Chapter 55

《B City Symphony Orchestra’s premiere of the seasons, the audience is packed!》

《A sigh from a hundred years ago, Bruckner’s Symphony Night》

《Qi Mu: Rising star! The most unique Bruckner interpretation!》

. . .

After B City’s concert, a wide range of news spread throughout the country.

In just a night’s hard work, the professional newspapers and magazines covered the performance from many angles. Even papers not focused on music had touched on it in their music section, publishing special articles.

The night’s performance was an audiovisual feast for all present.

The grand stage, magnificent symphony, and the Huaxia National Grand Theatre’s cream of the crop audio equipment delivered every note of that imposing music to its listeners’ ears, touching their souls.

Tan Zheng Hui had selected a piece from Anton Buckner’s repertoire for the finale. This famous Australian composer from a hundred years ago was excellent at creating solemn church music. His symphonies were serious, grave, and very traditionally romantic.

This was actually Tan Lao’s last test for Qi Mu.

Before this, QI Mu usually played symphonies that were highly skilled or highly emotional, such as Paganini’s works or even 《Liang Zhu》.

However, Bruckner’s symphonies had a particular difficulty and required an emotional understanding. It was music Qi Mu had never performed before.

Of course, on that magnificent stage, no matter the challenge, Qi Mu executed it perfectly. The enthusiastic applause was a tremendous blessing and praise enough.

After the concert, Tan Lao gazed at him for a long time and couldn’t help but say, “Remember to come back and see me if there is time when we go for shows in Europe. Don’t be like those little bastards that go off and never come back. . . It’s good to call often.”

Tan Lao’s two daughters went to the United States to study when they were young. One returned to the city to work, but the other stayed by the ocean. Neither was interested much in classical music, and Tan Lao didn’t frequently contact them. The relationship between father and daughter was frigid at best.

QI Mu knew this and naturally smiled, agreeing to his request.

The next day, when he collected his suitcase and went downstairs, he didn’t have to call a taxi. Instead, he saw a man standing there, staring at the ground.

Qi Mu looked at him and crossed over. “Zheng-ge, how are you here? You didn’t tell me you were downstairs, I would have come down early.”

Zheng Wei Qiao wore a thick gray coat and his familiar silver glasses, but the eyes behind those lenses were bloodshot. He appeared haggard compared to his gentle handsomeness from before.

When the two were a meter apart, Qi Mu stopped and smiled at him. He said nothing, just looked on.

Zheng Wei Qiao swallowed at the sight of his smile. After a long time, he pulled over Qi Mu’s suitcase and stuffed it into the backseat. “Xiao Qi, you really are something. You didn’t call to have someone send you to the airport. Were you going to take a taxi?”

Qi Mu placed his violin case beside it in the backseat and took the passenger’s side.

Qi Mu: “Zheng-ge, my flight’s early. I didn’t want to disturb you and sister-in-law.”

“Nonsense, who are you bothering?! You go like this. . . I don’t know when I’ll see you again. Won’t you have to wait for the end of the semester for a vacation? Maybe that professor won’t let you come back to Huaxia. You actually want to leave without notice, how grown up! Your wings are so big already, ah!”

Although the words were accusing, Zheng Wei Qiao’s tone wasn’t scolding.

Qi Mu understood his mood. . . For him to study abroad like this, it was important for Zheng Wei Qiao.

However, he didn’t know what to say. He gave a gentle “Um” and said nothing else.

Zheng Wei Qiao drove, fingers clenched to the steering wheel. After a while, he sighed, “Xiao Qi, when you first came to B City, I was wondering when you would cheer up a little and stop living in splendor? Drinking, racing, those things are meaningless, how could you indulge in it every day? I was giving up.”

“Then. . . You managed to change. You matured and became so very good. Now, you’re off to Paris, but I have to wonder if staying in Huaxia isn’t also good? A lot of people. . .”

Zheng Wei Qiao halted. After a while, he said, “Some people, once they leave, they never come back. Even if they return to perform with an orchestra, they have changed their nationality. They are no longer Huaxian.”

