Grandpa had once said.
People were sometimes better off living in a bit of confusion.
Lin Tian was a very interesting person.
Thanks to this boy, Gan Yan Yu had spent two pleasant nights.
For the first time, she had drunk beer until she was tipsy and spent the night at a boy's home.
She had eaten her favorite dessert. So there really was a shop that could make mango pudding this delicious!
She had experienced a foot massage for the first time. The attendant had been pretty, and the massage had been very comfortable.
With Lin Tian by her side, all these wonderful things had become even more interesting.
At least, as the last two days of her life.
She could end things here.
Gan Yan Yu felt that this ending was not bad either.
It was just that—
Ever since their cat-catching game on the rooftop had ended.
The two of them had tacitly avoided mentioning the word "suicide."
Gan Yan Yu did not know whether Lin Tian knew. It did not matter whether he knew or not; as long as he did not bring it up, they could continue getting along like this until she repaid his kindness and left alone.
But now—
As they stood outside the foot massage parlor, bright moonlight bathed them both. There were barely any pedestrians left on the street, and everything around them was quiet.
Lin Tian's question, "Are you going up to heaven?"
Made Gan Yan Yu freeze where she stood.
It was like forcibly tearing open a candy wrapper, revealing the pitch-black, bitter chocolate inside.
Could she not even leave with a dignified ending?
"Just kidding."
"Huh?"
Before Gan Yan Yu could react.
Lin Tian, whose face changed as quickly as a Sichuan opera performer's, strode ahead.
"Come on, I'll take you to see something fun."
"Something fun?"
Gan Yan Yu was a little dazed. It was already very late.
And she had already achieved her goal. It was time for her to leave.
"You can only see it this late!"
Lin Tian waved at her and smiled. "If you don't come, I'll go by myself."
Watching Lin Tian's back recede farther and farther away.
Gan Yan Yu finally could not resist any longer and hurried after him.
"Brothers, send some flowers, hit that follow button! I'm going to open twenty bottles of beer with my bare hands for you all!!"
The moment she got out of the taxi, a roar made Gan Yan Yu jump.
An uncle stood by the bridge, shouting into his livestream. With a loud smack, he knocked off a beer cap with his palm.
Soon, rhythmic dance music started playing behind them.
When the girl turned around, she saw a fruit stand selling bananas. The owner was singing into his phone's camera.
"Once upon a time, there was a mountain~ On the mountain was a temple~ And in the temple was me, the banana seller, smiling at you~"
"Family, tap those likes. Once we hit five thousand likes, we'll switch to another dance."
A scantily dressed woman spoke in a cutesy voice beside the fruit stand.
When she came back to her senses.
The whole street was bustling with people, and nearly half of them were livestreamers!
"What is all this..."
Gan Yan Yu was a little scared and instinctively hid behind Lin Tian.
"This is Qingzhou's influencer street. It's become popular online lately. They say lots of people livestream here. It's my first time here too."
Lin Tian had expected this place to be full of all kinds of strange characters, but it was even stranger than he had imagined!
Douyin influencers truly were a magical species.
A single glance revealed every sort of outfit imaginable.
Maid costumes, nurse uniforms, food delivery riders, and performance artists covered in body paint who lay on the ground pretending to be invisible.
What a dazzling galaxy of humanoids.
Compared to them, even Gan Yan Yu seemed mentally well-adjusted!
"Have they all gone crazy?"
It was Gan Yan Yu's first time seeing such a scene.
Unable to hold it in any longer, the girl covered her mouth and began to laugh.
"They're making money. Nothing shameful about that," Lin Tian said.
Seeing Gan Yan Yu smile, he smiled too.
Who would have thought that she shared his hobby of watching clowns?
Seeing the girl's happy expression, Lin Tian immediately felt the trip had been worthwhile.
"Come on, let's look farther ahead!"
The two continued down the influencer street.
There were not only livestreamers along the way, but also many vendors selling late-night snacks, lemon tea, and the like. Lots of young people came and went. It seemed an entire industry had formed here.
Gan Yan Yu looked full of curiosity, glancing at this one moment and that the next.
