### Chapter 192: Winners and Losers (4K)
“NICE!”
The moment the results were announced, Lin Tian’s fist shot up, releasing emotions that had been bottled up for ages.
— Ah, that feels good!
Finally,
After three months,
From the concert debut, to the Star Cup, and then the Parrot Zither Cup.
He had battled on several stages alongside Gan Yan Yu.
For the first time, Lin Tian felt a genuine—”I won!” sensation.
And what a grand victory it was!
Though it was only the semifinals,
It was enough to motivate anyone.
Amidst his happiness, Lin Tian couldn’t help but reflect.
Turns out, this competition,
It really could be won, you know!
Every time in the past, he was always “just a bit short,” almost losing all hope.
But Lin Tian understood.
In the real world, some victories are rare precisely because of the journey taken to achieve them.
When he faced Tuoba Jianhui, he was ready to come back two years later.
But they made it!
This win was so touching, even Lin Tian was moved.
And one could only imagine how it felt for Gan Yan Yu, who had worked towards this goal all along.
Now, they had taken a step closer to their “dream.”
“.”
Lin Tian turned to Gan Yan Yu.
To his surprise, she didn’t seem as thrilled as he envisioned.
The young woman stared at the big screen, lost in thought.
Suddenly, Lin Tian remembered.
Two years ago,
The 16-year-old Gan Yan Yu had seemingly given up during the semifinals of the Parrot Zither Cup.
The same top-eight duel on this very stage; back then, Gan Yan Yu had left for England, labeled as a “deserter” by others.
Now, she was back here, winning the semifinals.
This victory must hold extraordinary significance for her.
The young woman, sensing Lin Tian’s gaze, slowly turned her head and, slightly surprised, smiled.
“Wow, Lin Tian, we made it through!”
“Yeah.”
Simultaneously,
The big screen displayed the scores for the four contestants in Group B.
[Gan Yan Yu: A+ (9) A (3)]
[Christine Nanaly: A+ (4) A (2) B+ (3) B (3)]
[Yun Qiu Qiu: A+ (3) A (2) B+ (6) B (1)]
[Mao Junfeng: A+ (0) A (1) B+ (8) B (3)]
[.]
Once the scores were announced and everything settled,
Not long after,
“Whoosh—”
Lin Tian looked toward the sound.
In the corner,
Yun Qiu Qiu stood up, hoisting her cello.
Then she packed her things.
Without saying a word,
She pushed open the rest room door and walked out.
Even a two-dimensional king couldn’t be unmoved by the results of a competition, right?
Seeing this scene, Lin Tian felt a wave of emotions.
Those who made it this far, no matter how nonchalant they appeared, surely had dreams.
In this world, where there are winners, there must be losers.
After being eliminated, the road ahead is still long.
Once she returned, Yun Qiu Qiu would likely turn back into that homebody, continuing to create and sh**t anime performance videos.
“Ha—”
On the other side,
Mao Junfeng let out a yawn and stretched.
A companion patted his shoulder and consoled him:
“What a pity, Brother Feng!”
“Ah! What’s there to pity?”
Mao Junfeng laughed heartily, waving his hand.
“I only got into the semifinals by sheer luck. Just being able to participate in the top eight is enough for me! I can add another experience to my resume!”
This oldest contestant in the room displayed the attitude of someone approaching middle age.
He walked over to Lin Tian.
With a broad smile, he extended his hand.
“Teacher Lin Tian, Teacher Gan Yan Yu.”
“You performed wonderfully!”
“Good luck in the finals!”
“Yeah.”
Lin Tian nodded and shook hands with Mao Junfeng.
Even though they hadn’t interacted much,
This man’s chamber music still left a deep impression on him.
“Ha ha, I’m off!”
Mao Junfeng waved his hand and turned to pack his luggage.
Then, casually looking up, he saw his reflection in the mirror.
Rugged beard.
Somewhat dark skin.
Covered in the marks of time.
A stark contrast to the 18-year-old youth beside him.
“.”
Mao Junfeng stared blankly for a second, chuckled, and continued packing.
“.”
Mao Junfeng might not have had strong musical talent or fame like others.
He was just an ordinary person, an average cellist. Through hard work, he staggered his way into the semifinals amidst 260 competitors.
Though he lost, he didn’t feel defeated.
