### Chapter 403: I Never Want to Be Apart from You Again
“Abandon the match?”
The commentator, Feng Ye, could hardly believe his ears. He glanced at Zhu Ye beside him and, seeing her equally shocked expression, was convinced he hadn’t misheard.
After a few seconds of blankness, Feng Ye finally responded, using the microphone to announce, “Gan Yan Yu has chosen to forfeit!”
At that moment, the audience erupted in chaos.
Many spectators stood up, completely bewildered:
“What joke is this?! It’s not even started, and it’s already over?!”
“Why give up now?!”
“I was so ready to hear you play the ‘Ode to Love’!”
“What’s going on?!”
“Absolutely nonsensical, absolutely nonsensical!!”
In the office, hearing the news, Yao Han started kicking the wall by the floor-to-ceiling windows, already losing it.
“Are you crazy?! Why would you give up? Why here, of all places?!”
Yao Han slammed a fist against the wall, shouting,
“They had a real shot at winning! They had every opportunity!!”
“Teacher Lin’s hurt so badly, even if they played, they certainly wouldn’t perform at their normal level,” He Shu Mo interjected.
“No! You don’t understand them at all!”
Yao Han gritted his teeth.
“Lin Tian’s condition can absolutely ignite their full potential! It’s not like it hasn’t happened before! In this state, they could pull off a miraculous performance!! How could Teacher Gan not know such a simple thing?!”
In that moment, Yao Han nearly ground his molars down, his gaze towards the stage almost shooting flames.
He couldn’t understand!
Absolutely couldn’t understand! To give up right before the finals like this.
It was inhuman!
She was no longer worthy of being called Tianchao’s purest classical musician! Gan Yan Yu’s ridiculously foolish decision didn’t match their glory in the slightest.
“Is it possible they actually knew?”
He Shu Mo remarked.
Still fuming, Yao Han gave him a confused look.
“She knows, but she still did it,” He Shu Mo said, glancing at the stage, his eyes full of sentiment.
“It’s because, for her, something more important than winning exists right now.”
On stage.
Upon hearing Gan Yan Yu’s declaration, Lin Tian widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at her.
No way.
Instinctively, he began murmuring.
She’s gone mad.
Gan Yan Yu must be out of her mind!
“Wait a sec.”
Lin Tian stood up from his chair and rushed towards Gan Yan Yu in terror.
“No, Teacher Gan can’t just give up here!!!”
“This is your dream! This is something you’ve pursued for years.”
“It’s not okay.”
Lin Tian’s vision of Gan Yan Yu blurred more and more.
Finally!
Finally, they made it this far.
That cello girl, who had battled depression, suicidal tendencies, and severe asthma, to the point that stepping on stage felt like a luxury.
She had poured all her efforts into reaching this moment.
How could she stop now?!
It’s completely unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable. That was their dream.
Lin Tian wanted to run up and stop Gan Yan Yu.
However, his head felt heavier and heavier.
His consciousness was gradually becoming hazy.
“Yan Yu.”
Lin Tian’s eyelids felt too heavy; he approached Gan Yan Yu, struggling to keep his blurry gaze focused on her.
The young woman in front of him had tears soaking her gorgeous gown, her exquisite makeup ruined.
“I’m sorry,”
Gan Yan Yu cradled the boy’s face, biting her lip, her voice barely a whisper.
“I’m sorry.”
“I can’t complete the performance.”
Lin Tian’s pupils trembled.
“Just rest well,” Gan Yan Yu said softly, her tone gentle.
Finally, the heavy lids closed.
“Thud!”
Lin Tian collapsed onto the stage.
“Ambulance! Ambulance!!”
The staff rushed up onto the stage, surrounding Lin Tian in a frenzy.
Countless reporters, ignoring management’s warnings, jumped up one after another, madly snapping pictures.
The entire venue quickly fell into noisy chaos.
At this moment,
In the audience area, Gao Zhen Yang watched the scene unfold, his face contorted in shock; he remained silent for a moment before wearing an expression that looked almost like a bitter smile.
“Lin Tian’s final puzzle piece has finally been added.”
In the background, contestant Nanaly stared blankly at everything happening on stage.
“Gan Yan Yu has forfeited?”
Why forfeit?
Why here?
Nanaly stood frozen, watching the screen in a dizzy haze.
If Gan Yan Yu forfeited then…
What’s the point of me continuing to play the cello?
