Chapter Summaries

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu faced Tuoba Jianhui and Gan Hua in a high-pressure ensemble, where Gan Hua’s performance revealed the resolve behind his years of devotion to the cello. Lin Tian understood that the older musicians had entrusted their unfinished hopes to the next generation, and he answered by committing himself to the performance.

• Gan Hua joined Tuoba Jianhui to challenge Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, and Gan Yan Yu overcame her hesitation with Lin Tian’s encouragement.
• Tuoba Jianhui presented a demanding rearrangement of Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s “Symphony No. 40,” which he and Gan Hua had created, and proposed that all four perform it together.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu accepted the ensemble challenge, and the four musicians began playing before the conservatory students.
• Lin Tian recognized the weight and mastery in the older musicians’ performance, while Gan Yan Yu was astonished by her grandfather’s recovered skill.
• As he played, Gan Hua recalled his lonely struggle at the Golden Hall and resolved that his purpose was to pass his hopes on to future musicians.
• Lin Tian understood the older musicians’ “heart of respect,” struck the piano keys, and declared inwardly that the next generation would carry on their mission.

Lin Tian used his piano to guide Gan Yan Yu into taking the lead in a four-person performance, allowing her to surpass Gan Hua and Tuoba Jianhui. After the music ended, Gan Hua urged his granddaughter to bring home the championship.

• Lin Tian accelerated the piano tempo and drew Tuoba Jianhui into an aggressive musical clash.
• Lin Tian revealed through his playing that he had been building the performance around Gan Yan Yu, while she remembered Gan Hua's explanation of his abandoned competition dream.
• Gan Yan Yu raised her bow and played with such force that her cello took control of the ensemble and overwhelmed Gan Hua and Tuoba Jianhui.
• Tuoba Jianhui realized Lin Tian had been guiding Gan Yan Yu rather than challenging him, and the two elders shifted into accompaniment for the younger musicians.
• After the four-person performance ended, Gan Hua told Gan Yan Yu to bring back the championship and said nothing could stop her.

After Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu defeated Tuoba Jianhui and Gan Hua, students at China Music University saw the young pair as the next leaders of Classical Music. After a brief period of rest together, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu flew to Vienna to compete in the Ke'er Cup, where they learned the champion was expected to perform a piece tied to their country.

• Two students announced that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu had won the ensemble performance, and the news shocked the university.
• Students questioned whether they could still trust Tuoba Jianhui, and a young teacher declared that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu would carry on the mission of Classical Music.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu spent the last half month before the Ke'er Cup enjoying time together, while Tuoba Jianhui and Gan Hua relaxed after their defeat.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu flew to Vienna with He Zhichen, who explained that the Ke'er Cup had about four hundred contestants invited through different channels.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu that the champion was expected to perform a piece connected to their country, and Gan Yan Yu asked whether it had to be patriotic.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu arrived in Vienna to compete in the Ke'er Cup, where they would enter directly in the second stage because of Gan Hua’s past achievement. After visiting the city and reuniting with Wan Qi, they learned the competition would be more dangerous than the one Old Gan had faced.

• He Zhichen explained that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu would skip the qualifying round because Gan Hua had reached the quarterfinals sixteen years earlier.
• Lin Tian learned that few people in Vienna knew him or Gan Yan Yu, and he welcomed the chance to make a name for themselves at the Ke'er Cup.
• Lin Tian photographed Gan Yan Yu exploring Vienna, and she asked a tourist to take a picture of them together before saying they had really made it to Vienna.
• Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, and He Zhichen visited Wan Qi, who welcomed them and reminisced with Lin Tian about the piano he had once given him.
• He Zhichen asked Wan Qi about the international cellists, and Wan Qi warned that this year's competition would be more dangerous than the one Old Gan had faced.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu learned about the crowded Ke'er Cup field and the dangerous contestants they would face in Vienna. As they prepared to watch the first stage, Wan Qi warned them that Isaac Mek, a champion of the other three major cello competitions, was competing with his formidable pianist Nishikawa Yuuhaku.

• Wan Qi explained that more than five hundred cellists had entered the Ke'er Cup, with sixty-four reaching the second stage and fourteen advancing to the finals.
• Lin Tian suggested that he and Gan Yan Yu watch the first-stage qualifiers, and Gan Yan Yu eagerly agreed because she wanted to see the Golden Hall.
• Wan Qi began listing notable contestants, and Lin Tian and He Zhichen told him about the unusual performances at the Dragon Qin Cup, including Bai Junze's LED-lit cello.
• Wan Qi identified Isaac Mek as the competitor to fear because he had won three of the four highest-honor cello competitions and wanted to complete the set.
• Wan Qi revealed that Isaac's regular accompanist was Japanese pianist Nishikawa Yuuhaku, whose exceptional skill and partnership had helped Isaac dominate the other competitions.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu learned that Nishikawa Yuuhaku, Lin Tian’s old rival, would accompany Isaac at the Ke'er Cup and considered facing him in a piano contest. They reaffirmed their plan to marry if they won the championship, then thanked Wan Qi for his help as he left their progress in Vienna to them.

