Symphony's Romance Episode 17 Recap
> Symphony's Romance Recap
The RS Youth Symphony Orchestra was officially established. Li Zhenyan announced that he had secured a commercial performance license, meaning their debut concert would sell tickets publicly. He clarified that the name RS symbolized they were not merely ordinary stars, but "fixed stars", whose individual talent and light, as long as they worked hard, could not be stopped. He emphasized that the group was no longer just a student orchestra and required a more professional approach.
Everyone was filled with determination, donning formal attire for a collective photo shoot. Fang Xiaowo was not in the group photo, but the others promised to add her to a solo shot later. Qin Fen and Chen Zheng went to a print shop to design a promotional poster. They asked for a group photo, Li Zhenyan prominently in the center, and the orchestra's name, "RS Youth Symphony Orchestra," in an elegant, grand font, with everyone's faces retouched.
The designer offered to do it for 200 yuan. However, the resulting poster was far from satisfactory; Chen Zheng was mistakenly placed in the center, the color scheme was “rustic” and unsuitable for a concert poster, and some faces were distorted, resembling an "awl face." Everyone agreed it had to be redone immediately, particularly before Li Zhenyan saw it. Tian Yisong approached Jiang Caiwei and, pulling out a ring he had long prepared, proposed to her.
He confessed that he had intended to give it to her on Europe's finest stage, but after recent events, he feared he would lose her forever if he delayed any longer. He expressed that the ring contained their initials and, though he had lied, his plans for the future always included her, and his feelings for her were unwavering.
He pledged to visit her weekly from Lyon to Paris, despite the 466-kilometer distance, as his dream was to marry her after conducting on Europe's best stage. Jiang Caiwei remained unmoved. She thanked him for making her understand "the feeling of being betrayed by the person she trusted most" and stated that the ring had lost its precious meaning after everything that had happened. She unequivocally rejected his proposal.
Later, while getting her guitar repaired at a music shop, Jiang Caiwei ran into Yan Yan, the person who had found her passport at a bar. Yan Yan intervened when he noticed the shop owner trying to overcharge Jiang Caiwei for unnecessary repairs to her guitar, which only needed one loose knob replaced. They went to another music shop where Yan Yan helped fix the guitar.
Jiang Caiwei mentioned she was preparing to study abroad, but Yan Yan sensed her underlying unhappiness. He suggested that she still had feelings for her boyfriend and advised her to talk things through with him to avoid future regrets. Qin Fen harbored strong feelings for Lin Qingshang but struggled to articulate them, even going so far as to ask her to be his teacher. Lin Qingshang, visibly annoyed, rebuffed him, jokingly saying he'd need "another 800 years of practice."
Qin Ba, watching his son's clumsy attempts, was frustrated by his inability to express his feelings properly. Lin Qingshang was engrossed in preparations for an upcoming instrument competition, which was crucial for her career progression, offering a potential step closer to the world stage. Her esteemed teacher, Darren, the chief of the Berlin Philharmonic, was also attending. Due to its importance, she had to temporarily suspend her orchestra rehearsals to focus entirely on the competition.
Qin Fen, disheartened by this, felt she was not prioritizing the RGroup S. During a repertoire discussion with Li Zhenyan, Qin Fen suggested "Butterfly Lovers" and expressed a desire to perform a double violins concerto with Lin Qingshang, noting that both Lin Qingshang and Lan Bo would be absent for rehearsals due to their respective competitions.
At that moment, Fang Xiaowo accidentally dropped a bottle of water, triggering a brief panic attack for Li Zhenyan, who needed a moment to himself, likely due to past trauma. Under immense pressure, Lin Qingshang later lost her patience and snapped at Qin Fen over the phone when he complained about her absence. After their heated phone call, Qin Fen reflected on his behavior, later apologizing to her in person.
He encouraged her to win, assuring her that everyone believed in her, and hoped they could perform a concerto together the following year. Lin Qingshang then taught him some practical violin techniques for distinguishing solo from ensemble playing and for vibrato technique. Qin Fen, however, was too captivated by her presence to fully concentrate on the lesson.
