Chapter 379: No Winners (7K) (Seeking Monthly Votes)
The finals of the Dragon Zither Cup, just 14 days to go.
This morning, a shocking piece of news rattled the entire music scene!
Almost simultaneously, every media outlet began to report the same headline:
“Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, Bai Junze, and Mao Wei Ang collaborating? A clash of the top trends in Tianchao pop and classical music is coming?!”
This article burst onto the scene like a meteor, detailing the collaboration with meticulous depth. It even came with a treasure trove of photos as proof.
From multiple angles, you could clearly see the four of them frequently bustling around the offices of Comet Entertainment. Some sneaky paparazzi even managed to capture that close-up of Teacher Mao Wei Ang having a chat with Teacher Lin Tian right at the company’s entrance.
Once this article hit the front page…
It sent shockwaves through the entire music community!
“Who? Who’s collaborating with Moonlight and Cat??”
“Mao Wei Ang?? Wait, isn’t he the one doing pop music next door?”
“Hell no! So what was I doing on the frontline before this??”
“Is Moonlight going nuts? How can he work with those guys??”
“And Bai Junze? Is he even remotely a cellist? What’s up with him getting to play?”
Countless fans of the music scene, upon hearing this news for the first time, were nothing short of “confused” and “disapproving!”
In their eyes, what’s so great about that Mao Wei Ang guy?
He’s just been riding the coattails of pop music, jumped into the music circle, and somehow, with the “benefit of the game,” made it into the finals.
Even now, there are tons of viewers who heartily refuse to acknowledge Mao Wei Ang as a “cellist.”
Hey, he just strolled right into the finals, doesn’t he take himself too seriously?
Before, he dared to sass our Moonlight, and now, look where he is!
Fans unanimously agreed:
Someone like him deserves to be publicly shamed in the finals by Moonlight and Cat, and then slink back to the Chinese pop music scene like a lost dog!
Not just the d*e-hard Moonlight and Cat fans.
Even the more neutral music listeners weren’t too optimistic about this whole mess.
“It’s not that I have anything against producers from the Chinese pop music scene, but can he really handle Moonlight’s composition?”
“They aren’t even in the same genre! How can they even jam together?”
There were even classical music fans candidly expressing:
“No way! Why would they collaborate? It feels like they’re tarnishing my beloved Moonlight and Cat.”
“Waaah! Our pure Moonlight and Cat have been tainted!”
In the eyes of these fans, classical music is a sacred and unshakeable existence.
And Moonlight and Cat?
They are the guardians of this sacred realm.
Because of them, classic music has been able to regain its greatness in the music world!
On the other hand, what’s pop music?
It barely qualifies as “music.”
It should really be dubbed “merchandise!”
What a complete abandonment of artistic value, existing solely to entertain. Can that be called true “music”?
At best, it’s just “sound” providing entertainment!
And now, seeing the guardians they idolize about to team up with those “merch dealers,”
It feels just like watching their goddess being wrestled to the ground for all sorts of things!
And so, many furious netizens rushed to the official Weibo of Yueyun, voicing their protests.
There’s no way these companies didn’t communicate before this kind of collaboration.
What these netizens are doing also applies pressure to Yueyun.
“Didn’t they think about the terrible consequences this collaboration could cause?”
“Don’t just take any commercial deal! How much did Mao Wei Ang’s company bribe you??”
“Ain’t this straight-up backstabbing the fans?”
On the other side, Yueyun’s operations team was utterly bewildered.
Huh? Moonlight and Cat collaborating? When did they ever come under our management?
No way!
The operations team was completely innocent!
Who doesn’t know that among all the musicians and artists at Yueyun, Moonlight and Cat are the ones who run their own show!
After a year of signing…
Whatever they did—releasing albums, attending events, public performances—
None of it ever went through headquarters!
Didn’t they just decide everything on a whim?
At headquarters, the only person who occasionally connects directly with Moonlight and Cat’s studio to get the scoop is the chairman!
The other departments usually just act as though the two of them don’t even exist.
But let’s be fair, it’s not like they’ve never been involved at all.
Just that one day when Moonlight suddenly had a brilliant idea, dashed into the office, recorded a brand new track on a whim, and decided it should be released within that week.