Do I really have to keep competing?
Nanaly didn’t know.
She held her head, a painful expression suddenly flashing on her face.
“Hey, tell me, Gan Yan Yu!!”
Nanaly pounded on the screen, her eyes fixated on the bowing Gan Yan Yu on stage.
“What’s with that ‘I’ve seen it all’ look?!”
“Is that really you?! Don’t you know how important the Dragon Zither Cup is to you?!”
“d*mn it!!! Why?! Why!!”
As she shouted, tears streamed down her face.
The Gan Yan Yu who had always appeared so majestic on stage.
The cellist Nanaly had revered and admired, the most pure and invincible girl—
A being in her eyes like the sun,
now crumbled at this pivotal moment.
Watching as Gan Yan Yu was escorted away from the venue by staff on the big screen.
Some judges showed pity; some were furious; some sighed in relief.
More spectators exhibited expressions of regret and disappointment upon witnessing Lin Tian fall.
Bang—
The rest room door slammed open.
A staff member rushed in, out of breath.
“Sorry, Nanaly, due to contestant number 10, Gan Yan Yu’s forfeit, you need to go on stage now.”
Nanaly lowered her head, gripping her cello tightly.
Go on stage?
Now?
For whom am I playing?
How should I convey my music next?
If Gan Yan Yu has given up the Dragon Zither Cup, what’s the point of playing?!
Who else will hear my music?
“Nanaly?”
Noticing something off about Nanaly, the staff member frowned and asked carefully.
She felt like she had seen this moment somewhere before not long ago. It instinctively filled her with fear.
That’s the kind of gaze that loses all meaning of expression.
It’s lethal for a musician.
“…”
Nanaly lifted her head, gazing at the now-cleared stage.
Images replayed in her mind of Gan Yan Yu on stage, bow in hand.
She recalled the dreams in Gan Yan Yu’s eyes while she depicted classical music.
“…”
That idiot.
Right now,
Nanaly gritted her teeth once more.
She couldn’t believe it.
Couldn’t believe Gan Yan Yu would just give up like that!
Nanaly stood up.
Just wait, Gan Yan Yu.
You want to run away? Escape from Vianna and the Cole Cup?
Not a chance!
The young woman straightened, picked up her cello, and strode toward the stage.
Beep—
Beep—
The sound of a heartbeat monitor.
Lin Tian caught a strong whiff of disinfectant, which made him feel slightly suffocated.
He slowly opened his eyes to see the hospital ceiling.
He was lying on a white hospital bed.
“Awake?”
Noticing Lin Tian stir, He Zhi Chen, leaning against the wall, straightened up.
“…”
Lin Tian didn’t answer, feeling something tight around his right hand.
He turned to his right and looked—
Gan Yan Yu sat by the bed, nearly slumped at its edge.
Her pale hands gripped Lin Tian’s tightly.
“Teacher Gan?”
Lin Tian felt dazed and softly called out.
Upon hearing his voice, Gan Yan Yu’s head shot up, her expression filled with anxious excitement.
“Lin Tian?!”
Gan Yan Yu’s face turned tense and elated as she quickly asked, “How do you feel?”
“Still have a headache?!”
“Is there anywhere that doesn’t feel right?!”
“…”
While speaking, Gan Yan Yu’s eyes widened as she frantically checked Lin Tian, seemingly wanting to inspect him thoroughly.
“I’m okay, just a bit dizzy, nothing too bad.”
Lin Tian was overwhelmed by the whirlwind of questions.
He looked at himself; various parts were wrapped in bandages, and a strong-smelling ointment covered him.
“Because I worried about you, Teacher Gan has been at your bedside for six hours,” He Zhi Chen mentioned.
Six hours.
Has it really been that long?
Lin Tian felt a bit dazed.
At that moment, He Zhi Chen stepped forward.
“Lin Tian, you must be hungry after all this time. I’ll go grab you something to eat.”
“You two talk; I won’t disturb you.”
With that, He Zhi Chen turned around.
For some reason, he let out a heavy sigh, his face shadowed by sorrow.
Then, he left the hospital room, shutting the door behind him.
“…”
Lin Tian cradled his still aching head, asking, “What happened to me?”
“You fainted on stage. They called an ambulance to take you here,” Gan Yan Yu responded, biting her lip, watching Lin Tian with tears in her eyes.
