Lin Tian was startled, turned his head, and realized Bai Xi was indeed speaking to him.
Bai Xi immediately flashed a cheerful smile, walked up, and warmly grasped Lin Tian’s hand,
"I’ve long admired your great reputation, long admired indeed!"
Lin Tian withdrew his hand.
He didn’t recall having any "great reputation" worthy of this cellist’s admiration.
"I saw your performance with Teacher Gan Yanyu at the Soul Concert. It was my first time realizing that Qingzhou had such a skilled pianist..."
Bai Xi said, her eyes full of admiration.
Even more so than when she faced Gan Yanyu earlier.
Lin Tian nodded, his expression still not changing much.
He acknowledged that it was no simple feat for someone to notice him at that concert.
But, given the circumstances, he always felt that this girl was a bit odd.
"May I ask what is your relationship with Teacher Gan Yanyu?"
That was clear to anyone with eyes, and Lin Tian had no reason to hide it.
Bai Xi beamed with a bright smile, leaning closer to Lin Tian as she spoke.
"Teacher Bai Xi, if you’ve come specially to praise me, I thank you for your kindness, but I’m sorry, I don’t have time to entertain this, haha."
Lin Tian began with a polite reply, then took a small step back and added,
"Also, stay a bit away from me—I’m afraid Gan Yanyu might misunderstand."
Soon, Lin Tian witnessed what’s called a Sichuan opera face-changing.
The smile on Bai Xi’s face instantly disappeared.
The girl cast a meaningful look.
Her lips gently curved upwards:
"Don’t rush, I just wanted to chat with Teacher Lin Tian."
"I’ve recently heard some rumors—of course, just rumors, Teacher Lin Tian, you needn’t be anxious to rebut."
Bai Xi tiptoed, circling around Lin Tian, walking by his side,
"Disappearing for over a year, coming back, and achieving a sudden leap in ability, one concert shocked so many people.
Previously dubbed by the association as the ’walking classical music score,’ Gan Yanyu’s playing style underwent a drastic change upon return, abandoning her old ways of playing, and even infusing her music with emotions that were never there before..."
"There’s a rumor that this is because Gan Yanyu met a great mentor, this teacher not only helped her transition her style of play but also unlocked the full potential of her gift for classical music..."
"But then, Elder Gan had mentored Gan Yanyu for so long without such an effect. What’s more, Elder Gan had a car accident awhile back, and couldn’t possibly continue to be by Gan Yanyu’s side."
Bai Xi stopped, fixing her gaze intently on Lin Tian,
"Teacher Lin Tian, who else could this ’teacher’ be, if not Elder Gan?"
"Yeah, who could it be?"
Lin Tian stroked his chin, pondering seriously,
"Maybe Elder Gan came to her in a dream."
"Haha, Teacher Lin Tian, you really have a sense of humor."
In fact, the answer she was alluding to was quite clear.
"I’ve always believed that a capable manager who can appreciate and develop a musician is much more formidable than the musician himself. It’s easy to find musicians, but a true connoisseur is hard to find..."
"I’m a high school student, not a manager, haha."
"So that means you’ve admitted it, Teacher Lin Tian?"
"You’ve made it so clear, is there still a need for word games?"
Having gotten used to dealing with Gan Yanyu, when faced with someone who beats around the bush, Lin Tian really felt like punching her.
Bai Xi lifted her rear, plonked herself onto the table, and looked at Lin Tian.
Her eyes held fervor:
"Would you be interested in finding some time for me to perform just for you alone?"
"Not interested, haha. I’m quite busy, I have to cook for Gan Yanyu every day."
Lin Tian declined very decisively.
"I understand your concerns, Teacher Lin Tian, and I definitely don’t have the kind of thoughts you are presuming. I know that an excellent teacher like you always chooses their students and wouldn’t waver just because of what others say."
"I simply want to perform for you once, just to hear your opinions."
"I think you’ve misunderstood something."
Lin Tian didn’t know what ulterior motives Bai Xi was hiding.
But from these couple of sentences, he thought he could understand her point of view.
So, Lin Tian did not brush her off but responded seriously,
"My relationship with Gan Yanyu isn’t what you imagine as an ’agent’ and ’musician’; we’re both just ordinary high school students... Of course, perhaps unconsciously, there is a bit of what you mentioned."
"But I hope you understand, the two of us, we achieve things together."
Lin Tian stated firmly.
In his interaction with Gan Yanyu, Lin Tian indeed sometimes played the role of a Producer.
For instance, during this process, Lin Tian always had access to the joy of "cultivating," a pleasure that he himself often enjoyed.
But in truth, most of the time, they were partners with a common dream.
For Lin Tian, finding a musician who could perform the pieces he brought so perfectly was a happy thing.
And without realization, Lin Tian himself had also been influenced.
From initially, if it wasn’t for the system, he would probably not have touched music, to now, starting to gradually feel the charm of music through the preparation for the arts entrance exams, he was ready to give it his all.