Chapter Summaries

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu shared dessert while discussing the upcoming concert rehearsal. Lin Tian noticed new calluses on Gan Yan Yu’s fingers and suspected she had been practicing too hard, but let the matter drop when she asked to rest.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu ate dessert at Five Character Candy Room, where he learned that the concert rehearsal would take place Tuesday morning.
• Gan Yan Yu offered Lin Tian a spoonful of her mango pudding, then pulled it back because sharing her spoon would cross their agreement’s line.
• Lin Tian noticed fresh calluses on Gan Yan Yu’s fingertips and questioned her about them.
• Gan Yan Yu said she had been practicing more, asked to go home and sleep, and suggested they practice earlier the next evening.
• Lin Tian agreed to let her rest and warned her not to exhaust herself before the concert.

Two days before the concert, Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu practiced “Symphony No. 40,” and he was impressed by her nearly flawless cello performance. Gan Yan Yu seemed unusually dazed, but she insisted on continuing to practice before the next morning’s rehearsal.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu practiced the piece at home, and Lin Tian found her cello playing almost flawless.
• Lin Tian noticed Gan Yan Yu seemed absentminded and asked whether she was unwell or tired.
• Gan Yan Yu wondered if her emotional expression lacked strength, and Lin Tian urged her to focus on a steady, error-free performance.
• Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian for beer, drank half a can, and then wanted to resume practicing.
• Gan Yan Yu pointed out a wrong note in the second measure and said they needed to practice more before the morning rehearsal.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu finished a successful final rehearsal, but he realized she had been using beer to stay awake and might be practicing through the night. He found her still playing cello at her apartment after midnight and confronted her at the door.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu played all three pieces flawlessly, and Lin Tian urged her to rest before the morning rehearsal.
• Gan Yan Yu left with a can of beer, while Lin Tian went to bed after arranging leave from school.
• At 2:13 a.m., Lin Tian connected Gan Yan Yu’s sluggish behavior and drinking to her likely lack of sleep.
• Lin Tian went to apartment 603, where a neighbor said Gan Yan Yu had been practicing cello late into the night every day.
• Lin Tian pounded on Gan Yan Yu’s door until she opened it, revealing beer cans scattered across her apartment floor.

Lin Tian found Gan Yan Yu exhausted from drinking and practicing, learned that she had forced herself to memorize classical pieces to overcome stage fright, and let her sleep instead of attending rehearsal. After reflecting on his inability to understand her pain, he practiced intensely and invited her to dinner, where he told her she might have to go to the concert alone.

• Lin Tian found Gan Yan Yu's apartment full of beer cans and takeout, then learned she had not slept for two days.
• Gan Yan Yu explained that she had practiced classical pieces thousands of times until they became muscle memory so she could perform despite her stage fright.
• Gan Yan Yu broke down and asked Lin Tian what else she could do, and Lin Tian let her fall asleep on his lap.
• Lin Tian called the organizer to cancel Gan Yan Yu's rehearsal and carried her to bed.
• Lin Tian reflected on how little he understood Gan Yan Yu's suffering, then practiced piano with determination as dawn broke.
• After Gan Yan Yu woke in the evening, Lin Tian invited her to dinner and told her she might have to go to the concert by herself first.

Gan Yan Yu went ahead to the “Resonance of Souls” concert while Lin Tian stayed behind for a school meeting and planned to arrive later. After reporters confronted her with questions about her disappearance and career, she waited backstage, grew uneasy, and could not reach Lin Tian.

• Lin Tian told Gan Yan Yu he would arrive late because his homeroom teacher wanted to speak with him after school, and he urged her to take school seriously when she returned.
• Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian completed their final ensemble rehearsal, discussed the concert arrangements, and shared a can of alcohol before parting.
• Gan Yan Yu arrived at Qingtian Concert Hall, where reporters questioned her about her year away, her withdrawal from the Parrot Qin Cup, and her musical reputation.
• Gao Zhenyang shielded Gan Yan Yu from the reporters and escorted her to a private lounge, explaining that she and Lin Tian were scheduled to perform last.
• Gan Yan Yu opened her cello case, looked out at the arriving audience, felt dizzy as unpleasant memories surfaced, and called Lin Tian, but he did not answer.

