### Chapter 327: The Mysterious Old Chum of Grandpa Gan
“Meaning what?”
Instinctively, Lin Tian asked.
“It means exactly what it says!”
Xu Yong was pretty ticked off with Lin Tian’s feigned ignorance.
“d*mn it, first off, you can really hold yourself back. You’re something else—”
Xu Yong gave Lin Tian a big thumbs-up.
But then he added scornfully,
“But marriage is such a major thing, are you really placing all your hopes on that world competition?”
“What if you lose? Are you going to wait another two years for the next one?”
“…”
Xu Yong had already asked Lin Tian this before, several times.
Every time Lin Tian had dodged the question by insisting that he never considered losing was even an option.
But Lin Tian knew that this time, there would be no escaping the topic. Not from Xu Yong. And not from himself either.
“There’s a good chance we won’t.”
Lin Tian looked up seriously and said,
“If we don’t win, I’ll have to step it up.”
“You’re just full of hot air?”
“Absolutely serious.”
“Got any ulterior motives here?”
“Nope.”
Xu Yong stared at Lin Tian for ten whole seconds.
“…”
“Alright, I might chicken out.” In the end, Lin Tian caved.
Not because he was weak.
It was just Gan Yan Yu.
The innocent, music obsessed girl.
How could one possibly force their way in?
If they lost after the world competition and he saw her sitting there, in tears, brokenhearted…
The only thought that would race through his mind would be that he needed to win, no matter what.
He’d forget everything else, forget anything else.
All to restore the glory they once had.
At that point, how could they even think about getting married?
This wasn’t about whether the promise was important or not anymore.
Even if they felt winning the Ke’er Cup wouldn’t affect their getting married…
But if they actually lost the competition…
How could they still think about marriage?
“Bladder inflammation,” Xu Yong scoffed.
“What’s with ‘forcing your way in’? You’re straight-up a coward.”
“There’s a chance you wouldn’t need to pretend if you actually had the guts to do it, right?”
“…”
Xu Yong might be partially right.
If Lin Tian could really go ahead and do that, why would he wait until after the competition?
If he were the type to push through even if they lost, why establish such a condition in the first place?
“Yes.”
That’s right.
Lin Tian recalled that this arrangement came from Gan Yan Yu.
She suggested it because she skipped dating and wanted directly go for marriage.
In which case:
Lin Tian had no reason to blame.
Therefore:
Xu Yong questioning him as if he had no excuse for chickening out made no sense.
The fact was, Lin Tian had been following Gan Yan Yu’s wishes since day one.
He respected Gan Yan Yu’s thoughts, and he was willing to sacrifice short-term happiness for their shared dream.
“.”
After some rational thinking, Lin Tian said,
“We’ve made a promise.”
“Where the hell did you even hear that?!!” Xu Yong roared.
“In our world, dreams are more important than anything else.”
“.”
Xu Yong looked at Lin Tian, increasingly puzzled.
“Though I may not understand your dream, one thing I know…”
Xu Yong clarified,
“I think you’ve got it wrong.”
“Together, you stay together; married is married.”
“Your world competition doesn’t stop you from getting married.”
“But forcing it all to happen post-competition, man… that’s absurd, right?”
This was Xu Yong’s take on things.
Deciding to get hitched right after the competition had way too many unknowns.
What if they lose, and everyone just falls apart?
If they truly loved each other, why not stay together first?
Marriage could wait.
Even someone like Xu Yong understood this.
But he couldn’t understand why Lin Tian seemed so nonchalant.
Xu Yong didn’t see things far enough; maybe he wasn’t a musician, so he didn’t grasp the dynamics between Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
As a “commoner,”
Xu Yong knew:
If they didn’t seize this moment, and instead waited for the competition results and risked losing their shot at both marriage and love…
They’d be losing everything!
Just thinking about it made him feel sick.
Don’t let them spend years apart, ending only because they lost the competition. It’s just a hollow “every man for himself.”
No.
Xu Yong would carry a train to Bei Jing tonight to settle things once and for all.
Su Ran would do the same.
“.”
“Okay.”
Lin Tian patted Xu Yong on the shoulder.
He knew Xu Yong had his best interests at heart.
It was Xu Yong’s last try, being Lin Tian’s classmate for three years.
So, rather than arguing, he simply nodded.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t overthink it, just get together d*mn quick!”
Xu Yong waved, grumbling.
“Don’t let me do all your worrying on your last meal, okay?”
“You’ve got a point,” Lin Tian said.
Hearing this, Xu Yong froze.
Lin Tian paused and teased,
“Why are you panicking when you can’t see the bigger picture?”
“Well, you might want to get back to the real world now?”
“.”
That discussion ended there with neither bringing it up for the rest of the meal.
Then the farewell dinner with Xu Yong was over.
For Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, it was down to the final showdown.
Grandpa Gan.
They arrived at the hospital.
Lin Tian wiped the table clean and placed the vase of flowers on Grandpa Gan’s bedside.
“Grandpa, we’re here!”
Gan Yan Yu sat smiling next to the bed, chatting with Grandpa Gan.
This was when Lin Tian would always walk to the window for a bit.
Since learning about Grandpa Gan’s recovery, they visited with much lighter spirits than before.
From tiptoeing to avoid disturbing the other patients…
Now, they practically danced into the ward!
Listening to Gan Yan Yu chatting with Grandpa Gan, Lin Tian felt a premonition.
Grandpa Gan might wake up soon.
