Chapter 356: Lin Tian Won the MVP!!!
“Lin Tian Won the MVP!!!”
“Moonlight” is Debussey’s “Clair de Lune.”
It is the third movement of Debussy’s piano suite, _Suite bergamasque_, composed in 1890.
Its title was derived from the poem “Clair de Lune” by the French Symbolist poet Paul Verlaine. The imagery in the poem describes a moonlight that is “melancholic and beautiful,” reflecting masked dancers in a world of illusions and intangible emotions.
As one of the most innovative composers from the late 19th to early 20th century, Debussy is hailed as the “founding father of impressionist music,” though he himself refused such a label.
For many who deeply love classical music,
Debussy is indeed a very intriguing musician.
He is truly unique.
Unlike other renowned musical works like Beethoven’s _Fate Symphony_ or Mozart’s _Symphony No. 40_, which use powerful melodies to tell stories, Debussy’s music doesn’t try to narrate at all.
In his own words, “Music should shed the shackles of literature and drama and return to sound itself.”
He advocates returning to the pure power of “sound.”
So,
Listening to Debussy’s music feels like looking at a landscape.
You’re part of the scene, feeling everything you think and see—all sourced from within your heart.
And if you’re a disciple of Wang Yangming’s ideology,
If you have a strong enough heart, you can shape Debussy’s music into anything you desire, catering to your spirit.
Just like,
This piece, “Moonlight.”
This is Debussy’s pursuit of capturing “instant impressions.”
In this piece, the flow of moonlight and flickering waves are consciously crafted by Debussy to create a mood. He believes music should express changes in light and shadow like a painting rather than telling a story or venting emotions.
This is Debussy’s ultimate “abstraction.”
And it’s precisely this abstraction that makes this highly Debussy-esque “Moonlight,” when it steps away from the topic of “music” itself and away from storytelling and emotional release, somewhat sarcastically meaningful.
Especially for those who habitually wear masks.
This piece, which differs entirely from anything Lin Tian has composed before,
Will now be Lin Tian’s ultimate weapon!
The music has been written.
But how will it be performed?
To bring out 100%, 300% effect of this winning weapon on the semi-final stage,
Gan Yan Yu’s performance is crucial.
First, she must understand this piece faster than anyone else.
With Teacher Gan’s capabilities, there shouldn’t be any problem.
Thought Lin Tian.
As if noticing the time creeping past three in the morning, Lin Tian decided to leave it till tomorrow.
He carelessly placed the sheet music on the piano and turned back to his bed.
—
In his dream, Lin Tian faintly heard the sound of a violin playing.
He groggily frowned.
Looks like he was exhausted—he was even dreaming of cello sounds.
Lin Tian shifted to sleep further.
Suddenly—
Scary chords rang out.
“BOOM!!!”
Lin Tian bolted upright as if dying but then awake.
What’s going on?!
Lin Tian slipped on his shoes and walked out of his bedroom.
On the balcony, blinding sunlight through the floor-length windows splashed over the small steamed bun boxes set on the table, indicating it was already afternoon.
At the door of the balcony, right in front of the piano,
a girl with a thin tank top, denim shorts, revealing her white, smooth thighs, leaned against the piano.
She held the cello bow and slowly played.
Gentle sounds echoed.
A cool breeze blew across the balcony, gently lifting her fine, almond-shaped face and her hair across her nose.
Her slightly messy hair, hitting her face, added to the perfect ambiance.
Lin Tian admitted.
In an instant, he was fully awake.
Seemingly feeling his stare, Gan Yan Yu stopped playing and turned her head, seeing Lin Tian.
“You woke up?”
“How did you end up here?”
“I brought breakfast, knocked on your door but got no response, so I called you but you didn’t answer. I feared you had died, so I came in myself.” Gan Yan Yu said with some embarrassment.
“…”
Hearing such good luck first thing in the morning, it took every ounce of self-control for Lin Tian not to curse out loud.
However, Lin Tian wasn’t displeased about Gan Yan Yu being so assertive.
After all, after waking up and looking around the living room, he saw such a beautiful sight with Gan Yan Yu and cello… quite delightful actually.
He sometimes felt like they were cohabiting.
“Were you up really late last night?” asked Gan Yan Yu.
She glanced at the unorganized sheet music on the piano and noticed the clock—now reading one PM.
She immediately guessed,
Lin Tian spent another night writing music.
Thinking this,
Gan Yan Yu felt a bit upset.
Hadn’t she agreed with Lin Tian to share the burden of composing? She couldn’t let him carry everything alone every time.
Even if,
She couldn’t help much herself, Gan Yan Yu wished she could be there as moral support and provide fruits whenever Lin Tian needed.
That’d make her quite content.
Yet last night, Lin Tian still pulled an all-nighter writing music alone.
