### Chapter 123: The Reverse Version Musician (4K)
“.”
For a moment, even Lin Tian was stunned.
This guy…
How does she know so much?!
Damn it!
Wasn’t it he who bought the pendant? Shouldn’t he be the one providing the emotional support?
Lin Tian started to doubt if she was just pretending to be clueless, purposely saying these things to mess with him.
He had to admit, she was a master baiter!
Looking at Gan Yan Yu, who was dopey yet utterly serious in front of him, Lin Tian’s heart softened.
He couldn’t even imagine how sweet life would be after they got married.
“So—‘Rainy Day’ is…?”
Gan Yan Yu glanced at the pendant in her hand, curious.
“Teacher Gan, do you really need to ask that?”
Lin Tian felt a bit embarrassed to explain it.
But he still raised his index finger.
“Who is Tian?”
“Lin Tian.”
“And who is Yu?”
“Me! Me!”
Gan Yan Yu bit her lip, her face lighting up with realization.
With her crescent-shaped eyes and long eyelashes fluttering like butterflies, she pointed at Lin Tian, her lips curling up with delight as she exclaimed,
“Hey, together our names mean ‘Rainy Day’!”
“.”
Isn’t there anyone around to manage this?
I seriously think she’s just faking it!
How could she not see that?
But, she’s so good at this!!
Lin Tian clutched his chest, feeling like his heart had been struck by a love-dart.
What do they call top-tier baiters?
Just like the heroines in a galgame, making you question if they’re being intentionally cute, yet you can’t help but admit they’re just so adorable that you forget everything else.
And you totally fall for it!
“By the way—where’s your hair tie?”
Gan Yan Yu suddenly raised her index finger, pointing at Lin Tian’s wrist.
“Oh, I took it off while showering and forgot to put it on.” Lin Tian glanced at his wrist, explaining.
After all, he had never worn anything on his wrist throughout his life, be it a watch or a bracelet. He just wasn’t in the habit.
Sometimes he takes it off and puts it aside, making it really easy to forget.
Upon hearing that, Gan Yan Yu stared at him.
Just stared.
Her expression was a mix of sadness and innocence.
“…Alright, I’ll remember to wear it!”
“Stop staring at me!”
“.”
Lin Tian felt paralyzed.
Good grief.
That little expression staring at you in silence.
Even the tiniest things made him feel incredibly guilty.
I bet if any criminal suspect were under Gan Yan Yu’s gaze like that for just a few seconds, they’d spill all their secrets and kneel down crying for forgiveness.
“Just put it on now.” Gan Yan Yu said softly.
“Okay, okay.”
Lin Tian got up, walked into the room, and grabbed the red hair tie from the bedside table.
While tying it around his wrist, he walked out again, and Gan Yan Yu waved her hand,
“Come here.”
Lin Tian went over and sat on the sofa.
Gan Yan Yu took the hair tie, spread it out on her thigh, and placed Lin Tian’s wrist on top of it.
Since she was wearing shorts today, Lin Tian’s hand was directly resting on her pleasantly soft thigh.
As soft as ever.
Gan Yan Yu wrapped one hand around Lin Tian’s wrist while using the other to loop the hair tie around once or twice before tying a knot.
And just like that, it was securely fastened.
Gan Yan Yu lifted Lin Tian’s hand, checked the hair tie on his wrist, then looked at the pendant on her chest.
Her cute face broke into a satisfied smile.
“Looks great! This is our bond as partners!”
“Okay, okay.”
Lin Tian thought for a moment.
If one day they really win the Ke’er Cup, and Gan Yan Yu fulfills her dream.
They could debut as a duo named “Rainy Day”, which doesn’t sound too bad.
Like “Milk Coffee” or “Phoenix Legend”.
Yeah, like “YOASOBI”!
Forming the best male-female idol group in history.
Then Lin Tian wouldn’t be pretending anymore. Surprise! You all thought I just wrote classical music, huh?
Actually, I can write pop music too!
A world-renowned composer turning into an idol sounds pretty cool!
“On the day of the art exam, you better wear it!”