Gan Yan Yu waited backstage for Lin Tian as the concert drew a packed crowd eager to hear her perform and music by Moonlight and Cat. Lin Tian arrived just before her set and revealed he had spent the day practicing piano, then told her he would face her struggles alongside her as they prepared to go onstage.

• Gan Yan Yu discovered that the concert was nearly sold out because audiences were drawn by her debut and the prospect of hearing Moonlight and Cat's music.
• Gao Zhenyang warned Gan Yan Yu that Lin Tian had not answered his calls and offered to arrange another accompanist, but she refused to perform without Lin Tian.
• Gan Yan Yu worried that Lin Tian was angry with her, yet resolved to finish the performance if he did not arrive.
• Lin Tian reached the lounge as the eighth performer was going on, and Gan Yan Yu noticed how exhausted he looked.
• On the way to the stage, Lin Tian admitted he had spent the day playing piano instead of attending school and said he would jump into danger with Gan Yan Yu if that was what it took to help her.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed three pieces together, turning their faltering start into a stunning final performance that left the audience and Gao Zhenyang amazed. Afterward, Gan Yan Yu supported Lin Tian as they left the stage, and he wondered if he had fallen for her.

• Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian took the stage to perform “Salut d'Amour,” “Can-Can,” and the “Pathétique” Symphony in G Minor.
• The audience found the first two performances sluggish as Lin Tian struggled with extreme exhaustion and Gan Yan Yu worried about him.
• Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian poured their emotions into the final piece, and Lin Tian's piano playing surged after his Stamina Recovery Capsule activated.
• The performance moved the audience to silence and then thunderous applause, while Gao Zhenyang recognized it as art.
• Gan Yan Yu checked on Lin Tian, linked her arm through his, and walked off with him as he wondered if he liked her.

After Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance impressed the concert audience, a mysterious blonde cellist recognized Gan Yan Yu and wondered about her new partner. Lin Tian woke after more than twenty hours of sleep and learned that Gan Yan Yu had obtained her health certificate and could return to school the next day.

• Audience members praised Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance, with some declaring themselves Gan Yan Yu’s fans and others admiring Lin Tian’s playing.
• A blonde girl in a wide-brimmed hat said the two performers needed each other to reach such a high level and noted their remarkable chemistry.
• The blonde girl revealed her striking mixed-race face, picked up a cello case, and recalled meeting Gan Yan Yu in Manchester two months earlier.
• Lin Tian woke at eleven on Thursday night after sleeping for more than twenty hours and replied to Gan Yan Yu’s message.
• Gan Yan Yu visited Lin Tian and told him she had obtained her health certificate at the hospital and could return to school the next day.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu discussed the recital reviews and the intense performance of "Symphony No. 40." When Lin Tian learned Gan Yan Yu had stayed well because she was worried about him, he wondered whether that could explain why her asthma had not flared up.

• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu about the media reviews, and she said NobleQuest's evaluation would not appear until Sunday.
• Lin Tian reflected on how he and Gan Yan Yu had achieved complete emotional resonance during "Symphony No. 40" and resolved not to repeat the dangerous stunt.
• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu whether her asthma had acted up after the recital, and she said she had only felt chest tightness before her medicine helped.
• Gan Yan Yu said she had been thinking about Lin Tian and had wanted to hit him with her bow because he had made her worry.
• Lin Tian apologized, and Gan Yan Yu warned that she would pull his hair if he took such a risk again.
• Lin Tian concluded that Gan Yan Yu's worry for him might have kept her from having an asthma attack.

Lin Tian realized Gan Yan Yu’s confidence in her music had helped her avoid an episode, giving her hope for a future as a cellist. The next morning, they walked to school together, and Lin Tian gave her a pink watch that revealed her more playful side.

• Lin Tian concluded that Gan Yan Yu’s confidence in her performance had kept her from having an episode and that her condition could be treated.
• Gan Yan Yu asked Lin Tian to go to school with her the next morning, and he agreed.
• The next morning, Gan Yan Yu borrowed the red hair tie Lin Tian wore on his wrist and used it to tie her hair into a high ponytail.
• Lin Tian gave Gan Yan Yu a delicate pink watch as a gift, and she hugged him happily.
• Lin Tian explained that he chose a pink watch because he had seen the pink decor in Gan Yan Yu’s room, embarrassing her.

