Evening fell as Qi Mu left the headquarters of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Carrying his violin case, Qi Mu easily found the nearest subway station and soon arrived downstairs at Lance"s house. He was very familiar with Vienna and already knew which turns he should take at each junction and which train he should get on.

When he arrived at Lance"s house, the amiable maestro was cooking. Seeing the old man expertly fishing a juicy steak from the pan, Qi Mu quickly took out a plate and helped serve it.

Lance smiled and the two soon set their dinner on the table.

At the end of their delicious dinner, Lance, ever the gentleman, politely wiped his lips with a white napkin.

If this was a meal with Akkad, Qi Mu was sure the table will be piled up with chocolates. If it was with Farrell, he would be questioned about his daily life with the maestro"s concern.

But unlike them, Lance was a gentleman who abided by conservative manners. He didn"t bring Qi Mu to his violin room until all the dishes on the table were cleaned up.

A violin was placed vertically in the tidy room. The window was opened, facing the street. Through it, he saw a charming view of Vienna.

"Little Seven, it"s been a while since I last heard your violin. The last time was at your concert in Paris."

Lance pulled a score stand to the center of the room and placed two pieces of music one on top of the other, saying, "You played 《E Minor》 and 《Devil"s Trills》 in this room last time. Although I"m not your teacher… I really want to hear what the pieces will sound like if you play them now."

Qi Mu looked at the scores on the stand, then smiled at Lance. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lance. I am honored to have the opportunity to play these pieces for you again."

The old man nodded.

Before long, a melodious and gentle 《Violin Concerto in E minor》 resounded in the small room.

The sound was soft, but the tone was cheerful and bright, Lance couldn"t help but smile and appreciate it.

When the piece was over, Qi Mu didn"t stop. Instead, he played a short pa.s.sage to link it directly to 《Devil"s Trills》.

The two pieces with distinctly different styles were connected so skillfully and naturally, it shocked the maestro.

When playing the pieces, Qi Mu didn"t even look at the scores.

Most musicians practiced for many days before their performance to ensure a good show and strengthen their memory.

But… There were always some exceptions. Min Chen, for example, didn"t even need to read the complete score, as his excellent ears memorized the sounds for him. Qi Mu, on the other hand, strengthened his memory by long-term procedural learning so he could memorize long scores. It was a habit he kept from his previous life.

If it was an obscure piece, he might need to look at the scores intermittently. But for widely spread pieces that had been engraved into his head like 《E Minor》 and 《Devil"s Trills》, he could play without trouble.

Once the performance ended, Lance praised him with a loud "Bravo". As the only audience, he expressed his appreciation with rigorous applause for the outstanding performer.

"I haven"t seen you for half a year. Listening to those pieces again, Little Seven… I"m really glad you"ve grown." The old man sat on the sofa and sighed, "When I listened to your music half a year ago, I felt a slight resentment behind it. But now, the only thing I can feel is… Well, joy."

The word "joy" shocked Qi Mu that he asked, "Master Lance, did you say… joy?"

Lance nodded and explained, "Little Seven, you have to believe that a person"s state of mind will change along with their experience. You from half a year ago and the you from right now are very different. For instance… Are you in love, Little Seven?"

Blush spread from Qi Mu"s cheeks to his ears, his whole face tinted pink. Qi Mu coughed awkwardly and whispered, "Mister… Mr. Lance. Why did you say that?"

It was so obvious, there was no need for him to answer. Lance had already figured it out. With a faint smile, he said, "You have a joy that only love could bring. Little Seven, I think… She must be a lovely lady, isn"t she? Did you meet her in Paris?"

Qi Mu: "…"

"Oh, Little Seven. Although I"m not your teacher, I"d be happy if you were willing to introduce your lovely little girlfriend to me."

Qi Mu: "…"

Min Chen was preparing to board a plane to London at Berlin"s Tegel Airport when his eyelids suddenly twitched.

Holding a small bag in his hand, Daniel asked, "Hey, Min. Why are you stopping all of a sudden?"

The "lovely little girlfriend" nodded then stepped on the plane in one smooth motion.

Countless stars shone in the dark sky. A silver plane flew from Berlin to London while a handsome young man stepped out of an apartment, violin case in hand.

Qi Mu was on the phone, hanging up after saying, "Send it tomorrow."