Worried that Lin Tian might forget it again while showering, Gan Yan Yu said earnestly,
“This is your lucky charm from your partner; if you forget to wear it, you might fail the exam.”
How do you deliver the most brutal curse in the simplest wording?
Lin Tian felt a bit terrified.
This kind of statement packs a punch.
Now he really had to remember it no matter what!
“Of course, I’ll wear it too.”
Gan Yan Yu said, “Tomorrow is the preliminary round of the Star Cup, and I’ll wear it during the competition.”
“.”
“Eh? Preliminary?”
Lin Tian was stunned.
How come he’d never heard of a preliminary round for the Star Cup?
He thought the event in ten days was the only official competition.
“Of course, there are two rounds: the preliminary and the finals. I didn’t mention it because it’s not that important; I’ll definitely pass either way.”
“Confident, aren’t we?”
That didn’t sound like Gan Yan Yu at all.
“I wouldn’t be that clueless. The preliminary round is about performing a specified piece within a set time. Those pieces are usually selected from the classical cello repertoire.”
“Got it.”
Lin Tian understood immediately, and there was no need for her to elaborate further.
What they’re testing is the ability to randomly play the world’s classical music.
For Gan Yan Yu, this was as easy as breathing.
This girl is basically a walking classical music database.
Previous hellish training made Gan Yan Yu virtually guaranteed a full score in the random repertoire section.
“However, I remember you said a while ago that the current competitions aren’t very friendly to classical music anymore, right?”
Sticking to the principle of making the most out of the situation, Lin Tian asked.
This was something he learned when he first chatted with Gan Yan Yu about music competitions.
In this world, it seemed that the emphasis on music competitions was much higher than in his previous life, so there were some differences in focus.
For example, in competitions here, “classical music” wasn’t as popular as “pop music” or “modern classical music”.
In simpler terms, it was “version underdog”.
At the time, Lin Tian had only gotten a brief understanding; he hadn’t dug deeper.
Now, he took the opportunity to get a clearer picture.
“Yes, but it depends on the competition.”
Gan Yan Yu replied, “Actually, this trend has a lot to do with the International Music Association.”
“The International Music Association?”
“Yup.”
Once the subject came up, Gan Yan Yu became serious.
“Music evaluation is a very subjective matter, so it’s heavily influenced by the preferences of the judges.”
“In the past decade or so, the International Music Association has sparked a trend. With the rising popularity of various music competitions, more and more young people are tuning in. They believe the traditional classical music style often overly emphasizes technique and form, so they advocate for music that resonates better with young audiences.”
“Wow, the International Music Association is quite progressive, huh?”
Lin Tian teased.
Actually, it wasn’t hard to understand.
No matter the competition, be it art or sports, wanting to improve always leads to commercialization.
With more and more young spectators, naturally, the competition content aligns more with younger interests.
Judges’ evaluations also become more targeted.
Thinking about it, just to cater to young audiences, they’ve gone this far seems extreme.
But, looking at it from another angle.
It’s because they’ve reached this level that music competitions in this world are valued so much more than in his previous life.
With audience influx and more capital pouring in.
The heat and prestige of the competitions naturally skyrocketed.
However, Lin Tian speculated that the differences between both worlds might be due to a certain international superstar who emerged and propelled the industry into the limelight.
“Since the international competition trend is like this, it’s led our flower-planting competitions to evolve as well.”
“However, because we’re catching up late, the competitions currently evaluating classical music have not lowered their standards as much. It’s not surprising that a folk competition like the Star Cup includes classical music as a contest category.”
So basically, the version hasn’t kept up with international standards, huh?
In a sense, this just shows how far behind flower-planting music currently is on the international stage.
“Got it.”
Lin Tian nodded, “So before competing abroad, as long as the competitions are domestic, you can still play classical music and probably won’t be deliberately given low scores by judges?”
“Bingo~”
“What about when you go abroad? What’s your plan?”
Lin Tian asked.
Actually, he wasn’t just good at classical music.
His vast repertoire allowed him to pull out all kinds of music.
Even when they go international, if the trend evolves into another dominant genre, it wouldn’t affect Lin Tian from writing in accordance with the popular styles.
“Of course, I’ll keep performing my music.”
