Evie Su was a content review editor at JoyStream Video, mainly responsible for screening user-generated videos. Only those that passed her review could appear on the site.
JoyStream Video was one of the top ten video platforms in Flame City.
Because the content of user-generated videos was unpredictable—and some even contained unhealthy material—it was considered good if one out of ten could pass review.
Today, she had already reviewed more than two hundred user videos, but fewer than twenty had passed. Even those twenty were mediocre at best—nothing stood out.
"Evie, everyone else has left work. Why are you still here?" a handsome male colleague asked.
"I still have a few videos left to review," Evie replied calmly.
"How about I wait for you? I'll treat you to dinner tonight, and then we can catch the new release, 'My Chrysanthemum Sister.'" The handsome colleague said hopefully.
Hearing this, Evie frowned slightly. She knew this colleague was pursuing her, but she didn't think much of him. So she politely declined, "No need, I already have plans."
A hint of disappointment flashed in the colleague's eyes, but he pretended to be regretful: "Alright then, maybe next time."
Putting her headphones back on, Evie clicked on a video titled 'Most Beautiful Belly Dance.' She forced herself to watch for two minutes before closing it and marking it as rejected.
The dancer looked ordinary, and her movements were stiff like a beginner—there was nothing worthwhile, so Evie marked it as rejected.
"Ugh, nowadays these user videos only have flashy titles but zero actual appeal," she muttered.
Suddenly, her eyes landed on a video called 'World-Class Pianist Appears at Riverstone City Piano Competition.' She frowned, thinking, Another clickbait title. Riverstone City is just a second-tier city with a population of barely two million.
A regional piano competition producing a world-class pianist? She didn't buy it for a second.
She almost wanted to just pass on the video, but out of professional responsibility, she clicked on it anyway.
The video opened with a shot of Ian Song taking a deep breath and flexing his fingers.
"That young?"
Seeing Ian's youthful face, Evie was surprised, then sneered. World-class pianist? What a joke—no way that claim would hold up.
After a brief warm-up, Ian's fingers landed on the black and white keys.
"Dong dong... dong dong!"
The wild, slightly abrasive piano sound burst forth. Instantly, Evie frowned, feeling the urge to close the video: "World-class pianist? What a joke!"
But just as she was about to exit this shamelessly-titled piano performance, her hand paused. Her eyes locked onto Ian Song's hands, and she couldn't help but mutter, "His hand speed is insane!"
At that moment, the music began to steadily ramp up.
Ten-note chord.
Eleven-note chord!
Twelve-note chord!
Evie was stunned. She'd loved piano since she was a child, but with limited talent, she'd only reached amateur Grade 8. Still, her ear was sharp, and hearing those ever-increasing chords left her completely dumbfounded—especially as Ian Song's hands began to blur with afterimages.
And it wasn't over—the chord count kept climbing, finally reaching a terrifying twenty notes. Above the keyboard, four hands appeared; of course, two were just afterimages.
"Monster! Absolute monster, this is unbelievable—I'm not even sure Nina, the world's number-one pianist, could pull this off!" Evie was completely floored by the video.
Finally, the piece ended. Evie decided to approve the video and planned to report it to the chief editor for a homepage recommendation.
"Dong dong."
Suddenly, a sorrowful melody began, and the setting shifted to a cramped classroom.
Listening to the piano through her headphones, Evie's earlier excitement faded into a strange calm, tinged with a gentle sadness. In her mind's eye, she could almost see a misty Jiangnan water town in the rain.
When the piece ended, Evie felt deeply moved. She suddenly had a heartfelt admiration for the young, handsome performer. The first piece was all flash; the second went straight to the soul.
Put those two together, and that's a true piano master.
"I can't believe the Yanhuang Republic has produced such a young piano master! I have to notify the chief editor right away and get this video the top recommendation slot!" Evie was practically bursting with excitement.
The Yanhuang Republic was powerful and prosperous, the world's second strongest country. Since there hadn't been a major war in over a century, the great powers now competed mostly in culture and sports.
So the country heavily promoted music, film, TV, and other cultural projects. Thanks to this push, many musicians and singers had emerged in recent years, but there was one regret: in piano, the Yanhuang Republic ranked outside the top five. With over a billion people, there were fewer than ten recognized piano masters nationwide.
Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Eagle Federation had thirty piano masters, third-ranked North Ice Union had over twenty, and top-ranked Ameria boasted fifty.
The world's youngest piano master was Shirley from Ameria, who earned the title at twenty-eight. The number-one pianist was Nina from the Eagle Federation.
But the performer in this video was at most twenty years old. If a piano master under twenty got recognition, it would shock the world—and the title of youngest piano master would belong to the Yanhuang Republic.
"I can't wait! I'm calling the chief editor right now!" The more Evie thought about it, the more excited she got, quickly dialing her boss.
"Hello, Evie—did you find a video worth promoting?" came a gentle female voice over the phone.
"Chief, you're a genius!" Evie started with some flattery, then described in detail how she'd found the youngest piano master in a user submission.
"Evie, are you sure?" Her boss's voice was tinged with barely contained excitement.
"I'm sure. Absolutely sure! Chief, I've already sent the video to your inbox. Just watch it and you'll see!"
"Alright, let me watch it first, then we'll talk about the homepage slot!"
After hanging up, Evie patiently waited for her boss's call. She had no interest in reviewing the remaining videos.
Finally, after ten minutes, the chief editor called her back.
"Evie, put this video on the homepage banner immediately!"
There was no room for argument in her boss's voice.
"Chief, isn't the homepage banner still showing Linghu Ming's scandal video? It's supposed to stay up until tomorrow afternoon, right?" Evie asked.
"Take it down right now and put this video up instead!" Her boss was even more decisive. "Evie, you have to understand—this is the youngest piano master in the world! On a national level, we're Yanhuang people; once this spreads, it'll be a huge honor for our country. Let those arrogant foreigners see—even if we don't have the most piano masters, the youngest is ours! On a smaller scale, this is a scoop for our website. Just by promoting the youngest piano master, we can outshine the competition!"
Evie was fired up by her boss's words. "I'll put the video on the homepage banner right away!"
But before she did, Evie took it upon herself to change the video's title to—'The Youngest Piano Master in History.'