Recaps

Lin Tian began playing Chopin’s “Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2” in the final, once again coincidentally choosing the same genre as Nishikawa Yuuhaku. His delicate performance captivated the audience, though Yao Han sensed it had yet to reach its full potential.

• The broadcast announced Lin Tian’s nocturne, and the audience realized he and Nishikawa Yuuhaku had once again chosen pieces in the same genre.
• Nishikawa Yuuhaku lamented the coincidence, while Lin Tian prepared to perform Chopin’s “Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2.”
• Williams, Lloyd, and the other listeners doubted Lin Tian could surpass Nishikawa’s “Silent Gate” in the nocturne genre.
• Lin Tian began playing, and his gentle, expressive melody quickly drew the audience in.
• Williams and the others praised the music’s melody and flowing triplet accompaniment as Yao Han listened with satisfaction.
• Yao Han thought Lin Tian’s performance was beautiful but felt it still needed to go further.

Lin Tian performed Chopin’s “Nocturne in E-flat Major” with an emotional precision that astonished the audience and Watanabe Satoru, but the effort was pushing his body toward collapse. As the piece reached its final quarter, a Focus Potion from the Producer’s Backpack automatically activated.

• Lin Tian imagined Gan Yan Yu playing the cello and shaped the Nocturne into a vivid, dreamlike performance.
• Gan Yan Yu silently mimed playing along, and the audience and Williams praised Lin Tian’s control and expressiveness.
• Watanabe Satoru recognized Lin Tian’s extraordinary skill, while Burke and Yao Han noticed that Lin Tian was overexerting himself.
• Lin Tian struggled through the remaining section as exhaustion threatened to make him collapse.
• The Producer’s Backpack automatically retrieved and used a Focus Potion.

Lin Tian regained his strength during his performance and delivered a moving interpretation of his original “Nocturne in E-flat Major,” winning over the audience and fellow pianists. After he left the stage, Nishikawa Yuuhaku and Watanabe Satoru reflected on the defeat, and Gan Yan Yu hurried to greet Lin Tian.

• Lin Tian suddenly felt his focus, mental strength, endurance, and thinking speed surge as he continued playing.
• Lin Tian pushed the nocturne to new heights, drawing praise from Yao Han and holding the audience in captivated silence until the final note.
• The audience erupted in applause, and musicians backstage praised Lin Tian’s composition and performance as a historic achievement.
• Nishikawa Yuuhaku withdrew to the hallway to smoke, where Watanabe Satoru joined him and calmly accepted the result.
• Gan Yan Yu hurried over to Lin Tian after his performance, and he reached out to catch her before she dodged away and congratulated him.

After his final performance, Lin Tian discussed his stamina and musical growth with Gan Yan Yu while the contestants waited nervously for the judges to decide the awards. With Lin Tian’s performances disrupting expectations and stirring debate among the judges, the award ceremony was announced as Nishikawa Yuuhaku accepted the results he would receive.

• Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu that he had hoped for a hug, and she reminded him that he had already used his monthly allowance for one.
• Gan Yan Yu asked about Lin Tian’s condition after his performance, and he reflected on how much effort she must have put into becoming a great performer.
• The contestants waited anxiously as the judges deliberated, with Lin Tian and Watanabe Satoru having thrown the competition’s expected rankings into doubt.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian that rumors said the judges were arguing and that Lin Tian’s name was being discussed most often.
• Lin Tian apologized to Nishikawa Yuuhaku for overshadowing him, but Nishikawa accepted his own shortcomings and said he would accept the result.
• The broadcast announced that the 2025 Sakibo International Piano Competition award ceremony was about to begin.

At the 2025 Sakibo International Piano Competition awards ceremony, Nishikawa Yuuhaku won gold, Burke silver, and Williams bronze. The ceremony then began announcing the special awards, with Lin Tian receiving Best Newcomer.

• The host announced that the gold, silver, and bronze medals would be presented before the special awards, surprising the contestants and audience.
• The host named Williams the bronze medalist, Alvis Burke the silver medalist, and Nishikawa Yuuhaku the gold medalist and competition champion.
• Burke congratulated Nishikawa, who said the trophy should have been Burke's because the competition was on his home ground.
• Nishikawa, Burke, and Williams accepted their medals and delivered speeches.
• The host announced Lin Tian of China as the Best Newcomer, drawing cheers from the venue and Chinese viewers in the livestream.

