The early morning by the Elbe River was accompanied by the whistle of ships.
Qi Mu folded his clothes and saw Audrey dusting a corner with a large feather duster as soon as he opened his door.
He took the duster and helped her clean the ceiling corner. "Auntie Audrey, you can leave this kind of thing to me. Please rest."
After yesterday"s opera, the orchestra was given a seven-day holiday, but early this morning, Farrell went to deal with some business, so only Qi Mu and Audrey were in the house.
The slightly chubby Audrey smiled at the young man"s well-mannered behavior and said, "Angel, you"re a kind child. I"ll leave the dusting to you. When Auston gets here, I"ll cook a large meal!"
Qi Mu smiled, "Then I"ll wait for your meal. . ." His smile froze, and he turned to her in surprise, "Wait, Mrs. Audrey. . . who"s coming?"
She replied, "Auston. He came early this morning to deliver a card. I don"t know what"s going on with this child, actually coming to deliver a card. I told him to come in and stay, but he refused. I have no idea where he is."
Qi Mu: “. . .”
Well, Qi Mu had a feeling he knew where the man was. . .
Probably, out buying gifts?
Last night, he did say he wanted to visit and deliver his card in advance, but Qi Mu didn"t expect. . . the guy to really do it as he"d said.
Qi Mu inexplicably felt his teeth ache.
The toothache later turned into speechlessness when he opened the door to a man wearing an indifferent expression.
Min Chen wore a formal, black, dress suit. Not one fit for a fancy dinner party, but just looking at him made people feel. . . he was a solemn, serious man.
Qi Mu took the gifts he"d brought and noticed the man had his hair combed back today. Neat and tidy, it showcased his forehead and intensified his presence even more.
Holding the high-end gift bag, Qi Mu asked, "Did you take medicine this morning?"
Min Chen was a bit stunned, "No."
Qi Mu frowned then sighed helplessly, "Sure enough, forgot to take medicine, ah. . ."
Min Chen: “. . .”
As Bai Ai"s chief conductor who lived by "exploiting" others, Min Chen had always left people in silent anger, and no one could make him admit defeat.
Min Chen narrowed his eyes and reached out. He touched Qi Mu"s jaw and startled the young man into stillness. Before he could react, Min Chen tilted forward and whispered in his ear, "If only you could remind me to take medicine every morning, that would be good. . ."
His face red, Qi Mu, who couldn"t steal the chicken yet lost his rice, coughed.
Fortunately, his embarra.s.sment didn"t last for long. Footsteps approached, and Min Chen immediately dropped his hand and straightened up again. Audrey, who had been in the kitchen, appeared, smiling widely.
"Oh, Auston! Long time no see. You"ve gotten even more handsome!" After giving him a big hug, Audrey turned to Qi Mu and asked curiously, "Hey, Angel? Why are you so flushed? Was the cleaning too tiring?"
". . ."
Qi Mu lifted his hand and covered his mouth. Coughing twice, he smiled, "No, Mrs. Audrey. I"m just. . . it"s a little hot."
Audrey nodded understandingly, "You"re right, Angel. Summer in Dresden is always hot."
Audrey opened the window for ventilation and went back to the kitchen. Qi Mu, on the other hand, picked up the feather duster again and continued cleaning the corner where he left off. But before he could get far, the tool was taken away.
Qi Mu looked at Min Chen in surprise, only to see the man had already rolled up his sleeves and was staring at the ceiling, dusting gracefully.
"I"ll do it, you take a rest."
Since the other party had offered, Qi Mu naturally wouldn’t refuse. He smiled and nodded, "Okay, I just cleaned these three rooms. Excluding the kitchen, there are four more. Mr. Farrell"s study. . . Well, that one"s terrible."
Min Chen, who just realized something was wrong: ". . ."
By the time Mr. Farrell returned, the three already sat at the table, waiting for him.
