Chapter Summaries

At the concert celebration banquet, Amuro Chinatsu thanked Lin Tian and asked him to review her unpublished compositions. Impressed by her talent, Lin Tian offered to mentor her in adapting classical music into pop songs and arranged to hear her perform that weekend.

• He Zhichen celebrated the concert’s record-breaking attendance and album sales, and the guests applauded their achievement.
• Amuro Chinatsu gave Lin Tian perfume and then presented him with a notebook of her original compositions for feedback.
• Lin Tian praised Amuro Chinatsu’s talent and showed her how to improve a song by incorporating his “Pathétique Symphony in G Minor.”
• Lin Tian offered to teach Amuro Chinatsu and let her use his music for a fee, and she agreed to perform for him that weekend.
• As Lin Tian headed to the restroom, He Zhichen joked that he had been captivated by Amuro Chinatsu’s charm.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu supported each other through their final college entrance exam preparations, while Amuro Chinatsu completed a song inspired by their teaching. On exam day, fans cheered for Moonlight and Cat online as Cosmic Flying Pigs released Chinatsu’s song in their honor.

• Lin Tian returned to studying while Gan Yan Yu patiently taught Amuro Chinatsu, and Su Ran teased Xu Yong about finding a new study partner.
• Gan Yan Yu admitted she had felt resentful about Lin Tian tutoring Chinatsu, but decided to share Lin Tian’s burden by helping Chinatsu herself.
• Chinatsu thanked Gan Yan Yu for teaching him, sent her back to study with Lin Tian, and finished writing a song before leaving behind a notebook marked “Thank you.”
• On June 7, Lin Tian encouraged Gan Yan Yu before the college entrance exam, and they promised to do their best together.
• Fans rallied around Moonlight and Cat online, while Cosmic Flying Pigs released Chinatsu’s single “Love on the Strings,” dedicated to Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu finished the Gaokao, while the song “Love on the Strings” about their studying together became an online hit. After celebrating their exams, they learned from He Zhichen that they would soon travel to Beijing for the Dragon Qin Cup preliminaries.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu took the mathematics exam, and memories of Lin Tian's lessons helped Gan Yan Yu solve a difficult question.
• Amuro Chinatsu and Cosmic Flying Pigs performed “Love on the Strings,” which Zhang Dong watched during a livestream as the song spread online.
• The final bell ended the two-day Gaokao, and Lin Tian invited Gan Yan Yu to celebrate at a dessert shop on Liberation Road.
• “Love on the Strings” gained twelve million Bilibili views in two days, and Cosmic Flying Pigs gained two million followers.
• After three days of celebrating offline, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu heard from He Zhichen that they would leave for Beijing next week to prepare for the Dragon Qin Cup preliminaries.

Before leaving for Beijing to compete in the Dragon Qin Cup, Lin Tian met Xu Yong to say goodbye and learned that Xu Yong had recognized Su Ran’s affection but believed he was too insecure to pursue her. Xu Yong urged Lin Tian to stop postponing his relationship with Gan Yan Yu, while the two friends faced the likelihood of seeing less of each other after graduation.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu learned they would spend much of the next two months in Beijing for the Dragon Qin Cup, and Lin Tian planned to visit Grandpa Gan with her that night.
• Lin Tian met Xu Yong at SWING, treated him to a meal, and remembered how often Xu Yong had helped him over the years.
• Lin Tian asked about Su Ran, and Xu Yong said she was making a handmade farewell gift for Gan Yan Yu and had studied with him before the exams.
• Lin Tian challenged Xu Yong about whether he had noticed Su Ran’s feelings, and Xu Yong admitted he had considered it but felt too insecure to return them.
• Xu Yong told Lin Tian not to worry about him and urged Lin Tian to stop delaying his relationship with Gan Yan Yu until after winning a world championship.

Lin Tian and Xu Yong discussed whether Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu should begin dating before their World Championship, and Lin Tian agreed to think about it. At the hospital, they met Grandpa Fang, an old friend of Grandpa Gan, who revealed that most cellists of their generation had abandoned music to make a living and left Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu with an ominous wish for their generation.

• Xu Yong urged Lin Tian to get together with Gan Yan Yu before the competition, and Lin Tian said he would think about it.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu visited Grandpa Gan in the hospital and told him they were going to Beijing to compete in the Dragon Qin Cup.
• Grandpa Fang arrived with flowers, introduced himself as Grandpa Gan's old friend, and revealed that he had left professional cello playing nearly thirty years earlier to make steamed buns.
• Grandpa Fang explained that most of the cellists in his generation had quit music to earn a living, while Grandpa Gan had continued until nearly fifty.
• Grandpa Fang told Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to carry Grandpa Gan's share and keep going, then murmured that it would be nice if the struggle ended with their generation.

