Producer System: My Girlfriend is a Cellist

"As things stand, the reform has actually been quite successful. The presence of pop music in major provincial competitions has exceeded 50%, so there's really no need to completely eradicate classical music!"

"Then... why is it?" Lin Tian asked in agreement.

"They're obsessed!"

He Zhichen shrugged his hands, angrily saying,

"If you ask me, it's all because they were traumatized by losing 16 years ago!"

"How spirited Elder Gan was that year! From the Starlight Cup to the Yingqin Cup, and then the Dragon Violin Cup, he won them all effortlessly! His cello playing was called the greatest since the founding of the country, the number one cellist? — That's the official designation, but privately, everyone called him the God of the Cello!"

"In that atmosphere, before going to Vienna, all sectors of music in Tian Chao were popping champagne like crazy! All major newspapers had articles preemptively awarding Elder Gan the title of 'World's Best,' and the whole nation was filled with patriotic excitement, even elevating Elder Gan to the status of 'national hero'..."

Listening to this, Lin Tian felt a strong sense of déjà vu... it all sounded so familiar!

"The higher the praise, the more devastating the collapse when the news of his semifinal elimination reached home!"

"For a whole 16 years, not just in cello, but the entire music community... hasn't come out from under the shadow of that past..."

As He Zhichen discussed those past events.

Gan Yanyu, nearby, gently rubbed her forehead and inadvertently, her body went limp.

Lin Tian hurriedly supported the young woman, slipping his arms around her back, holding her under the arms.

"...Sorry, Ms. Gan Yanyu!"

Despite being drunk, He Zhichen still maintained some basic rationality.

To speak of her grandfather's past in front of Gan Yanyu was truly too cruel.

"I... I'm fine, I just drank too much, feeling a bit dizzy... Mr. He, please continue,"

Gan Yan defused the awkwardness with a slightly playful smile.

But Lin Tian glanced at the wine glass on her table, knowing.

Even combined, he and He Zhichen, the two grown men, might not outdrink Gan Yanyu.

How could these two small glasses of wine possibly be a problem for Gan Yanyu?

At this moment,

The girl's eyes turned somewhat somber, averting her gaze elsewhere.

Lin Tian looked at Gan Yanyu, understanding that this memory for her was second only to the pain from England.

Though Gan Yanyu never experienced the events 16 years ago, she had heard the story many times from her grandfather, who only made mixed coffee all his life.

"So, Mr. Lin Tian, can you understand the attitude of the Music Association elders now?"

He Zhichen said,

"They understand all the rationale, but now, they are consumed by the desire for revenge—hence I use 'obsession' to describe them."

"In fact, from their standpoint, wanting to free Tian Chao cello from the shadow of 16 years ago is understandable."

"Perhaps you haven't looked into it, Mr. Lin Tian. In these 16 years, of the 7 Dragon Violin Cup champions sent previously, the best result we've achieved in the Ker Cup is the top 64; five candidates didn't even make it past the preliminary rounds..."

Upon hearing this, even Lin Tian couldn't help but be shocked.

"Top 64?"

He was familiar with the Ker Cup's structure.

64, that's the number of contestants in the preliminary round, meaning they performed just one preliminary round and were hastily eliminated.

And this was the best result achieved by 2 of them, while the other 5 couldn't even qualify for the preliminaries.

In the qualifying rounds, with no audience, they ended their journey without a trace, like dogs.

Lin Tian could hardly imagine.

At home, the Dragon Violin Cup champion who advanced through countless competitions, on the international stage, was even less noticeable than a roadside...

After listening to He Zhichen's recounting.

Lin Tian fully understood the context now.

No wonder the current Dragon Violin Cup committee is like this.

With results like these, the yearly champions are basically just accompanying others on the international stage.

If Lin Tian were the chairman of the Heavenly Dynasty Music Association, he might be more anxious than those old men.

Thinking about it this way, it's understandable.

Do the old men in the association truly hate classical music?

Not necessarily,

The reform is a matter of 20 years; most of the veterans used to be excellent classical musicians in their youth.

Their love for classical music might even far exceed what Lin Tian, a "youngster" who only entered the music scene a year ago, has.

However, given the current state of the music world,

these elders have all been consumed by hatred and victory, driving the entire Music Association into a complex fanaticism.

Even if they are over fifty, in their heart, they still recognize classical music, even if they can see that Lin Tian and Gan Yanyu are two irreplaceable classical musicians.

But for the ultimate victory,

they all have to make the "right" choice.

In this war,

standing from the standpoint of the Tian Chao Music Association, they are not wrong.

And out of love and dreams, Lin Tian and Gan Yanyu, who persist, are not wrong either.

Neither side is wrong, they just have their own things they must hold on to.

....

"In that case, bringing out our best music is the greatest respect for this stage."

Lin Tian stood up, smiling.

Then, he lifted the entire bottle of Carlsberg in front of him, drinking it all in one go.

"Pa!"

Putting down the bottle, Lin Tian wiped the corner of his mouth.