Chapter 246: Passionate Underground Performance! (4K)
As the two were about to step onto the stage, they bumped into the “Cosmic Flying Pig” band heading off stage.
Kana winked at Gan Yan Yu,
“Yan Yu-chan, you’re gonna be spice!”
“I’m also a first-timer, just like the Monkey King!”
In her perspective,
She originally wanted to invite Gan Yan Yu to perform together on stage.
But Gan Yan Yu chose to perform alone with this male friend.
Probably because he was worried her level wouldn’t cut it and would mess up the performance for both of them.
What a cute guy!
Kana was starting to really like this girl.
“Thanks.”
Gan Yan Yu nodded woodenly.
Just before stepping on stage, Lin Tian stopped, turned around, and called out to Kana.
“Could we borrow a drummer? (Can we borrow a drummer?)”
“The next performance might fall flat without percussion instruments (Drum).”
“(I’ll ask.)”
Kana was surprised that Yan Yu’s friend could speak Japanese. She turned to look at the band’s drummer, the blondie, and signalled for permission.
“(Leave it to me!)”
The blondie patted his chest enthusiastically.
Seeing Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu walk up the stage and take their respective seats with their instruments, the audience murmured among themselves even louder.
“(Piano and cello?)”
“Huh? Can this get lit?”
“Is it possible to listen to pure music in a live house?”
A live house is essentially a small concert where the audience joins in the fun and dances along.
They had just enjoyed a performance by the rock band “Cosmic Flying Pig.”
Now seeing a cello and a piano, they found it hard to accept.
It’s like flipping from a Lolicon island straight to a kindergarten talent show.
Although the main element is still music, the atmosphere can’t compare.
Even though there was a popular drummer on stage, one couldn’t help but wonder if the cello really needed drum support.
What if dude gets too carried away with the rock beats and the cello and piano can’t keep up later?
“Calm down. This is a special performance. Give Yan Yu and her friend some patience,” someone remarked.
“Sure, it’s already impressive for a J.K. girl to take the stage, let’s not complain too much!”
“Seeing a cute girl play the cello is already amazing.”
Many agreed.
Despite thinking it odd to listen to pure music here, they hadn’t placed any bets on the two high school students’ performance anyway.
It’s just for some laughs!
On the stage, Lin Tian sat at the piano and tuned the keys.
Once assured everything was fine, he looked over at Gan Yan Yu, who had already set up her cello, with the blond drummer ready to go.
Lin Tian felt a bit dizzy,
“Whoa, this long island tea…
The hangover is strong.”
He gulped it all down earlier for the cool factor.
With a hand on his head, he scanned the crowd.
The venue was a mix of fashionably dressed Chinese students and young Japanese folk. Couples cuddled, glancing curiously towards the stage with eager expressions.
This was Lin Tian’s first time performing in such a setting.
It was rather… unrefined.
But it felt oddly fun.
Practicing here before potentially getting rusty again for an upcoming international competition seemed alright.
Time to let go of the classical snobbishness and enjoy some pop tunes!
Lin Tian started playing the piano.
Gan Yan Yu drew her bow across the strings.
Passionate and intense string music played out!
—From the very start frame—
An immediate uproar from the audience, “Oh~!”
Unexpected and powerful,
Like a tank ramming straight through!
“Wait, no wait…”
An audience member rubbed their eyes and double-checked the stage.
Was this really Yan Yu-chan?
“Wait, nobody told me she was so good!”
“Wow, so cool!! d*mn, the vibe is entirely different!”
“She looks like how such powerful music could come from someone so petite?”
Right then,
The J.K. girl transformed into something entirely new. Her expression was serious, sitting right in the middle of the stage, rapidly moving her bow.
If the girl on stage before had been an irresistibly adorable cherry blossom,
Now,
She was a goddess-like presence facing everyone!
Indifferent and untouchable!
From girl to goddess, the disconnect was shocking!
Over at the bar,
Even Kana was flabbergasted.
She held her glass, but forgot to drink as she stared.
“That’s amazing… Yan Yu-chan.”
Kana mumbled.
Was this even the same high school student who danced along with her earlier?
“The high school music program has gotten this amazing?”
A friend said with a teasing tone.
“No way!”
Kana turned sharply, eyes narrowing,
“You can’t see her aura?”
Kana gazed back at the stage, her face now filled with unprecedented respect.
“Her stage experience… isn’t lacking!”
The music gradually improved.
Lin Tian felt it too.
Especially the buzz from the alcohol in his brain
Awesome!
Lin Tian gave it his all.
His fingers raced on the piano keys.
This was rare, to spontaneously increase tempo during a duet with Gan Yan Yu.
“Beethoven Virus” was mainly a violin piece.
Only the light yet flexible violin could handle the extreme speed and repetition of the original track.
Converting the score for cello made it much harder.
