### Chapter 395: “Ode to Love” Isn’t a Piece That Requires Rationality
**Going to Gan Yan Yu’s place?**
Lin Tian chuckled.
This silly girl, does her room even have a piano?
Should he move his piano there?
Lin Tian pondered for a moment.
After some thought, he realized that his accompaniment for “Ode to Love” wasn’t the problem at all.
The main issue was with Gan Yan Yu, the lead performer.
Whether Lin Tian joins tomorrow’s practice or not, it didn’t really matter.
If worse comes to worst, once Gan Yan Yu gets the hang of it, they could just rehearse at Lin Tian’s place later.
It’s just a matter of a wall dividing them.
So, Lin Tian replied with a simple “Okay.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, he sent another message:
“Why?”
“Because we’ve always practiced in your room. I want to change the scenery for once,” she replied.
What a lame excuse.
Lin Tian didn’t even bother to call her out.
Who knows what brilliant scheme this girl has up her sleeve?
“Fine,” Lin Tian typed back, choosing not to dig further.
Honestly, it didn’t matter where they practiced; their apartments were practically touching.
The only motive he could think of for Gan Yan Yu wanting to switch locations was that every time they practiced in his room, he ended up cleaning up, including the milk tea and brunch they ordered.
Maybe she just felt like taking the initiative this time.
Lin Tian didn’t dwell on it.
Instead, he remembered what happened during today’s rehearsal.
Just then, his phone went “Ding-dong~.”
It was a message from He Zhi Chen.
What’s going on so late?
He Zhi Chen usually chatted with Lin Tian about work or some major news related to the industry.
But to message him this late was quite rare.
“Lin Tian, do you have time tomorrow morning? Want to grab breakfast together?”
He Zhi Chen got straight to the point.
“Tomorrow morning? Let’s see if I can wake up,” Lin Tian replied, surprised.
This guy knows very well that on non-competition days, Lin Tian usually wakes up around noon.
“No! You must wake up!”
Lin Tian was even more surprised by He Zhi Chen’s determined tone.
“Why?”
“Because you’ve been worried about a lot lately, right? I’m just a manager, and while I have more info, I can’t help much in music. But tomorrow morning, someone’s coming from Qingjiang, landing in Beijing. His advice will definitely help you.”
“Who?”
“Gao Zhen Yang.”
**At the tea house.**
As soon as Lin Tian walked into the hall, he spotted the familiar figure at a table.
“Teacher Gao!”
Lin Tian called out joyfully.
Gao Zhen Yang looked over and immediately stood up, grinning widely.
“Long time no see, Lin Tian!”
“What brings you here?”
“Xing Ye is doing an academic exchange with Tianchao Music University. With the Dragon Zither Cup finals coming up, Gao Brother came over!”
He Zhi Chen piped in from the side.
“Wow, Lin Tian, you’ve fought your way to the finals!”
Gao Zhen Yang exclaimed with admiration.
“You and Gan Yan Yu will soon be taking down Mao Wei Ang and Bai Junze with your 19-year-old fists and feet!”
“Not at all.”
Having also played the “manager” role for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, Gao Zhen Yang and He Zhi Chen were quite different.
He Zhi Chen always maintained a serious demeanor, only revealing a rare gossip expression when discussing Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s relationship.
But Gao Zhen Yang was another story.
Though he was a university teacher and also serious, he never held back on praising Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
Every time he talked about their competitions, he’d say things like, “Knock this one out!” or “Blast that one!”
His bragging power could overshadow even the most ardent True Love Fan!
Lin Tian, who prided himself on being humble, could only bow his head in shame under the barrage of compliments.
“I heard you’ve recently faced some challenges with Gan Yan Yu?”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gao Zhen Yang quickly cut to the chase.
He specifically rushed over after getting off the plane just to discuss this with Lin Tian.
Lin Tian was quite touched.
