Arc 1A Partner’s New Beginning

Lin Tian bound with Gan Yan Yu and discovered that she had asthma, had lost her musical support, and was grieving over her grandfather’s coma. He encouraged her to keep playing and offered to create music and videos with her, leaving her at his home ready to practice.

  • Lin Tian found Gan Yan Yu at her grandfather’s coffee shop and brought her home, where the system named her as a recommended partner and their overnight stay completed the binding missions.
  • Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she had returned to prepare for the college entrance exam, and he learned that she had once studied cello abroad.
  • Lin Tian played piano at SWING, drawing a crowd and catching the interest of music agent Zhong Wei'an, while Gan Yan Yu visited with homemade mung bean cake.
  • Lin Tian took Gan Yan Yu for a foot massage and then to influencer street, where a young cellist recognized her and she ran away after criticizing his playing.
  • At a mountain overlook, Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian her grandfather was hospitalized in a vegetative state after a car accident, and Lin Tian urged her to keep performing for him.
  • Gan Yan Yu explained that her parents had destroyed her cello belongings and her agency had ended her contract, so Lin Tian offered to compose music and make videos with her.
  • A recording of Lin Tian’s piano performance went viral, and he claimed system rewards before Gan Yan Yu arrived with her cello and asked him to take care of her during practice.
Chapters 1–25 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 1The Youthful King of Foot Washes Would Never Meet a Cello Girl

Lin Tian searched for a girl to bind to his All-Around Producer System, then met Grandpa Gan’s cello-playing granddaughter outside his apartment. After she headed for the rooftop, Lin Tian began to worry she might really be planning to die.

  • Lin Tian left a foot-washing parlor without finding a suitable partner and reflected on the system that required him to bind with a female partner.
  • Lin Tian found Grandpa Gan’s coffee shop closed and met his granddaughter, a girl from his high school who carried a cello.
  • Lin Tian encountered the girl sitting on a corridor railing and helped her learn that the rooftop door could be opened.
  • The girl asked Lin Tian to keep her cello, but he refused, and she went upstairs toward the rooftop.
  • At home, Lin Tian realized the girl might actually be intending to die.

Ch. 2A Tribute to the Legendary Unbreakable King

Lin Tian worried that Gan Yan Yu might be suicidal and rushed to the rooftop, where he discovered she had only been searching for her lost kitten. A system recommended her as a partner and gave Lin Tian 24 hours to meet its binding conditions, and the chapter ended with Gan Yan Yu asking to use his bathroom to shower.

  • Lin Tian reconsidered Gan Yan Yu’s earlier behavior and hurried to the rooftop, fearing she had jumped.
  • Gan Yan Yu appeared with her kitten and explained that she had been looking for it, not trying to die.
  • A system identified Gan Yan Yu as a recommended partner and set conditions for binding, including an overnight stay and a medical examination.
  • Gan Yan Yu played a cello piece her grandfather had taught her, and she and Lin Tian introduced themselves.
  • Lin Tian insisted on staying with Gan Yan Yu, then she asked to borrow his bathroom to shower because her clothes were stained with dirty water.

Ch. 3Can't We Skip the Drinking?

Lin Tian used his system to examine Gan Yan Yu and learned that she showed serious signs of depression and weight loss. As he tried to keep her at his home by offering beer, Gan Yan Yu grabbed his arm and asked if they could skip the drinking.

  • Lin Tian called the old man to ask about Gan Yan Yu, but he did not answer.
  • After Gan Yan Yu changed clothes, Lin Tian extracted fluid from her uniform and received a report describing her poor mental and physical health.
  • Lin Tian concluded that Gan Yan Yu had been considering suicide and watched her closely as she viewed a video about a doomed classical musician.
  • Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she was a classical musician, attended No. 7 High School, and had recently returned from studying abroad.
  • Lin Tian offered Gan Yan Yu beer, privately hoping to get her drunk so she would stay the night.
  • Gan Yan Yu grabbed Lin Tian's arm and softly asked if they could skip the drinking.