Lin Tian returned to school after three days away and caught up with Xu Yong, while wondering whether his concert with Gan Yan Yu had attracted attention. During the long break, he saw Gan Yan Yu back in class, drawing a crowd of admiring boys.

• Lin Tian returned to Class A and joked with Xu Yong, who teased him about skipping school and making a romantic video with Gan Yan Yu.
• Lin Tian asked Xu Yong whether rumors about his concert with Gan Yan Yu had reached school, and Xu Yong said he had heard nothing.
• Lin Tian accepted a WeChat friend request from someone called NANAL, but the new contact did not answer his message.
• During the long break, Lin Tian found boys gathered outside Class C to look at Gan Yan Yu, who had returned to school and was reading by the window.
• Gan Yan Yu noticed the watch on her wrist and smiled brightly.

After Gan Yan Yu returned to school, Lin Tian admitted to Su Ran and Xu Yong that he liked her but decided to keep their relationship cautious while she focused on school and her grandfather. Gan Yan Yu proposed visiting her grandfather and buying equipment the next day, while an investigator who had messaged Lin Tian was left unable to contact him after he blocked her.

• Lin Tian watched Gan Yan Yu settle into school, then admitted to Su Ran and Xu Yong that he liked her, though he thought the timing was wrong for pursuing a relationship.
• Su Ran asked Gan Yan Yu whether she liked Lin Tian, received a denial, and told Lin Tian she believed Gan Yan Yu liked him.
• Gan Yan Yu passed Lin Tian at school to avoid rumors, then explained that she worried people would mistake her for his girlfriend; they agreed to act like ordinary friends on campus.
• Gan Yan Yu suggested that she and Lin Tian visit her grandfather on Saturday and buy equipment so they could begin construction on their base.
• An investigator messaged Lin Tian asking whether he was Lin Tian, but after he replied dismissively, she discovered he had blocked her and sent a final question mark.

Lin Tian discovered that concert recordings had sparked a Douyin movement praising Moonlight and Cat, and their account passed 1.5 million followers. A new producer mission required a passionate duet video, so he chose to compose “Espaa Cani,” also known as “Spanish Bullfight Music.”

• Lin Tian checked Douyin and found music bloggers and fans praising Moonlight and Cat’s compositions.
• Lin Tian saw that the “Pathétique Symphony” video had reached 2.58 million likes after concertgoers uploaded recordings from Qingzhou.
• Moonlight and Cat’s account surpassed 1.5 million followers as the concert clips drew more attention to their music.
• Lin Tian received a seven-day mission to release a duet performance that earned 2 million likes and passion from 200,000 viewers.
• Lin Tian chose “Espaa Cani,” or “Spanish Bullfight Music,” for the mission and began entering its score on his computer.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu visited Grandpa Gan, then began renovating his abandoned café as a new workspace. Their preparations were interrupted by Christina Nana Li, who arrived to challenge Gan Yan Yu.

• Lin Tian chose and adapted “Espaa Cani” for cello and piano, then accompanied Gan Yan Yu to visit Grandpa Gan at the nursing hospital.
• Gan Yan Yu told Grandpa Gan about her return to the stage and her partnership with Lin Tian, while Lin Tian stepped outside to grieve.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu bought furniture and props, reopened Grandpa Gan’s café, and began cleaning and arranging it as a studio.
• Christina Nana Li entered the café looking for Gan Yan Yu, recognized Lin Tian, and introduced herself as the daughter of England’s Christine Family.
• Christina Nana Li announced that she had come to challenge Gan Yan Yu.

Lin Tian threw out Nana Li when she arrived at the café, but Gan Yan Yu recognized her and let her in. Nana Li challenged Gan Yan Yu to a cello match, and Lin Tian made her help clean the café before they could perform.

• Lin Tian dragged Nana Li and her table to the entrance, then tossed her outside for her rude behavior.
• Gan Yan Yu came through the back door, recognized Nana Li, and invited her into the café.
• Nana Li told Gan Yan Yu she had come to challenge her, claiming they had been evenly matched in Manchester.
• Gan Yan Yu could not remember Nana Li ever beating her and said they needed to clean the café first.
• Lin Tian handed Nana Li a mop and ordered her to help clean before she could challenge Gan Yan Yu.

