I'll Go Say What You Want to Hear

Paris at night was truly beautiful. Both sides of the Seine were lined with distinctive European buildings.

Unlike many other prosperous metropolises, such as Shanghai, Tokyo, and New York, where skyscrapers stood in dense clusters, Paris had very few tall buildings.

Most of the buildings in the city were only fifty or sixty meters high, and skyscrapers were rare. The tallest structure in the entire city was the Eiffel Tower, which stood 330 meters high. The tallest building, Montparnasse Tower, was only 210 meters tall—a mere child compared with those four- or five-hundred-meter skyscrapers.

Still, a city’s prosperity could not be judged solely by the number of high-rises it had.

Many countries in Europe were like this. Places such as Barcelona in Spain and Copenhagen in Denmark had hardly any skyscrapers either.

This was mainly because Europeans placed greater importance on history and traditional culture, so they did not like constructing so many tall buildings.

It was now ten-thirty at night. Everyone on the yacht’s deck was chatting, drinking, and enjoying the night view.

[Ding! The host is in a pleasant mood and thoroughly enjoying himself. Reward: 3 million.]

Just then, a man in a tailcoat, holding a violin, walked over from the rear of the deck.

Seeing him, Su Yang smiled. “Oh? We even have live music?”

Everyone watched the approaching man and began applauding. The bearded man at the table beside Su Yang laughed. “They never mentioned there’d be a violin performance.”

“Haha, handsome, this is our surprise feature,” the server beside him said with a smile.

The Black woman jokingly asked, “Is listening to the violin performance free?”

“Of course. Nothing after boarding comes with an additional charge, so everyone can rest assured,” the server explained.

“That’s good to hear.”

The music on the deck soon stopped, and the violinist walked to the space between the three tables and stood there.

After slowly turning in a full circle, he placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly. He then raised the violin to his shoulder with his left hand, lifted the bow in his right, and began his performance.

The guests at all three tables fell silent in perfect unison.

Two seconds later, a melodious violin tune rang out. Live music did indeed feel different from music played through speakers. Combined with the beautiful night view, the atmosphere was utterly romantic.

The Black couple seemed to love music. They closed their eyes, extended their hands, and swayed to the melody with smiles on their faces.

Su Yang glanced at Li Yuanying and smiled. “I didn’t expect there to be a violin performance.”

“Neither did I. He’s pretty good, too. Come on, Su Yang, have a drink.” With a smile, Li Yuanying picked up the red wine on the table and clinked glasses with him.

The song soon ended, and everyone applauded in praise.

The man in the tailcoat made another polite turn and bowed to thank everyone.

At that moment, the Black man looked at the violinist and smiled. “Hey, handsome, you play really well. Can I give it a try?”

“Oh? You play the violin too?”

“Haha, I’m not very familiar with it, but I like the instrument.”

“Is that so? Go ahead.”

“Okay.” The Black man stood up with a smile, walked to the center of the deck, took the violin, and looked at everyone.

“Everyone, please allow me to play a song for you. Forgive me if it isn’t very good.”

“No worries. People who say that are usually very skilled. Hahaha, go ahead and show us what you’ve got,” the bearded man said with a laugh.

The Black man nodded, tested the strings, then raised the violin to his shoulder, tilted his head, and began playing with rapt concentration.

“Oh, not bad!” Su Yang praised after hearing the music.

“How can you tell?” Li Yuanying asked.

“To be honest, I know how to play a little myself.”

Li Yuanying’s eyes widened when she heard this. “Really? Have you studied it before?”

“Sort of. I taught myself.”

“Then why don’t you perform after he’s finished?” Li Yuanying nudged Su Yang’s arm and blinked at him with a smile.

“If you want to hear me play, I’ll go.”

“I do!” Li Yuanying immediately nodded.

“Okay. We’ll wait until he’s finished.”

“Is he as good as the man in the tailcoat?”

Su Yang shook his head. “He’s a little worse, but the difference isn’t that great.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I should be just a little better than both of them.”

“Really? Now I can’t wait to hear you play.”

“Haha, no rush. Come on, have a drink.”

Everyone drank while enjoying the violin performance, their faces filled with contentment.

The Black man soon finished a slow, soothing piece and bowed to thank everyone.

