Entertainment: Is this how you play music?!

Chapter 360 Seeing him is like seeing a true god.

"Yes, it contains mushroom essence."

Li Can subconsciously looked at Yu Liang, seemingly expecting Yu Liang to explain again.

That sounds kind of interesting.

"Mushroom essence? Hmm...it's from mushrooms."

Xu Yang nodded.

It looks healthy, but I don't know how it tastes.

"Served with a sauce made from orange juice."

"It's very healthy, but it's high in sugar, so you need to increase your exercise."

Xu Yang's reaction was entirely an athlete's subconscious reaction.

Upon hearing this, Li Can, a musician who regularly works out, nodded in deep agreement.

"That's right, but it actually goes quite well with lobster and roast lamb. Chicory can also provide vitamins and dietary fiber. However, you shouldn't eat too much mousse."

"Yeah! We need to run a couple more laps. Does Brother Can know about fitness too?"

"I don't really know, I'm quite amateurish, because drummers also need strength training, but...do you need to run to swim?"

"Of course I do. Swimming isn't just about getting in the water. Sometimes I don't need to get in the water, but I do some basic training to maintain my fitness. However, I usually want to get in the water as soon as I start exercising, just like taking a shower."

Li Can and Xu Yang started chatting directly like that.

Yu Liang was surprised that they found common ground so quickly.

Yu Liang understood what Gao Zhina meant by "sometimes he might seem abnormal".

True abstraction always reveals itself unexpectedly; it's all about life.

"."

After a brief silence, a simple introduction was given.

After Xu Yang and Li Can left, it didn't take long for the next guest to arrive. The first thing he asked was, "What are some things to keep in mind for this banquet?" This made Yu Liang realize that, as expected, there are still normal people out there.

Outside the embassy.

Li Can and Xu Yang chatted for a while and eventually walked into the coffee shop.

So he sat down.

"The food here at the lighthouse is so high in sugar. I ordered a donut because I was craving it, and I almost exploded after one bite. I don't even need the coach to tell me about my high blood pressure; I already have high blood sugar."

After sitting down, Xu Yang couldn't help but start complaining.

They were all young people, and among the group of middle-aged invitees, they still felt very approachable.

Xu Yang chuckled as he opened his phone and launched his music app.

Li Can leaned over and, sure enough, they were all works by his own band.

After all, he's an athlete, so he sometimes plays upbeat or energetic tunes during his basic training.

Skillful.

When it comes to generating hype, that's undoubtedly DP Band's forte.

Thanks to DP Band's top-notch sleep aid playlist, countless people who stay up late have taken to morning runs.

Pure mental nitrogen pump, no blood in the adrenaline.

"Brother Can, have you ever thought about making some sports-themed music? Or maybe collaborating with us?"

Xu Yang was quite excited.

Meeting Li Can felt like seeing a little character from my phone suddenly come into reality.

If this collaboration were to actually happen, it would be like an idol stepping into reality.

"If you put it like this in the swimming pool, tsk."

"Okay, okay."

Li Can was also very interested.

We've never collaborated on this before, but I feel like we could give it a try.

"Something more serious, something more formal?"

"That's so boring, Chan-ge. I think we should use your strengths to do something more interesting."

"Um"

Li Can and Xu Yang exchanged a glance, both stunned.

But after a while.

Both of them wore knowing, mischievous smiles.

Since they had just met, Li Can acted too normally, causing Xu Yang to momentarily forget Li Can's true identity.

After recalling everything, Xu Yang felt not only no worry, but also an excited and eager feeling.

Damn, this is getting fun.

"arrange!"

"Good good!"

This can easily lead to a situation where the coach's vision goes black.

In their early twenties, they are in their rebellious phase.

This is what it means to share the same ideals and goals.

"Come on, let's exchange contact information and discuss it when we have time."

"No problem, Chan-ge, just do your best. If you can participate in the MV recording, I'll call the rest of the team when the coach isn't home."

"So brave?"

"Of course, athletes need to have drive!"

Yu Liang didn't know if he had any drive or not.

But the banquet is about to begin.

Just the day before, Li Can, accompanied by embassy staff, went to the White House.

Explore the area, familiarize yourself with the venue, and try out the piano.

Walking openly inside the white house and peeking around gave Li Can a novel and exciting feeling.

