### Chapter 34: Gan Yan Yu Gets Stranger and Stranger
Gan Yan Yu was momentarily stunned as she gazed at the confident face of the young man.
Suddenly, memories flashed through her mind—Lin Tian standing on the guardrail that night, pointing dramatically at her and declaring he wanted to help.
Why is he always this handsome?
If she were a normal girl, she might have already fallen for him by now.
Her thoughts brought a slight hint of satisfaction to her expression.
”Right, Teacher Gan.”
Lin Tian’s voice snapped her out of her reverie.
”How’s everything with your parents?”
Ever since their talk at the observatory, Gan Yan Yu had resolved to break free from her parents and choose her own path.
But being a high school student and all, with no grandpa around anymore, living alone is still tough.
Unlike Lin Tian, who has no parents, Gan Yan Yu’s parents are both alive and fully capable of taking her back. If they force her away, she wouldn’t stand much of a chance.
”They’re sorted.”
”Sorted?”
”Yeah, they agreed I could stay at Grandpa’s house and send me money regularly. They just want to visit occasionally.”
”That’s fine.”
Lin Tian hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly.
He thought her parents would’ve made a huge fuss.
But Gan Yan Yu’s choice of words intrigued him.
”Allowed?”
”Yeah, I used the tactic you taught me.”
”What’s that supposed to be?”
”Those who abandoned me at three can’t call themselves my parents.”
”.”
Lin Tian chuckled.
It looks like Gan Yan Yu’s parents might actually be practical types.
”Oh, you want to play the cello?
Sorry, we’re your parents—we’re dead-set against it. We’ll toss everything out if you insist.
Oh, trying to cut ties with us?
Fine, we just want to live at Grandpa’s house? Done! We’ll give you whatever you want, as long as we get to visit regularly.
That’s what you call flexibility, huh?
But seriously, it shows Gan Yan Yu’s parents do have some conscience.
They realize the years of neglect toward her, and after her outburst, they’re willing to admit their mistakes.
Even many parents can’t do better than this.
“Awesome, should we go out and celebrate?”
Lin Tian rubbed his hands, “Celebrate freedom!”
“Sure.”
Just as Gan Yan Yu spoke, she stopped abruptly, shaking her head:
“Nah, you have school tomorrow, right?”
“We’ve been up all night before, what’s the difference?” Lin Tian pondered.
After all, to be with Gan Yan Yu that day, Lin Tian had slept in class the next morning.
Normally, Lin Tian is the model student.
Such a drastic change alarmed all his teachers, who rushed to the homeroom teacher wondering if Lin Tian caught ‘jade jade’ flu.
Lin Tian reassured the teacher he hadn’t slept the previous night, putting the situation to rest.
“Well, I just feel you deserve a life of your own, not just mine,” Gan Yan Yu bravely confessed after some thought.
Without other factors, Gan Yan Yu did feel she was becoming too much of a hassle.
If she carries on like this, she really will start feeling bad about herself.
“Dinner’s simple, and I really crave something good,” Lin Tian said.
And it wasn’t even just formal politeness. Days of eating the ten-tasty nourishing set with Gan Yan Yu made him a bit queasy.
He wanted something oilier, preferably junk food.
“Better save some cash, the spending’s been huge lately and it’s become too troublesome,” Gan Yan Yu muttered, quickly walking away.
At the door, slipping on her shoes,
“Thanks for today, send me the bill and I’ll pay my share,” she added.
Shutting the door behind her.
“.”
Left baffled was Lin Tian.
What’s going on?
Yesterday, massage mid-way, she left.
When they started working together enthusiastically two days ago, it seemed quite promising.
Not that Gan Yan Yu has become cold.
Cooking and workout routines are pretty harmonious.
Only, the time spent at Lin Tian’s place has noticeably shortened. And every time it looked like things were about to get somewhere, she’d cut in.
Like a handbrake!
Men hate being stopped by women like that!
If it weren’t for Gan Yan Yu, any other woman would’ve pounced on him by now after just two rounds.
You let me stop you…
You really got me annoyed!
Various schemes raced through Lin Tian’s mind. Maybe Gan Yan Yu’s naturally reserved? But the past few days, she had opened up.
Could it be… that time of the month?
She’s probably afraid of losing control in front of him.
Or maybe she’s scared of leaking?
Lin Tian crouched down, peering under the cushions.
Darn it, there were no suspicious spots or stench.
“Cough, cough.”
Sitting upright again.
He knew Gan Yan Yu would have sanitary pads if anything was going on.
What he did was pure entertainment, just a teen with some oddball ideas.
Previous life? Didn’t even make it to 20!
Two lives, and yet he hasn’t stepped out of society—just adds a pile of useless school knowledge.
Lin Tian refocused on his phone.
His teenage fantasies about girls, he didn’t have time for them right now.
The immediate goal is solving the video issue.
Gan Yan Yu’s worries aren’t baseless.
Videos only get popular for the cute girls playing instruments these days. So the quality of videos is limited.
Viewers only know it sounds good but don’t get the depth of Gan Yan Yu’s skill or the value of “Ode to Love.”
As they say:
If today you’re ascending, your view is narrow, as narrow as a frog looking at the moon.
Once you join the ranks of the elite, your perspective will expand to see the vastness and scale it up.
These TikTok users obsessed with legs don’t understand the music.
They can’t grasp the horrifying talent and future-changing masterpiece of “Moonlight and Cat.”
Of course, this isn’t a dig at netizens; even he appreciates checking out those legs.
What Lin Tian needs now is to make people realize the true worth.
Next time, adding a piano accompaniment, he thinks.
Checking his system, he sees,
“Task Completed—Compose a piece and get over 10,000 genuine likes using partner instruments in a short clip!”
He earns: 10,000 yuan.
“Ding Dong!”
With a message alert.
Lin Tian opens his phone and sees:
[Balance: 10,024.5 yuan]
Living 18 years, for the first time, Lin Tian feels truly secure.
Relief!
Happiness surged within him.
Loss at 3, separation at 15.
These years, he’s struggled hard to read and work part-time just to survive.
Now, he wants to rise to fame and make a fortune.
He’ll enter a prestigious university and achieve wealth.
To make those two who threw him away regret it.
While Gan Yan Yu dreams of music and cello,
This is what Lin Tian strives for: simplicity and purity.
Immediately, the first task is splitting the money.
He paid two months of rent right away.
Remaining balance: 7824.5.
Eating and living will be fine now.
But buying a piano remains unrealistic.
Thinking, Lin Tian remembers his classmate who saved up for a computer could loan him some cash.
Perhaps he can hit him up for some more gold.
(End of Chapter)