At that point, all departments would scramble to pick up the pieces for this “lightbulb moment.”
To put it bluntly, everyone is just cleaning up after Moonlight and Cat!
Now, even with this situation, the operations team is getting roasted.
Moonlight and Cat have never been involved!
The blame is falling on the poor operations team!
“What in the world??”
One member in the operations department couldn’t help but vent a little online, replying to a popular comment:
“Why not go vent under the ‘Moonlight and Cat Studio’ comments?”
The fan’s reply almost knocked him out cold—
“Because I wouldn’t want to say anything harsh to Moonlight and Cat!”
Of course,
Among all these complaints, there were also quite a few fans who thought this wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
For example, Zhang Dong slipped a statement into his Bilibili update:
“No need for all this anger, this collaboration could actually be a good thing. Our Moonlight and Cat are really open-minded and wouldn’t mind such things.”
“Plus, even if Mao Wei Ang has his issues, he’s still a talented composer. Collaborating with the Chinese pop music scene could really help promote classical music!”
Zhang Dong’s comments earned him quite a bit of support.
Many level-headed fans agreed that everyone’s reaction was a bit too exaggerated.
It’s just a concert after all! How can it be elevated to “backstabbing”?
To this, Zhang Dong felt a bit disheartened.
It’s clearly just a small matter.
Why the big reaction?
And after seeing so many comments, Zhang Dong understood.
It’s not impossible there are classical music enthusiasts who treat it like a belief.
But most folks are just in that “fan mentality.”
The moment their idol works with the opposition, they feel sick regardless of the cooperation.
Especially when that collaborating partner is someone who previously had a colossal clash with their idol.
In their eyes, Moonlight and Cat are absolute angels!
They’re harmless—what do they know?
And just like that, they got tangled up with the fool Mao Wei Ang and the fool Bai Junze.
They have no idea how serious this is!
Thus, as fans, they feel it’s their duty to correct their idols’ behavior!
Thinking of this, Zhang Dong couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.
“Moonlight and the others don’t even realize your good intentions.”
This kind of behavior,
Feels more like fans just indulging themselves.
Many people listen to classical music for the sake of self-promotion and taste.
Now, hearing about a collaboration with some pop music brings their “prestige” crashing down.
How could they not feel humiliated?
That’s the most ironic part for Zhang Dong.
So many people claim to be true fans of Moonlight and Cat.
Yet, they never really considered their dreams.
Their dream is to promote classical music.
While many fans never hoped their loved music could break out of the bubble.
What significance would this concert have? How much buzz could it bring to classical music? They don’t care.
They only care about seeing their “niche treasure” being sullied by pop music.
“Good for them.”
Zhang Dong stared at his computer screen, determination in his eyes.
“This just further emphasizes the importance of this collaboration!”
Meanwhile, in the music circle, chaos reigned.
Over in the Chinese pop music scene, things weren’t any calmer.
Especially following that previous Weibo battle, those top-tier singers and kings who stood up for Teacher Mao.
Upon hearing about the collaboration with the Moonlight and Cat, each one of them instantly donned their clown masks!
What an embarrassing sight!
Chen Tian Wang, who had worked with Mao Wei Ang for many years, had seen all kinds of storms in the entertainment industry.
But when he learned about this news, he was hit like a ton of bricks.
Let’s be real; it’s not like a king would usually comment on anything or get involved in any drama.
His defensive game was top-notch in the industry.
But now, looking back at Chen Tian Wang’s actions…
During the peak of the Weibo feud, he risked losing followers by posting in support of Mao Wei Ang, going all out against Moonlight and Cat.
After the Dragon Zither Cup semifinals, his Weibo was bombarded, but as a king, he had to maintain his dignity and uphold his buddy’s image or else how would fans trust him in the future? So, he didn’t delete those posts and let them rack up 999+ criticisms.
And now, as the news of Mao Wei Ang’s collaboration with Moonlight and Cat spread through the internet…
That isolating post of his just hung there like a ghost, still a target for Moonlight and Cat fans to spit on!
A seasoned titan of Chinese pop music?
After thirty years of maintaining appearances, to think he’d face such a brutal defeat at the tail end of his career!
He would never forget this hellish day!
And the sentiments among former stars were just as chaotic.
