King of Classical Music 173

The white clouds floating in the blue sky and Berlin’s cold weather gradually dissipated by the beginning of February and the humidity and warmth that only belongs to the spring are slowly returning to this land.

The Rhine River was sparkling beautifully under the sunlight and the Bai Ai’s headquarters which was located by the river had its reflection cast on the water, making the building seem warmer, somehow. 

Like Wei Ai, Bai Ai also had various small and large scales performance all over Europe in the first half of the year, which was also an important period of work for them. In early January, they decided on the cities and related performances for this year and right now, they’re in hard rehearsal mode. 

The spacious and concise rehearsal hall was still maintaining the Bauhaus style of interior design, a classic for Bai Ai. A magnificent melody reverberated for a long time throughout the rehearsal hall.

On the stage, the conductor’s right hand suddenly halted and the sound of the trombone also stopped, following the movement. The conductor’s left hand raised gently and the beautiful melody of the violin immediately followed.

When Qi Mu arrived at Bai Ai’s rehearsal hall, he could hear Beethoven’s《Destiny Symphony》 being played with both emotion and momentum.

A man stood tall in the center of the stage like a poplar tree, like the emperor in a palace. His imposing demeanor guided this majestic orchestra called “Bai Ai” in this 《Destiny》.

The music climbed higher, and the emotions burned hotter. When it finally reached its peak, it slowly fades, like a warrior who is struggling to strike at the end of fate, riding on the song of victory at the dawn of hope. This intense and gradually gentling melody expressed total joy.

A song like 《Destiny Symphony》, Bai Ai had rehearsed countless times and all the members cooperated harmoniously. Even the emotions climbed to the precipice under the leadership of their conductor.

Faced with such a majestic 《Destiny》, Qi Mu applauded.

The crisp applause filled the quiet concert hall, and it was only then did someone notice his arrival. Christole looked at the young man standing in the doorway of the hall in surprise and beside him was Min Chen, who was the last one to see Qi Mu.

Since his back was to the audience, Min Chen turned around, and finally found the young man who had suddenly visited.

His narrow eyes widened, and he quickly said, “Christole, guide the next rehearsal.” Then he stepped off the stage and walked over to the young man he hadn’t seen in many days.

Qi Mu smiled and opened his mouth to say, “That 《Destiny》 just now was excellent,” but just as the words “just now” fell from his lips, the man wrapped a firm arm around his waist, and he was hauled out of the room like a kidnapping.

Qi Mu was dragged along the entire way and didn’t understand what was happening until he was pulled into Min Chen’s conductor lounge. He wanted to ask, but he heard a loud “bang——” as the door slammed shut, and he was pulled into a tight hug.

The man’s powerful arms wrapped tight around Qi Mu’s waist, and he buried his face in Qi Mu’s shoulder, breathing out heavily. Qi Mu was too surprised to react at first, then he stretched out his arms and hugged him back. He smiled helplessly, “You scared me, I thought something serious happened.”

The man’s voice rang dull in his ear, “Something serious did happen. We… haven’t met for 43 days.”

Qi Mu was still reeling from that revelation when Min Chen loosed his hold on the violinist’s waist, and looked down at his beloved.

The next second, Qi Mu raised his head to kiss him, and Min Chen deepened it. The taste of each other felt strange, but at the soft feeling of their lover’s touch, the familiarity and longing buried deep in their hearts could no longer resist overflowing.Pressing the younger man against the cold wooden door, Min Chen gently but hurriedly kissed his lips. The movement between their lips and tongues was rhythmic, ambiguous, and lingering. In the small space, the temperature rose. When Qi Mu pulled back, his cheeks were flushed and he gasped hard for breath. Pressing their foreheads together, Min Chen whispered, “You came to Berlin, why didn’t you tell me?” “I wanted to do the same you used to do… it’s a surprise for you.” The man was speechless for a moment, then finally sighed and said, “As long as I can see you, it’s the biggest surprise. Wei Ai’s tour rehearsal should’ve started. When will you go back to Vienna?” Qi Mu breathed slowly, his arm still holding Min Chen’s waist. At the time, he slightly leaned back against the smooth panel of the door. Looking up at Min Chen with a smile, he said, “The flight is at just past 6 in the evening, and the rehearsal will continue tomorrow. I came to Berlin today because of something.” Stunned, Min Chen asked, “What’s the matter?” “I’m with Mr. Tuckerman. We came to Berlin to invite a musician.” Then, Qi Mu gave a full account of his purpose for coming to Berlin.Dorenza and the others hoped that Wei Ai could make some breakthroughs in their tour around Europe, but it was better not to change the orchestra’s most essential music style. This problem had haunted them for a long time, but Qi Mu found a trace of abnormality from Wei Ai’s performance materials in recent years.