• Wan Qi explained Nishikawa Yuuhaku’s achievements and his close musical partnership with Isaac, while Lin Tian recalled their past encounters in Japan.
• Wan Qi realized Lin Tian and Nishikawa had both attended the Sakibo International Piano Competition, and He Zhichen clarified that it had been an exhibition rather than a direct contest.
• Gan Yan Yu encouraged Lin Tian to challenge Nishikawa on the piano, and Lin Tian considered it a chance to pursue a major achievement as a pianist.
• Gan Yan Yu said she wanted Lin Tian to share in the joy of victory, and Lin Tian replied that winning would let them fulfill their promise to marry.
• Wan Qi learned of their marriage agreement and congratulated them, while He Zhichen lamented losing a bet about it.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu thanked Wan Qi for his advice, and he told them the rest of their journey in Vienna was up to them.

On the day the Ke'er Cup’s first stage began, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu visited Vienna’s Golden Hall, where Gan Yan Yu eagerly explored and took pictures. Lin Tian ran into Nishikawa Yuuhaku inside the hall.

• Gan Yan Yu woke Lin Tian and asked what he thought of her curled hair and elegant black gown.
• Gan Yan Yu persuaded Lin Tian to dress formally so they could take many pictures together at the Golden Hall.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu arrived at the Golden Hall and attracted curious looks from reporters and musicians.
• Gan Yan Yu hurried toward the entrance, captivated by the Golden Hall, while Lin Tian admired its architecture and atmosphere.
• As Lin Tian walked into the main hall, Nishikawa Yuuhaku recognized him and came over.

Lin Tian met Nishikawa Yuuhaku and several cellists at the Golden Hall before the Ke'er Cup qualifying round, then discussed their musical ambitions and agreed to face each other as composers. Gan Yan Yu arrived to tell them the round had begun, and the three entered the viewing room, where contestants noticed Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.

• Nishikawa Yuuhaku introduced Lin Tian to cellists Brian and Perkins, and Brian insulted Lin Tian after learning he had not won China's Dragon Qin Cup.
• Nishikawa Yuuhaku explained that he had come to see Lin Tian and asked why Lin Tian did not pursue greater recognition as a pianist.
• Lin Tian said he played to help his partner reach the Ke'er Cup summit, while Nishikawa Yuuhaku declared he would avenge his loss in Tokyo with a composition of his own.
• Lin Tian introduced Gan Yan Yu as his partner and fiancée, and Nishikawa Yuuhaku praised her beauty.
• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian and Nishikawa Yuuhaku that the qualifying round had begun, and they entered the viewing room together as contestants noticed Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.

Lin Tian brought Gan Yan Yu to watch the Ke'er Cup qualifiers and guided her to evaluate contestants from the perspective of a strong competitor. When Alick Zorn challenged their right to attend after they withdrew from China’s national finals, Gan Yan Yu defended herself by criticizing his playing and revealed she had studied recordings of all thirty-eight directly admitted contestants.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu watched several Ke'er Cup contestants perform, and he encouraged her to assess them critically.
• Gan Yan Yu identified weaknesses in a Latina contestant’s vibrato and emotional expression, impressing Lin Tian with her growing analytical skill.
• Alick Zorn confronted Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian, accusing them of using connections to enter the Ke'er Cup after withdrawing from the national competition finals.
• Lin Tian admitted that they had withdrawn, prompting nearby contestants to question how they had qualified and Brian to angrily scrub his hand after shaking Lin Tian’s.
• Gan Yan Yu told Zorn that she had the right to compete and criticized his performance of Taylor: Etude No. 13, saying his playing lacked steadiness and failed to release the piece’s emotions.
• Zorn left after Gan Yan Yu challenged him to watch their performances, and Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she had watched recordings of all thirty-eight directly admitted contestants.

After Gan Yan Yu revealed that studying the other contestants had made her feel confident, Lin Tian chose Mozart’s “Turkish March” for their Ke'er Cup performance. The second-stage competition day arrived, and Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu left for the venue believing they were ready to make their mark in Vienna.

• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she had watched recordings of the other contestants and felt they were not good enough, prompting him to embrace her and rejoice in her growing confidence.
• Lin Tian decided they no longer needed to watch the first-stage performances and returned with Gan Yan Yu to their hotel.
• Lin Tian played a lively march on the piano and explained that it required absolute confidence, then wrote down Mozart’s “Turkish March” as their competition piece.
• On the second-stage competition day, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu dressed for the event, exchanged a smile, and set off hand in hand.

