Chapter 21: Confessions Under the Moonlight
In the outskirts of town, deep into the night, atop a scenic overlook by the mountainside—where else but in a world of manga would this be the perfect spot for a heartfelt heart-to-heart?
A man and woman sat on the railing, the cool breeze constantly caressing their faces, while headlights from cars occasionally flashed across the road behind them.
Gan Yan Yu looked like she was in heaven.
She spread her arms wide, fully embracing the moment.
Her face had a faint smile.
The world was at her feet, and there was nothing that could tear her away from her blissful existence.
If she were to d*e right here, d*e under the soft embrace of this cozy haven, well, that wouldn’t be such a terrible ending, would it?
So, if there’s anything left worth uncovering…
“Lin Tian, what did you mean by ‘good half’ just now?” Gan Yan Yu tilted her head, asking curiously.
She couldn’t grasp a thing about him. The boy lived alone, worked his own part-time job, and yet still helped others despite his own struggles. What would be abnormal behavior in a high school student seemed completely normal to Lin Tian.
To him, his life had always been like this.
“‘Good half,’ what’s that?”
“When I was talking about my childhood, you said ‘good half.'”
“You mean this.” Lin Tian glanced up at the night sky. He shrugged nonchalantly.
Looking up at the vast, open expanse above, he began his tale:
“I came from a family that shouldn’t exist. My mom got pregnant, and my dad was forced to marry her.”
“When I was three years old, my mom took off with all the luggage, leaving me and Dad behind.”
“What do you mean by ‘took off with all the luggage’? Why did your mom run off with your household bucket?” Gan Yan Yu asked, bewildered.
“Just imagine she ran off with everything she owned,” Lin Tian replied.
He wasn’t sure how to explain the cultural and historical background to Gan Yan Yu.
Continuing on:
“Then when I was fifteen, Dad said something ridiculous to me, and ever since then, I’ve been living alone.”
“What ridiculous thing?” Gan Yan Yu couldn’t help interrupting.
“He told me, ‘Dad has his own dreams to chase, so he can’t be bogged down by family obligations. As a member of the Lin family, I need to accomplish something first, and that starts with having no parents. This is helping you out too.’”
“And so, he ran away.”
“Huh?”
Gan Yan Yu was stunned.
Each sentence made sense on its own, but put together… How did she keep failing to understand this?
But seriously, that’s just heartbreaking!
Gan Yan Yu hadn’t expected Lin Tian to have such a rough childhood.
And yet, he seemed so strong.
Just thinking about it made her feel dejected; her eyes slowly drooped.
Seeing Gan Yan Yu’s aura shift, Lin Tian patted her shoulder reassuringly and smiled.
“All in the past!”
“I should even be grateful—they didn’t help shape my future, and I’m more independent because of it.”
But how can someone find themselves comforting the person who’s supposed to listen to their sob stories?
“So, have you ever thought of giving up?” Gan Yan Yu lifted her gaze, staring intently at Lin Tian.
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian took a deep breath.
Why did she ask this question? Of course, he knew why.
“Jacqueline du Pré.”
“Hmm?”
“A British cellist.” Lin Tian said.
“How come I’ve never heard of this British cellist?”
“There are plenty of musicians in British history you haven’t heard of; it’s not unusual.”
After all, the British history of his past life and this world’s British history were two different things entirely.
“True.”
“Jacqueline du Pré started learning cello when she was five. At twenty, she became famous worldwide with her performance of Elgar’s ‘Cello Concerto’, making her one of the greatest cellists of her time, remembered globally as the beautiful prodigy she was.”
“Twenty, impressive,” Gan Yan Yu murmured.
At eighteen years old, she felt quite inadequate compared to her.
Lin Tian continued,
“At twenty-six, though, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She quit the music scene and passed away far too young at forty-two.”
“How could that be?!” Gan Yan Yu exclaimed, her heart sinking.
Many don’t know, but despite her diagnosis at twenty-three, she continued to perform small-scale, underground concerts for over a decade.
Even when her health declined, she never missed an opportunity to play until her last breath.
Lin Tian finished the story calmly.
Now facing the young woman,
His intent was clear—the tale of Jacqueline du Pré, the great artistic genius, was one filled with admiration.
In Gan Yan Yu, Lin Tian saw a semblance of the lady he spoke of.
Both incredibly gifted, both achieving success at a young age, and both battling untimely illnesses.
It’s almost like heaven envies the talent of some.
Yet, Gan Yan Yu’s current achievements were far from her ideals.
Lin Tian hoped Gan Yan Yu would find strength in her resolve.
If there’s something you love, do it!
If you want to play music till your last day, go for it!
At least go out without regrets.
What’s with bringing photos to heaven so grandpa can see them? If you’re my grandpa, I’d give you both ears a sound spanking first!
Lin Tian’s emotions were escalating.
Exhausted from the day’s efforts, he realized he still couldn’t change the girl’s mind.
This profound feeling of helplessness and self-reproach had overtaken him.
For her, this was all he could offer.
If this didn’t work, he truly had no other plan—
“You’re right, Lin Tian,”
After a heavy silence, Gan Yan Yu raised her head.
After hearing the story, tears welled in her eyes.
“I can’t just leave everything behind, I can’t let grandpa down.”
“Exactly!”
Seeing Gan Yan Yu finally show some spirit, Lin Tian shouted,
“I believe grandpa will wake up someday! Ten, twenty, thirty years, I’ll wait, I’ll wait forever!”
“Yeah!” Lin Tian said emotionally.
Wait, what?
“Wake up?”
“Three days ago, grandpa had a car accident and is now in a vegetative state. The doctor says waking up is highly unlikely.”
“Oh…”
Morally wrong as it may seem, somehow, this sad news gave him relief.
He wasn’t dead after all.
Randomly assuming someone’s gone because they’re in a coma seems even less moral now.
Hearing about old man Gan’s accident, Lin Tian felt heavy-hearted nonetheless.
After all, he’s in a vegetative state. There’s no Hollywood magic in reality; the chances are virtually zero.
Wait, didn’t Gan Yan Yu say she’d wait?
Thirty years?
No, no,
This disease is really something!
Gan Yan Yu, thinking of her grandpa, felt a pang in her heart, and soon enough, tears streamed down her face.
Not wanting to break down in front of Lin Tian, she quickly hopped off the railing and turned away.
“Grandpa, you liar! You promised you’d wait for me to return from the UK after treating my asthma…”
(End of Chapter 21)