In fact, when Gao Zhen Yang was a university professor, he provided pro bono consultancy for both Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
As a “senior,” Gao Zhen Yang had genuinely given them significant help in music, especially during Lin Tian’s music entrance exams.
For a period, he was almost a regular at Gao Zhen Yang’s classroom.
He Zhi Chen really wasn’t wrong about that.
For Lin Tian, He Zhi Chen was great in many ways, but his advice on music performances was quite limited.
And in this regard, He Zhi Chen knew his own shortcomings well.
So upon hearing that Gao Zhen Yang had landed in Beijing, he wasted no time calling him over.
“I’ll go order some more dishes. You guys chat first,” He Zhi Chen said, strategically standing up to leave Lin Tian and Gao Zhen Yang some space.
Lin Tian gratefully nodded at He Zhi Chen.
Once He Zhi Chen had left, Lin Tian turned back to Gao Zhen Yang.
“We have encountered some difficulties.”
Lin Tian nodded.
Then he thought for a moment and added,
“Actually, it’s mostly resolved by now.”
Before last night, Lin Tian really had struggled with “Ode to Love.”
On one hand, he was facing the pressure of the finals.
On the other, he had the pressure from Gan Yan Yu.
The pressure involving Gan Yan Yu was about the potential crisis in their relationship.
No jokes here!
If they couldn’t successfully perform “Ode to Love” by the end, their relationship would definitely face a trust crisis.
Because it truly involved whether they were taking each other seriously.
Fortunately, the final result was clear to both of them.
Gan Yan Yu’s poor performance wasn’t due to a lack of feelings but because she didn’t know how to “express” love.
Under Lin Tian’s guidance, Gan Yan Yu had finally discovered her way of expression.
She had always excelled at it; she just never realized it.
After a night of enlightenment,
Lin Tian was confident that today’s practice with Gan Yan Yu would go smoothly.
“Hmm.”
After hearing Lin Tian’s brief summary, Gao Zhen Yang took a sip of soybean milk and stared at the table, deep in thought for a moment.
“I remember ‘Ode to Love’ is the first piece you released, right?”
“Yep.”
“To be precise, Lin Tian, your first composition should be ‘Dream Wedding,’ but that doesn’t really matter.”
Initially, it was because of “Ode to Love” that Mr. Wan Qi had particularly invited Lin Tian to his home.
And it was at Mr. Wan Qi’s place that Lin Tian performed “Dream Wedding” on the piano right in front of Mr. Wan Qi and Gao Zhen Yang.
That had completely won them over.
And it was also when Mr. Wan Qi left for studying abroad that he left two “legacies”:
One was gifting that piano to Lin Tian.
The other was instructing Gao Zhen Yang to help Gan Yan Yu.
So, when it came to Lin Tian’s “debut work,” Gao Zhen Yang had always held it in high regard.
“I really like that piece,” Gao Zhen Yang said. “In fact, out of all your works, it’s my favorite.”
“An understanding friend!”
Hearing this, Lin Tian immediately squeezed Gao Zhen Yang’s hand emotionally.
“High Teacher has great taste!”
“But—why did you choose this piece?”
Gao Zhen Yang didn’t ride the wave of Lin Tian’s compliment but instead posed a question,
“I remember you usually prefer performing new works in competitions, right?”
“Just feels suitable, and I’ve never done it justice before.”
Lin Tian replied.
Then he paused, adding,
“Also, it’s because I want to perform this piece with Teacher Gan on the finals stage.”
“.”
Although Lin Tian didn’t elaborate further,
He was already giving off the “I get it” vibe.
He knew Lin Tian was slipping in some “personal motives” here.
Which was understandable.
In such an important setting,
Every musician inevitably carries a bit of their personal story, hoping to use such significant competitions to express internal feelings.
Completely normal!
What kind of artist doesn’t have a bit of personal flair?
And besides,
Gao Zhen Yang had always been a huge supporter of Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s relationship.
From way back, even earlier than anyone else on the internet.
