### Chapter 132: A Perfect Conclusion
“Lin Tian!”
In the backstage corridor, Gan Yan Yu ran into Lin Tian, who had been waiting for her.
“Oh.”
“You’re fine, that’s great!”
Gan Yan Yu clutched her chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“When I saw the security heading your way, I thought you were about to be arrested!”
“Arrested? Please, I was just cheering! The worst that could happen is that I blocked the view of some people in the back,” Lin Tian scratched his head and chuckled.
But, those two security guards did look like they were ready to tear him apart, all grumpy and stormy. They probably got chewed out by their superiors.
They came over to give Lin Tian a stern warning, telling him to keep his cheering sticks down during the competition.
Just thinking about it made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Previously, no matter how many times they reminded or protested, the organizers treated fan behavior in a casual and indulgent manner.
Then, BAM! He went and delivered a support dance live on stage for Gan Yan Yu, igniting the audience.
That certainly put the organizers in a bind.
Their negligence in monitoring led to an explosive incident with Lin Tian, the heavyweight number one fan.
Now, they were definitely facing the consequences!
“So, how was my performance just now?” Gan Yan Yu asked, stretching her neck with anticipation.
“Champion!” Lin Tian gave her a thumbs-up.
“Don’t mess with me!”
“I’m serious! Among the eight contestants, aside from Bai Xi, the others… well, they didn’t stand a chance against you!” Lin Tian said with conviction.
“The judging standards aren’t only about sound quality; there are many criteria, and being pleasing to the ears doesn’t guarantee a high score,” Gan Yan Yu responded with utmost seriousness.
“Alright, let’s head back to the rest room.”
Lin Tian patted Gan Yan Yu on the shoulder and smiled lightly.
He had been watching her efforts over the past month.
While Gan Yan Yu’s quirks might be incomprehensible to others, she was genuinely searching and trying until she found solutions.
No matter what.
It was just great to see her perform her music on stage as she normally would.
As for the results, they were merely the added bonus of Gan Yan Yu’s growth this time!
As they pushed open the door to the rest lounge, Gan Yan Yu instantly became the center of attention.
“Teacher Gan Yan Yu, that performance was fantastic!”
A woman who looked ten years older than Gan Yan Yu approached with enthusiasm.
She was Zhu Ya, one of the top five contestants in the Star Cup.
“Teacher Gan Yan Yu, if you have time, could we discuss classical music together?”
Another woman joined in with sincere admiration.
Before long, one after another.
“Awesome performance, Teacher Gan Yan Yu!”
“Can’t wait to see more from you at the Parrot Zither Cup!”
A group surrounded Gan Yan Yu, showering her with enthusiastic compliments.
The young woman, caught in the middle, shrank back and politely responded to each one.
The lounge was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
After all, despite being competitors, all the contestants shared a common love for “music.”
Removing the competitive element, they understood just how precious like-minded individuals were.
And the 18-year-old stunningly beautiful Gan Yan Yu naturally sparked an innate desire for connection in most of the other female contestants.
A few minutes later.
Lin Tian finally saw Gan Yan Yu return to her spot.
“Hey, our star contestant is back from socializing?”
Gan Yan Yu slung her cello bag over her shoulder and said,
“Let’s go.”
“Go? Where to?”
“Home, of course.”
Lin Tian blinked, “But the results aren’t out yet!”
“Once the competition concludes, the judges take a day to deliberate; the final rankings will only be announced tomorrow.”
“Huh?” Lin Tian pointed at the other contestants in the lounge, “So what are they all waiting around for?”
“They’re watching the performances of the other contestants, a little early research on their Parrot Zither Cup opponents,” Gan Yan Yu tilted her head, “I honestly don’t mind. If you want to keep watching, it’s fine to stay.”
“No way!”
Lin Tian popped up and waved his hand,
“Let’s go eat!”
In the city, at a fancy seafood buffet restaurant.
At a table for four.
“Cheers!”
Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, and Gao Zhen Yang clinked their beer glasses together.
Lin Tian raised his beer and downed it in one go.
“Ah~”
He let out a contented sound.
This seafood buffet had unlimited beer; aside from the slightly steep price of 399 per person, it had practically no downsides.
To celebrate the recently concluded Star Cup, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu chose this restaurant and invited their helpful mentor, Gao Zhen Yang, to join them.
By this point, Gao Zhen Yang didn’t even care that these two high school students were drinking.
As long as they were having fun, he was there to enjoy it!
“…”
After downing his chilled beer, Gan Yan Yu suddenly murmured:
“Should we be celebrating before the results come out?”
“This isn’t a celebration; it’s a reward, got it?” Lin Tian corrected her, “You’ve worked so hard for so long; now that the contest is finally over, it’s definitely time to treat ourselves!”
“Don’t worry, Teacher Gan Yan Yu, I watched the live stream of the competition, and you were outstanding. Everyone who saw it will be blown away!”
Gao Zhen Yang said, pausing, then added toward Lin Tian,
“Of course, Lin Tian, your support was also impressive.”
“I’m just a cheerleading station,” Lin Tian quickly waved his hands, preventing the topic from steering toward him.
“I truly believe that Teacher Gan Yan Yu’s chance of winning is pretty solid.”
Gao Zhen Yang said earnestly.
When he got serious, he was always dead serious.
If even he said so, it must be pretty much in the bag, right?
“I think Bai Xi’s performance was actually better than mine,” Gan Yan Yu said softly and seriously,
“I flubbed a section at the beginning, but Bai Xi had no mistakes at all.”
“Yeah, Bai Xi’s performance is indeed strong; after all, she’s one of the favorites to win this year’s Parrot Zither Cup, and the music media has gone crazy with their praise for her.”
Gao Zhen Yang responded candidly without arguing against Gan Yan Yu’s assessment.
“You two were comparable in terms of technical skills, but I think your emotional expressiveness is definitely the stronger,” he said, “So I have more faith in you winning.”
“Uh-huh.”
Lin Tian nodded, he agreed with Gao Zhen Yang.
In fact, this occasion at the Star Cup did yield quite a bit of insight.
For instance, they got a rough idea of the opponents Gan Yan Yu might face in the Parrot Zither Cup.
It wasn’t as effortless as Lin Tian had imagined; some contestants were certainly noteworthy. They might not be as good as Gan Yan Yu in certain aspects, but there was always that one shining strength that evoked admiration.
Among them, the most significant was Bai Xi.
23 years old, a self-taught maverick musician, who managed to deliver a popular song on stage with a cello and received excellent feedback.
Such opponents were far more intimidating than the rest, and her overall strength had no obvious weaknesses.
In the upcoming Parrot Zither Cup, who knows what kind of piece she’ll bring out.
“Lin Tian.”
“Uh-huh?”
Lin Tian turned his head and found Gan Yan Yu staring at him intently.
“If one day you find out that I might not be as strong as you thought, would you still want to partner with me?”
(End of Chapter)
