After living for over 70 years, what hadn"t Reed Akkad seen?
He and Min Chen had known each other for a decade. While he wasn"t as close to Min Chen as he was with Farrell, occasional teasing wasn"t an issue. And the best option for right now was——
To play dumb.
He had to play dumb.
The famous violinist acted as though nothing happened like he hadn"t said all those things about Min Chen. He turned to his lovely student and said, "Little Seven, your 《No. 34》 has progressed beyond my expectations."
Everyone else: ". . ."
Min Chen sat at the piano stool and said nothing, watching them for a long time.
Qi Mu didn"t know whether to cry or laugh. "Teacher, it"s not 《No. 34》, it"s 《No. 24》. . ."
Akkad, embarra.s.sed, coughed twice to cover up his mishap. "Okay, Little Seven, you"re going to play this song solo, and I"ll listen. If you can maintain this level, you don"t have to spend any more time on it."
Since Akkad had gone this far playing dumb, the student, Qi Mu, needed to give face to his master. He obligingly played his solo of 《Caprice No. 24》.
Over the past two days of practice with Min Chen, Qi Mu rarely had the chance to play the song alone. However, he wasn"t nervous. He looked forward to seeing how well he could do.
Without accompaniment, just him playing. . . what kind of melody would he play?
Qi Mu was surprised to see that in the absence of the piano, he didn"t feel restrained at all. Instead, he felt completely free, he could still grasp the initial inspiration.
After listening to his solo 《No. 24》, Professor Akkad nodded and praised, "Although the strong impact of the ensemble is no longer there, you still have good control. With this song, you can hold a solo recital now."
Qi Mu sat down his violin and smiled, replying, "Thank you, teacher."
However, at Qi Mu"s level, how could he only just now be able to hold a solo recital?
In his previous life, he held numerous solo recitals and had invitations to perform in various concert halls. Akkad"s requirements were too high. In his ears, only the current 《No. 24》 was considered excellent.
Akkad touched his chin, thinking. "In addition to this 《No. 24》. . . I will give you another song for tomorrow"s lesson. I hope you can finish it in a week, alright?"
Before Qi Mu could answer, Dylan exclaimed, “G.o.d! A week?! Only seven days? How could anyone be able to practice and complete a piece in such a short time?"
Dylan didn"t know what song Professor Akkad would give Qi Mu, but he doubted it would be as tricky as 《No. 24》.
Dylan, himself, was practicing Strauss" works, having recently encountered only two or three of Paganini"s works. Moreover, his mentor gave him at least two weeks to practice. Even then, Dylan thought it was too short.
At Dylan"s exclamations, Qi Mu smiled helplessly and glanced at him. He said, "Dylan, you"re still young. I"m older than you by two years, ah."
Before, in Huaxia, he was the youngest member of the orchestra. In college, he was the "older student" at the age of 22. He won"t be graduating for another few years.
It was normal for Akkad to speed up his curriculum. After all, if he followed the regular syllabus, he would undoubtedly end up as the oldest student in the violin department.
Dylan touched his nose and laughed. Akkad"s gaze swept over to the silly boy and continued, "Little Seven, it"s already quite late, you should go home first. Tomorrow we"ll go to the violin room. Our own music room, okay?"
Deliberately emphasizing the word "our music room," Akkad looked gloomily at the man sitting at the piano. Min Chen just looked at them with a faint smile, tapping his fingers gently on the piano cover.
Qi Mu smiled, "Yes, I will be there at 8 tomorrow, teacher."
Professor Akkad praised Qi Mu a few more times with satisfaction, and Qi Mu packed up his things to leave. He turned to ask Min Chen if he wanted to go with him, and Akkad suddenly spoke, "Little Seven, you can leave first. Auston and I. . . have something to talk about."
Qi Mu blinked and looked at Min Chen. He turned and took Dylan with him, as if in a trance. He closed the door behind them.
After the door closed with a click, Min Chen and Akkad were left alone in the violin room.
Min Chen still sat on the stool, tapping on the piano cover. Akkad, on the other hand, paced. A long time pa.s.sed, then Akkad seemed to make up his mind, and he approached Min Chen.
"Ah. . . Auston, there"s something you don"t know. . ."
Akkad"s hesitant voice had Min Chen looking up at him. In a mild tone, he said, "Reed, don"t we know each other? If I can help, I will do my best."
". . ."
Akkad involuntarily rubbed his arms to get rid of gooseb.u.mps.
