King of Classical Music 60
After a round of applause, melodious music carried through the concert hall.
In the box Qi Mu was in, the acoustics rang clear in his ears.
Whether it was the tambourine, the timber drum, the triangle, the trumpet, or the oboe, the British tube, or even
Before, Qi Mu had guessed this box to have the best location, but when he heard the vibrant echo of the multi-layered symphony, he affirmed his previous conjecture.
No. . .
Perhaps he had confirmed it when that man entered the box.
Wherever Min Chen went, it would naturally be the best.
Schumannโs ใVienna Carnivalใ played on stage, and its magnificent performance was so powerful it intoxicated the audience and drew them into the carnival experience.
While the music played, no one spoke. Although Qi Mu was surprised to see Min Chen, he did not talk to the man beside him.
There were six seats in the box. Three in the first row and three in the second. Akkad had chosen the leftmost position when he entered, and Qi Mu sat beside his teacher. He hadnโt thought there would be someone else in the box with them.
When Min Chen sat beside him, the concert had already begun, and Qi Mu could only smile at him for there was no time for words.
During the thunderous applause after the first song, Qi Mu whispered as he clapped, โI didnโt expect Bai Aiโs first show of the season. . . to be in Paris.โ
The young manโs voice was deliberately low, almost masked under the roar of the audienceโs applause. The boxโs lighting was dim, Akkad reminisced about the exhilarating rendition of ใVienna Carnivalใ, so he didnโt notice the other two beside him.
Min Chenโs gaze flitted to the side, and he answered just as quietly, โDaniel said the orchestra shouldnโt do the same thing all the time. He decided weโd do something different this year. The second show will still be in London.โ
Qi Mu nodded and asked, โDidnโt you. . . could it be on the phone the other day, when you asked if I needed a ticket, it was for this?!โ
A smile flashed in Min Chenโs dark eyes, and he hummed an affirmative โEn.โ
Qi Mu: โ. . .โ
So, even though he refused the invitation before, he still ended up at the scene with the other man?
Min Chen didnโt seem to notice Qi Muโs tangled expression and clapped his hands. The family emblem engraved on his left handโs ring caught in a ray of light, but he frowned as he pondered. After a while, Min Chen narrowed his eyes and asked, โLittle Seven?โ
โYes?โ Qi Mu subconsciously answered.
Min Chen: โ. . .โ
It wasnโt until after his reflexive reply that Qi Mu noticed it wasnโt his teacher calling him.
Qi Mu covered his mouth with his hand and coughed twice. He whispered, โTeacher Akkad calls me that. He doesnโt know Chinese and my name is a bit of a mouthful. Did he tell you my name? I donโt care if you use it, you can call me Qi Mu.โ
Min Chen: โ. . .โ
After a long time, a low-pitched noise came from Min Chenโs throat in reply.
The applause had subsided and the second song began. Qi Mu turned his attention back to the state and did not see the indifferent man beside him lick his lips and swallow unpleasantly.
Fortunately. . . he doesnโt know what I did.
โโMin Chen secretly thought.
Under the dim lighting, no one realized the man who had always been cheeky now had red ears. He coughed. No strange behavior here.
A two-hour concert was impossible to play through from start to finish without rest, so there was a fifteen-minute break in the middle. Qi Mu wanted to exchange greetings, but Akkad unexpectedly argued with Min Chen about the orchestraโs personnel configuration.
Akkad had never been a conductor, he was once the concertmaster for the Dresden Symphony Orchestra before he moved to the National Conservatory of Music.
He worked as a concertmaster of three world-class symphonies for decades of his musical career. Even if he had never commanded an orchestra, he could comment professionally on the positioning.
Akkad believed the second violin group was a bit large for this concert. Once he learned Min Chen decided the staffing, the two argued with each other.
In the end, Akkad was convinced by Min Chenโs three reasons, but by then, the break was over and Schumannโs ใAbegg Variationsใ had begun.
Therefore, Qi Mu had to sit back and continue listening.
Robert Schumann was a famous German pianist and composer of the 19th century. His works were almost exclusively piano pieces. The entire world thought only the piano could display these musical pieces perfectly.
There was a time where no adaptation of Schumannโs songs into orchestral form could be found without a piano ensemble. To find a concert of five of his songs without even the hint of a piano like Bai Ai did tonight, this was a first.
After the concert had officially ended, Akkad stood and applauded enthusiastically without being stingy about his praise. โMin, I thought you would perform as a pianist this time, but I didnโt think. . . you wouldnโt be on stage at all!โ
Min Chen nodded and replied bluntly, โI might go up during later performances, but for the first show, Daniel said. . . to be innovative and creative.โ
That provoked Akkadโs eyebrow into rising. โThe adaptation of these songs donโt tell me that Daniel Duke kid did it. He wants to let all his hair fall out, itโs impossible.โ After a pause, he added, โWell, if he hasnโt lost it all already, his blond head should be bald by now.โ
โPffft. . .โ
Min Chen looked over when Qi Mu laughed, and his own lips curled into a smile. โItโs my and Charlesโ adaptation.
Min Chen met his gaze and said, โHe brewed coffee, hm. . . it didnโt taste all that good.โ
Qi Mu almost choked on his laughter.
Akkad didnโt seem to own a humorous cell in his body. He nodded then, as if recalling something, asked, โWait a minute. If youโre neither conductor nor pianist. . . why is your name on the poster at the entrance? Yours was the biggest?!โ
At this sudden accusation, Min Chen blinked a little and frowned in contemplation. โBecause. . . I am the music director?โ
Akkad snorted. โYou donโt introduce the orchestra, what kind of director are you?โ His tone was disgusted, and his lazy glare at Min Chen was more than enough to express his disdain for โthis man that had his named printed on the poster and pinned up.โ
Min Chen did not care about Akkadโs contempt and nodded, his response bland, โOh, then itโs probably because. . . I am handsome.โ
Qi Mu: โ. . .โ
Akkad: โ. . .โ
โAuston! I didnโt know you were such a narcissist!โ
The corners of Min Chenโs lips curled, and he raised his head, โYou only just found out?โ
Akkad: โ. . .โ
Wanting to get angry at this poisonous man, Master Akkad needed to practice some more. . . come back after another 500 years.
Translator(s): Bet
Editor(s): Bet
Thank you for the update!!
Min Chen always wants to show the best side in front of the wife, can be cheeky but that does not take away the cute
Thanks for the chapter! ๐๐๐
Thanks for the chapter~!
So Min Chen said “it doesn’t taste too well”
My Grammar Nazi side same out and I noticed that it should be good. Well is an adverb while Good is an adjective. He is describing the coffee, a noun so it should be “good”
Min Chen was completely fluent right? So this should be a typo rather than an intentional mistake by the author as it is not his native language.
T’was just a me mistake, I’m afraid. Mou, (//w\\) that’s what I get for translating the entire chapter in just shy of an hour. Thank you for pointing it out! I’ve fixed it now. ๐
thanks 4 the chapter………
Thanks for the chapter! ๐
Min Chen was specially moe this chapter! ty~~
Txs
— Wherever Min Chen went, it would naturally be the best. Thinking about the future, I really like this sentence, as Min Chen would go to Qi Mu’s side because he would be the best concertmaster. But now I want to see Daniel comes and complaining to Qi Mu on how unreasonable their conductor was, asking various demands in such a short time. Or Akkad finally realized that his student actually know a world renowned conductor personally and blurt their purpose for going to the concert is to let Min Chen know how good his student is. Then Qi Mu… Read more ยป