King of Classical Music 140

The sun set slowly in the west, its round shape huge against the surrounding buildings. The sunlight cast a golden backdrop over the world, turning the man’s tall figure even hazier.

Most of Min Chen’s face was blocked by the black hat he was wearing. The shadow cast by the brim of the hat obscured his eyes, that were slightly squinted in a smile as he looked at the young man. Qi Mu stared back at him, stupefied. Reaching out, he took the youth’s right hand and slipped a bag into it, whispering, “Young gentleman, you forgot this, and… your boyfriend.”

……

When Qi Mu got into Min Chen’s car, he chuckled and played with the bag in his hands. “I didn’t expect you to come back so early. Isn’t your flight tomorrow? I was going to pick you up.”

With one hand gripping the steering wheel, the man said, “Well, it’s supposed to be tomorrow, but the performance in Huaxia went smoothly, so I left early.” After a pause, Min Chen added, “Zhu Wen Jun and Cheng Ting Wen asked me to bring you a message. They hope that you can grow quickly and don’t forget to go back to Huaxia.”

Hearing this, Qi Mu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, I’m planning to go back next month when the orchestra is on a holiday.”

Qi Mu then asked a few questions about the tour. The Palisade Theatre was close to Min Chen’s apartment, but the road was jammed with traffic. After driving for ten minutes, they could see the towering building’s silhouette but unfortunately, they wound up in another traffic jam.

Qi Mu looked at the long queue of vehicles and sighed. “Alright, subways are much faster than driving sometimes. I didn’t expect Vienna would have such a terrible traffic jam. I thought I could only see such wonderful scenes in Huaxia.” After a pause, Qi Mu suddenly remembered something. “By the way, what did you bring me?” 

As he spoke, Qi Mu raised the small black gift bag in his hand. The edge of the bag was outlined with silver thread and small crystals were inlaid every few centimeters. The bag’s texture was simple, yet luxurious, but was unmarked by a logo.

When Qi Mu first received it, he thought it was a gift the man bought from some shop. But when he opened the package, there were only two simple things inside… They looked like tube-shaped things made of wool. It could’ve been a scarf, but no scarf was that round. It could also have been a hat, but it wasn’t big enough. 

After thinking for quite a while, Qi Mu suddenly had an epiphany. “You bought me a wrist guard?!”

Min Chen: “…”

After a while, Min Chen said, “It’s gloves.” His voice was deep and dull, projecting his endless aggrieved emotions.

Qi Mu, on the other hand, was carefully observing the four attached tubes that looked like elk’s antlers. He failed to notice Min Chen’s tone. When he heard that they were gloves, he was stunned. “Min Chen, were you duped? How could they be gloves? There’s nowhere to put your hand!”

「……」

“You must have been cheated. How are they even packaged in such a high-end gift bag? They must have been very expensive, weren’t they? Why didn’t Daniel help you check them and let you buy such strange things?”

「……」

“Well, where did you buy them? If they’re expensive, then let’s return it. In fact, let’s return them right away… Uh…”

The black Porsche stopped in front of a red light. The moment the car stopped, the man in the driver’s seat leaned over and caught the youth’s lips in a kiss, completely swallowing his words.

The kiss came so suddenly and fiercely that Qi Mu didn’t have the time to react. When he returned to his senses, he was clinging to the man’s chest while Min Chen curled his arms around his back. The exchange was so heated and intense that the air inside got warmer.

Thanks to Vienna’s 80 second red lights, by the time Min Chen settled back in his seat and stepped on the accelerator again, Qi Mu’s cheeks were dyed red. He was in a daze. Of course, the most important thing was——

He stopped talking.

The car stopped downstairs in the basement carpark. In the well organized community, there were no strangers, so there were very few people walking in the streets. Qi Mu was about to unlock his seat belt and get out of the car when a warm hand covered his.

Looking up, Qi Mu encountered a deep and dark pair of eyes.

