### Chapter 193: “Moonlight and Cat” Identity Crisis (Bonus Chapter) (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
After the celestial brawl put on by Group B, the matches for Group A became a snooze fest for the audience.
It wasn’t that competitors Lou Yitong, Yang Weize, and Zhu Ya were no good. Anyone making it to the semifinals of the Parrot Zither Cup was no lightweight.
The problem? Bai Xi was just too fierce.
Having snagged the runner-up title two years ago, Bai Xi now seemed like she was effortlessly turning her opponents into mulch, cutting through them like a hot kn*fe through butter in the eyes of the audience.
In fact, as the fourth competitor, she had already started yawning in the A group’s rest room before she even got on stage!
“So boring. Just totally cringe,” she sighed, gazing longingly at the big screen.
The player currently performing was Zhu Ya, the third entrant.
The lineup was like a series of lullabies, putting her further into a stupor with every note. By the time Zhu Ya hit the stage, Bai Xi was ready to take a nap right then and there!
She forced herself to wake up and frowned in distaste.
How on earth did these amateurs even make it to the semifinals? Was there a senior discount for age?
Meanwhile, Group B was way more entertaining.
Yun Qiu Qiu, Gan Yan Yu, and Lin Tian were all over there.
Bai Xi had even considered finding Gan Yan Yu to hang out with!
Sadly, they weren’t in the same rest area.
“I can’t take this any longer!” Bai Xi muttered to herself.
Suddenly, the rest room door swung open.
“Ah!”
“Hey, Teacher Zhu Ya, you’re doing great!” Bai Xi plastered on a smile as she lifted her head off the table.
By the time Lin Tian received further news, it was just the results of Group A’s winners.
No shocker here! Bai Xi crushed it with a resounding lead of seven “A+” scores and landed in the finals!
A staff member popped into the rest room and reminded Gan Yan Yu it was her turn to go on stage.
Gan Yan Yu nodded, turned to Lin Tian, and said, “Lin Tian.”
“I’m not going,” Lin Tian answered flatly.
He instantly guessed what Gan Yan Yu was scheming.
She probably just wanted him for some poster sh**t, making her stand out on stage along with her—yawn, boring!
“Fine,” she replied.
“But I can walk you to the front,” he said.
With that, they strolled down the corridor to the stage entrance. Lin Tian watched as Gan Yan Yu stepped up.
At that moment, the trophy for the Parrot Zither Cup had been set on stage.
It was a stunning blue crystal parrot sculpted beautifully.
This blue parrot was the mascot of the Parrot Zither Cup.
The organizers knew how to amp up the atmosphere.
The instant the trophy made its appearance, Gan Yan Yu and Bai Xi walked out from either side, sending the energy in the venue to an all-time high!
Countless audience members leaped to their feet, phones in hand, capturing the moment.
“Phones…?”
Lin Tian craned his neck from the stage entrance and frowned. Only now did he realize—was this competition open for filming?
“Well—”
He opened his phone, scrolling through social media.
Only then did he discover that the chatter about this event had exploded!
“Too cool! Didn’t expect Sister Gan to actually win!”
“Ahhhh, I’m so moved, Gan Yan Yu, crush it in the finals!”
“Awesome! Brother Lin Tian, awesome!!”
“Of course, she’s Gan Hua’s granddaughter, Gan Yan Yu did it! She proved herself!”
With that, as Gan Yan Yu totally clinched the semifinals victory, all the pent-up excitement had officially exploded.
Some began cheering for her, likely wanting to take down all the haters who popped champagne when Tuoba Jianhui made his earlier comments!
Old fans, who’d supported Gan Yan Yu since ancient times, were shedding tears.
Having witnessed her journey from being dubbed “Gan Hua’s granddaughter” to now finally overcoming two years of setbacks—how could they not be moved?
Sweet misery turned to sweet victory!
Meanwhile, at the venue, things had spiraled into utter chaos.
Technically, the competition should’ve ended, and they were just in the post-match phase.
Many ignored security’s warnings, pressing towards the front, phones ready to snap pictures and shout phrases like “Bai Xi, go!” and “Gan Yan Yu, you can do it!”
Given that this was a competition tailored to appease the youth, it was no surprise this fanboy frenzy would occur.
Yet Lin Tian noticed something.
Someone’s shout was a bit off…?
“Go, Cat-chan!!!”
From the crowd, a young woman screamed excitedly at Gan Yan Yu.
“You and Moonlight Brother have to win the Parrot Zither Cup!”
“Huh?”
Gan Yan Yu’s expression froze, as did Lin Tian’s.
What was happening?
Just then, Lin Tian’s phone rang.
He quickly pulled it out and answered.
“Teacher Lin Tian! Urgent situation!”
