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Chapter 51: Planning a Base
"Forget it, just forget it."
Lin Tian quickly waved his hands dismissively. As long as he and Gan Yanyu worked together diligently, earning money wouldn’t be difficult in the future. Living comfortably? No problem either.
Unless they decided to start a business.
Forget coffee shops—even running a breakfast stall selling noodles or rice wasn’t easy. Besides, managing their music careers already consumed most of their time and energy. Adding another venture on top of that would stretch them too thin.
"I just… don’t want Grandpa’s café to sit abandoned like this," Gan Yanyu murmured, staring blankly at the table.
Her words struck a chord deep within Lin Tian.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but miss those days after school when he'd pass through Mr. Gan's café, exchanging casual banter with the old man. Though never bustling, the café always attracted a few loyal customers who’d show up every evening to chat over coffee with Mr. Gan.
For Lin Tian, who had no family to call his own, those moments were some of the warmest memories of his life.
Since Mr. Gan fell ill and entered the hospital, the café doors hadn’t opened once. In less than half a month, the place had grown cold and forgotten.
In truth, Mr. Gan owned the storefront outright—there was no rent issue. Leaving it idle felt like such a waste.
"Or maybe we could renovate the café and turn it into our filming studio?" Lin Tian suggested suddenly.
Coffee? He didn’t know how to make it. Running a shop? Not exactly relaxing. But perhaps the café could serve a different purpose entirely.
"My apartment is too cramped for recording, and the background isn’t great either."
Lin Tian’s living room was tiny. Since Gan Yanyu moved in, the TV stand had been shoved onto the balcony to make room for lights, tripods, a piano, speakers, recording equipment—you name it. If they had a bigger space dedicated to shooting videos, they could expand their creative scope significantly. They could film proper music videos, design elaborate backdrops, or even recreate the café’s original artsy vibe.
"What if Grandpa wakes up and sees us messing up his café?" Gan Yanyu asked hesitantly.
"That’s easy—we’ll leave all of his things untouched."
Lin Tian explained, "The espresso machines, cups, utensils—they’ll stay right where they are behind the counter. We’ll only rearrange the tables and chairs, build a small production set, and create a music base for the two of us."
Us? A music base?
Gan Yanyu’s eyes lit up at the idea. After all, girls are naturally powerless against the allure of creating their own little nest.
"And later, if we become popular and decide to show our faces publicly, we can host mini concerts there. Anyone attending will have to buy a cup of Yanyu’s Coconut Sago Dessert for 98 yuan. Plus, we can introduce more desserts and drinks, making loads of money off them."
Lin Tian grew increasingly animated, painting a vivid picture that left Gan Yanyu speechless.
After a moment, she murmured thoughtfully, "It sounds… pretty nice."
"Right?" Lin Tian grinned smugly.
When Mr. Gan eventually saw what they’d done, he’d probably shake his head and admit he didn’t know the first thing about running a café.
"But won’t it cost a lot of money?" Gan Yanyu asked.
That was true.
Transforming the space into a larger set meant spending on renovations, decorations, upgraded lighting, better tripods—and Lin Tian’s current lighting setup consisted of cheap fixtures barely functional enough to illuminate the scene. To capture Gan Yanyu’s outfits in stunning detail on camera, upgrading their gear was unavoidable.
Moreover, Lin Tian’s recording equipment was borrowed from SYC and would need to be returned sooner or later. Purchasing their own audio equipment was essential. And since they were producing performance videos, using a phone to record simply wouldn’t cut it anymore. A high-quality camera was also a must.
Lin Tian didn’t dare calculate how much they needed. Tens of thousands, at least—that much was certain.
"Don’t worry."
Lin Tian patted his chest confidently. "We’ll make money with our next video."
"How?"
"Take a look at this."
Lin Tian opened TikTok and showed Gan Yanyu the messages flooding his inbox. True to his expectations, following the viral success of The Can-Can Dance, countless advertisers had reached out. With just two videos, their follower count skyrocketed to 320,000.
The exceptional quality of [Moonlight and Cat]’s content stunned many in the industry, making them prime targets for brands eager to collaborate.
Plenty of advertisers came knocking. After filtering out unfamiliar names and sketchy offers, Lin Tian still found himself with eight viable options. The problem? He was new to TikTok and unsure which partnerships to pursue. One wrong move could lead to disaster.
So, he turned to Gan Yanyu for advice.
"I don’t know," she admitted, shaking her head. "I don’t use short-video platforms much. I’m clueless about TikTok promotions—or anything related to monetizing music, for that matter."
For Gan Yanyu, her motivations had always been pure. Playing the cello stemmed from her love for music and her grandfather’s influence. As long as she could keep playing, nothing else mattered.
"That’s troublesome…"
Lin Tian pondered silently. Relying on someone as internet-illiterate as Gan Yanyu clearly wasn’t an option. But then again, he did know someone well-versed in TikTok…
Xu Yong, for instance. Not only was he active on the platform, but he’d previously critiqued Qingzhou’s influencer culture. Lin Tian called him immediately.
After hearing Lin Tian’s situation, Xu Yong’s first reaction was one of awe-filled envy.
"You bastard! You’re already getting sponsorships? Are you kidding me?! Who needs good karma when you’ve got connections like yours? At this rate, you’ll have a Cullinan by tomorrow! Damn you!"
Xu Yong’s feelings oscillated between resentment and admiration—a classic case of “fearing your friend’s struggles but fearing their success even more.”
"I’ll treat you to McDonald’s tomorrow morning," Lin Tian said earnestly.
"Lunch too!"
"Fine, fine."
Once Xu Yong finished venting, he got down to business.
"To be honest, I’m not an expert on TikTok sponsorships either."
"Then why bother talking?"
"Shut up and let me finish!"
Xu Yong gritted his teeth. "But I do know someone who IS an expert—and she happens to be close to you."
"Who?"
"Su Ran—the girl who sits in front of you."
Xu Yong continued, "She’s an entirely different person on tiktok. She takes ‘suggestive’ to a whole new level—the absolute boldest of them all.."
"Hold on, hold on!" Lin Tian interrupted hurriedly, glancing at Gan Yanyu beside him to ensure she couldn’t hear Xu Yong’s voice before continuing. "We’re not that close. We’ve only talked a few times."
"She has nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok. If you haven’t added her on WeChat yet, I’ll send you her contact info. Ask her for advice."
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