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Chapter 135: Gan Yanyu's Letter
At Nanali’s words, Gan Yanyu—who had been blocking the door—suddenly froze. Her hand slipped, and Nanali pushed the door open.
“...”
Stepping inside, Nanali glanced around. “It’s so late. Are you practicing alone? Where’s your partner, Lin Tian?”
“He…”
“You’re really…”
Seeing Gan Yanyu’s dejected expression, Nanali grew exasperated. Pointing an accusing finger at her, she shouted, “What do you think brought me to Qingjiang in the first place?!”
“My mom’s job transferred from the UK to Zhonghua, and I specifically applied to a university here just so I could enter the Zhonghua cello scene and finally defeat you.”
“I’m not just aiming to beat you at The Parrot Cello Contest—I’m going all the way to The Dragon Cello Competition too. I’ll keep winning until I reclaim everything I’ve lost to you.”
“That’s the mindset I came here with. So please, take this seriously! Don’t let me catch you moping around after one loss…”
Nanali’s tirade ended abruptly, leaving Gan Yanyu stunned. She stared at Nanali, lost in thought.
“I wasn’t actually that upset,” Gan Yanyu said softly.
“Huh?”
Nanali lowered her hand, surprised. “Really? You’re not faking it?”
“Bai Xi is incredibly strong. It was expected for her to win.”
“Then why…”
“Bai Xi has always wanted Lin Tian to play with her,” Gan Yanyu murmured.
“What if Lin Tian thinks he’d perform better with her instead of me?”
“Huh??”
Nanali squinted, trying to process what she’d heard. After a pause, she ventured cautiously, “So… you’re worried that after losing this match, your partner Lin Tian might go practice with Bai Xi?”
“...”
Gan Yanyu didn’t respond, but her silence spoke volumes.
“And what if he does?” Nanali asked, still confused. “If your musical partner decides someone else is a better fit, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“No, I don’t want that.”
Gan Yanyu looked up, her voice tinged with vulnerability. “I know I’m not good enough. I have all these strange issues—I don’t deserve Lin Tian.”
From the moment she started working with Lin Tian, Gan Yanyu had been striving desperately to keep up. From daily training sessions to filming videos, even managing their day-to-day lives—it was always Lin Tian taking care of everything. The only thing Gan Yanyu could offer was her dedication to playing the cello without holding him back.
Lin Tian’s compositions were brilliant—they would shine no matter who played them. Why should that person necessarily be her? If fate decreed it must be her, then she felt obligated to become the best cellist possible, surpassing everyone else. But if she couldn’t achieve that…
Given Lin Tian’s talent, it seemed inevitable that he’d eventually seek out more skilled musicians to collaborate with. That was fair. Losing meant accepting reality.
“But I don’t want to give up,” Gan Yanyu admitted. “Even though I lost, I don’t want to see him practicing with anyone else.”
“...”
Nanali stared blankly, her mind racing as she processed this revelation. Finally, she threw up her hands.
“Wait a second—are you saying you’re jealous?”
The word hung in the air like a thunderclap.
When “jealousy” left Nanali’s lips, Gan Yanyu visibly froze. Coming to her senses, she quickly waved her hands dismissively.
“No, our relationship isn’t like that.”
“But your behavior says otherwise!” Nanali countered, mimicking Gan Yanyu’s tone. “Oh no, I can’t bear seeing Lin Tian practicing with others~ I only want him to play duets with me! Whenever he talks to other girls during competitions, I feel uneasy~ Isn’t that jealousy?”
“...”
Gan Yanyu was speechless. For the first time, her thoughts spiraled into uncharted territory. Was this what jealousy felt like? Simply imagining Lin Tian speaking to another girl on stage made her uncomfortable—even though he hadn’t done anything wrong yet. And now, after losing the competition, her mind couldn’t stop conjuring images of Lin Tian abandoning her to team up with Bai Xi.
“To be honest, normal partners don’t act this awkward around each other,” Nanali remarked, exasperated. “Only people who are in love behave like this.”
She watched as Gan Yanyu—the same formidable opponent who usually crushed her in competitions—now squirmed over something so trivial. Love, it seemed, truly did hinder a cellist’s bowing speed. Even someone as talented as Gan Yanyu wasn’t immune.
“For someone you love?” Gan Yanyu murmured thoughtfully.
“No, we’re not like that—and we shouldn’t be,” she added firmly.
“Are you kidding me? Again??” Nanali exclaimed, eyes wide.
She thought she’d finally gotten through to Gan Yanyu.
“No… I can’t think like that. Someone like me…”
Gan Yanyu bowed her head, her voice barely audible. “But… thank you, Nanali.”
With that, she suddenly hugged Nanali tightly.
“At least now I know what to say.”
Releasing her, Gan Yanyu slung her cello over her shoulder and turned to leave.
“...”
Nanali stood rooted to the spot, utterly dumbfounded. Slowly raising a hand to scratch her nose, her small face flushed bright red.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Lin Tian lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind kept replaying scenes of Gan Yanyu from earlier. Should he have stopped her when she left? Something about her demeanor felt off. No matter how much she insisted she wasn’t affected by the loss, it was hard to believe.
Her mental state was fragile right now—if left unchecked, things could spiral out of control. He wouldn’t put it past her to be crying somewhere in secret. The more he thought about it, the more regretful he became.
Damn it. He should’ve stopped her, kept her from leaving. Not addressing it today meant tomorrow might already be too late. By then, she could retreat into full-on self-isolation mode.
---
The next day.
Knock, knock, knock.
Lin Tian opened the door to find Gan Yanyu standing there.
“Miss Gan, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“I have something to say too.”
Before Lin Tian could finish, Gan Yanyu cut him off. Surprised, he stared at her.
Then, she pulled out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him.
Lin Tian took it, immediately noticing its weight. The envelope was sealed with pink wax.
“What’s this?”
“A letter for you.”
Gan Yanyu clasped her hands behind her back, her bangs partially obscuring her blushing cheeks as she gazed at the floor. Standing on tiptoe, she whispered, “I’m sorry for overthinking yesterday and not communicating properly with you. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d just run away like that.”
“...”
Though tempted to tease her about using the phrase “run away,” Lin Tian felt a sudden release—a weight that had been pressing down on him dissipated instantly.
What was this? So she didn’t need him to do anything after all; a single night was enough for her to sort herself out.
He glanced again at the envelope in his hands. Who writes traditional letters anymore?
As he moved to open it, Gan Yanyu gently placed a hand over his.
“This contains my secret,” she said, her eyes pleading and soft.
“Promise me you won’t open it until the day we achieve our dreams, okay?”
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