Chapter 41: First Rehearsal
“Can you cook?”
Lin Tian looked skeptical.
Last time Gan Yan Yu was at his place, she nearly prepared a full imperial banquet for him.
The keyword here is “nearly” because Gan Yan Yu couldn’t figure out how to turn on the gas.
So, she sentenced herself to d*ath by settling for some mung bean cakes instead.
“Of course! I cooked for myself the whole time I was in England,” Gan Yan Yu said, dead serious.
Then, slightly sheepishly, she added, “Though, the taste was pretty average. But filling your stomach is definitely no problem!”
Wow, before she even started cooking, she was already at that “just filling the stomach is a win” stage?!
“Alright, just tell me what ingredients you need for tomorrow night. I’ll grab them after school.”
Lin Tian agreed to help Gan Yan Yu.
After all, who could resist a chance to take a break from cooking?
Besides, with Gan Yan Yu’s personality, if he didn’t let her do something for him, she’d inevitably feel like she was losing out and would find a way to make it up elsewhere.
Oh, she’s just like a little robot; it’s too hilarious.
“Hmm, let me think… One piece of pork ribs, two carrots.”
Gan Yan Yu started counting on her fingers, deep in thought.
“Just message me the list on WeChat tomorrow,” Lin Tian interrupted her. “We should really start practicing.”
With the concert just two weeks away, according to Teacher Gao Zhen Yang, for two people who had never played together, achieving a good outcome would definitely require some effort in terms of coordination.
Gan Yan Yu plopped down on the couch, opened her cello case, and took out the instrument.
Lin Tian sat down at the piano.
“Let’s start with ‘Ode to Love.’”
This piece was relatively easy to play together; after all, ‘Ode to Love’ was known for its singular tone and would sound even better with their collaboration.
Lin Tian’s piano would mainly serve as background accompaniment, and even if his playing wasn’t the best, it wouldn’t significantly affect Gan Yan Yu’s performance.
Before they began, Lin Tian propped his phone up on a stand on the balcony.
“What’s up? Are you going to record this?”
Seeing the camera aimed at them, Gan Yan Yu got a bit anxious.
“Just want to record it, so we can see how it went,” Lin Tian explained.
“Alright…”
The young woman glanced down at her little dress, looking somewhat conflicted.
It wasn’t that her dress was revealing; she just wasn’t used to being so casual in front of a camera.
“It’s just practice; I probably won’t post it anywhere.”
“Probably?”
Gan Yan Yu tilted her head, but Lin Tian had already returned to his position.
After a brief sound check to confirm everything was fine, he glanced over at Gan Yan Yu on the sofa.
They exchanged glances.
And they began to play—
The melodious sound of the cello and the delicate notes of the piano echoed through the room.
Just two seconds in…
“Faster!”
Gan Yan Yu’s loud voice startled Lin Tian, making him quickly retract his hands.
Wait, we just started!
Is that really necessary?!
Even though Lin Tian had a high sensitivity to music, thanks to his skill card, he hadn’t even picked up on it yet.
Gan Yan Yu raised her index finger and said earnestly, “The tone and playing style of the cello and piano are different. We need to maintain consistency in rhythm, speed, and expression. Any tiny error could affect the overall result.”
“Remember, any tiny error is a no-go!”
Gan Yan Yu sounded like a top-level teacher, with an undeniable tone.
Once she got into the groove of music, it was like she transformed into a completely different person.
Gan Yan Yu in performance mode was downright frightening!
But Lin Tian knew that when it came to instruments and technical aspects of playing, he really had to listen to Gan Yan Yu’s directions.
“Got it.”
Lin Tian made an “all good” gesture with his fingers.
They resumed playing together.
With Lin Tian’s focused cooperation, they continued without a hitch, not once stopping.
The outcome seemed to be pretty good!
Compared to a solo cello performance, ‘Ode to Love’ really got depth with their duet.
Ah, they definitely made the right choice starting with piano accompaniment.
“Make your sound a little softer; don’t overshadow my cello!”
“Okay.”
“You can try playing this part a bit slower.”
“Sure.”
And thus,
They went back and forth with ‘Ode to Love,’ practicing non-stop for half an hour.
Feeling confident they had smoothed out most issues, they finally stopped.
Lin Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to see Gan Yan Yu sprawled on the couch, cradling her cello, with her head leaning against the neck, seemingly lost in thought.
“What’s up?”
“I feel like something’s off.”
“Off? I think it was pretty good!”
Lin Tian felt quite satisfied—after all, it was their first duet.
By the end, they were syncing up at least “98%” of the time!
The young woman pouted, looking a tad embarrassed, as if worried Lin Tian would think she was being too nitpicky.
But she spoke up anyway:
“Well, it’s like this: I think your piano playing is really good, and my cello is okay too.”
“Your cello is even better,” Lin Tian chimed in.
Gan Yan Yu always played it modest, which made Lin Tian feel a bit bashful.
It was just like a kindergarten teacher flattering a child.
While leading Lin Tian through the performance, she also had to toss out compliments like, “Wow, you’re amazing! Better than me!”
The way she buttered him up made it seem like Lin Tian had no taste at all.
“But our duet isn’t as good as I expected. It feels like our performance should be 1 + 1 = 2, but after all that, it’s more like 1.2, hardly better than a solo.”
That was true.
In fact, Gan Yan Yu displayed high emotional intelligence.
The main issue lay with Lin Tian not keeping up.
Over the course of their long practice, Lin Tian distinctly felt the pressure rising.
While listening to Gan Yan Yu play, he had only felt impressed, amazed, and utterly awed!
But when it was his turn to join in as accompaniment — matching up with her performance — he finally grasped the terrifying grip Gan Yan Yu had on music, setting her apart from any other musician.
She possessed such a powerful musical aura; in her realm, she was the unquestioned, absolute core.
Lin Tian had to constantly keep his attention on this core and revolve around her.
To put it simply, here’s an analogy:
As a MOBA player, you’re now supporting the absolute best AD carry in the world.
Your “not keeping up” is far more than just “not being fast enough.”
Your understanding of lane control, vision, skill combos, and counter-gank awareness—all of it had to match this “absolute core” you had to follow!
Decisive moments often last just a few seconds; if you’re still communicating at that point, it’s too late.
This AD, who has a short temper and might rage quit if you mess up, is—yes, he’s strong, so you need to decipher and understand his intentions.
Do you have the confidence to pull off a perfect synergy with him?
Gan Yan Yu had a fantastic personality, but it didn’t detract from her “absolute core” musical style.
In life, she was a thoughtful and kind girl who was always cautious and caring for others.
Yet in music, she transformed into true dominance.
And in their musical collaboration, Lin Tian and this musical overlord couldn’t communicate verbally.
That meant they needed to reach a mutual understanding solely through their music.
Why does the story of Bo Ya and Zi Qi still resonate even after thousands of years?
Because achieving resonance in music without “talking” — truly understanding each other’s feelings — is incredibly challenging.
“Wait a minute.”
After pondering for a bit, Gan Yan Yu stood up from the couch.
Then, cradling her cello, she grabbed a stool from the side and sat down next to Lin Tian at the piano.
She fixed her gaze firmly on him:
“I’ll sit beside you, let’s try again.”
(End of Chapter)
