### Chapter 78: Can You Keep It On? (4K)
Lin Tian stared at the hair tie on his wrist.
It was the first time he got to appreciate Gan Yan Yu’s hair tie up close, and upon closer inspection, it looked a bit like the one worn by Miyamizu Mitsuha.
As far as he could remember, when he first saw Gan Yan Yu at Grandpa’s café, she was sporting a ponytail held up with the same red hair tie.
Looks like she’s been using it for quite a while now.
Lin Tian glanced at the little lamb hairpin atop Gan Yan Yu’s head.
Then he looked back at the hair tie on his own wrist.
“What’s up?”
Gan Yan Yu covered her head, looking wary, “You can’t have this hairpin! I just bought it!”
“Not that,” Lin Tian chuckled, “Thanks.”
Thinking back, this was actually the first time Gan Yan Yu had given him something.
Still, he needed to ask:
“Yan Yu, do you know what it means when a girl gives a boy a hair tie?”
“What does it mean?” she wondered, clearly puzzled.
Ah, so she really doesn’t know.
Lin Tian found it amusing that she would casually give away something without knowing its significance.
For girls,
tying a hair tie around a boy’s wrist
is a kind of “claiming territory” statement.
It’s like telling all the girls eyeing that boy—
This guy has a girlfriend now, please back off!
He learned this little tidbit from Xu Yong.
Little Chu Nan has never been in a relationship but seems to know quite a bit about couple lore.
A girl like Gan Yan Yu, who feels completely out of touch with modern society, wouldn’t have a clue about the meaning behind it, so she wouldn’t mind at all.
But Lin Tian, being in the know, couldn’t play dumb.
Lin Tian lifted his wrist beneath the warm, cozy lights of the concert hall.
The hair tie was adorned with a shiny red diamond glass decoration that reflected the light.
Well…
Not that he couldn’t wear it.
If he took it off or explained to Gan Yan Yu, it would probably lead to an awkward situation.
It could mean more than just being in a relationship.
From Gan Yan Yu’s perspective, she’d probably say—
It’s a declaration of “my one and only partner,” what’s wrong with that?
Lin Tian lowered his hand.
Besides, he could just keep wearing it, and one day Gan Yan Yu would notice, and then he could act clueless and make her the one who feels awkward.
Thinking about it like that, it seemed quite entertaining.
Lin Tian started to look forward to that day arriving.
The orchestra began to play.
Just like he’d seen on TV, a conductor waved a baton in front of the musicians.
The musicians, in turn, collaborated splendidly to play their instruments.
Curiously, Lin Tian turned to Gan Yan Yu and asked:
“What skill level are the musicians in the orchestra?”
“It depends on the orchestra,” Gan Yan Yu replied.
“For instance, ‘Starry Sky,’ which is a well-known local professional orchestra, the musicians are mostly graduates from music colleges and include several talented individuals who have won various domestic and international awards.”
“And then there are more renowned orchestras, like the ‘Bullfighter’ orchestra led by Mr. Wan Qi, which has performed in world-class concert halls. Such orchestras have high entry requirements; only award-winning musicians with impressive resumes get to join.”
“Many musicians take pride in the fact that they have performed with top orchestras.”
Lin Tian nodded.
He recalled that the first time he met Mr. Wan, he mentioned that if he wasn’t retired, he’d love to recruit Lin Tian into the orchestra for training.
Whether that was just polite talk or not, it was still a significant recognition for a performer.
However, on second thought, there are indeed many ways for a musician to prove themselves.
Like performing at such-and-such concert hall, serving in some top orchestra, holding a title at a music association, and so on.
If you stick around long enough and put in enough work,
you could get the “musician” title, earn respect from the younger generation, and enjoy superstar treatment.
Even so, that’s not what Gan Yan Yu is after.
She has chosen the most straightforward yet challenging path—winning first place at the highest level of competition.
Perhaps she has never thought about proving herself.
Rather, it’s more about proving her hometown and classical music.
From this perspective, Grandpa Gan is admirable.
“~~”
The soothing music reverberated in the concert hall.
Comfortable, pleasant—so much so that it was easy to fall asleep.
Lin Tian yawned but noticed that Gan Yan Yu next to him was sitting straight, deeply focused.
Moreover, her fingers seemed to be moving as if she were crafting air.
