Qi Mu took seven days to play 《Infinity》 in 3 minutes and 35 seconds. The following morning he was able to play it in 3 minutes and 34 seconds, impressing Akkad quite a bit.
In the beginning, Akkad gave Qi Mu a task that was practically impossible to complete. He didn"t intend for Qi Mu to actually accomplish it. Even people who had practiced the piece for weeks found it difficult to reach the 3 minutes and 40 seconds mark after a break.
But, Qi Mu did it.
Only then did Akkad have a clear understanding of how determined and hardworking Qi Mu could be.
Could such a young man with top-cla.s.s talent and relentless effort not stand at the pinnacle of the cla.s.sical music world?
Akkad believed he would.
"Little Seven, you really are the best child I"ve ever met." Setting aside his gla.s.ses, Akkad sighed and continued, "Talent is a hard thing to gauge. Of all the people I"ve met, your talent is among the best, but certainly not the highest."
Qi Mu removed his violin from his shoulder as he listened. He wasn"t angry. Rather, he smiled and said, "Yes, I have never thought I have the talent to surpa.s.s others, professor."
Adamant, Akkad shook his head and said, "Seven, you don"t have to be humble. Your talent is not inferior to that lad, Christole. Needless to say, it is inferior compared to that monster Auston. Of course, I don"t think your violin would be worse than his piano in the future. It won"t be long before you surpa.s.s him."
Qi Mu smiled, but didn"t say a word.
If others heard Akkad saying his student would surpa.s.s Min Chen, all of them would definitely say, "Master Akkad is really partial to his student!"
But, if Farrell was asked the same question, he would agree with Akkad.
The reason Qi Mu"s talent was inferior to Min Chen"s? He would never be a successful composer and conductor like Min Chen. But, that didn"t mean Qi Mu"s accomplishments with his violin would lose to Min Chen"s piano.
Remembering someone"s threat from a few days earlier, Akkad"s lips stiffened. "Alright, Seven, let"s not talk about that guy, Auston. You"ve been with the college orchestra for a few days already. How"s the situation? You should be familiar with them by now, right?"
Gentle sunlight filled the room through the windows. Dust particles dotted its light, fluttering in the air.
Under the sunlight, the young man"s hair was spun with gold. He looked at his adorable mentor, his eyebrows knitted. "Professor, it"s been six days. If I dare say I"m not familiar with them yet… Wouldn"t you be angry?"
Exposed, Akkad coughed and retorted, "Fu… Nonsense! I"ve been busy lately so I just remembered it. Well, it"ll be a few days before the performance. How are you doing in the orchestra?"
"For the opening performance, the orchestra intended to focus on Haydn"s works, playing his 《Symphony No. 45 in F minor》 and his 《Violin Concerto No. 1》." At his teacher"s awkward appearance, Qi Mu went on, "This time, the conductor is a teacher from the conductor department, Mr. Kawaguchi. We"ve been rehearsing for several days and it"s gone well so far."
Akkad nodded. "Well, the opening performance of the Paris" National Conservatory of Music is still highly valued in the industry. It will be broadcasted live on TV in Paris and there will be some reports in Vienna. This performance will also be recorded on CD, so treat it seriously, okay?"
"Yes." Qi Mu nodded, his tone serious.
The two spent the next hour discussing Wilhelm"s music.
When Qi Mu finished his morning cla.s.s, Akkad coughed and took a small bag from behind him.
"Little Seven… You"ve been very busy recently, but you should take proper lunches, you know? I brought you some corn from home. My neighbor cooked it last night. I heard you Chinese don"t like sandwiches, hamburgers, bread and the like. So you can try corn instead."
Qi Mu"s eyes widened, but he finally took the little bag from the old man"s hands.
Even from a distance, Qi Mu could smell the sweet scent of the corn from. His heart soft, he nodded. "Master Akkad, you can come to my house in a few days. I will cook some Chinese food for you."
Akkad was stunned. "Really?!"
"Of course!"
He simply planned to send his student some corn for him to taste. But, it turned to an event, Qi Mu invited him to his apartment to eat after the performance. Satisfied with the outcome, Akkad was pleased that only two pieces of corn could bring him such benefit.
When Qi Mu left the room, the old man took out his mobile and sent a message——
Reed: 【Hey! Auston! You told me yesterday to urge Seven to have a good meal. Well, you see, I sent him some delicious sweet corn today!】
Daniel: 【… Excuse me, Master Akkad. Exactly, how… does sending sweet corn could make you so proud?】
Min Chen: 【Corn?】
Reed: 【Exactly! I sent him corn and Seven invited me to his house for dinner! This is great, I haven"t gotten to taste Little Seven"s cooking yet!】
Min Chen: 【…】
The pain of long-distance relationships was having to ask others to care for your lover, only to envy their benefit!
