Swinging and swaying, the day of the competition has finally arrived.
Bright and early, Lin Tian bought breakfast and called Gan Yanyu over.
The two sat in the living room of Lin Tian’s house, facing each other while eating breakfast, and their conversation dwindled significantly.
Tension, anxiety, yet there was a hint of excitement.
These emotions played back and forth across the girl’s face...
Gan Yanyu snapped back to reality.
Her eyes widened, looking at Lin Tian, while the steamed bun in her hand was frozen mid-air.
"What... what’s the matter?"
"Did you sleep well? You don’t seem very spirited."
Lin Tian asked, somewhat helplessly.
If morale was this low before the battle, it was a sign of potential disaster.
"I slept.... I think I did sleep, I remember my eyes were closed."
She’s started to talk nonsense.
"You’re not at all like a musician."
Lin Tian put down his spoon and walked up to Gan Yanyu.
Gan Yanyu stuffed the steamed bun into her mouth and obediently stood up.
"Puff out your chest, lift your shoulders, raise your head!"
Lin Tian commanded Gan Yanyu like a military drill instructor.
The girl chewed on the steamed bun, her cheeks puffed out roundly, and her body tried hard to follow Lin Tian’s instructions, showing an earnest expression as if wanting to join the Party.
"Your shoulders are not straight enough."
Lin Tian extended his hand and pressed down on Gan Yanyu’s shoulders.
The girl immediately moaned in pain, almost spitting out the steamed bun from her mouth.
After struggling to swallow the steamed bun —
"It’s sore... really sore...."
The girl said weakly.
She had asthma and wasn’t suitable for exercising, and ever since returning to school, Gan Yanyu had greatly reduced the frequency of her workouts to once or twice a week.
Recently, as she began to prepare for the competition, she had completely neglected it, locking herself at home every day, practicing sitting for long periods of time.
Over time, her entire body started to stiffen.
"You should have said so earlier. If you told me, I would have massaged you last night." Lin Tian said.
His master-level massage skills had not been used for a long time.
Mainly, since Gan Yanyu rarely brought it up, he didn’t feel it was right to propose it himself.
He feared that he might say, "Take off your pants, stretch out your leg, I’ll give you a massage," and after Gan Yanyu enjoyed it, she wouldn’t appreciate it and might claim that he had crossed a line.
"After today’s competition, we can go for a foot wash." Lin Tian said.
Gan Yanyu didn’t speak.
"Are you going to enter the venue with me later?"
"Of course — I bought a ticket."
Lin Tian had specifically inquired about this with Gao Zhenyang, to see if there was some sort of backstage pass.
As a result, Lin Tian was told —
He was not a contestant’s family member, so there were no family tickets.
From now on, before every meal, he decided to take a photo of Gan Yanyu and keep it.
Gather a year and a half’s worth of them, and then throw it in the organizers’ faces, asking if eating hundreds of meals at my house counts as family?
"You can watch from backstage."
Gan Yanyu said, "Contestants are allowed to bring an assistant into the resting room."
"I want to feel the atmosphere."
Watching a musical performance is, of course, better from the audience. It sounds amazing live.
Watching it on a big TV backstage is just too awkward.
"Then... stay with me backstage first. When I’m about to go on stage, you can go to the auditorium."
Gan Yanyu looked at him cautiously.
That was pretty much what Lin Tian had planned.
Who else is a producer but Lin Tian?
Gan Yanyu could be considered as personally cultivated by Lin Tian.
It’s like sending an idol from the academy that he has raised himself to perform on stage.
The thought of it felt quite nice.
Lin Tian glanced at the time, "Let’s go!"
Then, he picked up a steamed bun from the table, stuffed it into Gan Yanyu’s mouth, and dragged her out the door.
The Star Cup, officially named the "Star Cup National Cello Competition"
Sponsored by the "Star Music Group" and "Star Moon Foundation," and organized by the "Art Future Culture Center."
Held biennially, it has been conducted twelve times so far, with the venue set at Qingzhou City’s "Qingzhou Cultural Grand Theater."
As one of the top five influential events in Qingjiang Province and with the competition’s timing just one month prior to the Yingqin Cup preliminaries,
many music enthusiasts regard the "Star Cup" as a precursor to the Yingqin Cup competition.
More than half the contestants from the Yingqin Cup participate in the "Star Cup."
Apart from the recently high-profile, popular 18-year-old cello prodigy Gan Yanyu,
There are several other heavy-hitting guests.
Yang Weize: 24 years old, an undergraduate from Shanghai Music University, currently pursuing a master’s degree at the German Hamburg Music and Drama Academy, once a protégé of the famous cellist Zhao Jun.
Skilled in both classical and contemporary works, won the silver medal in Qingjiang Province’s 2022 "Xuanwu Cup" Youth Cello Competition.
Zhu Ya: 26 years old, an undergraduate from Xingye Music Academy, master’s degree holder from Shanghai Music University. Taught by the renowned musician and former chairman of the Qingzhou Music Association, Wan Qi.
Likewise adept in modern music, winner of the best performance award at the 2021 Shanghai National Music Festival, and champion of the 2020 Star Cup Cello Competition.
All out of the conservatory.
On the way to the venue, looking at the contestant information published by the organizers, Lin Tian couldn’t help but sigh.
In comparison, the only impressive background the 18-year-old Gan Yanyu had was probably just being the granddaughter of the respected teacher, Gan Hua.