Otaku Translation: My Girlfriend Is a Cello Player C33

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And when it comes to niche instruments like the cello? Forget about it. Unless, of course, you’re one of those flashy performers who livestreams in provocative outfits while taking song requests—then that’s a different story altogether. Anyone who’s ever posted on TikTok knows this all too well.

Sure, when you’re scrolling through your feed, you might see videos racking up hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of likes. But if you try posting something yourself, getting even 10,000 likes on your first attempt is practically a miracle. If you manage it, congratulations—you were probably born with an innate talent for internet fame.

Which makes Lin Tian’s achievement all the more impressive. Despite stacking the odds against himself by choosing such an obscure setup, he still managed to pull in 23,000 likes. That’s no small feat.

But none of this happened by accident. Every step was calculated.

Though Lin Tian wasn’t exactly a TikTok veteran and didn’t have a perfect grasp on what made a video go viral, he had one crucial advantage: experience. A few days earlier, he’d already stumbled into a trap—and learned from it.

Remember the video of him playing piano at a restaurant? The one that garnered over 100,000 likes? He thought his piece, "Marriage of Love," would be the star of the show. But as it turned out, people weren’t nearly as interested in the music itself as they were in the fact that a handsome high school boy was moonlighting as a pianist in a fancy restaurant.

That revelation hit Lin Tian hard. Good music? Sure, it helps. But it’s not essential. No, the real key to success lies in creating a hook—a gimmick that grabs attention.

Once Lin Tian understood this principle, everything clicked into place. For their next video, he had Gan Yanyu dress in her high school uniform and carefully arranged the lighting and camera angles to highlight her best features. This wasn’t just about showcasing her musical talent; it was also about crafting the irresistible allure of a “high school girl playing the cello.”

When you combine a strong hook with undeniable skill, how can the video not blow up?

The comments section confirmed as much.

"Wait, is anyone else seeing this? These tags are insane."

"Hand Complex, elegant vibes, school uniforms, long legs. The creator really delivers... but isn’t the last tag SomethingLongSlidingInAndOut too suggestive?"

"Just say it—the way the bow glides across the strings looks kinda... suggestive."

"Props to this creator. They tag accurately."

High school girls + cellos? Yeah, good luck resisting that combo. And when viewers noticed the performer’s username—"Cat"—their imaginations went wild.

"Kitty-chan~ Hehe, kitty-chan hehehe."

"She’s only in high school and already this talented? Kitty-chan must be some kind of graceful goddess!"

"A girl who plays the cello this beautifully has to be cute AF."

Of course, not everyone agreed. One commenter named SheGhostedWhenIPosted fired off a rant: "Come on, y’all are reaching here. Just because she’s wearing a uniform doesn’t mean she’s actually in high school. This is TikTok, folks—it’s all about the clout. Let me tell you something: I’m in a band, and let me tell you, this level of cello playing is borderline professional. You think this is some random high schooler? Please. At best, she’s in her mid-twenties. Worst case? She’s a forty-year-old woman hiding behind anonymity because she doesn’t want to show her face. High schooler? If that’s true, I’ll eat the cello in the video right now."

Despite the heated debates raging in the comments, one thing was certain: their first attempt had been a resounding success.

That evening, Lin Tian wasted no time calling Gan Yanyu to share the good news. He could already picture her reaction—she’d be thrilled. After all, over 100,000 people had listened to her cello performance. Wasn’t that exactly what she wanted? To share her music with the world?

Lin Tian couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

“Hmm.”

When Gan Yanyu finally arrived and settled onto the couch, scrolling through the comments on Lin Tian’s phone, her reaction wasn’t quite what he’d expected.

“It’s… nice,” she murmured softly, handing the phone back without much enthusiasm.

“That’s it?” Lin Tian asked, taken aback.

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to say anything else?”

“What else is there to say?” Gan Yanyu replied, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as if deep in thought. Then, with mock seriousness, she added, “Over 100,000 views and 20,000 likes? Impressive. Next time, we’ll do even better.”

Lin Tian frowned. Something felt off. While Gan Yanyu was usually calm and composed, her subtle expressions and eye movements always betrayed her emotions when she was genuinely happy. Today, though, there was nothing.

“Is there something bothering you?” he asked.

At his question, Gan Yanyu’s pupils visibly contracted. “It’s not that I’m unhappy,” she said hesitantly. “It just feels… strange.”

“What feels strange?”

“This piece you wrote, ‘Greeting of Love.’ It’s amazing, right?”

“Right.”

“And even though I may not have played it perfectly, I think I did justice to it, didn’t I?”

“You played it flawlessly.”

“So isn’t it weird? Nobody’s talking about the music. It’s like they liked our video for everything except the actual reason we made it.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Your composition was so beautiful, but they didn’t appreciate it.”

Lin Tian fell silent. He understood now. Gan Yanyu hadn’t poured her heart into the shoot for the sake of views or numbers. She’d done it purely to share their music with others. But despite the massive reach, it seemed few—if any—had truly fallen in love with the melodies themselves. Instead, they’d fixated on superficial details.

“Well,” Gan Yanyu said after a pause, forcing a smile, “at least people watched the video. That means our efforts weren’t wasted.”

But beneath her calm exterior, her thoughts churned. Honestly, scrolling through the comments filled with compliments about her appearance left her cold. She didn’t care about looks—they were the least important part of a person, yet somehow, they dominated the conversation. Gan Yanyu hated feeling reduced to nothing more than a pretty face. To her, the only thing that truly mattered was the music.

“It’s okay,” Lin Tian said, standing up and patting her shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll work harder next time.”

Then, after a beat, he added, “Actually, some people did understand our music. Take a look at this.”

He handed her his phone. In the direct messages, someone named YanyanWhoLovesWater had written:

"I don’t have much education, and I don’t know much about music. But this piece—it made me feel what true love should feel like. Moonlight and Cat, thank you. Though I’ve never met you, you’ve changed my life. Starting tomorrow, my new chapter begins."

As Gan Yanyu read the message, her eyes widened slightly, trembling with emotion. All the doubts and frustrations dissolved in an instant.

“See?” Lin Tian grinned, pocketing his phone. “Some people get it.”

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