Maybe in a month, maybe half a year, maybe on their wedding day.
“Grandpa, Yan Yu and I are heading to Bei Jing soon,”
“We’re going to participate in the Dragon Zither Cup!”
“Participating as champions of the Parrot Zither Cup!”
“Who knew it would come to this, Grandpa, we’re about to take the same stage where you once played.”
“Eve since today, I’ve been feeling very tense.”
“I keep wondering what you felt like when you started out. Were you nervous too?”
Gan Yan Yu smiled gently, leaning close to whisper.
Lin Tian turned his head to look at Grandpa Gan.
His face, creased with wrinkles, was serene.
He almost thought he saw a hint of a smile.
Suddenly, Lin Tian remembered.
Sixteen years ago, Grandpa Gan, probably in his forties or fifties, competed in the Dragon Zither Cup, running the risk of losing everything.
Yet, at over forty, competing didn’t seem so strange back then, did it?
Today, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu compete against young contestants, with the oldest at thirty-five.
The core group around twenty-five to thirty.
In just sixteen years, has the gap become that big already?
Curiosity struck him.
Knock knock knock—
At that moment,
The hospital room door knocked.
When it opened, the person who entered wasn’t a doctor or nurse but an old man in a vest.
Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu froze, staring.
Seeing two young folks, he appeared slightly stunned but quickly recovered.
The old man walked up holding a bouquet.
Ignoring Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu he approached Grandpa Gan’s bed and laid the flowers beside the pillow.
Looking at Gan Hua, his emotions were evident, his gaze lingering.
“Sir, who are you?”
“Are you Gan Yan Yu?”
The old man turned, smiling warmly at Gan Yan Yu.
“Hmm.”
“I’m an old friend of your grandfather. I’m Fang. You might not recognize me.”
Fang Grandpa looked at Grandpa Gan again, his tone softening,
“Back when Old Gan opened his coffee shop, we stopped meeting so often.”
“Are you also a cellist?” Lin Tian suddenly asked.
Fang Grandpa looked at Lin Tian,
“How did you know?”
“The hands.”
Lin Tian raised his eyebrows, indicating Fang Grandpa’s hands.
Those hands, marked by years of use, bore thick calluses, unmistakably from years of playing.
At least a decade’s worth.
Lin Tian recognized this from Grandpa Gan and occasionally from Gan Yan Yu herself.
He suspected the man played instruments, likely the cello, and he was right.
“You’re Lin Tian, right? I’ve heard of you.”
Fang Grandpa chuckled.
There was something genuinely endearing about him, as if a little kid was smiling, even endearing.
“…”
Hearing that, Lin Tian dropped his guard.
Though he didn’t like Toad Jian Gui,
he had to admit, those who made it into Toad Jian Gui’s orchestra weren’t ordinary players.
Even if they didn’t succeed outright, by their mid-twenties, they were leagues ahead of their peers.
Anyone with talent eventually became an influential musician.
This Fang Grandpa, a fellow cello player, seemed quite skilled.
“Once, I loved cello playing,”
Fang Grandpa said with a smile.
“So why are you making baozi now?” Lin Tian asked.
“Baozi are undignified? Why, my family business is just fine!”
Fang Grandpa feigned annoyance, glaring at him.
“Do you know how much cash flow my baozi stand brings in a year?”
“Stop! Stop!”
Lin Tian interrupted,
“All I wondered is, why join the orchestra if you were going to switch careers later? Isn’t that a waste?”
“…”
For Lin Tian,
Although he had just started playing music for less than a year,
meeting Gan Yan Yu changed his outlook.
He had embraced the identity of a pure musician.
Even though he didn’t know this strange old man, as a fellow performer, he couldn’t help sympathizing with his story.
Why quit playing?
Before Fang Grandpa could answer,
Countless possibilities flooded his mind.
Like Grandpa Gan, did a particular competition break his spirit?
Unlikely, Grandpa Gan was at the pinnacle of cello excellence, losing only in international competitions.
Perhaps his family opposed it?
Surely, it sounded like a talent lost to mediocrity.
Either way,
A cellist who joined Toad Jian Gui’s orchestra, with his level, quitting to make baozi seemed impossible.
Too bizarre!
“Are you just starting your career?”
Suddenly,
Fang Grandpa spoke, his smile warm and sincere,
“Yes.”
“Indeed, you two are quite young. Few have seen what we’ve seen.”
Fang Grandpa went on,
“It’s rare people like your grandpa who persevere that long.”
“And it’s a rarity to last.”
“…”
Hearing this, both were stunned.
Fang Grandpa tilted his head, thinking,
“Let me recall… There were six or seven of us cellists back in the day. Still pursuing it? None left.”
“Your father was the latest, retiring at nearly fifty.”
“In our day, making a living as a professional musician wasn’t easy. It was all about dreams anyway.”
“Like your grandfather, he barely survived on earnings from performances and competition prizes.”
“Most drop out midway… After all, everyone needs to live.”
“Gan Yan Yu whispered,
“That’s unfair. Shouldn’t dreams keep us going?”
Dreams touched a nerve within her.
Her expression faltered, not knowing how to argue but acknowledging ‘life’ made sense.
Fang Grandpa remained silent.
He turned to the ceiling and spoke softly,
“Once, I thought I’d never give up on my dreams.”
Fang Grandpa stood up with a determined look.
“Forget the past, focus on your present.”
He looked out the window, his voice faint,
“We hope it ends well for you all.”
(End of Chapter)