As the Ke'er Cup second stage began at the Golden Hall, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu prepared to compete in Group B while online arguments revealed that Asian viewers had come to support “Moonlight and Cat.” The chapter left Isaac and Nishikawa Yuuhaku taking the stage as spectators wondered which musicians had drawn such a large audience.

• The first-stage results showed that 26 of 476 contestants had advanced, bringing the second-stage field to 64 with the invited contestants.
• Online arguments over Asian support for the competition ended with netizens realizing that viewers had gathered to support “Moonlight and Cat.”
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu waited backstage, and Lin Tian reassured her while teasing her about their future marriage.
• Lin Tian noticed Brian glaring at them and told Gan Yan Yu a fabricated story about Brian touching his used toilet paper.
• Brian was called to prepare for his performance as Isaac and Nishikawa Yuuhaku appeared on the big screen.
• A German cellist and his friend wondered why so many eliminated musicians had come to watch the competition.

Isaac Mek and Hypnos Brian delivered powerful performances that raised the competition’s scores and put the following contestants under pressure. Gan Yan Yu was announced as the next performer, and Perez noticed that her accompanist’s name might be the Lin Tian who had once defeated Nishikawa Yuuhaku.

• Isaac Mek and Nishikawa Yuuhaku performed “Tokyo Rhapsody No. 6,” earning Isaac 98.42 points and first place in Group A.
• Conrad told Perez that Lin Tian had once overwhelmingly defeated Nishikawa Yuuhaku’s rhapsody at Sakubang.
• Hypnos Brian performed “Texas Dance No. 5” with confidence and scored 97.31 points, taking first place in Group B.
• Backstage, Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian praised Brian’s performance, while Lin Tian admitted he disliked Brian’s arrogant manner.
• Gan Yan Yu was announced as the next contestant, and Perez asked Connor whether her accompanist was the Lin Tian he had mentioned.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu began their Ke'er Cup performance with a joyful rendition of “Turkish March,” winning over the audience and revealing Lin Tian’s identity as the composer who had defeated Nishikawa Yuuhaku. Their confident performance left Zorn wondering whether Gan Yan Yu’s earlier challenge had been aimed at everyone in the viewing room.

• Connor recognized Lin Tian’s name on the program but waited to judge him and Gan Yan Yu until he heard them play.
• Dozens of first-stage classical-music performers stood to bless Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu before they began, then pointed toward the Golden Hall’s statue as a sign to reach the top.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed “Turkish March,” whose playful melody delighted the audience and drew a child and the child’s parent into clapping along.
• Connor realized the piece confirmed Lin Tian was the composer who had defeated Nishikawa Yuuhaku, while Perez noted the pair’s focus and trust in each other.
• Zorn watched in shock and wondered whether Gan Yan Yu’s earlier words, “You’re no match for me,” had been directed at everyone in the viewing room.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed their version of “Turkish March” in Vienna’s Golden Hall, captivating the audience and shocking livestream viewers around the world. After the judges deliberated, Gan Yan Yu received 98.15 points and took first place in Group B.

• Lin Tian saw Gan Yan Yu’s performance in the Golden Hall as a test of whether she had reached the world’s highest level, and she impressed him as they performed “Turkish March.”
• Nishikawa Yuuhaku enjoyed the performance, while Isaac criticized its instinctive style and insisted music should serve its listeners.
• Livestream viewers praised Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, and overseas netizens discovered more of Lin Tian’s works, including “Symphony No. 5,” “Can-Can,” and “The Blue Danube.”
• The performance ended in silence before the audience broke into applause, and Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu shared a smile.
• As the judges deliberated, Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian laughed over how the scene reminded them of their “Moonlight” performance at the Dragon Qin Cup.
• The host announced Gan Yan Yu’s score of 98.15, placing her first in Group B.

Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian earned a score of 98, shaking the cello competition and leaving the other contestants troubled by their talent. After Brian apologized and vowed to face them in the finals, Nana Li ran into them and begged Gan Yan Yu to watch her perform.

• The contestants reacted to Gan Yan Yu's 98 and Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu's ages, while Zorn reconsidered his accusations against Gan Yan Yu.
• Gan Yan Yu hurried with Lin Tian to tell their teachers about the result, but the other cellists greeted them with complicated hostility when they returned to the lounge.
• Brian bowed to Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu, apologized for his earlier behavior, and promised to give his all against them in the finals.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu left for their hotel and encountered Nana Li, who scolded them for not seeking her out in Vienna.
• Nana Li asked Gan Yan Yu to stay and watch her performance.