Lin Tian proposed a cello face-off between Gan Yan Yu and Nana Li using his new piece, “Spanish Bullfight Music.” As Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu began playing, Nana Li prepared to join them, convinced that she had grown stronger since her earlier defeats.

• After two hours of cleaning, Nana Li protested when Lin Tian suggested decorating the café, and Gan Yan Yu agreed to leave that work until the next day.
• Lin Tian asked Gan Yan Yu to perform his new piece with Nana Li, and she agreed.
• Lin Tian named the piece “Spanish Bullfight Music” and proposed that the two cellists perform together and then separately while he accompanied them.
• Nana Li studied the score, recognized its promise, and grew more curious about Lin Tian’s musical ability.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu began playing the piece, and Nana Li took up her cello and drew her bow, ready to challenge Gan Yan Yu.

Lin Tian accompanied Gan Yan Yu in a cello performance duel against Nana Li, whose fierce playing pushed Gan Yan Yu to fight seriously before losing by a narrow margin. Nana Li vowed to defeat Gan Yan Yu at the Parrot Qin Cup preliminaries next month, leaving Lin Tian impressed by her potential.

• Nana Li's aggressive cello playing surprised Lin Tian and prompted Gan Yan Yu to raise the force and pace of her performance.
• Nana Li and Gan Yan Yu performed a musical duel that reached a fierce climax, with Lin Tian accompanying them on piano.
• Gan Yan Yu won the duel, and Nana Li lamented that she had fallen short despite her effort.
• Gan Yan Yu praised Nana Li's improvement, and Nana Li vowed to defeat her at the Parrot Qin Cup preliminaries at the end of next month.
• Nana Li left the café, and Lin Tian reflected on her talent and the challenge she posed to Gan Yan Yu.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu completed a new recording of “Spanish Bullfight Music,” then Lin Tian read NobleQuest Music Weekly’s coverage praising Gan Yan Yu’s comeback recital and recommending Moonlight and Cat’s music. He searched for Tong Tai on Weibo and discovered that Moonlight and Cat was already trending there.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu re-recorded “Bullfight Music,” and Lin Tian added a synthesized percussion track to finish “Spanish Bullfight Music.”
• Lin Tian scheduled the new piece for release on Sunday night as he prepared to read the music weekly’s report.
• NobleQuest Music Weekly praised Gan Yan Yu’s recital performance, highlighted Tong Tai’s approval, and recommended music by Moonlight and Cat.
• Lin Tian concluded that music circles were watching Gan Yan Yu and searched online for Tong Tai’s Weibo account.
• Lin Tian opened Weibo and saw Moonlight and Cat among the trending searches.

Tong Tai praised Gan Yan Yu and Lin Tian’s performance, drawing more attention to their music and fueling a popular fan community. Lin Tian saw how fans had turned them into a couple in online fiction, then realized Gan Yan Yu was becoming famous when a rideshare driver recognized her.

• Tong Tai praised Gan Yan Yu’s cello and Lin Tian’s piano accompaniment in a Weibo post, boosting interest in their performance.
• Lin Tian found a Moonlight and Cat Super Topic with a large following and discovered fans had written romantic fiction about him and Gan Yan Yu.
• Gan Yan Yu visited Lin Tian and told him that Teacher Gao wanted them to join him for a meal and a discussion.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu took a rideshare, where the driver recognized Gan Yan Yu and asked her for an autograph.
• Lin Tian watched Gan Yan Yu sign the driver’s disc and realized that she had become famous.

After Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu celebrated their successful recital with Gao Zhenyang, he discussed competitions that could help Gan Yan Yu qualify for the Dragon Qin Cup. He then revealed Xingye Music Academy was considering offering them direct admission and asked whether they would attend.

• Gao Zhenyang congratulated Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu on their recital debut, then panicked when he realized he had taken high school students out drinking.
• Gan Yan Yu said she had given Lin Tian the red hair tie on his wrist as a token of their partnership, and Gao Zhenyang misunderstood their relationship.
• Gao Zhenyang praised their recital's reception and recommended that Gan Yan Yu enter the Star Cup as another route toward the Dragon Qin Cup.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu hesitated because the Star Cup would conflict with their arts entrance exam next month.
• Gao Zhenyang told them Xingye Music Academy was considering offering them direct admission and asked whether they would attend.