The cafe was brightly lit yet quiet.
After Bai Ai"s members finished their afternoon tea break and went to rehea.r.s.e again, they greeted Qi Mu and Christole at the front door. And after a while, there were only the two left in the quiet cafe.
Qi Mu was there as a spectator, after all. He didn"t need to do anything for the rehearsal. However, Christole could take rest at will. So, they both chatted in the cafe for a while.
Christole was a mild-tempered man. He noticed that Qi Mu was not familiar with Bai Ai as early as his first visit to the orchestra, so he thoughtfully created opportunities for Qi Mu to engage with the orchestra"s members.
Qi Mu felt quite at ease when talking to such a good-natured person. "…So, Christole, your favorite is Wieniawski? I didn"t expect that, I listen to you a lot and you often play Mendelssohn and Sarasate, you seldomly play Wieniawski."
Although Christole"s facial features weren"t outstanding, he was very pleasing to the eyes. Especially when he smiled, he looked even more pleasant, "Well, I like his music a lot but it"s a pity… Little Seven, I"m not proficient with it."
Every musician knew their skills and what they were good at and not good at. For example, Qi Mu played Paganini the best. The difficult techniques were just like a child"s play for him. Another example was Evra, whose specialty was Bach"s. He couldn"t control music that was heavy with solemnity.
Qi Mu nodded. "Um, but Christole, your violin is really great. I like your music from early on."
"Thank you for your appreciation, Little Seven. I also like your music a lot."
They talked for a while. Just as they were about to end the pleasant conversation, Christole"s mobile phone suddenly vibrated. Picking it up in surprise, a helpless, doting smile lit his face after reading the message.
Seeing this, Qi Mu suddenly had a conjecture. After Christole finished replying to the text message, Qi Mu smiled and asked, "You look really happy, all of a sudden. Christole, if I may ask… was that your lover just now?"
After a moment of shock, a trace of loss flashed on his face. Quickly hiding it, he smiled and replied, "You guessed wrong, Little Seven. It was my good friend. It seems that he just returned to Europe, so he sent a text to tell me about it."
Qi Mu looked somewhat surprised at the gently smiling man. When he looked closely, it truly seemed that he was in a good mood, as if nothing had happened.
Without thinking too much about it, Qi Mu went back to the rehearsal hall with Christole.
Christole presided over the afternoon rehearsal while Qi Mu carefully jotted down important points in his notebook. The experiences would not only help him in his violin career, but he could also use them in the Palisade Theatre Orchestra.
Bai Ai was really an excellent orchestra. Each of the members played their positions appropriately and brilliantly.
In the evening rehearsal,the third movement of a piece ended in a great momentum. Even the picky Min Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was amazed by their excellent performance.
Qi Mu wrote down the last point in his notebook with flourish. Just then, he was also shocked by the 《Symphony No. 9》 ——
Even if it was just a rehearsal, the orchestra performed outstandingly.
It was no wonder the orchestra was crowned with the t.i.tle of "The World"s Best Orchestra".
Before the concert the next day, Qi Mu selected a dark purple tie for his lover with great care.
This was the first time Qi Mu attended Min Chen"s concert after they got together. More than four months ago, they encountered Akkad, who was h.e.l.l bent on after just a few days of them being together. And, right now, Qi Mu was carefully tying the tie for his lover with laser-focused eyes.
No matter how experienced a maestro was, when it came to performing, it was always a battle of attention, even on a small stage. Let alone this performance, which was held in the Golden Hall.
The dark purple tie was tied smoothly and neatly. The n.o.ble-looking man watched with eyes half-lidded as Qi Mu attentively helped him fasten the tie and clip on the tie clip, then smooth it between his index and middle fingers.
Min Chen"s eyes narrowed slightly and he said, "You"re nervous."
Qi Mu didn"t deny it.
With his thin lips slightly curled up in a smile, Min Chen added, "Even more nervous than I am."
After all the preparations were completed, Qi Mu looked at the smiling man and raised his eyebrows. "It"s not me who"s performing. Why would I be nervous?"
Min Chen just smiled and avoided the topic, "I will go back to Berlin tomorrow and have a performance the day after. The schedule is quite tight." After a pause, he added, "I"ve already made Daniel book the ticket. Qi Mu… go back with me."
The voice was deep and magnetic, it sounded so loud in the quiet clothing room. Deliberately toning down his voice, he was like a charming demon of the deep sea. At the moment, Min Chen intentionally leaned forward, making his voice ring in Qi Mu"s ears.
With Qi Mu"s hearing, he can hear the other man"s deliberate moves. Pushing Min Chen to the side, he didn"t know whether to cry or laugh. "You"ve already bought the ticket, can I say no? Well, the show is about to start. You"ll be late if you don"t go now."
As Min Chen went down to get the car, Qi Mu put on his thick wool scarf, thinking, Was I… really nervous, just now?
He actually might be.
In his previous life, apart from being the deputy concertmaster of Wei Jiao, Qi Mu never had a chance to step foot in the Golden Hall. Now, he really felt nervous for Min Chen, even if he was only an audience for this performance.
Thinking about it, Qi Mu suddenly remembered the Little Princess in the Swiss Bank and his light colored pupils shrank. When he got off the elevator, his gaze was firm and determined, having already made the decision for his future.
His life was just getting started and the first step was to——
Get back the Little Princess.