Chapter 263: It’s Time to Take This Seriously (4K Words) (Vote for Me)
“Is this what you call congratulations?”
Lin Tian took the phone from He Zhi Chen with an uneasy look when he saw He Zhi Chen’s mysterious smile.
On the phone was Tokyo’s trending list.
One of them stood out:
“[Live from the Sato Sakura International Piano Competition, rumored to be China’s youngest musician ever, Lin Tian?’]”
“Is that all?”
Lin Tian thought even Gan Yan Yu eating half a tray of Dorayaki was more interesting than this topic.
At least eating secretly was cute.
“Nope.”
Gan Yan Yu put her hands behind her back and stated,
“Making international media during a competition in Japan is quite rare, let alone before the contest even begins—it’s nearly unprecedented.”
“Master Gan is right, Master Lin; you’ve truly made history,” He Zhi Chen added.
“But using this sentence structure… it sounds like something only a big star would say.”
Like, “Surprise! [Name] appeared at [place],” and everyone goes crazy.
The “youngest musician in China” quote also seems sarcastic or ironic?
Lin Tian questioned this, and He Zhi Chen confidently reassured him,
“Let’s see how things unfold!”
Today, the Sato Sakura Official Twitter was bustling.
As the world-renowned piano event, the Sato Sakura competition news always gained a lot of attention each February.
Especially as participants were top young talents from across the globe.
Sometimes, something breaks through—taking over Twitter’s trending section.
This year was no different.
The official welcome party on YouTube showcased unforgettable moments.
Like, the world-class pianist seen misplacing his socks for some laughs.
Or, an unexpectedly famous musician showing up at the party, shocking the viewers.
This year,
When global piano fans gathered on Twitter and YouTube,
They were surprised to discover that the most talked-about contestant was Lin Tian,
A Chinese pianist!?
Who?!
Only after watching the live stream and video recordings did they realize.
He was a truly remarkable guy.
Fresh off the boat, never having competed before,
People recognized him both on-site and online!
Now everyone felt a bit out of touch, very uncool indeed.
Curiosity kicked in among netizens worldwide.
It was like finding a hidden gem of a community.
On Twitter, many posts asked,
“Who is Lin Tian?” “Who are Yue Guang and Cat?” and “China’s HX board #1.”
Loads of explanatory articles and videos popped up.
Japanese and Korean YouTubers took it upon themselves to introduce this guy to the Western audience unfamiliar with Yue Guang and Cat.
This 18-year-old high school student.
Started from TikTok China.
Releasing 4-5 classical songs every month.
His debut album hit the top spot on China’s HX music board for classical tunes.
Seeing such an impressive CV, the first reaction was,
“Hahahaha!”
“Did you laugh?”
“China’s internet isn’t just full of memes. They’ve actually elevated one person to this level.”
“What are Chinese netizens doing!? How can you believe this?!”
“. . .”
Soon enough,
With Yue Guang and Cat becoming widely known,
The discussion went viral on YouTube.
Almost every video had comments about Lin Tian.
Among them, Sarah, a music blogger with over 3 million followers, was particularly fervent.
Though not a professional pianist, her high-quality performance clips still won her a huge fanbase.
Each year, she shared updates on the Sato competition.
Effectively, she brought her audience along to watch.
In her latest preview video, Sarah boldly declared,
“d*mn, how could the organizers invite someone like this fraud to the competition?!”
She described this year’s Sato International Piano Competition as “the darkest day yet.”
Clearly, she was very disappointed!
From an insider’s perspective, she led readers on a quest for the truth.
Under Sarah’s probing,
Lin Tian’s background and detailed information were dug up like never before.
Born in 2004, “Lin Tian”
Neither graduated from conservatories nor had any noteworthy contest wins.
He only participated in a cello competition—serving as an accompanist.
That’s the only thing worth mentioning!
But his own record was empty!
Yet within a few months,
He wrote over 10 songs.
And created a record-breaking sales figure—
200,000 copies!
An insane feat considering the genre isn’t pop.
How is that possible?
Even more unbelievable,
He got invited to participate in the Sato competition!
Why?!
How did he do it?
Looking at all this info,
One realizes,
This wasn’t just a celebrity.
He was literally a manufactured idol by entertainment companies.
A very successful commercial product.
Far removed from being a real musician!
If this were all, it wouldn’t matter.
Such things happened often in the industry.
But Sarah, in her video, bemoaned,
“This fraud, without any music school background or real achievements, now invites himself to such an event!”
Sure, making records and becoming stars is fine.
But cheating in a place where people hold it sacred—that’s unacceptable.
This insulted other pianists and disrespected the “Sato” brand.
It tarnished the years of good reputation.