With a dull tone, Min Chen said, “They’re gloves.” After a slight pause, he added, “They’re a very, very good pair of wool gloves.”

Qi Mu, in a daze: “…?”

“They’re precious. They have crossed over three continents, passed two oceans, taken first-class flights, entered the conductor lounge of the world’s top concert hall and most importantly…”

Min Chen suddenly stopped and Qi Mu asked, “Most importantly?”

The man’s phoenix’s eyes drooped and Min Chen murmured, “…Nothing.”

Most importantly… I knitted them!

Qi Mu looked perplexedly at the man’s complicated expression. The two didn’t get out of the car. Min Chen took the gloves out of the gift bag and carefully put them on Qi Mu.

The gloves had three openings. The biggest one was on the wrist and the other two were for the fingers and the thumbs. The one for the left hand fit quite nicely, albeit a bit big, but that didn’t make much difference. But when Qi Mu tried the one for the right hand, the tip of his thumb got stuck.

Qi Mu’s fingers were slender and long, the fact that his thumb couldn’t slide into place meant that the person who made them was… extremely inept.

Min Chen, on the other hand, was still very enthusiastic with the gloves. Staring fixedly at the small hole, he tried to make it bigger with his fingers.

But how could a thin wool thread stretch so easily?

Min Chen gave up after trying for quite a while. Taking his hand, Qi Mu murmured, “These gloves… Did you make them yourself, Min Chen?”

The man placed so much value on the gloves that Qi Mu knew something was wrong. Despite being made of high-end, expensive materials, they were so poorly made, he could barely stand to look at them. He guessed that——

Min Chen made them himself?

Faced with the question, Min Chen’s hands froze. He shook his head softly. “Not me.” 

After a pause, he added, “Daniel.”

Daniel shot with rage, half the globe away: “…”

Seeing the man’s awkward response, Qi Mu was even more sure of his guess. If the man said he bought it, Qi Mu could still force himself to believe it a little.

…Although he didn’t think anyone would sell such ugly gloves that they couldn’t even wear.

But, Qi Mu wouldn’t believe that Daniel made them. Qi Mu once saw Daniel skillfully sew a button that fell off from a shirt. Coupled with his doubt that Min Chen would actually let him wear something that Daniel made…

It was absolutely impossible, alright!

But the guy was proud, so Qi Mu could only smile charmingly and say, “Mn. It wasn’t you, definitely not you.”

Min Chen, coaxed like a child: “…”

Although the gloves weren’t exactly wearable, Qi Mu still put them on, but——his fingers couldn’t go through the holes where they were supposed to go.

They took the elevator to the top floor. A TV in the elevator broadcasted the big event in Vienna.

Min Chen had just arrived in Vienna that afternoon, and he had been busy with the tour that he didn’t pay attention to what happened in Vienna. Seeing the names “Leon Zayev” and “Luo Yu Sen” on the screen, the man’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He remained silent.

Qi Mu looked at the screen casually, not bothering to pay attention to it.

Entering the apartment, they were instantly met with the warmth of the heater. Together, they took off their scarves and coats, standing before the coat rack as they hung their clothes. Their actions were fluid and natural, as if they’d done it countless times before.

“I was going to buy the groceries tomorrow, so there’s not much at home today. Is a simple dinner okay?”

“…Home?”

Min Chen’s voice was a little low so Qi Mu didn’t quite catch it. “Huh? What did you say?”

Min Chen swallowed his emotions and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Qi Mu didn’t mind it much. “Well, I’ll make something easy and quick. Do you want to help me…? Well, forget it. I want to eat Chinese food instead of Western tonight.”

Qi Mu wouldn’t sugarcoat his words when it came to the man’s ability to cook Chinese food.

Qi Mu turned around and stepped into the kitchen while Min Chen leaned against the doorway and quietly watched his beloved. With his thin lips slightly curled up in a smile, the man’s cold face appeared softer. He felt good.

Just now, Qi Mu said… Home.

Yes, it’s home.