On the other end, He Zhi Chen’s voice was frantic.
“Where are you now? You’re still inside the venue, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good! Don’t move! Stay put, I’ll be right there!”
“What’s going on?” Lin Tian was slightly confused.
“What else? Right now, there are a dozen reporters outside the Sunny Day Concert Hall! Almost all the music media from Qingzhou are here waiting for you and Gan Yan Yu!”
“Wait, what?!”
With He Zhi Chen’s shout, Lin Tian was completely lost.
All they did was win a semifinal, not a national competition or anything!
“Are you clueless, Teacher Lin Tian?”
“—Your identities are about to be exposed!”
He Zhi Chen yelled.
Then, the sound of tires screeching was heard on the other end.
“d*mn!”
This was the first time Lin Tian had heard such crisp cursing from He Zhi Chen.
“How did we get exposed?”
“Didn’t you notice? You guys performed the piece ‘Moonlight and Cat,’ which was just revealed two days ago, on a live-stream of the semifinals! And people in the audience recorded it and shared it online! There’s no way the online sleuths won’t dig it up!”
“Just wait, I’ll be right there!”
He Zhi Chen hung up.
Just then, Gan Yan Yu returned from the stage, having finished her performance.
Noticing Lin Tian’s odd demeanor, she immediately asked, concerned, “What’s wrong?”
“Revealing outfits are about to happen! There are reporters everywhere outside!” Lin Tian replied helplessly.
“Ah! What do we do?” Gan Yan Yu began to worry.
The moment some audience member shouted out her name, she also sensed something was off.
“He Zhi Chen will have a plan,” Lin Tian reassured her.
Truth be told, this was partly their fault.
Many attendees had come specifically to confirm the identities of Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
And then they performed a piece that just dropped a day and a half ago?
Moreover, they nailed it!
That was clearly a bit disrespectful to the audience’s intelligence!
An 18-year-old performance duo rising in Qingzhou alongside the viral sensation “Moonlight and Cat”—could they really be the same people?
Such a revelation would be too explosive!
This competition alone was enough to sweep the music scene in Qingzhou for both Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian.
With this added fuel to the fire, it was no wonder all the music media from Qingzhou showed up!
Lin Tian could hardly fathom how he would face the monstrous wave of reporters once they stepped outside.
Around ten minutes later, He Zhi Chen arrived.
In the backstage corridor, he spotted the two and handed a piece of paper to Lin Tian.
“What’s this?”
“Public relations script; I wrote it on my way here,” He Zhi Chen replied, panting as he leaned against Lin Tian’s shoulder.
“Right now isn’t the time to go public! Just stick to what’s on this when you meet the press!”
Public relations?
Lin Tian quickly opened the paper, seeing it filled with notes.
“Will they believe this?”
“Don’t worry! So far, all online speculation is just that—speculation! They don’t have clear evidence proving you both are ‘Moonlight and Cat!’ Just don’t admit it and follow my script. Later, we can do another round of PR online to cool down the situation!”
He Zhi Chen spoke confidently.
Right now, trying to escape just wasn’t an option—doing so would only amplify the uproar.
Instead, they might as well use these reporters for a press conference and make an official statement!
Severing all their hopes!
“Also, memorize it for more credibility!”
“Got it!”
Lin Tian was genuinely touched.
Truly, a top-notch agent, He Zhi Chen was reliable in the clutch!
“Wait for me!”
Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu, grabbing the script and rushing toward the door while mumbling the lines to himself.
Memorizing a few hundred words wasn’t hard for a top student like Lin Tian, but in such a short time…
The moment he stepped outside, he was instantly floored by the scene before him.
Dozens of reporters were blocking his path, their cameras aimed at him, flashes going off like fireworks.
Once they spotted Lin Tian, the crowd erupted!
“Teacher Lin Tian!”
“Teacher Lin Tian!!”
“…”
Everyone pushed forward, scrambling for space.
Faced with the clamoring calls, Lin Tian suddenly pointed up at the sky with his finger.
“Stop!”
In an instant, the commotion ceased, and they all went silent.
He randomly pointed at a female reporter.
“You ask!”
The female reporter dashed to the front of the line, bubbling with excitement and asked,
“Teacher Lin Tian, everyone’s saying that you and Teacher Gan Yan Yu are the ones behind the ‘Moonlight and Cat’ account! That Gan Yan Yu is ‘Cat-chan,’ and you’re the legendary genius composer ‘Moonlight’ who dominates the Douyin music scene! Is this true?”
This question covered everything every reporter wanted to ask.
Everyone held their breath, looking at Lin Tian, waiting for his answer.
Lin Tian glanced at the script again.
After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath.
Then he crumpled the paper into a ball and stuffed it in his pocket.
“Yep, it’s me.”
(End of Chapter)
