My vampire princess wants to repay a debt of gratitude.

The auditorium of Mingyue High School was filled with students from almost the entire school, including the senior students. This was their last arts performance in their three years of high school, and there was even a performance by the school beauty, Li Qing. They couldn't possibly miss it.

In addition to the principal, the judges for this arts festival included senior piano professors, art professors, and part-time drama actors, totaling 10 professional judges, much like talent show mentors.

Lin Mo, Li Qi, and Pang Hu sat in the small audience section belonging to Class 2 of Grade 11, eating popcorn while waiting for the performance to begin.

Where is Ye Ziming?

Li Qi nudged Lin Mo's shoulder and asked.

"Go backstage and get ready."

Lin Mo said with great enthusiasm.

Last night, because editor Xiaomi said that the deadline for this month's manuscripts had been reached and advised against submitting any more, Lin Mo escaped Ye Zimo's persecution, didn't stay up all night to rush the manuscript, slept very well last night, and is full of energy today.

"Brother Ma, are you really dating Ye Ziming lately?"

Fat Tiger pressed for details, because he had seen Ye Zimo's driver bringing Lin Mo to school for half a month straight.

Lin Mo wasn't the type to be afraid of gossip; he did whatever was convenient for him.

Lin Xuan especially loved riding in Ye Ziming's Mercedes-Benz, which was much faster and more stylish than a bicycle.

"No, Ye Zimo used to live too far away, but now she has moved to Qingtu Community, so we are neighbors and just go that way."

Lin Mo felt it necessary to explain to his friends, lest they become so jealous that they did something terrible after plasmolysis.

For example, spreading embarrassing stories about him from childhood to adulthood everywhere is a terrible betrayal.

Ms. Xiaotian was chosen as the host of this arts performance. Today, she wore a blue evening dress that perfectly accentuated her S-shaped figure, eliciting a chorus of hungry wolves from the students below the stage, which was quickly drowned out by the opening music.

As is customary, the principal gave a speech after the opening dance. This year, the principal happened to have a cold and spoke very little, giving the students time to express themselves freely.

Ms. Xiao Tian announced, "The talent show officially begins! The first performance is a group chorus from Class 1 of Grade 11..."

The cultural performance included choral singing, solo singing, poetry recitation, skits, crosstalk, dance, drama, piano solos, violin solos, and even erhu playing—a wide variety of performances, covering everything imaginable.

This is the time when all the students shine, but Lin Mo, who has no artistic talent and can only draw comics, feels no sense of participation and can only shout "666" along with everyone else.

These programs were all selected by each class, so there was basically no shoddy work, but most of them didn't have high expectations.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting their idol's performance.

Senior student Li Qing is such an idol. Students in the audience were already holding glow sticks and signs, shouting loudly, "Li Qing, I love you!"

Li Qing enjoyed the feeling of finally appearing after much anticipation, proving that she was still very popular!

She is performing a piano solo today.

She once won first place in the National Youth Piano Competition with this piece, "Memories of Dreams." She never performed "Memories of Dreams" in school arts performances because she felt that these mediocre students were not worthy of it.

But ever since she met Ye Zimo, she had sensed a threat. When she saw that Ye Zimo was also performing a piano solo, she decisively changed her performance piece and brought out her grand finale, determined to crush the newcomer's arrogance and make Ye Zimo admit defeat wholeheartedly.

Knowing that Li Qing was going to play "Memories of Dreams," the principal specially brought his whole family to participate in the cultural performance, and they are now sitting in the first row of the audience.

All the music teachers in the school were also eagerly anticipating the musical feast that Li Qing would bring them.

Li Qing wore a snow-white long dress today, exuding an elegant and pure aura. Her short hair was styled in an updo, and she wore exquisite stage makeup, making her look absolutely stunning.

No matter the angle from which she is photographed, she has no blind spots.

According to international practice, her performance should have been the last one and not included in the ranking of the arts festival. However, this time she requested to be judged with everyone else, and the order of appearance was determined by drawing lots. Out of 42 programs in the whole school, she drew number 35, while Ye Zimo drew the last one.

As expected, Li Qing began to play "Memories of Dreams." The beautiful melody of the piano captivated everyone. The style of this piece was rather modern, so even Lin Mo, who knew nothing about the piano, found it very beautiful.

Oh no, Ye Zimo won't lose, will she?

Lin Mo felt uneasy. The more stable Li Qing's performance was, the more intense the feedback from those around him became, and the more anxious he became.

"This piece, 'Memories of a Dream,' was composed by the renowned Japanese pianist Ryoko Harano. The piece combines the elegance of the piano with a natural musical style, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that transports the listener to a summer night in the countryside, as if countless fireflies are surrounding them, immersing them in a leisurely and tranquil dream."

The school's only two piano professors, serving as judges for this performance, couldn't help but offer their comments.

"Wonderful."

Even the principal, who knew nothing about music, chimed in.

