A piano rose from the center of the stage.
A piano?
No one in the audience expected William's instrument to be a piano. After all, the piano only became popular in this century. The first people to learn it were probably those born in the 90s and 2000s. For musicians like them, most of whom started in the 80s, the most they had done was see or hear one, but never seriously learned to play it.
"A piano can be used for such a grand event?"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"Exactly, it's just an imported thing! How could it be better than our instruments?"
…
The hostility between cultural circles was deeper than William had imagined. People often say art has no borders, but on Blue Star, art was a weapon of the new era, and it had its own boundaries.
"Quiet, all of you!"
Seeing the quarrel grow louder, Thomas had no choice but to raise his voice.
William glanced at him. Thomas could have spoken up right away, but he waited until everyone had said what they wanted before stepping in. That alone showed that deep down, Thomas also looked down on the foreign piano.
A deep breath.
Enter the private space.
The first thing he did upon entering was search directly for the sheet music he wanted.
In just over ten seconds, he found it and memorized it. William's mind returned to reality.
His heart was calm.
During his time in the private space, his body was in a completely blank state. All the messy thoughts had vanished, and his state of mind had been perfectly reset.
William hadn't expected to accidentally unlock a new use for the private space, but now was not the time to be happy about it.
"Castle in the Sky."
Like Dollas and everyone else, William gave no extra explanation. After announcing the title, he immediately began to play.
The meaning behind choosing "Castle in the Sky" was actually quite clear. Using the idea that music itself doesn't tell a story, the piece could be seen as William's answer to "Cloud."
Aren't you the cloud that drifts with the wind and falls with the rain?
Without a form, without definition.
Then I will use this cloud, turn it into bricks, and build a castle in the sky.
At the very start, there were still scattered whispers below the stage, but as the first few seconds of the prelude ended, the entire banquet hall fell silent. Just as the music suggested, it was a quiet, carefree feeling—floating in the sky without worry.
As the rhythm deepened, the hidden story within the piece took on different forms in each listener's mind. The calm slowly shifted into a faint sadness, as if a lonely city really did exist in the sky, a city no one had heard of until this very moment, when William's fingers told its story through the keys.
The performance lasted only three short minutes, yet it gave the illusion of having lived an entire lifetime in that solitary castle in the sky.
Tiffany stared at William through tear-filled eyes. She felt that this song was made for her. She was like a little girl living in that sky castle, with no one to hear her voice, drifting through life with the castle among the clouds.
"Bravo!"
Thomas simply said one word, and the once silent banquet hall burst into thunderous applause.
They had been wanting to clap for a while, but no one knew what Thomas's attitude was. After all, he was the one who brought this person forward. If something like last time happened again, their applause would be like slapping Thomas in the face. Even a five-year-old would know whose side to be on.
When Dollas heard William say the words "Castle in the Sky," he knew immediately that it was aimed at him. He just didn't know whether he had walked right into the trap or if this guy really had the skills. After all, even though "Cloud" hadn't been polished for long, it was still the masterpiece Dollas had poured all his years of musical skill into. With some refinement, it might even make it onto the history charts.
However, judging by composition alone, "Castle in the Sky" could already secure a place in music history. The key was that William's performance level was no joke either. His smooth and controlled technique was something even some masters couldn't achieve.
In short, a master-level performance, hall-of-fame music.
The ones who had been loudly calling the piano a foreign novelty now kept their heads down, afraid someone might recognize them. To them, a piano was just an outsider instrument unfit for the grand stage, yet here it had completely crushed the guzheng.
In this round, Dollas lost.
No wonder Tiffany came back after six years.
No wonder an eighteen-year-old kid caught the eye of the Tiffany's family's little princess.
No wonder Thomas spoke so highly of William.
Though, that last one was still questionable.
…
All their guesses now had answers. Even if these were just the answers they believed in, there was no doubt Tiffany had proven herself.
She didn't need the older generation of her family to arrange things for her to find someone who wouldn't bring shame to their musical family. She didn't need to fade into obscurity for rejecting an unreasonable arrangement. On her own, she could step back into the public eye.
She did it.
Even if it was thanks to William.
As soon as Thomas got on stage, he grabbed William's hand tightly. "I'm afraid I'll have to take back my words!"
"Why?"
"Because your work is worth more than $69.000."
Thomas's words were basically a public announcement that William had won against Dollas.
"Honestly, the price doesn't matter."
It wasn't like the money would end up in his pocket anyway, so William truly didn't care.
"No, 'Cloud' is still yours, but 'Castle in the Sky' will be auctioned," Thomas said firmly.
"Alright."
After a bit of cleanup, the host walked onto the stage.
"Castle in the Sky, starting bid, $69.000."
A starting bid of five hundred thousand was probably the highlight of the night.
"$139.000."
Before the host even finished speaking, Tiffany, who was sitting next to William, had already raised her hand.
Everyone froze for a moment, then quickly reacted and began raising their paddles.
"$153.000!"
"$154.000!"
"$167.000!"
…
"$278.000!"
Tiffany raised her hand again.
William was almost fuming, lowering his voice. "Why don't I just give you the sheet music directly?"
Tiffany shook her head. "I'll work hard for the things I want. Besides, I don't want it ending up in someone else's hands."
"Alright then."
Seeing how firm she was, William knew there was no talking her out of it. Still, how nice it would be if that two million went straight to him instead—donating it to Thomas's foundation meant he had no idea where the money would end up.
To be clear, Thomas's "Everlasting Sound" Foundation serves all hearing-impaired children in the Chinese-speaking world, aiming to help them regain their hearing and return to the colorful, vibrant world of sound. All funds are strictly accounted for and made public.
In the end, Tiffany bought the commercial rights to William's "Castle in the Sky" for $280.000.
"Let's congratulate Miss Tiffany!"