King of Classical Music 56

Paris, France’s capital, was famous for being the world’s most romantic capital.

This beautiful western city, like many of Europe’s cities, had tall skyscrapers. From above, the city was built in rings, each carefully planned building part of this circle of rose and thorns, surrounding the Arc de Triomphe at the center.

After arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Qi Mu took a taxi directly to the National Conservatory of Music.

Before, when he’d come to France with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, he had visited Paris many times, but if he was left alone in the city, he would get lost.

A handsome young man with dark hair and eyes was eye-catching at the Conservatory.

Several students laying on the lawn saw an Asian youth carrying a violin case and luggage, and they were eager to come up and show him the way. Soon, he found the university building.

To call it a building was too exaggerated. The three-story facility was made of creamy white marble and surrounded by a beautiful green lawn decorated sparsely with white.

Once he was through the doors, Qi Mu registered quickly. Due to the late hour, he went to an apartment arranged with the help of the school. The conservatory generally didn’t provide accommodations, but they would often help students in need find places to rent.

Qi Mu’s apartment was a little smaller than the one in B City. Its kitchen could only accommodate two people, but it was overall quiet and clean. Most of the previous residents were probably music students as a separate study had been opened in the apartment and could be used as a music room.

It took an hour to unpack the luggage he had brought with him and once everything was tidied up, went to stand by the quaint, delicately-patterned window and pushed it open.

A spring breeze off the Pacific Ocean brushed aside the fine black hairs against his forehead. Paris had a temperate climate, and while it was further north than B City, March was warm, and a simple coat was more than enough.

“So. . . I really am back, ah. . .”

He glanced down at the pedestrians coming and going on the street below, then the European architecture around him, the flow of the crowd, and it felt like he had returned home to Vienna——

All that it was missing was the statues of master musicians that were unique to the music capital.

Qi Mu chuckled. He shook his head and left the window open for ventilation then went back to work.

Once night fell and the stars were bright in the sky, moonlight shone down on the sleeping city and Qi Mu’s first day in Paris was spent busy running around.

The next morning, Qi Mu brushed his hair, grabbed his violin case and cellphone, then hurried off to the conservatory.

The staff that sent him off to the apartment yesterday had said the violin department was holding a special admission exam for him at nine o’clock.

In Huaxia’s terminology, this was called special treatment, or. . . entering through the back door.

Although the university didn’t have a precedent for accepting a student months after the start of the year, Professor Akkad had insisted, and they naturally could not refute.

Therefore, when Qi Mu entered the building, after only a few steps, a teacher led him to an empty classroom. There should have been no tables or chairs, but literally in the center of the room, on a smooth desk, there was a pen and piece of paper waiting for him.

Qi Mu walked over. . .

“. . .”

It wasn’t just a piece of paper, but words written in English.

That’s right, it was. . . an exam.

“Qi, we were worried that you weren’t good with French, so we prepared the exam in English. You shouldn’t have any problems?”

Qi Mu set aside the violin case and smiled at the assistant professor. “It isn’t a problem.”

“Alright. Well, you have an hour to complete the test, don’t forget it.”

With a crisp sound, the classroom door shut and he was left alone in the classroom. Qi Mu looked down at the thin paper feeling helpless. His heart squeezed with a long-lost sense of familiarity.

Exam questions. . . he hadn’t touched such a thing for many years.

The original had never been good with theory, and he was admitted to the Geneva Academy with excellent scores over ten years ago. It had been more than a decade, and he had far more applied practical knowledge now. He had no idea what level he was at.

However, naturally, the boat would flow in direction with the current.

Qi Mu did not hesitate to pick up the pen. He looked at the first question and quickly wrote the answer. He initially thought it would be difficult, but he found himself writing faster and faster.

Twenty minutes later, the test paper was covered in beautiful font and returned to four of the professors. One of the female assistant professors gasped in surprise and swallowed back the words “That’s a brilliant answer.”

When Qi Mu noticed the questions were all about field application, he felt a bit skeptical as to who was leaving through the back door.

Of course, he did not know Professor Akkad intended to test his understanding of the other instruments and how to apply that basic knowledge on the spot.

Even if Professor Akkad was resourceful, he couldn’t possibly know that this young man may seem like he was only in his early twenties, but had actually played with the world’s top symphony orchestra for over ten years.

All in all, the professor passed the questions back and forth and looked them over three times then handed it to Professor Akkad for the final decision. This eccentric master was surprised to find——

There was only one grammatical error?!

Not scientific!!!

When it came time for the violin test, Qi Mu was helpless to find none of the professors were Akkad.

“The piece we have selected is 《Song of the Gypsy》. Just play it directly.” The professor wore glasses, and she sat in the middle. “We’ll tell you when to stop, you don’t have to think too much about it.”

Qi Mu really didn’t expect this kind of special recruitment.

He thought he would merely see the professor and wait for classes. Who knew there were still so many tests? Of course, the test was nothing more than a formality. Since Professor Akkad wanted him to pass, he was naturally not afraid.

After a moment, the low-pitch of his violin filled the classroom.

This room was specially designed for class use. The material and shape of the walls enhanced the sound of the music. The National Conservatory of Music had hundreds of such classrooms, and many world-class musicians had played in them during their studies.

The top-notch acoustics made the young man’s melodious violin all the more attractive. From a professional perspective, this song easily pulled eighty points. Even the strictest and pickiest of the professors were speechless.

Not halting the performance meant it was excellent.

The professors finally understood why Akkad didn’t come out in person and let them examine his student: Professor Akkad wanted to convince them to recognize his student’s strength.

Generally, special recruitment was fixed.

Some people earned special opportunities after entering through the back door but didn’t actually have the strength. The National Conservatory wasn’t interested in recruiting those kinds of people. Even if the other person were the son of the French president, they would be too lazy to take a look.

But there were some that walked the special route to make way for other students. Assuming it was the same test environment, these people that would take second place can shake off the hope of surpassing someone.

In the past, the Leipzig Conservatory had special recruited Min Chen.

Later, the Munich Conservatory did the same for Christole.

Today, they set eyes on one such extraordinary talent.

Before, the college’s representative hesitated about recruiting Qi Mu. He was already twenty-two this year, and the previous candidates for special recruitment were all prodigies in their teen years, all were famous in Europe.

As a child, Qi Mu was also considered a musical genius. However, he was older now. His achievements could be regarded as remarkable, but not dazzling.

Now, Qi Mu’s strength had them completely breathless.

Once 《Song of the Gypsy》 had come to an end, they stared blankly at the smiling, courteous Huaxian and for a while, didn’t know what to say.

It could only be said that Professor Akkad had better eyes than them. It was no wonder there were rumors that Professor Karl wanted to recruit this student.

No one spoke. Qi Mu politely bowed in thanks and patiently waited for the results.

But, this time, Qi Mu didn’t get a comment from these professors. The closed door pushed open, and he turned to look at it. He saw a short old man enter the room with pride on his face.

Qi Mu’s eyes widened then, after a while, he smiled, and the two nodded at each other. “Hello, Teacher Akkad.”

Translator(s): Bet
Editor(s): Bet