### Chapter 214: Finals, Let the Show Begin! (4k)
“This place is just a street away from Sunny Day Concert Hall. After the competition, you can bring her to this restaurant.”
“The yard at the back door is pretty spacious, and it’s usually empty, so feel free to unleash your creativity.”
“I’ll prepare a bouquet for you here in advance.”
“Plus, the restaurant boss and I are good buddies. He can help you record the MVP victory replays with the surveillance cameras.”
Inside the restaurant.
Xu Yong was chatting excitedly to Lin Tian about the plans and arrangements for the big night.
But Lin Tian couldn’t help but interrupt, “Wait a second, you know the restaurant boss really well?”
“Yep.”
“Is he a relative of yours?” Lin Tian thought to himself, how come I’ve never heard about this before.
“Nope, he’s an online friend.”
“Online friend?”
“To be precise—he’s a fellow forum user.”
Just then, a man strolled out from the backyard. Upon seeing Xu Yong, he raised his hand enthusiastically and exclaimed, “Xu Yong!”
“Soft Brother!” Xu Yong waved back happily.
“What a weird nickname,” Lin Tian was baffled.
As the man approached, Xu Yong threw an arm around his shoulder and said to Lin Tian, “This is the boss of the place. His forum ID is ‘Even the Hardest Mouth Becomes Soft When Kissed,’ so we call him Soft Brother.”
“Moonlight Brother, I’ve heard so much about you! I’ve envied you for ages!” The man shook Lin Tian’s hand with excitement.
“…”
A normal person would probably say, “I’ve liked you for quite a while,” right?
“Envy you for ages?” What is this new trend in fan culture?
“You two seem to get along pretty well.”
Looking at the two of them buddying up, Lin Tian was astonished at how close online friends could get.
“We’ve only known each other for a month, can you believe it?” Xu Yong chuckled. “Last month, I posted on the forum about ‘Is everyone who plays COSPLAY a chicken?’ and out of all those people, only Soft Brother gave me over a hundred replies explaining what it really is.”
“Don’t underestimate the bonds of us mouse enthusiasts!” Soft Brother said seriously.
Whoa, no need to get all hyped out of nowhere!
“…”
Lin Tian began to suspect that Xu Yong might have attached a certain someone’s photo for reference when he made that post.
“Anyway—don’t worry, Moonlight Brother! That night, my restaurant will be open just for you and Teacher Cat!”
Soft Brother said, “Whatever you need, just tell me!”
Countdown to the finals: 2 days.
With everything set, the training reached its final stage.
“…”
“Lin Tian.”
That evening, after running through the piece again.
Gan Yan Yu hesitated to speak.
She wanted to say something but seemed unable to get it out.
Finally, she softly said, “Have you been feeling off lately, or is it just my imagination? You seem distracted these past few days.”
Let’s not even discuss distractions.
You’ve clearly been doing your own thing too.
Lin Tian smiled wryly, “Not really?”
“Yes, really!”
Gan Yan Yu said earnestly, “Haven’t you noticed? Your performance isn’t keeping up with my groove anymore.”
Well, your groove needs to be open to me too…
Lin Tian rubbed his forehead.
But then she said something that choked him up a bit—
“Lin Tian, are you still thinking about the competition?”
“…”
She was right.
Lin Tian admitted to himself.
Because of all sorts of things going on: debut, livestreaming, confession plans, he seemed to have shifted his focus away from the performance itself.
While Gan Yan Yu was concentrating on the competition, he was caught up in everything else.
Yeah, that was a bit sneaky.
Even though “Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor” had been completed for a few days.
They hadn’t moved forward after recording it at the company.
There was no video version for Douyin or Bilibili shot yet.
Which was actually because…
In the few rehearsals, they hadn’t produced the desired effect.
But—
This style of dance music should totally resonate with both Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu!
In “One Step Away,” they’d perfected that connection to the max.
So why were they struggling now?
Lin Tian felt that starting to fall behind Gan Yan Yu was just a superficial issue.
The real reason?
Their hearts seemed to have begun diverging, even if subtly.
This divergence was delicate.
Lin Tian couldn’t directly voice it.
Similarly, Teacher Gan had been dodging this topic too.