Forced to restrain the emotion in his eyes, Min Chen ended Bai Ai"s lunch with a sad look on his face. Then…
The afternoon rehearsal was an inferno of purgatory!
Bai Ai members: … Why! Why is the conductor acting so strict!!!
…
Qi Mu knew nothing of what was happening in Berlin.
As temporary concertmaster of the college orchestra, Qi Mu spent less than a day familiarizing himself with the orchestra from top to bottom. During rehearsal the next afternoon, his violin had already integrated into the orchestra"s sound, making the members marvel at his achievement.
Even Clive was in awe, "Seven, you"re the most powerful violinist I"ve ever seen! You"ve only rehea.r.s.ed twice with us, it"s amazing how you can be so familiar with the orchestra"s rhythm already!"
Clive didn"t know Farrell once said, "If time could turn ten years back, I"m sure Qi Mu could be a world-famous conductor!"
Qi Mu"s perfect pitch enabled him to distinguish all sound. With an excellent memory forged from daily practice, he was easily able to integrate his own sound into the orchestra"s.
Qi Mu had worked with several orchestras in both his lifetimes, from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic Orchestra to the small theatre groups he joined when he first arrived in Vienna in his previous life. The Paris" National Conservatory of Music"s orchestra wasn"t the best among those he"d worked with, but the students" skills already amazed him.
In another ten years, Qi Mu knew many of the people there would definitely shine in the world"s top orchestras!
After practicing two of Haydn"s works for about a week, the orchestra finally got the approval of their conductor, Kawaguchi.
The conductor professor from j.a.pan always combed his hair with gel and dressed in a suit all day long. At first sight, he looked strict and plain.
He was skeptical of Qi Mu in the beginning. Qi Mu"s age wasn"t proportional to his fame in the college.
He was especially skeptical after seeing Qi Mu was a handsome young man. Kawaguchi always held the belief that "appearance and strength were inversely related" and kept a close eye Qi Mu. He didn"t believe in his skill.
After several rehearsals, Kawaguchi took Qi Mu aside to speak with him in private. "Seven, I want to apologize to you for my skepticism. Your violin is great. I believe our opening performance will be even more successful with you here!"
Qi Mu smiled and humbly accepted the professor"s praise. Qi Mu was on the way to the supermarket to buy groceries at the time, and he decided to invite Kawaguchi to his house for dinner after the performance.
After Qi Mu extend his invitation, Kawaguchi agreed and said he was honored to have the opportunity.
When they arrived at the next street corner, Qi Mu and Kawaguchi parted. Just as he reached the supermarket, Qi Mu received a phone call from Berlin. Unable to hide the smile on his lips, Qi Mu"s face turned soft.
"Is afternoon rehearsal over?"
Only a few people lingered about the supermarket. All kinds of goods were placed neatly on the shelves. Everything looked appealing.
Pushing his shopping cart into the bright light, Qi Mu listened to the man"s low voice over the phone, "Yes, what are you doing?"
Qi Mu held a cabbage, determining how fresh it was, before placing it in his cart. "I"m buying ingredients for hotpot. The opening performance of the college is in a few days. I wanted to invite several students over, along with Professor Akkad and Professor Kawaguchi of the conductor department. It"s going to be lively."
After a long silence, Min Chen said, "… Sorry, it"s not your own cooking and it"s not going to be just you and Reed?"
Shocked, Qi Mu asked, "Teacher told you? Well, it"s not just Teacher, Dylan and Angelo will be there as well. It will be too tiring for me to cook alone, so I invited more people since hotpot is easy to make in large portions." After a pause, he suddenly thought, "Are you busy the next few days? Our college opening performance will be excellent, you can come and listen."
"Bai Ai is going to start our global tour, so I"m a bit busy."
Qi Mu felt a bit lost. After exchanging a few more words, he pushed the cart to the counter to pay.
The sunset dyed Paris"s night sky a gorgeous rose red. Raising his hand to shield his eyes, Qi Mu gazed at the beautiful scenery. He couldn"t help but say, "What a beautiful day!"
… What beautiful day?!
Some people didn"t think so!!!
Some people had their conductor treat them to dinner in the lounge. And, what was their conductor doing?!
How could their conductor sit in the corner, sneakily enjoying his Chinese hotpot, while they had to chew on steaks with the smell permeating the air?!
What a good spicy smell!
They wanted to eat some, too!!!