Chapter Summaries

Lin Tian entered the sight-reading exam as other candidates panicked over an unusually difficult classical-music question. He recognized the score as a work by Elvin and played it smoothly, astonishing the recording teacher.

• Candidates who finished the exam complained that the sight-reading pieces were impossibly difficult, spreading panic among those still waiting.
• Lin Tian entered the examination room while other candidates watched and speculated about how he would fare.
• Lin Tian received an eight-bar score, recognized its classical style as a work by Elvin, and smiled.
• Lin Tian played the piece with ease, surprising the recording teacher with his fluent performance.

Lin Tian impressed the A7 proctor and became the talk of the art exam candidates after playing sight-reading effortlessly, then finished the written exams. On his way to the final instrument performance, Wu Yi tried to show off his own full marks, while Lin Tian left without recognizing the challenge.

• Lin Tian played the sight-reading piece smoothly enough to delight the proctor and astonish the candidates gathered outside.
• Lin Tian left the exam room amid a crowd, considered checking on Gan Yan Yu, then trusted their plan to meet after the exams and continued onward.
• Lin Tian easily completed the music theory and dictation exams, becoming a subject of gossip among candidates and training institutions.
• Wu Yi introduced himself to Lin Tian and said they would share the instrument performance exam room, adding that he had also earned full marks on sight-reading.
• Lin Tian wished Wu Yi luck and walked away, leaving Wu Yi panicked about having tried to act cool in front of Teacher Gan.

Wu Yi reflected on the pressure of living up to his reputation as a musical prodigy and vowed not to lose his instrumental performance exam, despite recognizing Lin Tian as a formidable rival. As the final exam began, Wu Yi sat at the piano under the watch of many candidates, while Lin Tian waited for his turn.

• Wu Yi recalled how his mother's expectations and years of praise had forced him to maintain the image of a confident genius.
• Wu Yi told his teacher that Lin Tian would be a good opponent but insisted he would beat him, and his teacher promised a celebration banquet.
• Lin Tian drew the thirteenth performance slot and noted that Gan Yan Yu's cello exam room was far from his own.
• The instrumental performance exam began, and candidates gathered to watch Chunqiu's Wu Yi enter the piano room.
• Wu Yi felt the candidates' attention as he sat at the piano and convinced himself that his experience gave him the advantage.

Lin Tian delivered a stunning piano performance in the arts examination, leaving the candidates and Wu Yi convinced that he was on an entirely different level. Wu Yi then learned that Lin Tian was a professional pianist who had performed at Qingtian Concert Hall.

• Wu Yi finished an excellent piano performance and left the examination room, believing Lin Tian had ignored his playing.
• Lin Tian entered the classroom and performed Moonlight and Cat’s challenging pieces, “Can-Can” and “Symphony No. 8 in G Minor, 'Pathétique.'”
• The candidates were stunned by Lin Tian’s speed and flawless playing, which sounded more like a concert than an examination.
• Wu Yi listened to Lin Tian’s performance and felt relieved to lose to someone so far beyond his level.
• Wu Yi’s teacher called and told him that Lin Tian was a professional pianist who had performed at Qingtian Concert Hall the previous month.

After Lin Tian’s piano performance revealed that he was a professional musician, Wu Yi accepted that he could not compete with him and sincerely congratulated him. Lin Tian then reunited with Gan Yan Yu after her cello exam, and the two left together.

• Wu Yi realized Lin Tian was a professional pianist and decided to stop pretending to be his rival.
• Wu Yi congratulated Lin Tian, who said he might not be the top scorer, as the examinees reacted to news of another professional musician at the exam.
• Lin Tian headed to Gan Yan Yu’s examination area and found her surrounded by cello students eager for a photo.
• Gan Yan Yu spotted Lin Tian in the crowd, joined him, and complained about her stiff smile in the selfie.
• Gan Yan Yu deleted the photo and walked away beside Lin Tian.

After finishing the provincial unified exam, Lin Tian learned that his next challenge would be accompanying Gan Yan Yu in the Parrot Qin Cup. Gan Yan Yu discovered that her idol, Tuoba Jianhui, would judge the competition and saw that he had singled her out in an interview.