Lin Tian won the Audience Popularity Award after receiving the Best Newcomer Award, making history at the Sakibo International Piano Competition despite placing seventh overall. The chapter ended with Lin Tian winning the Best Classical Music Award as well, while Alvis Burke received the Best Modern Work Performance Award.

• Yao Han told Watanabe Satoru that he had wanted to witness an outstanding contest, and Watanabe saw viewers praising his performance in the livestream.
• Lin Tian won the Audience Popularity Award, giving him a second special award and prompting reporters and pianists to react to the historic result.
• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu to photograph him accepting his awards, while He Zhichen confirmed that he would have more trophies than any of the top three winners.
• The host announced that Alvis Burke won the Best Modern Work Performance Award for Little Boat and Lin Tian won the Best Classical Music Award for Nocturne in E-flat Major.

Lin Tian won the Best Newcomer, Audience Popularity, and Best Classical Music awards at the 2025 Sakibo International Piano Competition, then thanked Gan Yan Yu in his acceptance speech. On the flight home, He Zhichen revealed that the studio had secured an endorsement deal for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, and asked whether they had acting experience.

• The audience erupted when Lin Tian was announced as the winner of his third award, while Williams said his victories were deserved.
• Lin Tian accepted all three trophies and delivered a speech in English, Japanese, and Chinese, thanking Gan Yan Yu for helping him discover the meaning of performing.
• The 2025 Sakibo International Piano Competition ended, and Lin Tian returned home with He Zhichen and Wei Xiaoxiao.
• He Zhichen read a magazine praising Lin Tian's record-setting haul and explained that public attention and support from senior judges had helped him win.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu that the studio had arranged a major brand endorsement and asked if they had acting experience.

After returning from Tokyo, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu discussed He Zhichen’s endorsement proposal and plans for a new album. Lin Tian proposed including the Tokyo Trilogy and Teacher Cat’s Summer, but Gan Yan Yu suggested releasing the album as his solo album.

• Lin Tian put off discussing the endorsement proposal with He Zhichen until he and Gan Yan Yu had rested after their Tokyo trip.
• Back home in Qingzhou City, Lin Tian rested, then invited Gan Yan Yu over to discuss their plans.
• Lin Tian said they should begin recording a new album while his international fame from the Sakibo International Piano Competition was still high.
• Lin Tian proposed recording “Beethoven Virus,” “Croatian Rhapsody,” “Nocturne in E-flat Major,” and Teacher Cat’s Summer, but worried that too many solo piano pieces would make it seem unlike a Moonlight and Cat album.
• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian he could release the album as his personal solo album.

Lin Tian confronted Gan Yan Yu for treating his music written for her as material for his solo album, and she apologized while promising to cherish his gifts. They settled on rerecording “Croatian Rhapsody” together, and Lin Tian hinted that he had prepared another gift for New Year's Day.

• Lin Tian accused Gan Yan Yu of not taking seriously his promise that all his pieces were written for her.
• Gan Yan Yu apologized and said Lin Tian’s words made her happy, promising to cherish everything he gave her.
• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu to accompany him on cello for a rerecording of “Croatian Rhapsody,” and she agreed.
• Lin Tian sent He Zhichen the album plans and read his message about a possible Pude milk endorsement.
• Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu he had prepared a gift for her on New Year's Day.

As New Year approached, Lin Tian discussed Gan Yan Yu’s strained relationship with her parents and encouraged her to accept a milk commercial endorsement. Gan Yan Yu agreed to learn acting with him, and the producer system assigned them a seven-day duet task that would reward them with a master-level acting skill card.

• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she felt conflicted about spending New Year with her parents, and Lin Tian recalled how their past choices had hurt her and stopped her from playing the cello.
• Lin Tian changed the subject by telling Gan Yan Yu that He Zhichen had arranged a Pude milk commercial endorsement for them.
• Gan Yan Yu worried that her acting was poor, so Lin Tian suggested they find books and a teacher or practice on their own.
• Gan Yan Yu agreed to try learning acting and showed interest in the idea.
• The producer system tasked Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu with releasing a duet within seven days and earning 10 million plays and 100,000 points of viewers’ desire to dance, with a master-level acting skill card as the reward.

Lin Tian chose Johann Strauss II’s “Spring Voices Waltz” for the new album and rearranged its violin-led melody for cello. At the recording studio, Gan Yan Yu seemed nervous about performing a duet with him, and they prepared to begin recording.