Before he could put away his phone, a text came from a certain man. There were only a few words on the screen, but he couldn"t stop himself from laughing——

Min Chen: 【I"m in London.】

Qi Mu strolled as he thought of a reply, then said: 【You"ve just arrived? The tour will start in a few days. Please rest early.】

After a pause, Qi Mu decided to send another text: 【I went to an orchestra"s recruitment audition today.】

After about five minutes, the other man didn"t reply but called his phone instead. Slightly surprised, it took Qi Mu a moment before pressing the answer b.u.t.ton. "Min Chen?"

It was noisy on the other end of the line. Qi Mu could hear multiple people chattering about where to have fun before turning in for the night. Daniel was shouting, "Oi, take your room cards first, you little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds." The man"s low and magnetic voice stood out against the background noise.

"Which orchestra?"

Qi Mu walked to the subway station"s entrance, his phone in hand. "The Vienna Symphony Orchestra. They"re recruiting for the deputy concertmaster, so I thought to give it a try. But… Guess what happened?"

Hearing this, Min Chen halted for a beat. Then, Qi Mu heard him walking, and the background noise started to fade. Min Chen gently sighed, then said, "You got first place."

The bleak autumn wind blew into the subway and Qi Mu couldn"t help but tightened his coat. He smiled helplessly and said, "You guessed it. Mr. Evra, their chief conductor, admitted that I"m the best among the applicants but it didn"t help me much."

Qi Mu swiped his subway pa.s.s card, while the man on the other end of the line hesitated. Finally, he asked, "You didn"t want to go there?"

Qi Mu shook his head. "I want to… The others had no opinion on it, but Mr. Evra declined my offer." Thinking of how helpless he looked onstage, Qi Mu squinted. He paused, then added oil and vinegar to the story, "Mr. Evra said he would never hire me as their deputy concertmaster. Well, I was very sad about it. Now is when you should comfort me."

Min Chen froze."…"

Qi Mu couldn"t hold back his laughter. "Well, I lied to you. Mr. Evra thinks that I"ve surpa.s.sed their concertmaster, Jacques. The orchestra couldn"t hire a deputy concertmaster who"s better than the concertmaster. I"m not particularly obsessed with getting into the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, anyway, so it"s no big deal…"

"Don"t be sad."

Qi Mu"s words halted on his tongue. Stunned for a long while, he was still in a stupor when a subway train pa.s.sed in front of him. After a long time, he asked in a low voice, "Was I sad?"

Min Chen"s low and magnetic voice came through the speaker, "You were."

Staring at the bright lights in the subway station, Qi Mu asked, seemingly to himself, "Was I really… sad?"

What Akkad said was true. In this "worst" era, an outstanding violinist would always meet the biggest problem in their life; they were too excellent. In this era, perhaps more ordinary people would have it easier. When Evra rejected him, Qi Mu accepted it with a smile. Though he realized that… His future was uncertain.

As Evra said, an orchestra doesn"t need a deputy concertmaster who surpa.s.ses the concertmaster. Even in Paris, when Hooke wanted to invite him to join the New York Philharmonic, Boswell vetoed the proposal, as he regretfully informed Qi Mu afterward.

Excellence had become a hindrance. It was as if there was a huge, boundless wall stretching out in front of Qi Mu. He didn"t know how to overcome it.

"Things will get better, Qi Mu." Min Chen"s sigh resounded in Qi Mu"s ear. "Soon, you will get your chance. I believe… The time will come very soon."

The last few words made Qi Mu asked, "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering his question, Min Chen said, "Dorenza is also in Vienna these days. He talked to me about you the other day. Wei Ai"s tour this year will be postponed for two months because their deputy concertmaster will retire soon."

Qi Mu"s eyes widened in shock. It took him a long time to say, "Is it Mr. Anthony? I don"t know at all…"

A smile in his voice, Min Chen whispered, "Dorenza told me in private. It should be… in the next six months."

Walking to the next lane, Qi Mu leaned against the wall and whispered, "Do you think I can get into Wei Ai?"

Min Chen didn"t deny, just replied with a soft hum.

The roaring sounds of the subway drowned the young man"s whisper. Qi Mu"s smile didn"t fade until he arrived at his station, even after hanging up the phone. With his violin case in hand, he stepped into his apartment.

He felt lost, just for a moment…

Strength, after all, was the best protection in the world of cla.s.sical music.

In London, a handsome, elegant man slowly put down his phone. He looked out the window, over the bustling nightlife. His gaze was pointed east——The direction of Vienna.

Did he want his beloved to go to Wei Ai?

Yes, but not as the deputy concertmaster.

As…

The concertmaster.

Translator(s): Kuro

Editor(s): Empress

Proofer(s): Dark