“Fortunately, no internal injuries; just a mild concussion. You’ll recover in a few days.”
“Oh oh.” Lin Tian nodded.
A sea of memories flooded back about the stage.
Lin Tian turned to Gan Yan Yu.
Only now did he realize she hadn’t cleaned herself up; her hair was a mess, her dress stained with bl**d—presumably his—and her face looked haggard, her makeup still smeared from crying.
For someone like Gan Yan Yu, who typically cared deeply about her appearance, this was absolutely intolerable.
Yet, she seemed completely uninterested in such trivial matters, her face pale as she tightly held Lin Tian’s hand, looking down as if she felt guilty about something.
“So… the competition is over?”
Unable to hold back,
Lin Tian asked softly.
That was a given.
Six hours had passed; how could it not be over?
Instinctively, Lin Tian was most concerned about this matter upon waking.
“Yeah…”
Gan Yan Yu nodded.
“It’s over.”
All of it.
Including their dreams.
Lin Tian’s eyes widened slightly; then, he let them droop in resignation.
“Who won the championship?”
“Nanaly.”
“Seriously, her?”
Lin Tian chuckled bitterly, murmuring.
What an achievement.
The little brat who had always been a shadow of Gan Yan Yu finally snagged the Dragon Zither Cup.
At just over twenty, Nanaly had now officially reached the zenith of fame in Tianchao.
“Why…?”
Lin Tian asked.
He couldn’t wrap his head around Gan Yan Yu’s choice.
Why did she have to do it at this moment?
At the most crucial stage.
“Why?!”
Lin Tian raised his voice again, feeling a lump forming in his throat.
He just couldn’t understand!
Lin Tian still couldn’t accept it.
Their dreams were so close.
This championship should have belonged to them.
“Didn’t I tell you to believe in me?”
Lin Tian said in despair.
“Why didn’t you trust me?”
“Do you think I couldn’t perform as your accompaniment in this injured state?”
“Do you think I’m not capable? Am I going to drag you down?”
Why?
Why choose this moment to distrust him?!
Clearly, they could have just played the music together, and they would win the championship, they would go to the Cole Cup!!
“No, no, no!”
Hearing Lin Tian’s accusations, Gan Yan Yu anxiously bit her lip,
“It’s not like that!”
“I just…”
“I just want you to be okay.”
Gan Yan Yu softly said.
“Huh?!”
Lin Tian covered his forehead in panic.
She had lost it!
Gan Yan Yu must be insane!
How could she say things like that?
He didn’t understand what Gan Yan Yu had for breakfast that day, or what went wrong in her head.
None of this mattered in front of the Dragon Zither Cup!!
“Sorry Lin Tian, I might not be the person you imagine.”
Gan Yan Yu whispered,
“I don’t even know what’s wrong with me. I thought I could be the ‘Gan Yan Yu’ you liked, the one who perseveres to the end and finishes the competition.”
“But the moment I saw you, I knew.”
“I couldn’t be that person; that puppet was me.”
“Enough!”
Lin Tian shouted, his voice echoing.
He couldn’t understand, didn’t understand!
What does that even mean?
What do you mean ‘couldn’t finish’?
“I don’t understand. Why is any of this important? Can it really be worth more than our dreams?”
“Stop talking, please.”
Gan Yan Yu begged softly.
“I truly don’t get it! What does any of this even amount to?! If it could all just end because of one injury, what was the point of everything we went through?”
“Please don’t say anymore.”
“Gan Yan Yu, you…” Lin Tian clenched his teeth, about to speak.
But just then—
Gan Yan Yu lunged forward.
Her lips pressed tightly against Lin Tian’s mouth.
“…”
A warm breath washed over him.
In that instant,
Lin Tian stared wide-eyed at Gan Yan Yu, his mouth closing in shock.
“…”
Gan Yan Yu pulled back, her shattered gaze meeting Lin Tian’s.
“Because… I finally understand,”
Gan Yan Yu softly stated.
“Lin Tian, to me, you are far more important than any dream.”
Lin Tian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Sorry for my selfish choice. Forgive me for only realizing this now.”
Gan Yan Yu earnestly said, spaced out word by word,
“I only want to be with you, to spend every minute and second from now on with you. I won’t let you leave my sight again. I never want to be apart from you again, Lin Tian.”
“…”
“Let’s be together.”
(End of Chapter)
