Chapter 160: Her? In Command?

In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived. Elder Qin had originally arranged to meet Gu Ci at a small concert hall in the morning.

However, temporary guests arrived at the Elder's home, so he had no choice but to ask Gu Ci to go there alone.

Before leaving, of course, Gu Ci had left weekend assignments for Xiao Yang and Huo Shuyue.

Gu Ci found the place according to the hall number Elder Qin had given her.

She knocked on the door and then pushed it open to enter.

Inside the concert hall, quite a few people were already present. Some were chatting with each other, while others were tuning their instruments.

Although Gu Ci entered quietly, the sound was still enough to catch everyone's attention.

However, when they saw that the person who came in was merely a girl who looked like a high school student, they lost interest and looked away indifferently.

Their conductor had encountered a sudden emergency and simply could not make it. They had already lost hope for this performance, but just two days ago, they received news that a certain master conductor would be coming this time!

According to the grapevine, that conductor was connected to Elder Qin!

Therefore, today they had deliberately arrived half an hour early just to wait for that conductor.

Yet who could have expected that after waiting until now, all they got was a rather young girl?

Gu Ci did not mind. She calmly placed her backpack to the side, raised her gaze, and greeted everyone.

"Hello everyone. I hope we can cooperate well in the upcoming period."

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent. They turned their heads once again and looked at Gu Ci.

"Is this a newcomer? Which section is short of people on your side?"

"I don't think so. This time we have everyone we need except for the conductor..."

"Did she go to the wrong room?"

"I think that's very likely."

"Hey, what's wrong with your brains? Did you forget that we're missing a pianist? I bet it's her, right?"

Someone looked at Gu Ci and smiled, "Miss, you're the new pianist, aren't you?"

Gu Ci shook her head. "No, I am—"

"Not the pianist?" Hearing these words, the man was stunned for a moment, and then kindly reminded Gu Ci, "Did you go to the wrong place? This is Concert Hall Number 3."

"Is this the Golden Symphony Orchestra?"

"Yes."

"Then I haven't come to the wrong place," Gu Ci slightly nodded, and then added, "I am your conductor for this time, Gu Ci."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire concert hall instantly became as quiet as if a pin had dropped.

After a long while, everyone finally regained their senses, and then burst into a chorus of laughter.

"Hhahahaha, did I hear that right? She actually said she's our conductor?"

"She's probably younger than me, and she's going to conduct?"

Gu Ci ignored their commotion. She glanced at the time and said methodically, "It's 8:00 AM now, and I only have this morning. First, play through the symphony you've practiced before, and we'll make arrangements after that."

Listening to Gu Ci's completely methodical arrangements, the crowd gradually quieted down, though their eyes remained filled with doubt and uncertainty, and their hearts were filled with utter disbelief.

So... if what the girl in front of them said was true, then the conductor they had been anticipating so eagerly ever since they heard the news was actually just a high school girl?

Were the people higher up simply playing a joke on them?

If it were any other position in the orchestra, they might have understood. After all, the average age of their entire orchestra was not very high, and there were plenty of teenage prodigies who were on the verge of qualifying for the Musicians Association.

However, a conductor is different. That is a profession that requires seniority and countless years of experience to build!

They had never even seen a conductor under the age of 25 who could independently direct a capital-level symphony concert!

As for the girl in front of them, she looked even younger than that...

Someone deliberated for a moment and tentatively asked, "Your name is Gu Ci, right? Does your teacher have something to do today, so they're coming later and asked you to arrange a few things first?"

"My teacher does have something to do," after all, the Elder had originally planned to come with Gu Ci.

Hearing this, everyone in the orchestra instantly heaved a sigh of relief. Then, they heard Gu Ci's second half sentence, "But... I was the intended conductor for this performance from the start."

This remark instantly shattered all the wishful thinking in everyone's hearts.

A person who was tuning their instrument slammed their hand on the table and stood up.

"I think you're just here to make a joke, right? Just based on a little girl like you, what kind of performance can you possibly direct?"

The rest of the people also chimed in one after another, their eyes clearly showing a lack of trust in Gu Ci's abilities.

"We are going to participate in the capital-level performance evaluation this time! If we lose this opportunity because of your mistake, how are you going to compensate us?"

"The people at the top are really... letting just anyone squeeze into our orchestra! Do they have no idea at all about the importance of this performance for us?"

Gu Ci showed not a trace of anger. She made a calming gesture and said very calmly, "How my abilities are—won't you know once you try?"

"How do you want to try?"

Gu Ci was extremely composed. "Listen to my arrangements for the morning."

The crowd exchanged glances and eventually agreed.

However, the reason they agreed was not because they had confidence in Gu Ci's ability, but rather because they wanted to use their own perceived flaws as an excuse to make Gu Ci leave, and then figure out a way to find a new conductor afterward...

Since they had made this decision, the crowd temporarily stopped ostracizing Gu Ci. Someone asked, "Which section's instruments do you want to listen to first?"

Every person's instrument, including performance techniques influenced by personal habits, will give a piece a different presentation.

In a symphony performance, different details are precisely what determine the success of the entire performance.

Therefore, the first thing a conductor must do when initially encountering an orchestra is to understand each person's tone, and thereby coordinate and modify the sheet music accordingly.

However, Gu Ci shook her head. "No need. You can just play a familiar symphony together."

According to Gu Ci's instructions, the group joined forces to play a section of a symphony they were very familiar with.

Gu Ci did not conduct them at this time, but simply sat quietly to the side and listened.

The members of the Golden Orchestra had practiced this segment thousands of times under their previous conductor, so they were able to play it quite well even without the conductor's guidance.

Because they harbored the intention of knocking down Gu Ci's arrogance, everyone pushed themselves during this performance, wishing only to present their best state in front of Gu Ci.

After listening for about 10 minutes, Gu Ci called for a stop.

As soon as it stopped, one person's phone ringtone stood out very clearly.

Seeing the caller ID on the screen, a smile appeared on the person's face, "This should be about the pianist. Calculating the time, she should be arriving soon."

However, after answering the call, that person's expression turned exceptionally terrible.