She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188
Saturday was the start of the holidays. The Kitmore University’s Independence Day and New Students’ Welcome Party would start at 7 pm.
Under normal circumstances, most of the students would go home or travel during the vacation, and not many people would go to the gala.
However, after learning Joy and Athena were going to perform on the same stage, the entire school was in an uproar. Moreover, both would be playing the piano. Everyone wanted to know who would come up top in the first confrontation between the two school belles.
Therefore, the auditorium, which could accommodate more than 2,000 people, was filled. Even the aisles upstairs and downstairs were filled with people waiting to witness the match between the two campus belles.
When the host announced the official start of the gala, two guys in white shirts, black pants, and masks squeezed out of the crowd in the aisle and stopped at the seats on the far right in the third row in front of the first floor. They took out tickets and let the two students who occupied the seats give up their seats.
No matter what, these students were elites of a famous school. They were very reasonable and stood up obediently to give up their seats.
The two guys” sat down. When they noticed everyone’s attention was on the stage and that the light at the side was also very dim, they finally felt at ease enough to take off their masks.
The student in charge of organizing the gala was very sneaky. He put Joy and Athena’s performances at the end. Although the audience had some complaints about this, it was normal for the two school belles to appear as the finale. Besides, the programs before them were not bad. The audience watched with relish and did not find it boring.
Finally, at around nine o’clock, the finale arrived. The audience stopped shouting and waited quietly for the show. Even the host’s voice was a little excited. “Now, let’s welcome the history major freshman, Joy Lambert. She is playing the piece, Franz Liszt’s ‘Harmony of the Night”:
The audience applauded enthusiastically.
Those who liked to listen to the piano or seriously practiced the piano would know this piece. It was difficult to play but beautiful. If one played it well, it would be an extremely enjoyable experience.
was
A music major student said, “Since Joy dares to play this piece on such an occasion, she must be very confident in herself.” Someone disagreed. “She’s a history major. How good can she be at playing the piano? Even if she was really capable once, she was probably not as good now.”
Most of the students thought, Joy, the goddess, is so beautiful. When she goes on the stage, everyone can’t look away. It doesn’t matter how well she plays:
Under such eager gazes, Joy walked onto the stage in a white off-shoulder dress. After bowing to the audience, she ambled to the piano and sat down. Her taste in dress, as well as her charming figure, elegant bearing, and unhurried manner, won her
acclaim.
H
Many people whispered, “Wow. If this isn’t the school’s auditorium, I would think she’s a princess or a noble lady going to a high society salon.”
Others remarked, Tm really curious about what kind of family she has
All the amazement and whispers quickly disappeared the moment Joy played the piano. At first, the music was soothing,
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and the audience paid more attention to her beauty and brilliance. However, her piano skills soon conquered everyone and no one paid attention to her beauty anymore. They were completely immersed in the sound of her music.
Eventually, the piece ended, but the music echoed in everyone’s ears. Everyone was amazed by the stunning performance.
ave no one
The entire place fell silent. Even though Joy had already bowed to the audience and walked off the stage, no remembered to respond.
When the host reacted, she quickly went on stage and praised, “Joy’s piano performance is absolutely wonderful. It left a stunning impression on everyone, including me. Let us thank Joy with a round of applause. I hope there will be more opportunities to listen to her performance in the future.”
eningapplause.
Only then did the audience react. As if they had just woken up from a dream, they let out deafening
The students from the music academy even stood up and shrieked, “This is great. She is an expert at piano. I didn’t expect us to hear such a perfect performance at the school’s gala. With such standards, she can even give concerts. I’ve no idea why she would study history when she is this good.”
Zoe, Gia, and the others sat below the stage and clapped. They had to admit that Joy’s performance was perfect.
Gia gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with jealousy. “Joy’s piano playing is excellent. I don’t believe Athena can play better than
her.
Zoe nodded. “The Kennedy family once sent Athena to learn the piano, but she didn’t seem to have learned it for long. No one has seen her play before. She probably isn’t very good at it.
Jodie pouted. “Then she’s going to make a fool of herself this time.”
Not only did they think so, but almost everyone else thought so too. Moreover, Joy was the first to perform. It would be natural for the audience to have preconceived notions.
The host tried his best to calm down the amazement that Joy brought with her performance and announced, “Next, we have a new student from the Aerospace major, Athena Donovan. She is playing the piece ‘Song from Heavens. This is also the last program of this gala. Please enjoy it.”
Athena’s long hair hung down to her waist like a waterfall. She wore a light yellow linen dress. She walked gracefully onto the stage and bowed to the audience before walking to the piano and sitting down.
There was another round of exclamations below the stage.
A voice remarked, “She is indeed beautiful and looked very otherworldly. She’s really pleasing to the eye.”
Another said, “Athena looked less noble than Joy, but more casual. How rare.”
Without any distractions, Athena took a deep breath, placed her hands on the black and white keys, and closed her eyes.
The venue fell silent. Everyone was looking at her.
With a press of a key, a faint tiger roar seemed to come from the depths of the abyss amidst the silence. A storm seemed to brew in the distance.
When the audience heard this, their hearts skipped a beat, and their eyelids twitched. They subconsciously held their breaths, feeling as if the sky was about to collapse.
The distant sounds grew louder and louder. It became more and more chaotic, making people feel fear and curiosity.
Suddenly, there seemed to be a bang as something exploded.
An student from the astronomy major suddenly shouted, “It’s the singularity explosion, the birth of the universe. When
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matter dispersed, space expanded. After that the temperature dropped and the galaxy was formed. After a long time, life appeared. It’s the first cry of mankind…”
The audience was enlightened. So this was the “Song from Heavens.
At this point, no one cared about how beautiful Athena was or who was more outstanding between her and Joy. Everyone just quietly listened to her music, imagined the birth of the universe, and felt the call of the heavens.
When the piece ended, the audience applauded enthusiastically. However, this reaction seemed incomparable to Joy’s.
Athena did not seem to be affected by this comparison. She bowed to the audience and prepared to leave.
However, the host quickly walked over and said, “Athena, please wait.
Athena stopped and blinked.
The host stood beside Athena and said to the audience. The thirteen judges will be evaluating the first, second, and third prizes of this gala. When the judges are deciding. I want to conduct a short interview with the top scorer of SAT, Athena, and Joy, who has returned overseas, on behalf of the students.”
The host looked backstage. Joy, can you come on stage for this interview?”
Joy nodded and went on stage to stand beside Athena.
There was another round of exclamations below the stage. Both girls were beautiful. When they stood together, they dazzled everyone more than they did on their own.
The host said. “Athena, I would like to ask about the piece you played just now. Song from Heavens’ is grand and far- reaching. It’s majestic, but it doesn’t lose its tranquility and loneliness. It makes one imagine. Some people say this piece represents the birth of the universe and the evolution of life. Is that so?”
Athena smiled. “Yes”
The host asked again, “I like this piece very much. Can you tell us who composed it?”
Athena answered, “I did.”
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