Chapter 155:
Chapter 155: Is Zhang Dong Awake?
The spark that ignited the firestorm in the comments section came from a user who claimed to provide an "objective and rational analysis." They argued that, after listening carefully to the trio's performance of Spanish Bullfighting Song, it was painfully obvious that Zhang Dong had been outclassed.
One particularly scathing critique came from a Bilibili user named "I'm Cat-chan's Dog."
"Before I start, let me preface this by saying I graduated from a music conservatory, so my musical taste is sharper than most. Seeing people spamming things like 'Brother Dong heroically enters' in the chat honestly makes me cringe."
"Now, back to Spanish Bullfighting Song. For the first ten measures of the introduction, all three performers sounded fine. But starting at measure eleven, when the main melody kicks in, Brother Dong's bowing technique and pitch accuracy noticeably deteriorated. By measure twenty-one, where sliding notes are crucial for conveying emotional intensity, his violin sounded tolerable on its own—but when paired with the piano and cello, it became a disaster. He was dragging the other two down."
"By the time they reached the fast-paced climax, Brother Dong's limitations were laid bare. It was clear he was barely holding on. Thankfully, the video cut off after just one segment of the climax. If they'd recorded even two more seconds, I guarantee you'd have seen him completely fall apart."
"To be fair, Brother Dong's rendition of Spanish Bullfighting Song is solid enough to justify his title as 'the person who understands Moonlight and Cat best online.' But those two? Those two were on another level entirely."
"Let me put it bluntly for those blindly cheering him on: your mediocre violin playing only dragged their performance down. Kicking you out would've been justified—let alone thanking you."
...
The moment this comment appeared, the comment section exploded. Zhang Dong's fans retaliated with lightning speed, flooding the thread at a rate of roughly ten replies per second.
"What nonsense! The violin naturally lacks the depth of a cello—it's normal for it to sound weaker!"
"Who do you think you are, critiquing someone like this? If you're so good, why don't you step up?"
"Do you even know who Brother Dong is? He used to be a professional violinist! He competed in TWO actual music competitions. How dare you criticize him?"
"Are you kidding me? Brother Dong has dedicated his life to studying Moonlight and Cat's music. Are you seriously claiming you understand it better than him?"
The comment war raged on, with both sides exchanging increasingly heated arguments. However, thanks to Zhang Dong's massive fanbase, his supporters ultimately overwhelmed the opposition. Even neutral viewers tended to side with Zhang Dong—a violinist with millions of followers and the prestigious (albeit exaggerated) title of "former professional violinist"—over two unknown street musicians.
In their fervor to defend him, some fans went overboard:
"Enough already. Brother Dong elevated their performance. Those two will never encounter someone of his caliber in their lifetimes."
"If Brother Dong hadn't retired to focus on content creation, he could've easily become an international violin virtuoso. His talent speaks for itself."
"Hah! If you claim those two understand Moonlight and Cat better than Brother Dong, prove it with evidence. Otherwise, I'll assume you're delusional."
Stop. Just stop.
Zhang Dong wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and die.
He couldn't believe how far his fans were stretching the truth. Sure, calling himself a "former professional violinist" sounded impressive, but all it really meant was that he'd once signed with a music agency. Being an 18th-tier singer doesn't make you a superstar, does it? If he truly had that kind of skill, would he be making videos for likes and views?
Normally, he didn't mind when fans hyped him up—it secretly made him feel good. But seeing them twist reality to argue that his violin skills surpassed the other two performers? It burned his cheeks with shame.
Claiming they were "evenly matched" was already a stretch; now his fans were insisting he'd crushed them. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? What if those two saw this video? Where would he hide his face then?
Still, there was one silver lining: those two didn't seem famous. They were probably nobodies. Even if the video blew up, it wouldn't cause too much damage. Had they been renowned musicians or popular creators themselves, Zhang Dong would've thrown himself out the window without hesitation.
"Ding dong—"
Just as he was spiraling into despair, Zhang Dong's phone buzzed with a notification.