Chapter 1748 - 715: Probing (Part 2)

Chapter 1748: Chapter 715: Probing (Part 2)

Zhou Wang thought Ding Yi was more adept at these things... She naturally had that kind of noble and elegant aura, so the heavy responsibility of helping the senior sister with social interactions naturally fell to her.

In contrast, the "bankrupt" him was more suited to shrinking into this corner and quietly being a little invisible.

...

As the clock pointed to eight o’clock, Linda, having tidied up her attire, stepped onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and said with a smile:

"Distinguished guests, let’s welcome tonight’s main character... Miss Jiang Mo."

Amid the gradually warm and orderly applause, accompanied by occasional screams from fanatical fans, Jiang Mo walked out from the side door, lifting her skirt as she ascended the stage.

She wore a faint smile on her face, but Zhou Wang knew that for Jiang Mo, this was almost the most "radiant" smile she could usually express.

At this moment, Jiang Mo was supposed to say a few words for the opening speech, but she was never good at it, so she simply said, "Thank you all for coming," and the actual opening speech was done by Linda on her behalf.

This is where the difference between a "star" and an "artist" is highlighted.

If it were a celebrity doing commercial performances, this aloof demeanor would definitely be criticized by fans. But because Jiang Mo’s positioning is that of a pure musician and performer, when she displays a coldness that matches her appearance, it only makes the fans more enthusiastic.

"What a promising talent. If it weren’t for Mr. Zhou’s influence, I would definitely try all means to get her over to us. I am confident I can raise her into the new generation’s ’Four Little Actresses’."

Miss Li whispered to Mr. Ren beside her.

"Mr. Zhou... isn’t it said that he went bankrupt?"

Mr. Ren glanced at Miss Li with a playful expression, "But you still seem to be very afraid of him."

"Do you really believe he’s bankrupt?"

Miss Li scoffed.

Mr. Ren smiled without speaking, and Miss Li understood that he, like her, sensed some fishiness in it all.

"Then why, when Linda came to inquire earlier, didn’t you give her a hint?"

Miss Li couldn’t resist asking, "Aren’t you afraid she’ll really believe it and then do something that might upset Mr. Zhou?"

"It’s just a rumor in the first place, I’m not sure myself, so what can I hint to her?"

Mr. Ren shrugged.

Miss Li frowned and thought briefly, then suddenly looked up sharply, "You... you intend to use Linda to indirectly probe Mr. Zhou?"

Mr. Ren didn’t answer her, but with Miss Li’s understanding of him, she believed this was indeed his true intention.

Miss Li wanted to say more, but by then, the lights in the audience had dimmed, and the surroundings became quiet. Worried that walls have ears, she ultimately held back the impulse to speak, only half-heartedly looking toward the stage.

...

The whole concert hall actually resembled a scaled-down basketball arena. Although there were three floors of seats and a front pool area equivalent to VIP seating, resulting in a distorted perspective, everyone could enjoy the best auditory feast regardless of where they were seated.

Strictly speaking, this was Zhou Wang’s first time hearing a pure music concert.

Putting aside the filter regarding the senior sister herself, it was an excellent experience as well.

"Beyond the pavilion, beside the ancient road, fragrant grasses reach the sky..."

Zhou Wang tapped his fingers on his knee, humming softly to himself.

In fact, the "Farewell" that the senior sister played was, of course, just a pure piano piece without any singing, but Zhou Wang couldn’t help but hum along...

He couldn’t help it; among the pieces the senior sister played, this was the only one he could name.

Although Zhou Wang himself had, at some point, acquired a "Piano Performance" skill card, he hovered between the beginner and proficient levels, quite comfortable with some pop songs, but when it came to this kind of performance-level piano work, he found himself a bit stretched.

But it was different for the senior sister.

She was a true pianist.

Zhou Wang dared to say he could help the senior sister become an artist on the same level as Lang Lang simply because she had that kind of ability.

This adapted "Farewell" was added at the request of the fans and was also the simplest piece in the whole piano performance; all the others were much more complex.

Especially the last piece, "B Minor Piano Sonata," even though Zhou Wang didn’t understand it, he heard from two art students sitting behind him that it seemed to be a hell-level difficult piano piece.

Even though Jiang Mo maintained a cool expression, from Zhou Wang’s perspective, he noticed a bead of sweat on her smooth forehead, showing that she was far from as relaxed as she appeared.

"Dong!"

When the last lingering piano note slowly dissipated in the concert hall, Jiang Mo also stood up, lightly held her skirt, and bowed to the audience below.

Clap clap clap!

Applause finally surged like a tide. Uncertain who took the lead, but all the audience members in the hall stood up and, without reservation, continued clapping.

The whole process lasted possibly one or two minutes, during which the senior sister on stage finally appeared a bit helpless, only continuously bowing to indicate her gratitude.

Zhou Wang felt it was almost time, so he frowned and glanced at Linda still waiting by the stage, gesturing for her to hurry up and help out.

Linda didn’t seem to notice at first until Zhou Wang had Qu Peining go over to remind her, after which she stepped onto the stage to control the situation.

"Once again, thank you all for coming. I will strive harder to bring everyone the best piano performances in the future."

Jiang Mo gave a final bow, then, under Linda’s reminder, turned to face the media’s cameras to allow them to take a few photos before she slowly retreated with her skirt lifted.

"Moonlight Goddess, I love you!"

It was unknown which young fan let out a scream from the back row, which then led to more screams, suddenly turning what should have been a solemn concert hall into an idol meeting’s atmosphere.

Zhou Wang didn’t pay any mind to this scene, just watched with a broad smile.

Judging by the lingering atmosphere at the scene, the senior sister’s debut was undoubtedly successful.

The real wave of popularity would start to brew online tomorrow when the media promotion began, that’s when the initial signs would show.

After the senior sister left the stage, Zhou Wang was about to follow the crowd out and then to backstage to meet her and maybe have a late-night snack together, when suddenly Linda still on the stage cleared her throat once and drew everyone’s attention back to her.

"I would ask the audience in the pool seats to hold on for a moment. In fact, today we’ve prepared a little surprise for everyone."

Zhou Wang was taken aback.

The so-called "pool seats" refer to the VIP seating area closest to the stage, with only about a hundred seats.

But this surprise event, Linda hadn’t mentioned it to Zhou Wang before, nor did he hear anything from the senior sister.

"Thank you all for coming from afar, we’ve organized a thank-you banquet at the Nuo Jin Beidu Hotel next door, you can enter with your VIP tickets, Miss Jiang Mo will also attend, we hope you’ll grace us with your presence..."

A thank-you banquet?

Zhou Wang frowned.

Not that there was anything wrong with a banquet after the performance. Given the nature of a debut, having such an event was normal, usually for networking and interactions.

But Zhou Wang remembered that Jiang Mo had asked for his opinion a long time ago, and Zhou Wang had declined without a second thought.

The senior sister was a pure person, Zhou Wang never intended to change that, and he hoped her career would remain pure, perhaps with some unavoidable socializing but absolutely not this kind that required compromising stature.

He also knew that given Jiang Mo’s personality, such a thing was difficult for her, and there was no way Zhou Wang would let her feel even the slightest grievance.

So the question arose, what was with this suddenly arranged "thank-you banquet"?

Zhou Wang glanced at Ding Yi, who had somehow come up beside him, and seeing her also shaking her head in confusion, Zhou Wang immediately understood...

This was Linda’s own unauthorized decision.