Chapter 142: Azuo the Madman

Amidst the surging crowd, Liao Yuan was escorted all the way to the ticket checkpoint by the on-site security personnel.

Fu Xiaoci quickly produced the electronic invitation to verify his identity, and subsequently, under the guidance of the staff, Liao Yuan and his entourage proceeded toward the VIP entrance.

Liang Qingquan, who was in charge of on-site order coordination, appeared by Liao Yuan’s side almost instantly. He blocked their continued advance and smiled, saying, “Uncle A, there are some matters I need to discuss with you. Please come with me this way.”

Fu Xiaoci asked with some bewilderment, “Director Liang, what could possibly not be said right now?”

“There is still half a minute until the competition begins, Miss Fu, so you need not worry. It is not bad news,” Liang Qingquan said with a smile.

Liao Yuan let out an “oh” and remarked, “Lead the way.”

Liang Qingquan nodded with a smile.

Shortly after, the group traversed the backstage corridor and arrived inside a lounge.

Pushing the door open, several brown-haired and blue-eyed Caucasian men stood up one by one. Among them, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit with a small mustache caught sight of Uncle A, who was wearing a mask. He greeted him very enthusiastically with a handshake and spoke in English on his own initiative, “Hi, Uncle A. I am August Wilde, and these are my colleagues. We are from the Vienna Music Association.”

“Hello,” Liao Yuan replied.

Once both parties were seated, Liang Qingquan closed the door behind him and took the initiative to leave.

Wilde said pleasantly, “Uncle A, would it be convenient for you to disclose your real name?”

Liao Yuan shook his head and replied, “I’m sorry, but it’s not very convenient.”

“That is quite all right.”

Wilde smiled and said, “What we value is your talent, not your nationality.”

Having said that, he retrieved a gold-bound booklet from his briefcase, opened it himself, and handed it to Liao Yuan. “This is an invitation to the Golden Hall. We would like to invite you to participate in a special Asian musicians’ concert performance hosted at the Golden Hall a month from now.”

An Asian concert?

Liao Yuan felt a touch of curiosity. He took the invitation and examined it closely.

Beside him, upon hearing the words “Golden Hall,” Fu Xiaoci’s eyes instantly lit up. “Are they inviting Uncle A to perform at the Golden Hall?”

“Indeed,” Wilde replied with a smile.

Fu Xiaoci felt an incomparable excitement in her heart, yet she maintained her composure in front of outsiders. The moment Liao Yuan finished looking over the invitation, she immediately took it over to inspect the text inside.

“Respected Asdfghj, the special Asian musicians’ showcase jointly organized by sixteen Asian nations will be held at the Golden Hall in Vienna, the City of Music…”

The signature at the bottom belonged to the initiator, Naoki Ando.

Fu Xiaoci’s eyes shone brightly. An international-level concert of this caliber had actually come to invite Uncle A?

“Mr. Ando holds high hopes for you. Even if you ultimately fail to win the championship in the Emperor of Emperors competition, Mr. Ando has stated that there will undoubtedly be a place for you in the future of the international music world.” Wilde shrugged. “Although I have yet to view your performance videos, I trust Mr. Ando.”

“Who is Ando?” Liao Yuan asked again.

This time, it was Wilde’s turn to be stunned. “Naoki Ando, you don’t know him?”

Fu Xiaoci was also somewhat puzzled. “The name sounds a bit familiar to me.”

Wilde laughed between tears and said, “Naoki Ando is Japan’s premier grand pianist, hailed as a musical master in the Japanese music scene. He is fifty-seven years old. Over these past decades, his existence has left behind countless household classic works for the global music scene; he is an immortal treasure of the music world.”

“At the same time, Mr. Ando is also the only officially recognized foreign member of our Vienna Music Association,” his colleague added from the side.

Liao Yuan experienced a sudden realization. He looked at the address printed above and stated, “Very well, if I have the time, I will certainly go.”

Wilde was once again taken aback, remaining speechless for a long time before finally uttering, “You must go. Furthermore, you would do best to inquire among others regarding Mr. Ando’s prestige. His standing in the international music scene is exceedingly high! For many people, being invited by Mr. Ando is an absolute honor, to say nothing of performing in the world-renowned Golden Hall!”

After bidding farewell to Wilde and his group, Liao Yuan handed the golden invitation booklet in his hand to Fu Xiaoci. “Hold on to this.”

“You aren’t going?”

Fu Xiaoci licked her lips in anticipation. “That’s the Golden Hall! Ah, the stage every single performer dreams of ascending to.”

Liao Yuan smiled and said, “One can regard it with importance, but not excessive importance. The most crucial thing right now remains this semifinal performance. I only just learned the rules for the semifinals—best three out of five matches—and I do not even have absolute certainty of winning.”

“What is there to fear?” Fu Xiaoci pouted and said, “Didn’t you hear that foreigner? Regardless of whether you win the championship, you are qualified to go and perform at the Golden Hall. Haha, come to think of it, this is my first time seeing something like this. Truly a rarity.”

Liao Yuan shook his head and turned to walk toward the inner arena.

The best-of-five format tested far more than mere innovative capability; individual performance foundation was equally vital.

A performer had to possess certain fundamental qualities of a grand pianist. Even if they could not compare to the hall-of-fame performers who graced the world’s top five concert halls, they at least had to reach a true concert-grade level.

In this regard alone, every single one of the current top ten contestants possessed near concert-grade strength.

If given advance preparation to perform purely set pieces, any of the ten contestants could deliver a flawless stage presentation.

However, this was now improvisational performance, which also required factoring in innovation. Pieces that were too simple certainly would not do, but as for overly difficult works—let alone the other contestants—even Liao Yuan dared not guarantee he would make no mistakes. And every single mistake would spell an undeniable disaster.

In particular, with six top-tier pianists from the industry present at the scene, even the slightest wrong note would be corrected with absolute clarity.

When Liao Yuan, Fu Xiaoci, and the two bodyguards appeared at the main stage venue, the entire auditorium was already filled to capacity.

Spanning the upper and lower tiers, the eighteen thousand seats were virtually packed.

Upon catching sight of Liao Yuan, nearly every audience member enthusiastically reached out to shake his hand. Fortunately, under the cover provided by Wang Yue and Xing Tao, the four of them managed to make their way all the way to the guest seating area.

Liang Qingquan walked over at the opportune moment and asked with a smile, “Are you done talking?”

“We’re done,” Liao Yuan nodded and said.

Liang Qingquan praised, “Uncle A, I never imagined you could attract the attention of Austrian musicians. This is wonderful news! Keep it up! I wish you victory in advance!”

Liao Yuan nodded. “Thank you.”

Before long, the audience members finished taking their seats successively, and the competition officially commenced.

The customary drawing of lots remained in place.

Following a round of tense random draws, everyone had drawn their respective opponents.

The opponent drawn by Liao Yuan was named Zuo Yongsi, a professional pianist from an opera house in Hong Kong. Thirty-four years old, clad in a white suit, his overall demeanor struck a balance between being neither humble nor arrogant. Even upon learning that his opponent was the renowned Liao Yuan, he remained unruffled without excessive emotional display, merely exchanging a single glance with Liao Yuan before making no further movements.

“Madman Zuo, he’s quite famous in Hong Kong and the Chinese music scene.”

Fu Xiaoci whispered to Liao Yuan, “The runner-up of the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan division, and third place in the elimination rounds. He has immense strength and years of opera house performance experience. You must be careful!”