The day after the a.s.sessment, Qi Mu went to Akkad"s room carrying his violin case as per usual.

The sun shone like a veil in the early autumn, lighting the narrow corridor like a golden palace.

Qi Mu came early, and no one was in the violin room. Only the sound of his footsteps filled the s.p.a.ce, breaking the silence.

When he arrived at the door, he raised his hand, but froze. He didn"t know why he hesitated. His hand stayed mid-air for a long time.

——He didn"t take out the key because, subconsciously, he thought that the old man would be waiting for him, like always.

The reality left Qi Mu disappointed. When he opened the door, Qi Mu saw Akkad standing before the score stand, his violin tucked between his neck and shoulder. With his right hand, he tuned the strings.

When the old man saw Qi Mu, he waved his hand and said, "You"re early, Seven. Come sit on the sofa and take a rest. I haven"t adjusted the strings yet."

Qi Mu felt awkward, and unsure how to respond. So, he obediently placed his violin case on the tea table and sat on the sofa——a position usually reserved for Akkad.

Akkad didn"t seem to notice his abnormality. He carefully and attentively tuned his violin. His gentle hand was like an iron cover, making the small, delicate violin look even more elegant against the backdrop.

The violin was light yellow in color, Qi Mu had seen it in one of Akkad"s performances. Her name was "Alice". Akkad bought it at a high price from a collector when he was in his fifties. It was said that Akkad went through a lot of trouble to obtain the violin; it had to be very important to him.

Like most of the Stradivari violins, Alice had a narrow top with a broad bottom and a flat, wide board. The thin panel provided it a clear, sweet timbre with vigorous volume.

"Alice" wasn"t only the name of this violin, Qi Mu also know for a fact that…

Akkad"s wife, who had died young, shared the name.

The violin held an extraordinary significance to Akkad. He would never bring it out, apart from some very important performances. But, right then… The maestro was carefully and attentively tuning it.

Qi Mu straightened his back in his seat.

"Once, I told you to play 《Infinity》 within 3 minutes and 40 seconds and you actually did it. I didn"t expect that." After finishing tuning all the four strings, Akkad tightened his bow and continued, "You"re the best child I"ve ever seen, Seven. And I believe that you could break that 30 seconds mark in the future."

Qi Mu didn"t act modest under the praise, but solemnly nodded. "I will try my best, Professor."

Akkad nodded, satisfied. "It"s good that you have the pa.s.sion. For a violinist, the skill is very important but that"s not the only thing. Last time in Vienna, Lance said that he isn"t as skilled as you are now, but… You"re a step below Lance Todd at his peak."

Qi Mu nodded matter-of-factly, then said, "Yes, professor. Compared to Mr. Lance, I think I"m… a lot worse."

"But, Lance reached his peak when he was 40. I think you might be able to reach his level earlier than that." Akkad"s tone had a trace of fatherly pride. He smiled and said, "I told you to practice many pieces, but it seems like… I haven"t played anything for you, have I?"

Qi Mu"s eyes widened. "Professor, you want to…"

"Play 《Infinity》 within 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Even ten years ago, I could barely do it. But now, I"m sorry to say, I"m unable to. Seven, I hope that one day… You can take my place, surpa.s.s me, and reach the realm I haven"t been able to."

In the quiet violin room, a bright and intense 《Infinity》 resounded. Every note was smooth, without any blemish. Even when it reached a dozen notes per second, Akkad still moved his fingers to press where they should.

He was a very old man, but those hands of his weren"t stiff at all. On the contrary, they played the piece smoothly.

Qi Mu watched Akkad as he played. It was hard to see his movements, but Qi Mu"s hearing told him he would finish in at least 3 minutes and 40 seconds!

When the difficult, neck-breaking piece ended, Qi Mu turned to the clock to check the time. His eyes widened. He blurted, "3 minutes and 33 seconds!"

At this, Akkad smiled smugly, then frowned. He shook his head and sighed, "I really, really, really am old, ah. 33 seconds! Oh, Seven, don"t be this slow in the future."

Qi Mu: "…"

Professor, if anyone else had heard you, you"d be attacked, ah!

Only half a year had pa.s.sed since Qi Mu came to the Paris" National Conservatory of Music. He remembered the first time they met, and how his mentor deliberately made things hard for him. He also remembered what it was like, strolling around Paris with the old man. But now…

It"s time for him to graduate.

After Akkad told Qi Mu to play 《La Campanella》 once more, he took Qi Mu"s graduation certificate from his score folder.