• Lin Tian reflected that the unified exam was only a threshold before the more demanding school exams, including China Music University's.
• Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian that the Parrot Qin Cup preliminary round was next week and asked him to accompany her.
• Gan Yan Yu learned that Tuoba Jianhui would judge the Qingjiang Province cello competition, and Lin Tian found out she admired him and hoped to study at his university.
• Lin Tian showed Gan Yan Yu an interview in which Tuoba Jianhui named her as a contestant who had caught his attention.

Tuoba Jianhui harshly criticized Gan Yan Yu’s performances, leaving her shaken while Lin Tian suspected personal resentment. Gan Yan Yu resolved to prove herself at the competition, and Lin Tian received a new Producer mission.

• Tuoba Jianhui called Gan Yan Yu’s performances unacceptable in an interview and urged her to reflect before the finals.
• Gan Yan Yu wondered whether her performance had been that bad, and Lin Tian angrily defended her.
• Lin Tian suspected Tuoba Jianhui’s criticism stemmed from an old grudge involving Gan Yan Yu’s grandfather, but Gan Yan Yu said the two musicians had likely been on good terms.
• Gan Yan Yu decided to work hard and change Tuoba Jianhui’s opinion of her at the competition, and she and Lin Tian planned to begin training the next day.
• Lin Tian received a Producer mission to create music, film a performance with a partner, earn two million likes, and achieve 98% audience satisfaction on a stage.

Lin Tian chose “Por Una Cabeza” for Gan Yan Yu to perform at the Parrot Qin Cup, hoping its accessible, emotionally rich tango would satisfy the audience. After they recorded a cello-and-piano duet, Gan Yan Yu said the piece was good but did not suit her.

• Lin Tian received the Forced Calm skill and considered how it could help him stay composed while performing with Gan Yan Yu.
• Lin Tian realized the task required a 98% live-audience satisfaction rate and searched for a challenging but approachable piece.
• Lin Tian chose “Por Una Cabeza,” inspired by how Gan Yan Yu had narrowly missed winning the Star Cup.
• At a café the next day, Lin Tian introduced the piece to Gan Yan Yu, who was excited by its melody.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu recorded a passionate piano-and-cello duet, with the music seeming to turn the café into a ballroom.
• After the performance, Gan Yan Yu told Lin Tian that the piece was good but did not suit her very well.

Lin Tian encouraged Gan Yan Yu to keep working on a tango piece despite her doubts and the criticism from Tuoba. To find inspiration, they went to perform outdoors at Bishui Riverbank, where Gan Yan Yu embraced the prospect of being seen as romantic street musicians together.

• Gan Yan Yu said the tango piece felt romantic but distant, and Lin Tian urged her to adjust her performance rather than give up.
• Gan Yan Yu admitted that Tuoba's criticism had made her question her performance, and Lin Tian condemned his remarks and encouraged her not to be intimidated.
• Gan Yan Yu suggested they change locations to seek inspiration, and Lin Tian agreed to go with her to Bishui Riverbank.
• Lin Tian checked the outdoor piano near a bookstore while Gan Yan Yu disguised herself with a cap, sunglasses, and mask.
• Gan Yan Yu took out her cello and said she wanted to experience the tango's adventurous rhythm as a romantic street musician with Lin Tian.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed a piano-and-cello duet on a quiet pedestrian street, drawing a crowd. Their performance caught the attention of violinist and livestreamer Zhang Dong, who hurried over to join them.

• Gan Yan Yu sat close beside Lin Tian and asked him to play the first piece he had written for her.
• Lin Tian played the piano while Gan Yan Yu accompanied him on cello, and passersby gathered to watch.
• Zhang Dong livestreamed himself walking along the pedestrian street and promised to play "Spanish Bullfight Music" when his stream reached twenty thousand likes.
• Zhang Dong heard the duet and saw that the pair were performing "Spanish Bullfight Music" outside the bookstore.
• At his viewers' urging, Zhang Dong took out his violin and approached the performers, wondering how they could play so well.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s street performance was joined by livestreamer Zhang Dong, who tried to keep up as they drove the music to an overwhelming speed. After the performance ended, Zhang Dong fled, and Gan Yan Yu admitted she had sped up because she did not want anyone interrupting Lin Tian.