The crowd applauded once again.

“Impressive, man!” the bearded man shouted as he stood up.

“Haha, you’re too kind.” The Black man turned around and returned the violin to the man in the tailcoat. “Thanks for letting me have some fun.”

“Huh?” The man in the tailcoat felt that the remark sounded somewhat strange. After a moment of bewilderment, he took the violin back.

At that moment, Li Yuanying nudged Su Yang. “Su Yang, go on!”

“Sure.” Su Yang downed the drink in his hand, stood up, and looked at the man in the tailcoat. “Excuse me, sir!”

“Yes? What is it? Don’t tell me you want to play a song too?”

“Haha, that’s exactly what I had in mind. May I borrow the violin?” Su Yang stepped forward as he spoke.

“Hahahaha, of course! Anyone who likes it is welcome to come up and perform. Here you go.” The man handed the violin to Su Yang.

Several people at the other tables cheered. “Handsome, you can play too?”

“I know a little. I’m from China. How about I perform a piece of Chinese music for everyone?”

“Sure, sure! I’ve never heard Chinese music before. Let’s welcome him!” The bearded man stood up and led the cheers.

Clap, clap, clap.

The others followed suit, applauding with great interest.

Su Yang gave a slight nod. He placed the violin on his left shoulder and took the bow in his right hand. In an instant, the musical knowledge granted by his Master Instrumentalist skill matched his mind perfectly with the technique required to play the violin.

With a faint smile, he began performing the Chinese classic Liang Zhu.

With the support of his Master Instrumentalist skill, the moment the violin sang out, the man in the tailcoat’s eyes widened.

As the music progressed, everyone on the deck gradually became immersed in it without even realizing it.

Classical Chinese music possessed a unique Eastern beauty. The melody was graceful and winding, like the music of heaven. However, the piece told a tragic love story, making it somewhat inappropriate for the setting.

But no one except Su Yang knew that. It didn’t matter. As long as it sounded good, that was enough.

Li Yuanying rested her chin in both hands and stared blankly at Su Yang, her mouth unconsciously forming an O.

When the music reached its climax, goosebumps rose all over her body. She had never imagined that Su Yang could play the violin so beautifully.

The Black man and the man in the tailcoat had not been far apart in skill, so she had been unable to tell much difference between them.

But once Su Yang began playing, anyone with even a little understanding of music could hear the gap—not to mention her. The difference was simply too obvious.

Su Yang himself had already become completely lost in the music.

[Ding! The host is thoroughly enjoying the process of playing the violin. Reward: 5 million.]

More than three minutes later, the piece came to an end.

It seemed that everyone was still recovering from the music they had just heard. For two seconds, the deck fell silent.

Li Yuanying was the first to stand and applaud. “That was amazing! Everyone, give him a round of applause!”

At Li Yuanying’s shout, everyone else finally came to their senses and rose to their feet, applauding from the heart.

“Perfect! Absolutely perfect! That piece was incredible!”

“I feel like I just took a trip to Huaguo.”

“Man, I had no idea you were a hidden violin master!” The man in the tailcoat hurried over to Su Yang and praised him.

Su Yang smiled. “You’re too kind. I was just playing around. ‘Master’ is way too generous.”

“They might not be able to tell, but I can. Your skill is unquestionably at a master’s level!”

“No, no. I’ve simply practiced this particular piece a lot. I’ve been playing it since I was a child, so I’m very familiar with it.”

“Really? Why do I feel like you’re pulling my leg?”

“Why would I lie to you? Anyway, here’s your violin back. Thanks for lending it to me. Go ahead and continue.”

“After hearing you play at that level, how could I possibly perform in front of you?”

“Oh, I already told you—I’m not a professional violinist. I’ve only practiced this one piece since I was little, so I’ve gotten good at it through repetition. I wouldn’t be able to play anything else.”

“Is that so?”

“Really. Go on and play.” Su Yang patted the man on the shoulder, then turned and returned to his seat.

Li Yuanying gave him a thumbs-up. “I never would’ve guessed your violin skills were this good. Just how many other talents are you hiding?”

Su Yang picked up the wine on the table, downed it in one gulp, and laughed. “Plenty more.”

“Is that so? I’m becoming more and more curious about you.”

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