A piercing wind whistled\noutside the floor-to-ceiling window of the lobby. Many guests had driven away.\nOnly a few musicians who met old friends still chatted in the lobby, planning\nto go out for a late evening meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite his advanced age, Farrel\nwas still hale and hearty. Not only did he have no problems keeping up with the\ntalkative Daniel, but he also said\nsomething relevant on every topic and make the gathered crowd burst out\nlaughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After half an hour, the musicians finally tired of talking and\nbegan to leave one after another. Eventually, only Daniel and Farrel were left discussing what songs to choose for the\nnext tour season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These words surprised Farrel. He nodded with a smile. \u201cIndeed.\nDaniel, I don\u2019t have to care about what you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel also smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s true. In fact, we in Bai Ai have\ntalked about this already. This year, we will perform Schumann\u2019s works.\u201d At the\nend of the year, there was a heated discussion about what theme to use for the\nnext season\u2019s tour. The members proposed various programs and the concertmaster\nand the conductor would make the final decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen, who followed along without speaking, looked at Daniel\nand asked nonchalantly, \u201cI agreed to that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel was stunned, then he remembered: \u201cOh, at that time you were\non vacation in Huaxia!\u201d He abruptly stopped because something occurred to him\u2014they forgot to ask this big\nboss!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frightened, Daniel cleared his throat and said, \u201cMin! Don\u2019t tell\nme that you think this topic is not right?! This is the 160th anniversary of\nMaster Schumann\u2019s death! Don\u2019t make fun of me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unexpectedly, Min Chen\u2019s thin lips curled upward slightly, his\ntone flat, \u201cI didn\u2019t say it was inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Farrel: \u201cHa ha ha ha, you\u2019re still so mean, Auston.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen shrugged noncommittally and the four men walked toward the exit. Farrel did not come by car, so he let Min Chen offer him a ride. Daniel and Christole went to pick up the car. Min Chen watched the bright lights of the traffic on the distant street when, out of the blue, he heard the man beside him speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAuston. . . you and Qi are acquaintances?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surprised, Min Chen turned to Farrel and saw the latter gazing at\nhimself with a smile. Min Chen was a little taller than Farrel, so he had to look down at him. He pondered for\na moment, then replied, \u201cWell, I know him. Why do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Farrel nodded. \u201cHe\u2019s a good violinist, very skilled. Seeing him\nreminds me of how I used to look when I played the violin. Partly due to his\nage, I guess. He\u2019s really young!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen\u2019s expression did not change as he listened to Farrel\u2019s\npraise of Qi Mu, but his deep eyes flashed. After a moment, he asked, \u201cDo you\nthink he\u2019s outstanding?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Farrel smiled again and asked in reply, \u201cYou don\u2019t? I listened to\nhis performance with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra seven or eight years ago. If\nI didn\u2019t have an impression of this talented young man, I wouldn\u2019t have paid\nattention then. Over the past eight years, his music style has changed so much\nthat I almost couldn\u2019t recognize him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Naturally, as one of the world\u2019s top conductors, a composer, and a violinist, Farrel\u2019s hearing was\nincomparable. Even years after listening to someone\u2019s performance, he could\nrecall how they sounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, when he heard Qi Mu\u2019s \u300aD Major\u300b and \u300aThe Butterfly Lovers\u300b, Farrel\nwas amazed to find that the former child\nprodigy\u2019s technical skill and his ability to express emotions had grown significantly.\nIt was not like that of a 20-year-old youth at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSuch excellent seedlings\nare rare in today\u2019s music world. It\u2019s good to be\nyoung. I\u2019m old already.\u201d Farrel\u2019s sigh was full of emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen narrowed his eyes in the dimly lit night, thinking about\nsomething. After hearing Farrel\u2019s words, he said, \u201cWell, it\u2019s true. . . His\nmusic style has changed a lot. The way he deals with the arrangement has also\nchanged a lot. His \u300aD Major\u300b was better than I imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One month before the performance, Qi Mu called Min Chen to ask him\nwhat he thought about when he wrote \u300aD\nMajor\u300b. Being able to talk directly to the composer was\na fortunate thing, Qi Mu would be a fool\nto waste such an opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half a month ago, Min Chen had listened to a recording Qi Mu sent\nhim. Although the sound quality was not perfect, Min Chen could still tell\u2014\u2014at\nthat time, Qi Mu\u2019s \u300aD Major\u300b was not at this level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking about this, Min Chen chuckled. He said, \u201cHe\u2019s very hard-working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was the first time Farrel heard Min Chen praise somebody like\nthat. For a long moment, he stared at Min Chen in surprise, then laughed.