He’d been rooting for this couple for a long time.
“But,”
However, as they continued, Gao Zhen Yang moved to pivot,
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lin Tian.”
“What?”
“I don’t think you two should perform ‘Ode to Love’ in the finals, and honestly, I believe you both will definitely underperform.”
“Why?!”
Lin Tian was taken aback; he didn’t expect Gao Zhen Yang, as a music teacher, to give such a definitive opinion.
“Lin Tian, since we’re like family here, I’ll be straightforward with you.”
Gao Zhen Yang said,
“The main problem lies in the agreement between you and Gan Yan Yu.”
“Agreement?”
Lin Tian quickly connected the dots.
Gao Zhen Yang was referring to the agreement they made about getting married after achieving their dreams.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Lin Tian couldn’t wrap his head around it.
How does that agreement relate to their performance of “Ode to Love” in the finals?
Is he implying their feelings aren’t deep enough?
That can’t be true!
Although Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu weren’t officially together,
They both definitely held feelings for each other!
That much, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu could guarantee.
So there’s no way their performance would suffer just because they weren’t together.
Moreover,
The “they will definitely underperform” part that Gao Zhen Yang mentioned—Lin Tian had addressed that already last night.
It was highly unlikely there would be a mistake now.
“Let me explain slowly, Lin Tian.”
Gao Zhen Yang set down his chopsticks and began to elaborate.
“‘Ode to Love’ is your composition, and I believe you understand that to truly express this piece requires profound, pure emotions.”
“It must be an utterly untainted love, devoid of any impurities, to play this piece to its fullest—am I wrong?”
“.”
Lin Tian nodded.
Of course, he understood.
In his past life, as a timeless pure love classic, “Ode to Love” embodies emotional depth that is simply irreplaceable by any other piece.
Sometimes Lin Tian even questioned himself.
Could his feelings truly run that deep?—enough to perfectly present this composition?
“But the issue lies, Lin Tian, you and Gan Yan Yu have promised to be together only after achieving your dreams, right?”
Gao Zhen Yang said seriously,
“That’s the problem!”
“You’re not together right now because you both are rational, knowing there are more important things to accomplish first.”
“But it’s precisely this rationality that makes your love unable to reach the purity implied in ‘Ode to Love.’”
At this point,
Gao Zhen Yang emphasized, “I’m not doubting your love for each other. It’s just that you’re both too rational.”
“With this rational stance, do you think you can perform ‘Ode to Love’ on the finals stage, Lin Tian?”
Lin Tian went into a trance.
At this moment,
The image of last night’s practice replayed in his mind.
Gan Yan Yu’s voice echoed in his ears again.
—“Our theme is ‘love,’ but we can’t be together right now, so we’ve only been doing things unrelated to ‘love.’ That way, we can’t find the emotions we want, right?”
Yes,
He and Gan Yan Yu weren’t together right now.
Because they believed there were things more important than dating.
And now,
Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu had to perform a piece on the Dragon Zither Cup finals stage that requires the deepest, purest love music.
To prove their reckless pursuit of love.
This itself was an extremely contradictory situation.
Because if they truly are “reckless,”
Then it’s impossible they could reach the Dragon Zither Cup stage under such an agreement.
“.”
“Lin Tian, you and Gan Yan Yu haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve always respected your agreement from the bottom of my heart. I believe only the greatest musicians can withstand desire and loneliness, maintain rationality, and chase their musical dreams in these moments.”
Gao Zhen Yang stood up, patting Lin Tian on the shoulder.
“But ‘Ode to Love’ appeared at the wrong time and place. Its inherent irrationality has never suited you two so magnificently. If you performed this piece after being together, I believe it would be even better.”
Gao Zhen Yang calmly finished, looking at Lin Tian.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian was lost in thought.
He raised his head, gazing at Gao Zhen Yang, unable to help but ask,
“Why… can’t love and dreams coexist?”
*(End of Chapter)*
