Although Qi Mu was only a temporary member of the first violin group, for a top orchestra like this, any small change was vital.
Qi Mu wasn"t familiar with 《The Magic Flute》, so he made a few slight mistakes in the early rehearsals. Fortunately, he responded quickly and was also a quick learner. Using his absolute pitch to memorize each of the sounds in the orchestra, Qi Mu was basically starved for the chance to play by the third rehearsal.
The days Qi Mu experienced with Farrell were good ones. His gentleness was akin to that of the spring breeze, and he was unbiased towards everyone. It was no wonder this man was voted No. 3 in the most mild-tempered conductor world poll.
It was not that Farrell wasn"t gentle enough, it"s just that. . . Boswell, who ranked first, and Dorenza, in second, was so powerful Farrell could only sit at third place.
This left a deep impression on Qi Mu who had survived ten years in the heat of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. These days, he really understood the differences between conductors!
For example, during the afternoon rehearsal today, a member of the trumpet group played the wrong note. If this was Vienna, well. . . the poor sap would have been chewed out by Evra until he wouldn"t even dare lift his head.
But at Dresden?
Farrell waited until the section was over before smiling at the erred member and gently said, "Oh, Kenny, you"re too nervous. You"ve played well all this time, so relax and pay attention to the pitch. You"ll do better next time."
You see, there was nothing to compare here between Evra and Farrell.
Of course, Qi Mu had now cooperated with the world"s top three best-tempered conductors. If such achievements were to be laid out on the Danube forum, it would be a perfect anecdote and soon become the hottest post of the day.
But what Qi Mu didn"t expect was by the end of the day, he would hear Evra"s name. At that time, Qi Mu was packing his violin case when he overheard the wind group"s discussion——
"Well, Cooke complained again today that Mr. Evra is so cruel."
"Cooke"s condition is a bit off lately, so it"s normal for Mr. Evra to say something. At least Mr. Evra is frank, even though he scolds you, he guides you. Unlike Mr. Bertram, even if he doesn"t say a word, people will tremble. . ."
"Don"t say it. Mayer posted anonymously on the Danube forum at noon saying Mr. Bertram is on leave today. Christole led the afternoon rehearsal."
"Oh! What a happy event, Christole has a good temper!"
. . .
When these words reached Qi Mu"s ears, he was so surprised his eyebrows furrowed.
Although. . . although Min Chen was awkward, stingy, vengeful, had a poisonous tongue, was black-bellied with a good face and a bit afraid of bugs, was his temper really so bad? Generally speaking, he was a kind person.
After all, the things Jenny said about Bertram. . .
"Hey! What are you talking about?! Mr. Bertram is very kind and considerate, isn"t he a gentleman?! Don"t talk nonsense here!"
Qi Mu: “. . .”
Well, before he could remember the exact words, the person who uttered them appeared first.
The group didn"t know whether to tearfully laughing while apologizing to the "guardian" Jenny. The old men were forced to flee by the young woman.
Jenny was sullen for a while but suddenly remembered the reason she was there. The female yaksha abruptly smiled. Though she wasn"t beautiful, her smile was friendly and made her approachable.
But right now, Qi Mu. . . couldn"t a.s.sociate this woman with a kind smile to that yaksha just now.
Jenny went over to Qi Mu and said with a smile, "Angel, I came because Mr. Farrell asked for you." Qi Mu was about to leave at once, and she smiled again, "Go straight ahead, I"ll help with your stuff. It looks like Mr. Farrell wanted to say a word or two, so it shouldn"t be long."
Qi Mu smiled and said, "Okay. Thank you, Jenny."
In the rehearsal hall, a handsome young man walked ahead toward the conductor"s lounge behind the stage. Behind him, the female violinist sat on a chair, watching over his violin case and phone.
It took him three minutes to walk to the backstage from the hall.
The maestro told Qi Mu that he and his wife, Audrey, were going out tonight to have a candlelight dinner and share a romantic, warm world for only the two of them.
Since it was a two-person world, of course, one couldn"t bring a giant light bulb along. So he gave him the key, telling him to go back alone and eat something on the way.
Qi Mu naturally agreed. Although the fact that Farrell and Audrey were in their sixties but still regularly went out on a date together every week was somewhat unexpected, their love of more than 40 years made him slightly envious.
The vibrant sunset shone through the stained-gla.s.s window making the gla.s.s looked even more dazzling.
Qi Mu walked alone down the long corridor. For some reason, he suddenly stopped in front of the tall Gothic-style window and stared at it in a daze.
Over 40 years of love. . .
When put together, it didn"t seem much in comparison to the years he had lived.
Why was he suddenly a bit envious?
If he could be with Min for 40 years. . .
His light eyes opened wide, and he was stunned, standing frozen in the same place. He couldn"t believe the fact that name just popped up in his mind.
There wasn"t a single movement in the corridor for quite a while. It wasn"t until a small, black bird perched on a branch of a tree outside flapped its wings and flew away that Qi Mu was suddenly awakened from his reverie, and he clenched his fist.
He once again continued toward the rehearsal hall. His shocked expression had already returned to normal as if nothing happened.