• Lin Tian decided to add a dance-like piece to the album and chose “Spring Voices Waltz.”
• Lin Tian rearranged the waltz for cello, considering how the change affected its light, cheerful character.
• Lin Tian called He Zhichen, who agreed to arrange a recording session for the new piece.
• The next day, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu went to the company, where Gan Yan Yu asked whether they were recording immediately.
• Gan Yan Yu said she was nervous because it had been a long time since she had performed a duet with Lin Tian, and they prepared to start.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu recorded “Spring Voices Waltz” smoothly, then discussed Gan Yan Yu’s plans to study acting and whether she should spend Lunar New Year with her parents. Lin Tian agreed she could visit them alone, and Gan Yan Yu accepted.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu recorded “Spring Voices Waltz,” and Xiao Cui praised their ensemble.
• Gan Yan Yu said the performance seemed to lack some emotion, though she struggled to explain what she meant.
• Lin Tian asked about Gan Yan Yu’s acting studies, and she said she had bought two books and would practice seriously.
• Lin Tian reconsidered his earlier opposition and told Gan Yan Yu she could go home to spend Lunar New Year with her parents alone.
• Gan Yan Yu froze briefly, then agreed.

Gan Yan Yu decided to speak with her parents in person about going home for the New Year, while Lin Tian’s studio released a free preview of Moonlight and Cat’s new piece, “Spring Voices Waltz.” The preview sparked online excitement, and Zhang Dong prepared an elaborate livestream to listen to it.

• Gan Yan Yu agreed to visit her parents and discuss the New Year face-to-face after Lin Tian urged her to make her own choice.
• Leyun and Moonlight and Cat finished the third album, and Lin Tian arranged for “Spring Voices Waltz” to be previewed for free before its Monday release.
• Netizens praised Lin Tian’s generosity, and preorders for the digital album on QQ Music rose by thirty percent.
• Zhang Dong started a livestream to announce the preview, then changed into a tailcoat and poured red wine before playing the piece.

Zhang Dong and viewers enjoyed Moonlight and Cat’s “Spring Voices Waltz,” while Lin Tian discovered its play count had risen quickly but its emotion points remained low. He decided to make a dance video with Gan Yan Yu, who hinted that this was what she had wanted him to understand.

• Zhang Dong played “Spring Voices Waltz” on his livestream and swayed along as viewers praised the music and imagined dancing to it.
• Lin Tian watched Zhang Dong’s gestures and found them familiar, then received He Zhichen’s congratulations that the piece had reached four million plays.
• Lin Tian read positive reactions to the piece on Weibo and noted that it was enjoyable but offered little room for Gan Yan Yu to show her skills in a competition.
• Lin Tian checked the task interface and saw 4.06 million plays but only 9,344 emotion points, so he considered making a dance video to encourage listeners to dance.
• Lin Tian called Gan Yan Yu to propose filming a dance video for “Spring Voices Waltz,” and she replied that he had finally understood what she meant.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu choreographed and recorded a dance to "Spring Voices Waltz," while discussing Gan Yan Yu’s plans to spend New Year’s Eve with her family. Lin Tian later edited and uploaded the video.

• Gan Yan Yu showed Lin Tian the partner dance she had imagined for "Spring Voices Waltz," and he praised her choreography.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu recorded themselves dancing together at the café.
• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian that she planned to return to her parents for New Year’s Eve but would talk with them again about their plans to take her elsewhere.
• After the dance, Gan Yan Yu staged a joking collapse and offered Lin Tian a jelly, prompting him to scold her for the prank.
• Lin Tian edited the dance video at home, added background music and tags, and uploaded it.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s couples’ dance to “Spring Voices Waltz” went viral on Douyin, inspiring thousands of users to recreate it. Lin Tian woke to find that the video had completed his system task and earned him a Master Level Performance Skill Card.

• Moonlight and Cat’s new Douyin video showed Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu dancing together to “Spring Voices Waltz,” and viewers praised their romantic performance.
• Dance students recognized that the simple ballroom steps complemented the music and created vivid imagery that made viewers want to dance.
• Lin Tian woke in the afternoon to find that the video had exceeded the system’s view and emotion-point targets, completing his task and granting him a Master Level Performance Skill Card.
• Lin Tian checked Douyin and found that influencer couples and thousands of other users were recreating the dance, turning it into a craze.