\n\u201cAuston, it\u2019s rare for you to speak highly of someone; it seems Qi is truly\nexceptional. Looking at his age, he\u2019s about to enter college. It would be bad\nif there wasn\u2019t a teacher to guide him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen looked at Farrel in surprise. \u201cYou mean. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a meaningful smile on Farrel\u2019s face. He looked at the\nbustling, splendid nightscape of S City. \u201cI think Paris is good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not long after, Daniel and Christole drove over from the parking lot, and they sent Farrel back to his hotel. Daniel held the steering wheel and joked with Christ in the passenger\u2019s seat, while Min Chen sat alone in the back seat, pondering something with a frown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He recalled Farrel\u2019s earlier words and the furrow in his brow deepened.\nIn the end, he sighed quietly, murmuring, \u201cParis, then. . . Did he. . .\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n By then, Qi Mu had already returned to his hotel and was packing\nhis luggage. After the Centennial Celebration, it was time for B City Symphony Orchestra\u2019s\nspring performance. He had to go back to B City to prepare himself and join the\nrehearsals as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu set an overcoat in his suitcase. He hadn\u2019t moved away when\nhe heard his cell phone vibrate. He stood up and stepped over the luggage, reaching for his phone on the table.\nWhen he saw the name of the sender, Qi Mu froze for a moment before opening the\ntext message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen: \u300eThe performance tonight was\nexcellent. Congratulations.\u300f<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu let out a quiet laugh. He tapped the touch screen a few\ntimes: \u300eThank you. Conductor Zhu said you might not have\ntime to come. I didn\u2019t expect to see you tonight.\u300f<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t long before Qi Mu received a reply: \u300eI arrived at Hongkou Airport this afternoon, and I have a ticket for tomorrow\u2019s flight to Berlin.\u300f<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before Qi Mu answered, there was another message: \u300eSome things happened in the orchestra recently.\u300f<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing the evasive sentence on the screen, Qi Mu couldn\u2019t help\nlaughing. He put the clothes he held aside and responded to the other party\nwith due respect: \u300eI wish you a pleasant\njourney, I\u2019m also flying back to B City tomorrow. By the way, I should let you\nknow that today I encouraged one of your admirers in your name. I hope you\ndon\u2019t mind.\u300f<\/p>\n\n\n\n The streets of the Bund were bustling, the stream of vehicles not\nstopping even so late in the night. Min Chen looked at the dark Huangpu River\noutside the window. The phone in his hand vibrated suddenly, and he peered down at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His gaze paused for a moment on the smiling face at the end of the\nmessage, then he resumed texting: \u300eThat\u2019s\nfine, it doesn\u2019t matter. I also wish you a pleasant journey.\u300f<\/p>\n\n\n\n This time there was no response. Qi Mu had already put down his\nmobile and continued to pack. Min Chen turned his head and again stared at the\nHuangpu River engulfed in the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several cargo ships sailed slowly along the black surface. The\nlights of the city were so bright that the water seemed like a cold, dark\nabyss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man\u2019s slender fingers beat rhythmically on the casing of his\nphone. Although he seemed calm and composed, in fact, Min Chen\u2019s heart was turbulent,\nand his mind filled with too many thoughts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel had investigated the relationship between Qi Mu and Lu Zi Wen\u2014\u2014the\nonly time they were in contact was that one joint performance in Vienna eight\nyears ago. At the time, Lu Zi Wen was your average newcomer in the first violin\ngroup, and Qi Mu had already been lauded as a gifted child prodigy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if so. . . if they had no relation with each other, how had\nQi Mu changed so much?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, why. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n . . .did he resemble Lu Zi Wen so strongly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen\u2019s pupils constricted, and\nhis lips parted slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was not possible for two different people\u2019s music to be identical, not to this extent. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Absolutely impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen felt as if he stood\nbefore an impenetrable door. It wasn\u2019t\nlocked, but there were also no gaps\u2014sealed so tightly even air could not pass\nthrough it. He ran into a dead end before he had even begun. But it was right\nin front of him, and he couldn\u2019t ignore it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was the first time in his thirty years of life that he had encountered\nsuch a queer thing as an almost identical \u300aBell\u300b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though there were slight differences, no one would dare deny\nit if Min Chen publicly announced that Qi Mu\u2019s \u300aBell\u300b was the same as Lu Zi Wen\u2019s\n\u300aBell\u300b.\nAfter all, this was Min Chen, the man who could hear when a single string\u2019s\nmistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo why. . . How could this be?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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