### Chapter 360 – Nanaly Paints in Music
Nanaly Is On? Already??
What do you mean on? Right now? Really?
Nanaly wasn’t ready at all, but once she heard the announcement over the intercom, her body acted as if it was on autopilot.
She stood up from the sofa, her mind already a mess and even more scrambled after chatting with Lin Tian.
Dammit!
Why did we have to talk about that, anyway?!
Why can’t I control myself when I’m around him?
Now I can never look Gan Yan Yu in the eye again.
Wait, no, that’s not the issue.
The real problem is, my brain has no clue how to handle this performance anymore.
That woman…
She must be sitting in the VIP seats already, right?
Just a moment ago, on the live feed, there was an empty seat right in the middle of the first row.
How could there be an empty spot like that?
It had to be her.
Does she deliberately wait until I start performing before sitting down?
That’s so her style.
Not because she’s too busy, nor because she doesn’t care about anyone else’s performance.
No, she’s just trying to psych me out with her shenanigans.
Nanaly knows this too well.
Through countless nights and days, she’s dealt with that woman’s tricks, and she’s seen them all!
The young woman bit her lip, rubbed her head, and walked out of the room.
“.”
As soon as she turned the corner, she bumped into a familiar figure.
“Nanaly?”
Gan Yan Yu widened her eyes, staring at her.
“You’re going onstage?”
“Yeah.”
“Where’s Lin Tian? I thought I’d check in on you two since he’s been gone for so long.”
“He’s in my resting room.”
“Oh, okay—so you’re fine, right?”
“…”
Nanaly instinctively avoided the topic.
She didn’t understand why Gan Yan Yu, who’d been concerned about her earlier, naturally assumed she was “fine” now that she was about to perform, simply because Lin Tian had tried to cheer her up.
Those two dating is seriously getting under my skin!
“.”
If talking to Lin Tian had pushed her agitation level past 80%, then Gan Yan Yu’s reassurances had sent it skyrocketing beyond 100%.
“I’m off,” Nanaly said, trying to step forward.
But Gan YanYu blocked her again.
The young woman stepped close enough to Nanaly, looked her dead in the eye, and said seriously:
“Go for it! I understand how you feel!”
d*mn it, Gan Yan Yu, what can you possibly understand?!
Nanaly’s frustration only intensified.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed Gan Yan Yu by the hand, pinned her against the wall, and screamed:
“What do you even know? What I love isn’t on that stage! How am I supposed to play then?!”
Her voice echoed down the hallway.
Gan Yan Yu was frozen in shock.
“…”
After a moment, Nanaly let go, looking apologetic.
“I’m sorry, I’m not in the best state today.”
Nanaly turned away, desperate to escape the situation. She feared staying any longer might push her over the edge.
But before she could leave,
Gan Yan Yu grabbed her arm.
Nanaly swung around in surprise.
Gan Yan Yu looked at her calmly.
“I’ll watch your performance,” she said.
Nanaly ran through the corridor towards the stage.
None of this made sense. Neither Lin Tian nor Gan Yan Yu seemed to understand what she was going through.
They were confident and straightforward.
How can they know that every time she plays, she’s battling with feelings of hate and obligation?
To practice endlessly just so she can avoid doing something she hates—how could they understand that?
As Nanaly stepped onto the stage,
the blinding lights hit her hard.
Her gaze quickly scanned the audience.
_Click-click-click._
When she spotted that woman,
Nanaly’s expression froze.
Time seemed to freeze.
A suffocating feeling overwhelmed her, and her heart stopped beating.
“Wow~ Nanaly’s contestant isn’t wearing formal attire today?”
Zhu Ye remarked on the commentary table,
“It’s actually a mini dress? How adorable! Does Nanaly usually dress like this on her own?”
Amidst the crowd, people started murmuring in amazement, mostly praising Nanaly’s beauty.
Indeed, stunning.
If Nanaly had an entirely Caucasian or Asian face, she wouldn’t leave such an impression.
However, her face blended both traits seamlessly, making her exceptionally stunning.
Feng Ye couldn’t resist adding a sarcastic comment:
“If Nanaly wins, she’d be the first British national to represent Tianchao.”
“Hahaha, not impossible. But Vienna has sometimes allowed such cases, like adding a local player as an additional participant.”
Yet, something odd began to occur on stage.
“Is it taking too long to start?”
“Weirder things have happened, maybe she’s just nervous?”
“It’s almost as if she’s making a statement with her outfit—this type of clothing probably has some symbolism.”
“1… 2…”
Nanaly counted to herself, trying to calm down through deep breaths.
She had to play.
She really did.
But why wasn’t she moving?
Her mind screamed at her, urging her forward.
Yet, no matter how hard she tried, her hands and feet felt numb, paralyzed.
All she could see was the woman.
Sitting casually below, watching with a mix of disdain and mockery.
This was payback for this morning, wasn’t it?
Nanaly clenched her teeth, her mind flashing back to memories of her childhood filled with pain and struggle.
Mother, what are you thinking, sitting there watching?
Do you realize what this does to me?
Nanaly truly didn’t understand.
If her musical career felt like a constant struggle,
why was her mother’s perspective so different?
Surely, she wanted Nanaly to bring the family honor back and promote her cello talent, yet here she was, hoping Nanaly would lose?
Don’t you know how complicated my feelings are too?
Or maybe you just enjoy seeing me suffer, right?
“…”
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t she started yet?”
“Is she too scared?”
“She seems a bit too emotional… It’s still early twenties, isn’t she still young?”
“You know what? They should just cut her, anyway. Her last performance wasn’t that impressive.”
