{"id":119,"date":"2019-01-25T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/2019\/01\/25\/king-of-classical-music-31\/"},"modified":"2019-06-28T12:13:33","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T16:13:33","slug":"kocm31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/kocm31\/","title":{"rendered":"King of Classical Music 31"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The city of Hong Kong was quite small, and was surrounded by the sea on three sides. The tropical wind blew in from the South China Sea and dispersed the winter chill that came from the north. There were dark clouds in the night sky, and there were thousands of boats, both large and small, moored by the Victoria Harbor of this charming oriental city.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When Qi Mu arrived at this pocket-sized city, he found his overcoat too cumbersome. By the time he exited the airport\u2019s restroom, he had switched to a thin white shirt.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The hotel he booked was on Lantau Island, a short distance from Hong Kong\u2019s city center. He took a taxi from the airport and arrived at the hotel where he set down his luggage and tidied up. After freshening up, he spent his first night in the city quietly.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu once visited Hong Kong on a global tour with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. He was impressed by the city\u2019s frantic schedule but never got the chance to explore.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Which was why Qi Mu woke up early the next morning. After he had cleaned up, he decided to explore the city.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The handsome youth wore a thin shirt, and a jacket was tied casually around his waist. This style was suited to someone in their twenties, so when he stepped out of his room, the guest entering the room next to his pulled down his sunglasses and stared at him silently.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu put his card in his pocket and turned to come face-to-face with the man who has been staring at him for who knows how long.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu immediately turned to look at his room\u2019s door, making sure it was not his apartment in B City. Then he finally accepted the reality\u2014\u2014for some reason, Min Chen was his next door neighbor yet again!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A black and white baseball cap hid half his face, effectively masking his awkwardness, and Qi Mu considered things for a while then finally asked, \u201cMr. Min. . . you\u2019re also in Hong Kong? Leisure trip?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cAh, I\u2019m participating in the music festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><i>What a straightforward answer!<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seemingly aware of Qi Mu\u2019s embarrassment, Min Chen burrowed the hint of amusement in his deep gaze and said as if nothing had happened, \u201cI didn\u2019t expect to book the same hotel as you. What a coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen really wasn\u2019t lying. He hadn\u2019t told Daniel to do anything specific. He only wanted to not be in the center of the bustling city and had no other concerns. So, without Min Chen knowing about it, Daniel had booked a room at this hotel on Lantau. And. . . his room was next to Qi Mu\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen was surprised when he saw Qi Mu, but Qi Mu. . . didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The person you ate lunch with yesterday suddenly appeared in the room next to yours, thousands of kilometers away, the next morning. Anyone would think they were. . . what was the word? Stalker?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It flashed in Qi Mu\u2019s mind, but he shook his head, throwing away the inexplicable idea. How could Min Chen be a stalker? Well, he had to be overthinking it. He had to be.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI didn\u2019t expect you\u2019d also be staying here. The festival will officially begin next week, Mr. Min. . . are you planning to go sightseeing?\u201d After thinking about it some, Qi Mu politely smiled, \u201cI\u2019m about to go and explore as well. Shall we go together?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While he spoke, Qi Mu glanced down at the small suitcase in Min Chen\u2019s grasp.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise, then he gently nodded, \u201cOkay, let\u2019s go together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><i>Shouldn\u2019t your answer be \u201cI have to sort out my luggage first, we\u2019ll go together later?!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regardless of how it turned out that way, from that first day of exploring together, Qi Mu ended up going out with his neighbor every day. Sometimes they would meet accidentally, and other times, they would plan the next day before returning to their rooms the night later.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In other words, Qi Mu had utterly accepted the fact that he was to be \u201cinseparable\u201d with this man on his trip to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although he was a little nervous, he found his understanding of the man to be a bit biased after getting along with Min Chen.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu had been to see the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra several times before. In a magnificent concert hall, this man would use his incomparable charisma to suppress the entire audience, holding each note under his command.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like Zheng Wei Qiao once said, to attend a concert of \u300a<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Symphony_No._5_(Beethoven)\">Fate<\/a>\u300b, this man was the only one who could do such a thing in the whole world.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But, it was precisely this same man, who should be elegant and noble above all, that would follow him through the crowded Causeway Bay, who would take off his shoes and dip his feet in the shallow waters of Repulse Bay and bask in the sea breeze against his face.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If he had still thought Min Chen was indifferent when doing those things, then what happened while the two were playing at Disneyland completely shattered Qi Mu\u2019s original view of him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Disney was a childhood dream that no one could destroy. Qi Mu had once thought about going to this paradise mentioned on TV, but his adoptive parents were ordinary people, and it was too expensive to go there to play.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So when he came to Hong Kong, the place he wanted to visit the most was Disneyland.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Qi Mu\u2019s mind, Min Chen might be opposed to going to such a place. But, to his amazement, when he suggested it for their last free day, the handsome man had looked at him with surprise then nodded, \u201cLet\u2019s go tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a place like this, aside from the girls who couldn\u2019t let go of their fairy tales, most were parents with children. So when two tall men walked side by side down the diamond patterned walkway, several people stared at them in amazement.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu\u2019s skin was fair, so he wore his baseball cap to cover his face, revealing only his mouth. While Min Chen didn\u2019t seem afraid of the sun, the man wore sunglasses in a manner that screamed: \u201cno one is allowed near me.