“You should’ve told me.”
Gan Yan Yu sighed softly,
“I couldn’t sleep either.”
After all,
Talking at Teacher Tuoba’s house that day,
Who wouldn’t be wide awake last night?
Perhaps Lin Tian was affected, thus staying up late to work on it.
“…”
Seeing Gan Yan Yu’s somber expression, Lin Tian knew what she was thinking.
But instead of rushing to comfort her,
Lin Tian went straight to her, patting her shoulder,
“No worries, I finished my work. You’ll have plenty to do in the next big part.”
Lin Tian looked at the open sheet music on the piano.
He instantly recognized it—Gan Yan Yu was playing the “Moonlight” he had written last night.
“How does it feel?” Lin Tian asked.
The conversation finally returned to topic.
Upon hearing the question, Gan Yan Yu became excited,
“I was going to talk to you about this, Lin Tian.”
Gan Yan Yu stared at the piece, expression complex but also exuberant as if she had found some treasure,
“This music… It’s incredibly beautiful, yet it’s so odd.”
“Odd?”
Lin Tian hadn’t expected Gan Yan Yu to describe this piece that way.
“Yes, I attempted it for half a day but couldn’t lock onto the emotion. It feels so different; nothing like the usual pieces I’ve played.”
Gan Yan Yu said with seriousness but with a bit of frustration.
While saying this, her brows furrowed unintentionally as though deep in thought.
“…”
Seeing Gan Yan Yu’s troubled expression after such a long time, since the Parrot Zither Cup, Lin Tian realized his greatest fear had materialized.
— Xiao Gan couldn’t resonate quickly.
Like he had suspected last night while creating.
Debussy’s music is too abstract, lacking narrative altogether.
It’s unlike some short stories,
Where context and the author’s life experiences let you infer their emotions to some extent.
But not this piece, Clair de Lune.
Even if he detailed Debussy’s biography to Gan Yan Yu, she might not grasp the essence.
“…”
Yet,
On a lighter note,
When he saw Gan Yan Yu struggling—something rarely seen recently,
Lin Tian felt a sense of relief.
Because again, Lin Tian had unilaterally written the piece, and he had been talking with Teacher Tuoba all day yesterday, leaving no room for Gan Yan Yu to help.
Otherwise, this girl might start regretting helping him again.
In fact, every time Gan Yan Yu discussed composing with Lin Tian without having contributed, Lin Tian struggled to maintain his calm.
For example,
This collaboration of “Moonlight” and “Cat”—two people. Lin Tian composes daily, runs social media, releases videos, and finally, at month-end, it turns out he scored a hit with the album sales. Lin Tian gets MVP! It’s a 13.0 carry game!
Looking at Gan Yan Yu simply waiting for Lin Tian to write, rehearse, and play…
Lazy dog!
Gan Yan Yu was practically a lazy dog!
Her score for the month is 3.0!
Is this fair?
Absolutely not, right?
“Can you explain more?”
Gathering his thoughts, Lin Tian inquired.
What does she mean by “odd,” “different.”
Such abstract descriptions Lin Tian just doesn’t get.
Actually, about getting the emotion right, even Lin Tian can’t help much.
Because he’s clueless too.
Even if he understands “Moonlight” thoroughly and knows how it conveys its atmosphere,
That doesn’t mean he can naturally incorporate it into the performance.
Otherwise, anyone browsing a Wikipedia article would transform into a world-class artist.
So, only Gan Yan Yu can do this.
Playing at this level involves intricate emotions, something Lin Tian can only assist and guide her with.
“To put it simply,”
Gan Yan Yu looked at the sheet music, lost in thought,
“I intended to communicate through this piece, but on the other side, no one is present.”
It became even more abstract.
Fortunately,
Even if Gan Yan Yu speaks in such abstract terms,
someone out there who understands her exists—a fellow madman.
That’s Lin Tian.
Lin Tian understood it.
He knew her playing style.
Gan Yan Yu has a rare sense of immersion—she completely dives into the music’s world whenever she performs.
For example, Elgar’s E minor cello concerto.
Gan Yan Yu transcends time, back to an era of war and conflict.
In a dialogue with Elgar’s solitary soul from a hundred years ago.
Through such immersive experience,
her cello’s sound possesses this overwhelming mesmerizing intensity.
However,
With “Moonlight,”
Gan Yan Yu stumbled.
The girl, as always, carried her baggage, crossed a century, and arrived in the world of “Moonlight.”
She faced only a beautiful scenery.
And a practical joke left by Debussy.
No one around, no plot, no conflict, and even the emotions remained flat, unchanged.
White blankness all around,
Gan Yan Yu stood there, confused.
“…”
Lin Tian understood.
No wonder, Gan Yan Yu described this piece as “special.”
