When the police knocked on Luo Yu Senâs door, he was packing up, planning to wait in Sweden until things settled down.
After Zayev abandoned him, Luo Yu Sen didnât want to cause a commotion by fighting with him. But Zayevâs words rang true. When the story came to light, though Zayev incited the action against Lu Ziwen, it would be him who was suspected for murder!
Without Zayevâs backing, Luo Yu Sen could already see what would happen to him.
He refused to give up. Going to Sweden was only a temporary plan. Luo Yu Sen would never give up his desire to return to the orchestra. The deputy concertmaster of Wei Jiaoâs seat must be his, that was what Zayevâs promised him!
Even when he was escorted to a police car, he didnât realize what had happened until he arrived at the police station.
Zayev shared the same fate.
In the recording, although Zayev said he never told Luo Yu Sen to murder Lu Zi Wen, the resulting death was an indirect effect of his instructions. The police couldnât just let him go. They needed to interrogate him.
âŠ.One might wonder, why were the police so motivated?
Because they were driven by Dorenza and Evra!
âPlease discover the truth and bring the criminals to justice!â Dorenza said.
âGive them the punishment they deserve. Isnât this a homicide case? We hope it can be settled quickly.â Evra was more direct.
Zayev had been in the European classical music circle for decades, accumulating dozens of connections, so he anticipated some kind of warning from them. But such connections were not worth mentioning when compared to Dorenza, who was a Viscount!
Qi Mu wasnât surprised at all when he discovered that Luo Yu Sen and Zayev were taken in by the police. Instead, he thought Evra moved quite slowly.
According to what Qi Mu knew of Evraâs personality, the hot tempered maestro would have contacted the police the night he received the recording. But, it wasnât too slow either. At least he would have the chance to see the case unfold while he was still in Vienna.
While Qi Mu was calm and almost indifferent, the entire music circle in Vienna exploded!
With solid evidence, Evra didnât suppress the media this time around. Within an hour after Zayevâs and Luo Yu Senâs arrest, the first one to respond was the Vienna music circleâs evening newsââ
ăWei Aiâs concertmaster is a murderer?! The mystery surrounding the death of Wei Jiaoâs former deputy concertmaster!ă
The next morning, all the major newspapers and magazines published reports on the incident. Many of them even said, âThe tragic death of Wei Jiaoâs former deputy concertmaster in the Golden Hallâs preparation room a year ago wasnât an accident. It was a murder under the deliberate instruction of Leon Zayev, Wei Aiâs concertmaster! Last night, the reporter travelled to the Vienna police station to get an interview relating to the incidentâŠâ
ăThe cancer of the classical music world, the dark secrets behind Leon Zayev!ă
ăLeon Zayev: A shame! Murder for benefit in the classical music world!ă
ăAmidst the hatred between two deputies of Wei Jiao, Luo Yu Sen is suspected to be a murderer!ă
âŠâŠ
Out of ten reports, six used the name Leon Zayev while only a couple used Luo Yu Sen. The former was much more known than the latter, after all. In order to create hype, Luo Yu Sen could only step aside.
When Qi Mu rose to do some morning exercises, he flipped through the newspapers without actually reading them. When he walked through the streets, he could hear people arguing, expressing their shockââ
âGod, really?! Mr. Leon Zayev is really a murderer?!â
âHow could this be? Did you get the wrong person, Adrian? It was only a few months ago when we last heard Wei Aiâs performance!â
âIt really is Wei Aiâs concertmaster. The reports said heâs suspected of instructing a deputy chief of Wei Jiao to drug someone. It caused that personâs death!â
âHow could this beâŠâ
âŠâŠ
All kinds of exclamations could be heard along the streets of Vienna. Even when Qi Mu arrived at the Palisade Theatre with his violin case, none of the orchestra members remembered to practice. Instead, they discussed the shocking event.