Her little mouth was slightly open, and upon closer inspection, she seemed to be mumbling something.
“Yan Yu.”
“Ah, ah?”
Startled as if waking from a dream, Gan Yan Yu jumped.
“What are you doing?”
“I—”
“Playing the cello?” Lin Tian inquired, puzzled.
Gan Yan Yu’s hand gestures just now indeed looked like she was playing the cello.
“Yeah.”
“Do you know this piece?”
“I know all the pieces they’re playing today.”
Gan Yan Yu said, but as soon as she said it, she seemed to realize she might have misspoken and quickly clamped her mouth shut.
“Impressive, Teacher Gan.” Lin Tian praised.
Today’s concert would feature three major symphonies.
Each piece had four super long movements.
Can Gan Yan Yu really know them all?
Has she reached a level of proficiency where she could just simulate playing without sheet music?
If she knows these three classical music pieces perfectly, does it mean her repertoire exceeds hundreds of pieces?
“Teacher Gan, just how many pieces do you know?”
All along, Lin Tian had mostly seen Gan Yan Yu perform her own compositions.
Aside from the first time they met on the rooftop, when she casually played a section, he hadn’t truly seen her play other pieces.
“Not that many,” Gan Yan Yu said lightly, then hurriedly shifted her eyes back to the stage.
For some reason,
Lin Tian felt she was
deliberately dodging the topic?
He suddenly recalled the question he had asked Gan Yan Yu a few days ago:
Why does it feel normal to perform in England, but so much pressure back home?
At that time, Gan Yan Yu had only said she hadn’t been on stage for a long while and wasn’t used to it.
That’s why Lin Tian brought her to get familiar with the venue today.
But Lin Tian felt that it couldn’t be that simple.
But with Gan Yan Yu,
she wouldn’t be herself without some secrets.
Lin Tian chose not to press further; if Gan Yan Yu didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t push her.
All he hoped was that it wouldn’t affect her performance next week.
“.”
Two and a half hours later.
Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu left the concert hall.
Looking up at the high-hanging moon, Lin Tian stretched out a massive yawn.
After two and a half hours, his bum felt sore.
When he thought about performing for maybe just twenty minutes, it didn’t seem that torturous anymore.
He turned to Gan Yan Yu beside him.
The girl yawned; she also seemed a bit tired.
“How was it?” Lin Tian asked.
“The music was beautiful, the venue was huge, and the audience was well-mannered; no kids were noisy.”
“Who asked you that?”
“What then?”
“Did you feel familiar with the venue? Are you still nervous?”
“Yeah.”
Gan Yan Yu hesitated, her delicate face showing signs of contemplation.
Lin Tian walked over to her side, leaned down, and grabbed the edge of her school pants, pulling it up—
“Yikes!”
Fortunately, the girl’s legs were slim and long, lifting the pant leg was nearly effortless, revealing her fair thighs.
And on them, there were red marks.
“Drawing on your thighs again?”
Lin Tian asked with exasperation.
“Actually not really; I was just refreshing the drawing board,”
Gan Yan Yu replied sheepishly.
“.”
It was just a symphony concert; was there really a need to be this nervous?
Lin Tian sighed; she was probably just too caught up in the moment again.
On this point, Lin Tian couldn’t exactly blame her.
It’s kind of like when you’re in a new class, and everyone introduces themselves.
When you see others talking on stage, you can’t help but think about how you’ll be next, and your legs would shake from nerves.
Likewise, just the thought of performing on that same stage next week would send her heart racing uncontrollably.
At this point.
Lin Tian could only pat Gan Yan Yu’s shoulder and encourage her:
“In seven days, hang in there; trust your abilities.”
“Yeah.”
Gan Yan Yu nodded.
Her gaze slowly shifted to Lin Tian’s hand.
Lost in thought.
“Lin Tian.”
“Hmm?”
“Will you always keep this hair tie on?”
Gan Yan Yu asked,
“Or will you take it off and put it away once you go back?”
“This?”
Lin Tian looked at the red hair tie on his wrist.
He didn’t quite understand why Gan Yan Yu was asking this.
Then he smiled,
“Do you want me to keep it on?”
“Yeah!”
Even though he was prepared, hearing Gan Yan Yu state it so plainly still caught him off guard.
This time, it was Lin Tian whose heart started racing just a bit.
What’s going on?
Does she know what this means?