As for the fans, they were even more worked up.
Contrary to the music scene’s perspective that Moonlight and Cat were being “sullied,” fans from the entertainment circle flat-out labeled the action as “surrender.”
“Surrendering! It’s a blatant surrender!”
“After losing the semifinals, couldn’t handle the online backlash and chose to make amends, right?”
“How could you! I was ready to battle for classical music my whole life, and you turned traitor first?!”
“Unbelievable! Insane!!!”
For many who had been venting frustrations during the Weibo battle, this was nearly the last straw.
In their eyes,
Mao Wei Ang’s absolute dominance and status had him seeking a collaboration with Moonlight and Cat at the peak of their conflict.
What is that, if not surrender?
Normally, after a loss, isn’t it time to regroup and charge again?
This reeks of Mao Wei Ang folding under pressure from Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu!
And now, unable to back out, he wants to resolve things this way.
Too pathetic!
A lot of people would accept their idols making mistakes.
But they can’t stand the thought of their idols being weak or reckless.
And so, in just a day,
Mao Wei Ang’s Weibo lost over 300,000 followers!
After this explosive revelation,
Whether it was Moonlight and Cat, or Mao Wei Ang, both sides faced varying degrees of backlash and damage.
So, were there any winners?
Indeed.
On Bai Junze’s Weibo trending page, fans were raising their glasses in celebration.
“Yay! When gods collide, Zebo gets to join in!”
“LOL! Our Brother Ze, who usually minds his business, somehow gets roped into this match-up!”
“Hahaha, go Bai! I believe your cello won’t lose to anyone!”
Smack!
In a fried chicken shop,
He Zhi Chen slapped a copy of a popular music paper in front of Lin Tian.
Lin Tian picked it up, and right there, it was plastered with the sizzling hot topic of today’s Weibo: “The Four-Person Collaboration.”
“Whoa, we’re in the newspaper now,” Lin Tian chuckled.
“Lin Tian, this isn’t funny,” He Zhi Chen said, rubbing his forehead.
“Do you see? The whole music scene is talking about you, and you’re just chillin’ here eating fried chicken?”
“Is that a problem?” Lin Tian chomped down on a golden chicken drumstick coated in breadcrumbs.
As the crunchy coating and juicy chicken filled his mouth, Lin Tian let out a strange “Mm!” of satisfaction.
Truth be told, Lin Tian loved fried chicken. He had since childhood.
It was just that Gan Yan Yu didn’t like it; she found it greasy, so Lin Tian rarely indulged.
But come to think of it, for a girl who loves sweets as much as Gan Yan Yu does, it’s funny that she thinks fried chicken is too rich.
With her not around these days, Lin Tian had the chance to sneak off for some on his own.
“Headquarters has been pressuring me lately. The damage to your reputation from this collaboration isn’t something we can recover from overnight,” He Zhi Chen said solemnly.
“I can’t really do anything even if I wanted to,” Lin Tian shrugged, arms wide open.
“How did this leak in the first place?” He Zhi Chen raised an eyebrow in confusion.
The issue wasn’t that Moonlight and Cat were collaborating with Mao Wei Ang.
The real problem was that this information was leaked “early.”
According to their plan, after the music was produced and the collaboration was prepared, they would announce it the day before the performance, providing everyone with a surprising gift amid their grumbles.
They were confident that once people saw their performance, the anger would quickly simmer down.
This way, even if there were complaints, the online discourse couldn’t fester in such a short time and would swiftly be overshadowed by their bigger “collaboration” topic.
Don’t underestimate the difference in timing.
“Announcing early” and “announcing at the event,” while only a matter of time, results in vastly different effects!
Now, the worst-case scenario had come to pass.
The news not only leaked early but had been reported by numerous music media outlets—it was practically set in stone, leaving no room for explanations.
And they were even up against hiccups in their collaboration process.
Now, they were practically grilled over an open flame.
The blow to their morale couldn’t be trivialized!
“Even though we’ve been frequenting Comet Entertainment, our movements have always been shrouded in secrecy. Mao Wei Ang has been doing a great job keeping things under wraps,” Lin Tian noted.
“If it was just the paparazzi getting a few photos, there’s no way they could’ve figured out so much.”
