### Chapter 19: Run-In with a Fan
Grandpa once said,
Sometimes, it’s better for people to live a little confused.
Lin Tian was a very interesting guy.
Thanks to this young man, Gan Yan Yu had two delightful nights.
The first time she got tipsy from beer, spending the night at a guy’s place.
She indulged in her favorite dessert, only to discover a place that made mango pudding so ridiculously good!
And she experienced a foot massage like never before, with a beautiful sister giving her a wonderfully relaxing treatment.
All these joys became even more enjoyable in Lin Tian’s company.
At least, when treated as the last two days of her life.
It would end here.
Gan Yan Yu thought this ending wasn’t half bad.
Only—
After the rooftop cat-catching game wrapped up, it seemed like both of them tacitly agreed not to mention the word “s*icide.”
Gan Yan Yu didn’t know if Lin Tian was aware; it didn’t matter if he was, as long as he didn’t bring it up, they could coexist happily until she repaid her favor and left alone.
But now,
Standing at the entrance of the foot massage shop, with the bright moonlight bathing them, the streets were nearly deserted, and everything was eerily quiet.
Lin Tian’s question, “Are we going to heaven?”
Left Gan Yan Yu dumbstruck.
It was like unwrapping candy to reveal a bitter dark chocolate inside.
Couldn’t we wrap this up in a more dignified manner?
“Just kidding.”
“Eh?”
Before Gan Yan Yu could react,
Lin Tian walked ahead quickly like a magician changing faces.
“Come on, I’m taking you to see something fun.”
“Uh, something fun?”
Gan Yan Yu felt a bit dazed; it was already quite late.
Besides, her goal had been achieved, so she should leave now.
“It’s late exactly because there’s something to see!”
Lin Tian waved his hand, grinning at her, “If you don’t come, I’ll go on my own!”
Watching Lin Tian’s figure walking further away,
Gan Yan Yu finally couldn’t help herself and quickly caught up.
“Brothers, send flowers, follow along, and watch me open twenty bottles of beer with my bare hands!!”
The moment she got out of the taxi, a loud shout startled Gan Yan Yu.
There stood a big uncle by the bridge, yelling at his phone’s live stream, and with a loud “smack!” he knocked off a beer cap with his palm.
Soon, the rhythmic sound of party music blared from behind.
The girl turned to see a fruit stall selling bananas, with the owner singing into the camera.
“There once was a mountain~ On top of that mountain, a temple~ Inside the temple, I, selling bananas, am smiling at you~”
“Hey, fam, hit the likes! When we hit five thousand, we’ll switch to a dance!”
A sharply dressed woman next to the fruit stall added in a cute tone.
Snapping back to reality,
this entire street was bustling with people, half of whom were live-streaming!
“What is all this?”
Gan Yan Yu felt a bit scared and instinctively hid behind Lin Tian.
“This is Qingzhou’s internet celebrity street, it’s been going viral lately; I’m here for the first time as well.”
Lin Tian expected some bizarre characters here, but this was beyond his wildest imagination!
Internet celebrities were indeed a peculiar breed.
Looking around, there were all kinds of outfits.
Maid costumes, nurse outfits, delivery boys, and some who painted their bodies and lay on the ground, pretending to be invisible art!
What a shining star-studded crowd.
Compared to them, Gan Yan Yu was positively more put together!
“Are they all crazy?”
Gan Yan Yu had never seen such a scene before.
She couldn’t help it and covered her mouth, bursting into laughter.
“Gotta make money, right? Nothing embarrassing about that,” Lin Tian said.
Seeing Gan Yan Yu smile, he chuckled along.
Who would’ve thought they shared a hobby in watching clowns?
Seeing her happy made Lin Tian believe this outing wasn’t in vain.
“Come on, let’s see more ahead!”
The two walked down the celebrity street.
Along the way, not only were there live-streamers but many vendors selling late-night snacks and lemon tea. Young people flooded the street; it seemed they’d developed their own little industry here.
Gan Yan Yu appeared curious, glancing at one thing after another.