The rich dishes on the table were delicacies he only got to see during Christmas or Thanksgiving. He looked at Qi Mu and Min Chen with some jealousy and whispered, "Audrey is really playing favorites, making this many delicious meals only when you come."
Qi Mu just silently smiled, but Min Chen raised his eyebrows and asked, "So. . . are you blaming me?"
Farrell: ". . ."
The meal was peaceful and harmonious. Qi Mu spent his time bowing, fighting with the crab, and Audrey kept giving him and Min Chen vegetables. Farrell was so jealous his eyes almost turned green, but he could only watch his wife spoiling someone else.
After the meal was over, Qi Mu"s stomach felt like bulging he had eaten so much.
Farrell, whose eyes were red, stared at the man pleasantly chatting with Audrey and suddenly stood up. He said frankly: "Auston, are you really here just for a meal?"
Min Chen stopped talking and turned to Farrell, who was already out of breath. After a while, he sighed softly, "Farrell, I remembered there was a piano score in your study I liked very much. Let"s go see it together?"
Min Chen and Farrell soon disappeared into the study and Qi Mu, by virtue of his ears, found out the men had locked the door. He shook his head helplessly and didn"t probe. Before he could move, he saw Audrey looking at him.
"Auntie Audrey?" Qi Mu asked in doubt.
The amiable lady stared at Qi Mu with a gentle gaze and said, "Angel, Auston. . . really likes you, doesn"t he? I"ve never seen him looking so serious. Did you notice, he didn"t eat crab at all. All the crab he peeled was given to you."
Qi Mu was stunned.
He liked crab very much, so he didn’t pay attention to anything else while he ate. He didn"t notice Audrey nor did he notice Min Chen, who kept serving him along with her.
But, what"s even more surprising was. . .
"Auntie Audrey, did Mr. Farrell tell you. . . about my relationship Min Chen?"
Qi Mu smiled, then shook his head. He suddenly realized this question was wrong. They had only established their relationship last night, he hadn"t even told Farrell about it, so it was even more unlikely for the old man to tell his wife.
Audrey patted his shoulder and smiled, "Oh, Angel, I think this is the first time you"ve fallen in love. When you really fall for someone, there will be nothing else in your eyes. You will unconsciously enjoy their kindness, and you will also treat them well without realizing it."
"Angel, Auston, that boy, he looks at you with those eyes. . . and you do too."
Audrey started to clean up the table leaving Qi Mu with this sentence, and he sat there in a daze. After a while, he reached up to his eyes and muttered, "So. . . I was looking at you. . . with that kind of gaze?"
The sun outdoors arrogantly marched across the sky. And when it set in the west, it dyed the sky the shade of cherry-blossoms. It was around this time, the door to the study suddenly opened.
No one knew what Min Chen and Farrell talked about in the study, but when Qi Mu saw the two sitting on the sofa, Farrell had a smile on his face, and Min Chen was nodding along calmly.
When he saw Qi Mu coming, Farrell smiled at him, "Oh, Angel, have you packed yet? Don"t be late for tonight"s flight, Dresden"s planes never wait."
Qi Mu, who knew nothing: ". . . ?"
"What a pity, Angel. Though we"ve only lived together for a short month, I really want to live with you forever. But, you"re not my child, I can only be with you temporarily."
Farrell"s words grew even stranger, and the veins on Qi Mu"s temple faintly throbbed. He asked with a stiff smile, "Mr. Farrell. . . I don"t know what you are talking about?"
Farrell blinked in confusion, "Didn"t you already make an appointment with Auston last night to go to Berlin with him today? Don"t worry, Reed won"t be back from Turin for three days. So you still have three days to spend. Bai Ai is a good place. I don"t think Reed will have any objections with you visiting to learn."
". . ."
Qi Mu turned and looked at the man who sat calmly.
Inquiring, and killing the man, with his stare——
『When did I promise to go to Berlin?』
『. . . Right now?』
『. . .』
Don"t try comparing with someone who has a thick face. When they want something, they never care about their face!