Classical... classical music?
Bamboo Leaf looked again, making sure she had not seen wrong.
Seriously?
Before Bamboo Leaf could think any further,
A massive chord rang out.
The performance reached another climax, forcibly pulling Bamboo Leaf's attention back.
Mao Wei'ang's cello grew ever more intense, the instrument in his hands seeming to have been enchanted by some special musical magic:
He drew the electric static of an old radio tuning between frequencies from the low strings.
His bow skipped across the four strings like a street dancer stepping to an offbeat drum rhythm.
Then, as the final climax arrived, Mao Wei'ang suddenly leaned back, raising the cello's neck toward the sky as if he were about to fire the notes into the stars.
At that moment,
Every audience member, including those at the commentary desk,
Became targets of that wondrous magic, every cell in their bodies stirring with delight.
"This is the King of Pop Music!!" Maple Leaf exclaimed loudly.
As the music came to an end,
Amid the tide of applause and cheers from the entire venue,
Mao Zi rose to his feet, still hunched over in that small, thin frame, and walked to the front of the stage.
Humbly and politely, he bowed to everyone.
Every inch the gentleman.
"...Good!!"
"A true master's bearing! Teacher Mao Zi's cello fully lives up to his great reputation in the Chinese Music Scene!!" Bamboo Leaf cheered.
At the judges' table, the elderly professors nodded repeatedly, their faces more relaxed than ever.
This stage had been nothing but pure enjoyment.
A performance without a single weakness.
A stunning original composition.
"Sonnet of Electric Current and Sheep Gut Strings," just like its name, was an auditory feast pieced together purely through the strengths of instrumental combinations and the charm of the notes themselves!