Jia Wenhao's men moved stealthily, brandishing small knives at Lu Ming, not intending to kill him but to leave him bleeding and unable to stand.
However, to their utter astonishment, for some unknown reason, every stab missed Lu Ming, and they often ended up cutting themselves instead.
Slowly, the ground became littered with blood.
Meanwhile, everyone was engrossed in the melodious music, completely oblivious to the chaos at their feet.
As the dance music concluded, Lu Ming returned to his seat completely unscathed. Ma Xiaoling happily held his hand, reluctant to let go. As for Jia Wenhao's men, they were all injured and incapacitated.
Jia Wenhao's face was etched with embarrassment. Not only had his woman been snatched away by Lu Ming, but his subordinates had also been dealt with! What was this supposed to be?
Jia Wenhao stared intently at Lu Ming, his gaze burning with hatred, as if he wanted to leap up and bite him. Clearly, brute force wouldn't work; he needed another way to defeat Lu Ming.
Soon, an idea struck him.
Jia Wenhao let out a cold chuckle and walked up to Ma Xiaoling, saying, "Xiaoling, why would someone as refined as you sit with a country bumpkin? Look at his dancing; his footwork is all wrong! In an occasion like this, can a poor guy like him truly appreciate it?"
Ma Xiaoling felt deeply uncomfortable hearing this.
Everyone else could also tell that Jia Wenhao intended to attack Lu Ming from the perspectives of 'wealth' and 'refinement.' After all, Jia Wenhao had been trained in various arts since childhood and came from a wealthy family. Under normal circumstances, he was virtually unmatched in these two aspects. At least within the school, no male student could compare to him.
Therefore, despite her anger, Ma Xiaoling was unable to retort.
Pushing his advantage, Jia Wenhao continued, "You are known by the company you keep. Xiaoling, only by being with me can you enjoy purer happiness. Sticking with a country bumpkin like him, aren't you afraid of lowering yourself?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming smiled. He slightly raised his head, looking at Jia Wenhao, and retorted, "Judging by your tone, you seem to consider yourself very refined."
"Heh heh," Jia Wenhao replied. "At least more refined than a bumpkin like you. Do you understand Mozart? Do you understand Beethoven? Do you understand Shakespeare? Do you understand Van Gogh or Monet? All you know is sweet-talking and fooling around with Xiaoling. In terms of true ability, artistic cultivation, or refinement, you are nothing before me!"
This was a classic case of using one's strengths to exploit an opponent's weaknesses. Jia Wenhao was confident that he could utterly crush Lu Ming in these areas.
However…
Lu Ming was not provoked in the slightest. He calmly turned his gaze towards the pianist playing in the distance and said, "Talk is cheap. You can boast all you want, but if you have the guts, play a piece for us?"
He had walked right into a trap! While Jia Wenhao might not be good at other things, he was quite accomplished at playing the piano. He had started learning at the age of five, and it had been seventeen years.
Jia Wenhao sneered, "Fool, do you know that I, Jia Wenhao, have been learning the piano since I was a child, for seventeen years now! You want to listen? Fine, I'll play a piece for you right now and show you what refinement and culture are all about!"
With that said, he turned, walked over to the pianist, and forcefully pushed him aside.
"Get out!"
Jia Wenhao plopped down onto the bench, tidied his sleeves, and sneered, "Fool, prick up your ears and listen carefully. I, Jia Wenhao, will demonstrate what it means to be a piano prince!"
Then, Jia Wenhao began to play.
As the melodious piano music filled the air, people were astonished to find that Jia Wenhao indeed had talent, and it wasn't just for show. From a professional standpoint, Jia Wenhao's playing was quite good.
"Damn, I never realized. Jia Wenhao, who always seems so aggressive, is actually so gentle and tender at heart."
"Isn't that obvious? He's been playing piano for seventeen years; even a pig would be good by now!"
"Jia Wenhao is really showing off now. That guy Lu Ming is going to be humiliated."
The surrounding girls were also captivated, looking at Jia Wenhao with expectant eyes. Even though Ma Xiaoling didn't care for Jia Wenhao, other girls did. There were plenty of girls in school who liked Jia Wenhao; he received over a dozen love letters every day! It was no wonder, with his family's wealth and his 'artistic flair,' he easily won over girls.
"Amazing! Wenhao plays the piano so beautifully. Truly a piano prince."
"Ma Xiaoling really has no taste. Such an excellent man likes her, and she still rejects him; she turns around and gets together with that Lu Ming. Look at Lu Ming's pathetic appearance, he can't compare to Wenhao at all."
"You can only say some people are born blind."
The sarcastic remarks reached Ma Xiaoling, making her feel uncomfortable, but she was powerless to refute them. In terms of art, Jia Wenhao was indeed far superior to Lu Ming.
Sigh… Ma Xiaoling sighed.
Soon, the piece concluded, and the hall erupted in enthusiastic applause. Jia Wenhao placed one hand on the piano keys and provocatively asked Lu Ming, "Understand that, country bumpkin?"
Everyone else also cast looks of disdain at Lu Ming. They expected Lu Ming to be utterly humiliated and slink away. However, to their utter surprise, Lu Ming showed no signs of shame. Instead, he burst into laughter.
Jia Wenhao was infuriated by the laughter and roared, "What the hell are you laughing at!"
Lu Ming calmly replied, "A full bottle doesn't slosh, but half a bottle does. This classic Mozart masterpiece, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, was played by you in a deplorable manner, riddled with flaws. How dare you sit there and accept applause? Jia Wenhao, can you be any more shameless? Or is it that pushing shamelessness to the extreme is what you call refinement? If so, I'd rather have no such refinement."
Boom!!!
It was like a bolt from the blue. Jia Wenhao, who had been so smug moments ago, now looked like a deflated balloon, his spirit crushed. His energy vanished instantly. He could never have imagined that Lu Ming not only understood but also knew he was playing a famous Mozart piece and could identify every flaw in the performance.
Awkward. Jia Wenhao was rendered speechless by the retort.
In truth, Jia Wenhao's performance was quite good. If a perfect score were ten points, he would have earned seven. While his playing had many mistakes and the tempo was a bit rushed, it was generally decent. Anyone who wasn't extremely professional or particularly picky wouldn't have found fault.
Unfortunately, he had indeed encountered an expert!
Lu Ming calmly continued, "The piece you played just now had a tempo that was too fast, making it uncomfortable to listen to. Every time you transitioned, you made various mistakes. Is this the result of your seventeen years of practice? Jia Wenhao, with your level of skill, how dare you call yourself a piano prince?"
Uh… Jia Wenhao's face flushed with embarrassment, and he couldn't utter a single word in response.