"Mr. Li, it's great to meet you. Hello, hello."

Tom strode over and led Li Can to the banquet hall.

Normally, Tom, as the person in charge, wouldn't need to make a special trip to greet Li Can. After all, there were over two hundred people from all walks of life invited to the banquet, and even if there were fewer people from Xia, there would still be several dozen.

But the previous turmoil had made Tom a little uneasy, and he felt that it would be more appropriate to show up in advance to receive them.

"Hello, Mr. Tom."

Li Can sized up the middle-aged white man in front of him and gave him a friendly smile.

Of course, they may appear friendly, but they are actually on high alert.

Ever since I entered the White House.

There's always a strange sense of mission, accompanied by a wild bout of paranoia, giving it a feel of running a dungeon.

Pure prejudice; knowing it but not changing it.

After exchanging a few casual words, Li Can, led by Tom, arrived at the rehearsal area.

"You can simply walk through the special passage from the banquet hall to wait here. This lounge connects to the main guest room of the banquet hall, where there will be a small table."

Li Can nodded.

As mentioned at the beginning, this is not a very large performance, but in some ways it is quite large.

The stage was so small that just a grand piano filled half of it.

Li Can gradually understood why the performers mainly focused on pop music.

Even the only small chamber music piece had to be edited before it could be brought up.

Two violins, one viola, one cello, one double bass, and a conductor.

The remaining programs are all solo performances.

Jazz piano, pop song singing, country song singing, and Li Can, the only piano player in Xia Kingdom.

"This exchange covers a wide range of topics, including not only the business sector but also the cultural and entertainment industry. In addition to sports development and brand collaborations, the Washington Cultural and Arts Center will host the Xia Kingdom Arts Festival next year, which will feature many artists from Xia Kingdom."

"I hope to still be able to cooperate with you, Mr. Li Can, at that time."

Tom is very formulaic.

The formulaic approach is also very user-friendly.

But Li Can started complaining in his heart.

What kind of exchange is this? Exchange my ass! It's okay with other countries, but not with the US.

Who knows if this Xia Kingdom Art Festival might develop a distorted aesthetic due to the artists' distorted drumming?

Of course, this can't be said aloud, only thought. As for further communication, that's out of the question.

Making money is fine, performing is fine, stirring up trouble is fine, but artistic exchange should be kept as far away as possible.

To put it bluntly, it's a competition of national strength and the right to speak. As long as you have the power, then whatever you say about art must be art.

"Okay, if there's an opportunity, we'll definitely deepen our cooperation."

Li Can smiled and nodded.

It seems that he doesn't mind the series of unpleasant things that happened before at all.

This reassured Tom slightly.

Tom initially suspected that Li Can's statement "the innocent are innocent" was just him trying to sow discord, but now he only feels ashamed.

He might genuinely not care!
Tom smiled, deciding not to dwell on the unpleasantness and to fully embrace the upcoming collaboration.

But Li Can had many more thoughts on it.

Seeing Tom's enthusiasm, Li Can realized that she had been prejudiced again.

[Damn it, you really won't tell me unless I ask, you can't even be bothered to explain, is this some kind of show of force?!]

I refuse to believe that there's nothing more to the story behind those self-righteous people's slanderous attacks! The US isn't stupid; they can't be that naive!

My foot felt a little itchy for a moment, and I really wanted to kick something, but I held back.

"Mr. Li, you're so famous in Lighthouse! We all really look forward to when you can hold another concert here. The miracle you created in Los Angeles is still talked about today."

Even if you wear it a thousand times, you will never wear it.

Aside from Lee Chan, who comes with a built-in bias.

The better Tom explained, the bigger the problem seemed to Li Can.

Until Tom couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart.

“Mr. Li, sometimes I even feel envious. I wish you were an artist from our country.”

I'm coming!

Hey!
Such blatant poaching and innuendo make me feel like this old guy has ulterior motives!
Li Can's eyes sharpened.

You idiot, so you were waiting for me here?

"Haha, there will be! The artists at the Lighthouse are really talented, and there are so many of them. I'm so envious!"

Li Can smiled slightly.

As if he had thought of something.

He got straight to the point.

"Oh, by the way, please make sure you don't mispronounce the title of the work."