“That means we were dealing with a pro,” He Zhi Chen conjectured.
He knew how difficult it was to gather detailed information in that sort of espionage game.
The person on the other end was likely just as adept.
Otherwise, how could they have been aware of the movements of such a large collaboration of artists?
“A pro?” Lin Tian asked.
“Then who do you think it is?”
“It’s hard to say. The more interesting point is the motive,” He Zhi Chen responded.
“What benefits would leaking this information bring to that person?”
Dragging Moonlight and Cat into a public relations crisis alongside Mao Wei Ang and Bai Junze.
What’s the purpose?
“Other competitors in the finals?”
“That could be a motive, but I doubt any contestant has that kind of power.”
“If it’s not the contestants, then what’s the point of this?”
Lin Tian couldn’t hold back from asking.
The moment he spoke, Lin Tian found himself taken aback.
Then, rubbing his chin in contemplation, he spoke seriously, “What if… someone just enjoys watching us scramble? I mean, they find that amusing.”
“What a strange motive!” He Zhi Chen blinked.
“Who knows?”
Lin Tian chuckled dryly.
“Some people just thrive on chaos.”
At Comet Entertainment…
In the practice room.
When Lin Tian arrived, he could instantly feel a slight shift in the atmosphere—perhaps it was unusually heavy today.
Mao Wei Ang sat in front of the mirror. Although his cello was in front of him, his fingers were busy scrolling through his phone, his brows deeply furrowed. Clearly, he was also dealing with some frustrating matters.
“Morning,” Bai Junze from the corner of the room wave-diffidently said.
At that moment, Mao Wei Ang also turned his head,
“Lin Tian, have you seen Weibo?”
“Yep.”
“It wasn’t me who leaked it!” Mao Wei Ang stated seriously.
“I’ve been keeping things very confidential while you trained at our place. I swear there was no leak from my end!”
“Honestly, none of that matters now.”
Lin Tian shrugged, stretching a bit, and walked in.
Seeing Lin Tian so relaxed caught Mao Wei Ang by surprise.
“Lin Tian, don’t you care?”
“Caring isn’t gonna change anything. What we need to do now is to resolve this issue!” Lin Tian replied.
At this point, external opinion was already out there.
All they could do now was make this collaboration a success!
Throw a punch that stuns all the audience!
After all, Lin Tian had become so accustomed to controversy.
With every massive performance, the internet was bound to stir something up.
It was like he was fated to always take the slap for everyone involved!
“Sorry, Lin Tian.”
Mao Wei Ang faced Lin Tian seriously, and bowed deeply.
“No matter what, this matter is on me. It’s because you agreed to my plan that brought you this trouble.”
“Are you not in trouble as well?”
Lin Tian, not wanting to spend time on this, patted Mao Wei Ang’s shoulder.
“If you really feel bad about it, let’s sort all the issues out in today’s collaboration!”
Lin Tian found it a bit funny.
This counts as a ‘smear’?
As a composer of classical music, he faced far more attacks than Mao Wei Ang, the pop musician.
When it comes to this, Lin Tian could practically be seen as Mao Wei Ang’s senior!
“…”
“Yep…”
Mao Wei Ang nodded.
“Since it’s already leaked, we need to accelerate our training. It’d be best to have the public performance this weekend.”
With just four days left until the weekend, it was a reasonable timeline.
After all, the four of them still had to prepare for the finals, and overexerting themselves on this collaboration would be counterproductive.
“Sounds about right.”
Lin Tian calculated in his head.
During yesterday’s full day of practice,
Mao Wei Ang and Bai Junze’s teamwork was definitely improving.
Aside from the many issues they still had…
At least, they were good to go on stage now.
Once that topic was wrapped up,
Mao Wei Ang looked up to gaze at Bai Junze.
The look in his eyes bore doubt, mixed with a hint of anger.
In the past few days’ training,
Even though they had never outright clashed…
The tension and resentment Mao Wei Ang felt towards Bai Junze had been quietly simmering.
But now,
With the sudden emergence of this “leak,”
Mao Wei Ang couldn’t resist shooting an annoyed glance toward the musician who seemed to take the collaboration lightly.
“…”
Lin Tian tapped Mao Wei Ang’s shoulder again and when Mao Wei Ang turned, he saw Lin Tian’s serious expression.