In this room, there was a 14-year age gap between him and the youngest, Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian.
And every other contestant ahead were prodigies. Everyone was younger, more talented, and had a brighter… future.
He was already at the limit of what an ordinary person could achieve.
To have the chance, at 32, to be blessed by God and see the beauty of the world,
Mao Junfeng felt immensely honored.
Such a musical journey made his efforts worthwhile.
“.”
Once he finished packing his stuff, he glanced at Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, then, as if making a resolution, walked forward again.
“Teachers,”
“Although my level is not great, I have a good eye for talent.”
Mao Junfeng said,
“I think you are much stronger than Bai Xi, way stronger!”
“Win against her in the finals!”
Mao Junfeng gave a thumbs up.
That gesture carried his heartfelt blessing.
“Thanks for your kind words.”
Lin Tian replied.
“.”
Mao Junfeng and his companions shouldered their instruments and headed for the door.
Finally, stopping at the door, he paused and turned back with a smile at the two who were still looking at him.
“Goodbye!”
He pushed the door open and exited.
In the spacious rest room,
As staff members went to the adjacent A group’s lounge, contestants began leaving one by one.
At this moment, besides Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu,
Only the golden-haired Nanaly remained seated.
The golden-haired girl lowered her head, gritting her teeth, clenching her fists.
Finally, she stood in front of Gan Yan Yu.
“.”
Here she comes, here she comes!
Is it finally happening?
Lin Tian felt a thrill of excitement.
Some things really needed to be said by Goldilocks to capture the essence.
He had been waiting for that.
Would she say it?
She better say it!
“Gan Yan Yu! Don’t think just because you won this time, you can relax! I will always monitor you like a shadow, and I will practice more than you—practice! Sooner or later, I will definitely beat you!!” Nanaly exclaimed all in one breath.
— Finally!
Lin Tian took a deep breath.
This kind of defeated-dog speech really needed Goldilocks to deliver.
The emotional impact was on point!
“.”
Gan Yan Yu stared at Nanaly, stunned.
Then, she smiled gently.
“Okay.”
“I will work hard too, but don’t neglect your health just to achieve your goals—take care of yourself. That’s what Lin Tian told me.”
With those words,
Nanaly’s tears finally flowed uncontrollably.
“That’s too much.”
The girl covered her face with both hands,
“It’s because of this… that I can’t help but not hate you.”
In the next moment,
Gan Yan Yu stepped forward, opened her arms, and embraced Nanaly.
Gently stroking her smooth golden hair.
And Nanaly nestled in Gan Yan Yu’s arms, crying.
“I’m sorry.”
Gan Yan Yu whispered.
“.”
Lin Tian crossed his arms, standing aside.
Watching this warm scene,
His expression was somewhat complex.
This wasn’t how he imagined things would unfold.
He didn’t expect Teacher Gan to have such a nurturing side.
Tsk.
Next time, could he also challenge Gan Yan Yu after Nanaly leaves?
After Nanaly took her leave,
A staff member came to inform Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu that, as the winners of Group B, they needed to stay.
After the A group’s competition concluded, Gan Yan Yu would be required to stand on stage with the winner of Group A for a promotional photo sh**t to hype up the finals.
These photos would be displayed on posters at the Qingzhou Concert Hall for half a month.
During the wait for A group’s competition to finish, the two of them could roam around as they pleased, as long as they returned here afterward.
After Gan Yan Yu agreed, the staff left.
Before long, only the two were left in the rest room.
“Lin Tian,”
At this moment, Gan Yan Yu turned to Lin Tian and said.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re this close now, and you still want to thank me?”
Although Gan Yan Yu always insisted on maintaining formality,
In this atmosphere right now,
Suddenly doing this made Lin Tian feel a bit awkward.
“This time we could win, it’s all thanks to your hard work, right?”
Gan Yan Yu placed her hands on her hips,
And spoke softly:
“I know all about it.”
“In both the preliminary and semifinal performances, I just did what I had to do, but the outcomes were dramatically different.”
“If you want to pinpoint the differences, I think it’s that ‘emotion’.”
“Though I don’t know what kind of magic you used to achieve all this, I can tell that it was all your hard work behind the scenes, Lin Tian.”
“Thank you, Lin Tian—great job!”
After saying this earnestly,
Gan Yan Yu stood straight and bowed to Lin Tian.