This part should be changed – either adapt the style or shift focus to the piano.
But Lin Tian did neither!
He did the equivalent of copying and pasting the entire score directly.
Imagine driving a BYD Qin, completing a ride-hailing job, and racing on the Takumi mountain trail at 160 mph.
There was a brutal beauty in it.
Lin Tian only had to play it; Gan Yan Yu needed to pull it off.
But Lin Tian knew,
While other cellos couldn’t, Gan Yan Yu could!
That’s why he was confident.
Indeed, with acceleration kicked in,
Gan Yan Yu’s cello began to gallop.
Urgent, passionate, fiery melodies!
The instrument combination was magnetic, repetitive, yet hypnotic.
—Crowd went wild—
Everyone’s mood was ignited, dancing along.
A cello, piano, with a drummer.
A combo so addictively engaging!
“Awesome!”
“Who said cello and piano couldn’t have a spark? It’s blazing!”
“Seriously good! Could J.K. girl’s arm make afterimages?!”
One portion of the crowd was so stunned they didn’t join in at all.
Is this what live concerts are like?!
Though the tune was hot and captivating…
There was a certain sophistication.
Maybe it was the instrument or just the piece itself.
It’s like everyone was in a club, but instead of regular clothes, they were in suits and tails at a high society ball, mixing with aristocrats.
An indescribable elegance!
One tourist, not studying abroad, completely lost himself in Gan Yan Yu’s performance.
“Yan Yu-chan, hehe Yan Yu-chan…”
But as the music deepened,
“Dude, which one?”
As the tempo sped up,
The blond drummer intensified his hits,
Fast enough to smoke!
The guy was drenched in sweat.
What were these two up to?!
A performance, not a life-or-d*ath struggle, right?
At least as a drummer, he was okay—he wasn’t doing anything overly complex—but he barely kept up.
Other instruments, man, they’d suffer.
—
Below stage, the rest of the “Cosmic Flying Pig” band watched in shock.
“They’re on another planet,” the bassist whispered, speechless in awe.
“When did Yan Yu become so impressive? She wouldn’t miss our rhythm last time or turn us down.”
“If we can follow her, maybe…”
Another friend chuckled with self-mockery, “Is she worried we can’t keep up?”
“Have you seen how captivating her play is?”
Kana looked back towards stage at Gan Yan Yu.
In this wild frenzy of music,
Yan Yu seemed completely in a trance, closing her eyes, letting go of everything.
Silent now, just pulling her cello.
Behind her, Lin Tian mirrored that.
Both felt the same manic energy as the crowd!
—
For the first time,
Soaked in alcohol, Lin Tian raised his head for the first time and saw the crowd shaking along in sync with his music three meters away.
Music was like a powerful weapon in his hands.
Every thrust brought a visceral effect, cutting to the core.
The audience’s emotions hung on him—
Wanting to bleed.
Such smooth control.
When did the piano become a tool with instant effects?
He could make them cry, he could make them laugh.
That feeling was fantastic!
Unbelievably satisfying!
This must be what musicians feel!
Lin Tian never realized how exhilarating playing music could be until now.
Just purely playing—
In a place free from constraints, pure joy.
Now he understood slightly,
Why Gan Yan Yu always dreamed of—
Letting the whole world hear her cello, her classical music.
Lin Tian always thought it was a lofty and noble dream, at least for her.
But for himself—
It was just too d*mn cool!
He’s in!
—
The piano built to another climax.
Restricted by the cello’s limits,
Gan Yan Yu couldn’t match.
It wasn’t her lack, just inherent speed limits between cello and piano.
She got Lin Tian’s message.
Handed over the baton,
Now, the piano took charge!
As piano tones emerged,
Another gasp from the audience.
“d*mn, DK’s hitting hard!”
“He’s so great!”
“Someone who could partner Yan Yu cannot be subpar!”
“No one cares they’re both high schoolers now?”
Watching Lin Tian deeply engaged on piano,
So cool, oh so cool!
Many Tokyo girls were almost infatuated with him.
Mixed with alcohol, if not sitting beside Yan Yu, some would pounce for ins after the performance.
Beside the bar,
Kana kept refilling her glass, getting bored.
After chugging several beers, she marveled,
“What an amazing song… none of my band’s tunes ever come close.”
“Curious, what’s the name of their song? Never heard it, is it a cover?”
“Original composition.”
Then,
The blue-haired lady finally spoke.
She washed glasses behind the bar.
Everyone turned,
Blue-haired woman looked at the stage couple, expression pained but filled with pride,
“I confirmed, they’re very famous musicians from the mainland, ‘Moonlight and Cat’. They won a beautiful cello competition award last month.”
“She’s here to participate in the ‘Sato Sakura’ International Piano Competition next week in Tokyo.”
—End of Chapter—