\u201d It surely made people think they were strange.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although Min Chen didn\u2019t show discomfort the entire way, Qi Mu couldn\u2019t help but ask while they were having lunch, \u201cMin Chen. . . are you sure you want to continue walking around this afternoon?\u201d The past few days, Qi Mu thought the most significant progress between them was that they could now call each other by their name.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen set down the cup in his hands and frowned slightly, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to continue exploring?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu shook his head, \u201cI still want to walk around some, but I think. . . you don\u2019t seem to like walking around much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Who would expect that Min Chen would raise his Phoenix eyes to his and calmly refute, \u201cNo, I like it very much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Therefore, that afternoon, this man who had said \u201cI like it very much\u201d was still walking indifferently and looked at everything with a casual glance, lacking any hint of joy or excitement. Qi Mu didn\u2019t know whether to cry or laugh.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later that evening, they had just entered the area by Peter Pan and, only a few steps in, they heard a voice over the speakers, \u201cTomorrow is the annual Sea Music Festival of Hong Kong. All of today\u2019s guests can play a song on stage and get a gift from Peter Pan!\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu glanced in the direction of the stage. Before his gaze could cross the entire distance, he heard the sound of a stuttering piano and unconsciously whispered, \u201cTchaikovsky\u2019s Etude No. 7?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A magnetic voice rang in his ear, \u201cYes, it\u2019s that one.\u201d Min Chen\u2019s voice was calm, but when they finally saw the person playing, both were stunned. After a slight pause, Min Chen said helplessly, \u201cNo wonder it\u2019s shaking. From the looks of it, he\u2019s less than five years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On stage, a boy with blond hair and blue eyes worked hard at playing the piano. His fingers were small, but for him to play the song from start to finish, it was already excellent.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the end of the performance, someone in a Peter Pan costume brought over a box of cookies for the child. Seeing that there was a gift, the other children were eager to give it a try, and after a while, a few different children had cookies.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The children were all under the age of ten and the adults who noticed this laughed and applauded them all. The fifth who went up was a boy who looked to be in his teens. The black-haired little Chinese boy sat shyly in front of the piano and began to play. By the second note, Qi Mu\u2019s eyes widened, and he looked at the man beside him in surprise.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen\u2019s dark eyes seemed to reflect the sunshine of the evening sunset. He watched the boy playing so seriously on stage with a meaningful gaze. He spoke plainly, \u201c\u300aD Minor Sonata\u300b.\u201d Min Chen then retracted his gaze and turned to Qi Mu, his lips curling. \u201cYou actually recognized it on the second note. Are you familiar with it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu laughed helplessly and nodded, \u201cI\u2019ve heard all of your songs. You first performed this in London when you were seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen lowered his eyes then he pretended to accidentally land his gaze on Qi Mu. He hummed quietly but said nothing more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On stage, the boy was still working hard and played earnestly. He was only about fourteen or fifteen years old. Although Min Chen had written \u300aD Minor Sonata\u300b when he was only seventeen, the difficulty of the piece wasn\u2019t low. Just as the song was about to end, the child missed a handful of notes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu watched as the boy accepted the cookies with red eyes. He sighed. \u201cThe song is quite difficult. He probably practiced for quite some time. I don\u2019t know much about the piano, but I think. . . he must have made a pretty big mistake. He seems to be crying over it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu appreciated people that were dedicated the most. They may be a little less talented, but they truly adored their instruments so they would always work hard to play it well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu glanced at the boy\u2019s common clothing and his old shoes. He sighed again, \u201cUnfortunately, I doubt he can afford a decent teacher. . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">His words were low, barely a murmur, but the man beside him had absolute pitch and heard him clearly. Min Chen looked at Qi Mu\u2019s helpless face, and he whispered, \u201cDo you think he\u2019s pretty good?\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu nodded. \u201cYes, and he looks to be working hard. Even if he\u2019s less talented, he\u2019s much better than a lot of people. Unfortunately, even with his skill. . . I\u2019m afraid his family couldn\u2019t afford a good teacher or to send him to a good school.\u201d Qi Mu\u2019s voice gradually faded as if he had come to remember something.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seeing that Qi Mu seemed to have deep feelings about the topic, Min Chen smiled and reached out to take Qi Mu\u2019s hat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu looked up in surprise and started, \u201cYou. . .\u201d His voice died when he saw the other man had put on his cap. Coupled with the sunglasses, it covered up most of his face.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qi Mu\u2019s eyes widened in surprise, unsure of what the other man was planning to do.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Min Chen lifted his index finger to his lips and shushed him quietly. Then, before Qi Mu\u2019s astonished eyes, he stepped forward\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">And actually onto the stage!<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/><!-- \/wp:post-content -->\n\n<!-- wp:columns -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-2-columns\"><!-- wp:column -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/kocm30\">&lt;&lt;&lt; Previous<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:column -->\n\n<!-- wp:column -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"><!-- wp:paragraph {\"align\":\"right\"} -->\n<p style=\"text-align:right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/kocm32\">Next &gt;&gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:column --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:columns -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"align\":\"center\"} -->\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"> Translator(s): Kuro<br>Editor(s): Bet <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[66,35,39,68,64,37],"class_list":["post-119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kocm","tag-betrayal","tag-bl","tag-modern","tag-power-couple","tag-revenge","tag-transmigration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7157,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions\/7157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}