Chapter 0 - Prologue

The Vienna Music Association Golden Hall.

It was a three-story building, modeled after the Italian Renaissance, beside a bustling street where many people came and went. Towering ionic-style pillars propped up the triangle arches, all made of white marble, imposing at first glance.

This was the location of the world-famous Vienna Music Association’s Golden Hall——

Vienna Music Association Friendship Building

It was already late in the evening and beautiful vehicles stopped in front of the building one after the other. Each gentleman wore formal attire, while the ladies in their evening gowns smiled and laughed with each other as they walked the red carpet into the building, their figures gradually swallowed by its splendor.

Tonight, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra would present a groundbreaking performance in the Golden Hall.

The conductor, Mr. Eberk Dorenza, was one of the four leading conductors in the world. So long as it was a concert directed by Dorenza, it would always be a banquet without empty seats. Furthermore, this was without mentioning the power of his combination with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which made the performance all the more intensely anticipated.

A compelling conductor and an orchestra of outstanding skill; the only thing that bewildered the concert-goers was that the concertmaster of the finale, “The Blue Danube,” had a Chinese name——

Zi Wen Lu

According to the Chinese order: Lu Zi Wen.

The majority of guests knew this name. He was the principal of the second violins in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra——another famous orchestra in Vienna. When the audience thought it over again, they could remember the individua——a black-haired, black-eyed, quite elegant-looking, Oriental man.

However, being the second violin principal of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra did not mean he could lead the Philharmonic Orchestra in the Golden Hall’s performance of “The Blue Danube.”

“The Blue Danube,” also known as Austria’s second national anthem, was always in the repertoire of the New Year’s concerts in Vienna. It wasn’t an ordinary waltz that was so easily performed.

Therefore, the audience entering the Golden Hall had doubts in their hearts, and some were curious——

This Chinese man, could he really perfect an interpretation of “The Blue Danube?”

Now, there were two hours before the official opening of the concert.

In the Golden Hall’s backstage prep room, a handsome, dark-haired man carefully rubbed rosin on his bow. Each of his movements was attentive and devout until the white stringed bow was evenly coated in the white rosin powder.

This was not Lu Zi Wen’s first performance in the Golden Hall, but. . .

This was the first time he had his own lounge.

When there were no special guest performers, only two people of the orchestra were allowed a private lounge: the conductor and the concertmaster.

Concertmaster referred to the principal, or lead, of the first violin group. Because this person was also the leader of the string instruments, it could be said that they were the second-in-command of the entire orchestra.

Despite Lu Zi Wen being the concertmaster for only “The Blue Danube” today, he also had his own lounge.

He still could not understand why the Philharmonic Orchestra invited him to lead “The Blue Danube.”

There were other cases of such concerts with different concertmasters, but they were still very rare occasions. Especially since the original concertmaster had suffered no accidents. When faced with the industry’s outstanding reputation, they actually invited such a. . . “little name” as Lu Zi Wen?

Compared to others, Lu Zi Wen was an excellent violinist with considerable talent, but he also had to admit that he was probably a little worse than the Philharmonic Orchestra’s concertmaster.

Some people in the world were born with extraordinary talent. Mozart was said to start composing music at the age of four and could be considered the modern king of classical music by eleven years of age. Min Chen, the principal of the Philharmonic Orchestra’s first pianos, had also ascended to the Golden Hall with a world-renowned name.

Lu Zi Wen knew that he did not have the same talent as these people, so he had to put twice as much effort into his work. He had done so for more than thirty years, and he was finally able to stand in the Golden Hall as the concertmaster.

This night was probably the greatest opportunity in his life.

If he failed, he would become a martyr.

Either he would become famous far and wide, or his name would be used to sweep the floor.

Lu Zi Wen narrowed his eyes a little, still rubbing the rosin earnestly.

. . .

Five minutes later, a knock on the door suddenly sounded a few different times. After Lu Zi Wen said “Come in,” a handsome man opened the door and entered the room with a smile, “Zi Wen, Congratulations.”

Lu Zi Wen was surprised for a beat then he put the bow into its box and stood to greet him, “What are you doing here Yu Sen?” He walked over and smiled, “I thought you would wait in the audience, how did you get backstage?”

Luo Yu Sen quickly hugged the surprised Lu Zi Wen and explained, “I’ve performed here once or twice, the staff members remember me. I only had to say your name, and they turned a blind eye.” He paused, then said, “Zi Wen, are you ready?”

After the embrace, the two men still held each other’s fingers.