âIs this really how 2016 is going to end? I canât believe itâs Mr. Zayev⊠No, Zayev would actually do such a thing!â
âWhere did you get the news? I just read the report from ăThe Voice of Musică, they said because Mr. Dorenza appreciated Lu Zi Wen and might even promote him to be Wei Aiâs deputy concertmaster that Zayev acted out.â
âReally? What kind of a threat does a newcomer possess to Zayev?â
âYouâve never listened to Lu Zi Wenâs violin, have you? Although the accident happened last year, I got the rehearsalâs ticket the day before. I heard his Blue Danube, he was a really brilliant violinist!â
âOh⊠That really happened?!â
âHaha, you donât know anything, do you? Zayev was worried Lu Zi Wen would be a threat to his position. Heâd been Wei Aiâs concertmaster for more than a decade. As long as there wasnât an issue, his position shouldnât change.â
A member of the trumpet group glanced around covertly, then whispered, âOne of my former classmates comes from a very rich family. His violin skills are only average, but how could he compare to our concertmaster? Heâs been showing off to the rest of our classmates since last year.â
A member of the violin group asked curiously, âShowing off? What do you mean?â
âHe said he could be the deputy concertmaster of one of the worldâs top orchestras!â
Hearing this, everyone laughed. Even the deputy concertmaster of Palisade Theatre Orchestra made fun of himself, âCome on, even Iâm only suitable to be a member of a top orchestra. But, the deputy concertmaster? I better go dream of something else. I think only our Little Seven is good enough for that. Right, Little Seven?â
Walking over with his case in hand, Qi Mu glanced around the members and smiled helplessly, âI wouldnât say that.â
After they joked around, the members quickly asked the trumpeter, âHey, Niall, you havenât finished your story yet. Go on!â
Niall sniggered and continued, âWe didnât believe it before, how could he become a deputy concertmaster for a top orchestra, at his skill level? But then he quit school last year! Rumor has it, he had a special tutor and he improved a bit. But, judging by his violin when we met a few days ago, tch, it doesnât sound like it improved at all.â
âStop stalling, get to the point!â
âWell, later a classmate revealed that his family bought a relationship with a member of a top orchestra a year and a half ago. He agreed that as long as he was skilled enough, he could be the deputy concertmaster of a top orchestra. I heard that⊠they paid this much!â
Niall held out his palm as he spoke.
Qi Muâs eyebrows raised. â500,000?â
Niall, however, shook his head. âNo! Itâs 5 million euros!!!â
Everyone gasped.
Even Qi Mu was shocked. He didnât expect someone would actually pay 5 million euros for a deputy concertmaster seat. Of course, what made him even more surprised was thatââ
Zayev did that kind of thing in the dark!
âWe didnât know which orchestra it was before, we only heard that it was either an Austrian or a German one. Say, there are only a few top orchestras in the world, and the best in Austria and German are Wei Ai, Bai Ai, and Dresden. We all think itâs among those three, plus Wei Jiao. But now, I guess anyone could tell which one it is.â
Niall stopped at that and didnât go on, but the other members understood. They didnât need to say the name of the orchestra, everybody knew it.
All musicians and orchestras of Vienna very clearly understood Dorenzaâs reputation. When the maestro learned of such dirty things happening in his orchestra, wasnât he enraged enough to tear Zayev to pieces?
Even Wallace, their orchestraâs conductor, knew what happened in Vienna. It might be why everyone in the Palisade Theatre Orchestra was absent-minded during the rehearsal that day.
An hour before they clocked-off, Wallace gave them a holiday.
âYou guys probably wonât be able to focus after all this. Well, actually, Iâm going to visit Dorenza right away. That poor old friend of mine, Iâm afraid heâs not feeling well now.â
In response, the members said their condolences.
âSend him our regards, Mr. Wallace.â
âYou must comfort Mr. Dorenza.â
âMr. Dorenza is so pitiful.â
After Mr. Wallace angrily bellowed, âYou little shits!â, they all laughed and went their separate ways.
The dayâs rehearsal was over.
Carrying his violin case and saying goodbye to the other members of the orchestra, Qi Mu walked alone to the nearest subway station. As he walked, he thought he should ask Charles to keep up with the trial.
By late autumn, the Vienna air already carried a chill, even with the sunâs rays warming the land. Likely due to the temperature, not many people lingered in the streets. Those that were around moved quickly.
Qi Mu looked at the gray ground in deep thought. He crossed a street and walked a few more steps, only to hear a low, magnetic voice behind himââ
âYoung gentleman, you seem to have lost something.â
The voice struck him in the deepest level of his heart. Each word he spoke lingered in Qi Muâs ears each night.