My Girlfriend Is a Cello Player-Chapter 34: Gan Yanyu Is Becoming Stranger

Chapter 34: Gan Yanyu Is Becoming Stranger
Staring at Lin Tian's confident face, Gan Yanyu was momentarily lost in thought.
Her mind drifted back to that night when he had stood atop the railing, pointing at her with an air of determination, vowing to help her achieve her dreams.
He always looked so cool like that.
If she were a normal girl, maybe she would've fallen for him by now.
At this thought, a flicker of subtle relief passed through her eyes—barely noticeable, but there nonetheless.
"By the way, Miss Gan," Lin Tian suddenly interrupted her train of thought.
"What about your parents? How did things go with them?"
Since their talk at the overlook, Gan Yanyu had resolved to break free from her parents' control and forge her own path. But as a high school student without her grandfather around anymore, living independently wasn't going to be easy. Unlike Lin Tian, who had no family obligations, Gan Yanyu still had parents who were very much alive—and fully capable of dragging her back home if they chose to. If they insisted on taking her away, there wouldn't be much she could do about it.
"It's settled," Gan Yanyu replied calmly.
"Settled?"
"Yeah. They agreed to let me stay at Grandpa's house, and they'll send money regularly—as long as I allow them to visit every once in a while."
"Not bad," Lin Tian said, genuinely surprised by how smoothly things seemed to have gone. He'd expected Gan Yanyu's parents to put up more of a fight. But something about her choice of words caught his attention.
"Allow?"
"Mm-hmm. I used the script you taught me."
"What script did I teach you?" Lin Tian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The one where I tell them: 'People who abandoned me since I was three don't deserve to call themselves my parents.'"
Lin Tian burst out laughing.
So, Gan Yanyu's parents turned out to be pragmatic realists after all.
"You want to play the cello? Over our dead bodies! We're your parents—we forbid it!"
"Oh, you want to cut ties with us? Fine then! Just live at your grandpa's place. Whatever you need, we'll agree to it—as long as we can visit occasionally."
Now that was flexibility. Truly adaptable people knew when to concede.
But joking aside, this also showed that Gan Yanyu's parents weren't completely heartless. Knowing they'd wronged her over the years, they swallowed their pride and backed down when she finally stood her ground. That alone set them apart from countless other parents who refused to budge even an inch.
"Alright, then. Since everything's resolved, how about we celebrate tonight? For freedom!" Lin Tian rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Sure," Gan Yanyu responded immediately—but just as quickly hesitated, shaking her head. "No, wait. You have class tomorrow, right?"
"I stayed up all night with you the other day, and you're worried about this?" Lin Tian frowned.
He remembered that day vividly. After spending hours keeping Gan Yanyu company, he ended up sleeping through half of his morning classes. Normally, Lin Tian prided himself on being the model student—the kind teachers praised and classmates envied. So imagine their shock when he came stumbling into class looking like someone who'd pulled an all-nighter. Several teachers rushed to inform the homeroom teacher, concerned Lin Tian might be suffering from burnout or worse.
It took multiple explanations before the homeroom teacher finally accepted that Lin Tian had merely suffered a bout of insomnia. Crisis averted.
"I just think... Lin Tian, you should have your own life. You shouldn't always revolve around me," Gan Yanyu said softly, gathering her courage.
Putting aside everything else, she truly felt like she'd been relying on him too much lately. If this kept up, she'd feel guilty—and awkward—about it.
"It's just dinner. Besides, I really want to eat something decent," Lin Tian shrugged. And he wasn't just saying that for politeness' sake. The past few days, eating nutritious health meals with Gan Yanyu, had left him craving greasy junk food. Something indulgent, preferably loaded with calories and artificial flavors.
"We should save some money. We've spent too much recently. It's already such a hassle for you," Gan Yanyu countered, avoiding eye contact as she hurried toward the door. She slipped on her shoes and turned back briefly.
