Chapter 270: Reversal of Public Opinion and Hot Debates on YouTube (4k) (Looking for Monthly Tickets)
“Not quite there yet.”
Lin Tian smiled and said.
It’s just an international performance competition, really, we’re just getting started.
However, such topics could only be discussed with Xu Yong.
“It’s already impressive in our eyes!”
Xu Yong sighed after saying this,
“Man, watching you rise through the ranks is enough to make me just focus on studying and using the college entrance exam to change my fate.”
“Don’t stress. If you don’t want to work, why not just go back and take over your dad’s business?”
Lin Tian interrupted Xu Yong’s sudden emotional breakdown.
In Lin Tian’s world, Xu Yong could only be emo about love, never about the future.
Xu Yong’s father is a famous seafood tycoon in Qingjiang. You can imagine how wealthy he is.
Although he treats Xu Yong poorly enough that he has to earn his own money, including the money to buy a computer, Xu Yong doesn’t have much reason to feel uncertain about his future.
Compared to someone from Lin Tian’s background talking about changing one’s destiny through the college entrance exam, it’s a bit out of place.
That’s what high school students are like.
Back then, at high school age, people didn’t fully understand or care about their friends’ family backgrounds.
When graduation came and they scrambled to get jobs…
Some had arranged positions through their connections, while others were lazy or stayed home to “become old” before diving into work.
At that point, they would realize that being born with good connections was more important than anything else.
Lin Tian may not have worked himself, but his two lives of experience gradually taught him these truths.
“Being a seafood seller is nothing! This stuff is low-tech! Too rustic; it’s not something I’m meant to do!” Xu Yong raged.
“What is it you’re meant to do then?”
“If I sell seafood, it wouldn’t just be selling some seafood.”
“You let your mom handle a couple of clients first before discussing this.”
Lin Tian mercilessly interrupted Xu Yong.
He could guess what Xu Yong had wanted to say.
Opening an upscale restaurant that serves seafood – but not like a modern restaurant.
Suddenly, Lin Tian changed the subject.
“So, how’s things with Su Ran? Any contact during the break?”
Lin Tian only went back to school for the final exams and managed to fully enjoy it.
Since leaving school, he still wanted to know more.
After all, Lin Tian’s relationship with Gan Yanyu was too harmonious.
They rarely fought, and even when they did, it was all about little tricks and secret skirmishing.
Sometimes watching Xu Yong and Su Ran fight fiercely was rather pleasant.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about!”
Xu Yong said grumpily,
“I thought since the vacation started, and we wouldn’t see each other, we could finally take a break.”
“But nope, she kept insisting that I help her create TikTok videos, even saying I must assist since my advice last time helped her. So she’s been coming to my house every day!”
“I regret mentioning it,”
Lin Tian remained silent for a long time after hearing Xu Yong’s complaints.
“Mm-hmm.”
“What ‘mm-hmm’?”
“A quick path to grandkids,”
Finally, Lin Tian hung up after dropping that comment.
Then,
He clutched his forehead in frustration,
“Did she mention the relationship so soon?!”
What kind of romantic comedy plot is this?
Reflecting on his relationship with Gan Yanyu, although it was more harmonious now, it couldn’t even be called a “relationship”. Lin Tian was heartbroken.
Nope!
I need to pursue my dreams early, get married, and settle down!
Lin Tian made a silent resolution, covered himself with a blanket, and laid down.
Before he slept,
Lin Tian finally opened his phone and logged onto Twitter.
A search for terms related to Sato Sakura.
Sure enough,
Lin Tian, Croatian Rhapsody, advancing to the finals… Such keywords appeared in front of him.
If there was anyone hurt by Sakura’s initial round, maybe it wasn’t the pianists eliminated or the music media that made erroneous predictions beforehand.
The real pain was felt by the famous YouTube influencer “Sarah”.
In the lead-up to the event, Sarah, a self-proclaimed music blogger, made audacious remarks about exposing the “fake” talent of China’s pianist, Lin Tian.
She even verbally attacked the “Tokyo Association of Arts and Culture” and the “Sato Sakura International Competition”, spreading information about the “black markets” and “capitalism.”
As a result, she gained massive attention.
If not for her three million followers, this kind of interest would be unimaginable.
The biggest issue was her parting threat:
If Lin Tian could play at a professional level, she’d accept he possessed that skill.
She left herself with no room to retreat.
On the opening day,
Her live stream had over 50,000 viewers. A jaw-dropping number on YouTube.
Under her guidance, people watched Lin Tian step onto the stage, perform the “Croatian Rhapsody”, and ignite everyone’s enthusiasm, leading the audience to ask where they could find the official recording.
Sarah panicked completely.
She tried defending, claiming the performance didn’t meet the world-class standards.
But the chat box disagreed vehemently.
Lin Tian, good!
Everyone loved his music.
By evening,
When the host announced Lin Tian’s name as part of the top finalists, Sarah’s world collapsed.
Just as the chat was about to explode,
Sarah disconnected her stream in a flash.
All that remained was a sea of question marks on the screen.
Kindhearted netizens didn’t let this go unnoticed.