Akkad asked for the certificate from the dean the night before. The bright red ink looked soft to touch, but when Qi Mu touched the smooth paper, the thin graduation certificate seemed heavy.

Raising his head to look at the young man, Akkad smiled and said, "What are you doing? You"ve already graduated. You don"t have to come here anymore, you know!"

Qi Mu woke up from his trance and immediately replied, "Professor! There are still two months left in the semester. I can accompany you in Paris until the end of the year, and then…"

"What can you do with me? I"m just an old man. Europe is so big and Paris is just a small place. If you don"t want to go to Vienna yet, then go to Berlin and find Auston. Don"t waste your time with me here."

Akkad waved his hands impatiently, then added, "Oh yeah, Seven. I asked Lance to help find an apartment for you in Vienna the other day. You can go see it in a few days."

Stunned, Qi Mu hurriedly said, "But Professor, actually I…"

"No nothing, Little Seven. I know your thoughts. But for the next decade or two, I just want to find a quiet place to live out my life. And you have to work hard, you know!"

Qi Mu continued, "But professor, actually, for Vienna…"

"Little Seven, I understand your feelings. But… You have to work hard. Just send me the invitations for your concerts later and that will be enough for me."

"……"

"I"ve said this before a lot of times that I hope you will keep your relationship with Auston a secret until you"ve made some accomplishments. But now, I think there"s no need for that. You can handle it however you like."

"……"

"You must work hard in Vienna, got it?! You"re not allowed to get part-time jobs. Practice six hours a day, understand? I"m not pressuring you for nothing but no one can be great at something without practice. Do you think Auston can do what he did without practicing every day?"

"……"

"Little Seven… Why aren"t you saying anything?"

Letting out a long sigh, Qi Mu smiled helplessly, "Professor, what I wanted to say is… I have a house already in Vienna. So I don"t need Mr. Lance to worry about it."

Akkad: "……"

Under Akkad"s glare, Qi Mu grabbed his violin case and was mercilessly kicked out by the tsundere maestro.

Afterwards, Qi Mu could only knock on the door and call, "Professor, come to my house for dinner tonight."

After a lengthy pause, only a cold "Hmm" came in response.

That… meant he agreed, right?

Qi Mu chuckled and walked to the college"s orchestra.

When Qi Mu entered the rehearsal room Dylan specifically ordered him to find, he saw all the students who were supposed to be in cla.s.s filling the room, focusing on something.

All the members laughed at Qi Mu"s surprised expression. Then, before he could react, a happy, yet gentle, 《Farewell Symphony》 resounded.

The combination of the strings and woodwind melody was like a spring breeze caressing his face, putting Qi Mu in a trance.

This was the piece he led the orchestra with in their concert. It was soft, with a beautiful melody. In the fourth movement, at Kawaguchi"s smile, one student after another left their seats to give Qi Mu a big hug.

When the last note ended, Kawaguchi and Angelo stepped forward together, each giving Qi Mu a hug along with their heartfelt blessings.

Once they had finished giving their well wishes, Qi Mu turned around and saw nearly a hundred people from the orchestra smiling at him, even the instructor. Everyone was standing in their position, with one seat next to Angelo left empty.

"Seven! Congratulations…"

"Happy graduation!!!"

Qi Mu"s heart warmed, and he stood for a picture with the rest of the orchestra.

A group of people from the orchestra pulled at Qi Mu and said that they were going to work hard to have a chance to see him in the future. The girls with delicate minds were sad, but they kept a smile on their faces and sent blessings in Qi Mu"s way.

After saying goodbye to the orchestra members and having dinner with Akkad, Qi Mu packed up and boarded the plane to Vienna. Through the window, he looked at the city shrouded under the clouds…

Only the shadow of the Eiffel Tower confirmed that he flew over Paris.

Qi Mu lived there for eight months, during which he met a lot of interesting friends and improved his skills.

He met Reed Akkad, who was totally different from what he had expected, a teacher who was very good to him.

The eight months pa.s.sed very quickly. Zheng Wei Qiao had hoped that Qi Mu would return to Huaxia after his graduation, but… Qi Mu knew that it was time.

He quickly packed his things and went to Vienna. Taking the subway from the Vienna International Airport, he arrived at Min Chen"s house and stepped inside with the keys he was sent.

The house was frequently aired out, so Qi Mu only had to do a little clean up. After that, he didn"t take much time to rest. Instead, he took the subway to Lance"s house.