So at the time, Qi Mu suggested to Mr. Dorenza, “Mr. Dorenza, why can’t we invite a pianist with a rigorous style but more inclined towards classical Romanticism to add color to our tour? I found that in the past three years, Wei Ai rarely cooperated with other pianists who weren’t from Austria, but I think we can invite a pianist to play with the orchestra and make this tour a tour of piano concertos.”  

When Mr. Dorenza heard the word “piano”, he opened his eyes wide in surprise. After listening to Qi Mu, he immediately nodded and said, “Good! We haven’t invited pianists to cooperate with the orchestra for a long time. It seems that Zayev, that bastard, once had a bad time with some pianist? God, how many disgusting things did that bastard do that I’m only finding out about them now? Okay, Little Seven, thank you for your advice. I think I already know how to do it. So all we need is… Which pianist should we invite?”

……

After listening to the youth’s narration, Min Chen calmly closed his eyes and asked in a low voice, “You came to invite me?” 

Qi Mu: “…” Qi Mu was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, “How could we invite you? You’re not qualified to be on our invitation list.” 

Min Chen: “…” Seeing the man’s face practically screaming, “I want to be on the candidate list, I want to be on the candidate list!” Qi Mu couldn’t help but laugh. He said, “Okay, okay. Your style is very similar to what we want. If you can be our concerto pianist, it would be the best option. But, Min Chen, don’t forget… You are Bai Ai’s conductor and resident pianist. If you cooperate with us, who will lead Bai Ai on the first half of this year’s European tour?”

Min Chen: “…” After a while, he asked, “I’m more suitable than that guy?”

Stunned for a long time, Qi Mu understood who “that guy” was. Punching the shameless man’s chest with tears and laughter, he nodded and said, “Yes, yes, you are more suitable than him, alright?” After hearing this, the handsome, elegant man was satisfied. Then, he said, “Since you’re going to invite him this afternoon, I can go with you. I’m familiar with Berlin, and I can drive you and Mr. Tuckerman.” Min Chen and Mr. Dorenza were close friends, so he occasionally visited Wei Ai and was familiar with Wei Ai’s orchestra agent, Tuckerman. Hearing this, Qi Mu agreed. “Well, Mr. Tuckerman should be waiting for me in the coffee shop near Bai Ai. I originally planned to leave after meeting you. That’s okay.  Let’s go together.”After getting the chance to go along with the youth for half a day, Min Chen calmly curled his lips into an imperceptible smile. As he and Qi Mu walked downstairs, he said, “You still have a lot of weight in Berlin. That master is also a famous pianist. If you are there, she may be more likely to agree to our tour. You know, it’s not easy to tour around Europe.” 

Hearing this, Min Chen suddenly remembered, “Who are you going to invite?” 

Qi Mu subconsciously replied, “Master Julie Adlitt.” 

Min Chen: “…” The man stopped for a moment and didn’t go any further. Qi Mu turned his head in surprise and asked, “What’s the matter?”In the warm, bright sunshine, a rare crack appeared on Min Chen’s cool, calm face. His voice solemnly said, “…I’m sorry. I’ll take you to the intersection and… You go find Julie Adlitt yourself.” Qi Mu: “…You know her.” It was an affirmative sentence. Min Chen: “I don’t know!” Qi Mu: “….You know her!” 

A little guilty, Min Chen: “….A little bit. I don’t know.”  

Of course, the young man wasn’t worried about what the man had to do with a 50-year-old pianist… Cough, cough, that would be an abnormal relationship. But, he was very curious about what made the always-calm guy become so surprised suddenly and panic?

A few days earlier, a female member of Wei Ai and her husband lost their tempers on the phone. Qi Mu pretended to be sad and spoke with a bad heart, “You can’t tell me? So you still have things you can’t tell me. Min Chen, you really let me down. I never thought it could happen…” “Julie Adlitt is a big fan of mine.” Qi Mu, who didn’t expect this answer at all: “…” 

Looking uncomfortable, Min Chen glanced back and said, “She’s a… crazy, crazy fan.” 

Qi Mu: “…”