Lu Zi Wen continued to smile and nodded, “Almost ready. Anyway, it’s only the one song, ‘The Blue Danube.” Pressure wise. . . I’m not all that stressed, but I must perform this song. This is probably the best opportunity of my life, and I have to hold onto it firmly. Yu Sen, after the concert, I’ve set a 92-year-old bottle of European Ode to celebrate at home.”

Listening to this, Luo Yu Sen’s eyes flashed, and his handsome face revealed an obscure expression. He smiled, “Right. I just saw someone calling for the concertmaster outside. Is that not you? Do you want to go and see?”

Lu Zi Wen was a bit surprised to hear that but told Luo Yu Sen to wait in his lounge and went to ask the staff outside.

When the door clicked shut, the smile on Luo Yu Sen’s face suddenly vanished. He turned and looked at the cup of water next to Lu Zi Wen’s violin case. There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes, but they soon filled with horrific ambition.

“Zi Wen. . . Don’t blame me, it was you. . . It was your luck that blocked the way of others. If there is anyone to blame. . . Blame yourself. This evening, you still have time, you can always come back here some other time.”

As he spoke, he took a small capsule out of his pocket and, after turning it a few times, poured its contents into the cup. When the powder had vanished, he feared it wasn’t enough, so he took out a second capsule and started pouring it in.

“Yu Sen, did you hear it wrong? What did you. . . what are you doing!?”

In too short a time, Lu Zi Wen had come back. The guilt made Luo Yu Sen’s hands shake, and the capsule fell to the carpet. He swallowed back his nervousness and quickly said, “Zi Wen, let me explain. . . This. . . this is just vitamin C. I was worried that you would be uncomfortable on stage, so I. . .”

“You could give me the Vitamin C directly, why would you sneak it into my cup while I was away?” Lu Zi Wen’s mind quickly flashed through several scenarios, and he suddenly remembered listening to his predecessors. There were some orchestras where severe measures were deliberated to incapacitate people before they went on stage.

Lu Zi Wen did not dare believe his eyes, so he said, alarmed, “Luo Yu Sen?! What do you want? What’s in that capsule?”

Luo Yu Sen would have never imagined that the second capsule, actually just for the sake of insurance, would be found out. He never would have considered that when Lu Zi Wen went out just now, he did not have to go far to find a staff member, which caused everything to go wrong.

If it weren’t for those two things, his plans would have never been discovered.

But, it just so happened by coincidence.

His face blanched white, and he continued to argue, “This. . . it really is Vitamin C, Zi Wen, I was concerned about you. . .”

“Since you say it’s vitamin C, then I’ll take this thing to the orchestra’s doctor and see just what it is!”

Lu Zi Wen said it in a rage and picked up the capsule that had fallen to the floor. He strode to the door, but Luo Yu Sen panicked and pulled him away. The two men struggled for a minute, then Luo Yu Sen pushed Lu Zi Wen into the side table, and the capsule fell to the ground again.

He snatched it up.

Lu Zi Wen’s face went completely black.

Since it had come to this point, he no longer believed in this man standing before him, and he also understood that the pill was definitely not anything good. Whether it was a laxative or a sedative, the end result must have been to keep him from participating in the concert!

“Luo Yu Sen, do you know what you are doing?” Lu Zi Wen’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and the two stared at each other coldly. “We only got together last month. All those things you have been saying to me recently, but now this. . . this is what you are doing to me?”

Luo Yu Sen’s face was pale, and he fell silent.

Lu Zi Wen was so angry that he could not bear to hear him speak again, so he sneered, “I really did not expect to encounter such dirty things in my lifetime, or. . . That my lover would drug me! Luo Yu Sen, let’s go. I will talk to the conductor today, he will decide what to do with you.”

“Zi Wen, you can’t tell the conductor! If he finds out about this, he’ll drive me out of the orchestra!”

They were both violinists in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, but the difference was that Luo Yu Sen was thirty-three years old, but still only second in the second violin. In the recent rehearsals, his performance had been very dissatisfying. If the conductor knew that he used such means, he would definitely be driven out without mercy.

Lu Zi Wen no longer held any sympathy or affection for this Luo Yu Zen.

Yu Sen had chased him for three years, until last month when he agreed to be with this man. Before tonight, Zi Wen had directly said to him just how much importance he attached to this night’s “The Blue Danube.” He had worked for more than twenty years to play this song on the Golden Hall’s stage as the concertmaster.

But!

Luo Yu Sen actually did such a shameless, filthy thing!

It made his heart turn cold.

“Luo Yu Sen, you have done this to yourself. You’re not the first to do this. You know it’s the most shameful thing you could do in this industry. You will return to China and teach. Having the Vienna Symphony on your resume will do you good.”