"Thanks again for today. Send me the grocery bill—I'll split it with you."
With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving Lin Tian staring blankly at the spot where she'd stood.
What was going on?
Yesterday, too, she'd abruptly left midway through giving him a massage. Yet just a few days ago, when they first started collaborating, she'd been enthusiastic and warm. It wasn't that she'd grown cold exactly—they still cooked meals together, exercised, and maintained a harmonious routine. But her time at his place had noticeably shortened, and whenever their relationship seemed poised to deepen, she'd pull away.
Like hitting the brakes just as things were heating up.
And men hated nothing more than being teased like that.
If it were anyone else, Lin Tian would've snapped twice over by now. He'd have pounced like a wolf deprived of its prey.
"Letting me get close, only to push me away..."
Lin Tian couldn't figure it out. Was Gan Yanyu retreating because she was emotionally closed off? No, they'd opened up to each other just a few days ago. Could it be… that time of the month?
Actually, that made sense. Supposedly, even the quietest girls became irritable during those days. Maybe Gan Yanyu didn't want to risk losing control of her emotions—or worse, leaking onto his couch.
Lin Tian crouched down instinctively to inspect the sofa cushions.
Hmph.
No suspicious red stains. No strange smells either.
"Cough."
Lin Tian straightened up. Of course, even if she were on her period, Gan Yanyu would definitely handle it discreetly. His earlier actions were purely the antics of an 18-year-old boy letting his imagination run wild.
As for his past life? Well, he hadn't lived past 20 in that one either. Between two lifetimes, all he'd accumulated was useless teenage experience. Emotional maturity certainly couldn't be calculated as simply as 18 + 20.
For now, Lin Tian refocused on his phone. Trying to decipher the mysteries of a teenage girl's heart could wait. Right now, his priority was solving the video issue.
Gan Yanyu's concerns weren't unfounded. The current success of their videos relied heavily on viewers tuning in for the novelty of a cute girl playing the cello. As a result, the ceiling for these videos remained low. Audiences appreciated the music superficially but failed to recognize Gan Yanyu's extraordinary skill at just 18—or the true value of "Greeting of Love."
There was a saying:
"Right now, you may see me as someone barely scraping by, limited in vision. But someday, when you ascend to greater heights, you'll realize how vast my potential truly is."
These TikTok users, obsessed with legs and lacking musical appreciation, had yet to grasp what they were witnessing: a terrifying level of cello mastery and a future world-changing masterpiece.
(Not that Lin Tian blamed them—he enjoyed watching legs too.)
His task now was to make these viewers understand the true worth of "Moonlight and Cat." When that happened, surpassing 20,000 likes—or even 200,000—would be child's play.
Unfortunately, Lin Tian hadn't figured out how to achieve that yet. For now, the best he could do was improve video quality and attract larger audiences. Perhaps adding piano accompaniment during the next recording session would help.
Lost in thought, Lin Tian opened the system interface.
[Task Complete: Compose a piece and release a short video featuring your partner's performance. Achieve over 10,000 genuine likes.]
[Reward: ¥10,000]
A notification pinged on his phone. Checking his bank balance, Lin Tian saw:
[¥10,024.50]
Honestly, seeing that number gave him a sense of security he'd never felt in his 18 years of life.
Ah, sweet relief.
Losing his mother at age three, his father at fifteen, Lin Tian had spent years gritting his teeth and pushing forward alone. Studying tirelessly, working part-time jobs to survive—all so he could one day rise above his circumstances, attend a prestigious university, earn heaps of money, and make those who abandoned him regret their decisions.
While Gan Yanyu's dream was music—specifically, the cello—Lin Tian's aspirations were simpler and more grounded. Pure and unadorned.
The first order of business? Allocating the funds. Without hesitation, he paid the two months' overdue rent owed to Aunt Li. After sending the transfer, his remaining balance stood at ¥7,824.50. Food and daily expenses were covered, but buying a piano remained a distant dream.