“Not at all, not at all, Teacher Gan!”
Lin Tian quickly caught her.
His face unconsciously turned a bit red.
The battle in the semifinals was entirely fought by Lin Tian.
Whether it was the reflections from his disputes with Tuoba Jianhui or the inspiration he got from secretly meeting Yao Han, leading to policies he adapted during the performances.
All of this had been done without Gan Yan Yu’s knowledge.
Unexpectedly,
Though Gan Yan Yu didn’t know what he did,
She could genuinely feel Lin Tian’s efforts.
How nice! Truly a Teacher Gan.
“.”
“Lin Tian.”
Gan Yan Yu suddenly reached out and held Lin Tian’s hand.
Lin Tian snapped his head up.
At that moment, Gan Yan Yu looked at him with a serious and gentle gaze.
“In the finals, I won’t let you do so much anymore.”
“—I will definitely rely on myself, entirely on my own, to win!”
“No wonder it’s the ‘d*ath group’ intensity.”
Time rewound to the moment the leaderboard was revealed—
He Shu Mo flipped through the materials on the table, letting out a sigh.
As a judge, they only learned the complete scoring results at this moment.
“Even the three eliminated contestants all scored B or above.”
As he said this, He Shu Mo sighed, expressing a bit of helplessness,
“It’s a pity for Yun Qiu Qiu and Christine; both of them are exceptional cellists. In a different scenario, if they hadn’t crossed paths with Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian, they would have undoubtedly achieved fulfilling results.”
This led He Shu Mo to recall a chaotic era from a certain dynasty. Clearly, several warlords from different factions could have ruled in any other era,
But alas, all the heroes gathered in that age, and in the end, only one could conquer the world.
The rest, naturally, had to act as mere background for history.
Thinking about that was quite bittersweet.
“They had a chance to win.”
Yao Han had his hands behind his head, reclining in his chair, smiling as he said,
“But what a shame—along came the variable Lin Tian.”
“Did you hear the judges discussing us?”
After saying that, Yao Han gestured toward the other judges at the end of the table.
He Shu Mo froze and turned his head.
Over there, the other judges, mainly local musicians from Qingjiang, were engaged in laughter and conversation.
“Gan Yan Yu is truly a rare talent on the cello! She’s simply a born performer!”
“And that pianist named Lin Tian? When they play together, it’s like a magical chemical reaction, fantastic! I really like these two young talents.”
“That piece, ‘D Major Canon,’ is without a doubt an ‘A+’ level performance, no matter how you look at it. Those three ‘A’s must have come from…”
The latter part of that remark went unspoken.
But everyone could understand.
With the prior evaluation from chief judge Tuoba Jianhui,
It was destined that some judges, out of respect for Senior Tuoba, would give lower scores.
To everyone’s view, without a doubt, those three ‘A’ scores were most likely given by the trio of judges with connections to the capital.
“I believe you didn’t betray Teacher Tuoba, right?”
Yao Han said with utmost seriousness, patting He Shu Mo’s shoulder.
“Uh, this…”
“As a firm supporter of Teacher Tuoba, you’ve done well to give an ‘A’ rating to the best of your ability. I know you’ve made a considerable effort!”
“Actually…”
He Shu Mo feigned calmness as he adjusted his glasses,
“I think this ‘D Major Canon,’ from the participant’s standpoint…”
“Wait, you didn’t give it an ‘A+’ did you?!”
Yao Han, as if he had realized something, interrupted He Shu Mo,
Then, his eyes wide open in shock.
“He Shu, we agreed to uphold Teacher Tuoba’s ratings! Teacher Tuoba has trusted us so much; if he considers them excellent, giving an ‘A’ grade should be sufficient—why’d you give a perfect score? This is about taking a stand!”
He Shu Mo was now sweating profusely thanks to Yao Han’s words.
“I’m guilty, sorry, Teacher Yao!”
He Shu Mo wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and asked Yao Han,
“What about you?”
“Me? You don’t think I’m like you, do you? I’m definitely a loyal supporter of Teacher Tuoba! Whatever grade he gives, that’s what I’ll give.”
“You know his scoring system? He didn’t disclose that to anyone, did he?”
“No one knows Tuoba-sensei better than I do.”
Yao Han gave He Shu Mo a pat on the back.
“You, on the other hand, still have much to learn.”
(End of Chapter)