Qi Mu lived there for ten years in his last life, so he was much more familiar with Vienna than he was with Paris. When he breathed the air of Vienna, tinted with flowers in the breeze, he felt like he was home——

Vienna had been waiting for him for a long time.

Qi Mu had already visited the maestro"s house with Akkad, so it didn"t take long for him to gain permission to enter. Lance was happy to see him, giving the young man a hug and a smile as soon as he entered.

"Seven, the last time you came to Vienna, I didn"t think it would be long before your return, but. . . I didn"t expect it to be so soon!"

Lance personally poured a cup of warm water for Qi Mu, but the temperature in the room was so high, Qi Mu had to take off his coat. He politely took the cup as the old man went on, "I found you a place nearby, but Reed said you"ve already found a house. Is the traffic convenient?"

Qi Mu nodded. "It is. Thank you, Mr. Lance."

The old man nodded and added, "Well, since you"ve found a place, then I won"t bother you. You"ve just arrived, so you can take your time to get familiar with Vienna. I know that Palisade Theatre Orchestra will be looking for a concertmaster next month. The theatre orchestra is a bit small, but you"re also young. You can gain experience and grow from there, they"re very skilled."

Qi Mu knew the theatre. Opera houses and concert halls could be seen anywhere in Vienna, you could hardly take a few steps without seeing at least two of them.

The Palisade Theatre was regarded as second-tier amongst the theatre orchestras in Vienna.

The first-tier belonged to the Vienna National Opera House, a powerhouse. On the second-tier, there were five or six well-known orchestras, including the Palisade Theatre. Usually there would be several opera performances each week, accompanied by a special orchestra. Of course, there were also several cla.s.sical concerts, but those were fewer than the opera.

Akkad once said that Qi Mu was born at the best but the worst time.

In the last decade or two, practically every major orchestra was already logged. Their concertmasters were usually young. Even the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra changed their concertmaster to a young one seven or eight years earlier.

And Qi Mu had a very clear goal, not to become a soloist, but a violinist in an orchestra.

Therefore, Lance"s suggestion was very reasonable. He would start as the concertmaster of a small orchestra, acc.u.mulate experience, then find an opportunity to enter a major orchestra.

But… Qi Mu held a different opinion.

"I"m sorry, Mr. Lance. I had some thoughts for my future before I came to Vienna."

At this, Lance was taken aback. He asked, "Well, young people will have their own ideas. It"s good that way. Seven, if you don"t mind, can you tell me what you had in mind?"

The maestro really was good-tempered. Qi Mu was very grateful for what he did, but… he had his own plan.

Placing his cup on the tea table, Qi Mu looked up at him, his gaze serious. "Mr. Lance, I heard… There will be an audition for a deputy concertmaster the day after tomorrow?"

Qi Mu"s words shocked Lance to silence. Finally, he asked, "Seven, you mean… The audition for the Vienna Symphony Orchestra?"

Lance frowned. "Evra"s orchestra is really good but… There was an accident with his deputy concertmaster just last year. For this recruitment audition, the internal struggle within the orchestra will be even more intense. And you, as an outsider… I"m afraid it won"t be easy for you to enter their orchestra."

Smiling, Qi Mu said, "Mr. Lance, whether I will succeed or not… I would like to try."

Seeing the young man"s confidence, Lance nodded. "Well, you"re still young. It"s good to have such a drive. Then, Little Seven, go to the audition the day after tomorrow. Evra and your teacher are old friends. Although they won"t be easy on you, they won"t embarra.s.s you."

Qi Mu smiled again. After answering Lance"s concerns about his life in Vienna, they had dinner together. Their table was full of laughter. Being able to exchange experiences with such a gentle master was Qi Mu"s favorite part of the visit.

——Don"t tell Akkad that. If you do… Remember to say that he"s also good-tempered.

The moon was already high in the sky by the time Qi Mu left Lance"s house. Taking out his mobile phone, Qi Mu made a call to a man in Berlin. After a simple, "I"m in Vienna", he ended the call.

The cold moon shone over the street, bathing it with silver light. The young man"s back looked thin in the darkness. If a certain man had seen it, he might be angry that the youth hadn"t been eating well.

Qi Mu raised his head to look at the moon in the sky. He couldn"t help but chuckle.

This time… He was back for good.

He would attend the recruitment audition for the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

He would only feel relieved when he solved it all, personally.

Translator(s): Kuro

Editor(s): Empress

Proofer(s): Ayn