Chapter 49

A piercing wind whistled outside the floor-to-ceiling window of the lobby. Many guests had driven away. Only a few musicians who met old friends still chatted in the lobby, planning to go out for a late evening meal.

Despite his advanced age, Farrel was still hale and hearty. Not only did he have no problems keeping up with the talkative Daniel, but he also said something relevant on every topic and make the gathered crowd burst out laughing.

After half an hour, the musicians finally tired of talking and began to leave one after another. Eventually, only Daniel and Farrel were left discussing what songs to choose for the next tour season.

Christole, who stood beside them, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed out, “But Mr. Farrel, Daniel. . . You are not in the same orchestra, so. . . You don’t have to agree on your theme, do you?”

These words surprised Farrel. He nodded with a smile. “Indeed. Daniel, I don’t have to care about what you decide.”

Daniel also smiled. “That’s true. In fact, we in Bai Ai have talked about this already. This year, we will perform Schumann’s works.” At the end of the year, there was a heated discussion about what theme to use for the next season’s tour. The members proposed various programs and the concertmaster and the conductor would make the final decision.

Min Chen, who followed along without speaking, looked at Daniel and asked nonchalantly, “I agreed to that?”

Daniel was stunned, then he remembered: “Oh, at that time you were on vacation in Huaxia!” He abruptly stopped because something occurred to him—they forgot to ask this big boss!

Frightened, Daniel cleared his throat and said, “Min! Don’t tell me that you think this topic is not right?! This is the 160th anniversary of Master Schumann’s death! Don’t make fun of me!”

Unexpectedly, Min Chen’s thin lips curled upward slightly, his tone flat, “I didn’t say it was inappropriate.”

Daniel: “. . .”

Christole: “. . .”

Farrel: “Ha ha ha ha, you’re still so mean, Auston.”

Min Chen shrugged noncommittally and the four men walked toward the exit. Farrel did not come by car, so he let Min Chen offer him a ride. Daniel and Christole went to pick up the car. Min Chen watched the bright lights of the traffic on the distant street when, out of the blue, he heard the man beside him speak.

“Auston. . . you and Qi are acquaintances?”

Surprised, Min Chen turned to Farrel and saw the latter gazing at himself with a smile. Min Chen was a little taller than Farrel, so he had to look down at him. He pondered for a moment, then replied, “Well, I know him. Why do you ask?”

Farrel nodded. “He’s a good violinist, very skilled. Seeing him reminds me of how I used to look when I played the violin. Partly due to his age, I guess. He’s really young!”

Min Chen’s expression did not change as he listened to Farrel’s praise of Qi Mu, but his deep eyes flashed. After a moment, he asked, “Do you think he’s outstanding?”

Farrel smiled again and asked in reply, “You don’t? I listened to his performance with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra seven or eight years ago. If I didn’t have an impression of this talented young man, I wouldn’t have paid attention then. Over the past eight years, his music style has changed so much that I almost couldn’t recognize him.”

Naturally, as one of the world’s top conductors, a composer, and a violinist, Farrel’s hearing was incomparable. Even years after listening to someone’s performance, he could recall how they sounded.

And yet, when he heard Qi Mu’s 《D Major》 and 《The Butterfly Lovers》, Farrel was amazed to find that the former child prodigy’s technical skill and his ability to express emotions had grown significantly. It was not like that of a 20-year-old youth at all.

“Such excellent seedlings are rare in today’s music world. It’s good to be young. I’m old already.” Farrel’s sigh was full of emotion.

Min Chen narrowed his eyes in the dimly lit night, thinking about something. After hearing Farrel’s words, he said, “Well, it’s true. . . His music style has changed a lot. The way he deals with the arrangement has also changed a lot. His 《D Major》 was better than I imagined.”

One month before the performance, Qi Mu called Min Chen to ask him what he thought about when he wrote 《D Major》. Being able to talk directly to the composer was a fortunate thing, Qi Mu would be a fool to waste such an opportunity.

Half a month ago, Min Chen had listened to a recording Qi Mu sent him. Although the sound quality was not perfect, Min Chen could still tell——at that time, Qi Mu’s 《D Major》 was not at this level.