After a moment, Akkad said, “Okay. . . Actually, this matter is related to Little Seven. You know, Seven had just come to the college, and he"s taken a special path. Compared to the orchestra, he"s very young, but in this college, he is definitely not the youngest.”
Min Chen"s casual look turned solemn at the name. He frowned, “So. . . ?”
“In three years at most, Little Seven will reach the average age of the graduates, but I don"t think he needs to spend that much time in cla.s.ses. He"ll be wasting his youth. So I"m thinking. . . about letting him go the same path as you and Christole."
Min Chen"s fingers stopped. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Akkad, saying in blunt reply, "Reed, his situation is different from my and Christole"s. No student of Paris" National Conservatory of Music has ever graduated in advance. This is not Leipzig, nor is it Munich."
Akkad shook his head, "Did Leipzig have a student who graduated in advance before you?"
Min Chen fell quiet. He thought for a long time then admitted, “Christole did.”
“But you set the precedent.” Professor Akkad said, adding with a serious expression, “Hey, since you can do it, then my student can also do it. Anything can have a precedent, and the precedent for that here will perhaps be Little Seven."
Min Chen closed his eyes and said nothing else.
At Min Chen"s silent agreement, Akkad nodded with a smile. He added, flatteringly, “Since you think the same. . . that Little Seven should graduate earlier, I"ll take care of my students. Isn’t that. . . also what you should do?”
By the end of the day, Akkad"s fox tail finally revealed itself.
Min Chen looked at him, his thin lips curling upwards. "How can I help?"
“I already spoke with the college. If Little Seven can get a score of 90 or more in every exam, then after one year, he can graduate directly. So. . .”
“Well, I am going to be one of the judges.”
“So can you please. . . Hey?! How did you know?!” Shocked, Akkad looked Min Chen up and down and asked, “When did you start practicing divination?!”
Min Chen looked unamused. "The day before you returned, Dean De Silva invited me to be the main judge for this semester"s first a.s.sessment. I"ve been hesitating but now. . . I"ll just say yes."
Akkad: "#%$#^%$. . ."
The evening breeze blew, thickening the sky with clouds. They obscured most of the sunset, allowing only a few stray sunbeams to streak through. Min Chen wiped and covered the piano, then stood to leave.
As he packed everything up, he listened to Akkad whisper to himself. The man"s voice was so low, if it weren"t for his excellent hearing, even he wouldn"t hear it clearly. “Well. . . Min, you are still a good person."
Min Chen raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Bluntly, Akade said, "I"ve heard about you helping Evra in London. I never expected Jacques to be stupid enough to lose his own music score, but fortunately, you were there.”
Min Chen finally understood what he was talking about. He nodded. "Well, it"s not a big deal."
They exited the room together while chatting. Akkad hesitated for a long time then finally said, "Actually, Min. . . even if you"re gay, I will not discriminate against you. I"m not h.o.m.ophobic. I"m sorry about that last time. In fact, when I thought about it afterward, I realized you"ve never been with any girls these past years. So if you found someone that would accompany you for a lifetime, that is something to be happy about."
Min Chen"s footsteps halted. He turned to Akkad and questioned, "You think I"m gay?"
Akkad immediately waved his hand. “No, no. I mean, whether you are gay or not, I hope you can find someone to share your life with."
Of course, that person better not be his lovely student.
"Oh," was all Min Chen could say. Opening the door of the room, he took a half step then turned around and added, “It seems that I actually. . . am h.o.m.os.e.xual.”
Not giving Akkad a moment to react, Min Chen turned and left.
After a few seconds, Akkad snarled in anger, “Auston Bertram! You tell me clearly, what are your intentions with my student? You come back here!!!”
The layers of clouds covering the sky were gradually thinned out as the evening wind blew. In the warm hustle and bustle of the setting sun, a handsome young man with a violin case leaned against the violin department building, waiting.
Qi Mu wore a light gray coat and had a long beige scarf wrapped around his neck. The woolen scarf rubbed at his half-obscured face.
He hadn"t waited long when a handsome man appeared. Smiling, he stepped over. “I didn’t think you would come out so soon. I thought Professor Akkad would talk to you for a while.”
Min Chen was surprised to see him there. He thought that Qi Mu already left, but when he saw that he was waiting for him, his heart skipped a beat. An indescribable emotion pooled in his chest.
"Well, it wasn"t that important."
Qi Mu didn’t take him seriously. He knew that even Bai Ai"s concert could only be regarded as “general news” to Min Chen. The man never felt nervous.
