Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 253 A Great Performance

City Arts Center.

As the venue for the upcoming international piano concert, this is the largest arts venue in the city... or rather, the province, and it ranks among the top in the country.

The exterior of the art center is clad in streamlined glass curtain walls and warm-toned marble. The interior concert hall is built in a standard "shoebox" style, with the audience seating arranged in a fan shape around the stage, in three tiers, like the staircases of an Italian opera house, layer upon layer, extending into the darkness at the edge of the field of vision.

The scarlet velvet chairs stand silently, their solid wood backrests displaying a consistent, warm luster under the light.

On stage, some staff members were making final adjustments to the massive Steinway grand piano. The tuner stood by, waiting to tune it after it was completely secured. The lighting technician was also adjusting the angle of the spotlight, a bright beam of light cutting through the half-lit, half-dark space, with a few unavoidable specks of dust dancing wildly in the path of light.

The person in charge looked around with satisfaction. There were only a few hours left before the concert officially started. The staff in charge of each department reported that the preliminary preparations had been completed successfully, but he still came to check it himself to make sure there were no major problems.

He walked towards the wall in the shadows, stretched out his finger, and was about to touch the cold, sound-absorbing wall when he unexpectedly discovered that there was a person standing in the shadows.

For a moment, the person in charge felt like his heart had stopped. Just last night, at his wife's insistence, he had accompanied her to watch a horror movie... His wife wasn't scared, but he was terrified. And this classic scene of someone hiding in the shadows also existed in that movie.

"Who is where?"

The person in charge asked hesitantly, thinking that even the fiercest ghost wouldn't come out and cause trouble in broad daylight, would it? Besides, there are so many people here!
The person in the shadows took a step forward, crossing the line between light and shadow, thus revealing his true appearance—a handsome and refined man with dazzling ice-blue eyes, wearing a pure black suit, and with his brilliant blond hair meticulously combed.

"Hello?"

The person in charge breathed a sigh of relief. At first, he was really worried that some kind of monster might jump out, and a scream was already brewing in his throat. Fortunately, the man seemed to fit the description of "refined and cultured". His appearance and temperament far surpassed those so-called male celebrities, so he should not be associated with any monster.

After asking the question, he realized that the other person was obviously a foreigner. Just as he was about to switch languages, the man spoke, and his Mandarin was extremely fluent and flawless.

"Hello."

Pascal Gattuso nodded slightly in response, always polite to everyone, like a robot with no thoughts of its own.

"Hello, hello, are you... the pianist who's going to participate in this concert...?"

The person in charge asked hesitantly, "If so, you've come too early. There are still several hours before it officially starts. There's no need to get used to the equipment so early; they're still testing it over there."

It's no wonder the person in charge had such a guess; it's just that Percy's appearance and demeanor were too good... or rather, for all mixed-race individuals, as long as they want to and are willing to spend a little money and effort, they can stand out in terms of appearance and demeanor, especially mixed-race individuals with high bloodline levels.

Percy Gattuso's bloodline is among the best even among mixed-race individuals. It is precisely because it is so exceptional that he has already crossed the "boundary" and must take special drugs developed by his family. In fact, those drugs do not play a crucial role in controlling his bloodline; they only make him feel less uncomfortable.

A foreigner, dressed in a suit, with a good demeanor and youthful appearance, and it just so happens to be an international piano concert, so it's only natural that the person in charge would conclude that Pascal Gattuso was one of the pianists attending the concert.

Although it's called an international piano music festival, this general term actually encompasses many different categories: based on musical form, it can be divided into solo recitals, concerto concerts, chamber music concerts, or four-hand piano concerts; based on prestige, it can be divided into top-tier international music festivals, resident concerts in world-class concert halls, touring concerts by winners of international piano competitions, and so on...

This concert was rather special, being more "relaxed." While many international pianists were indeed invited, only a few performed because they "couldn't resist the urge," and the majority of the participants were students or friends of these international pianists...it was a showcase segment.

To use an older analogy, it's like a powerful figure bringing their disciple to show off, while also implying, "This is my disciple. In the future, when we're out in the world, let's all look out for each other..."

Foreigners certainly know how to navigate social interactions, and they do it much more openly than people in China. Take, for example, their "recommendation system," which makes this very clear.

"No, I am not a pianist."

Percy shook his head slightly and replied politely, "I'm an audience member."

The number of people a concert hall can accommodate is ultimately limited, and limited capacity means rarity, and rarity means... expensive.

The ticket price this time was already shockingly high, but the person in charge did not think that Percy might not be able to afford it. He was quite knowledgeable and could tell that Percy was either rich or noble just by looking at the custom-made suit he was wearing.

"But it's still too long before the concert officially starts."

The person in charge had no idea how Percy had gotten in early, so he could only offer an apologetic smile and ask, "Could you please... move aside?"

"Ah."

"Okay, I'll see you off right away..." The person in charge breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that this foreigner was quite easy to talk to.

"No need for that, I'm just here to check the scene."

Percy Gattuso's icy blue eyes were fixed on the stage, which was still bustling with preparations. "Tonight, there will be a great performance here."

"A great...performance?"

The person in charge was taken aback. As the person in charge, he naturally knew that tonight's performance was very important. After all, it had the word "international" attached to it. Regardless of its actual nature as just a gathering and salon among piano masters, its influence was undeniable.

But to call it great... isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?
He was destined to never get an answer to that question, because after saying those words, Paci Gattuso turned and left, his figure disappearing into the shadows, becoming indistinct, as if sinking into a deep, dark pool, leaving only a few ripples before vanishing completely.

A staff member jogged over and whispered, "Mr. Lin, the final inspection of the air conditioning system is complete, and the temperature inside will be kept constant at 22 degrees Celsius."