Were they really going to face the finals in this state?
“…”
“Let’s keep going!”
No matter what.
The competition was imminent; thinking of other things wouldn’t help. They needed to keep practicing.
Gan Yan Yu looked at Lin Tian, mouth slightly open.
She wanted to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words.
“Okay.”
January 20.
Today marked the biennial cello extravaganza in Qingjiang Province.
After a month of elimination rounds, the Parrot Zither Cup finally reached the finals!
After hundreds of contestants were eliminated, only Gan Yan Yu and Bai Xi remained in the final circle.
Before the match, major music media and producers in Qingjiang were all making their predictions!
Fourteen authoritative music media outlets voted on the results of the match between the two.
Eleven believed Bai Xi would take the championship this time.
Only three outlets believed Gan Yan Yu would seize victory.
Prior to the competition, many well-known musicians and magazine editors were interviewed.
Qingzhou’s famous composer and music producer, Wei Zihang, stated:
“Although Teacher Gan Yan Yu shone brightly in the semifinals, her performance has always lacked stability. In contrast, Teacher Bai Xi’s formidable skill is something all Qingjiang cellists recognize.”
Another invited judge from abroad, renowned performer Tian Yehua, added:
“A good fighter doesn’t need to boast. While Bai Xi may not have as much expressive power as Gan Yan Yu, it’s clear she has always been winning!”
On various online forums.
Given that Gan Yan Yu had just been revealed as the super popular cellist “Cat” on a recent short-video platform, and her partner was the rising genius composer Moonlight, she naturally garnered widespread attention from netizens.
“Go Cat! We believe you will win!”
“Keep it up! I can’t attend the live competition, but I’ll definitely watch the livestream!”
“Even if you lose, it doesn’t matter; you still have us!”
“After the competition, we’ll be waiting for you and Moonlight’s concert!”
“…”
Even though a lot of netizens were cheering her on…
There remained a significant problem.
Most fans had absolutely no idea what music competitions were like.
They also didn’t realize how crucial the Parrot Zither Cup was for Moonlight and Cat.
For many fans,
Competing was merely a side gig for Moonlight and Cat; creating music was their primary focus.
So, while they cheered relentlessly, what they actually cared about more than the competition results was seeing their idols put on a fantastic show on stage.
As they observed all the media predictions and news coverage, everyone was left dumbfounded.
It seemed losing was just part of the deal.
Even if they lost to such a formidable foe, as long as the performance was stunning, it would still be a delightful story for Moonlight and Cat.
What Gan Yan Yu couldn’t accept was simply losing.
In the rest room.
Inside a private room.
Gan Yan Yu sat in front of the makeup mirror, taking deep breaths repeatedly.
Then she suddenly said in one breath:
“Come on, Yan Yu! You’re the strongest, the best, the hardest-working, the most diligent…”
At that moment, Lin Tian walked through the door.
“…”
Gan Yan Yu jumped, quickly sitting up straight.
Then she made eye contact with Lin Tian.
They both fell into a silence for two seconds.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Tian was stunned.
“Self-encouragement.”
“You sound like a pyramid scheme pitch.”
Lin Tian couldn’t help but roast her.
In Lin Tian’s mind, only people in a pyramid scheme would concoct such a motivational routine for themselves every day.
“Should I assume you’re trying to overcome the stage fright with this self-hypnosis tactic?”
“…”
“Guess.”
Gan Yan Yu didn’t reply directly but turned her head away.
However, a barely noticeable smile appeared on her face.
“I just checked at the front desk.”
Lin Tian redirected the topic, “Tuoba is definitely not on the judges’ panel anymore; sitting in the middle now is Teacher Yao Han.”
“Great.”
“This time in the finals, we can finally fight fair and square!”
Lin Tian grinned.
He had to give another compliment to Teacher Gan here.
Even though she faced harsh criticism from Tuoba in the preliminary rounds.
Her mindset hadn’t been shaken at all.
This was not only due to Teacher Gan’s solid attitude but also because she completely trusted Lin Tian.
Especially before the semifinals.
Back then,
Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu were practicing “D Major Canon.”
He genuinely felt that they could outplay any opponent.
But that feeling faded away in an instant.
