King of Classical Music 107

Now that Min Chen had arrived, Daniel had no reason to hang around. Before he escaped, Qi Mu asked what he wanted to talk to him about.

Daniel patted his thigh and scratched his head. “Little Angel, I just wanted to tell you that while this guy has all kinds of shortcomings, he’s good at heart. Don’t be deceived by his looks, he’s really a fantastic guy!”

Qi Mu: “…”

Was that how you used that saying? (Don’t be deceived by his looks.)

The man in question spared him a glance, “Cleaning up the aftermath? A little too late.”

Daniel: “…I really wanted to say that! I brought him out here just to say good things!”

“Oh,” Min Chen replied, indifferent, “Yet you said I’m the devil?”

Daniel: “…”

I can’t argue with that, ah!

Even if he jumped into the Rhine River, Daniel wouldn’t be free of this injustice!

The orchestra continued its rehearsal that afternoon, and it wasn’t good to disturb them. So Min Chen didn’t take Qi Mu back in, and Qi Mu had no complaints. But, he didn’t know…

Bai Ai’s rehearsal hall was silent as a cemetery. Everyone, minus Christole, was lifeless, their expressions screamed——

It’s so painful! I don’t want to live anymore.

Qi Mu couldn’t possibly go back. If he did, he would drown in their tears.

Therefore, Min Chen took Qi Mu to explore Bai Ai’s headquarters for the afternoon. Qi Mu really enjoyed his time at the world’s top orchestra’s HQ.

Unlike the Vienna headquarters, which was more traditional, Bai Ai’s was modernized.

His gaze swept along the smooth, black and white curves of the architecture. He spotted a collection room of records and his gaze widened.

“The records here can’t be listened to, to prevent them from being damaged.” Min Chen stood in front of the glass cabinet with a smile on his face, “But there are some CDs you can borrow whenever.”

A little dazed, Qi Mu asked, “Really?”

Min Chen replied calmly, “Really.”

When they left the building, Qi Mu held a small bag in his right hand. The CDs inside tinkled quietly, in harmony with his steps.

Since Berlin was Min Chen’s home, he took his responsibility of showing Qi Mu around very seriously. He even brought him to a private restaurant on Friedrichstraße for a meal.

Qi Mu wasn’t a foodie—for him, any meat dish not from Chinese cuisine was more or less the same.

However, he never imagined German food would be so heavy. Most of the dishes on the menu were meat dishes. Though he preferred meat, even he would tire of it.

So, once they left the restaurant, he hesitated for a while before finally asking, “…Is there a supermarket nearby?”

Min Chen: “?”

The young man let out a quiet sigh, his expression conflicted. “I want to buy some ingredients. Once we get to the hotel, I’ll ask to borrow the kitchen and make supper.”

At the word “hotel,” a teasing expression flashed through Min Chen’s eyes but he promptly shook his head. He asked, “You’re still hungry?”  After a pause, he added, “Would Yang Chun Noodles be fine?”

Qi Mu’s eyes lit up. “You have Yang Chun Noodles?”

Rare to see him so excited, Min Chen couldn’t help but gaze at him. After another pause, he nodded. “Yes.”

In the end, what happened that night was: the two left behind a table full of barely touched food in a high-end German restaurant and, under Min Chen’s lead, found a small, inconspicuous Chinese restaurant and ordered two bowls of Yang Chun Noodles.

Because they were fellow countrymen, the owner gave them two extra eggs. Qi Mu ate happily.

After they got in the car, Qi Mu took out a CD and looked it over. It was from a New Year’s concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra eight years earlier. Qi Mu had been on a tour with Vienna Symphony Orchestra at that time, so he didn’t get to attend.

Qi Mu rarely got to attend Wei Ai’s New Year’s concert. So, he borrowed several rare recordings that he hadn’t had a chance to buy and planned to listen to them once he got back.

The faint yellow light of the street lamps intermittently illuminated the youth’s handsome face as the car passed them by. Qi Mu gently stroked the CDs, completely focused on them. No one spoke, but the silence wasn’t awkward.

The traffic light turned red, and the car slowed to a halt. Woken from his reverie, Qi Mu looked at the man beside him.

This sudden stop made him realize something. This red light… was the first one they encountered since the car started, wasn’t it?!

As if hearing his thought, Min Chen turned to Qi Mu, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. With a smile in his deep eyes, he said, “I have good luck, I rarely encounter red lights.”