Lin Tian wrestled with his desire for greater intimacy with Gan Yan Yu while reminding himself that they had promised to focus on their dream. Gan Yan Yu told him she would spend New Year’s Eve with her parents, and the chapter ended with He Zhichen proposing an arena-scale debut recital for them in early April.

• Lin Tian reflected on how he and Gan Yan Yu had grown closer but still avoided defining their relationship or crossing the line before achieving their dream.
• Gan Yan Yu visited Lin Tian and told him she had agreed to return to her parents’ home on New Year’s Eve.
• Gan Yan Yu apologized for missing their chance to practice piano together, and Lin Tian encouraged her to talk properly with her family.
• Gan Yan Yu said her parents had pleaded with her and recalled family memories, leaving her feeling as though she was abandoning Lin Tian.
• Lin Tian reassured Gan Yan Yu until she resolved to have a proper conversation with her family.
• He Zhichen messaged Lin Tian that the company planned an early-April debut recital with Gan Yan Yu and was considering an arena-scale production.

Lin Tian agreed to He Zhichen’s plan for Moonlight and Cat to hold a large concert at Qingjiang International Culture Center, seeing it as a chance to bring classical music into the mainstream. On New Year’s Eve, Gan Yan Yu arrived at his apartment with gifts, and they prepared to visit neighbors they had disturbed while practicing piano.

• He Zhichen proposed that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu hold their debut concert at Qingjiang International Culture Center, betting that their new album and an upcoming commercial would draw enough fans.
• Lin Tian agreed after He Zhichen argued that a successful concert could put classical musicians alongside pop singers and help popularize classical music.
• Lin Tian reflected on Grandpa Gan’s illness and noticed Tuoba Jianhui’s name in the hospital visitation records.
• Gan Yan Yu appeared at Lin Tian’s apartment dressed in festive red and showed him a sack of New Year gifts.
• Gan Yan Yu explained that she wanted to visit the neighbors with Lin Tian and give them gifts because their piano practice had disturbed them.

Lin Tian spent the day before New Year's Eve with Gan Yan Yu, delivering gifts to their neighbors and discovering how warmly people welcomed them. On New Year's Eve, just as he felt alone at the Clock Tower, Gan Yan Yu appeared with a homemade birthday cake and revealed that she had pretended to choose her family so she could spend the holiday with him.

• Gan Yan Yu brought New Year goods to Lin Tian's apartment and persuaded him to change into a red hoodie that matched her qipao.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu delivered gifts to the households on the fifth and sixth floors, received food and a red envelope in return, and filled Lin Tian's apartment with the neighbors' New Year blessings.
• Lin Tian woke alone on New Year's Eve, read greetings from friends, and went to the Clock Tower after Gan Yan Yu told him there would be fireworks.
• Lin Tian felt lonely among the families at the riverbank and turned to leave, but Gan Yan Yu found him, embraced him, and presented a cake she had made for his birthday.
• Gan Yan Yu confessed that she had never negotiated with her parents and had planned to spend New Year's Eve with Lin Tian; as fireworks filled the sky, she called him "Big—brother—".

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu celebrated New Year’s Eve together, and Lin Tian nearly kissed her beneath the fireworks before stopping himself. After they exchanged good-night gifts, Gan Yan Yu secretly played with her Lin Tian doll and revealed that she had noticed his near-kiss.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu shared cake by the river, and Gan Yan Yu fed him a bite before lighting a belated birthday candle for him.
• Gan Yan Yu took a photo with Lin Tian and hurried him to the clock tower, where they welcomed the New Year hand in hand among couples.
• As they watched the fireworks, Lin Tian nearly kissed Gan Yan Yu, but she turned toward him and he quickly pulled away; Gan Yan Yu suggested they go home.
• Lin Tian gave Gan Yan Yu a customized chibi doll of himself, and she accepted it before they went to their separate apartments.
• At home, Gan Yan Yu reenacted the moment beneath the clock tower with the doll and lamented that it had not crossed the line before falling asleep beside it.

After spending the New Year together, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu planned to prepare for their college entrance exams before taking on the Dragon Qin Cup. They signed an endorsement contract with Pude Dairy and learned that the company had chosen them to give its premium yogurt an artistic, sophisticated image.