For her, it breaks her typical routine.
Being disoriented is quite normal.
“It should improve after a few more plays,”
Lin Tian said,
“I’ll join you.”
This piece isn’t technically challenging, but expressing it is.
Lin Tian believed that with Gan Yan Yu’s skill, repeated duets would help her find the right emotion soon.
“Uh-huh.”
Gan Yan Yu nodded.
Soon, Lin Tian adjusted his seat beside hers on a long bench.
The young man took a deep breath.
“Three, two, one, start.”
Just as Lin Tian was about to call out, he was interrupted by Gan Yan Yu.
“Hold on!”
Confused, Lin Tian watched as she rose, heading toward the balcony.
She drew the curtains closed and switched off the lights.
The room dimmed instantly.
A little light pierced through the curtains, illuminating the living room slightly.
“This gives better moonlight vibes,” Gan Yan Yu said seriously.
“As I expected,” Lin Tian chuckled.
Indeed, these curtains blocked light pretty effectively.
Once drawn, visibility plummeted, making it impossible to tell night from day inside.
Calling it “moonlight” worked just fine.
“What about the competition?”
Lin Tian asked.
Surely, they couldn’t ask for an artificial moon at the venue.
“Don’t worry,”
Gan Yan Yu teased, sticking her tongue out prettily and returning to her seat.
She picked up the cello.
This time,
There’d be no interruptions.
Lin Tian silently counted,
“One, two, three…”
With the first key pressed,
“Moonlight” descended like rays through a domed canopy, flowing along his wrist to the gap where the plectrum struck the strings.
The quiet but gentle piano notes began first.
“…”
The triplets extended on the pedals, transforming into liquid silver light.
Gan Yan Yu entered at just the right moment. On the G string, her cello sighed like the moon sinking into deep waters, interwoven with the piano.
It was almost like dancing.
Brilliant!
Lin Tian marveled under his breath.
Isn’t she pulling this off well?
As expected from Gan Yan Yu’s cello.
For such melodic poetry, she always excels.
She melded the unique qualities of the cello seamlessly with “Moonlight.”
Soft and serene—Lin Tian could easily relish it even during their duet.
The music approached a minor climax.
The piano accelerated slowly, not aggressively, like a trickling stream gradually building up.
The cello responded like a lotus being sprayed with water drops, swaying delicately—its motion gentle, perfectly carrying the tenderness, almost a tranquil feast for the senses.
“…”
Without realizing it,
With the cello setting the tone,
The beautiful scene crafted by Debussy unfolded in Lin Tian’s eyes.
—Did he expect too much of her?
Lin Tian couldn’t tell whether his standards outpaced her growth rate, but he truly believed she did a splendid job.
How fast she’s improved.
Back then, Gan Yan Yu struggled with difficult-to-convey emotions.
She might turn the entire piece into a disaster.
Her thought process was inscrutable.
But now,
Even if she claims she hasn’t nailed down the exact emotion, she instinctively plays, delivering such a beautiful performance.
Present-day Gan Yan Yu is terrifying.
He doubts there’s any piece capable of bringing her down.
Just as Lin Tian marveled:
The music reached a crescendo.
Simultaneously rapid variations, like gentle waves lapping at the shore.
But,
When Lin Tian confidently increased the tempo at the piano,
something peculiar happened on the cello side.
—”Too fast.”
For unclear reasons,
The cello sped up in ways Lin Tian hadn’t anticipated.
Rapidly intensifying.
“?”
Lin Tian couldn’t believe Gan Yan Yu made such a fundamental mistake.
He turned to his partner.
Gan Yan Yu’s eyes were tightly shut.
She bit her lip, seemingly grasping something profound.
Once the music started, Lin Tian couldn’t interrupt.
He followed her.
Yet, she kept accelerating.
So did Lin Tian.
Something was wrong!
Definitely wrong!
Lin Tian saw.
Gan Yan Yu’s mind had drifted far from the room.
She couldn’t hear the accompaniment next to her, nor realize her music’s intense impact.
Instantly,
Lin Tian felt,
His thoughts flew astray.
Amidst the serene moonlit view,
he perceived an agitated and volatile Gan Yan Yu.
Sitting by the lake, she displayed pain and struggle.
Her expression starkly contrasted the surroundings, completely disconnected from the ambiance.
Lin Tian froze.
He had never seen such a hysterical Gan Yan Yu.
Such expressions were alien to her.
She might have been troubled, nervous, anxious,
Never showing such raw emotion.
“…”
The duet ended.
Gan Yan Yu exhaled heavily.
Lin Tian turned to her, gaze complex.
“How did it go?”
Gan Yan Yu sensed his serious look, asking cautiously,
“Teacher Gan—”
Lin Tian spoke,
“Are you trying too hard to win?”
(End of Chapter)