As soon as the video came out, the music community erupted.
Initially, Japanese and Korean netizens who followed Yue Guang and Cat tried to explain with live-stream recording.
But their explanations were easily overlooked.
Everyone assumed even live videos could be faked!
Also, from start to finish, there was no solid evidence to support either side.
“I watched this. The ‘Yue Guang and Cat’ has a decent reputation domestically. My god, where is the IQ of Chinese netizens?! Why do they fall for this?”
“They pull this kind of scam. No wonder Chinese music sucks. It’s shocking!”
“To be honest, any normal person shouldn’t believe these compositions were written by just one person!”
“At the very least, even our current best prodigy, Nishikawa Yuha, takes at least three months to compose one major work!”
Amid public anger,
A few rational voices chimed in.
“If it’s fake, international art associations should have caught on right?”
“Just imagine, it might be a once-in-a-civilization genius!”
These arguments didn’t change much.
Many netizens believed the Tokyo International Art Association had received bribes.
And cut a deal with Lin Tian’s agency, Yuele.
Not a rare thing!
“Sato” was basically a performance contest with no strict entry requirements.
Unlike the Reitz Competition, a globally acclaimed classical music event, which demands champions from the current year.
Each year, “Sato” has some entrants through money.
Netizens thought Lin Tian was just another attempt at buying his way into the spotlight, hoping for domestic fame back in China.
Such occurrences weren’t unusual.
But this time,
With zero credentials and a teenage internet persona,
The intelligence of the general public took a beating.
Especially since plenty of dim-witted folks believed it!
Suddenly, the entire music community was in uproar.
Westerners didn’t find it hard to understand the backlash.
In truth, for those few true believers, proving Lin Tian’s talent required simple action:
Just play piano at the competition.
With the growing buzz, Sarah quickly issued a second video, focusing solely on Lin Tian.
She seemed to soften her stance.
In the new clip, she said if Lin Tian was indeed a product of capital,
A placeholder for gaining exposure internationally,
His playing skills must be terrible!
Because just throwing money at a project means subpar abilities.
Even if the performance sounded “decent.”
Sarah insisted she wouldn’t admit it.
“Can’t admit it!” she proclaimed.
Lin Tian needed to show exceptional skills to change her mind.
Sarah admitted he could be a talented composer,
But his piano level must be top-notch too.
She claimed to tell by sound alone!
And if a 18-year-old prodigy had world-class skills,
It suddenly wouldn’t be so strange that he could write such pieces as Yue Guang.
Of course, Sarah still held that it was almost impossible.
Then, after Lin Tian performed,
She planned to release another video,
Ripping apart the art association.
Back at the hotel, Lin Tian scrolled through it all, feeling both amused and frustrated.
Domestic problems had traveled abroad, and online fights followed him.
Even his career might be marred by these doubts.
Yet, despite the backlash,
He gained massive attention.
More than he’d hoped for.
No longer unknown, he stood out as one of the most discussed players,
Alongside famous names like Alves Burke and Nishikawa Yuha.
Sure, it was negative publicity.
But he stayed optimistic.
What’s the big deal?
They criticize, he performs beautifully.
Easy peasy.
Nothing new under the sun for him.
The next morning, Lin Tian, He Zhi Chen, and Gan Yan Yu left for the Tokyo International Music Hall, preparing for the dress rehearsal.
Suddenly,
A cloaked man lunged forward,
Hitting Lin Tian with a loud exclamation, “d*e!”
He held an iron rod.
He Zhi Chen panicked; too close to react. Gan Yan Yu jumped in front.
Lin Tian pushed her away, sidestepped the rod, grabbed the man’s wrist, twisting viciously.
“AAAH!!!”
The man dropped his weapon, screaming.
“BAM!”
Lin Tian punched him square in the face, sending two bloody teeth flying.
Instantly, he grabbed the man’s arm, throwing him over his shoulder.
The man crashed to the ground, wailing in agony.
It all happened in less than five seconds.
He Zhi Chen and Gan Yan Yu stared in shock.
Hotel staff also arrived, stunned.
“He… I won’t let you—let you, this liar, sully Mr. Sato Sakura’s name!” the man groaned.
Was the attack meant to keep him from competing?
Lin Tian couldn’t believe it.
“Typical Japanese behavior,” He Zhi Chen muttered, glancing around.
Thankfully, the nearby staff member didn’t catch his sarcasm.
Quickly, the manager hurried out, wringing his hands.
“Already called the police! We’re sorry, Master Lin Tian! We’ll take full responsibility!”
Lin Tian looked around at the chaos.
He Zhi Chen sighed,
“You get it now, don’t you?”
“This competition is finally getting serious.”
(End of Chapter)