"Don't worry, Mr. Li, please trust the quality of our work."

Tom nodded knowingly.

"It's "My Motherland", no "My country"."

The thought of this.

Tom admired him even more.

In fact, even though they are on opposing sides, they sometimes admire each other.

Too many artists join the Lighthouse because of the better life and development opportunities, while too few artists truly love their own country.

History has proven that artists who truly leave their mark on history, regardless of their private lives, all share a common and great quality.

patriotic.

That was the melody of a Spanish symphony, the beauty of a grand Polonaise, and the brilliance of a Hungarian dance.

Regardless of the stage.

Nationalist music school, patriotic spirit.

These are all indispensable to great art, and even more so, qualities that great artists must possess.

If you don't even love your own motherland, how can you love your art?

Li Can's repeated emphasis on the title of the work is precisely a manifestation of this.

"Motherland" is a word full of romanticism, representing a deep longing for one's mother.

It may seem like just another translation, but Tom understands perfectly well that this is actually the most crucial point.

Tom may have considered having Li Can join the Lighthouse, but he also knew that the moment Li Can joined the Lighthouse, his spirit would collapse and the great artist would be dead.

Li Can became increasingly suspicious as he looked at it.

But the more Tom looked at it, the more he admired it.

"Mr. Li, do you have time later to grab a bite to eat together?"

Tom's words came from the heart.

Despite their different cultures and political affiliations, Tom still developed feelings for Li Can.

In fact, the private lives of many celebrities and public figures are not secrets to the real big shots; it's just a matter of whether they want to know or not.

Moreover, Li Can and his band made absolutely no attempt to conceal their activities.

Compared to the artists and celebrities Tom had met, Li Can and his friends were almost frighteningly pure, even to the point of being naive.

Everyone would want to be friends with someone like that, and Tom was no exception.

But Li Can heard these words differently.

Have a meal?

What kind of food is this?

Are we going to eat?!

Let alone after I became famous, even before I became famous, when I was studying abroad, I heard similar attempts to poach my talent countless times.

Most of them were well-intentioned, but some were motivated by self-interest.

Dealing with these things is the most annoying thing, so Li Can certainly wouldn't agree to it.

He immediately smiled and made up an excuse.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tom, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I need to do some final rehearsals before the performance. As you know, such a performance cannot have any flaws. It’s an important part of the exchange between our two countries.”

"I understand, I understand, I get it."

Tom admired him even more.

The aura surrounding Li Can was simply too dazzling.

Look, look!
Even such a great artist would still calmly do final practice before performing a small piece. Despite his great talent, he is not arrogant and understands the importance of this exchange banquet.

Haki Lee, you're something else!

"Then I won't disturb you while you're trying out the piano, please come on."

Tom reached out his hand, and Li Can nodded and sat down on the piano bench.

The White House is really rich.

The pianos are all adorned with gold and diamond markings.

The black grand piano features decorative lines made of pure gold, and the Steinway logo is engraved directly with a large diamond. There are only five of these pianos in the world.

The huge grand piano lid opens, revealing the wooden hammers and strings, exuding a rustic, lacquered texture.

It resembled a top-tier treasure chest inlaid with black diamonds.

Press the sustain pedal and gently strike the keys.

The music lingered for a long time, with a very pure sound quality and an exceptionally perfect sustain.

So, Li Can stopped speaking.

After a heavy strike, the force is abruptly released, and a gentle tremolo is performed to feel the piano's soft expression.

It was just a regular scale, just a trial performance.

There's not much melody, but the contrast between strong and weak colors can still be moving.

Unbeknownst to Li Can, Ravel was backstage.

The old man hadn't planned to meet Li Can so soon, but he wanted to see Li Can's true level of expression in real life.

A sudden burst of long, stressed notes, followed by four extremely soft and subtle finger rolls.

In just a brief moment, Ravel was struck dumb.

Top-tier technology combined with top-tier hardware creates a quality that only those in the know can truly appreciate.

Just as the explosion of an ancient supernova instantly switched to the slightest change in particles, the five notes achieved a scale from the macroscopic to the microscopic.

Next, the tests of sustained notes and staccato notes made the layers more complex and the contrasts more obvious.

No melody.

Ravel, however, felt as if he had seen a true god.

(End of this chapter)