Qi Mu took seven days to play ăInfinityă in 3 minutes and 35 seconds. The following morning he was able to play it in 3 minutes and 34 seconds, impressing Akkad quite a bit.
In the beginning, Akkad gave Qi Mu a task that was practically impossible to complete. He didnât intend for Qi Mu to actually accomplish it. Even people who had practiced the piece for weeks found it difficult to reach the 3 minutes and 40 seconds mark after a break.
But, Qi Mu did it.
Only then did Akkad have a clear understanding of how determined and hardworking Qi Mu could be.
Could such a young man with top-class talent and relentless effort not stand at the pinnacle of the classical music world?
Akkad believed he would.
âLittle Seven, you really are the best child Iâve ever met.â Setting aside his glasses, Akkad sighed and continued, âTalent is a hard thing to gauge. Of all the people Iâve met, your talent is among the best, but certainly not the highest.â
Qi Mu removed his violin from his shoulder as he listened. He wasnât angry. Rather, he smiled and said, âYes, I have never thought I have the talent to surpass others, professor.â
Adamant, Akkad shook his head and said, âSeven, you donât have to be humble. Your talent is not inferior to that lad, Christole. Needless to say, it is inferior compared to that monster Auston. Of course, I donât think your violin would be worse than his piano in the future. It wonât be long before you surpass him.â
Qi Mu smiled, but didnât say a word.
If others heard Akkad saying his student would surpass Min Chen, all of them would definitely say, âMaster Akkad is really partial to his student!â
But, if Farrell was asked the same question, he would agree with Akkad.
The reason Qi Muâs talent was inferior to Min Chenâs? He would never be a successful composer and conductor like Min Chen. But, that didnât mean Qi Muâs accomplishments with his violin would lose to Min Chenâs piano.
Remembering someoneâs threat from a few days earlier, Akkadâs lips stiffened. âAlright, Seven, letâs not talk about that guy, Auston. Youâve been with the college orchestra for a few days already. Howâs the situation? You should be familiar with them by now, right?â
Gentle sunlight filled the room through the windows. Dust particles dotted its light, fluttering in the air.
Under the sunlight, the young manâs hair was spun with gold. He looked at his adorable mentor, his eyebrows knitted. âProfessor, itâs been six days. If I dare say Iâm not familiar with them yet⊠Wouldnât you be angry?â
Exposed, Akkad coughed and retorted, âFu⊠Nonsense! Iâve been busy lately so I just remembered it. Well, itâll be a few days before the performance. How are you doing in the orchestra?â
âFor the opening performance, the orchestra intended to focus on Haydnâs works, playing his ăSymphony No. 45 in F minoră and his ăă.â At his teacherâs awkward appearance, Qi Mu went on, âThis time, the conductor is a teacher from the conductor department, Mr. Kawaguchi. Weâve been rehearsing for several days and itâs gone well so far.â
Akkad nodded. âWell, the opening performance of the Parisâ National Conservatory of Music is still highly valued in the industry. It will be broadcasted live on TV in Paris and there will be some reports in Vienna. This performance will also be recorded on CD, so treat it seriously, okay?â
âYes.â Qi Mu nodded, his tone serious.
The two spent the next hour discussing Wilhelmâs music.
When Qi Mu finished his morning class, Akkad coughed and took a small bag from behind him.
âLittle Seven⊠Youâve been very busy recently, but you should take proper lunches, you know? I brought you some corn from home. My neighbor cooked it last night. I heard you Chinese donât like sandwiches, hamburgers, bread and the like. So you can try corn instead.â
Qi Muâs eyes widened, but he finally took the little bag from the old manâs hands.
Even from a distance, Qi Mu could smell the sweet scent of the corn from. His heart soft, he nodded. âMaster Akkad, you can come to my house in a few days. I will cook some Chinese food for you.â
Akkad was stunned. âReally?!â
âOf course!â
He simply planned to send his student some corn for him to taste. But, it turned to an event, Qi Mu invited him to his apartment to eat after the performance. Satisfied with the outcome, Akkad was pleased that only two pieces of corn could bring him such benefit.
When Qi Mu left the room, the old man took out his mobile and sent a messageââ
Reed: ăHey! Auston! You told me yesterday to urge Seven to have a good meal. Well, you see, I sent him some delicious sweet corn today!ă
Daniel: ă⊠Excuse me, Master Akkad. Exactly, how⊠does sending sweet corn could make you so proud?ă
Min Chen: ăCorn?ă
Reed: ăExactly! I sent him corn and Seven invited me to his house for dinner! This is great, I havenât gotten to taste Little Sevenâs cooking yet!ă
Min Chen: ăâŠă
The pain of long-distance relationships was having to ask others to care for your lover, only to envy their benefit!
