Once Qi Mu entered the backstage, he saw Sheng Yan Hui who had waited there for a while. In just a glance, he noticed that the fire in his eyes had faded. Despite the audience in the hall behind him having ended long ago, Sheng Yan Hui was still clapping.

Qi Mu didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, “I don’t want to play another Encore. You don’t have to keep applauding.”

Who would expect that just as he finished speaking, the other man’s applause warmed, touched with a quality of “I just don’t want to stop.”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

Sheng Yan Hui was sincere with his applause. The moment he heard《E Minor》 instead of 《Tzigane》, he understood Qi Mu’s intention——

Qi Mu was trying to ease the tangle in his heart.

Sheng Yan Hui was supposed to depart for Munich with Professor Karl a few days ago, but the day before their departure, the professor went to him and said, “Victor, you shouldn’t go with me now. Ever since I told you that Qi Mu deliberately let you win, your violin has been timid and weak. You need to be confident!”

Professor Karl’s words had given him the stupid idea to “wreck the event.”

Truthfully, Sheng Yan Hui still held rejection in his heart. After all, Qi Mu did not have to comply. If he had refused to compete with him, it was inexcusable and there was nothing he could say about it. But, Qi Mu had actually agreed, and. . . he especially played 《E Minor》.

He was untying the knot in Sheng Yan Hui’s heart for him!

Before, the worst possible situation Sheng Yan Hui could come up with was that everyone would think that Qi Mu was better than him, and he would thoroughly lose to Qi Mu. But, to his great surprise, the repeated Encore applause left him feeling as though there was nothing to compare to this youth.

He was no longer an opponent, so it was useless to mention who won or lost.

Sheng Yan Hui wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not.

Although Qi Mu felt that Sheng Yan Hui was somewhat silly and cute, the matter in his heart was still important. He slowly smiled and looked at the other seriously.

Obviously, Sheng Yan Hui was a few years older than Qi Mu, but when he spoke, Sheng Yan Hui inexplicably felt as if he was “being educated by an elder.”

“Sheng Yan Hui, now. . . do you think you can put the matter to rest?”

The next musician exited the backstage, and Sheng Yan Hui lowered his hands that had kept clapping for some time. He solemnly nodded, “I was not convinced before. Why on earth did you let me win? It made me feel that I was not strong enough. The one who should go to Munich is you, not me, and that kept me from working hard enough. I only managed to find Professor Karl to accept me at 24 years old, and this is my, Sheng Yan Hui’s, road. And you, Qi Mu, I don’t know what kind of mentor you will find, or what kind of future you will have. But that is your choice, and that is also where our paths differ.”

Qi Mu nodded, wearing a smile, and signaled for him to continue.

“Regardless of how it will go now, I will not abandon my goal or my dream. I want to be the best violinist in the world. I want to be the only king of cla.s.sical music. I will never lose my way again. And for that. . . I really want to thank you.”

Qi Mu felt that his words were a bit wrong. He frowned and pointed sideways at a man sitting in the middle of the audience, then whispered, “You mean. . . you want to beat him?”

Originally, Qi Mu thought Sheng Yan Hui was joking. Who would expect that this would nod seriously, “Yes, I want to beat him. Even if I can’t defeat him now, I will defeat him in the future!”

“. . .”

Qi Mu was silent for a long while then he asked, “Are you looking to switch to the piano or to conducting? Ah, right, composing too. Do you intend to focus on song composition in the future?”

Sheng Yan Hui, who was holding a violin case: “. . .”

Qi Mu burst into laughter. He looked at this bear child whose eyes had swirled into mosquito coils and smiled, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I heard that Min Chen studied the violin for several years as a child. If you want to beat him on the violin. . . well, I think it won’t take too long. Maybe you could even go to battle now.” Youths were always getting angry and never letting it go.

Sheng Yan Hui: “. . .”

Seeing that Sheng Yan Hui was depressed and not responding, Qi Mu no longer teased him. He gently set his violin in its case and placed it in a temporary safe. Qi Mu swung the key around his finger and looked at Sheng Yan Hui, “Let’s go to the hall together?”

Sheng Yan Hui nodded slightly. In front of this younger man, he didn’t even have the advantage of being older.