Ch. 4The Girls at Footbath Parlors Know How to Have Fun Better Than You

Lin Tian stopped Gan Yan Yu from offering herself to repay him, explaining that he had only smelled her clothes out of habit. As they drank beer and talked, he learned she had returned to prepare for the college entrance exam and hoped to attend the China Conservatory of Music.

  • Gan Yan Yu leaned close to Lin Tian and offered to let him do what he wanted before she left, believing he desired her after he smelled her clothes.
  • Lin Tian noticed Gan Yan Yu trembling and told her she had misunderstood his unconscious habit of smelling clothes while washing them.
  • Lin Tian opened beer for them, easing the awkwardness, and Gan Yan Yu tried the bitter drink.
  • Lin Tian asked about Gan Yan Yu's time abroad, and she said she had competed in cello contests and pursued further study.
  • Gan Yan Yu said she had returned to take the college entrance exam and hoped to attend the China Conservatory of Music.

Ch. 5The Kind Person Is You

Lin Tian tried to keep Gan Yan Yu at his home after realizing she might be in danger, and she eventually fell asleep on his sofa. The system confirmed that she had been bound as his partner, but her sleep-talking revealed she was distressed about being unable to play the violin.

  • Lin Tian drank beer with Gan Yan Yu and noticed she was getting drunk while he tried to delay her from leaving.
  • Gan Yan Yu said she had taken a week off school and tried to leave, prompting Lin Tian to suspect something had happened to her grandfather.
  • Gan Yan Yu thanked Lin Tian and said she could not stay, but he insisted she finish drinking with him before going.
  • Lin Tian brought out craft beer, and Gan Yan Yu agreed to drink more before falling asleep on the sofa.
  • The system marked both binding missions complete and confirmed Gan Yan Yu as Lin Tian's partner.
  • As Lin Tian covered Gan Yan Yu with a blanket, she murmured in her sleep about wanting to keep playing the violin.

Ch. 6Then Let's Go Get a Foot Massage Together

Gan Yan Yu woke up at Lin Tian’s home after getting drunk, and the two shared breakfast before arranging to meet for a foot massage that evening. After leaving her safely at home, Lin Tian searched her name and found an article about her grandfather’s defeat in an international cello competition.

  • Gan Yan Yu woke up on Lin Tian’s sofa, remembered the previous night, and confirmed that Lin Tian had not touched her.
  • Gan Yan Yu helped Lin Tian make breakfast, and they ate his egg noodles together.
  • Gan Yan Yu offered to repay Lin Tian, so they agreed she would treat him to dinner and he would take her for a foot massage that evening.
  • Lin Tian added Gan Yan Yu on WeChat, told her to contact him if anything happened, and left for school.
  • On his way to the subway, Lin Tian searched Gan Yan Yu’s name and found an article about her grandfather Gan Hua’s loss in the International Kohl Cup sixteen years earlier.

Ch. 7No Matter How Desperate You Are, Don't Pick Up Girls at a Footbath Parlor

Lin Tian learned that Gan Hua was a celebrated cellist who had suffered a major defeat, and he wondered whether Gan Yan Yu’s musical ambitions were connected to her grandfather’s past. After the system gave him music-related items and a task, Lin Tian went to school and struggled to decide whether to work his part-time shift or meet Gan Yan Yu; the chapter ended when she asked how to turn on his gas stove.

  • Lin Tian read that Gan Hua had been China’s top cellist before losing the Kohl Cup sixteen years earlier, and wondered whether Gan Yan Yu’s cello career was tied to his regret.
  • Lin Tian checked Gan Yan Yu’s partner status, opened his starter gift box to receive an Instrument Skill Selection Card, and got a task to perform music for more than ten people.
  • At school, Xu Yong told Lin Tian they were scheduled to work at the tea restaurant that evening, complicating Lin Tian’s plan to have dinner with Gan Yan Yu.
  • Xu Yong teased Lin Tian about dating someone from a footbath parlor, and Lin Tian dismissed his suspicions.
  • Gan Yan Yu sent Lin Tian a video of herself in the kitchen and asked how to turn on the gas at his place.