Forced to restrain the emotion in his eyes, Min Chen ended Bai Aiâs lunch with a sad look on his face. ThenâŠ
The afternoon rehearsal was an inferno of purgatory!
Bai Ai members: âŠÂ Why! Why is the conductor acting so strict!!!
âŠ
Qi Mu knew nothing of what was happening in Berlin.
As temporary concertmaster of the college orchestra, Qi Mu spent less than a day familiarizing himself with the orchestra from top to bottom. During rehearsal the next afternoon, his violin had already integrated into the orchestraâs sound, making the members marvel at his achievement.
Even Clive was in awe, âSeven, youâre the most powerful violinist Iâve ever seen! Youâve only rehearsed twice with us, itâs amazing how you can be so familiar with the orchestraâs rhythm already!â
Clive didnât know Farrell once said, âIf time could turn ten years back, Iâm sure Qi Mu could be a world-famous conductor!â
Qi Muâs perfect pitch enabled him to distinguish all sound. With an excellent memory forged from daily practice, he was easily able to integrate his own sound into the orchestraâs.
Qi Mu had worked with several orchestras in both his lifetimes, from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic Orchestra to the small theatre groups he joined when he first arrived in Vienna in his previous life. The Parisâ National Conservatory of Musicâs orchestra wasnât the best among those heâd worked with, but the studentsâ skills already amazed him.
In another ten years, Qi Mu knew many of the people there would definitely shine in the worldâs top orchestras!
After practicing two of Haydnâs works for about a week, the orchestra finally got the approval of their conductor, Kawaguchi.
The conductor professor from Japan always combed his hair with gel and dressed in a suit all day long. At first sight, he looked strict and plain.
He was skeptical of Qi Mu in the beginning. Qi Muâs age wasnât proportional to his fame in the college.
He was especially skeptical after seeing Qi Mu was a handsome young man. Kawaguchi always held the belief that âappearance and strength were inversely relatedâ and kept a close eye Qi Mu. He didnât believe in his skill.
After several rehearsals, Kawaguchi took Qi Mu aside to speak with him in private. âSeven, I want to apologize to you for my skepticism. Your violin is great. I believe our opening performance will be even more successful with you here!â
Qi Mu smiled and humbly accepted the professorâs praise. Qi Mu was on the way to the supermarket to buy groceries at the time, and he decided to invite Kawaguchi to his house for dinner after the performance.
After Qi Mu extend his invitation, Kawaguchi agreed and said he was honored to have the opportunity.
When they arrived at the next street corner, Qi Mu and Kawaguchi parted. Just as he reached the supermarket, Qi Mu received a phone call from Berlin. Unable to hide the smile on his lips, Qi Muâs face turned soft.
âIs afternoon rehearsal over?â
Only a few people lingered about the supermarket. All kinds of goods were placed neatly on the shelves. Everything looked appealing.
Pushing his shopping cart into the bright light, Qi Mu listened to the manâs low voice over the phone, âYes, what are you doing?â
Qi Mu held a cabbage, determining how fresh it was, before placing it in his cart. âIâm buying ingredients for hotpot. The opening performance of the college is in a few days. I wanted to invite several students over, along with Professor Akkad and Professor Kawaguchi of the conductor department. Itâs going to be lively.â
After a long silence, Min Chen said, â⊠Sorry, itâs not your own cooking and itâs not going to be just you and Reed?â
Shocked, Qi Mu asked, âTeacher told you? Well, itâs not just Teacher, Dylan and Angelo will be there as well. It will be too tiring for me to cook alone, so I invited more people since hotpot is easy to make in large portions.â After a pause, he suddenly thought, âAre you busy the next few days? Our college opening performance will be excellent, you can come and listen.â
âBai Ai is going to start our global tour, so Iâm a bit busy.â
Qi Mu felt a bit lost. After exchanging a few more words, he pushed the cart to the counter to pay.
The sunset dyed Parisâs night sky a gorgeous rose red. Raising his hand to shield his eyes, Qi Mu gazed at the beautiful scenery. He couldnât help but say, âWhat a beautiful day!â
âŠÂ What beautiful day?!
Some people didnât think so!!!
Some people had their conductor treat them to dinner in the lounge. And, what was their conductor doing?!
How could their conductor sit in the corner, sneakily enjoying his Chinese hotpot, while they had to chew on steaks with the smell permeating the air?!