\u300aB City Symphony Orchestra\u2019s premiere of the seasons, the audience is packed!\u300b<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300aA sigh from a hundred years ago, Bruckner\u2019s Symphony Night\u300b<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300aQi Mu: Rising star!\nThe most unique Bruckner interpretation!\u300b<\/p>\n\n\n\n
. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After B City\u2019s concert, a wide range of news spread throughout\nthe country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In just a night\u2019s hard work, the professional newspapers and\nmagazines covered the performance from many angles. Even papers not focused on\nmusic had touched on it in their music section, publishing special articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The night\u2019s performance was an audiovisual feast for all\npresent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grand stage,\nmagnificent symphony, and the Huaxia National Grand Theatre\u2019s cream of the crop\naudio equipment delivered every note of that imposing music to its listeners\u2019\nears, touching their souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tan Zheng Hui had selected a piece from Anton Buckner\u2019s\nrepertoire for the finale. This famous Australian composer from a hundred years\nago was excellent at creating solemn church music. His symphonies were serious, grave, and very traditionally\nromantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was actually Tan Lao\u2019s last test for Qi Mu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before this, Qi Mu usually played symphonies that were highly skilled or highly emotional, such as Paganini\u2019s works or even \u300aLiang Zhu\u300b.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Bruckner\u2019s symphonies had a particular difficulty and required an emotional understanding. It was\nmusic Qi Mu had never performed before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, on that magnificent stage, no matter the challenge,\nQi Mu executed it perfectly. The enthusiastic applause was a tremendous\nblessing and praise enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the concert, Tan Lao gazed at him for a long time and\ncouldn\u2019t help but say, \u201cRemember to come back and see me if there is time when we go for shows in Europe. Don\u2019t be\nlike those little bastards that go off and never come back. . . It\u2019s good to\ncall often.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tan Lao\u2019s two daughters went to the United States to study\nwhen they were young. One returned to the city to work, but the other stayed by the ocean. Neither was interested much in classical music, and Tan Lao didn\u2019t\nfrequently contact them. The relationship between father and daughter was frigid\nat best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu knew this and naturally smiled, agreeing to his request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next day, when he collected his suitcase and went downstairs,\nhe didn\u2019t have to call a taxi. Instead, he saw a man standing there, staring at\nthe ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu looked at him and crossed over. \u201cZheng-ge, how are you\nhere? You didn\u2019t tell me you were downstairs, I would have come down early.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zheng Wei Qiao wore a thick gray coat and his familiar\nsilver glasses, but the eyes behind those lenses were bloodshot. He appeared haggard\ncompared to his gentle handsomeness from before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the two were a meter apart, Qi Mu stopped and smiled at\nhim. He said nothing, just looked on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zheng Wei Qiao swallowed at the sight of his smile. After a\nlong time, he pulled over Qi Mu\u2019s suitcase and stuffed it into the backseat. \u201cXiao\nQi, you really are something. You didn\u2019t call to have someone send you to the\nairport. Were you going to take a taxi?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu placed his violin case beside it in the backseat and\ntook the passenger\u2019s side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu: \u201cZheng-ge, my flight\u2019s early. I didn\u2019t want to disturb\nyou and sister-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNonsense, who are you bothering?! You go like this. . . I\ndon\u2019t know when I\u2019ll see you again. Won\u2019t you have to wait for the end of the\nsemester for a vacation? Maybe that professor won\u2019t let you come back to Huaxia.\nYou actually want to leave without notice, how grown up! Your wings are so big\nalready, ah!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the words were accusing, Zheng Wei Qiao\u2019s tone wasn\u2019t\nscolding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu understood his mood. . . For him to study abroad like\nthis, it was important for Zheng Wei\nQiao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he didn\u2019t know what to say. He gave a gentle \u201cUm\u201d\nand said nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zheng Wei Qiao drove, fingers clenched to the steering wheel.\nAfter a while, he sighed, \u201cXiao Qi, when you first came to B City, I was wondering\nwhen you would cheer up a little and stop living in splendor? Drinking, racing, those things are meaningless, how could\nyou indulge in it every day? I was giving\nup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen. . . You managed\nto change. You matured and became so very good. Now, you\u2019re off to Paris, but I\nhave to wonder if staying in Huaxia isn\u2019t also good? A lot of people. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zheng Wei Qiao halted. After a while, he said, \u201cSome people,\nonce they leave, they never come back. Even if they return to perform with an\norchestra, they have changed their nationality. They are no longer Huaxian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu knew Zheng Wei Qiao referred to the musicians that\nwent West and entered the top symphony orchestras. The ones who couldn\u2019t wait\nto change nationalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among this kind, he already knew one: Luo Yu Sen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had not understood\nat the beginning, why Luo Yu Sen changed his nationality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was something he hadn\u2019t obtained even after half a year\u2019s\nworth of trying, but Luo Yu Sen just gave it up. It confused him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he knew one thing. \u201cZheng-ge, what do you think of\nme?\u201d He suddenly narrowed his eyes, and his\ncomplexion paled as he retorted, \u201cIf I dare\ndo that, not just you, but Tan Lao has to break my leg!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he said it, Qi Mu had purposely imitated Tan Lao\u2019s\nexpression which made Zheng Wei Qiao laugh and beg for mercy, \u201cYes, yes, Xiao\nQi, ah. You go off to Paris but stop that. I hear Professor Akkad has a strange\ntemper. You have to pay attention to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu nodded, but\nbefore he could open his mouth, Zheng Wei Qiao urged him, \u201cYou were naughty.\nYou can\u2019t do that with the professor. If you make him angry, you\u2019ll only\nsuffer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He still didn\u2019t let Qi Mu get a word in edgewise. \u201cRight, I\nremember Professor Akkad is from Turin, the capital of chocolate. Do you want\nto bring some for him? I heart people from Turin love chocolate, so you should\nbreak a gift. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu: \u201cZheng. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe you don\u2019t want to bring chocolate, Professor Akkad is\na man after all. He might not like sweets much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZheng-ge. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnyway, if there\u2019s anything hard to handle, just call me.\nMy work is usually easy, and it only takes ten hours to get to Paris. I can\ndefinitely help you. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZheng-ge!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Qi Mu\u2019s sudden shout, Zheng Wei Qiao shut his mouth,\nturned and asked, \u201cWell, what\u2019s the matter, Xiao\nQi?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The handsome young man\u2019s beautiful face as stunned and he\nlooked at the road helplessly, \u201cZheng-ge. . . You\njust passed the road to the airport. We\u2019ll have to turn around. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zheng Wei Qiao: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, they had left two hours in advance. Even with\nthe U-turn, when they reached the security checkpoint, Qi Mu still had an hour\nbefore the plane took off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zheng Wei Qiao beckoned Qi Mu over and hugged him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An hour later, a silver international airplane took off,\nbreaking into the white clouds and vanishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paris, early morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany and France shared a border. These \u201csmall\u201d European\ncountries had little geographical surface. From Germany\u2019s capital, Berlin, to\nParis\u2019s, it only took seven or eight hours by train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The station was roughly in center\ncity. Many tourists would go by train rather than a plane\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Europe wasn\u2019t large, so it only took a few days to walk\naround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who knew if Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s cute and silly\nagent was taking the wrong medicine, one called \u201cthere\u2019s a one-of-a-kind hotel just\ntwo blocks away from the train station.\u201d So the original flight for Mr.\nCommander was changed to. . . a seven or eight hour train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s even a transfer in the middle!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel, don\u2019t you know how much trouble this is!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the entire way, this gentlemanly Mr. Commander wore a cold Zhang Jun expression. He didn\u2019t want to speak even a word to his agent, stingy enough to not want to see him even in his peripheral vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, Daniel was celebrating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014\u2014It was worth it to sit with this iceberg that didn\u2019t talk\nmuch! Let\u2019s take a nap, duang~ Pairs is here! Awesome!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, when a raging spring storm delayed the train from\nleaving Berlin until evening, even Daniel was remorseful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They only arrived in\nParis ridiculously early! What a mistake! Why\u2019re you sleeping?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n On such a cold, late night, even the beautiful city called\nthe world\u2019s romance capital was empty. Only the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s\nmembers rushed across the two streets, entered the hotel, and could finally\nfind some hot water to bathe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What, why did they come to Paris?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, it was the first stop on Bai Ai\u2019s tour this year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You say, shouldn\u2019t it be London?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was innovative! Creative! It was too boring to go to London every year. The chance\nto see his neighbor, it was good too, ah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bai Ai\u2019s Paris-European tour would stay in Paris for\u2014\u2014five\ndays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n