Ch. 8Gan Yan Yu's Spring Cleaning

Lin Tian worried when Gan Yan Yu turned on the gas at his home, but she explained she was practicing cooking for him. While Lin Tian went to class and planned to work that evening, Gan Yan Yu cleaned his house and considered making him a dessert to bring to work.

  • Gan Yan Yu sent Lin Tian a video of herself in his kitchen, and he feared she might be planning to harm herself before she explained she was cooking.
  • Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu he had a part-time job that evening, so they would have to eat out another time, and Xu Yong teased him about her during class.
  • Gan Yan Yu learned Lin Tian would not be coming home and, feeling sympathy for his lonely life, decided to clean his house.
  • Gan Yan Yu carefully cleaned the home while leaving Lin Tian's room and belongings untouched.
  • After finishing the spring cleaning, Gan Yan Yu checked the map to find Lin Tian's workplace and considered making him a dessert to bring there.

Ch. 9A Job Much Better Than Washing Feet

After school, Lin Tian earned extra money serving customers at SWING, where his looks helped him win a large order and a higher wage than Xu Yong. During a lull, he noticed the restaurant's uncovered piano and headed toward it, leaving Xu Yong alarmed that he might perform.

  • Lin Tian and Xu Yong rushed to their part-time jobs at SWING, where Manager Wang sent them straight to serve customers.
  • Lin Tian charmed two women at table eight and persuaded them to order several dishes.
  • The chapter noted that Lin Tian's popularity with female customers had helped Manager Wang raise his hourly wage to forty yuan.
  • During a break, Xu Yong explained that people used Douyin to post videos, including music performances.
  • Lin Tian noticed the uncovered piano on the restaurant's platform and walked toward it despite Xu Yong's warnings.

Ch. 10"Wedding in My Dream"

Lin Tian used a system card to gain Piano Skill (Silver) and performed “Wedding in My Dream” at the restaurant, surprising the diners and Xu Yong with his skill. After the crowd applauded and asked for another song, Xu Yong proudly claimed Lin Tian as his good brother.

  • Lin Tian sat at the restaurant piano despite Xu Yong’s warnings and the curious attention of the diners.
  • Lin Tian selected Piano on the Instrument Skill Selection Card and gained Piano Skill (Silver).
  • Lin Tian played “Wedding in My Dream,” captivating the restaurant’s customers and staff.
  • The diners filmed Lin Tian, applauded his performance, and called for another song.
  • Xu Yong enthusiastically told the crowd that Lin Tian was his good brother.

Ch. 11Work That Kept Coming to His Door

After Lin Tian’s piano performance earned widespread praise, he regained his musical memories and attracted offers from both his manager and a music agency. He declined to commit to either, prioritizing university and time with Gan Yan Yu, then learned that another girl had come looking for him.

  • Lin Tian completed the music mission, received a Musical Memory Enhancement Card, and recovered detailed memories of music he had heard.
  • After Lin Tian’s performance impressed the restaurant customers, Manager Wang offered him higher pay to play piano during dinner shifts, but Lin Tian said he would think about it.
  • Zhong Wei'an of SYC Music Agency approached Lin Tian, and Lin Tian claimed he had composed “Wedding in My Dream.”
  • Zhong Wei'an invited Lin Tian to pursue a professional piano career, but Lin Tian said his priority was getting into university and accepted Zhong Wei'an’s business card.
  • Xu Yong told Lin Tian that a girl had come looking for him and brought pastries.

Ch. 12The Girl's Mung Bean Cake

Gan Yan Yu visited Lin Tian at the restaurant where he worked and brought him homemade mung bean cake. After feeding him a piece and seeing him enjoy it, she came inside to wait while his shift ended.