Qi Mu had just stepped into the rehearsal hall when he heard the familiar ringtone of his mobile phone before he could even spot Jenny.
He used 《Concerto in E minor》 as his ringtone until a few months ago when he changed it to Paganini"s 《La Campanella》 played by himself. So when the melody rang out, he knew it was his phone.
Qi Mu hastened his pace, but before he could come close, he heard a sudden cry, "My G.o.d! Min. . .Chen?! That"s Mr. Bertram"s Chinese name!"
Qi Mu suddenly had a bad feeling. His steps quickened, but just 10 meters away, he heard Jenny"s voice again, "Ah. . . Mr. Bertram? Well, I"m not Angel. I"m Jenny, Jenny from Dresden. . . Ah, Angel? Angel was called by Mr. Farrell just now, and he needed me to. . . Ah! Mr. Bertram, Angel is back! Do you want me to give him the phone?"
Qi Mu: “. . .”
What was the Chinese saying again? Escape on the first day but can"t hide on the fifteenth.
Facing Jenny"s expression full of expectation and excitement, Qi Mu could only sigh softly and take over the phone. Setting it to his ear, Qi Mu hadn"t yet spoken when he heard the magnetic voice through the speaker——
"Qi Mu."
Time suddenly flashed back to three days ago. It was this voice and intonation that gently said the same two words while the vinyl rotated.
Qi Mu was stunned for a while. After the other man repeated his name, he let out a bitter, helpless laugh and answered, "Well. . . I"m here."
Over the past three days, Qi Mu had ignored dozens of text messages and countless phone calls from this man. Now that he heard the man"s voice again, it felt like a century had pa.s.sed.
On the other side of the line, Min Chen was silent for a while before whispering, "I"m in Paris."
Qi Mu understood the meaning of his words in an instant. He was frozen for a moment before replying automatically, "I"m in Dresden?"
"Well." The man answered. There was the sound of a car pa.s.sing by, it sounded like Min Chen was walking. He then continued, "I"ve been very busy lately. Dresden is close to Berlin, but, in the next week, I might not have time to spare."
Qi Mu didn"t know how to answer. He could only hum as a reply.
For a while, neither of them spoke. Qi Mu could only listen to the wind coming from the speaker, and suddenly, he heard a familiar bell chime, bright and clear.
With a flash of inspiration, Qi Mu asked, "Where exactly in Paris are you?"
"I"m at your house, downstairs." After a pause, Min Chen"s voice contained a slight smile, "You"re not at home, the window is dark. It"s only two floors. . . I should be able to climb up."
Qi Mu finally couldn"t stop himself from laughing. He could imagine the man with a very good face casually climbing up the window of his house and being caught by the police or neighbors but still calmly explaining it away as he just forgot his keys.
Well, there"s no doubt this man would do such a thing.
"Didn"t you own a house in Paris? It"s late now, don"t climb my window if you"re not going back to Berlin today. I locked the door and windows when I left." The joke made Qi Mu"s tight nerves relaxed. He thought for a while and said, "If you"re hungry, the croissants from the bakery you like across the street are good. The boss is German. You can talk to him for a while."
Over there, it seemed Min Chen had started walking again. Qi Mu heard the whirring sound of wind blowing, then Min Chen"s spoke again, "What"s the name of the bakery?"
This time, Min Chen spoke fluent German instead of Mandarin.
Qi Mu automatically replied, "1iebedin??" But as soon as his voice fell, Qi Mu realized what he had said. In an instant, a red flush spread across the youth"s fair cheeks.
Qi Mu quickly reached out to cover his face and whispered, embarra.s.sed, "The owner is German, and the shop"s name. . . that. Well, I have something to do here. I can"t talk to you, see you later."
After that, Qi Mu hang up in a hurry without waiting for the other man"s response. At this moment, he could feel his cheeks burning, and he had yet to recover from the impact of the words he just said.
But when Qi Mu looked up, Jenny with startled eyes wide waited for him, "My G.o.d! Angel, did I mishear?! Did you just say "1ebedih" to Mr. Bertram?! It turns out. . . you guys are in that relationship!"
When Qi Mu spoke to Min Chen before, they used Mandarin which naturally, Jenny couldn"t understand even a word of. But the phrase "1iebedih" was the only thing she did understand and that shocked her to the point she couldn"t pick her jaw off the floor.
Qi Mu: ". . .No! Jenny, listen to me. There"s a bakery named that near my house. Really!"
Jenny shook her head and said incredulously, "But, Angel, since it"s a bakery in Paris, why is the name German?"
Qi Mu immediately responded in defense, "Jenny, that"s because the owner is German, so he named his shop in German."
Jenny looked at Qi Mu with disbelieving eyes, but her mouth still said, "Okay, Angel, I see. Near your house, there"s a bakery named "1iebedih" whose owner, though German, ran to Paris to open the bakery and named it "1iebedih". I see. Rest a.s.sured, Angel, I won"t tell anyone."
Qi Mu: “. . .”
Ich liebe dich。
In German, it meant I love you.
Then. . . Liebe dich?
Yes——love you.