Chapter 61: A Powerful Face-Slap

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: A Powerful Face-Slap

Winston Jarvis looked at Selena Hansen with a mix of regret and helplessness. "You have some talent for the guqin, but it’s quite limited. The problem is, you’re far too confident in yourself. As your master, I couldn’t bear to constantly crush your spirit, so I never told you that your playing was poor."

Selena Hansen couldn’t believe this was the truth.

Selena Hansen gritted her teeth, her expression twisting into an ugly mask. She retorted stubbornly, "Master, how can you say that about me? Is Sienna Everett really so good? Is she better than you?"

Winston Jarvis’s expression immediately grew stern. He rapped his cane on the floor. "Of course she’s better than me! Otherwise, how could she be my senior?"

"And you! How dare you address your senior so directly by name? That’s disrespectful! Apologize to your Grand-aunt right now!"

In an instant, Selena Hansen’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’Apologize to Sienna Everett?’

’And I have to call her Grand-aunt?’

Orion Hawthorne couldn’t stop a snort of laughter from escaping.

He’d been worried Sienna Everett was going to get bullied, but this was perfect. Damn, she was just crushing them with sheer seniority.

Looking around, Sienna Everett probably held the highest seniority of anyone present.

Winston Jarvis urged Selena Hansen to apologize.

Sienna Everett raised a hand to stop him, her tone calm. "That’s not necessary. I’m not going to bicker with a junior."

Winston Jarvis frowned at Selena Hansen, displeased. "Your Grand-aunt is being generous by overlooking your rudeness. Aren’t you going to thank her?!"

Selena Hansen’s eyes widened in disbelief once more.

’An apology wasn’t enough, now I have to thank Sienna Everett, too?’

The viewers in the livestream chat watching this bizarre, unpredictable scene had only one thought:

Holy crap! Sienna Everett might be young, and Winston Jarvis is in his seventies or eighties, but his attitude toward her is incredibly respectful!

Winston Jarvis glared at Selena Hansen in disapproval. This student of his was far too disrespectful toward Sienna Everett.

It was a terrible quality to have.

He was so angry he wanted to kick this defiant student out of his school!

Selena Hansen’s hands clenched into fists. She looked at Sienna Everett and spoke through gritted teeth, "Thank you, Grand-aunt, for overlooking my rudeness. However, while you may be my Grand-aunt, the show’s rules state that since I’ve finished playing ’Nine Provinces,’ it’s now your turn."

’Let’s see how well this Sienna Everett can actually play.’

’I refuse to believe she can play better than I do!’

Winston Jarvis watched Selena Hansen’s provocative display, looking at her as if she were an idiot with a death wish. He was about to rebuke her.

But Sienna Everett held up a hand to stop him, a faint smile on her lips. "Your student is amusingly dense. But, according to the show’s rules, I am supposed to play ’Nine Provinces.’"

Selena Hansen: "...???"

’Amusingly dense?’

Dustin Everett scoffed when he heard Sienna Everett was going to play "Nine Provinces."

’Does this jinx really think she’s worthy of playing SG’s ’Nine Provinces’?’

’If she plays it poorly, it will be an insult to SG and to ’Nine Provinces’ itself!’

Under the watchful eyes of everyone on set, Sienna Everett calmly walked to the guqin table and sat down, gently pressing a string with her left hand.

The moment she sat down and raised her hand, a natural, ancient elegance seemed to emanate from her, as if she had spent countless years with the guqin.

The viewers on the livestream were immediately captivated by her tranquil, steady presence.

As Sienna Everett casually plucked the first note, Dustin Everett, who was standing nearby, suddenly found his eyes widening.

And as she played the fifth note, and then the sixth...

Astonishment flooded Dustin Everett’s gaze, his deep, inscrutable eyes locked on Sienna Everett.

’It’s just like...’

’It’s just like hearing Master SG play ’Nine Provinces’ in person!’