• Zhang Dong joined Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu’s performance on violin while livestreaming.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu increased the tempo, and Zhang Dong struggled to keep up as the music grew faster.
• The performance ended to applause, and Zhang Dong gasped for breath while his viewers praised the musicians.
• Lin Tian greeted Zhang Dong and invited him to play another piece, but Zhang Dong declined and hurried away.
• Lin Tian questioned Gan Yan Yu about the speeding tempo, and she admitted she had thought Zhang Dong was rude and wanted to keep him from interrupting Lin Tian.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu performed “Por Una Cabeza” together, drawing an enthusiastic crowd and finding a vivid musical connection. After the performance, Lin Tian was left shaken by how completely he had felt synchronized with Gan Yan Yu.

• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu set aside their teasing and began performing “Por Una Cabeza” outside the bookstore.
• The unfamiliar tango melody captivated the crowd, and Lin Tian’s piano joined Gan Yan Yu’s cello to drive the music to a lively climax.
• Gan Yan Yu found the joyful emotion she wanted in the music, while Lin Tian felt as though he were dancing with her in a dreamlike ballroom.
• The performance ended to loud applause, and Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu bowed before packing up their instruments.
• As they left, Lin Tian reflected that he had truly synchronized with Gan Yan Yu’s performance, and the immersive sensation unsettled him.

After Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu recorded an outdoor performance of “The Dance of a Lifetime,” Lin Tian uploaded the video. Sunny Uncle Dong’s street-performance video featuring the same duet went viral, but viewers began debating whether he was better than the two strangers.

• Gan Yan Yu recognized that she and Lin Tian could take their performance to the Parrot Qin Cup, and Lin Tian credited her with shaping the piece’s emotional performance.
• Gan Yan Yu promised to work hard on whatever music Lin Tian wrote, and Lin Tian edited and uploaded their outdoor performance as “Por Una Cabeza (The Dance of a Lifetime).”
• Sunny Uncle Dong released a video of himself joining two street performers playing “Spanish Bullfight Music,” and the duet impressed viewers as it built toward several climaxes.
• Zhang Dong cut the duet before its final section because his violin playing had nearly fallen apart, then watched the video surpass six hundred thousand views in two hours.
• Viewers began arguing in the comments about whether Zhang Dong or the two strangers were better, threatening the evenly matched image he had tried to present.

Zhang Dong’s fans defended his violin performance against commenters who criticized him, while Zhang Dong feared the argument would embarrass him in front of the two musicians. He discovered that the musicians were Moonlight and Cat, then Lin Tian found Zhang Dong’s video and saw that viewers were already tagging Moonlight and Cat in its comments.

• A commenter called I Am Cat's Dog criticized Zhang Dong’s violin playing and said he had dragged down the performance with the piano and cello.
• Zhang Dong’s fans overwhelmed the criticism with praise, claiming he was a professional violinist whose performance surpassed the two passersby.
• Zhang Dong noticed a new video from Moonlight and Cat and recognized the masked man and woman from their bookstore performance as Moonlight and Cat.
• Zhang Dong realized he had rejected Moonlight’s invitation to perform again and had posted a video of their earlier performance, then berated himself.
• Lin Tian watched Zhang Dong’s Bilibili video and noticed more than 99 mentions tagging Moonlight and Cat in its comments.

After Moonlight and Cat revealed their tango performance, netizens realized Zhang Dong had unknowingly competed with the original artists, and his fans’ defenses quickly turned into ridicule. Moonlight then surprised everyone by inviting Zhang Dong to play violin in their upcoming music video.

• Moonlight and Cat released their tango video, revealing that they had been the performers in Zhang Dong’s street-performance video.
• Netizens reversed their verdict and mocked Zhang Dong and his fans, while many fans deleted their supportive comments or switched sides.
• Clickbait accounts exaggerated the incident, driving Zhang Dong’s video past two million views and Moonlight and Cat’s video past one million likes.
• Netizens uncovered Zhang Dong’s edited performance and his livestream insults, then urged Moonlight to respond.
• Moonlight reposted Zhang Dong’s video, praised his playing despite his tiring near the end, and invited him to accompany Moonlight and Cat in an upcoming music video.