He then asked her if they could always be together, but Lin Qingshang replied that she couldn't stay in a small orchestra forever, gently redirecting him to practice. Xu Zixuan's sisters, Qin Fen, and Chen Zheng took to the streets to sell tickets for the orchestra's performance. After an entire morning, they had only managed to sell five, leaving them disheartened despite the low ticket prices.
Qin Ba had offered to buy fifty tickets to give to his noodle customers as a promotional incentive. Lan Bo then arrived with milk tea and candy, and seeing their predicament, he used his cello to attract a crowd, quickly selling out all the remaining tickets. Additionally, Li Zhenyan had also sought help from Editor Bei, whose promotion further boosted ticket sales.
Later, Chen Zheng calculated their total income versus expenses, revealing they had only made 250 yuan, which was barely enough to cover venue rental, leaving them feeling that all their hard work had been in vain. Xu Zixuan's sisters started arguing about ticket pricing and complimentary tickets, with Chen Zheng trying to mediate while Qin Fen dejectedly walked away. Meanwhile, Fang Xiaowo saw Lan Bo behaving intimately with another girl at school, touching her face and hair.
She immediately suspected Lan Bo was hiding something from Zhuo Yin, but Li Zhenyan pulled her away, telling her not to interfere in others' affairs. Despite Li Zhenyan's advice, Fang Xiaowo, after much hesitation, felt compelled to tell Zhuo Yin. Zhuo Yin, however, became angry, accusing Fang Xiaowo of being "gossipy" and implying that Fang Xiaowo would not appreciate similar rumors about Li Zhenyan. Feeling wronged, Fang Xiaowo left.
The next day, Li Zhenyan and the others sent Lan Bo and Lin Qingshang off to their respective competitions. Fang Xiaowo noticed Zhuo Yin's absence, which concerned her. After Lan Bo left, Fang Xiaowo, walking alone on campus, encountered Ji Mo, who had sprained his ankle but still needed to get to his oboe competition. Worried he wouldn't make it, Fang Xiaowo borrowed a tricycle from the janitor's office and took him to the venue.
During their ride, Ji Mo asked Fang Xiaowo why she liked Li Zhenyan. Fang Xiaowo explained that Li Zhenyan was very kind to her, cooked for her daily, and even helped clean her room because she was messy. She concluded that liking someone didn't need any particular reason. Ji Mo then confessed that he also had a girl he liked.
Though he had never been in a relationship, he believed love came in many forms, and his chosen way was silent companionship. Fang Xiaowo, however, did not realize he was talking about her. As they arrived, Fang Xiaowo gave Ji Mo a fist bump for good luck and a small token, telling him to remember he was the best oboe and she was cheering him on.
Ji Mo then reminded himself to concentrate and return to his calm style for the competition. Qin Fen anxiously waited outside after Lin Qingshang entered her competition. When the results were announced, Lin Qingshang had not placed first. Qin Fen, seeing her disappointment, didn't know how to comfort her. At that moment, Darren emerged and told Lin Qingshang that she "should" have won first place, then left abruptly before she could ask for clarification.
Meanwhile, Lan Bo was awarded first place in his cello competition. Zhuo Yin, holding flowers, attempted to approach him to congratulate him but was pushed aside by another girl who claimed to be Lan Bo's girlfriend and demanded to know Zhuo Yin's identity. Heartbroken, Zhuo Yin left the scene. Later, as Lin Qingshang and Qin Fen left, Qin Fen tried to console her, saying her violin playing was the most "perfect and accurate" he had ever heard.
Lin Qingshang suddenly recalled Fisher's past teachings, realizing that her biggest problem was her "accuracy." She now understood that while accuracy was good for beginners, for an artist, it could be "dangerous," restricting creativity and fun, making the music lose its soul. She lamented focusing too much on scores and perfect execution, forgetting the emotional essence the music intended to convey.
She regretted that her overemphasis on competition results had not only led to her failure but also delayed the RGroup S's rehearsals and disappointed everyone. Qin Fen encouraged her, calling her "truly powerful" and suggesting that this setback was merely a "stepping stone" to future worldwide success, as "failure is the mother of success."
He assured her that since she now understood the root of her problem, it meant the problem was already solved, and she would undoubtedly stand on the world stage in the future.