  • Gan Yan Yu arrived at the restaurant and asked the staff to call Lin Tian, while Xu Yong teased Lin Tian about her visit.
  • Lin Tian met Gan Yan Yu outside, and they talked about his job and when his shift would end.
  • Gan Yan Yu gave Lin Tian mung bean cake she had made and fed him a piece.
  • Lin Tian praised the mung bean cake, noticed Gan Yan Yu smile, and invited her inside to sit while he finished work.

Ch. 13She Didn't Really Want to Eat

Lin Tian realized Gan Yan Yu had cleared her belongings from his house as if settling her affairs, and suspected she still intended to kill herself. He kept her at his restaurant while he changed, where her awkward interaction with Xu Yong ended with her fiercely guarding the mung bean cakes.

  • Lin Tian noticed Gan Yan Yu had left her cello and dried clothes at her grandfather's house and realized she had removed all her belongings from his home.
  • Lin Tian insisted Gan Yan Yu come inside the restaurant and wait while he changed, despite her saying she was not going to eat.
  • Gan Yan Yu politely greeted Lin Tian's coworkers, who reacted with envy and admiration toward her.
  • Lin Tian introduced Gan Yan Yu to Xu Yong, who became flustered while talking to her.
  • When Lin Tian offered Xu Yong some mung bean cakes, Gan Yan Yu grabbed the box and would not let go, prompting Xu Yong to flee in embarrassment.
  • Gan Yan Yu said she had wanted to speak but had been unable to get the words out, and Lin Tian wondered if she liked him.

Ch. 14If It's Just Going Along with It, Then It Has No Meaning

Lin Tian tried to prolong his evening with Gan Yan Yu by suggesting they browse and play at an arcade before eating, but Gan Yan Yu became upset that he seemed indifferent to her attempt to repay him. Lin Tian admitted that what mattered to him was keeping her with him that night, leaving Gan Yan Yu startled by his words.

  • Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu walked through a busy commercial district while he tried to decide where they should eat.
  • Lin Tian suggested visiting an arcade to pass the time, but Gan Yan Yu declined and proposed sitting down for dinner instead.
  • After wandering through the restaurant floors without choosing a place, Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian whether he had come out only to keep her company.
  • Gan Yan Yu explained that the meal was meant to repay Lin Tian for hosting her, and she felt he was treating it as meaningless.
  • Lin Tian said he was not hungry because he had eaten her mung bean cakes, then told Gan Yan Yu that as long as she stayed with him that night, what they did did not matter.

Ch. 15The Obsessive Musician

Lin Tian shared dessert with Gan Yan Yu and learned about her devotion to classical music, then Xu Yong revealed that she had taken leave to go abroad for medical treatment. The chapter left Lin Tian facing a new mystery about Gan Yan Yu’s past.

  • Lin Tian reassured Gan Yan Yu, and his Sanity Points rose while his health status improved from Very Poor to Poor.
  • Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu went to a dessert shop, where he saw her happily eating pudding and learned that her grandfather had once tried to make it for her.
  • Gan Yan Yu explained that classical music was a musical style and described her passion for sharing it despite its weak standing in competitions.
  • Xu Yong called Lin Tian and said he had seen Gan Yan Yu filing leave paperwork for medical treatment abroad, contradicting Lin Tian’s belief that she went to the United Kingdom to study.

Ch. 16Battle at the Foot Spa Again

After Xu Yong warned Lin Tian to stay away from Gan Yan Yu, Lin Tian decided to stay by her side and give her a happy time despite suspecting she was seriously ill. He brought her to a foot spa, where the technician who had served him the previous day was horrified to see him return with an actual high school girl.

  • Lin Tian suspected Gan Yan Yu had a terminal illness, and Xu Yong warned him that getting involved could bring serious trouble.
  • Lin Tian decided he could not abandon Gan Yan Yu and resolved to make her remaining time happy.
  • Lin Tian took Gan Yan Yu to Golden Impression and used his coupon toward a more expensive package.
  • The Number Seven female technician recognized Lin Tian and panicked, but he explained that Gan Yan Yu was the one receiving the service.
  • The female technician escorted the nervous Gan Yan Yu to shower before the foot massage.