After Lin Tian announced that Moonlight and Cat would invite Zhang Dong to appear in their MV, their online popularity rose and Zhang Dong was overwhelmed with excitement and remorse. Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu agreed to make an MV for “The Dance of a Lifetime” and include Zhang Dong’s violin, leaving Lin Tian to plan the filming.

• Moonlight and Cat announced they were preparing an MV and invited Zhang Dong to perform in it, prompting widespread praise from netizens.
• Zhang Dong reread the invitation, realized it was real, and slapped himself in remorse before setting up his camera again.
• Lin Tian saw that the post had brought in seventy thousand new followers and credited Gan Yan Yu for their success.
• Lin Tian considered adapting “The Dance of a Lifetime” into an MV after viewers praised its lively outdoor performance and suggested a short film.
• Gan Yan Yu agreed to include Zhang Dong’s violin, despite preferring to perform alone, because she wanted the music and MV to work well with Lin Tian.

Lin Tian sought He Zhichen’s professional advice on producing an MV and accepted Zhang Dong’s apology after the creator posted a video confessing and bowing. He Zhichen explained the difference between a short-video shoot and a commercial MV, then suggested Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu use the opportunity to release their first music album.

• Lin Tian arranged a meeting with He Zhichen to discuss planning the MV shoot.
• Zhang Dong posted an apology video, admitted he had become too focused on traffic, and bowed to apologize to Lin Tian and Cat.
• Lin Tian followed Zhang Dong back on Bilibili and sent him a message asking him to wait for further news.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu met He Zhichen at a milk tea shop, where he explained the costs and stages of producing a commercial-quality MV.
• He Zhichen suggested that Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu consider releasing their first music album.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu agreed to consider releasing an album so more people could hear their music. He Zhichen invited them to visit his company, Yueyun, and on the way there explained how he viewed his work as an agent.

• Lin Tian decided that he and Gan Yan Yu could try releasing an album, and Gan Yan Yu said she would support him.
• He Zhichen invited Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu to visit Yueyun and offered to pick them up the next morning.
• Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu dressed for their first visit to a music agency and rode with He Zhichen in his Mercedes-Benz.
• Lin Tian asked about He Zhichen's artists, and He Zhichen explained that he managed a pianist, a singer, and an actor.
• He Zhichen described an agent's role as supporting artists' work and personal well-being as they pursued their dreams.
• He Zhichen told Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu that they were nearly at Yueyun.

Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu visited Le Yun Brokerage Co., Ltd. with He Zhichen, who discussed the company’s approach to developing musicians and introduced them to Deputy General Manager Pu Yidan. Pu Yidan was astonished to meet the young creators known as Moonlight and Cat.

• Lin Tian recognized SYC and told He Zhichen that its Music Director, Zhong Wei'an, had once lent him filming equipment.
• He Zhichen explained that SYC signed many promising newcomers but promoted only a few, and said Le Yun handled artists more decently because he preferred talking about dreams.
• Lin Tian, Gan Yan Yu, and He Zhichen arrived at Le Yun, where young fans outside mistook Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu for rising stars and took their photos.
• He Zhichen introduced Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu as Moonlight and Cat to Deputy General Manager Pu Yidan, who was surprised by how young they were.

He Zhichen and Pu Yidan showed Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu around Le Yun, explaining its history, artist support, and offer to create a studio for them. Lin Tian stayed undecided about joining, while He Zhichen ended by offering to help him pursue Gan Yan Yu if he signed with the company.

• He Zhichen and Pu Yidan guided Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu through Le Yun’s Artist Department, where Pu Yidan described how the company grew from a record label into a broad agency.
• Gan Yan Yu said she had previously signed with Huan Yin, and He Zhichen explained that it specialized in professional musicians.
• He Zhichen privately offered to establish a studio for Lin Tian and Gan Yan Yu if they joined Le Yun, but Lin Tian chose to keep looking before deciding.
• He Zhichen explained that Le Yun let musicians focus on their performance while agents handled other matters, and Gan Yan Yu watched the practice rooms with intense interest.
• He Zhichen asked Lin Tian whether he had a crush on Gan Yan Yu and offered to help them get together if Lin Tian joined the company.