For the rest of his life, Zayev would never forget⊠Dorenzaâs expression that day.
Albert Dorenza, the chief conductor of Wei Ai, was one of the four most successful conductors in the world. As famous as he was for his strength, he was just as famous for his kind and gentle heart. Even when the orchestra made a mistake during a formal performance, he wouldnât get angry. Instead, he would pause the performance and encourage the orchestra to restart.
Zayev was in his fifties. He had been a member of Wei Ai for 20 years and served as the concertmaster for a decade.
In the orchestra, although the members knew Dorenza held the most power, they also knew that Zayev was the secret leader.
âItâs not enough to use a soft heart to deal with others,â Zayev once evaluated himself, âHow can an orchestra function without someone harsh, to get things done? Since Dorenza doesnât have the spirit to do it, I must. So, as Wei Aiâs⊠Whatâs the name again? Ah, right! As Wei Aiâs Bismarck, I will be the one to manage everyone!â
Whether or not the famous figure would vomit in his grave when he heard such praise was unknown.
Zayev never paid any attention to Dorenzaâs views. After all, excluding the rehearsals and the performances, the man held relaxed management over the orchestra. He hoped that they could develop freely. Provided the secret was well-kept, Dorenza would never be suspicious.
âDorenza is really a good man.â Zayev said this with a little meaningful smile.
However, the good man had his lips tightly pursed when he called Zayev to his lounge.
Zayevâs heart beat harshly in his chest as he asked, âWhatâs the matter, Dorenza? Are you in a bad mood today? Maybe you should take a rest tomorrow and let me handle the rehearsal. You have a bad expression on your faceâŠâ
Dorenza raised his head slowly after hearing Zayevâs voice.
His eyes were bitter cold, like a knife cutting straight into Zayevâs heart. His gaze was without a trace of vitality, as if⊠he was looking at a dead man!
Taking a step back in horror, Zayev fell to his knees. He began to doubt whether this man was the same Dorenza that he knew!
Before Zayev could think any further, Dorenza raised his hand and lifted a golden pen from his desk.
Zayevâs eyes followed the movement of the pen, watching as Dorenza held it in his hand, beforeââ
With a sharp flick, the pen shot down and broke against the deskâs surface with a loud thump!!!
That was his birthday gift to Dorenza last year!!!
âZayev, I really donât want to see you right now.â After a slight pause, Dorenza continued, âNo⊠I donât want to see you ever again!â
The voice was as if it came from the South Pole, an icy wind across a dense, eerie forest. Zayev trembled in fear. After a few moments, he asked, âDorenza, whatâs the matter with you?! What did I do? You shouldâŠâ
âZayev, I always thought that people who loved classical music could never be so vile.â Dorenzaâs always smiling face was expressionless. âMore than 30 years ago, I made a mistake. Moss drugged someone before a performance and he fell. I was the one who recommended him to the New York Philharmonic, and that regret will stay with me for the rest of my life.â
More than 30 years ago, the deputy concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic drugged the concertmaster before a performance and got away with it⊠Until he was exposed by an informant, an insider.
The brilliant deputy concertmaster never made it to the stage again, but what no one knew wasâŠ
It was Dorenza who recommended him to the New York Philharmonic.
âZayev, because I rarely doubt people, I helped the child when he asked me. I was enthralled by his beautiful violin. I didnât expect him to have such a terrible mind. But now, I didnât even seeâŠâ
âYou, Leon Zayev, are far more terrible than Moss ever was!â
From the moment he saw Dorenzaâs dark expression, Zayev already knew what was happening, but he still tried to dodge it. âDorenza, I donât understand what youâre talking about. What have I doneâŠâ
âWhy did you want to kill Lu Zi Wen?â
Stunned, Zayev said, âKill Lu Zi Wen? Dorenza, who told you that?! I havenât done anything like that. How could I? In the two months that we rehearsed with him, me and the orchestra all liked him. You know that, Dorenza! I liked Lu a lot, how could I harm him?â
Dorenza stared coldly at Zayev, keeping his silence.
Zayev continued, with agitation, âI liked that kid, Dorenza and you know that! He was a very gifted child, and polite, at that. I think heâs a malleable talent, I never even got the chance to train him, how could I kill such a gifted childâŠâ
âHow dare you say that?!â
Dorenza slammed his palm against the desk and rose to his feet. Before Zayev could respond, he picked up a thick stack of letters and threw them on the manâs face.
Shocked, Zayev wasnât able to react for a beat. Once he returned to his senses, he heard Dorenza say, âSee for yourself! Did you really think youâd never get found out?!â
âZayev, God is always watching! If you didnât want anyone to know, then you shouldnât have done it to begin with!â
In the deadly silence of the lounge, Zayev picked up the letters scattered on the floor.
As he read⊠His expression grew dark, before finally turning red. He stood up and said, âDorenza! Do you believe me or them?! Do you really think Iâm that kind of a personâŠâ
âShut up!â
Dorenza completely subverted Zayevâs cognition. He was still a gentle person, but the manâs anger made Zayevâs heart tremble as if he was experiencing an earthquake. He felt that⊠If he said another word, the man would break him to pieces!
âNow you can get the hell out of here. Youâd better not let me find evidence of you murdering Lu Zi Wen. If I do⊠Your end wonât be so kind as being kicked out of Wei Ai and the classical music world.â
âEvra can completely destroy Luo Yu Senâs future, but youâre different from him. I canât do the same to you⊠But mark my words, Zayev! No matter what orchestra might accept you even after knowing about you drugging another member, then that orchestraâââ
âWill never be able to step foot in Vienna!â
âYou, get out of Vienna and never come back!!!â
After a long while, Zayev grabbed the corners of the desk and said, âDorenza, what are you talking about? Kicking me out of Wei Ai? How could you drive me out? Weâve known each other for more than a decade, and Iâve been here for more than two! DorenzaâŠâ
âI donât want to see you anymore.â
Dorenzaâs voice was flat. After he spoke, he no longer paid any attention to Zayev. A few minutes later, security personnel came to collect him from the room.
In just a few moments, only Dorenza was left in the empty lounge.
The enraged old man slowly collapsed. After a long while, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, a completely different man than he had been only moments earlier.
âLu⊠Iâm really sorryâŠâ
âI hope your spirit in heaven will be more at easeâŠâ
âBut I have no evidence. I couldnât find anything⊠If I had known how ugly he was, I wouldnât haveâŠâ
A harsh Dorenza with sharp edges was still the same, gentle and kind Dorenza.
Even if it wasnât his fault, he blamed himself. He drove himself to the edge to get justice for the poor child.
While there were truly despicable people in the world, some were kind enough to shine light amidst the darkness.
The members of Wei Ai shared the same thought. When they all saw Zayev being driven out from the orchestra by the security personnels and his belongings being thrown out, every member of the staff received a small envelope.
The envelope was very thin and it concealed something which was made of plastic. Judging from the sizeâŠ
It might be a USB stick.
Evra had just hung up a phone call when he received the envelope. From his phone call, he heard that Dorenza had driven Zayev out of Wei Ai and let out a heavy sigh.
When he received the envelope with a USB stick in it, Evra was surprised for a moment, before he finallyâŠ
Plugged the USB stick into the computer.
Once he did, he hesitated.
A pop-out window with only one audio file sprang up.