I am a Big Player
Chapter 331 - 329, Too young, right? (Third update)_1

Chapter 331: 329, Too young, right? (Third update)_1

Mr. Ren He had slept several times on the plane, but none of those naps felt solid. After 13 hours had passed, the flight attendant’s voice came through, "Dear passengers, we are about to reach our destination, New York. Please fasten your seat belts in preparation for landing."

He finally arrived in this land, a place many students yearn for. However, only after Ren He arrived here in his previous life did he realize things like flirting with Western girls were basically unrealistic. International students generally ended up socializing with other international students.

Of course, it was also because Ren He was quite a homebody in his previous life. During his year at Berkeley, when he wasn’t buried in heavy coursework, he was playing Dota on the American server with his American classmates...

As Ren He walked out of the airport with his simple luggage, he immediately felt the strong exotic atmosphere. He saw a Caucasian man standing at the airport exit holding a sign, upon which Ren He’s name was awkwardly scrawled in Chinese characters. Ren He chuckled and approached, saying, "Hello, Juilliard School of Music?"

The moment the Caucasian man heard him ask that, he was stunned. Having emerged from the airport and recognizing the identity revealed by the sign, this must be that genius composer, Ren He!

But...in their minds, someone applying for a professorial position and capable of composing three astonishingly beautiful songs should also be a middle-aged person, right? Instead...

Holy shit, he’s not even as old as the students at the academy!

In fact, the original compositions were so stunning that everyone had overlooked the composer’s age. This seemed reasonable, after all. They had considered the possibility that the composer might be quite young, but how young could someone who had written such pieces possibly be?

Yet, reality delivered a ruthless slap to their faces...

They had never imagined this!

Peter cautiously asked, "Are you Mr. Ren He? How old are you this year?"

"Yes, I am the Ren He who sent you those three original pieces. I’m 16 years old," Ren He replied cheerfully. He knew he couldn’t hide his age forever, so it was better to be upfront. Plus, he didn’t see his youth as a problem. Being young was a good thing...

"16 years old..." Peter was completely flabbergasted. Ren He looked more like a college student, and he carried a somewhat mature demeanor, so Peter had guessed him to be a college age... The notion of him being a college student was already hard enough to accept, let alone 16 years old... much younger than Peter had originally imagined!

But none of this was for him to decide now. He was just here to pick up the guest. As for what would become of Mr. Ren He, that was something for Chairman Joseph of Juilliard to worry about...

"My name is Peter," the Caucasian man Peter introduced himself while they were driving. Throughout the conversation, he found that Ren He spoke fluent English, which was a relief since they had been concerned about potential language barriers, given that Ren He came from China. The musical talent exhibited in the three pieces had convinced them to overcome any such difficulty.

But they hadn’t accounted for his surprisingly young age!

If he really became a professor and stood in front of the class, it would be totally surreal for the students...

Upon arriving at Juilliard, Ren He got out of the car and saw the huge glass building situated in the city center. In his mind, a university should first and foremost have a large campus, like a park that displays the school’s spirit of freedom and openness...

Yet, Juilliard was housed in a massive glass building that looked like a work of art, containing the most complete piano rooms, rehearsal halls, classrooms, and more.

This place was one of America’s most prestigious cradles for musical prodigies, where countless talented musicians converged. Originally, Ren He had come here intending to be a student, but now he had somehow become a teacher at this very place.

Chairman Joseph had even set aside his work to host a meet-and-greet for Ren He in one of the vacant rehearsal halls, along with other faculty members...

Peter escorted Ren He towards the rehearsal hall, and he could almost picture it—everyone would probably have the same shocked expression upon seeing Ren He, just like Peter did initially.

Even Chairman Joseph might reconsider his hiring decision? It’s uncertain.

Of course, Ren He understood Peter’s feelings when he first saw him. Transmitting three songs over the internet and knowing the music before the person is indeed astonishing, especially since those three pieces were extraordinary.

However, reality is reality; being 16 in the adult world inherently represents a chasm.

But since Ren He had come this far, no matter how many difficulties were ahead, he was determined to overcome them.

It was like the moment he had leapt from the summit of Mount Everest, everyone has reasons, compelling you to risk your life. You hold on to life... only to wait for the day you’ll stake it all.

Now, Ren He wasn’t about to risk his life, he just needed to break the stereotypes these people held about a 16-year-old.

Stereotypes, being stable and unchanging views that individuals, influenced by society, have towards certain people or events. What does being 16 mean in society? It signifies not yet of age, maybe even lacking the capacity for independent civil action, being naive, superficial, and irresponsible, among other things...

In Chinese law, it’s stipulated that a 16-year-old without an independent source of income does not possess the capacity for independent civil activities. Of course, the fact that Ren He could sign a contract in his own name initially was because he met the criterion of having an independent source of income, which made him eligible.

When Peter walked into the rehearsal room with Ren He, Joseph asked, "Where is Mr. Ren He?"

Ren He smiled, seeing that the other party subconsciously didn’t consider him as the creator of those three songs. He replied with a smile, "Hello, Chairman Joseph, I am Ren He."

The rehearsal room suddenly went silent, and Ren He felt as if he could hear the sound of eggs breaking...

Hiss, Joseph inhaled sharply, "Uh, I’m sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I am Ren He," Ren He stood there, erect and unyielding as he spoke.

Now, the people in the rehearsal room began to look at each other in dismay. They all had seen those three music scores, so they were quite happy when they heard Joseph say he had invited this genius to teach at the Juilliard School of Music, but now...

Reality was indeed reality after all!

Joseph, choosing his words carefully, said, "Forgive my boldness, I mean no offense or intent to anger you. I am simply curious about your age and even need to verify your identity, not your documentation, but as the creator of these three songs... "

It’s incredibly unbelievable, how can he be so young!

Joseph found it really hard to believe that the three songs were composed by the young man before him. In fact, disbelief is the normal response; if you were to believe someone immediately upon meeting, that would suggest the people at the Juilliard School of Music lack sense!

Therefore, Ren He wasn’t troubled by this reaction because he had long prepared himself mentally for such doubts and skepticism, which he believed should exist. What Ren He needed to do was to shatter all these doubts. He had chosen to come here and wasn’t afraid of being questioned; it was his own choice, not due to someone else’s coercion.

Ren He placed his suitcase at the entrance of the rehearsal room and then asked with a smile, "May I use the piano in the rehearsal room?"

...

For the spectacular bonus Chapter, there’s one more to go; I won’t sleep until it’s done.