They flooded Sarah’s past videos with comments.
One said, “Honestly, I’m not a pro, but Lin Tian’s performance today was unforgettable.”
Another quipped, “Getting to the finals? You sure about that?”
Yet another asked, “Calling yourself a businessman for this? Is the expectation too high?”
They laughed, “Sarah guessed wrong! Turns out Lin Tian is the true prodigy!”
Seeing new comments pouring in,
Sarah was already in disarray.
How could a veteran music blogger miss someone’s true calibre?
She knew from Lin Tian’s performance within minutes that he was a top-notch pianist.
But Sarah held onto hope.
Performance level and composition level aren’t related, she insisted, even though she’d set herself up for this predicament.
Maybe the public wouldn’t realize the difference.
With the final list in mind, she could still argue it’s possible he wrote the piece… keeping herself safe.
Who could have guessed,
he actually made it to the finals?!
An 18-year-old from China made it to the finals of the Sato Sakura International Piano Competition!
In panic, Sarah shut down her broadcast instantly.
And she faced the storm…
Why should an 18-year-old from China, a “music country,” have to?
Is it normal to question or be angry? Of course!
Could he really be a millennium talent in music?
The cruel reality of the internet was…
Not only Sarah, but many people questioned his legitimacy at first.
But now, only she was left standing.
And then, unexpectedly, things worsened.
With a well-articulated Chinese curse appearing in the comments section,
Netizens from mysterious Eastern IPs filled Sarah’s comment section!
Sarah’s video had caught fire on YouTube;
many bloggers had shared it abroad, causing a stir domestically.
Countless domestic netizens protested.
Our Moonlight and Cat have been performing for so long, without pushing sales or deceptive marketing, giving music away for free,
And they are being criticized overseas?
How could one endure this?!
One Bilibili user added fuel, posting a supportive video.
In it, they listed Sarah’s faults and stated,
March forth, March forth!
We cannot leave Moonlight Brother out in the cold!
Justice must be served for them!
Initially, the reaction wasn’t immediate because it took time for news to travel from outside to inside the country.
Now, the timing was perfect,
All hell broke loose on Sarah’s comments!
“Stupid foreigners, do you understand anything?!”
“My Moon God’s music is off-limits to trash like you!”
“How dare you look down on ‘Moonlight and Cat!'”
“Even if we don’t discuss composition, our Cat Teacher is 18 and can make the cello soar…you can’t handle that?”
Lots of comments flooded in, showing the charm of Chinese text.
Others even used translations to help foreign viewers:
“Dog Sarah, you… ~~~~”
A few foreigners attempted to respond, but they discovered they could barely speak after reading those comments.
This wasn’t okay.
Of course,
Not all Chinese netizens were only verbal;
they uploaded tons of Moonlight and Cat’s videos.
Including early collaboration videos on Douyin.
Their live recordings and Q&As.
These made more foreign netizens genuinely appreciate the duo.
Many now understood why they were so well-received in China,
And why everyone who met them was full of praise.
Anyone who watched their content early on was hard-pressed not to fall for their charm!
When Lin Tian woke up the next morning,
He checked YouTube again.
Everything had shifted.
Countless users who understood ‘Moonlight and Cat’ fully supported the duo.
Algorithmic suggestions led him to watch more foreign netizens praising the duo.
[The Moonlight is the most talented musician I’ve ever seen.]
[Many treasures!]
[I’ll download the Chinese version of Tiktok now just for Moonlight and Cat!]
This was the point,
Lin Tian mused,
The previous online flak suddenly seemed irrelevant.
Indeed,
Facing these flacks,
Lin Tian didn’t need to do anything.
Just focus on his music and let others champion him.
Lin Tian closed his phone, and a moment later, He Zhi Chen’s message arrived.
[Lin Tian teacher, open the door.]
He opened the door, and He Zhi Chen entered with a tablet.
At that moment, Lin Tian had just woken up and hadn’t put on his pants yet.
Seeing Lin Tian’s state, He Zhi Chen’s eyes widened.
“Teacher Lin Tian—”
“What happened?”
Lin Tian casually tucked in his shirt. “Nothing.”
He Zhi Chen forced down his disbelief.
Thinking Lin Tian must practice kung fu for such resilience,
It made sense then.
“What brings you here?”
“Uh, yesterday you asked me to look into the data on Teacher Yao Han. I found something.”
He Zhi Chen sat down at the desk, checking the tablet,
“Teacher Yao Han is quite a complex figure.”
Up till now, he has participated in dozens of national and international competitions, winning the highest honor, becoming the champion of the national central music academy’s piano competition, which is the most prestigious in China.
Yao Han is an extremely rare pianist who never composes, dedicating all his efforts to honing his playing technique.
But, interestingly,
“He has a history of mental illness, and his brother was once part of Master Tuoba Jianhui’s orchestra, with a history of mental issues too,”
“A whole family of nuts?” Lin Tian exclaimed.
“In summary,”
He Zhi Chen put down the tablet,
“Mr. Yao is an outlier among pianists. He’s usually very independent, not many notice him.”
“My suggestion is, Teacher Lin, keep your distance.”
