Chapter 115: Meeting the Parents (4K)
“Wait until Yan Yu arrives. Remember to watch what you say and don’t sit there with a sour face.”
“.”
At the Fook Lai Restaurant.
On the top floor, in the upscale private room.
He Zha seriously instructed the middle-aged man in front of her.
Her face, which bore a slight resemblance to Gan Yan Yu, was filled with tension and worry.
Today, she and her husband, Gan Sheng, had set aside an entire day to visit their daughter, whom they hadn’t seen in ages.
On one hand, they wanted to catch up on her life and say a few things. On the other hand, they were hoping to bond a little more, making up for the lack of affection in the past.
“.”
Gan Sheng stood with his arms crossed, slightly nodding but otherwise silent.
This quiet middle-aged man had a presence that exuded authority without him having to raise his voice.
Feeling that her husband wasn’t taking her words to heart, He Zha reminded him again:
“It’s not easy for Yan Yu to agree to have dinner with us. Other than that matter, let’s drop any unhappy topics for now.”
“Are you the one who’s been against Yan Yu playing the cello?” Gan Sheng furrowed his brow.
“That was a long time ago.”
She sighed and continued,
“I opposed it back then because I was afraid she’d follow in her grandfather’s footsteps.”
“And the end result? Yan Yu would rather live on her own than stay with us.”
His tone was impatient, tinged with a hint of bitterness.
In truth, Gan Sheng didn’t have a strong aversion to his daughter pursuing a music career. When he was younger, his father—Gan Yan Yu’s grandfather, Gan Hua—had tried to encourage him in that direction.
However, it turned out that Gan Sheng, despite his lack of talent, had no interest in the cello or classical music whatsoever.
After a few years of half-hearted attempts in school, he realized he wasn’t cut out for it and never touched music again.
To him, a man’s ambitions lay far beyond such frivolities.
Real men should engage in grand endeavors—not waste their time on meaningless artistic pursuits.
Though Gan Sheng hadn’t followed in his father’s footsteps, he had at least tried.
Now, seeing Gan Yan Yu’s passion and the achievements she had made—ones he could only dream of during his half-hearted attempts—he felt complicated emotions.
Perhaps, deep down, he harbored a shred of hope.
Hope for the day he’d see his daughter fulfill her father’s dreams.
Thus, he wasn’t as reactive to her cello-playing as He Zha was.
If she decided to give it up, that would be fine too; continuing to play wouldn’t hurt.
In fact, he even thought that seeing his daughter happy while following her own path was enough for him.
But,
There was one thing:
He was on high alert about the young man who appeared in his daughter’s videos!
“What’s the deal with that boy who shot videos with Yan Yu?”
Thinking of this, Gan Sheng couldn’t resist asking again.
“Don’t you remember? Yan Yu mentioned in a message a few days ago that he’s her music partner.”
“‘Music partner.’”
That sounded sketchy.
Though Gan Sheng had a traditional outlook, he was pretty internet-savvy and could keep up with young people’s thoughts.
So, when he heard this, his mind started to race.
A senior student who didn’t prioritize academics but spent all his time making short videos with Yan Yu?
His grades must be terrible!
Honestly, such a situation—
Without prejudice, any parent would find it hard to accept.
What if he knew Yan Yu liked music and was deliberately getting close for that reason?
Especially when he thought about the video where Yan Yu mentioned they filmed at that boy’s house.
The usually composed Gan Sheng felt his hands begin to fidget anxiously.
“.”
“They’re here.”
Just then, He Zha signaled as the door to the private room swung open.
Gan Yan Yu walked in.
“Yan Yu!”
He Zha jumped up immediately.
Quickly, behind Gan Yan Yu, a young man dressed in a white shirt and holding a blazer entered with a steady gait.
“Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”
Lin Tian’s magnetic voice resonated.
So handsome.
He Zha gasped internally at the sight.
Maybe it was her preconceived notions, but she had imagined Yan Yu’s friends to be colorful-haired slackers with a careless attitude.
Yet this young man not only wore a clean white shirt but also had his hair neatly styled.
Most importantly, he gave off a good vibe.
Meanwhile, Gan Sheng remained poker-faced, his discerning eyes sharper than ever.