“But didn’t you say…”
“Lin Tian.”
Gan Yan Yu’s expression suddenly became a bit subtle.
In her eyes, a hint of longing seemed to flicker.
“Did you forget that I’ve told you more than once?”
“.”
Lin Tian recalled.
Gan Yan Yu’s dream was never just about winning the highest cello honor, the Ke’er Cup.
That sentence had a very important premise.
—To let our classical music be heard worldwide.
That was right, Gan Yan Yu wanted to spread classical music.
In a more relatable way,
Restoring the glory of classical music is our duty!
“That’s the reverse version competition, then.”
Lin Tian gave a wry smile.
“Yup.”
Gan Yan Yu smiled back.
“.”
No wonder she’s a dedicated classical musician.
This isn’t some sports or esports scenario where you can rely on mere strength to win against an opponent.
Music is still a very subjective thing.
It all comes down to the judges’ scores.
If a judge thinks you’re not good, even if you’re leagues ahead of the other competitors, it still won’t matter.
“What, are you going to rely on your music to make all the judges cry, so they tearfully betray their own preferences—like in the anime?”
“Well, it’s not impossible.”
“Impressive.”
Lin Tian sighed, holding his forehead in frustration.
He used to play video games himself; he knew how scary the reverse version competition could be.
This isn’t some esports fantasy, reality doesn’t yield that many miracles.
Gan Yan Yu, being such an airhead, as her partner, Lin Tian clearly had to follow her down this road all the way.
“Alright, this is just the beginning; we haven’t even participated in the Parrot Zither Cup yet. Wanting to go international is a bit too soon.”
Gan Yan Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly, ending the conversation.
Lin Tian also returned his focus.
Realizing:
“You didn’t mention tomorrow is the preliminary round; I haven’t bought my ticket yet—do I get a VIP seat as a contestant’s family member?”
“Just don’t come.”
Gan Yan Yu said quietly, “It’s just the preliminary round; I’ll be fine on my own; if you’re there, I’ll end up getting nervous.”
Oh really.
When playing on stage together, she grows more confident.
But when he just sits in the audience, she starts to feel anxious.
Lin Tian understood.
If he couldn’t play with Gan Yan Yu, his presence wouldn’t even be worth a pendant.
What’s the chance that when they’re all lovey-dovey, it’ll be like—
Five! No sharing the bed unless you’ve paid your dues! Go away!
“Then look, tomorrow’s the competition; can you whip up something delicious for me, maybe get two servings of pudding and a milk tea to have ready when I get back?”
Gan Yan Yu twirled a strand of hair around her finger, inquiring.
“Sure.”
“Great! I want to eat—”
“Just send me a list via WeChat later!”
Lin Tian quickly interrupted; he knew once Gan Yan Yu started listing food, there’d be no stopping her.
“.”
The next day.
Early in the morning, Lin Tian prepared breakfast for Gan Yan Yu, who was all dressed up and ready with her hair tied back.
Since it was a formal competition, not a musical performance, Gan Yan Yu had to tie her hair back as much as possible.
After handing her breakfast and watching her leave,
Lin Tian returned home.
Estimating that it had been a few days since he sent out “E Minor Cello Concerto.”
He opened his phone.
Entering Douyin’s backend, he took a glance.
As expected, the numbers weren’t impressive.
420,000 likes, several million views.
Although it made it to the trending list, the buzz was significantly lower compared to his previous works.
It couldn’t be helped; Lin Tian had anticipated this.
Obscure and difficult music doesn’t align with modern aesthetics.
There are fewer folks with the patience to appreciate it.
The comments section was full of confusion.
【Apologies, I lack culture; what is this piece trying to express?】
【Unlike ‘Ode to Love’ and the ‘Pathétique’ Symphony, which at least have titles I can recognize, one about love and the other exuding sorrow, honestly, this cello concerto… I have no idea what it’s about.】
【Teacher Moonlight, please reconsider! I really don’t understand!】
【Waiting for the big shots to analyze.】
【Moonlight Brother, could you share a backstory? Or you and Cat could act out a little skit to help us understand!】
(End of Chapter)
