Inspiration\nis a mysterious thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the past seven or so days, Qi\nMu wandered all over Paris hoping to find even a shred of inspiration from its\nromantic atmosphere. Of course, he found it but controlling it was another\nmatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the piano accompaniment just\nnow, he grasped the elusive thing he had been searching for\u2014\u2014that endless\ninspiration, dancing freely in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The brisk but elegant piano was\nclearly just an accompaniment, but it used an objective perspective to guide\nthe violin in another direction. Whenever Qi Mu\u2019s violin was about to stall,\nthe piano would pick it up and guide him to the next big tide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu stared at the man behind the\npiano. After a long while, he frowned, but the corners of his lips curled\nslightly upward. \u201cI really. . . I don\u2019t know how to describe it but, Min Chen.\n. . I think I\u2019ve caught it, a little.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen\u2019s eyebrow raised, \u201cCan you\ngrasp it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He thought about it carefully for a\nmoment and shook his head helplessly: \u201cIt feels like. . . there is still some\nunclear points. Like the finger technique or something. I didn\u2019t change any of\nthe technique, but I always there are still some changes to be made. I really.\n. . don\u2019t know how to describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu\u2019s left hand pressed the\nstrings, but he didn\u2019t pick up his bow. He wanted to feel that strange feeling\nagain. But unfortunately, after a few more attempts, it remained at a fancy,\nstill elusive, and he failed to capture it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think. . . this still won\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen was already quite\nsurprised to see him make such significant progress with just this one session.\nHe naturally didn\u2019t think Qi Mu\u2019s violin would make this much of a qualitative\nleap in only one ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least, Qi Mu\u2019s performance of \u300aNo. 24\u300b just now was on par with\nChristole\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If once wasn\u2019t enough, then they\ncould play it twice, even thrice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen calmly said, \u201cThen we\u2019ll\ncontinue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu: \u201c. . . ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou continue, I will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The words surprised Qi Mu, and he\nsaid, \u201cMin Chen, I don\u2019t know how long will it take for me to fully grasp the\nfeeling. If you really continue to help me, won\u2019t it. . . take too much of your\ntime?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen lifted his gaze and looked\nat Qi Mu with a smile. \u201cYou think. . . it will take a long time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu froze. A second later, he\nresponded to the other man\u2019s question, \u201cI think it won\u2019t take all that long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA week?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu smiled and shook his head,\n\u201cThat exceeds the deadline teacher gave me. Five days, at most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen\u2019s slender fingers caressed\nthe black and white piano keys. He scrutinized the grand piano then looked up\nat Qi Mu and said, \u201cThree days. . . perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though he was surprised, Qi Mu did\nnot refute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, the sound of a violin and\npiano emerged from within the quiet music room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the door, Dylan watched the two\ndark-haired men work in sync with each other. He didn\u2019t quite understand. . .\nWhat were these two men talking about just now? What one week, five days, three\ndays?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Could it be. . . a secret code?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then again, it turned out his \u300aFazioli\u300b could play such a beautiful\nNo. 24! Why did he feel like he was playing cotton before. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The owner of the music room\u2014\u2014Dylan\nfelt the malice of the vast universe today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the first day of their practice\nsession, Qi Mu assigned a five-day time limit which Min Chen reduced to three.\nWhen Min Chen said that, he was slightly joking, but he didn\u2019t expect\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The youth really did it, and it\nwas. . . even better than he thought it would be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the second day of their practice\nsession, the captivating sunset dyed the western skies, and the sun shifted\ntoward the horizon moment by moment. Min Chen pressed the piano keys rapidly\nbut suddenly noticed. . . he could no longer control Qi Mu\u2019s rhythm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sweet sound of the violin\nresounded in the room, broken free from all shackles and dancing freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Originally, Min Chen intended to\nonly play the role of accompaniment and guide Qi Mu. But by the end of the\nfirst practice, Min Chen felt that his piano already lost its grip on Qi Mu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, as the lead, Qi Mu should\nhave guided Min Chen\u2019s piano and made it a foil to his violin. However, there\nwere very few masters in the world who were capable of that feat (making Min Chen\u2019s piano a foil),<\/em> and Mr. Akkad was one of them. But this was\nhis student, not the man himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During another fast pace pizzicato,\nQi Mu\u2019s violin was so full of impact and overflowing with intense emotion that\nit startled Min Chen, and he inevitably missed a beat. Qi Mu, immersed in his\nplaying, didn\u2019t even notice it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Qi Mu played this time, he had\nfully grasped that mischievous inspiration. After only two days of continuous\npractice, Qi Mu finally took the final step and let his bow bounce freely\nacross the strings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He already mastered the necessary\nskills, but only now would he dare to say: \u201cThis is my \u300aNo. 24\u300b.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sound of the violin was like a\nPhoenix of Nirvana, that which was born anew only once every five hundred\nyears, bursting with infinite glory. The violin had a growing momentum, but it\nmissed the mark a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly, the piano that was only\naccompanying the violin since the beginning joined the main melody. Its\nmagnificence increased sharply and refused to lose to the violin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through years of practice, the\nman\u2019s fingers slid on the keys and soon joined the violin. The melody blended\nseamlessly without conflict or abruptness, perfect in harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moment Akkad returned to Paris,\nhe went to the college. He believed that his lovely student wouldn\u2019t slack off.