Chapter 35 Piano Music

After Li Qing finished her performance, a deafening roar echoed through the school auditorium.

The judges were still impressed and gave the highest score. Only one classical piano professor gave it 8 points. He was always strict and thought that although Li Qing's performance was stable, it lacked soul and needed improvement.

Even so, Li Qing's total score far exceeded that of the other programs.

Li Qing stood up, gave an elegant bow, smiled at Lin Mo in the stands, and then walked off the stage.

The applause never stopped during this time.

Lin Mo's heart sank. Was he going to become his senior's boyfriend?

Wow! The school beauty is looking at me!

Li Qi was already flushed with excitement, and he kept shaking Lin Mo, saying, "I've made up my mind, I'm giving up on Teacher Xiao Tian, ​​I'm going to follow my senior!"

"I want to follow in my senior's footsteps!"

Gian was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

Lin Mo sighed deeply.

The following skits failed to lift Lin Mo's spirits, but a few female students' hot dance performances did improve his mood slightly.

It's already November, and the female students are still dancing in miniskirts. It's so touching for high school students.

They were all young and beautiful. Although they were not as pretty as the senior students, they were full of vitality and dressed lightly.

"The next program is the last one, a piano solo of 'Untitled'."

After Ms. Oda finished her introduction, she left the stage, and the stage lights suddenly went out.

The lights only came on after Ye Zimo sat down at the piano.

Her long, smooth, black hair cascaded down to the wooden floor, and her fair skin was bathed in blue light from the stage lights.

Ye Zimo was wearing a red dress, barefoot, and without any makeup, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful.

She is already a beautiful painting without even playing a piece.

"What a nice view!"

"This is so beautiful!"

"Ye Zimo! Ye Zimo!"

The students below the stage began to cheer, chanting Ye Zimo's name repeatedly. Lin Mo could also hear his own heart pounding.

How can vampires be so beautiful? It's unfair!

Senior student Li Qing maintained a confident smile; she didn't believe Ye Zimo could beat her.

No matter how beautiful it is, it's still just a pretty vase!

Ye Zimo closed her eyes and began to play.

As her slender, fair fingers plucked the piano keys, the melodious tune seemed to fall to earth like the Milky Way, and the judges instantly felt as if they were in the highest hall of music.

"This, this is Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2!"

The classical piano professor stood up abruptly; he truly hadn't expected to hear this piece at Mingyue High School.

Is there a problem with this piece of music?

The principal asked in a hoarse voice.

"This piano piece was composed in 1913. Because his classmate and close friend Schmitthof committed suicide at that time, Prokofiev gave it to his friend as a memorial. The original score has long been lost. The later revised version raised the technical requirements, and the difficulty and skills became almost at the limit of human ability."

The classical piano professor exclaimed excitedly, "Without a professional level of Grade 10, you wouldn't even dare to touch this piece."

"That's right. This piece has extremely complex musical patterns and very high technical requirements. It was once rated as one of the ten most difficult piano pieces to play in the world."

Another music professor said.

The principal immediately felt like he had struck gold. He never expected that the school would not only have Li Qing, but now also Ye Zimo, especially since her family had donated a large sum of money to the school.

The principal was grinning from ear to ear.

Li Qing's brows gradually furrowed. The large screen projected Ye Zimo's finger movements, which were so fast that they left afterimages.

"How is that possible!"

Li Qing considered himself a piano prodigy, but he never expected to lose to someone else in his area of ​​expertise.

Although Ye Zimo's performance of the Second Piano Concerto is not as accessible as "Memories of a Dream," and may not be as pleasant to the average listener, her technical skill far surpasses that of Ye Zimo.

This is masterful!

Even Li Qing had to admit that she had lost!

Noticing Li Qing's expression, her best friend said, "Xiao Qing, you don't need to worry at all. You'll definitely be number one. Her playing isn't nearly as good as yours."

"That's right, you're going to win this time."

"You shouldn't be participating in the selection process if you're not qualified. It's so unfair to us."

Her girlfriends comforted her.

Li Qing didn't talk to them, her eyes fixed on Ye Zimo on the stage.

It seems I underestimated my opponent!

After Ye Zimo finished playing, the audience was stunned. The applause only came belatedly when she stepped off the stage.

Even someone who doesn't understand music knows that this is an absolutely superb performance, and watching her play gives the feeling of playing the entire concert hall by herself is amazing!

What surprised the classical piano professor the most was that Ye Zimo's version of the Second Piano Concerto had many differences from the improved version; she had actually revised it again based on the master's work.

The professor vaguely felt that her playing seemed closer to the original.

"A genius, a true genius."

He stood up excitedly and applauded enthusiastically.

Old Wei was most familiar with this state of mind of his; when Ye Zimo solved that math problem, Old Wei's reaction was exactly the same as his.

Then the principal and a group of judges stood up and applauded wildly.