Otaku Translation: My Girlfriend Is a Cello Player C126

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Chapter 126: Such a Relationship, Yet Still Adorable

A table full of dishes usually loved, yet today the young girl ate with an unusually gloomy demeanor. It seemed her sorrow couldn’t keep up with her ever-busy mouth. With a sorrowful face, she continued to devour the enthusiastically.

“, am I really that useless?”

“Lin Tian, next week is the competition.”

“Lin Tian, what should I do?”

Lin Tian watched as Gan Yanyu alternated between lamenting, stuffing ribs into her mouth, and blowing on them to cool them down. Somehow, it didn’t seem like she was all that upset.

“You need energy to think of solutions,” Lin Tian noted with a glance.

Noticing his gaze, Gan Yanyu weakly muttered while biting into another piece of rib.

“…”

“I’ve messaged .”

Lin Tian summarized the situation in a WeChat message to Gao Zhenyang—about the fan incident at the and the organizers’ lukewarm response. Others might think managing such details was overly delicate, but Gao Zhenyang knew Gan Yanyu’s circumstances well. As a council member of with extensive connections, he was their best hope.

“I understand, Mr. Lin. I have a friend on the Starlight Cup organizing committee; I’ll mention it to him. But don’t get your hopes too high. The committee’s structure is complex, and the organizers may be intentionally allowing this situation. If that’s the case, I doubt it’ll make much difference.”

“…”

Gao Zhenyang always spoke with high emotional intelligence. In short: slim chances, prepare for multiple outcomes. Lin Tian was already immensely grateful for Gao Zhenyang’s help and wouldn’t ask for more.

“Miss Gan.”

“Huh?”

“What are you afraid of?”

Lin Tian asked about why having supportive fans in the audience increased her stress so much. Though seemingly redundant, he wanted clarity.

“I…”

“Are you afraid of disappointing their expectations? Like worrying you won’t perform well enough to satisfy them?”

This aligned perfectly with Gan Yanyu’s character. Lin Tian guessed this was likely the reason.

“Partly, I suppose,” Gan Yanyu said softly. “After all, I know I’m not good enough for big stages. It’s just because of my appearance and my grandfather’s reputation that I gained fame beyond my abilities.”

“You need to believe in your talent,” Lin Tian said, exasperated.

They circled back to the issue of confidence. But Gan Yanyu’s use of “partly” suggested this wasn’t the main reason.

“What else?”

“I feel many aren’t here because they like me—they’re here to see me fail.”

“Huh?”

This perspective startled Lin Tian. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I’m used to it. It’s always been like this.” Gan Yanyu set down her chopsticks and spoke softly.

“…”

Lin Tian quickly recalled the two rude girls they’d encountered outside the concert hall when they first went to a performance together. Yes, Gan Yanyu had always been like this. From the start, the label of “Old Gan’s successor” weighed heavily on her, attracting disproportionate attention.

Those who rushed to see Gan Yanyu perform—did they genuinely like her, or were they there to watch her stumble? The answer was obvious. At least, before Gan Yanyu’s concerts made her famous, it was likely the latter. She grew up in such an environment.

For most people starting from scratch to become idols in every sense, the process typically follows this path: obscurity → slowly gaining an audience and fans → growing crowds bring both haters and doubters → overcoming doubts amidst cheers to grow unbreakable.

But Gan Yanyu’s journey was absurd: from day one, the audience was maxed out. There was no gradual growth of fans alongside her rise. Instead, it was all skepticism, with no one rooting for her. Without positive reinforcement, she had to rely entirely on her perseverance to break through everyone’s doubts and grow into the person she wanted to be. Just imagining it felt terrifying.

In this world, doing anything without positive feedback is a nightmare. Even the most successful people find ways to reward themselves for their efforts—encouragement from friends, rising test scores, etc. For Gan Yanyu, perhaps the only reward was the satisfaction of performing classical music.

Thus, Gan Yanyu’s notion of being “used to it” meant she believed those holding light-up signs or attending her performances weren’t necessarily genuine fans. They might just be there to laugh at her.

“I understand,” Lin Tian said. “So, it’s not that you dislike being liked—it’s that this kind of shallow affection makes you uneasy, right?”

“That’s about it,” Gan Yanyu nodded.

“On the day of the competition, focus on performing. Leave everything else to me.”

Lin Tian spoke with unwavering confidence. If this was the case, it would be much easier to handle than her fearing she’d disappoint fans.

“What are you planning to do?”

Seeing Lin Tian’s confident expression, Gan Yanyu felt uneasy. She remembered how bold he’d been during the last concert—he hadn’t slept for two days and nearly collapsed on stage. To her, Lin Tian was unpredictable. She’d known this since they first met.

“You’re not going to do something masochistic again, are you? After all, you enjoy that—”

“What do you mean ‘enjoy’? Do you really think I’m into M stuff?” Lin Tian protested.

Gan Yanyu’s eyes widened. “Are you going to make those holding light-up signs fight? Wear more clothes—it’ll hurt.”

“Your concern isn’t whether I’ll fight but whether I’ll wear more clothes?” Lin Tian couldn’t help but retort.

He imagined Gan Yanyu would be the type to say, “Take care of your health!” while simultaneously brewing a potent tonic to push him to work late into the night.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything reckless this time. But if I tell you beforehand, it won’t have the same effect. So, just focus on preparing and give it your all.” Lin Tian extended his index finger, enunciating each word: “One week left. Give it your best shot.”

