Otaku Translation: My Girlfriend Is a Cello Player C148

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Chapter 148: ’s Critique

", you say? She is indeed one of the most talked-about performers in this year. Why are you particularly interested in her, Mr. Toba?" the reporter asked.

"I watched her competition footage—the performance she gave alongside another musician, . Frankly speaking, I find their playing... subpar. It’s hard to believe such a performance could garner so much attention in Qingjiang," Toba Jianhui replied bluntly.

"Mr. Toba, when you say 'subpar,' what standard are you using? Do you mean that her skills don’t match her popularity, or do you genuinely think her playing is inadequate?" the reporter pressed.

"Inadequate. Just inadequate."

Toba Jianhui's furrowed brow and stoic expression betrayed no emotion as he continued, "Through this interview, I hope that if this performer sees my comments, she will reflect on her shortcomings and make adjustments. Performances like those from the —I don’t wish to see them repeated on the finals stage."

"Alright, next question."

---

Inadequate.

What did it even mean?

Gan Yanyu froze, rooted to the spot, staring blankly at nothing.

"Why...?" she whispered faintly, her voice trembling with confusion and hurt. "Did I really play that badly?"

It was too much for the young girl to process. Her eyes glazed over as she turned toward Lin Tian, her face filled with sorrow and bewilderment.

"That rotten old man! Don’t listen to him!" Lin Tian slammed his hand on the table, seething with anger. "Who does he think he is? Just because he’s been around forever doesn’t make him some musical god. He’s probably just another snobbish musician who despises classical music!"

"No, he’s actually a ," Gan Yanyu corrected softly.

"Then clearly, your grandfather must have pissed him off somehow in the past!" Lin Tian shot back.

This whole situation made no sense—none whatsoever.

Lin Tian wasn’t being defensive just because Toba Jianhui had dragged his name into the critique along with Gan Yanyu’s. Sure, one could argue that Gan Yanyu wasn’t yet at the absolute pinnacle of skill in the province. One could also claim her fame outpaced her current abilities. Those were points Lin Tian might reluctantly concede.

After all, Gan Yanyu was unpredictable. Sometimes she soared like an angel; other times, she crumbled under pressure. Her temperament was undeniably her greatest flaw. But when she was truly in the zone—like during the Soul Concert or the finals—her performances rivaled those of any top-tier musician in the world.

To call her playing “inadequate”? That was absurd. Even saying “not great” would be more reasonable than outright dismissal.

"This makes no sense," Lin Tian muttered under his breath.

"I don’t know..." Gan Yanyu said dejectedly. To hear such harsh words from a musician she’d admired for so long—it was devastating. Anyone would feel crushed by such criticism, let alone someone like Gan Yanyu.

"Maybe... maybe my performance really isn’t good enough," she murmured weakly.

"How can you say that—" Lin Tian started, but then paused. "Even assuming you’ve never crossed paths with Toba Jianhui, who knows what grudges your grandfather might hold against him? This feels personal. There’s no way this critique isn’t laced with vendettas."

It wasn’t just Lin Tian who found the comments outrageous. Online, reactions poured in almost immediately after the interview aired.

"Wow, Grandpa Toba went super hard on Gan Yanyu!"

"I’m not even a fan of hers, but this is too harsh. Her playing isn’t that bad, right?"

"Maybe he just dislikes her for some random reason? Who knows—he might hate certain musicians without rhyme or reason."

"Gan Yanyu’s music is amazing! How dare he say that?!"

"Ahhh! Apologize to my Yanyu right now!!"

---

"My grandfather… he worked briefly in Mr. Toba’s orchestra many years ago," Gan Yanyu explained quietly.

"Ah-ha! Now we’re getting somewhere!" Lin Tian exclaimed, clenching his fist. "Clearly, something happened between your grandpa and Toba Jianhui back then—maybe unpaid debts or some unresolved beef. Now that your grandpa’s hospitalized, Toba’s decided to settle the score through you, his granddaughter!"

The thought chilled Lin Tian. What kind of monster held a grudge for decades and took it out on someone else’s family member? Imagining someone targeting his future kids because of a petty feud while he lay helpless in bed made Lin Tian want to rip out his own IV drip and fight the bastard himself.

"No, my grandfather and Mr. Toba… they used to get along well," Gan Yanyu insisted.

“‘Used to’—you weren’t even born when they knew each other, were you?” Lin Tian countered skeptically.

"Mr. Toba may have a bad temper, but he’s not petty like that," Gan Yanyu said firmly.

Lin Tian sighed. Here she was again, defending the guy who’d just insulted her. In Gan Yanyu’s eyes, there simply weren’t any bad people in the world.

"If he has a purpose behind these words, maybe it’s to motivate me. I’m still far from meeting his standards," Gan Yanyu reasoned.

Lin Tian and Gan Yanyu approached the issue differently due to their differing perspectives. Gan Yanyu revered older musicians, especially those tied to her family legacy. For Lin Tian, however, respect had to be earned.

Take and , for example—musicians who had genuinely helped him. Lin Tian respected them deeply. But a stranger who came out of nowhere to criticize Gan Yanyu (and drag his name into it)? That person was trash in Lin Tian’s book.

"In any case, I need to work harder so Mr. Toba will see me in a new light at the competition," Gan Yanyu resolved.

With that, Lin Tian couldn’t argue further. While Toba Jianhui’s words stung, they did serve as motivation—if Gan Yanyu didn’t buckle under the pressure during the preliminaries.

"Let’s start training tomorrow," Lin Tian suggested.

"Mm-hmm."

After cleaning up the dishes and seeing Gan Yanyu off, Lin Tian returned to the living room. As he sat down, the system interface appeared before him.

Producer Task Released:

Objective: Compose a piece of music to perform collaboratively with your partner. Record and upload a video of the performance to any platform, achieving 2 million likes. Additionally, achieve a 98% audience satisfaction rating on any stage.

Reward: Skill –

Description: Cooldown of 1 hour. The producer can activate this skill anytime, anywhere, to stabilize their mental state and achieve peak performance.

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