Discontent spread among the audience.
Tension filled the stadium.
“Looks like Nanaly’s having a tough time.”
Zhu Ye remarked anxiously,
“In another minute, she’ll have to give up altogether.”
At that point,
Nanaly finally lifted her head, accepting her fate.
She couldn’t hold the bow at all.
She couldn’t continue like this.
She gazed upwards toward the ceiling of the concert hall.
Perhaps, it was better this way. No point in continuing a doomed performance.
Maybe if she failed, it would upset the woman enough.
She couldn’t do it on her own, like Gan Yan Yu did, through playing alone.
But then—
a thought struck her.
“.”
Wasn’t there joy?
That day, in Manchester in front of Gan Yan Yu,
in Lin Tian and Yan Yu’s café, when they played the “Spanish Bullfighting Song.”
And at their concert together, she had enjoyed playing with them.
Maybe, it wasn’t all pain, was it?
There were moments of happiness.
She wondered,
Did she hate music, really?
Before she knew it,
tears started brimming in her eyes.
Concentrate on what you love!
At that very moment, another voice echoed in her head.
“Wait, Nanaly moved?!”
Zhu Ye noticed the change instantly.
“She’s really moving!”
Zhu Ye exclaimed excitedly.
“I knew Nanaly wouldn’t give up!”
From the stands, a burst of applause erupted.
In the spotlight,
Nanaly sat down,
bowed to pick up her bow.
In that moment,
she locked eyes with the woman in the stands.
Nanaly realized she didn’t hate her instrument.
She hated the woman—
the deceitful, disgusting, family-obsessed woman!
She gripped the bow tightly.
Then, she swiftly plunged the tip into the G string, grinding out dissonant harmonics, like a cobalt blue paint tube bursting open!
A striking, metallic-blue color exploded from the strings—a painting unfolding on a canvas!
The performance began!
Those dissonant notes, contradictory from the start, gave everyone goosebumps.
But the unsettling chords melted into an overwhelming emotional impact.
Audience members gasped in awe.
“Beautiful sound!”
Zhu Ye couldn’t help but exclaim.
“What’s the name of this piece?… The ‘Spectrum Sonata’?” he asked.
“I get it!” Zhu Ye said excitedly,
“Didn’t you hear that G-string sound like a sketch on paper?”
“A sketch?!”
It was such a novel concept, even Zhu Ye struggled to follow.
The grainy harmonics emanated from the instrument, clearly not standard sounds.
The intermittent notes coalesced into shapes, like pencil strokes on a rough draft.
“Dry sketching?”
“Yes!”
Zhu Ye exclaimed excitedly,
“This is just like a sketch!”
Lin Tian, watching from the backstage, also watched in admiration, his eyes widening rhythmically to the music.
Who would’ve thought that Nanaly, of all people,
could display such artistry?
When he suddenly heard commotion outside, he hurriedly opened the door.
In an instant, Gan Yan Yu threw herself into his arms.
“Sheesh…”
Gan Yan Yu sobbed pitifully into Lin Tian’s shoulder.
“I shouldn’t have said those things… hurt Nanaly,” she blurted out.
“Wait, what?”
Lin Tian stood dumbfounded, trying to console her.
Injuring Nanaly?
Did he hurt her even more than her?
“Were you guys talking just now?”
“Um, in the hallway.”
Still tearful, Gan Yan Yu said remorsefully,
“Though I told her I would watch carefully, she looked so troubled earlier. I feel terrible about it.”
“Gan teacher,” Lin Tian suggested gently,
“I think you should check the screen.”
Gan Yan Yu looked up, puzzled, then turned to face the large screen.
Right now!
Nanaly sat center stage, bowing deeply over her cello.
With a smile on the golden-haired girl’s face, she pulled the bow with forceful conviction.
The music surged forth, hitting each listener’s soul powerfully.
Such a stunning performance!
“How incredible,” Gan Yan Yu muttered in astonishment.
Nanaly poured her heart into the cello.
For the first time in a long while,
she felt so invigorated!
Without those confusing matters, without needing to think too much—just play from the heart.
She had yearned to try this for so long,
to create vivid scenes within the music.
Could she convey it?
Nanaly wasn’t sure, but she knew Gan Yan Yu could understand.
Because the instinctive repulsion she felt towards music had been a barrier.
She couldn’t blend what she loathed with what she loved.
But in that moment, Nanaly realized—
she didn’t hate music; she hated only the woman!
Like how students sometimes develop hatred for subjects based on a single teacher.
Yet, there comes a moment when they realize—
it wasn’t so bad after all.
As for the woman,
who cared anymore!
Gan Yan Yu was watching anyway!
She was watching—nothing else mattered!
And so,
with a lighter heart, Nanaly smiled.
The music moved into its second movement!
Nanaly flipped the bow, pricking her finger with the silver ferrule.
bl**d dripping onto the rosin caused the D string to vibrate with Prussian blue undertones.
The young woman’s left hand slid madly across the fingerboard, while flaxen hair whipped out arcs of cobalt yellow and scarlet madder.
“Watercolor painting!” Zhu Ye exclaimed.
“I can’t believe it! Nanaly-sensei, you’re incredible!”
Feng Ye couldn’t hold back his excitement either, shouting,
“I’ve never seen anything like it—how could she do that?!”
“Is this the Nanaly family at work?”
Zhu Ye marveled,
“Remarkable creativity!”
“That’s not just it.”
Feng Ye stared at Nanaly in disbelief,
“Her level of performance is championship-worthy!”
—End of Chapter—