\nEven if he wasn\u2019t in Paris, Qi Mu would continue to practice hard to achieve\nthe desired results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, as soon as he arrived at\nthe college, Akkad went straight to his music room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad\u2019s music room was in the\ninnermost part of the violin department\u2019s first floor. It had the best\nlighting, a large glass window, and also occupied the largest area. The\nsoundproofing was so fantastic that it was almost impossible for sound inside\nto leak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, these were Akkad\u2019s\npersonal benefits, other rooms did not have such luxury. For example, as he\nstepped into the corridor, the sound of a violin and piano echoed with exciting\nmelody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad\u2019s footsteps halted, and he\nmurmured to himself, \u201cThis violin. . . is it Little Seven?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His heart was overjoyed, but he\ndidn\u2019t stay happy for long as he suddenly realized, \u201cWait a minute, where did\nhe get a piano? This is definitely not a CD, someone is playing live?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was the violin department,\nthere were almost no piano students here. But after thinking for a moment,\nAkkad remembered, \u201cOh, that Dylan boy next door plays the piano. It must be\nthat fellow playing with Little Seven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Touching his chin, Akkad walked to\nDylan\u2019s room and murmured, \u201cGeez, this Dylan is really good. To have someone at\nthis level, what is the piano department doing? Why didn\u2019t the piano department\nhold onto him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He crept towards the door and\ncarefully pushed the door open, making little to no noise. In the room, Qi Mu\nstood facing the piano with his eyes closed, so he didn\u2019t notice Akkad\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Akkad smiled and enjoyed\nthe melody for a while. He then turned to look at the person playing the piano.\nUnfortunately, from his spot, the pianist\u2019s figure was mostly obscured by the\npiano panel, but he could still see the person\u2019s handsome jaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Dylan guy could really play\nthe piano, or. . . he could recommend this person to Farrell later? This should\nbe more than enough for Dresden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014\u2014Was Professor Akkad\u2019s thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu had yet to notice someone had\nopened the door and was secretly peeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was hard to grasp this rare\ninspiration, so Qi Mu didn\u2019t want to be distracted even a little. His fingers\nslid across the strings, and the bow in his right hand was pulled fast, tapping\nuniformly from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paganini\u2019s works were really\nsuitable for showing off dazzling skills. For a handsome and refined young man\nto play with such beautiful and gorgeous skills, even Akkad felt refreshed and\nhappy watching him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, while Dylan\u2019s face\nwasn\u2019t visible, Akkad had to admit that the skills the pianist showed off were\ngood enough. He changed to Liszt\u2019s version of \u300aNo. 24\u300b to suppress his student\u2019s violin with even more dazzling ability.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, how could Dylan easily\nsuppress Little Seven as he desired?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the duration of the roughly\nsix-minutes-long song, the sound of violin and piano were compatible and, in\nthe end, there was nothing that could indicate which was the lead and which one\nwas suppressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the finale came to an end,\nProfessor Akkad clapped and shouted, \u201cBravo!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu suddenly come back to his\nsenses. He looked at Akkad who stood at the door and asked, \u201cTeacher, why are\nyou back today? Weren\u2019t you supposed to be back tomorrow?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad stepped forward and said, \u201cI\ncame back a day in advance to see if you were slacking off. Little Seven, ah,\ndo you want to eat chocolate? Teacher brought some back from Italy for you,\nhaha!\u201d He lifted the chocolate bag in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu took the bag, not knowing\nwhether to laugh or cry, and said, \u201cThank you, teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Akkad nodded, satisfied,\nand said, \u201cI didn\u2019t expect your skills to rise to this level in just a few\ndays. Very good, Little Seven. You completed the task I gave you three days in\nadvance. Your performance on No. 24 just now was great! I think you now\nunderstand what you lacked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This high praise from his teacher\nstunned Qi Mu, but then he smiled, \u201cTeacher, I think. . . I get it now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad said with relief, \u201cThat\u2019s\ngreat, that\u2019s great. As long as you understand this point, let alone a year, I\nthink in half a year, you could surpass that guy Auston. Let him know. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTeacher. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet him see, how much better than\nhim you are. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTeacher. . .\u201d Qi Mu weakly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Little Seven. That\nAuston guy has too many things, he\u2019s so greedy. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu knew that nothing could be\nsalvaged this time. He covered his face, sighed, and said, \u201cTeacher, you. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if he\u2019s had the time\nto practice these years. Maybe he\u2019s regressed that even Dylan could match him\nnow. Oh right, speaking of Dylan, I didn\u2019t expect that big silly piano could\nplay so well, not bad. Little Seven, you\u2019re. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey! Professor Akkad, Seven!\nYou\u2019re both here?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A high-pitched voice came from the\ndirection of the door. Akkad and Qi Mu turned, following the sound, and saw\nDylan scratching the back of his head. \u201cI went out to buy some burgers. I\ndidn\u2019t expect to see you\u2019re already back, Professor Akkad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad nodded and said, \u201cOh, Dylan,\nI just mentioned you. You play the piano well, why did you suddenly switch to\nthe violin? With your skill level, you\u2019re good enough for Dresden. . . eh. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad stopped abruptly. He turned\nto look at Qi Mu in horror. The young man smiled helplessly and gently shook\nhis head, motioning towards the piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly having an ominous\npremonition, the little old man gulped but before he could make a sound, he saw\na slender hand stretching out from behind the piano, and it waved at him twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immediately after, a handsome,\nfamiliar face appeared in front of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen waved again, \u201cHi, Reed.\nLong time no see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen solemnly said, \u201cI practice\nthe piano daily, don\u2019t slander me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akkad: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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