In the corridor outside the backstage area, Ian Song looked at the stylishly arrogant Evan Zhou, feeling a bit puzzled, unsure why the other had called him out here.
"Name your price," Evan Zhou said, chin held high, his tone full of condescension as if he were offering charity.
"What do you mean?" Ian Song was even more confused.
Evan Zhou looked slightly annoyed and said in a low voice, "Don't play dumb. You should know what I mean. As long as your price is reasonable, I'll meet it!"
"Sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about. If you have something to say, just say it directly, okay?" Ian Song replied, a bit speechless.
"You really don't get it?" Evan Zhou asked.
Ian Song was starting to get impatient. "If you keep beating around the bush, I'm just going to leave!"
"Don't you dare!" Evan Zhou snapped, then quickly added, "My dad is Zack Zhou."
Ian Song's expression turned cold; he turned and started to walk away.
Watching Ian Song leave, Evan Zhou looked stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. He quickly chased after Ian, blocked his path, and growled, "Ian Song, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
Hearing Evan Zhou's threat, Ian Song couldn't help but laugh. "What exactly do you want?"
Evan Zhou shouted angrily, "Ian Song, do you know who I am? Zack Zhou is my dad, and you dare ignore me!"
"I know your dad is Zack Zhou. You've already said it once, no need to repeat it. Now, can you just tell me what you actually want? Otherwise, I'm really leaving!" Ian Song replied, completely speechless. He felt like Evan Zhou was the very definition of an idiot.
Hearing this, Evan Zhou stared suspiciously at Ian Song for a long moment before saying, "You really don't get what I'm saying? I thought someone who took first place in the preliminaries would be smart, but you can't even understand me. You're honestly kind of dumb!"
"Enough!" Ian Song's face darkened as he raised his fist and waved it twice. "If you keep running your mouth, I'll beat you up!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Evan Zhou instinctively stepped back two paces, blustering, "My dad is—!"
"Your dad is Zack Zhou, right?" Ian Song cut him off.
Evan Zhou didn't catch the sarcasm in Ian Song's words and instead looked rather pleased. "As long as you know my dad is Zack Zhou. Here's the deal: If you deliberately lose to me in the PK Round, I'll give you thirty thousand yuan!"
"So that's why you wanted to talk to me?" Ian Song asked, somewhat stunned.
"As long as you agree, I'll transfer the money to you right now!" Evan Zhou said, regaining his arrogant demeanor.
"Why should I agree to that?" Ian Song asked, half-smiling.
"Thirty thousand is a lot, you know. Don't be ungrateful!" Evan Zhou was furious, not expecting Ian Song to refuse.
"My goal is the championship, and the prize for that is a hundred thousand yuan. If it were you, would you pick a hundred thousand or thirty thousand?" Ian Song countered.
"Of course I'd pick a hundred thousand!" Evan Zhou blurted out.
"Since you know the right choice is a hundred thousand, obviously I'd pick that too!" Ian Song said with a teasing smile, then turned to leave.
"Wait!" Evan Zhou called out again.
"What now?" Ian Song asked, clearly annoyed.
"Can you take a little less? My monthly allowance is only thirty thousand. If I borrow from friends, I might be able to scrape together fifty thousand. Would that work?" By now, Evan Zhou had lost all his arrogance and was almost pleading.
Ian Song sneered, "Isn't your dad Zack Zhou? If you need money, just ask him!"
"My dad isn't a corrupt official. He doesn't have that kind of money!" Evan Zhou said, sounding deflated.
Hearing this, Ian Song found Evan Zhou's foolishness almost endearing. Curious about his real motive, he asked, "So why are you going to all this trouble?"
Evan Zhou's expression turned shy and awkward. "Ava Xiang said that if I win the piano championship, she'll let me pursue her. I know you're too strong and I can't beat you in the PK Round, so that's why I'm doing this!"
"That's a pretty strong reason, but I can't agree to it!" Ian Song sighed.
"Why not?"
"I'm going for the championship because of a girl too."
Hearing Ian Song's words, Evan Zhou's expression suddenly turned dejected.
Seeing his look, Ian Song patted him on the shoulder and said, "If Ava Xiang really likes you, it doesn't matter whether you win the championship or not. If she doesn't like you, even winning won't change her mind. Real feelings are pure—if something else is mixed in, it's not true love. As the saying goes, a melon forced off the vine isn't sweet. Maybe Ava Xiang set this condition on purpose to make you give up."
After hearing Ian Song's words, Evan Zhou became even more depressed. He was silent for a long time before finally saying, "You're right. Honestly, I've known for a while that Ava Xiang doesn't like me. I was just lying to myself."
"It's good that you can understand that," Ian Song said.
"Thanks, Ian Song. Why don't we be friends?"
Seeing the eager look in the 'chuunibyou' youth's eyes, Ian Song couldn't bear to refuse. He reached out his hand and said, "Ian Song. Nice to meet you."
"Evan Zhou. Nice to meet you too!" Evan Zhou replied happily, reaching out his hand.
At nine thirty, the competition began.
After two days of buildup and the organizer's publicity, today's audience was twice as large as yesterday's.
The first pair to take the stage was a man and a woman.
Ian Song recognized the man—Ed Huang, the music teacher from Saint Night High. The woman was Megan Meng, also a formidable contestant whose piano skills matched Ed Huang's.
Ed Huang played first, choosing a fierce and complex piece.
After finishing, he looked provocatively at Megan Meng. "Go ahead."
Megan Meng didn't hesitate. Her fingers danced across the keys, flawlessly playing the same piece Ed Huang had just performed—without a single mistake.
For a moment, Ed Huang's expression grew serious. After a pause, he played again, this time choosing a much harder piece.
This time, Megan Meng couldn't play it perfectly and missed two notes.
On the third piece, Megan Meng missed just one note.
Then it was Megan Meng's turn to play.
Her fingers flew across the black and white keys, releasing a flurry of notes that made Ed Huang's face turn grim.
On the first piece, Ed Huang missed four notes.
Megan Meng only missed three notes in total, while Ed Huang missed four in a single piece. There was no need to continue; he admitted defeat.
"Megan Meng was hiding her true skill during the preliminaries. She's at least at professional grade eight!" said Evan Xia, who was standing next to Ian Song. "But compared to you and Shelly Song, she's still a ways off."
"Of course! My Shelly is a professional grade nine pianist," Ian Song's aunt said proudly.
"Mom, stop bragging," Shelly Song complained, embarrassed. After all, Ian's piano skill had reached grandmaster level. Her mother's boasting in front of Ian made Shelly blush.
In the matches that followed, no other contestants reached the level of Ed Huang or Megan Meng.
At last, it was time for Ian Song and Evan Zhou to face off in their PK round.
Before going on stage, Evan Zhou whispered, "Ian Song, I hope you won't hold back. That way, even if I lose, I'll still have my dignity!"
Moved by Evan Zhou's words, Ian Song abandoned his plan to go easy and decided to give it his all.