Even the price list for lemonade was stared at for half a minute.
This girl, does she seldom go outside?
Lin Tian felt a mix of helplessness and patience.
As they continued walking, suddenly they noticed a large crowd gathering not far away.
A beautiful melody floated from within.
As they approached, they discovered it was a street performance.
A young couple, with the girl playing the violin and the guy on the cello.
Together, they performed a lively piece.
The cello’s deep emotions combined with the violin’s lively rhythm created a delightful effect.
The music flowed like a babbling brook through a fragrant forest, bringing a refreshing vibe to everyone present.
Street musicians were common, but instrumental players were rare.
That rarity drew quite the crowd.
Many people gaped and whipped out their phones to record.
Lin Tian instinctively felt this performance might trigger Gan Yan Yu’s bad memories.
As he was about to leave, he realized his shirt was being tugged.
Gan Yan Yu was staring at the pair, clutching Lin Tian’s sleeve.
Lin Tian thought, “. ”
Sure enough, as a cellist, hearing such beautiful music should evoke some resonance, right?
“Second movement of ‘Serenade for Strings.’ The accompaniment is okay, but the cello’s part, no way! The fourth beat of the second section sped up, and the transition into the third section was nearly 30% out of tune!” Gan Yan Yu earnestly critiqued.
Wait, is this where your focus is?!
Is this a homework inspection or something?!
To be honest, although Lin Tian had picked up a lot of music knowledge from his piano skill, he hadn’t noticed any of that.
Looking at it this way, Gan Yan Yu’s musical level probably surpassed his current silver-grade skill by quite a lot.
Very soon, the piece ended.
The guy with the cello put down his bow, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stood up with a payment QR code in hand.
“Thanks for listening, folks! University students chasing their dreams for the love of music—please support us!”
However, a swarm of people who’d just been recording suddenly seemed to lose power, quickly putting away their phones and pretending to chat with friends nearby.
In no time, a large group began walking away.
The guy with the QR code wore an awkward expression, standing there with one hand in an uncomfortable manner.
Meanwhile, the girl behind him, still holding the violin, sported a disappointed look.
“Can we scan on WeChat?”
At that moment, a female voice chimed in.
Gan Yan Yu stepped forward with her phone.
“Of course you can!”
Seeing someone willing to support him, the guy beamed in relief.
“Okay.”
Gan Yan Yu glanced at her WeChat balance—38 bucks—and sent over 30.
Gotta save 8 for the subway.
“The variation section really needs more practice. This serenade matches the cello perfectly, but if you don’t practice diligently, doing this level in street performance is hard to call chasing a dream for real.”
Hearing this, the guy’s expression turned serious.
He quickly asked, “Ma’am, are you a cellist too?”
“I used to be.”
“Wait a sec… Ma’am, you look kind of familiar.”
The guy squinted, seemingly not quite sure.
“Are you… Gan?”
Upon hearing that, Gan Yan Yu froze.
Seeing her reaction, the guy instantly confirmed his suspicions, bubbling with excitement:
“Gan Yan Yu! You’re Teacher Gan Yan Yu, right!!”
“This is Teacher Gan Yan Yu!!”
The guy turned and hollered excitedly towards the distance, drawing the attention of his girlfriend.
Then, he turned back:
“Teacher Gan! I grew up watching your grandpa’s videos! I have been listening to your cello performances! I’ve watched every competition recording!”
“I think, compared to Senior Gan Hua, your cello has an energy that we the new generation love. I’ve liked you for so long. I always thought the future of cello would be yours, Teacher Gan! Never thought I’d meet you here!”
The guy was practically fluttering with enthusiasm, his voice trembling with excitement.
It was the kind of craziness seen when meeting one’s idol in the flesh.
At that moment, Gan Yan Yu stood still, shocked.
The sparkle in her eyes was fading.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I have something to do.”
The girl softly muttered as she slowly turned away.
Ignoring the guy’s bewilderment.
And ran off.
(End of Chapter)
