When the memory of Park Lengyue, the national treasure pianist, echoed through the broadcast, the world was once again forced to recall that man. Which version of him was it? Was it the tragic figure wearing an oversized coat in the freezing snow, holding his daughter's hand? A lonely, broken soul waiting in the cold, eyes forever clouded in confusion? Or the lost wanderer standing at the crossroads, clutching a crumpled note, looking around frantically and asking, "Who am I?"
No! Neither! That wasn't him, that was never truly him!
Because for the very first time, the refined, noble, and ever-gentle Park Lengyue spoke with a heavy sigh and a helpless, trembling tone: "I have always wanted to defeat him."
That wasn't how Park Lengyue usually spoke. He had always been suave, possessing an unshakeable poise like no other. Even when Little Shuying broke his legendary pianist record, he simply smiled, celebrating her victory with pure grace. He had never harbored jealousy, nor had he ever suffered a defeat that left him broken.
But now, he did. His voice was helplessly mired in the shadows of the past, unable to break free. It was a wound deeply carved into the heart of this national treasure artist.
On stage, Yu Shuying stood utterly stunned. To hear such words come directly from Park Lengyue's mouth, and especially that specific man's name. The name that should never have appeared on this show ever again... was now echoing across the world!
Offstage, in the back row of the audience, Zhang Ziju froze. Tears welled in his eyes as he wiped them away, stepping softly behind Yu Ye, terrified of disturbing the exhausted man. This frail figure was so utterly exhausted. How many times in his life had he been denied a decent rest?
Zhang Ziju smiled through his tears, remembering the old man's playful words: "If I collapse and you can't wake me up, just remember to carry me onto the stage. At least everyone will see how handsome I look. Kid, what's the rush? This is only the beginning. Don't cry. Being forgotten is nothing. And who told you I'd ever let myself be forgotten?"
Those words burned behind Zhang Ziju's eyes again. He smiled, yet the tears fell uncontrollably. He wasn't blind; he had already pieced the truth together.
This man! This man! He truly deserved to be called a man. He truly deserved to be called a pillar of a father! Even while trapped in fading memories, suffering through relentless chemotherapy, and slipping into periodic dazes, he had carried out a desperate, magnificent gamble, all for his daughter.
"I always wondered... why was Little Shuying so lucky to be handpicked by a national treasure artist to perform a duet? I kept asking myself how that was even possible. Little Shuying performed brilliantly back then, but the national treasure artist remained strangely indifferent, as if he had already witnessed a moment far more shocking, far more breathtaking than anything she could produce. So... were you the true protagonist of that scene all along?" Zhang Ziju looked down at Yu Ye, his voice choked with a heavy sigh.
Right now, the entire crew of the broadcast, every guest, every contestant, the live studio audience, and all online viewers were watching the screen in stunned silence as the replay continued to unfold.
Back when Little Shuying was seven years and eight months old, Yu Ye had braved the freezing night outside. Getting up at three in the morning, he stood shivering in a massive queue outside the Grand Theater ticket office just to snatch up a single performance ticket.
Afterward, unwilling to waste money on a taxi, he carpooled through the biting cold. When he finally stumbled home, he picked Little Shuying up from school as usual.
After cooking dinner, he casually tossed the ticket onto the table with an exaggerated look of disdain: "Some useless music store gave this crappy performance ticket as a promotion. What good is it? We might as well sell it for a few bucks."
When Little Shuying heard that, she snatched the ticket up, her eyes crinkling into joyful crescents of laughter.
And at that exact moment, the live replay zoomed in. It captured Yu Ye with his head lowered over a bowl of porridge. Behind his hidden face was a smile so tender, warm, and deeply fulfilled.
Seeing this, the female Commentators on the show gasped in unison. "How could that be... Could it be that..."
"Shut up! Everyone, be quiet!" Yuan Quan bellowed, cutting them off.
The memory footage kept rolling. Day after day, Yu Ye began traveling, lurking around the Grand Theater like a suspicious thief. He watched silently until he finally spotted the famous pianist Park Lengyue arriving.
That was their very first encounter. They merely brushed past one another; Park Lengyue didn't spare a single glance for this weathered stranger. When Park Lengyue stepped into his luxury van, Yu Ye did something he had never done before: he hailed a taxi.
"Follow that car," he urged the driver urgently.
"Got it." The car sped into the distance, but Yu Ye ultimately lost track of him in the dense traffic.
Returning to the Grand Theater in defeat, Yu Ye refused to give up. He kept watching.
This scene left millions of netizens watching the stream completely baffled.
"He clearly didn't know the pianist personally. That makes sense, an ordinary person living at the bottom of society couldn't possibly belong to the same world as a world-class artist. But how on earth did their paths cross?"
"And why did Park Lengyue call Yu Ye his rival? Yu Ye doesn't look like a pianist at all!"
The screen continued to play.
Yu Ye was standing in his worn-out military coat, looking timid yet steadfast. As soon as he spotted Park Lengyue appearing again, he began compulsively checking his cheap, battered wristwatch.
When Park Lengyue got into his van, Yu Ye immediately flagged down another taxi, his eyes glued to the ticking second hand. They ended up at City Railway Station, where an old, dilapidated public piano stood near the entrance.
Wearing a hat and mask to conceal his high-profile identity, Park Lengyue sat down and began to play. He loved this feeling. It was his only secret pleasure, watching busy, weary travelers stop in their tracks, mesmerized by his music.
