The Unveiling of Secret Queen

Chapter 633: Use the Arrangement of the Second Place Winner_1

Sadam Vinson looked at the girl’s casual demeanor and wasn’t in a hurry, playing with the lighter he had taken out of his pocket: "No rush."

He wanted to wait and see.

...

Shawn Norton faced the tidal wave of doubts and said indifferently, "My standard is to look at musical talent and skill."

His words were forceful and without a hint of retreat or self-doubt.

"But she doesn’t know music at all. Electronic keyboards... are just toys for children, not even worth mentioning in terms of grade examinations," Celine Tucker tightened her lips, then raised her eyes to Nathalie Quinlan, her gaze dark and filled with disgust.

Shawn Norton listened to her relentless questioning, knowing that if he couldn’t have Nathalie prove herself today, even if she followed him to learn later on, there would inevitably be unpleasant rumors.

He immediately turned his head and asked the defiant girl beside him, "Can you show them something?"

Nathalie turned her head, her eyes so dark they were impenetrable, and after making eye contact with him, she responded helplessly, "Can I say no?"

Shawn Norton laughed at that, most of the turbid air in his chest dispersed, and he said to her very seriously, "There’s nothing here that can’t be refused. If you don’t want to, I definitely won’t force you to do it; it’s up to your wishes."

He didn’t say the second half of his sentence.

If Nathalie didn’t want to, the worst that could happen was that outsiders would talk behind his back after today, saying that he had gotten old and his vision was poor.

Having lived to his age, he had long stopped caring about fame and fortune.

Let them talk; nobody dared say it to his face anyway.

They would just gossip behind his back.

Nathalie didn’t speak, but from his unconcerned face, she figured out the unspoken half of his sentence. She sighed and said, "I need a Konghou."

Upon hearing this, Shawn Norton’s face lit up with surprise. He quickly ordered the people around him, "Hurry, bring my Konghou here!"

"Uh..." The people beside him were surprised to look at Nathalie, seemingly not expecting her to be able to play the Konghou, and Shawn Norton was willing to lend his Konghou to the girl in front of him. Everyone knew that Mr. Norton cherished his Konghou greatly, often wiping it clean and seldom letting others touch it, so they paused there, not immediately comprehending.

It wasn’t until Shawn Norton urged him once more to hurry and get it that he came to his senses and scampered off to the next room to fetch the Konghou...

While waiting for the Konghou to be fetched, Shawn Norton looked up again and asked the girl seriously, "As for the arrangement, which one do you plan to use?"

Nathalie had quite a few arrangements of her own.

Mostly, they were released under the name Lighten Chaser.

She wasn’t keen on using any of these pieces.

Just as she was frowning, she caught sight of Caryn Zachmann standing there and remembered the idle gossip she had overheard while sitting below.

Her voice was slightly hoarse and heavy as she said, "Let’s use the arrangement that won second place at the piano association competition."

That is, the piece that Ghania Quinlan had used under false pretenses.

Shawn Norton didn’t recall which piece she was referring to at first and knowing that she didn’t want to use those by Lighten Chaser, he thought she might want to avoid the limelight, so he just nodded without saying much: "Alright then."

Soon, the person fetching the Konghou came back with a trot.

Nathalie took the Konghou from his hands, and her slender fingers plucked the strings, ringing out a crisp and melodious sound in the banquet hall.

It was very soothing.

She looked up at Celine Tucker and said slowly, "In addition to the electronic keyboard, I also know a bit of the Konghou, and I haven’t taken any grade examinations."

This phrase, "haven’t taken any grade examinations," was a real face slap!

But when Nathalie said this, she wasn’t intending to slap anyone in the face; she was just stating the plain truth.