The music was so fluid and masterful. It wasn’t being played for practice or for a competition; it was being played purely for the joy of the guqin’s beauty!

Until now, Dustin Everett had only ever felt his very soul vibrate like this when listening to SG play.

Now, listening to Sienna Everett, he was feeling it again...

’What is happening?’

Everyone on set, along with all the viewers on the livestream, had their eyes glued to Sienna Everett at the guqin table.

The lingering notes of the guqin, ethereal and far-reaching, seemed to transport listeners from the clamor of the modern city to a distant, poetic landscape.

At first, the music was serene and graceful, conjuring images of the misty rains of Riverdell, of small bridges over flowing streams, of bluestone paths and chimney smoke curling into the air above the lights of countless homes. The exquisite water-town scenery of Riverdell sprang to life before their eyes.

Then, the tempo quickened, adding a touch of lonely austerity. It evoked the dashing spirit of a swordsman roaming the world—withered vines clinging to old trees, a gaunt horse on an ancient path, a lone figure with a sword, and a setting sun as red as blood.

Suddenly, the music became desolate and profound. The tempo surged, painting a scene of border warfare—yellow sand blotting out the sky, banners snapping in the wind, two armies clashing, and signal fires smoking on the horizon.

Dustin Everett stared intently at Sienna Everett’s fingers, not even blinking.

This was the most difficult section of "Nine Provinces."

And yet, Sienna’s fingers moved with incredible speed. Her use of vibrato and glissando, her plucks and strikes, were all ethereal and ever-changing, as fluid as water, without a single hesitant or clumsy pause.

The guqin’s greatest strength is its tranquility, but the third section of "Nine Provinces" demands a profound and shifting emotional landscape, which makes it incredibly difficult to perform.

And yet, Sienna Everett’s performance was flawless.

Dustin Everett had to admit to himself that even he, SG’s own disciple, couldn’t play at such a high level.

In the final section, Sienna’s technique became even more complex and varied. The music, as vast and transcendent as the sounds of nature, shifted from the desert sands of the borderlands to a bustling capital city—resplendent and magnificent, like an anthem to a prosperous era.

From Riverdell to the Central Plains.

From the borderlands to the capital city.

United as the glorious Nine Provinces!

When Sienna Everett finished, the set was silent for a long moment before everyone finally awoke as if from a trance, pulled from that ethereal, poetic dream back to reality.

"Sienna, that was absolutely beautiful!"

Isabelle Sutton, still lost in the music, applauded enthusiastically.

Orion Hawthorne, never one for subtlety, walked right up and clapped her on the shoulder. "Holy hell, you’re way too modest! I asked you how well you could play, and you said you were just ’okay.’ If that’s just ’okay,’ what hope is there for the rest of us! You know, it felt like I was listening to SG play. It was almost identical!"

Hearing Orion Hawthorne’s words, Dustin Everett’s expression grew pensive.

’So I wasn’t the only one who thought so.’

The livestream’s comment section was exploding.

[HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, SIENNA EVERETT IS AN AMAZING PLAYER! I feel like I just woke up from a dream, it was so immersive!]

[I get it now! No wonder Mr. Jarvis calls her his senior. Her skill with the guqin is even greater than Master Jarvis’s!]

[I’m just gonna say it, Selena Hansen’s playing is such garbage she’s not even worthy of being Sienna Everett’s grand-disciple!]

After Sienna Everett finished her performance, the production team followed procedure and asked the guests on Dustin Everett’s team for their comments.

Chloe Chambers immediately smiled. "That was beautiful! Sienna Everett, you’re incredible! You really live up to your title as Mr. Jarvis’s senior!"

The director turned to Dustin Everett. "Dustin, what about you?"

Dustin Everett’s lips were pressed into a thin line. As he looked at Sienna Everett, an unusual light flickered in his eyes.

His own sister, whom he had always treated with disdain, had truly taken him by surprise today.