After Grandpa Fang urged Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to go to Beijing, Lin Tian found a brighter outlook and wrote “Yankee Doodle” as their cheerful farewell piece. Three days later, the pair prepared to leave for Beijing, where the Dragon Qin Cup awaited them.

• Grandpa Fang told Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu that they would understand Grandpa Gan’s dreams once they reached Beijing, and the two left the hospital feeling newly energized.
• Lin Tian invited Gan Yan Yu to practice a new piece, then recorded “Yankee Doodle” with her at Yueyun headquarters as their farewell song.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed the playful piece with enthusiasm, surprising He Zhichen and Xiao Cui while restoring their confidence for the competition.
• Three days later, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu met downstairs with their luggage, and Lin Tian noticed Gan Yan Yu was carrying the humanoid doll he had given her.

As Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu left Qingzhou for Beijing to compete in the Dragon Qin Cup, their new song “Yankee Doodle” reassured fans who had been waiting for news. On the plane, Lin Tian teased Gan Yan Yu with private love songs, and He Zhichen told him that Yao Han wanted to meet for a meal in Beijing.

• Fans learned that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu were heading to Beijing for the Dragon Qin Cup and praised their commitment to professional music competitions.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu flew out of Qingzhou with He Zhichen, and Lin Tian reflected on leaving the city where he had grown up.
• Lin Tian hummed private love songs for Gan Yan Yu and promised to sing them for her when they got married.
• Moonlight and Cat released “Yankee Doodle,” whose cheerful mood reassured fans as they wished the pair luck in the competition.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian that Yao Han wanted to treat him to a meal after they arrived in Beijing.

After arriving in Beijing, Lin Tian settled into an apartment with Gan Yan Yu and met Yao Han for dinner. Yao Han revealed that the Dragon Qin Cup would take place at Beijing International Concert Hall and warned that classical music might face discrimination, then asked whether Lin Tian would use the same kind of competition piece as before.

• Lin Tian accepted Yao Han's invitation to dinner, while Gan Yan Yu stayed behind to settle into their new apartment.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu were welcomed by crowds of fans at the airport and escorted to an apartment arranged by Yueyun's Beijing branch.
• Gan Yan Yu cleaned her apartment and offered to provide free housekeeping for Lin Tian, who agreed and left her breakfast the next morning.
• Yao Han took Lin Tian to a secluded private room at an upscale restaurant, where Lin Tian saw Beijing International Concert Hall from the windows.
• Yao Han told Lin Tian that the Dragon Qin Cup would be held at Beijing International Concert Hall and that classical music could face discrimination in the competition.
• Yao Han asked Lin Tian whether he planned to use the same kind of competition piece as before.

Yao Han warned Lin Tian that classical music had been pushed aside by modern competition standards and revealed that Gan Hua and Tuoba Jianhui had once fought that trend through their orchestra. Lin Tian decided he needed to speak with Gan Yan Yu about her future, then learned that a legendary Pop Music composer and longtime cellist was entering the Dragon Qin Cup.

• Yao Han explained how the International Musicians Association’s scoring standards shifted competitions toward modern Pop Music and urged Lin Tian to change his piece.
• Yao Han revealed that Gan Hua had been among the classical musicians who resisted the changes twenty years earlier, and Lin Tian connected their efforts to Tuoba Jianhui’s orchestra and Yao Xing’s disastrous concert.
• Lin Tian realized Tuoba Jianhui’s A+ score for him and Gan Yan Yu had revived the old conductor’s hope, while Tuoba had later secretly helped them, including recommending Lin Tian for the Sakibo International Piano Competition.
• Worried Gan Yan Yu might be used to fulfill the older generation’s failed ambitions, Lin Tian thanked Yao Han and decided to talk with her.
• Yao Han stopped Lin Tian and revealed that a legendary Pop Music composer, who had played cello for years, was entering the Dragon Qin Cup as a professional cellist.

After Yao Han warned Lin Tian about Bai Junze, Lin Tian learned that Gan Yan Yu understood the history behind her grandfather’s hopes and chose classical music for herself. Reassured by her, Lin Tian decided to give the competition everything he had, then discovered Bai Junze might threaten his popularity because he was extremely handsome.

• Yao Han told Lin Tian about producer and cellist Mao Zi, then warned that Bai Junze would be his greatest obstacle to winning the Dragon Qin Cup.
• Lin Tian returned to find Gan Yan Yu had cleaned his room, and he asked her about what Yao Han had revealed concerning her grandfather.
• Gan Yan Yu explained that she loved classical music by choice and saw its works as unfinished letters she wanted to continue.
• Lin Tian embraced Gan Yan Yu, accepted her resolve, and decided to face the competition without holding back.
• Lin Tian called He Zhichen to investigate Bai Junze, and He Zhichen said Bai Junze’s exceptional handsomeness threatened Lin Tian’s share of attention.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu explored Beijing before the Dragon Qin Cup and encountered a ragged cellist performing for his meal. His strange but astonishing playing revealed advanced Sanxian technique, and Lin Tian began to suspect the musician was far more remarkable than he appeared.