Qi Mu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Yes, I can see that,” he said, turning to watch Berlin’s brilliant nighttime scenery. Suddenly, he remembered something. “Right, I forgot to ask if you booked a hotel. Did you?”

Min Chen stiffened but returned to normal a moment later. The red light turned green, and he stepped on the gas pedal, replying, “It’s peak season, getting a hotel room is quite difficult. I asked Daniel to deal with it last night and he said there were no vacancies.”

Qi Mu stared at him blankly. “Not even one?”

Min Chen nodded solemnly. “Yes, not even one.”

Qi Mu frowned. Helplessly, he said, “Incredible, not even one… Last night, I thought since Berlin is so big, there would be no problem in booking a hotel. I didn’t expect even Daniel couldn’t find one.”

Qi Mu believed in Daniel’s ability since the man wouldn’t have been able to stay Bai Ai’s manager for more than a decade if he wasn’t capable. His extensive network of connections covered all of Europe.

Min Chen shook his head. “He’s turned stupid lately.”

Qi Mu: “…”

Daniel, chewing a lovely steak at home: “Achoo! …Who’s saying bad things about me?”

The city’s bright lights dyed the night sky a magnificent rose-red. In contrast to this man-made illumination, the moon was quite dull. It just hung quietly in the sky, its glow gentle and soothing.

Since no hotel had free rooms, Qi Mu naturally followed Min Chen to his apartment in the center of Berlin.

Seeing Min Chen bring his luggage from the garage, Qi Mu had an epiphany. He asked, “Don’t tell me… You knew I was going to stay here tonight, so you left my luggage here this afternoon?”

Min Chen froze for a moment but returned to normal before Qi Mu could react.

He shook his head then turned to look into the young man’s suspicious eyes. “This afternoon, I asked Daniel to look again. Qi Mu… I’m not God, how could I have known?”

After thinking about it, Qi Mu felt this was reasonable. Anyway, he would stay in the guest room. As far as he knew, the layout of this apartment should be the same as the ones in B City and Vienna. It would definitely have two guest rooms, what’s a big deal?

So, when he saw the apartment wasn’t even 100 m², he stopped at the door and stared in shock. Finally, he asked, “This one… isn’t two-stories?”

Min Chen nodded matter-of-factly. A smile could be heard in his voice as he said, “Well, no.”

Qi Mu: “…”

A clean, spacious living room occupied the majority of the room in the apartment. When, Qi Mu saw a lone 9ft Steinway piano in a smaller room, he seemed to realize something and his heart skipped a beat.

“…Do you have a guest room?”

Min Chen shook his head regretfully. “A pity but no.”

Qi Mu: “…”

After a while, he asked again, “Then… how many bedrooms?”

Min Chen sighed, even more regretfully. “I live alone.”

Qi Mu: “…”

After looking around the apartment and confirming there really was just one bedroom, Qi Mu could only spread his hands helplessly. He looked at the tall man who couldn’t quite conceal his smile and asked, “Min Chen, do you know… basic Chinese hospitality?”

This took Min Chen by surprise, and a bad feeling appeared in his heart. Raising his eyebrows, he said, “Yes?”

“I can see your sofa is quite large…” Qi Mu continued meaningfully.

Min Chen: “…I guess?”

“And your living room is big, much more spacious than the bedroom, ah…”

Min Chen: “…”

“I think this sofa is perfect for you…”

Min Chen: “…I’m sleeping on the couch?”

Seeing the man’s expression screaming, “I don’t want to sleep on the sofa, don’t make me sleep on the sofa, okay?”, Qi Mu finally couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Sighing, he said, “I’ll sleep on the sofa. It’s big, it shouldn’t be a problem. I hope I’ll be able to find a hotel room tomorrow.”

As the young man moved towards the sofa, Min Chen frowned and reached out to stop him.

Surprised, Qi Mu turned to look at him. The other man hesitated for a while, before finally asking, “…You really don’t want to sleep in the bedroom?”

“If I sleep in the bedroom, where will you sleep?”

Min Chen: “…”

In the bedroom as well…

After a long silence, the handsome man let out a quiet sigh. Admitting defeat, he said, “Let’s go—my apartment is next door.”

Qi Mu: “…What?”

Min Chen: “This is my piano room.”

Qi Mu: “…………………………”