Every two days, after finishing his formal practice sessions, no matter what city he was in, as long as there was a public piano on the street, he would play. He wanted to feel the pulse of the city, to draw stories from the people, and to enrich his own artistic soul. That was Park Lengyue.
At the busy train station, countless rushing commuters gathered around. As his fingers touched the keys, the music soared upward like a starry night sky. Park Lengyue's hands were exceptionally long, slender, and pale. With his mask and hat on, no one recognized the world-renowned maestro. Yet every time he played, a dense crowd formed. His performance was nothing short of miraculous.
He played Richard Clayderman's Starry Night. Amidst the crowd, many felt as though the dark, heavy night was melting away, replaced by a brilliant tapestry of stars spun by the pianist's fingers. The melody resonated through every dusty corner of the railway station.
The chat filled with praise:
"I've seen those viral masked street master videos before, but to think the real maestro was actually incognito all along!"
"But what does any of this have to do with Yu Ye? Why was he tailing him so secretly?"
"Was he planning to beg...? That might be the most humble, desperate effort a father could make."
Back on the studio stage, the audience held their breath, dying to know what Yu Ye was truly planning.
On screen, the contrast was stark: On one side was the legendary pianist Park Lengyue, masked, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, playing a battered piano at the Xihai Railway Station. His fingers danced flawlessly, creating soul-stirring melodies while onlookers applauded and recorded with flip phones.
Half an hour later, Park Lengyue abruptly brought his music to an end and left in a hurry. He cherished these unpolished, authentic moments where nobody knew his name.
And on the other side of the screen, in a shadowed corner of the station, stood a man in a shabby coat. Yu Ye was quietly staring at his watch, his lips moving as he muttered to himself:
[Once every two days. Always at 6:00 PM. Each performance lasts about half an hour.]
[My daughter's seat number is 0452.]
He repeated the details over and over, frantically writing them onto the back of his hand with a pen, then scribbling another reminder on a piece of paper tucked inside his pocket, terrified that his failing memory would erase them.
The chat went wild:
"What is he trying to do...?"
"This man..."
"Ah, it's painful to watch. Give up... the world of elite pianists has nothing to do with a guy like you."
On stage, pianist Park Lengyue suddenly broke into laughter while watching the replay. It was the first time he had laughed, a laughter choked back by a hand pressed hard against his mouth to stop himself from crying out loud. His eyes shone with a brilliant, fierce light, making it impossible to tell if it was determination or unshed tears.
"I finally understand... I finally know why we met. You... oh, you. You really are something else. It turns out I lost to you right from the very beginning." He spoke, and the replay kept playing.
Two days later, at 5:30 PM.
The screen showed the railway station from twelve years ago, run-down, chaotic, and cold. This time, the person sitting at the old, dusty piano was Yu Ye. He rested his calloused, rough hands lightly upon the keys.
Everything about the scene seemed absurd, as if someone like him had no right to sit at a piano. Yet, everything about it felt eerily natural, as if this broken, neglected instrument was made specifically for him.
He wore his familiar coat, neat and thin, his facial features sharp and distinct, though the sickly pallor of his skin was painfully glaring. He sat motionless, not playing a single note, simply waiting.
A young man standing nearby couldn't help but jeer:
"Hey... are you playing or not? Hurry up!"
"Yeah, don't mess around with that thing. It's meant for actual pianists!"
Some offered gentle warning;, others mocked him openly.
Yu Ye merely gave them a soft, gentle smile. "Thank you. I'm just waiting... there are still twenty minutes left."
He checked his watch: 5:40 PM. The bystanders scoffed, convinced he was completely out of his mind.
On stage, Shuying had been staring at the monitor for a long time, her mind entirely blank. No one else understood. She was the only one whose mind was consumed by a single, terrifying thought: This! How is this even possible?!
Exclamations echoed through the venue:
"Is he waiting for Park Lengyue?!"
"He's sitting there just to wait for Park Lengyue?!"
"My God... was this how they first met?!"
At that moment, a vivid revelation crystallized in the minds of millions watching. To help his daughter overcome her self-doubt, this father had spent his hard-earned money to hire talented peers to challenge her, driving Shuying to rise up, conquer her insecurities, and build unbreakable confidence.
To show his daughter the true meaning of music and forge her artistic soul, this father had swallowed his pride to act like an online patient, sharing painful images of illness he hated to look at, embodying a youth desperately clinging to life, humming melodies just to inspire her to compose her very first masterpiece.
And now, after doing all of that, in order to make his daughter famous, to secure her place in the spotlight, and to let her know that she belonged in front of a grand piano on the grandest stage...
He had stood waiting in the freezing snowstorm. He had tracked the world-famous pianist again and again, just to memorize the exact moment he would appear. Then, at what would seem like a pure coincidence, he intended to start his own performance, using his music to force Park Lengyue to acknowledge him, to earn his daughter the right to stand on the stage of the Grand Theater and play a four-hand piano piece beside a legend!
"Impossible!!" Shuying lost all her former composure, calling out in sheer disbelief and panic. "Impossible..."
At the back of the stage, Zhang Ziju stared blankly at the old man lying beside him. He had originally thought the old man had lowered himself to beg a maestro for a favor. But no! Not at all! He chose to stand up like a real man, forcing a world-class pianist to hand over that opportunity out of sheer respect and awe!
"Just how many secrets are you hiding...?"
At this moment, no one in the world could blink. Every single person watched the replay screen, breathless with anticipation, desperate to see what happened next, desperate to see how Yu Ye managed to force the immortal Park Lengyue to utter those heartbreaking, legendary words: that Yu Ye was the one rival in his entire life he could never beat...