---

Friday evening. Two days until the final round of the Starlight Cup. Lin Tian met for dinner at a restaurant near the school. After over half a month away, Lin Tian found himself missing the banter. Senior year was stressful, and Xu Yong missed Lin Tian’s presence too, so he seized this rare free time to catch up.

The meal was simple: . Affordable with unlimited refills, it was a favorite among commuting students. Lin Tian hadn’t eaten it in a while and was nostalgic.

“How’s our great musician, Mr. Lin, preparing for the ?” Xu Yong placed a green tea he’d bought from the convenience store next to Lin Tian and sat down across from him.

“Not bad.”

Since his breakthrough practicing with Gan Yanyu, Lin Tian’s training had gone smoothly. Passing the arts exam was guaranteed, though the entrance exam remained uncertain. After only a month of practice, Lin Tian couldn’t count on easy success.

“Man, school’s boring without you.”

Xu Yong stabbed his chopsticks into the plate, making a “thud thud” sound. “You wouldn’t believe how annoying has been lately. She keeps coming to chat with me, and guess what? She only talks about you!”

“About me?”

“Yeah, asking about your freshman and sophomore years, your hobbies, your achievements—all that.”

“Damn, does she like you or something?”

“Rest assured,” Lin Tian patted Xu Yong’s arm earnestly. “Anything’s possible with her, except liking me.”

He’d figured out Su Ran’s game. On the surface, she was a top student, but behind the scenes, she either trolled clueless nerds on or schemed things no one else could imagine.

“You didn’t tell her anything about me, did you?” Just to be safe, Lin Tian asked.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t tell anyone you’re a dead-inside, socially awkward orphan.”

“Thanks for the kind words,” Lin Tian said.

“…”

Xu Yong regretted yet again letting Lin Tian win. He’d only wanted to insult him viciously, but every time, he failed miserably. You curse him for being dead inside, and he’s even more dead inside than you imagined.

“I bet Su Ran’s asking so much because she’s interested in your relationship with Gan Yanyu.” Xu Yong said. “Su Ran’s obsessed. She found out somehow that you two are ‘.’ She even got excited and told me recently.”

“She found out?”

Lin Tian paused, then remembered Su Ran’s viral video mimicking Cat-chan. That must have been when she figured it out. For those unfamiliar with Lin Tian and Gan Yanyu in real life, their online performances might not raise suspicion. But for acquaintances, connecting the dots wasn’t hard.

Fortunately, Lin Tian didn’t have many real-life acquaintances. One Su Ran guessing correctly was already a stretch; another seemed unlikely.

“Don’t worry, she promised not to spread it. But honestly, I’m more curious about something else…”

Xu Yong lowered his voice.

“How far along are you and Gan Yanyu?”

Before Lin Tian could react, Xu Yong pressed on.

“Think about it: you two are TikTok sensations with over two million followers. You’re even taking the arts exam for her. You’ve stopped coming to the school, so you’re probably seeing each other every day. Brother, shouldn’t it be easy for you to make a move?”

Surprisingly, Xu Yong didn’t mock Lin Tian’s lack of intimacy with Gan Yanyu. Normally, he’d joke about Lin Tian being drained by Gan Yanyu fifty-plus times in the past half-month. This time, however, Xu Yong genuinely cared about Lin Tian’s romantic progress.

“Our relationship is complicated, yet pure.”

Discussing this topic softened Lin Tian, bringing out his inner romantic side. His tone turned poetic.

“What’s complicated? From an outsider’s perspective, you eat together, study together, post TikToks together, and plan to attend university together. When the hell are you two getting together?”

“You might not believe this,” Lin Tian sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Despite eating, studying, posting TikToks, and planning university together, we haven’t had any ambiguous moments. Maybe once or twice there were slight boundary-crossing actions, but nothing flirtatious or suggestive.”

“That’s… hard to believe.”

Even Xu Yong was shocked. For any normal heterosexual couple spending so much time together, avoiding sparks would be nearly impossible. Forget flirtation—at least they should’ve discussed romantic topics.

“Don’t give me that nonsense—tell me you still don’t know if Gan Yanyu’s ever had a boyfriend.”

“It’s true.”

“Damn, then what the hell do you two talk about every day?”

“Music, and what to eat next.”

“… Impressive.” After a long pause, Xu Yong could only mutter one word. His worldview felt utterly shattered. If Su Ran’s claims of “pure love” had once seemed laughable, he now fully believed them.

“After all, we’re partners.” Seeing Xu Yong’s anxious expression, Lin Tian chuckled lightly.

Who said they never had “deep conversations”? They did—frequently.

About dreams.

Nothing was more captivating than that topic. In fact, they’d delved deeper once, discussing how to build the healthiest, purest “partnership” to ensure their creative paths remained unaffected.

“So, what are you going to do? Didn’t you claim you liked her?”

Xu Yong was almost exasperated. “At the very least, say something to express your feelings and gauge hers.”

“You’re right.”

Lin Tian knew fantasizing endlessly wouldn’t suffice. In his mind, he’d already imagined countless sweet scenarios with Gan Yanyu—enough to fill a novel. Fantasizing without confessing wasn’t sustainable. Sooner or later, he’d have to speak up—even if it wasn’t with the goal of dating.

Truthfully, a relationship centered solely on “dreams” was something Lin Tian cherished deeply.

“When do you plan to say it?”

Xu Yong skipped straight to the point.

“,” Lin Tian paused before answering. “I’ll tell her then.”

He only hoped Gan Yanyu’s sensitive nature wouldn’t make her collapse under the weight of his confession.

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