross them tonight."

Elder Ye's voice deepened.

"Understanding people is harder than understanding technique."

Elder Ye turned slightly sideways, scrutinizing Lin Que from top to bottom.

His gaze swept from his face to his shoulders, then back to his face.

After a few seconds of silence, Elder Ye suddenly laughed out loud.

The laughter was hearty, echoing in the empty corridor for a good while.

"A writer who can hear music down to the bone."

He put his hands behind his back, the corner of his zhongshan suit catching a breeze with the movement.

"I've seen many smart people at your age,"

"but those who can hear what's hidden in someone else's piano music... are rare!"

The old man had a smile on his lips, but there wasn't a hint of a joke in his eyes.

He stared at Lin Que and slowly uttered the final sentence.

"Truly worthy of being a national champion."

...