“Please, sit down,” He Zha invited warmly.
Lin Tian approached the table and took a seat.
“This is my partner, Lin Tian,” Gan Yan Yu introduced without any pleasantries.
“A classmate from the same school, next door.”
“Uh-huh.”
He Zha offered Lin Tian a polite smile,
“We’ve seen the videos you made with Yan Yu.”
“Your piano play is great, and your compositions are impressive.”
Her compliment wasn’t just a formality.
Even though she didn’t know much about music, she could tell from the sound that it was good. Plus, given their impressive video engagement stats, she could deduce that this young man had quite a bit of talent.
“Auntie, you’re too kind,” Lin Tian replied, playing along with humility.
“Let’s get the dishes on the table,” He Zha clapped her hands, calling for the waiter who had been waiting outside.
“Okay.”
The waitress bowed and left.
“.”
After beckoning the waitress away, He Zha turned her warm smile back to Gan Yan Yu.
“Yan Yu, how have you been lately—seems like you’ve gained some weight?”
“Right, I’m almost 90 pounds now.”
“Shouldn’t you have returned to school already?”
“Just last week.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Yeah.”
“.”
He Zha’s enthusiasm contrasted starkly with Gan Yan Yu’s indifference.
But Lin Tian understood that this indifference didn’t stem from a dislike of her parents; if that were the case, she wouldn’t have bothered to join them for dinner.
It was simply how Gan Yan Yu was—her personality prevented her from relaxing in front of her parents.
After a pause, Gan Yan Yu added,
“It’s all thanks to Lin Tian; he’s been taking good care of me.”
“Really.”
“Lin Tian.”
At this point, the previously silent Gan Sheng finally spoke up, his expression unchanged.
“How did you and Yan Yu meet?”
Very direct to the point.
“We bumped into each other in the same neighborhood,” Lin Tian replied.
To be honest, Lin Tian felt he owed them a thank you.
After all, Yan Yu was initially looking to end it all, and they contributed a third of that plan.
If it weren’t for that fateful rooftop encounter, Lin Tian wouldn’t have met Gan Yan Yu at all.
“Okay, during this time we haven’t been around Yan Yu, we really want to thank you for sticking by this kid’s side.”
Gan Sheng said straightforwardly.
This surprised even He Zha, who sat beside him.
To Gan Sheng, this was just business.
While he didn’t comprehend what exactly went down between the boy and Gan Yan Yu, the fact that she had become more cheerful since then was undeniable.
This was something to be grateful to Lin Tian for.
However…
After expressing his gratitude, Gan Sheng suddenly twisted his tone, becoming serious,
“Are you living alone now?”
At the mention of this question, He Zha sensed trouble brewing and kicked Gan Sheng under the table.
But this stubborn middle-aged man remained unfazed.
“Yes,” Lin Tian replied.
“What about your family?”
“I don’t have family. I’ve been living alone for years.”
Eighteen years old, no parents, no background, living solo.
What’s the difference between that and a rogue?
Such a situation would send any parent to catastrophe levels regarding their child’s associations.
“Don’t you have a guardian?”
“No.”
“You—”
Gan Sheng paused.
Some words were too harsh to say in front of Gan Yan Yu.
Just then, He Zha intervened to steer the conversation,
“Lin Tian, how do you manage your living expenses?”
“I used to work, but now I earn from filming short videos.”
Lin Tian answered without hesitation.
“Can you really earn that much?”
He Zha was taken aback.
From what little she knew, the costs for making videos weren’t low.
In fact, she even suspected that the reason Gan Yan Yu never asked them for money was because of Lin Tian.
“Yeah, if you’re diligent about it, you can make a decent living.”
“Impressive.”
He Zha admired him a little.
He was handsome, yet more capable than most high schoolers.
Setting other aspects aside, he was definitely a talent.
Meanwhile, Gan Sheng felt somewhat moved as well.
He spoke up again,
“Lin Tian, do you have any plans for the future?”
This question was geared toward him as a high school student.
“First, aim for a good university.”
“You’re at the same school as Yan Yu, Chengzhou No. 7, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Chengzhou No. 7 is a good school. Even if your grades aren’t top-notch, they wouldn’t be too shabby.”
