The gorgeous sound of a violin continued to ring\nclearly in the simple music room. Qi Mu\nwas a contemplative person. Over the years, he seldom thought he was the best,\nor most skilled, at any of the songs he played. However, when it came to \u300aBell\u300b, he could confidently\nsay, \u201cI am good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bow jumped rapidly across the strings, but\neach movement was controlled by this skilled violinist. Paganini, called the\nKing of the Violin, was often praised for his dazzling skill with the\ninstrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This \u300aBell\u300b was a nightmare for an inexperienced violinist. But that was not\ntrue for Qi Mu, who was already entirely immersed in the song. At the end, Qi Mu was still engrossed in the\nfamiliar sound and was unable to shake himself free of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He returned to his senses at the low chime of a\ndistant bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today was Christmas Eve and the many bells in B\nCity\u2019s tower rant at the stroke of midnight. The bell reverberated so strongly, its echoes could be felt even in the\ninsulated music room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu laid his violin in its case and said with\na smile, \u201cI didn\u2019t notice it was already midnight.\u201d Buckling the case shut, he\nturned to the man sitting opposite him and added, \u201cMerry Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen had already gathered his thoughts and\nlooked indifferent and calm as usual. He nodded, \u201cMerry Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sound of the violin\u2019s notes still lingered\nin the room. Min Chen\u2019s eyes narrowed in a squint, and he commented, \u201cYou have a good grasp on \u300aBell\u300b. I\u2019ve heard the Vienna\nPhilharmonic\u2019s concertmaster, Lyon Zayev, play it in a duet once. Your skill is\ncomparable, and you\u2019ve handled the details in some parts very well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facing this praise, Qi Mu was not shy but\ninstead nodded politely, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen looked at him and asked, seemingly\ncasual, \u201cWhose \u300aBell\u300b do you usually listen to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For any musician, it was important to listen to the works of different maestros. Even Min\nChen had a wall of shelves dedicated to various masters. Dating back to the\nprevious century, from the oldest record to the current Blu-ray and CDs, they\nlined his huge music room back in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu took a moment to recall then answered,\n\u201cI\u2019ve bought Mr. Accardi\u2019s album and listened to his \u300aBell\u300b frequently. I prefer\nhis version in comparison to others\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen\u2019s eyebrow raised higher when he heard\nthis, and he stared at Qi Mu solemnly. He asked again, \u201cYou listen to Accardi’s\n\u300aBell\u300b?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu nodded without thinking too much about it. He laughed and said, \u201cI\u2019ve listened to\nothers, but Mr. Accardi\u2019s version is my favorite. Why? Do you like his too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen shook his head, \u201cI prefer. . . yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu was stunned. He smiled helplessly, \u201cThat\nhat is far too large. I dare not wear it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being praised so much as to be called Min Chen\u2019s\nfavorite version, Qi Mu was a little afraid that he was joking, so he pulled\naway from it. While actually, Min Chen felt he had said too much, so after they\nspoke a while longer, it was not too late, but the two separated for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu hadn\u2019t prepared a full-table meal in a\nlong time. After such a busy day, he felt exhausted. He took a quick shower and\nwent to bed. Separated by the wall, in the spacious but simple living room that\nwas still dark, its owner did not turn on the lights. Only the city\nstreetlights that entered through the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the\nroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tall man leaned against the black Steinway\npiano that Qi Mu had just praised, and he frowned down at the moonlight\nsplashed across the floor. He didn\u2019t say a word, but his profound gaze seemed complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No one knew how long he stood there, leaning\nagainst the grand piano, without a word. But when the distant eastern horizon\ngained a hint of gray, he took action: dialing a number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a short beep, the phone was picked up. It\nsounded like a family dinner on the other side, and the laughter of a child\ncame through the speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, Min, Merry Christmas Eve. It\u2019s past\nmidnight for you over there, right? It\u2019s too early for you to be calling me. I\nstill have an hour until midnight, alright? I\u2019m going to the New Year concert\nsoon. Damn it, Min, when will you come back?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen\u2019s foot pressed against the floor, and\nhe straightened from the piano. He walked over to the windows and said in a low\nvoice, \u201cDaniel. Merry Christmas Eve. Help me book a ticket. Have a wonderful\nChristmas night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaha, Min. You\u2019ll only speak so well at\nChristmas. Alright, what do you want me to look for? My sweetheart can wait for\nme to cut the turkey. This year, it\u2019s very good,\nroasted and tender right out of the oven. Oh. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen went straight to the point, \u201cHelp me\nresearch someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There seemed to be someone talking to Daniel.\nAfter saying a few words in reply, Daniel turned to answer Min Chen. \u201cAre you\nstill talking about that Luo Yu Sen? Hey, Min, I\u2019ve already found out his\nbackground. You can look at the research on him and Jacques later. I don\u2019t\nreally know how Luo provoked that Jacques, but he\u2019s being choked out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel had begun the investigation when he had\nleft a few days ago. Luo Yu Sen was being isolated in the Vienna Symphony\nOrchestra, and it seemed to be the\ndeliberate work of the concertmaster, Jacques himself. Daniel didn\u2019t know why\nJacques was doing it, but he was very confident that it was his handiwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listening to Daniel, he didn\u2019t want to ask\nanother thing about Luo Yu Sen. Swaying, Min Chen said, \u201cNot him. I want you to\ncheck out. . . Qi Mu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel sneaked aside and said subconsciously, \u201cI\ndidn\u2019t check his information before. But, his father was the conductor of the\nHuaxia S City Symphony Orchestra. His mother was the concertmaster. He\u2019s\nstudied the violin since he was four. He won the Menuhin Junior Championship at\nthirteen and worked the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at fourteen. