A Kiss on the Piano

Jiang Wei resents music because he was forced to play the violin. After an accident, he makes a pact with an ancient violin spirit.

To help the spirit recover its original form, the two set out for the international violin competition, each hoping to part ways afterward.

This is the story of a genius slowly overcoming the knots and shackles in his heart and returning to the top.

Top: Arrogant, talented old poser

Bottom: Sharp-tongued enough to infuriate anyone, a slacker and sleepyhead

P.S. This is an older story I wrote. I had about half of it drafted and was planning to rewrite it. I'm posting the old draft first.

The introduction comes from Master Song Yushan's poem, "Enlightenment."

[New blurb, 10.5.

When genius violinist Bai Ji wins the gold medal, a reporter asks:

"...How did you manage to stick with practicing the violin?"

Bai Ji answers with a perfectly straight face:

"Because if I don't play my violin, I'll die."

--

At ten years old, Bai Ji discovers that the world he lives in is a novel, and that he's the fake young master in a story about a real and fake young master.

He bullies the real young master, gets kicked out of the family, and dies miserably in prison, becoming a stepping stone for the leads' romance.

Bai Ji finally understands why his parents beat and punished him at the slightest provocation, and why all his painstaking violin practice earned him less praise than his younger brother got for eating two bowls of rice...

Once he figures it all out, Bai Ji goes mad. He tears up every textbook and test paper, smashes his violin, and swears that from now on he'll be a useless rich kid who lives off his family and waits to die--

As he smashes the last violin, Bai Ji sees a transparent boy sitting on its scroll, begging him not to smash him to death.

Bai Ji: ?

After awakening to his supporting-character status, Bai Ji discovers he can see spirits inhabiting objects.

After Bai Ji spares him, the spirit clings to him, begging and pleading to form a pact. Bai Ji can't shake him off.

When Bai Ji's parents beat him, the spirit plays tricks to scare the couple away. When his younger brother takes his favorite toy, the spirit secretly finds it for him.

Maybe he isn't entirely useless?

Bai Ji reluctantly accepts the spirit as his sidekick.

But the good times don't last. Bai Ji has gone too long without playing the violin, and the violin spirit is about to disappear.

To nurture his tiny violin spirit, Bai Ji has no choice but to play until his bow smokes, all the way to the world's biggest stage.

A ridiculously dense, brain-wired-differently top x a tiny violin spirit bottom who insists that no one may defy his master

Fake real-and-fake-young-master setup, genuinely strong characters, power-up progression

P.S. This is the new draft of "Kiss of the Violin." Anything besides the category might change while I'm drafting (ー`´ー)]

Theme: Growth and redemption