Lin Tian asked Nana Li what she was still playing the cello for, and she promised her music would answer. As Nana Li performed “Silhouette” at the Ke'er Cup, its sudden change in melody made Gan Yan Yu realize it was her music.

• Lin Tian asked Nana Li why she kept pushing herself as a cellist, and Nana Li said her music would provide the answer.
• He Zhichen called Lin Tian to congratulate him on scoring 98.15 and mentioned a foreign article praising him and Gan Yan Yu.
• Nana Li took the stage, where musicians and fans recognized her as the Lolita Killer and cheered her on.
• Nana Li began performing “Silhouette,” impressing the audience with her forceful, controlled playing and the piece’s classical elements.
• The music shifted into a gentle melody, and Gan Yan Yu recognized it as her own music.

At the Ke’er Cup, Nana Li performed a piece inspired by her first meeting with Gan Yan Yu, revealing that she had spent years chasing Gan Yan Yu rather than music itself. Gan Yan Yu watched with a relieved smile, while Lin Tian realized the performance expressed Gan Yan Yu’s gentleness more than Nana Li’s own nature.

• At the 2022 Manchester competition, Nana Li watched Gan Yan Yu perform with chilling, mechanical precision, then broke down, convinced she could never defeat her.
• Gan Yan Yu comforted Nana Li and admitted she was afraid of performing; Nana recognized that the icy stage persona concealed a gentler self and challenged her to take Nana seriously as a rival.
• Gan Yan Yu accepted Nana’s challenge, and Nana spent years following her through competitions, repeatedly losing while cherishing Gan Yan Yu’s warmth toward her.
• At the Ke’er Cup, Nana performed an adaptation of a piece Gan Yan Yu had once played in Manchester, expressing the gentleness Gan Yan Yu had been unable to show onstage.
• Nana realized she had always been chasing Gan Yan Yu’s back view, while Lin Tian noticed the music seemed to express Gan Yan Yu’s inner nature; Gan Yan Yu listened with a relieved smile.

Nana Li performed a deeply personal piece for Gan Yan Yu, deliberately accepting a score that eliminated her from the Ke'er Cup. After the performance, Gan Yan Yu comforted the grieving Nana Li, who said goodbye while promising she would never forget her.

• Nana Li’s cello performance shifted from fierce intensity to gentleness, expressing her feelings for Gan Yan Yu, while the judges criticized the abrupt changes.
• Gan Yan Yu recognized that the piece was about her, and Lin Tian realized Nana Li was performing as though it were her final competition.
• Nishikawa Yuuhaku concluded that Nana Li was aiming to lose, while Isaac condemned her choice to sacrifice the competition.
• Nana Li finished her performance and received 93.73 points, placing eleventh in Group A and missing the third stage.
• Nana Li found Gan Yan Yu in the lounge, broke down in tears, and embraced her as Gan Yan Yu comforted her.
• Nana Li said she was returning to university and said goodbye, then admitted she would never forget Gan Yan Yu.

After qualifying for the Ke'er Cup finals, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu left the Golden Hall with He Zhichen and Gao Zhenyang, sharing a tender moment on the drive back. He Zhichen then showed Lin Tian a viral article praising their performance and demanding that Western music reflect on its defeat, though the article continued beyond the chapter.

• The Ke'er Cup's second stage ended with Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu among the fourteen finalists, and He Zhichen and Gao Zhenyang greeted them outside the Golden Hall.
• Gao Zhenyang teased He Zhichen about their bet, prompting He Zhichen to insist that he was the one responsible for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu.
• As they drove away, Lin Tian comforted Gan Yan Yu about returning for the final, and they playfully compared how soft their faces and bodies were.
• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian she wanted to understand him better, and he promised it would happen soon as they looked ahead to the final step of the competition.
• He Zhichen showed Lin Tian a viral Twitter article by a German critic that praised their Turkish March performance and called for Western music to reflect on its defeat.

After Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance sparked a worldwide debate about classical music and the International Musicians Association’s reforms, Lin Tian worried about backlash before the finals. He persuaded Gan Yan Yu to stay with him for safety and proposed that they create their final-stage song together.

• X.Y.’s article blamed the music world’s system and its neglect of classical music for Europe’s decline, and prominent critics and scholars joined the debate.
• Twitter split into conservative and reformist camps, while Ke'er Cup cellists faced humiliation and abuse after Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance exposed how little they knew about Moonlight and Cat.
• Lin Tian explained to He Zhichen that their deliberate effort to revive classical music could make them targets, and He Zhichen recalled Lin Tian defeating an armed attacker in Japan.
• Lin Tian suggested that he and Gan Yan Yu stay together and avoid going out until the finals, and Gao Zhenyang agreed.
• Gan Yan Yu accepted Lin Tian’s plan, and Lin Tian said they would create the song they would perform in the final.