They walked side-by-side along the white cobblestone path. “When we practiced this evening, I really felt what you wanted to express. Thank you for spending your time with me these days.” Qi Mu paused, then added, “Min Chen, in fact, I really think you’re a nice person, though sometimes you"re not expressive, but. . . you really care about people."
Min Chen raised his eyebrows but didn"t breathe a word.
Qi Mu couldn"t tell what was wrong with him. He looked up at the sky, at the red sunset, and squinted. He mused, “I used to know a good person. . . he was very enthusiastic because I was new there. He took care of me."
The words that he spoke were vague, almost no one could guess who he was talking about. Min Chen listened in silence as he continued, “But then I found out he was frigid. It was unbelievable that he could actually. . . be that kind of a person.”
Qi Mu"s voice gradually subsided.
Until Luo Yu Sen closed the door, Qi Mu didn"t believe ——
That there were people who could be this vicious.
In the setting sun, he lowered his head, and his face was covered in shadows. He stared at the cobblestones on the ground. They glittered like gemstones, reflecting the sun.
Qi Mu didn’t notice that while he was looking down at the stones, Min Chen was staring at him with wide eyes.
Min Chen"s heart fluttered in his chest, beating faster and faster. He couldn’t ignore it and felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest.
The cobblestones shone, but they weren"t nearly as attention-grabbing as Qi Mu.
The sound of musical instruments could be heard across campus. It may not have been perfect, but it soothed Qi Mu. He felt so much lighter, shifting his attention away from that sc.u.m.
Qi Mu didn"t know why he said something like that to Min Chen. However, he felt relieved after telling the secret so deeply hidden in his heart.
Some secrets, even deeply suppressed, need to be released. Sharing them with someone, anyone, could help, even if they didn"t understand.
Once he had vented, Qi Mu smiled, and his eyes curled into crescents. “Sorry, I said something that was. . .”
Qi Mu"s words came to a screeching halt. He stared blankly as Min Chen"s hand reached out and stroked his hair. Min Chen"s fingertips touched his forehead, making his heart skip a beat. A strange feeling of numbness and brittleness spread from where they touched.
Min Chen apparently didn"t expect that he would turn so suddenly. Stunned for a moment, he coughed, “You had a white petal on your head. I wanted to remove it. . .”
Words trailing off, Min Chen stepped back, looking at the top of his head.
The beautiful atmosphere disappeared without a trace, and Qi Mu frowned. “What’s wrong?”
". . . There"s a bug."
Qi Mu: ". . ."
Reflexively touching his hair, Qi Mu wiped a small white bug off his head. Expressionless, his movements were brutal and decisive.
Min Chen: ". . ."
When he saw Min Chen"s guarded expression, he couldn"t help but laugh. "If Dylan knew of this. . . No, if your fans could see this. What would you do?"
". . ."
Qi Mu turned his eyes and said deliberately, "Probably. . . from pure fans to black powder fans?"
". . ."
"Well, they"d be disappointed at the least. After all, they think of you as. . . Are you angry? I was just joking! You can rest a.s.sured, I will never tell anyone about this, I swear by G.o.d! “
". . ."
“Well, if you don’t believe in G.o.d, what about this? I"ll swear by Paganini?”
". . ."
“You don’t believe in Paganini? Well, then I really. . . Huh?”
Qi Mu shuddered, his light eyes wide in horror——his waist was tightly grabbed by Min Chin, the distance was so close, so close that he could smell his scent.
The world became quiet. Qi Mu didn"t know if anyone could see them, but at the moment, he didn"t have the heart to care. He was far too sensitive, he could feel the head of Min Chin"s arm.
“I’m not afraid of bugs.” The low, rumbling voice rang in his ear, his hot breath tickling Qi Mu"s throat. “I just find them. . . very disgusting.”
Qi Mu: ". . ."
So, you are afraid of them then?
Even up to when he washed his clothes that evening, Qi Mu still didn"t understand. How could such a big man be afraid of bugs?
What about the hug?
Xiao Qi thought about the answer and decided, “To keep people from knowing he was afraid of bugs, he had to whisper.”
So, during the weekly cross-ocean phone call with Zheng Wei Qiao, Qi Mu said nothing about what happened to his gossipy housekeeper.
What he didn’t know was that in a high-cla.s.s apartment on the other side of Paris, a man rubbed his fingertips together and whispered, “His clothes were. . . very thick.”
The moon hung in the dark sky. After drying his clothes, Qi Mu looked at the thin crescent and mused, “Phobia of snakes, tigers, lions, these I can understand. But. . . a fear of bugs?”
Seriously.
Translator
(s): Kuro
Editor
(s): AyN, Empress, Bet