The person in charge nodded slightly without speaking. After the staff left, his gaze returned to the piano. It lay quietly in the center of the stage, its smooth, obsidian-like surface reflecting the microcosm of the entire concert hall.

For some inexplicable reason, as if some kind of chilling, completely unknown coldness was slithering up along the spine, the person in charge shivered.

"A magnificent performance... Among the pianists who participated in this performance, is there anyone who truly deserves the word 'magnificent'?"

……

"Yes, there are plenty of guys as awesome as me!"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head and humbly answered Old Tang's question on the other end of the phone.

For some reason, he had just gotten home when he received a call from Lao Tang. Lao Tang immediately asked if Lu Mingfei was going to participate in tonight's international piano concert, and after receiving an affirmative answer, he exclaimed, "Damn, bro, you're awesome! These days, there aren't many people as good as you!"

"Really? Bro, you're not kidding me, are you?"

Old Tang expressed his doubts, "I see that the only person on the list who is the same age as you is that girl named Liu Miaomiao!"

"A list? What list?" Lu Mingfei was stunned, completely bewildered.

"It's the list of performers for this international piano concert. I'm holding the brochure in my hand!"

The sound of rustling paper came from Old Tang's end. "Want to guess how I got this brochure?"

"Um... Did someone hand you out flyers on the street?" Lu Mingfei guessed casually.

"How could that be! This is an international piano concert, international! With those two words, do you have to worry about attendance? It'll be packed to capacity anytime, okay? Tickets from scalpers are selling for almost ten thousand yuan each!" Old Tang retorted excitedly.

"That's an exaggeration? Are there really that many people with artistic aspirations these days?" Lu Mingfei blinked.

Generally speaking, tickets for a normal piano concert cost between 200 and 400 yuan, while tickets for international-level concerts cost over 2,000 yuan, and tickets for top superstars cost over 5,000 yuan... But those are just the official ticket prices. Once they reach scalpers, the price can increase many times over.

However, he didn't pay much attention to it, because no matter how expensive the tickets were, he wouldn't get any of them, let alone at scalper prices, so it was meaningless.

So his focus shifted instantly.

"Hey, wait a minute, Lao Tang, how do you know all this so well?"

Lu Mingfei asked, "Could it be that you're an art enthusiast too?"

"What kind of art lover? If you're talking about a different kind of art, I do have extensive knowledge of it, but let's forget about this. I probably don't have a single artistic gene in my body. I'd rather spend that time playing video games."

Old Tang grinned and said, "I knew you'd never guess what happened... I won a ticket in the lottery!"

"what?"

"You didn't expect it, did you? I didn't expect it either. I just saw there was a lucky draw here and bought some things to participate, and I actually won! The grand prize, hahaha!"

Old Tang laughed and said, "I was originally planning to sell this ticket, so I inquired about the price from scalpers. But when I was bored, I flipped through the brochure and found that your name was among the performers!"

You have no idea how I felt! I remember everyone in the group saying you were just a shut-in who only played games and had mediocre skills. How come you're suddenly going to perform at an international piano concert? Honestly, I wouldn't have been this surprised if I'd heard you won StarCraft at the WCG!

WCG is the World Cyber ​​Games, a global esports event. The sheer number of top players doesn't even begin to describe how fierce the competition is. But Lao Tang genuinely believes that Lu Mingfei has a chance to win... Even after practicing his skills for so long, Lao Tang still feels that Lu Mingfei's gameplay is almost inhuman when he recalls playing StarCraft with him before.

That kind of operation is somewhat far removed from human skill, but very close to divine intervention.

"What do you mean, a shut-in who only plays games and has mediocre grades... That's ancient history, isn't it?" Lu Mingfei muttered.

"Do you want to listen to what you're saying?"

"Ahem, don't you understand genius? A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence! I just learn faster... Alright, so aren't you going to sell the tickets?"

Lu Mingfei abruptly changed the subject.

"Of course not! If you weren't participating, I would definitely have sold it, after all, it's tens of thousands of yuan. But since you're participating, I, as your brother, have to lend a hand, right?" Old Tang patted his chest and said.

“Actually, I think you can still sell the tickets,” Lu Mingfei suddenly said.

"why?"

Old Tang was stunned for a moment, then let out a piercing wail, "Don't you consider me a brother? Alas, you've disregarded my sincere heart..."

"What I mean is, after you sell the tickets, I can just find someone to give you an insider ticket!" Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes.

"Isn't it great to get a free ticket? There will definitely be extra seats anyway. If all else fails, you can use your connections to get in and listen from a corner. It's free money, why not take advantage of ten thousand yuan! Just showing up shows your sincerity, why be so formal?"

As a performer, Lu Mingfei was entitled to two "family tickets." Since his parents weren't present, he couldn't possibly give the tickets to his uncle and aunt, so the two tickets definitely belonged to Ling and Su Xiaoqiang.

As for Liu Miaomiao, the tickets were for her parents... So there weren't any extra tickets left. But since Aunt Shanshan was also performing, she naturally got more tickets as a pianist, so there were enough to go around.

"oh oh……"

Old Tang suddenly realized, "Then I'll go sell tickets now, see you later, brother! Looking forward to your performance!"

After yelling, he immediately hung up the phone. There were still several hours before the performance, and finding a customer willing to pay 10,000 yuan for a concert ticket in such a short time… frankly, it was quite difficult. But for Lao Tang, it should be fine; as a hunter, he had far too many channels.

"call……"

Lu Mingfei breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked down at the table.

A metal plate, or rather a sheet of metal, was placed horizontally on the table. It had a silvery-white luster and was as smooth as a mirror.

This is a piece of recycled metal, which Lu Mingfei obtained from Zero.

He wanted to make a small attempt.

(End of this chapter)