“Zi Wen, you cannot do this to me!”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Lu Zi Wen was furious, “Get the hell out!”

Lu Zi Wen’s angry voice filled the entire lounge, but the walls were excellently soundproofed, and it was impossible to hear from outside. It retained Luo Yu Sen’s face a bit, but how could he really go out like this?

As Lu Zi Wen walked to the door, he rushed over and hugged his waist, tears streaming down his face, “Zi Wen, you are my lover. I would never do anything too serious, forgive me this once. I love you, Zi. . .”

“This is how you fucking love me?!”

Lu Zi Wen pressed a foot to Luo Yu Sen’s chest.

Having been enduring his anger until now, Lu Zi Wen could finally stand it no more. He was not a good-tempered person either, but he had kept a modest gesture to mix well in Vienna. But now he still had to deal with this kind of villain?!

That was absolutely impossible!

“Your love is ridiculous and pathetic, Luo Yu Sen. I thought I understood you these past three years. There aren’t many Chinese in Vienna, so I thought we could be together and be comfortable. But I didn’t think you were this kind of person! To do this all out of personal gain. . .”

“This isn’t for my own selfishness!” Luo Yu Sen’s angry voice interrupted him. Lu Zi Wen’s foot was still on his chest, and the main made his handsome face look grim, “Lu. Zi. Wen. You still don’t get it?!”

“It’s all you! Who’re you to keep blocking other people’s way!”

“You have no background and no family! Being the principal of the second violin is already your limit. Who do you think you are? To think you can become the concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra?!”

“Watching you climb so high just makes people want to see you fall, so you can never climb to the top. Yes, I really like you. You look good, you’re Chinese, and most of all, you’re the second violin principal, so maybe you could still climb up again.”

“But what have you done over the years?!”

“You actually had to become the concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra! What about me? Yesterday, the conductor said he was considering whether or not to renew my contract! Who knows whose bed you’ve climbed into to get such a good opportunity! Why not me!”

“If you won’t help me, then I have to find someone else. People will climb up like water runs down. Lu Zi Wen, the world is like this. Today, I couldn’t settle with you, you win, but tomorrow. . . urgh, gah. . .”

Lu Zi Wen kicked ruthlessly and did not hesitate to direct his foot toward Luo Yu Sen’s lower body.

His sneer would have been at home on the face of a goblin from hell, as he looked down on the trembling man at his feet, “Luo Yu Sen. . . you asked. . . whose bed I climbed into for the chance to play ‘The Blue Danube’?”

Luo Yu Sen was still recovering from the unbearable pain but struggled, “Yes! Whose bed did you crawl out of, you filthy whore!”

Lu Zi Wen slowly smirked and his laugh was cold with anger as he approached one step at a time, “Luo Yu Sen, my last regret in this life is how incredibly blind I was to not see your true face. You asked whose bed it was? Well then, I’ll tell you. I climbed into Min Chen’s bed! You want to climb beds? You want to climb there?! You’ll have to crawl for me!”

“Oh, you said that I had no background. Yes, I have nothing, but I have never been like you, to think all day with that dirty mind of yours! Now even if I told you that I didn’t climb into anyone’s bed, I just got this opportunity, would you even believe it? No, you wouldn’t. So remember it then, remember that I climbed into Min Chen’s bed, alright?!”

Luo Yu Sen’s eyes were red, and Lu Zi Wen sneered at him, “Ah, yes. When did I climb into his bed? . . .well, the day after I promised to be with you. You know, your technique sucks in comparison. You do not know much, ah. You’re really rather useless when compared to others, ah.”

“Lu Zi Wen. . .”

“I don’t have a background. But you have a background and a pedigree? Luo Yu Sen, in Huaxia there’s a saying: the pot calling the kettle black. You’re like a pathetic clown, sitting idly, thinking. . . ack, ugh. . .”

Luo Yu Sen suddenly lept up and punched him in the chest.

“Lu Zi Wen!!! You fucking dared to give me a green hat. I chased you for three years, are you a treasure?! I cannot compare to you, to Min Chen?!”

As he spoke, he punched Lu Zi Wen in the chest again.

He was already so blinded by anger and used his murderous intent to punch with his fist. Lu Zi Wen was caught unguarded, and he fell to the ground. He tried to cover his chest, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, but his face began to turn blue.

Luo Yu Sen did not notice the abnormality and continued to berate, “Don’t think you’re such a good person! Everyone knows what kind of means you’ve used to gain this opportunity. You should know that every time you told me how important this damned concert was to you, I knew you were showing off in front of me, of how you were giving me a cuckold!”

