Otaku Translation: My Girlfriend Is a Cello Player C136

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Chapter 136: Didn’t Lose

"Oh, alright."

was momentarily stunned but eventually tucked the letter away. Seeing him accept it, Gan Yanyu’s eyes crinkled into a smile as she finally relaxed.

"By the way, I have something to tell you too."

Lin Tian remembered and gestured for Gan Yanyu to come inside. Once she settled onto the couch, Lin Tian stood before her.

"It’s about the competition," he began earnestly. "I think this loss is partly my responsibility too. It’s something we should face together, but I left you to shoulder it alone. That’s on me."

His nerves had been too thick, too oblivious. No matter how much Gan Yanyu tried to downplay her feelings, losing the competition must have been devastating. As her partner, Lin Tian should’ve stepped up to share the burden. Failure wasn’t solely Gan Yanyu’s—it belonged to both of them.

But Lin Tian had acted like an outsider, merely observing without truly understanding what Gan Yanyu was going through. He should’ve guessed that someone like Gan Yanyu, who always shared her thoughts with him, wouldn’t stay silent unless the weight of her emotions became unbearable. If she chose to avoid the issue instead of confronting it, that alone signaled how serious things were.

As partners, he should’ve paid closer attention to her emotional state. How could he dismiss their dynamic as simply Gan Yanyu playing the while he handled everything behind the scenes? Such a mindset only widened the gap between them.

Gan Yanyu’s pupils widened slightly as she stared at Lin Tian in disbelief.

"You don’t need to apologize for something like this," she said softly.

"Then what did you mean when you said I’d ‘run away’?" Lin Tian frowned. "Do I look like someone who’d abandon their partner and leave?"

"No!" Gan Yanyu quickly waved her hands in denial.

She didn’t know how to explain herself. The word "partner" carried so much weight—saying anything careless would only make matters worse. And mentioning now felt too deliberate, too forced.

"Just pretend I was talking nonsense," she murmured.

"What? Nonsense? You know how sensitive I am about the idea of running away." Lin Tian’s voice grew stern. He’d personally experienced it twice before—it was practically PTSD. Any mention of someone leaving triggered an immediate reaction in him.

"On the contrary, you shouldn’t run," Lin Tian pointed at Gan Yanyu, his tone serious. Too many people had left him over the years, making it hard for him to trust anyone fully. What if Gan Yanyu, heartbroken from the loss, disappeared overnight, leaving behind nothing but a letter filled with regrets? It sounded exactly like something she might do.

For some reason, despite feeling so close to Gan Yanyu, Lin Tian couldn’t shake the sense that she remained elusive, as though he’d never truly held onto her.

"I won’t run," Gan Yanyu promised.

"Then stop saying nonsense."

With that, the conversation ended.

"One loss at isn’t the end of the world. Pick yourself up," Lin Tian encouraged.

"Mm-hmm."

After their heartfelt exchange, Lin Tian felt a weight lift off his chest. The rest of their study session passed by much more lightly.

---

At noon, Lin Tian received a message. He Zhichen wanted to meet them for . Their newly appointed agent seemed to have important matters to discuss.

Lin Tian agreed, and Gan Yanyu, needing to change clothes, headed home first. As soon as she left, Lin Tian pulled the envelope out of his pocket and placed it on the table, staring intently.

What could possibly be inside Gan Yanyu’s letter? Why couldn’t he open it yet?

Ever since accepting the envelope, Lin Tian’s curiosity had been gnawing at him. But with Gan Yanyu around, he hadn’t dared take it out. Now, alone, his desire to peek grew almost unbearable.

Was it really "Gan Yanyu’s secret"? A secret tied to achieving their dreams? This had to be monumental. Lin Tian couldn’t fathom what Gan Yanyu might be hiding. She always seemed so pure, her mind occupied only by music and food. People like her weren’t good at concealing things—if she showed interest in anything else, it meant trouble.

Take yesterday, for instance. When Gan Yanyu was troubled, it was painfully obvious. Yet here she was, resorting to writing a letter—a method usually reserved for words too difficult to say aloud. And not just any letter; one she insisted couldn’t be opened until they achieved their dreams.

Why couldn’t she simply tell him face-to-face then? Or hand it over later? Why tease him like this?

No matter how hard Lin Tian thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. His gaze burned into the envelope, desperate to pierce through its sealed surface. He even considered breaking the seal now, buying pink wax to reseal it later—Gan Yanyu might not notice.

But as he picked up the letter, he hesitated. Recalling her pleading eyes earlier, he sighed and decided against it.

Returning to his room, Lin Tian tucked the letter into his bedside drawer. To prevent himself from succumbing to temptation, he resolved to forget its existence entirely.

---

The calm afternoon exuded a leisurely vibe. After forcing down a bitter sip of coffee (which he nearly spat out but swallowed for fear of looking uncultured), Lin Tian watched as He Zhichen slid a tablet toward them. On the screen was a list of names.

Professors from various , experts from provincial music associations, renowned orchestra musicians…

"What’s this?" Lin Tian asked.

"The composition of judges for this year’s Starlight Cup," He Zhichen explained. "There were twelve judges in total."

Among them: one former orchestra conductor, one artistic consultant from the organizing company, one editor-in-chief of a local music publication, two well-known composers from , two prominent music critics, two international guest judges, and three professors from .

"What’s the point of knowing this now?" Lin Tian questioned. "The competition’s already over. Isn’t analyzing the judges pointless?"

"Not quite," He Zhichen replied gravely. "Let me finish explaining."

He went on to describe how political correctness had infiltrated the music scene this year, aligning with international standards promoted by global music associations. This trend had gradually seeped into local competitions, influencing media narratives and industry preferences.

"So?" Lin Tian pressed.

"So, let’s revisit the judge breakdown." He Zhichen tapped the screen. "Led by the international guest judges, along with music critics and the media editor-in-chief, approximately 41.67% of the panel favored contemporary styles over classical ones. They viewed pessimistically, which naturally made them lean toward Bai Xi’s pop-inspired performance."

Putting the tablet aside, He Zhichen looked directly at Lin Tian.

"Therefore, Miss Gan, your loss wasn’t due to skill. In fact, based on the scoring data, you didn’t lose in terms of actual performance."

---

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