Gan Sheng paused, his notion of “shabby” referring not to academic performance.
But to character.
In the eyes of this traditional man in his forties, many unaccomplished, seemingly unserious young people automatically fell into the “low value” or “low-quality” category.
He didn’t have time to sort through which kids were good and which weren’t suitable for his own child.
But as long as they could study at a key high school, their overall ability wouldn’t be too far off.
“Actually, Lin Tian ranked first in the last simulated exam.”
Gan Yan Yu interjected.
“First in the grade??”
Gan Sheng’s expression immediately softened.
“First in Chengzhou No. 7?”
He Zha echoed, surprised.
Being a local of Qingzhou, she naturally knew what kind of caliber Chengzhou No. 7 produced.
As a key high school with an admission rate to top universities over 68%, they usually had around sixty students admitted to 985 universities each year.
And being the top student meant being the crème de la crème.
If he maintained that status—
An entry into the C9 league or choosing from Tsinghua or Peking University would be well within reach.
Although it was just a simulated exam, there were only six months left until the college entrance exam, which was enough to prove his level.
With that thought, Gan Sheng started feeling a little uneasy.
“You can play music, film videos, and still rank first in your grade?”
“Of course not. It’s not that exaggerated.”
Lin Tian chuckled and remarked,
“I actually dropped significantly for this exam and ended up in sixth place.”
Did he just say he “only” got sixth because he was too busy “playing music” and “filming videos”?
What a terrifying statement.
Gan Sheng himself was a graduate from a prestigious university.
University life in the last century was indeed tougher than what today’s students faced.
But he knew that he had the privilege of a comfortable background and superior educational resources that exceeded the average person during his youth.
When it came to the quality of university students, he would admit it had decreased compared to decades ago; but in terms of competition difficulty for top universities—
In the current era, when everyone has access to education and competition was intense among high schoolers, it was much more challenging.
“Yan Yu, you should take a leaf out of Lin Tian’s book,”
As soon as He Zha heard about such an outstanding student, her inner “overzealous mother” instinct kicked in.
Given the circumstances, it was indeed fortunate that Yan Yu had met Lin Tian.
“Auntie, you flatter me. I’ll be taking the arts exam next month, so I need to learn from Yan Yu as well.”
“You’re an art student?” He Zha asked.
“Yeah, I just recently decided to start learning because I want to apply to the Zhuanghua Music Academy with Yan Yu.”
“Just started learning?” Gan Sheng questioned.
With such good grades, was he challenging himself on purpose?
That made Gan Sheng think back to his own youth.
“That’s great! With your outstanding musical talent, you’ll have greater opportunities at Zhuanghua Music Academy,” He Zha commented.
“.”
As the conversation continued, something began to weigh heavier on Gan Sheng’s heart.
This seemingly perfect young man, good-looking and sharing a passion with Yan Yu—
Could it be interpreted that Yan Yu liking him was only natural?
He himself had once been young.
Such a boy—how could he not be popular in high school?
It was possible that right now, they were—
With that thought, an inexplicable anxiety rose in Gan Sheng’s chest.
Just then, when he looked at Lin Tian, he felt terribly uncomfortable.
“.”
Soon, more dishes started arriving at the table.
At that moment, Lin Tian stood up and said,
“Excuse me, Uncle, Auntie, you eat first, I’ll go to the washroom.”
“Okay.”
He Zha’s eyes sparkled with joy.
In her eyes, she was already overflowing with affection for this young man.
From their earlier dialogue, she had transitioned from confusion to genuine admiration.
At least, from a woman’s perspective, she knew that someone like Lin Tian would charm women in any era.
Once Lin Tian left, only Gan Yan Yu and her parents remained in the private room.
After a quiet moment of eating in silence,
“Yan Yu, we actually came today to discuss something with you,”
Gan Sheng finally spoke up.
Hearing this, Gan Yan Yu paused and lifted her head.
He Zha’s smile faded, replaced by tension and concern as she glanced at Gan Yan Yu.
“That boy named Lin Tian is impressive—I’m okay with him as a friend, but—”
“Just keep your distance.”
(End of Chapter)