Ch. 17King of Foot Washes, Want to Give It a Try?

Gan Yan Yu tried a foot bath and massage with Lin Tian watching, but she was too sensitive and uneasy to let the technician touch her feet. Lin Tian offered to take over, leaving the massage about to begin.

  • Gan Yan Yu entered the private room in a bathrobe and tested the water, asking the technician to cool it until she could tolerate it.
  • Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian to sit beside her and nervously told him her shoe size was thirty-five.
  • Gan Yan Yu repeatedly pulled her foot away when the technician touched it, then accidentally kicked the technician's arm as she tried to hold her ankle.
  • Gan Yan Yu apologized and explained that she had never let anyone touch her feet, so Lin Tian offered to wash them instead.

Ch. 18A Fleeting Moment of Beauty

Lin Tian helped Gan Yan Yu relax enough to receive a foot massage by holding her ankles, and she left the treatment feeling refreshed and grateful. Outside the spa late at night, her loneliness returned as she looked at the sky, and Lin Tian asked whether she was leaving for the heavens.

  • The female technician agreed to massage Gan Yan Yu while Lin Tian held her ankles, and Gan Yan Yu reluctantly allowed him to touch her feet.
  • Gan Yan Yu’s feet relaxed under Lin Tian’s hands, letting the technician complete the massage and raising Gan Yan Yu’s Sanity Points to 43.
  • After the hour-long treatment, Gan Yan Yu thanked Lin Tian, and he joked that he had learned foot washing because of his gambling father.
  • Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu left the spa after eleven, and Gan Yan Yu felt lonely beneath the night sky.
  • Lin Tian pointed toward the heavens and asked Gan Yan Yu whether she was leaving for the sky.

Ch. 19Chance Encounter with a Fan

Lin Tian took Gan Yan Yu to Qingzhou’s influencer street, where she enjoyed the spectacle and criticized a street performance by two young musicians. When the cellist recognized her as Gan Yan Yu and praised her talent, she lost her composure and ran away.

  • Lin Tian joked about Gan Yan Yu going to heaven, then invited her to see something fun instead of letting her leave.
  • Lin Tian brought Gan Yan Yu to Qingzhou’s influencer street, where she laughed at the livestreamers and explored the stalls.
  • Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu watched a young man and woman perform a cello and violin serenade, and Gan Yan Yu sharply criticized the cellist’s playing.
  • Gan Yan Yu sent the performers thirty yuan and advised the cellist to practice more.
  • The cellist recognized Gan Yan Yu, praised her performances, and told her she had long been his idol.
  • Gan Yan Yu apologized, turned away, and ran off.

Ch. 20Memoirs of a Deceased Wife

Lin Tian chased Gan Yan Yu to the bridge, where she spoke about her longing to keep playing the cello before he interrupted her and took her to a mountain overlook. After seeing Qingzhou City and asking Lin Tian to photograph her, Gan Yan Yu said she wanted to show the picture to her grandfather when she got over there.

  • Lin Tian chased Gan Yan Yu to the bridge and found her following a blue butterfly, then asked whether anything was wrong.
  • Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she had grown up with her grandfather and wanted to play the cello forever.
  • Lin Tian stopped Gan Yan Yu before she could continue and took her by taxi to a mountain overlook above Qingzhou City.
  • Gan Yan Yu thanked Lin Tian for bringing her to the overlook and asked him to take her picture.
  • Gan Yan Yu said she wanted to show the photograph to her grandfather when she got over there, and Lin Tian noticed her bright smile in the blurry image.

Ch. 21Moonlight Confession

At a mountainside lookout, Lin Tian shared his difficult childhood and told Gan Yan Yu about cellist Jacqueline du Pré, hoping to inspire her to keep performing despite her illness. Gan Yan Yu resolved to live on and wait for her grandfather to wake from a coma, while Lin Tian learned that her grandfather was still alive but had become vegetative after a car accident.

  • Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian what he meant by calling his childhood “half good,” and Lin Tian explained that both his parents had left him to live alone.
  • When Gan Yan Yu asked whether he had ever wanted to give up on life, Lin Tian told her about Jacqueline du Pré, who continued performing despite a serious illness.
  • Gan Yan Yu said she could not leave without honoring her grandfather, and Lin Tian encouraged her to keep performing and wait for him to wake.
  • Lin Tian learned that Gan Yan Yu’s grandfather had been in a car accident three days earlier and had become vegetative.
  • Gan Yan Yu turned away in tears and lamented that her grandfather had promised to wait for her to return from the United Kingdom after asthma treatment.

Ch. 22I'll Help You!

Lin Tian learned that Gan Yan Yu had asthma rather than a terminal illness and discovered that her parents had destroyed her cello career, driving her to despair. As dawn broke, he vowed to help her pursue her grandfather’s dream of winning the Kohl Cup.

  • Lin Tian confirmed that Gan Yan Yu had asthma and felt relieved that she was not terminally ill.
  • Lin Tian scolded Gan Yan Yu for considering suicide while her grandfather remained hospitalized and she had not achieved her dream.
  • Gan Yan Yu explained that her parents had returned, destroyed her cello belongings, and caused her agency to terminate her contract.
  • Lin Tian encouraged Gan Yan Yu to compete as an independent musician and asked about her grandfather’s dream of winning the Kohl Cup.
  • Gan Yan Yu described the difficult path to the Kohl Cup, and Lin Tian declared that he would help her.

Ch. 23Mermaid Warrior and Penguin Boy Become One

Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu to partner with him on short videos, offering to compose music while she performed on the cello. After sleeping through class, he learned that a passerby's video of his piano performance had received 120,000 likes.

  • Lin Tian offered to compose music for Gan Yan Yu and accompany her while she performed, and proposed they make short videos together.
  • Gan Yan Yu agreed to become Lin Tian's partner, trusting him and feeling secure by his side.
  • Lin Tian hurried to school and fell asleep through his math classes after saying he would write a piece for Gan Yan Yu.
  • Xu Yong woke Lin Tian at lunch and showed him a passerby's Douyin video of his piano performance, which had reached 120,000 likes.

Ch. 24It Went Viral at School

A viral Douyin video of Lin Tian playing piano at the SWING Restaurant brought him attention at school and exposed details about his reputation. After school, a girl asked him whether he had a girlfriend, leaving the watching students waiting for his answer.

  • Lin Tian saw that a video of him playing "Wedding in My Dream" had gone viral and that commenters had nicknamed him Piano Brother.
  • Commenters identified Lin Tian as a top student at Qingzhou Seventh High School and spread rumors that he had a pretty girlfriend outside school.
  • Lin Tian asked Xu Yong whether he usually looked sour, and Xu Yong described his expression as a deadpan face.
  • Lin Tian decided to consider making short videos and discuss it with Gan Yan Yu the next day.
  • After school, two girls approached Lin Tian, and one gathered her courage to ask whether he had a girlfriend.

Ch. 25Adjusting Her State, Preparing to Get to Work!

Lin Tian avoided answering classmates’ questions about whether he had a girlfriend, then returned home and found Gan Yan Yu had cleaned the house before leaving. After checking her improved mental health but poor physical condition, he planned a rehabilitation program for their next practice and was surprised when she arrived early the following morning, looking lively.

  • Lin Tian deflected his classmates’ questions about his relationship, prompting the girls to speculate that he had a soulmate.
  • Lin Tian found Gan Yan Yu’s note and realized she had cleaned his home before leaving the night before.
  • Lin Tian claimed the system rewards of a master-level Massage Skill and automatic copyright registration.
  • Lin Tian checked Gan Yan Yu’s status, saw that her mental health had improved but her physical health remained very poor, and planned rehabilitation for her.
  • Gan Yan Yu arrived at Lin Tian’s home early Saturday with her cello and asked him to take care of her during practice.
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