They walked toward the hall side by side. Qi Mu’s seat was on the east side while Sheng Yan Hui’s in the south. When they were about to separate, Qi Mu hadn’t turned away yet when he heard Sheng Yan Hui whisper, “Then Qi Mu. . . my goal will be to beat you.”

“. . .”

After a while, Qi Mu wore a helpless smile. He didn’t even say anything and suddenly became someone’s target for defeat. But, after thinking about it for a while, Qi Mu suddenly realized that Sheng Yan Hui actually put him and Min Chen on the same level, and he couldn’t help but have a bit of fun.

He thought a little and asked, “How do you want to beat me?”

Sheng Yan Hui did not think that he would be asked about this. He was a bit stunned. It took him a while, but he tentatively answered, “Let’s compete to see. . . who will have their global tour first?”

Qi Mu helplessly said, “This is going to disappoint you, but I don’t want to be a solo violinist in the foreseeable future. I want to concentrate on being an orchestra’s. . . violinist.” Qi Mu swapped the word “concertmaster” to “violinist.” He didn’t want to blatantly display his ambition.

Qi Mu’s answer made Sheng Yan Hui’s hair turn grey. After a while, he said, “Then we can compete to see who will enter the world stage first? Either Vienna Concert Hall or Milan’s Teatro Alla Scala Opera House. . . or something like that.”

Watching Sheng Yan Hui’s serious expression, Qi Mu looked around and said, “I think I can do all that, but. . . why should I compete with you?” Having said that, he grinned, revealing his white teeth.

Sheng Yan Hui: “. . .”

This was probably a case of being disillusioned from the ideal goal he had just established for himself.

Of course, now Qi Mu had absolutely no idea that when he met Sheng Yan Hui in Europe many years later, he had left him with a “psychological shadow.” How deep was this shadow?

Even the Pacific Ocean was not deep enough!

At the moment, Qi Mu didn’t think much about it. He quickly went to his seat after saying goodbye. The harpist on stage was just ending their performance as he sat down, so he clapped gently.

He hadn’t even taken a proper seat yet when Du Sheng whispered to him, “Xiao Qi, ah, if you told me you wanted to compete with Sheng Yan Hui, I would have publicized it for you.”

Qi Mu was a bit startled, “What did you say, Du-ge?”

“Haha, it’s nothing. That Sheng Yan Hui kid, too, didn’t say anything about this until the last minute. It’s really not good. We Chinese musicians are all simple children. Where can there be such dirty tricks? Must be that big beard from Munish teaching him!”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

I guess you’re right.

Qi Mu didn’t say anything more. This episode in the middle of the concert seemed to be a catalyst that made the atmosphere harmonious. When Du Sheng and his friends performed, the warm applause they received almost collapsed the roof.

The four performers were famous musicians in B City. They often formed a band for indoor concerts and, this time, they performed well enough that the audience had them give three Encores before the end.

One reason for that is truly due to the great performance of these elders. Another was the audience giving them face and deliberately putting them at ease. But, in all, the concert had ended and it came to a successful conclusion.

For a city-level indoor concert, even if they did invite several musicians from all over the country, the effect was beyond everyone’s imagination. The audience experienced two high-tides and each was unforgettable.

One was Qi Mu’s 《E Minor》 and 《Tzigane Rhapsody》. This young man was only in his early 20’s so the professional musicians, the public figure and the music critics couldn’t help but applaud and ask for an Encore——he truly deserved it.

The other one was Du Sheng and his friends’ performance. Years of performing and practicing together made their music harmonious. Even Min Chen, who was a strong critic on sound, applauded earnestly in the end and gave his praise.

This was a grand concert!

It couldn’t be looked down upon just because of its small venue.

At the end of the event, many people still laughed with each other, sharing their thoughts with those around them. Dressed formally in suits and dresses, the audience filed out the door in harmony.

Probably due to Chinese etiquette, but this was the first time Qi Mu had to stand at the doorway and talk to the guests before sending them off. In Europe, when they were finished, everyone would directly leave. This time, as the organizer, Tan Lao and Du Sheng used Qi Mu as labor——

Even just standing at the door, letting the wind blow his hair, he could make a debut and show that this B City’s Symphony Orchestra didn’t have a low face!

“You are our face!”

——Du Sheng, who had just learned new words from his daughter, teased him.

The mascot Xiao Qi: “. . .”

Translator(s): Kuro

Notes

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