Qi Mu knew Zheng Wei Qiao referred to the musicians that went West and entered the top symphony orchestras. The ones who couldn’t wait to change nationalities.

Among this kind, he already knew one: Luo Yu Sen.

He had not understood at the beginning, why Luo Yu Sen changed his nationality.

It was something he hadn’t obtained even after half a year’s worth of trying, but Luo Yu Sen just gave it up. It confused him.

However, he knew one thing. “Zheng-ge, what do you think of me?” He suddenly narrowed his eyes, and his complexion paled as he retorted, “If I dare do that, not just you, but Tan Lao has to break my leg!”

“Hey. . .”

When he said it, Qi Mu had purposely imitated Tan Lao’s expression which made Zheng Wei Qiao laugh and beg for mercy, “Yes, yes, Xiao Qi, ah. You go off to Paris but stop that. I hear Professor Akkad has a strange temper. You have to pay attention to it.”

Qi Mu nodded, but before he could open his mouth, Zheng Wei Qiao urged him, “You were naughty. You can’t do that with the professor. If you make him angry, you’ll only suffer.”

He still didn’t let Qi Mu get a word in edgewise. “Right, I remember Professor Akkad is from Turin, the capital of chocolate. Do you want to bring some for him? I heart people from Turin love chocolate, so you should break a gift. . .”

Qi Mu: “Zheng. . .”

“Maybe you don’t want to bring chocolate, Professor Akkad is a man after all. He might not like sweets much.”

“Zheng-ge. . .”

“Anyway, if there’s anything hard to handle, just call me. My work is usually easy, and it only takes ten hours to get to Paris. I can definitely help you. . .”

“Zheng-ge!”

At Qi Mu’s sudden shout, Zheng Wei Qiao shut his mouth, turned and asked, “Well, what’s the matter, Xiao Qi?”

The handsome young man’s beautiful face as stunned and he looked at the road helplessly, “Zheng-ge. . . You just passed the road to the airport. We’ll have to turn around. . .”

Zheng Wei Qiao: “. . .”

Fortunately, they had left two hours in advance. Even with the U-turn, when they reached the security checkpoint, Qi Mu still had an hour before the plane took off.

Zheng Wei Qiao beckoned Qi Mu over and hugged him.

An hour later, a silver international airplane took off, breaking into the white clouds and vanishing.

Paris, early morning.

Germany and France shared a border. These “small” European countries had little geographical surface. From Germany’s capital, Berlin, to Paris’s, it only took seven or eight hours by train.

The station was roughly in center city. Many tourists would go by train rather than a plane——

Europe wasn’t large, so it only took a few days to walk around.

Who knew if Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s cute and silly agent was taking the wrong medicine, one called “there’s a one-of-a-kind hotel just two blocks away from the train station.” So the original flight for Mr. Commander was changed to. . . a seven or eight hour train.

There’s even a transfer in the middle!!!

Daniel, don’t you know how much trouble this is!!!

So, the entire way, this gentlemanly Mr. Commander wore a cold Zhang Jun expression. He didn’t want to speak even a word to his agent, stingy enough to not wan to see him even in his peripheral vision.

Of course, Daniel was celebrating!

——It was worth it to sit with this iceberg that didn’t talk much! Let’s take a nap, duang~ Pairs is here! Awesome!

Of course, when a raging spring storm delayed the train from leaving Berlin until evening, even Daniel was remorseful.

They only arrived in Paris ridiculously early! What a mistake! Why’re you sleeping?!

On such a cold, late night, even the beautiful city called the world’s romance capital was empty. Only the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s members rushed across the two streets, entered the hotel, and could finally find some hot water to bathe!

What, why did they come to Paris?

Of course, it was the first stop on Bai Ai’s tour this year!

You say, shouldn’t it be London?

This was innovative! Creative! It was too boring to go to London every year. The chance to see his neighbor, it was good too, ah.

Bai Ai’s Paris-European tour would stay in Paris for——five days.