Afternoon.

The sun was shining brightly. With only three days left until the concert, Qiu Qianwei wasn’t home practicing the piano. Instead, she donned sunglasses and a hat to disguise herself and planned to visit the Tianqi Piano Shop. Although not a major celebrity known by everyone, she still carried considerable influence. To avoid unnecessary attention, she often disguised herself when visiting crowded places.

Around two o’clock, her personal driver dropped her off at the Tianqi Piano Shop. The shop was bustling with stylishly dressed men and women, which puzzled Qiu Qianwei. After listening to their conversations, she realized they were internet celebrities from short video platforms. They were there for the same reason she was: to see the “Piano God.”

The “Piano God” had become so popular that any video related to him could easily go viral. The Tianqi Piano Shop had become a hotspot for these influencers. The shop owner welcomed this sudden attention, as their presence indirectly advertised the shop, provided it didn’t disrupt business or harm the pianos. The shop was large, with the cheapest piano priced at several tens of thousands and the most expensive nearly two million.

Qiu Qianwei avoided the young celebrities and approached the shop owner for a private conversation. The owner, a middle-aged woman who loved music, was delighted to recognize her. Seizing the opportunity, Qiu Qianwei asked:

“Could you give me the contact information of the ‘Piano God’ who played here?”

“Miss Qiu, I’m very sorry, but we have a strict confidentiality policy regarding customer information,” the owner replied hesitantly. Similar requests had been made by the influencers outside, so she was accustomed to it.

“I mean no harm. I just wish to discuss musical matters with him,” Qiu Qianwei explained.

“I believe you, Miss Qiu, but we have a confidentiality agreement with our clients, and disclosing their information isn’t possible,” the owner insisted. She was a fan of Qiu Qianwei, but the “Piano God” was a significant client, having bought a piano worth 1.88 million in full effortlessly. Such a person was not to be trifled with. If he were angered and decided to take legal action, her business could be jeopardized. Despite her fondness for Qiu Qianwei, the owner couldn’t risk her livelihood.

“Is there no way to make an exception?” Qiu Qianwei persisted.

“Please don’t make it difficult for me,” the owner replied, looking pained.

“Then… I apologize for the trouble.”

Seeing the owner’s firm stance, Qiu Qianwei sighed in disappointment, choosing not to press the issue further. As she prepared to leave, she overheard the excited chatter among the internet celebrities around her:

“The Piano God has opened an account and posted a video!”

Her frustration eased, replaced by curiosity, and she quickly checked her phone. The app, using big data, prompted videos related to the “Piano God.” The first video she saw was one he had posted, garnering over five million likes since being uploaded around ten the previous night.

The video title read: “A newly composed piano piece, please enjoy. Share freely but credit its source. Unauthorized commercial use will result in legal action!” The account, under the name “Piano God Himself,” had amassed over a million followers. Achieving such growth in under fifteen hours was truly remarkable.

However, Qiu Qianwei’s focus was on the video’s content. The clip featured a piano piece, with the “Piano God” not showing his face, wearing a simple, homemade paper mask. Although she had never heard the piece before, it moved her deeply. Her musical acumen allowed her to assess the quality instantly, and she could confidently declare it a masterpiece in today’s music world.

Despite her own pride in the pieces she had composed, Qiu Qianwei felt humbled. Compared to the “Piano God’s” work, hers seemed like a high school essay next to an award-winning university thesis.

Stunned, Qiu Qianwei stood there for over half an hour, listening to the piece repeatedly. She then followed the “Piano God” and checked his profile for more details. The profile offered a simple introduction: “18-year-old piano enthusiast, pleased to meet you.”

Seeing he was only “18 years old,” Qiu Qianwei was taken aback. The Piano God was two years younger than her and yet referred to himself simply as an “enthusiast,” despite his superior skill.

A sense of defeat briefly lingered, but she quickly gathered her composure and sent a private message to the “Piano God.” Her message conveyed two intentions:

First, she wanted to purchase the full rights to the piece.

Second, she wanted to invite the Piano God as a special guest at her concert.