Now, Lin Tian even thought he and Teacher Gan couldn’t even tune into the same basic channel anymore.
Before long,
The large television in the rest room turned on automatically.
On the screen, the competition scene was showcased.
The concert hall was packed to capacity.
It was even more bustling than the semifinals.
And among the audience were a lot of youthful faces.
Clearly, since Moonlight and Cat were involved, many university students showed up to watch the competition.
These university students were notorious for their ticket-snatching and coupon-collecting prowess, leaving the older musicians in the dust!
This led to a spectacle at the competition similar to a concert scene.
These young viewers were far more passionate and energetic; they sat in the audience, chatting with each other, displaying excitement.
The camera even caught several audience members wearing shirts featuring the “Moonlight and Cat” logo.
Was this their clever way of expressing adoration for the contestants since banners and glow sticks weren’t allowed?
Upon seeing this on the big screen, many people wore even more excited expressions, of course thrilled to see their kind.
Until
Several audience members in shirts raised high the “Rainy Day Wet” album facing the camera!
Wow!
So now we’re showing off, are we?
In an instant, the audience was filled with joyous chatter and fragrant dialogue.
Numerous fans expressed disdain for these album-holding exhibitionists with their actions.
As the stage lights intensified.
The host, donned in an elegant blue gown, stepped onto the stage.
The audience finally quieted down, turning their gazes to the center stage.
With a smile that would make the央视 proud, the host declared:
“Welcome everyone to the stage of the Qingjiang Province Parrot Zither Cup cello finals!”
“Coming up is the final match of our professional group!”
As her words faded,
The big screen behind the stage displayed photos of Gan Yan Yu and Bai Xi!
The audience erupted into thunderous applause.
Many stood up, excitedly whistling and cheering.
The two photos were taken right after the semifinals, showing Gan Yan Yu and Bai Xi standing on either side of the stage.
It not only encapsulated the competitive atmosphere but also highlighted their faces beautifully under the lights.
Many first-time Moonlight and Cat fans couldn’t help but exclaim.
“This Bai Xi sister looks pretty good too!”
“She’s only one-third as cute as Cat, but still not bad!”
“Whoa! Look at this…”
Before long,
The big screen was filled with their historical accolades.
[Gan Yan Yu]
[UK Music Competition – 2022 Victor Herbert Prize]
[Tianchao Youth Popular Music Festival – 2020 Starlight Stunning Award]
[.]
A mere few lines.
On the other side.
[Bai Xi]
[2022 “Blue Cup” National Cello Competition Bronze Award.]
[2022 Qingjiang Province Young Artist Award]
[2023 Tokyo Symphony Orchestra Invited Soloist.]
[2023 Received special award from Young Musicians Association.]
[2024 “Star Cup” Cello Competition Champion]
[.]
A full page of accolades.
“Hold on, are they really on the same level?!”
Seeing this, all the Moon Cat fans felt like the sky was falling!
Imagine attending your idol’s music competition for the first time and being slapped in the face by such a stark contrast!
“Oh no, it feels like Cat’s in trouble!”
“Never heard of these awards. They must be rigged!”
“Hard to say; there are plenty of fake awards in music competitions.”
In no time, several fans sporting shirts started debating among themselves, showing expressions of alarm like they were facing a formidable enemy.
At this moment, an experienced Gan Yan Yu fan nearby couldn’t help but turn around and say,
“You all need to chill!”
The veteran fan said seriously,
“Teacher Bai Xi is a highly respected cellist who has brought QIngjiang considerable recognition abroad!”
“It’s such a competitor that winning would really mean something!”
Backstage.
Seeing the excitement on stage, even Lin Tian couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
Though he’d always said he’d stay calm and relaxed during the finals.
Now standing there, the pressure was indeed significant.
Just then,
Gan Yan Yu, who had just come back from the restroom, pushed the door open.
She wobbled as she walked in.
“What happened?”
Lin Tian was startled, hastily moving to support Gan Yan Yu.
“I slipped in the restroom and twisted my ankle,” Gan Yan Yu said dejectedly.
“Lin Tian, I remember you studied massage, right? Can you adjust bones?”
(End of Chapter)