• He Zhichen told Lin Tian that a contestant from Hanjiang Province had advanced to the Dragon Qin Cup despite having only a middle-school education, no job history, and little competition experience.
• Gan Yan Yu arrived dressed for a graduation-trip roleplay, and she and Lin Tian went shopping together through Nanluoguxiang.
• Gan Yan Yu bought Lin Tian a blue cloisonné hairpin, and the pair sampled Beijing street foods and sights.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu entered Yao Ji Fried Liver, where a disheveled cellist offered to play in exchange for his meal.
• The cellist played a bizarre version of “Spring Overture” and combined his cello with a Jinghu, pigeon whistles, and bird calls.
• Gan Yan Yu recognized the cellist’s rapid playing as the Sanxian technique “Sa Zhima,” while Lin Tian noticed that the man looked handsome beneath the grime.

Lin Tian met the eccentric cellist Bai Junze in a Beijing restaurant and paid his meal bill after recognizing his remarkable musical skill. A video of Bai Junze’s performance went viral, revealing his identity and drawing attention to Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu as they prepared for the Dragon Qin Cup.

• Bai Junze played a radical arrangement of "What a Beautiful Violet" with cello and Jinghu, and Lin Tian recognized the performance as unusually accomplished.
• Lin Tian paid Bai Junze’s sixty-eight-yuan bill, and Bai Junze introduced himself before leaving the alley.
• Lin Tian realized Bai Junze was likely a Dragon Qin Cup contestant and decided to return to practice with Gan Yan Yu.
• Lin Tian found a viral Douyin video of Bai Junze’s performance, and commenters identified him as Hanjiang’s top cellist and a competition contestant.
• Netizens spotted Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu in the video’s background and learned they had paid Bai Junze’s bill, prompting widespread attention and speculation about the competition.

Lin Tian struggled to choose a piece for the Dragon Qin Cup preliminaries until Gan Yan Yu described her dream of performing in the competition’s finals at Beijing International Concert Hall. Her words inspired him to choose “The Blue Danube.”

• Lin Tian worried about choosing a classical piece that would suit Gan Yan Yu and appeal to young listeners at the Dragon Qin Cup.
• Gan Yan Yu visited Lin Tian with cherry tomatoes and offered to help him think through his composing block.
• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu how she felt about competing, and she said her greatest happiness was reaching Beijing International Concert Hall.
• Gan Yan Yu explained that she dreamed of performing in the Dragon Qin Cup finals, even if she eventually lost.
• Lin Tian found inspiration in Gan Yan Yu’s dream and wrote “The Blue Danube” in his notebook.

Lin Tian composed “The Blue Danube” for Gan Yan Yu to perform in the Dragon Qin Cup finals, hoping the piece would help her dream of playing in Vienna’s Golden Hall. Gan Yan Yu tried the music and felt transported to the hall, and Lin Tian encouraged her to embrace that ambition.

• Lin Tian warned Gan Yan Yu not to settle for reaching the finals and urged her to aim for the Vienna Golden Hall.
• Gan Yan Yu watched Lin Tian compose a score and hummed along as he wrote.
• Gan Yan Yu fetched her cello and played the unfinished piece, imagining herself performing in the Golden Hall.
• Lin Tian named the finished piece “The Blue Danube” and explained its connection to Vienna and to Gan Yan Yu’s dream.
• Gan Yan Yu worried that she and Lin Tian had never visited the Danube, but Lin Tian said that did not matter and joked they would become Vienna’s tourism ambassadors.

Nana Li learned that her mother, Kellyan Nana Li, would attend the semifinals and struggled with the memories of her family's pressure and her own wager. She decided to keep competing, while Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu arrived at the concert hall as the 2025 Dragon Qin Cup began.

• Kellyan Nana Li told Nana Li to return to the United Kingdom after the competition unless she won, and said she would attend the semifinals if Nana Li reached them.
• After the call ended, Nana Li recalled her mother's pressure and looked at a photograph of herself with Bai Xi, Yun Qiuqiu, Lin Tian, and Gan Yan Yu.
• Nana Li apologized to Gan Yan Yu in her thoughts, turned the photograph face down, and left with her cello case.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu waited backstage at the Beijing International Concert Hall as the competition opening began.
• The host welcomed the audience to the 2025 Dragon Qin Cup National Cello Competition.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu attended the Dragon Qin Cup preliminaries, where Lin Tian steadied the nervous eighteen-year-old and explained the competition’s format and goals. The livestream commentators introduced the field, and the first contestant, Christina Nana Li, was called to the stage.