“Medicine. . .” Lu Zi Wen reached with trembling fingers, struggling to breathe.

Luo Yu Sen was still yelling at him, “Oh, you think you could climb into Min Chen’s bed and he would become your mother? I’m telling you. . .”

“Inhaler. . . medicine. . .” Lu Zi Wen clawed at the carpet in his struggle to breathe, the tightness in his throat leaving him only able to struggle desperately, “Medicine, the inhaler. . .”

“I’m telling you, if you dare talk to the conductor about today, I will let the entire industry know that you and Min Chen. . . urgh, slept together and he gave you this!” Luo Yu Sen didn’t dare to provoke that man, so he quickly changed his words. “Then you’ll become a whore that rolls over. . .”

“Medicine. . .”

Lu Zi Wen clutched at his leather shoes, and he struggled to raise his head to look at his angrily swearing face. The man seemed to finally notice that something wasn’t right and looked at him in surprise.

He saw that Lu Zi Wen’s face was blue and that he was grabbing his hem with one hand, the other pointing at his violin case, gasping, “Give me. . . the inhaler. . .”

He was scared by the look on his face and stepped back.

After a long while, he understood what had happened.

Lu Zi Wen was asthmatic, but because he so rarely had attacks, he’d never paid it any mind. How had it come so suddenly. . . How could it be so strong? Could it be. . .

Luo Yu Sen suddenly remembered the punches directed at Lu Zi Wen’s chest.

Could it be. . .

He fell back in horror.

Lu Zi Wen had already lost his strength from the lack of air, only his fingers still scrabbled at the carpet, the fibers stuck under his nails, “Medicine. . .”

He briefly panicked but suddenly calmed down. Lu Zi Wen’s threats flashed through his mind and after a moment, he went to the violin case and found the inhaler that Lu Zi Wen usually kept in his pocket.

Because today was an important day, Lu Zi Wen’s custom-made clothing had no pockets, and he’d put the inhaler in the case he always carried with him.

In the past, his asthma was nothing serious, and even if he had to rush to the lounge from the stage, it would be fine. However, his chest was smashed repeatedly today, and in just a moment, all his strength was stripped away.

And now, he could only rely on the other person in the room——

Luo Yu Sen.

However, Luo Yu Sen took his inhaler and stood indifferently in front of him. Under that merciless gaze, Lu Zi Wen felt cold and instantly understood the other man’s intentions.

“Lu Zi Wen, this is your life. Who made you sick? When you are damned, you should die, you know?”

Lu Zi Wen struggled to climb towards him, but he could not catch the man’s leg and was dodged. Luo Yu Sen said expressionlessly, “Lu Zi Wen, didn’t you say you were ready to celebrate tonight? I like it the most. I’ll wait for you, you have to come.”

Lu Zi Wen fell to the carpet without any strength.

Luo Yu Sen hesitated for a moment, but in the end, turned and left without looking at the man lying on the ground as he appeared to die.

When he left, he took with him the only thing that would save him.

He closed the door with a “Click,” and the last light of life vanished in Lu Zi Wen’s world. He laid on the ground and wanted to struggle toward the door again, but after two attempts, he never moved again.

An hour later, a member of the orchestra wondered how it was time for “The Blue Danube,” but the concertmaster had not left the lounge. There was no response when he knocked, and when he opened the door. . . He saw the man lying on the ground, motionless.

“Ah, ah!!! There’s been an accident! Call a doctor, doctor!!!”

That night, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert did not host “The Blue Danube” for the first time. The conductor, Mr. Dorenza, and the members of the orchestra solemnly apologized to the audience. Some who had heard Lu Zi Wen’s performances before were sorrowful and shed a few tears in sympathy.

After everyone had left, Mr. Dorenza went to the centermost seat of the front row in the concert hall and said to the one guest who had yet to leave. “This Lu you recommended, indeed. . . had talent, but unfortunately, he had an asthma attack and didn’t even get to stand on the stage. . .”

The man’s handsome face was reflected in the Golden Hall’s light, sharp and cold as if he were a statue.

Mr. Dorenza, with a hint of regret on his face, said, “I heard he was dead for some time, and his fingernails were broken in the carpet. . . Ah, when he died, it must have been painful.”

The only answer he received was silence.

“Min, if Lu was your friend, go see him. He’s probably still at the hospital. . . And not shipped away yet. He is an Oriental violinist, and I regret that there wasn’t a chance to cooperate with him. I should go. You should see. . . your friend.”

After Dorenza left alone in the Golden Hall, the man straightened.

There was no telling how much time passed, but his sharp eyes slowly closed and a tear slowly fell from the corner of his eye.