Finally, he turned around and picked up his cello.
Before training began,
Lin Tian approached Bai Junze:
“Can you still pull this off?”
Lin Tian asked.
After two days had passed,
Even now, Lin Tian still couldn’t quite grasp where Bai Junze’s insecurity in his music stemmed from.
As Gan Yan Yu had noted, every cellist has their own message to convey.
Initially, he thought Bai Junze’s feelings for his father were leaning towards a “hate,” similar to his own.
But after interacting more deeply, it felt like that wasn’t quite right.
Because he truly appeared carefree.
Such nonchalance didn’t seem like the expression of someone burdened by hatred.
Given the current circumstances,
Lin Tian didn’t have much time left to figure it all out.
“Let’s go!”
Bai Junze shrugged, indifferent.
“…”
Lin Tian had gotten used to Bai Junze’s attitude.
Saying nothing, he returned to the piano.
The collaboration was about to start!
As always,
This piece, “Zhao Zilong,” which they had played no less than twenty times these past days, was already embedded in their minds.
Every note, every key they needed to press—
It had all become muscle memory.
However,
As today’s music began to play…
Lin Tian found himself momentarily taken aback.
So fast!
The cello coming from Mao Wei Ang was clearly much quicker than it had been previously.
Lin Tian turned to look at Mao Wei Ang.
At that moment, Mao Wei Ang had his eyes tightly shut, brow knitted, unaware of the state he was in.
Was he affected?
Lin Tian wondered.
Clearly, the past few days’ events and the online turmoil had taken a toll on him.
Was he now rushing to surpass his previous limits because they had to perform early?
“…”
Lin Tian didn’t view such a mindset as a bad thing.
But just then, as he was pondering this,
When the collaboration part approached—
As Bai Junze also struck his cello,
The escalating tension affected him too!
And soon enough, a powerful performance bounced back!
Receiving the pressure, Mao Wei Ang similarly intensified the cello’s output!
“Wait! Hold on!”
Lin Tian tried to call it off.
Wasn’t this just like their first rehearsal?
Did they really waste all those practice days?!
But then, he quickly noticed Bai Junze’s expression wasn’t quite right.
“…”
The man who had been participating in the collaboration with a carefree mindset all along…
Now, when caught in the heavy and furious tone from Mao Wei Ang…
He revealed a serious look.
His hand, tightly gripping the bow, trembled violently.
In that moment,
Familiar scenes started playing out in his gaze, over and over again.
His father’s furious face.
The cello that had been shattered to pieces.
The stinging slap marks on his face burning.
The wandering Bai Junze, constantly checking in at various places, posting his location on social media for the last five years.
Suddenly it clicked!
In that instant, Bai Junze remembered everything!
Suddenly—
Bai Junze slapped the cello,
The LED lights on the instrument blinked rapidly!
In that instant, a kaleidoscope of colors illuminated the practice room—
Just like he performed on stage!
Each thundering note resonated with a fury in his cello’s sound.
Bai Junze burst into manic laughter!
That laughter was downright haunting.
In a moment of confusion, Lin Tian noticed the scars on his wrist.
At that moment—
Lin Tian’s pupils dilated in realization.
He understood!
He realized the hatred that Bai Junze harbored was not all that different from his own!
If Lin Tian carried pure, untainted hate,
Then what Bai Junze expressed in his music
Also contained a deep-seated love for his father.
Eight years ago, that seventeen-year-old boy, oblivious to everything, still clung to youthful rebellion.
He didn’t grasp love from hate.
He had only continued to harm himself in efforts to punish his father for his actions back then.
And in truth, wasn’t such behavior also a cry for acknowledgment from his father?
Just at that moment,
The music came to an abrupt halt.
Bai Junze’s eyes were filled with confusion.
Three seconds passed.
Suddenly, as if the pieces clicked together, Bai Junze put down the cello
And strode toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Home!”
Bai Junze gritted his teeth.
“I’m clearing things up!”
“Uh??”
Mao Wei Ang was left dumbfounded.
As soon as Bai Junze stepped outside, he bumped straight into a girl.
Gan Yan Yu looked up, gazing at him blankly.
In her hands was an old, battered cello.
(End of Chapter)