• Gan Yan Yu brought a chicken to Lin Tian's home, and the two cooked together and wished each other a happy New Year.
• After the holiday, Zhang Juan told Lin Tian that he and Gan Yan Yu could study at home until the college entrance examination, while they planned to focus on academics in May.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu agreed to turn down work for a month to prepare for the college entrance examination and later compete in the Dragon Qin Cup.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu signed an endorsement contract with Pude Dairy and toured its headquarters.
• At Pude's development center, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu tasted the nine-yuan Hamurei Finnish Yogurt and learned they had been chosen to give it an artistic, sophisticated image.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu finalized their Depp endorsement and arrived at Starlight for the photo shoot, where the team initially doubted the youthful pair could fit the sophisticated concept. After seeing their dramatic transformations in formal outfits, photographer Wang Jun eagerly asked to begin shooting.

• He Zhichen checked that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu were comfortable with the Depp endorsement, and Gan Yan Yu praised the yogurt while Lin Tian asked for free supplies.
• Moonlight and Cat Official Studio announced the Depp partnership, and their fans celebrated the pair’s rise from niche online musicians to national-brand endorsers.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu arrived at Starlight, where photographer Wang Jun worried their student-like appearances would undermine the shoot’s artistic, sophisticated direction.
• Wang Jun prepared to call product manager Chen Kang to challenge the choice of endorsers, but Gan Yan Yu emerged in a black evening gown with a commanding presence.
• Lin Tian appeared in a black suit with his hair slicked back, and Wang Jun, impressed by their transformed looks, asked to start shooting immediately.

Lin Tian’s acting skill impressed the photography team, while Gan Yan Yu struggled to pose for Depp’s endorsement shoot. After asking Lin Tian to watch her, Gan Yan Yu suddenly adopted a commanding, queenlike presence for the camera, though her glances at him seemed strangely possessive.

• Lin Tian used his acting skill to deliver striking photos, thrilling photographer Wang Jun and the studio staff.
• Gan Yan Yu felt nervous in her unfamiliar outfit and struggled to pose, frustrating Wang Jun until he called a break.
• In the lounge, Lin Tian tried to help Gan Yan Yu role-play a queen, but her first attempts came across as cute rather than intimidating.
• Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian to sit where she could see him during the next shoot, and he agreed.
• Gan Yan Yu returned to the set with a contemptuous gaze and posed confidently while repeatedly glancing at Lin Tian, who wondered if she was looking at him like a pet.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu finished Dep's endorsement shoot, and Gan Yan Yu revealed that she had found her icy, glamorous persona by imagining Lin Tian acting with her. Two days later, Dep announced Moonlight and Cat as its new spokespeople, drawing fierce online controversy that abruptly quieted when the promotional photos appeared.

• Gan Yan Yu transformed her performance during the photo shoot, impressing Wang Jun with her striking expression and completing the solo and couple photos with Lin Tian.
• Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian to put on her shoes, then admitted that she needed to imagine acting with another person to find the feeling for certain roles; she fled before Lin Tian could confront her about what she had imagined.
• Dep announced Moonlight and Cat as its new spokespeople, and netizens argued over the duo's youth, influencer background, and status as Classical Musicians.
• Lin Tian watched the controversy and rising account views, deciding that the attention would bring new people to Moonlight and Cat despite the insults.
• Dep released nine promotional images less than two hours after its announcement, and the critical fandom girls fell silent when they saw Moonlight's photo.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s Depp promotional photos went viral, bringing them unexpected attention and increased music listens. He Zhichen then revealed Qingjiang Province’s Dragon Qin Cup representatives and warned that Lin Tian’s reputation would raise expectations for Gan Yan Yu; Nana Li was also entering the competition.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s Depp promotional photos spread across social media, where fans and newcomers fixated on Gan Yan Yu’s striking appearance.
• Zhang Dong reacted to Gan Yan Yu’s photos during his livestream, and the images drove a surge in views and music listens for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
• He Zhichen invited Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to dinner and told them that the Dragon Qin Cup slots had been announced internally.
• He Zhichen named Gan Yan Yu and Bai Xi as two of Qingjiang Province’s three cellist representatives, then warned Lin Tian that his prominence could draw scrutiny and increase pressure on Gan Yan Yu.
• Lin Tian asked who had received the third slot, and He Zhichen revealed that Nana Li had qualified after competing in the United Kingdom.