Chapter 29: Is That It? Is That Your Level?
What?
The master and servant exchanged a glance, both seeing the anger in each other’s eyes.
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Xiao Qianqian had never heard such a comment about her zither playing in her entire life. In the past, everyone praised her when they heard her play. Having heard it so often, she had become indifferent to it.
Today, she thought Ye Ning would say the same thing, but she didn’t expect such belittlement.
This made her feel a surge of anger, dissipating much of the goodwill she had towards Ye Ning.
“What an arrogant fellow!” Luzhu couldn’t help but speak out.
“How dare you speak ill of my mistress like this. Do you even understand music theory?”
The reason Ye Ning said this was that he didn’t think much, and it just slipped out of his mouth when Luzhu asked.
After saying it, he regretted it a bit, feeling that he shouldn’t have been so direct. But since the words were out, as a man, there was nothing to be afraid of.
He even felt relieved and said with his hands behind his back, “So, what do you think I should say?”
“Naturally,” Luzhu said, “you should praise my mistress’s performance.”
Ye Ning showed a pensive look. “Her performance is indeed quite good.”
Xiao Qianqian’s expression gradually eased. She thought to herself, “At least this person is sensible.”
But she rejoiced too soon. She heard Ye Ning say, “Unfortunately, it lacks soul.”
Luzhu was about to argue, but Xiao Qianqian stopped her.
Unhappy, she furrowed her brows slightly. “What do you mean by soul?”
“This woman had a nice voice,” Ye Ning muttered.
Xiao Qianqian’s voice wasn’t gentle, but it carried a natural charm, capable of arousing excitement in men, whether in anger or laughter.
“Music is not lifeless. It has life. Where does its life come from? Half comes from the musician’s performance, and the other half comes from the music score.” Ye Ning was direct, speaking from his heart.
“Miss’s performance is good, but unfortunately, the music score falls short.”
Ye Ning thought that by saying this, he was still praising Xiao Qianqian’s skill, which should make her happy. But Xiao Qianqian became even angrier.
“Mr. Ye says the music score isn’t good?”
Ye Ning nodded. “That’s right.”
“Ridiculous!” Luzhu snorted. “Do you even know who composed this music score?”
Ye Ning shrugged. “Enlighten me.”
Proudly, Luzhu said, “The composer of this piece, ‘Flowing Water,’ is the court’s chief zitherist, Mo Lao, who is also my mistress’s teacher!
“Throughout his life, Mo Lao has composed more than a hundred pieces, each of which can be called a classic.
“This piece, ‘Flowing Water,’ is a gift from him to my mistress… and you, not knowing your place, dare to belittle a master of zither. Isn’t it laughable?”
Hearing this, Ye Ning sneered. “Chief zitherist? I’ve never heard of him.”
Since he didn’t know him, there was no need to show respect.
He said straightforwardly, “So, the chief zitherist is at this level?”
Xiao Qianqian couldn’t contain her anger anymore and said coldly, “Because Mr. Ye looks down on my teacher, you must be very skilled in playing the zither, right? Why don’t you perform and let this young lady see what real soulful music is like?”
It was easy to tell that Xiao Qianqian was genuinely angry.
But Ye Ning wasn’t worried. Countless painful experiences of brothers on the internet in his past life taught him a truth: you can’t win a woman’s favor by flattery.
There’s no way out for a lapdog! As long as you’re outstanding enough, women will naturally be interested in you. If you’re not excellent enough, no matter how much you invest, you’ll end up with nothing.
Therefore, Ye Ning didn’t need to care about what Xiao Qianqian said.
Women like her, accustomed to flattery, needed to be approached in a different way.
“To be honest, my level is average,” Ye Ning said lightly. “But I can still play and let you know what good music sounds like.”
This made Xiao Qianqian uncomfortable.
First, he said his level was average. Then, he said he would let me know what good music was. She should evaluate it herself. What did that mean?
“Fine, I’ll listen respectfully!” By this time, Xiao Qianqian had forgotten her task.
Being belittled in her proudest field made her extremely unhappy.
“But I don’t do things that have no benefits,” Ye Ning said, pointing at the curtain in front of him. “If I play and surpass Miss, then I’ll take down this broken thing. I don’t like talking to people behind a curtain.”
Luzhu was anxious and said, “That’s against the rules!”
Others all talked to her miss behind the curtain!
“Fine, I agree!” However, Xiao Qianqian interrupted.
Her beautiful eyes were completely fixed on Ye Ning. “I want to hear what you can play.”
Ye Ning smiled calmly and beckoned with his finger. “Bring me the zither.”
Luzhu looked at Xiao Qianqian for permission.
Xiao Qianqian said, “Give it to him.”
Luzhu picked up the guqin grudgingly and handed it over.
Ye Ning sat down slowly, first plucking the strings with his hand to find the feeling.
It had been a long time since he had touched this thing. Then, he started playing.
At the beginning, Xiao Qianqian sneered. “Is that it?”
When an expert took action, you can tell if it’s good or bad. With her attainments, she could instantly discern the situation.
Ye Ning hadn’t touched the guqin for a long time, and it was obvious that he was very unfamiliar with it. Several notes were played inaccurately at first, but gradually, he found the feeling… but that was it.
In terms of zither skills alone, Ye Ning’s level was ordinary. Such people were a dime a dozen.
This was normal. Because in his previous life, Ye Ning was just a lover of the guqin, he had learned it and performed it, but that was all.
Especially after entering society, he hadn’t touched the guqin for many years. It was reasonable that his level was a bit low.
“Is this all you have to mock me?” Xiao Qianqian sneered.
But as she listened, her smile gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness. “This piece…”