Chapter 388: Can’t We Play a Love Song?
“An Ode to Love?”
Hearing this tune, Gan Yan Yu’s eyes widened slightly,
“Why this one?”
It wasn’t exactly unreasonable for Gan Yan Yu to be surprised.
This piece by Elgar for his fiancée was also the first song that Lin Tian wrote for Gan Yan Yu.
Only after “Ode to Love” did they establish their classical music empire with Moonlight and Cat.
Over the year, this tune had been performed many times.
And among all the songs he composed, this was the only one that depicted love.
Yes, the only one.
In their previous performances, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu had imbued many songs with a sense of “love.”
For example, the tango “One Step Away,” and the waltzes like “G Minor No. 5 Hungarian Dance” and “Voices of Spring Waltz.”
While these tunes didn’t originally revolve around love, they had been used more or less to convey the essence of love through Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s performances.
However, no matter how they tried, it still felt off.
Only “Ode to Love” felt right.
Only this first song that Lin Tian wrote truly embodied that feeling.
“Because I always felt there was some regret.”
Lin Tian scratched his head, saying,
“After all, we’ve never really nailed it down, have we?”
Silence met his words.
Lin Tian had his own hidden agenda too.
This song was his classical music initiation, as well as his favorite.
Yet, every time he played with Gan Yan Yu, he couldn’t get the emotion just right.
From Gan Yan Yu’s first solo to their duets, it always ended up in an “almost perfect” kind of way.
So, it was continuously postponed.
Until Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu conveyed their feelings through letters.
Deep in his heart, Lin Tian wanted to play it again.
But he kept putting it off.
Off and on until Moonlight and Cat’s Opus 4 was released.
Until the Dragon Zither Cup finals came around.
They never tried to perform “Ode to Love” again.
So, Lin Tian wants to do it!
“He said the same,” Lin Tian continued to explain,
“He’s not saying the final match should just be stable?”
“This is a traditional classical piece with enough popularity.”
Lin Tian was referring to contemporary popularity.
As the first work by “Moonlight and Cat,” “Ode to Love” had its fair share of dedicated fans in this world.
However, due to its low performance rate and the fact that both Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu had never gotten it right before,
the song’s popularity never reached the heights of their hits like “Pathétique” and “One Step Away.”
But Lin Tian knew,
Its significance should go beyond that.
Performing this inaugural piece during the finals could be seen as a new start for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
—
No matter what Lin Tian thought,
ultimately, it depended on Gan Yan Yu.
After Lin Tian detailed all his reasons to play this song,
Gan Yan Yu wasn’t moved at all.
She just lowered her head, deep in thought.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing Gan Yan Yu’s reaction, Lin Tian grew nervous.
He thought she’d agree easily.
But seeing her like this, something must be bothering her.
“Lin Tian, you really want to play ‘Ode to Love’?”
Gan Yan Yu lifted her head, looking at Lin Tian seriously.
“I’ve told you my reasons,” Lin Tian said,
“I truly think it’s a great choice.”
A while later,
Lin Tian seemed to think of something else.
He looked at Gan Yan Yu and said:
“Are you worried playing this song at the finals will announce our relationship to the whole world?”
“No way!”
Gan Yan Yu looked astounded, pouted her lips, and tried to punch Lin Tian.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Lin Tian blocked her hand.
He was a bit broken down!
Fine!
Alright!
Lin Tian admitted; he chose this song for another reason—he couldn’t tell anyone!
That desire—
These past days,
Lin Tian had some issues too.
These weren’t big things, even “overthinking them.”
But they kept gnawing at Lin Tian, making him really uncomfortable!
He felt their relationship had developed a tiny problem recently.
Lin Tian worried that if this continued, they would turn into legends of “platonic camaraderie.”
Stable relationships could indeed be life-threatening!
d*mn,
Never held hands once.
Never dated before.
But there was a sense of early fade-out.
Who could handle that?
Who could?!
Especially someone like Lin Tian, brimming with youthful vigor at 19.
He couldn’t accept this situation at all!
So,
Lin Tian wanted to play this song to rediscover that initial spark with Gan Yan Yu.
But,
he couldn’t mention this reason openly to Gan Yan Yu.
He thought she’d surely say yes.
But instead, she hesitated.
The only reason he could think of was that Gan Yan Yu didn’t want to show affection during the finals.
She didn’t want everyone to know.
In Gan Yan Yu’s words,
“To keep the competition focused!”
“Not, it’s not,” Gan Yan Yu quickly lifted her hands and started waving furiously,
“I’m just not confident.”
“You’re not confident?”
“Yeah.”
Gan Yan Yu’s gaze shifted downward, her cheeks reddening,
“I don’t feel confident performing this song at the finals.”
“After all, every other time before failed, right?” she earnestly stated.
“But that was before we sealed our feelings,” Lin Tian said gently.
He understood Gan Yan Yu’s concern.
From the qualifying rounds to the semi-finals,
they rose quickly.
When they met resistance, they broke through it.
Now, suddenly having to perform a piece they’d failed at many times…
It was like being Uzi in S7 of the League of Legends World Championship.
After passing through groups, round of sixteen, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, you didn’t choose Jinx because you won all matches with other champions.
And then in the finals, you decide to play Jinx, overcoming a mental block.
What a good time to overcome a mental block in the finals?
Instead of using your strength, you opt for a champion that hasn’t shown much success before.
Before the game started, the coaching staff would definitely face the wrath of fans and the internet.
—
Therefore,
Lin Tian understood Gan Yan Yu’s current mood a bit more.
This game was too important.
Too important for them to have any room for error.
One loss meant starting over from the Star Cup two years later.
“I believe in us now. You can do it!” Lin Tian encouraged Gan Yan Yu.
He believed that he and Gan Yan Yu were in sync.
There wasn’t a single song that could stand between them.
Gan Yan Yu just needed confidence now.
“Let me think about it, Lin Tian.”
Gan Yan Yu still hadn’t agreed, only whispering,
“Just one day, one day’s time.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll give you an answer.”
—End of Chapter.
