"Bro, why do you argue with those boasters? It's so boring!" said the woman standing beside the man with a turtleneck. She was a pretty lady in a revealing dress with thick make-up.
"She's right. You don't need to argue with them. They will be eliminated in this round," the rest of the three echoed with the woman.
Song Yan furrowed his brow on hearing their conversation. He was a little angered, but he calmed himself down and pulled Xia Xiang away.
Seeing them leaving, the three laughed out loud and mocked, "Cowards!"
"Dude, why did you bring me here? I would beat them up." Xia Xiang was stilled angry.
"Bro, you don't need to be angry. They said we're boasters. What we only need to do is show them our true levels." Song Yan patted Xia Xiang's shoulder.
"You're right." Xia Xiang nodded. "They will soon find out that they have messed with the wrong men."
Song Yan was finally relieved and changed the subject.
While chatting with Xia Xiang, Song Yan saw his aunt-in-law and cousin. He immediately walked up to them and greeted them warmly. Yang Yanli praised him, while Song Xue remained silent and looked at him with mixed feelings.
The contest would start within five minutes. A staff said with a loudspeaker, "Guys, please keep quiet. The contest will start soon. Players of No. 1 to No. 5, please go to the corridor and wait there. Once you hear the host calling out your number, go up on the stage and give the performance. There will be ten judges today, and score you according to your performance. Only the top 200 will go through to the next round. I hope you guys calm down and put up a good show."
He repeated it again and asked the players to get prepared.
At 9:30 AM
A male host and a female host went on stage and briefly introduced the piano competition. Then they introduced the judges' names and backgrounds one after another and announced the beginning of the contest.
Player No. 1 was a man at his twenties. Calm and confident, he made a solution to the judges, introduced himself and began his performance.
There was a big screen in the backstage, through which the players were able to see the performance of their opponents.
When the music sounded, the backstage fell into silence.
Player No. 1 was playing a piece of music adapted from a popular song. After his performance, he won warm applause.
The male host went on the stage again, praised Player No. 1 and asked the judges to score him.
There was also a big screen on the stage. In front of every judge, there was a tablet. Judges scored the players on the tablet and the scores would be shown on the big screen.
"The average of Play No. 1 is 82.3, and he is No. 1 for the time being. Now, let's welcome Player No. 2!" the male host announced in a passionate voice.
As there were nearly three hundred players, players were on tight schedule. The judges even didn't have time to comment on the players.
Time went quickly and thirty players had put on their shows. Player No. 27, a girl of 15 or 16, was the place with an average of 90.5. She was not good-looking, but had a pair of clear eyes.
"Now, let's welcome Player No. 31."
Song Xue took a deep breath and walked to the stage with a firm look on her face.