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I don’t usually bring hair ties when I go out, so sometimes when I need to tie my hair up, I can just grab one from you,” Gan Yan Yu replied seriously.
“.”
“Oh.”
Lin Tian suppressed a sweat-inducing expression.
Just for that?
Gan Yan Yu probably had no clue about its meaning; how could she even think along those lines?
“Alright, I’ll keep wearing it,”
Lin Tian promised her.
Almost immediately, a joyful look spread across the girl’s face.
“Okay!”
Thursday.
Six days remain until the concert.
This day also marks the first simulation exam ranking day for the senior class at Qingzhou No. 7 High School.
Early in the morning, before classes, the class monitor had already put up the list on the podium.
As soon as Lin Tian arrived in the classroom, he saw a crowd of students gathered around the podium, intently studying it.
“Here we go again! How can they score so high!?”
“Hey, isn’t it always the same three—Lin Tian, Su Ran, Zeng Liangming—who monopolize the top three spots?”
“They’re just too strong: one is unbeatable in math, the other shines in English, and then there’s Lin Tian who has no weaknesses at all. They totally leave the rest in the dust!”
“Seriously jealous; why do the other classes have nerds with that bald look, yet our class has two who balance looks and grades?”
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like girls who are smart and pretty? Or do you think you’re not good enough? Hahaha!”
A bunch of boys bantered back and forth.
Analyzing score sheets is one of those things high schoolers get super hyped about.
Whether they’re top students or struggling ones.
A few gathered to point at the score sheets, commenting on this genius and chatting about that model student, creating a vibe akin to discussing world affairs and heroics over a drink with good buddies.
Don’t forget to sneak a look at the scores of the people they like, caring about their studies.
And then checking the scores of those they dislike—if they see a rival falling behind, it’s a little thrill that bubbles inside them.
But the most intoxicating part
is comparing their own scores with the results, visualizing how many places up they could climb if they hadn’t messed up that one question or aced another.
Studying math feels more serious than strategizing complicated discounts during Double Eleven shopping!
“However, why did Lin Tian drop in scores this time? Su Ran and Zeng Liangming seem to have pulled away quite a bit.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian strolled over, maintaining an unbothered demeanor.
Just a quick glance, then he zipped away.
“.”
Third in class, sixth in grade.
Usually, he was way ahead of Su Ran and barely ahead of the guy with the surname Zeng.
But this time, Su Ran scored a whole 12 points more.
He had indeed dropped.
Wasn’t that to be expected?
Lin Tian was just an ordinary person after all.
It’s unrealistic to think someone could fool around and maintain their top rank continuously.
This was a high school that’s serious about academics.
In this competitive environment, the cruel truth is that if you let your guard down even a little, others will leap ahead.
The type of person who can mess around endlessly yet always maintains a top position is just a fictional character.
So, the class teacher Zhang Juan’s concern for Lin Tian was very reasonable.
Six days left, just six days.
Lin Tian silently set his resolution.
Let these folks run ahead for now.
With these six days, he’d navigate this challenge with Gan Yan Yu.
Once the concert concluded, Gan Yan Yu would return to school.
He would carve out some time to fully immerse himself in studying.
And while he’s at it, maybe help this goof who’s lagging a year behind.
He aimed to present a satisfactory report card to the school at least a month before the art exam.
Later that evening, back home.
The system interface popped up in front of Lin Tian.
【“Nervous and Excited” Emotion: 63628/50000】
【Task Completed: Create a piece of music and release a video in collaboration with your partner, garnering 500,000 likes and receiving 50,000 “Nervous and Excited” emotions from the audience.】
【Reward: Stamina Recovery Capsule *1】
“.”
How did this happen?
Lin Tian was stunned.
In the past few days, he’d been keeping an eye on his system data.
There was growth, but it had always been pretty low.
The video of the C Minor “Pathetique” symphony had gone viral quickly, yet it had nothing to do with the “Nervous and Excited” emotions!
In other words, the video quality was excellent, but the audience didn’t really feel the tension.
What’s going on?
Lin Tian accessed the backend of Douyin.
Only then did he realize that the followers of 【Moonlight and Cat】 had surpassed 【1 million】.
And that little clip of 【Can-Can】 he casually posted with Gan Yan Yu just two days earlier?
The overall plays had astonishingly exceeded 80 million!
(The End of this Chapter)