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man\u2019s magnetic voice suddenly interrupted\nDaniel\u2019s tirade, and Daniel noticed there was something wrong. He frowned and\nopened the door to his lively living room. Stepping out onto the balcony, he\nasked, \u201cMin, what happened for you to want me to look into things?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want you to look into. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe relationship between him and Lu Zi Wen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Near the New Year, the major orchestras in\nEurope would hold a grand concert. The most striking of which would be the\nVienna New Year Concert and the Berlin Philharmonic New Year Concert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latter was held in the Philharmonic Hall in\nBerlin, where a musical feast would be played on New Year\u2019s Eve. The former was\nusually held in the Golden Hall on January 1st of each year. There would be\nlive broadcasts in dozens of countries across the world so this annual event could be played in every corner of the\nworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the music capital of Vienna, the protagonist\nof the New Year was naturally the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Every year,\nmusic lovers from all over the world would gather to listen to Wei Ai\u2019s\nperformance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. . .\nAlthough they were also a world-class Symphony, they could not compete with Wei\nAi. They often did world tours in previous years, after all, there were only a\nsmall number of people that could come to Vienna to listen to their concerts.\nPassing the beauty of classical music to fans around the world was their\nmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, this year, probably because there was\ntrouble on the inside, Evra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra\u2019s conductor didn\u2019t\nhold a global tour. Instead, he made the entire orchestra make adjustments this\nwinter, waiting for the next year to have a public performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In winter, Vienna was still warm, and there was\nrarely any rainfall. Even near the end of the year, the sun was warm, and people didn\u2019t want to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3 o\u2019clock in the afternoon, Viena Symphony\nOrchestra Headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although they said \u201cadjustments,\u201d daily\nrehearsals were still essential. Around afternoon tea time, the concertmaster\nJacques, serving as interim conductor, announced a break. The man sitting at\nthe deputy chief position at the second violin group stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fat, black man standing in at the podium\nsneered at the black-haired Chinese man that rushed out to the lounge. He\ndidn\u2019t have any words to say, so he went with the other members to have the\nafternoon tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the other side, Luo Yu Sen stood in the\ndoorway of the lounge with trepidation. After gaining permission, he entered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stravinsky\u2019s \u300aPetrsuka\u300bechoed in the room and\nthe elegant piano sounded with each turn of the album. Since someone had\nentered the room, Evra turned down the volume and turned. He watched Luo Yu Sen\nwith a blank expression and asked, \u201cLuo? You\u2019ve come looking for me, is there a\nproblem?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luo Yu Sen stared at the floor and struggled in\nhis heart for a long time. \u201cMr. Evra. There are a lot of songs in the next\nquarter that requires a deputy chief. I don\u2019t think the position can continue\nto be empty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luo Yu Sen said \u201cdeputy chief,\u201d but it was not about\nhis position in the second violin group. Rather,\nit was the deputy chief position in the first violin group. Four months ago,\nthat was Lu Zi Wen\u2019s position, but ever since the accident, Evra had left the\nposition vacant without adjusting the seats or recruiting externally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the face of Luo Yu Sen\u2019s sudden discussion,\nEvra wasn\u2019t too surprised. This serious old man still had face, so\nhe said nothing. Instead, he seemed to be waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Chinese man hesitated for a while and said,\n\u201cMr. Evra. I\u2019ve thought a lot. Lu Zi Wen\u2019s death makes me sad, and I often\ndream of him every night, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019d want to see the orchestra\nmissing a deputy chief.\u201d He seemed to have gained confidence, and he looked up at Evra, \u201cMr. Evra, I want to\nrecommend myself to you. Please, test me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luo Yu Sen finished, but there was no response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This strange silence made Luo Yu Sen feel\nawkward. After a long time, Evra sighed and said, \u201cLuo, you have to train.\nDeputy chief. . . I have this position in my heart. I am also very saddened by\nLu\u2019s death. He was very promising, and an\noutstanding violinist. As your lover, you must work hard to share his\nburden, ah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luo Yu Sen was anxious. \u201cMr. Evra, I\u2019m willing\nto accept your challenge, I. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLuo.\u201d Evra looked indifferently upon this\nanxious man. He said plainly, \u201cYour current level is not enough to serve as\ndeputy chief. Practice well. The orchestra has been making progress, and I hope\nyou can keep up with everyone\u2019s rhythm. For Lu\u2019s sake, the things I mentioned\nbefore have been considered, but. . . your strength isn\u2019t enough to guarantee\nthe renewal of your contract.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under Evra\u2019s harsh\nrefusal, Luo Yu Sen left the lounge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300aPetrsuka\u300b\u2019s\nsound had been floating about the lounge for a long time, and eventually, it\ncalmed. Evra removed the disk and calmly placed it back in the album case.\nApparently, andropause was already affecting a man so young. As he stood, Evra\nmuttered, \u201cWant to be deputy chief with that skill? Well, it\u2019s a pity the\ntalented ones like Lu leave first. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n