• Lin Tian admired the Dragon Qin Cup’s elaborate entrance ceremony while Gan Yan Yu nervously scribbled in a corner.
• Lin Tian reassured Gan Yan Yu that the preliminaries were manageable and urged her to play steadily and confidently.
• Lin Tian reviewed the 101-contestant format and planned to use the preliminaries to study opponents and judges’ repertoire preferences.
• Lin Tian discovered the competition had commentators on its official livestream and opened the broadcast on his phone.
• Bamboo Leaf and Maple Leaf discussed the field, including Teacher Zang Jingyu and Teacher Mao Zi, before the host introduced Christina Nana Li as the first contestant.

The Dragon Qin Cup preliminary round began under a massive livestream audience, and Nana Li surprised viewers by appearing in a refined, aristocratic outfit. After commentators revealed her prestigious family background and modest provincial ranking, they decided to focus on music history rather than risk criticizing her performance.

• The Dragon Qin Cup livestream drew over 100,000 viewers as the first contestants were announced.
• Nana Li walked onstage in a formal Victorian-style outfit, impressing Lin Tian and the livestream audience with her appearance.
• Bamboo Leaf introduced Nana Li as a British cellist and a direct descendant of the renowned Greta Critten Nana Li.
• Bamboo Leaf and Maple Leaf explained that Nana Li had placed third among Qingjiang Province's three contestants, prompting viewers to suspect her family connections helped secure her selection.
• As Nana Li raised her bow, Bamboo Leaf and Maple Leaf agreed to discuss her family's musical history instead of evaluating her performance.

Nana Li performed Saint-Saëns’s “The Swan” at the Dragon Qin Cup, revealing both her technical skill and the pain beneath her obedient performance. Afterward, the commentators learned that Qingjiang’s top two contestants were Bai Xi and Gan Yan Yu.

• Nana Li began her Dragon Qin Cup performance with “The Swan,” impressing Maple Leaf with her cello technique and musical control.
• Gan Yan Yu sensed that Nana Li’s performance was strange and recognized that Nana Li was in pain as she followed her mother’s instructions to try to defeat Gan Yan Yu.
• At measure forty-seven, Nana Li abruptly inserted rebellious musical passages into the piece, startling the judges, commentators, and audience.
• Nana Li finished without the expected outburst, bowed, and picked up her fallen hairpin as the audience applauded.
• Maple Leaf and Bamboo Leaf reconsidered Nana Li’s ranking, and Maple Leaf found that Bai Xi and Gan Yan Yu were Qingjiang Province’s top two contestants.

Nana Li’s restrained performance worried Gan Yan Yu and puzzled Lin Tian, while a disheveled cellist encouraged Nana Li before revealing himself as contestant Bai Junze. Bai Junze’s shabby appearance stunned the audience and commentators as he took the stage.

• The commentators praised Nana Li’s opening performance and noted that she had competed against Qingjiang Province’s leading musicians, Bai Xi and Gan Yan Yu.
• Lin Tian judged that Nana Li’s controlled playing suppressed her technique, and Gan Yan Yu compared it to her own machine-like performances during her dark period in the United Kingdom.
• Gan Yan Yu worried that Nana Li’s strict family might be connected to her troubled state, while Lin Tian wondered whether she had chosen this performance style deliberately.
• Backstage, a scruffy man praised Nana Li, teased her about the shackles she seemed to bear, and walked toward the stage with a cello on his back.
• The host introduced the man as Bai Junze, Hanjiang Province’s top seed, and his disheveled appearance shocked the audience and commentators.
• The commentators tried to excuse Bai Junze’s appearance as personal taste or poverty, and Nana Li laughed at their awkward defense.

Bai Junze stunned the Dragon Qin Cup with a bizarre, technically brilliant performance of “Blue Rhapsody,” leaving the judges and audience divided between shock and admiration. Nana Li envied his freedom, while He Zhichen revealed that Bai Junze was the estranged son of Hanjiang’s richest man who chose to live as a wandering musician.

• Bai Junze took the stage in shabby clothes with a battered cello modified with bicycle spokes and LED wires, prompting the judges and commentators to doubt him.
• Bai Junze transformed “Blue Rhapsody” into an eerie performance using unusual techniques that Gan Yan Yu and the commentators recognized as skillful.
• Bai Junze tore at his cello strings and struck its body with his forehead, making the LEDs light up as the sounds blended into the music and won over the audience.
• Nana Li watched Bai Junze and envied his ability to express himself freely, then Yao Han entered the lounge and greeted her.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian that Bai Junze was Bai Jie’s son, had cut ties with his wealthy family ten years earlier, and had spent years wandering after earning money through performances.