Thinking about this, Min Chen chuckled. He said, “He’s very hard-working.”

This was the first time Farrel heard Min Chen praise somebody like that. For a long moment, he stared at Min Chen in surprise, then laughed. “Auston, it’s rare for you to speak highly of someone; it seems Qi is truly exceptional. Looking at his age, he’s about to enter college. It would be bad if there wasn’t a teacher to guide him.”

Min Chen looked at Farrel in surprise. “You mean. . .”

There was a meaningful smile on Farrel’s face. He looked at the bustling, splendid nightscape of S City. “I think Paris is good.”

Not long after, Daniel and Christole drove over from the parking lot, and they sent Farrel back to his hotel. Daniel held the steering wheel and joked with Christ in the passenger’s seat, while Min Chen sat alone in the back seat, pondering something with a frown.

He recalled Farrel’s earlier words and the furrow in his brow deepened. In the end, he sighed quietly, murmuring, “Paris, then. . . Did he. . .”

By then, Qi Mu had already returned to his hotel and was packing his luggage. After the Centennial Celebration, it was time for B City Symphony Orchestra’s spring performance. He had to go back to B City to prepare himself and join the rehearsals as soon as possible.

Qi Mu set an overcoat in his suitcase. He hadn’t moved away when he heard his cell phone vibrate. He stood up and stepped over the luggage, reaching for his phone on the table. When he saw the name of the sender, Qi Mu froze for a moment before opening the text message.

Min Chen: 『The performance tonight was excellent. Congratulations.』

Qi Mu let out a quiet laugh. He tapped the touch screen a few times: 『Thank you. Conductor Zhu said you might not have time to come. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.』

It wasn’t long before Qi Mu received a reply: 『I arrived at Hongkou Airport this afternoon, and I have a ticket for tomorrow’s flight to Berlin.』

Before Qi Mu answered, there was another message: 『Some things happened in the orchestra recently.』

Seeing the evasive sentence on the screen, Qi Mu couldn’t help laughing. He put the clothes he held aside and responded to the other party with due respect: 『I wish you a pleasant journey, I’m also flying back to B City tomorrow. By the way, I should let you know that today I encouraged one of your admirers in your name. I hope you don’t mind.』

The streets of the Bund were bustling, the stream of vehicles not stopping even so late in the night. Min Chen looked at the dark Huangpu River outside the window. The phone in his hand vibrated suddenly, and he peered down at it.

His gaze paused for a moment on the smiling face at the end of the message, then he resumed texting: 『That’s fine, it doesn’t matter. I also wish you a pleasant journey.』

This time there was no response. Qi Mu had already put down his mobile and continued to pack. Min Chen turned his head and again stared at the Huangpu River engulfed in the darkness.

Several cargo ships sailed slowly along the black surface. The lights of the city were so bright that the water seemed like a cold, dark abyss.

The man’s slender fingers beat rhythmically on the casing of his phone. Although he seemed calm and composed, in fact, Min Chen’s heart was turbulent, and his mind filled with too many thoughts.

Daniel had investigated the relationship between Qi Mu and Lu Zi Wen——the only time they were in contact was that one joint performance in Vienna eight years ago. At the time, Lu Zi Wen was your average newcomer in the first violin group, and Qi Mu had already been lauded as a gifted child prodigy.

But, if so. . . if they had no relation with each other, how had Qi Mu changed so much?

And, why. . .

. . .did he resemble Lu Zi Wen so strongly?

Min Chen’s pupils constricted, and his lips parted slightly.

It was not possible for two different people’s music to be identical, not to this extent. . .

Absolutely impossible.

Min Chen felt as if he stood before an impenetrable door. It wasn’t locked, but there were also no gaps—sealed so tightly even air could not pass through it. He ran into a dead end before he had even begun. But it was right in front of him, and he couldn’t ignore it.

This was the first time in his thirty years of life that he had encountered such a queer thing as an almost identical 《Bell》.

Even though there were slight differences, no one would dare deny it if Min Chen publicly announced that Qi Mu’s 《Bell》 was the same as Lu Zi Wen’s 《Bell》. After all, this was Min Chen, the man who could hear when a single string’s mistake.

“So why. . . How could this be?”