She even stared at the price list at a lemonade stall for half a minute.
Did this girl usually never go outside?
Lin Tian was a little helpless, but he patiently waited for her.
As they walked, they suddenly saw a huge crowd gathered in the distance.
A pleasant melody drifted from within it.
When they got closer, they realized it was a street performance.
It was a young man and woman.
The woman played the violin, while the man played the cello.
They performed together, with the cello taking the lead and the violin accompanying it.
They were playing a very cheerful piece.
The cello's depth, paired with the violin's lively lightness, created an exceptionally pleasing effect.
The beautiful music surged like a stream through a forest filled with birdsong and flowers, bringing cool refreshment to everyone immersed in it.
Street singers were common, but street musicians were truly rare.
That was precisely why they had attracted such a crowd.
Many people marveled and took out their phones to record.
Lin Tian instinctively felt that a performance like this might stir up bad memories for Gan Yan Yu.
Just as he was about to leave, he discovered that someone had tugged on his clothes.
Gan Yan Yu stared blankly at the pair, her small hand clutching the hem of Lin Tian's shirt.
Lin Tian: "..."
Right. As a cellist herself, Gan Yan Yu should have resonated with beautiful music.
"'Serenade No. 1,' second movement. The accompaniment is passable, but the male cellist isn't. The variation in the fourth beat of the second section was too fast, and nearly thirty percent of the transition in the third section was out of tune." Gan Yan Yu gave a serious commentary.
That was what you were focusing on?!
Wait, had you come here to inspect their homework?!
To his shame, although Lin Tian had gained plenty of musical knowledge through Piano Skill, he genuinely had not heard any of that.
Looking at it this way, Gan Yan Yu's musical ability might be far above his current Silver-level skill.
Soon, the piece ended.
The male cellist set down his bow, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stood up holding a payment QR code.
"Thank you all for listening! We're college students who came south to chase our dreams, working hard for the dream of music. We hope everyone can support us!!"
Yet the large group of spectators who had just been recording with their phones now put them away as if their batteries had suddenly died, pretending to chat with their friends.
Some even gradually left in droves.
The boy holding the QR code looked embarrassed at once, one hand left awkwardly hanging in the air.
The girl behind him, holding her violin, also wore a dejected expression.
"Can I scan it with WeChat?"
At that moment, a woman's voice rang out.
Gan Yan Yu took out her phone and walked to the front.
"O-of course!"
Seeing someone offer support, the boy quickly beamed with joy.
"Mm."
Gan Yan Yu looked at the thirty-eight yuan balance in her WeChat account and sent him thirty yuan.
She needed to keep eight yuan for the subway.
"You need more practice on the variations. This serenade suits the cello very well, but if you aren't diligent in practicing, then coming out to perform at this level makes it hard to say you're truly working hard to chase your dream."
Upon hearing this, the boy's expression instantly became solemn.
He hurriedly asked:
"Teacher, are you a cellist too?"
"I used to be."
"Wait. Teacher, you look a little familiar."
The boy narrowed his eyes, sounding uncertain as he said,
"Is your surname Gan?"
Gan Yan Yu froze at those words.
Seeing the girl's reaction, the boy immediately confirmed his suspicion and exclaimed excitedly,
"Gan Yan Yu, you're Teacher Gan Yan Yu, aren't you!!"
"This is Teacher Gan Yan Yu!!"
The boy turned around and shouted excitedly to his girlfriend in the distance.
Then he turned back.
"Teacher Gan! I grew up watching videos of your grandfather! I've always listened to your cello performances too! I've watched recordings of every competition!"
"I think that compared to Senior Gan Hua, your cello has the vitality our new generation loves more. I've liked you for a long time. I always thought the future of China's cello scene belonged to Teacher Gan. I never expected to meet you here..."
The boy was so excited that his brows danced, even his voice trembling.
It was the frenzy of meeting his idol in person.
But Gan Yan Yu stood there in a daze.
The light gradually faded from the girl's eyes.
"S-sorry."
"I have something to do."
The girl spoke softly and slowly turned around.
Ignoring the boy's confusion.
She ran away.
Before you continue