Chapter 0 - Prologue (1/2)

The Vienna Music Association Golden Hall.

It was a three-story building, modeled after the Italian Renaissance, beside a bustling street where many people came and went. Towering ionic-style pillars propped up the triangle arches, all made of white marble, imposing at first glance.

This was the location of the world-famous Vienna Music Association’s Golden Hall——

Vienna Music Association Friendship Building

It was already late in the evening and beautiful vehicles stopped in front of the building one after the other. Each gentleman wore formal attire, while the ladies in their evening gowns smiled and laughed with each other as they walked the red carpet into the building, their figures gradually swallowed by its splendor.

Tonight, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra would present a groundbreaking performance in the Golden Hall.

The conductor, Mr. Eberk Dorenza, was one of the four leading conductors in the world. So long as it was a concert directed by Dorenza, it would always be a banquet without empty seats. Furthermore, this was without mentioning the power of his combination with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which made the performance all the more intensely anticipated.

A compelling conductor and an orchestra of outstanding skill; the only thing that bewildered the concert-goers was that the concertmaster of the finale, “The Blue Danube,” had a Chinese name——

Zi Wen Lu

According to the Chinese order: Lu Zi Wen.

The majority of guests knew this name. He was the principal of the second violins in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra——another famous orchestra in Vienna. When the audience thought it over again, they could remember the individua——a black-haired, black-eyed, quite elegant-looking, Oriental man.

However, being the second violin principal of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra did not mean he could lead the Philharmonic Orchestra in the Golden Hall’s performance of “The Blue Danube.”

“The Blue Danube,” also known as Austria’s second national anthem, was always in the repertoire of the New Year’s concerts in Vienna. It wasn’t an ordinary waltz that was so easily performed.

Therefore, the audience entering the Golden Hall had doubts in their hearts, and some were curious——

This Chinese man, could he really perfect an interpretation of “The Blue Danube?”

Now, there were two hours before the official opening of the concert.

In the Golden Hall’s backstage prep room, a handsome, dark-haired man carefully rubbed rosin on his bow. Each of his movements was attentive and devout until the white stringed bow was evenly coated in the white rosin powder.

This was not Lu Zi Wen’s first performance in the Golden Hall, but. . .

This was the first time he had his own lounge.

When there were no special guest performers, only two people of the orchestra were allowed a private lounge: the conductor and the concertmaster.

Concertmaster referred to the principal, or lead, of the first violin group. Because this person was also the leader of the string instruments, it could be said that they were the second-in-command of the entire orchestra.

Despite Lu Zi Wen being the concertmaster for only “The Blue Danube” today, he also had his own lounge.

He still could not understand why the Philharmonic Orchestra invited him to lead “The Blue Danube.”

There were other cases of such concerts with different concertmasters, but they were still very rare occasions. Especially since the original concertmaster had suffered no accidents. When faced with the industry’s outstanding reputation, they actually invited such a. . . “little name” as Lu Zi Wen?

Compared to others, Lu Zi Wen was an excellent violinist with considerable talent, but he also had to admit that he was probably a little worse than the Philharmonic Orchestra’s concertmaster.

Some people in the world were born with extraordinary talent. Mozart was said to start composing music at the age of four and could be considered the modern king of classical music by eleven years of age. Min Chen, the principal of the Philharmonic Orchestra’s first pianos, had also ascended to the Golden Hall with a world-renowned name.

Lu Zi Wen knew that he did not have the same talent as these people, so he had to put twice as much effort into his work. He had done so for more than thirty years, and he was finally able to stand in the Golden Hall as the concertmaster.

This night was probably the greatest opportunity in his life.

If he failed, he would become a martyr.

Either he would become famous far and wide, or his name would be used to sweep the floor.

Lu Zi Wen narrowed his eyes a little, still rubbing the rosin earnestly.

. . .

Five minutes later, a knock on the door suddenly sounded a few different times. After Lu Zi Wen said “Come in,” a handsome man opened the door and entered the room with a smile, “Zi Wen, Congratulations.”

Lu Zi Wen was surprised for a beat then he put the bow into its box and stood to greet him, “What are you doing here Yu Sen?” He walked over and smiled, “I thought you would wait in the audience, how did you get backstage?”

Luo Yu Sen quickly hugged the surprised Lu Zi Wen and explained, “I’ve performed here once or twice, the staff members remember me. I only had to say your name, and they turned a blind eye.” He paused, then said, “Zi Wen, are you ready?”

After the embrace, the two men still held each other’s fingers.

Lu Zi Wen continued to smile and nodded, “Almost ready. Anyway, it’s only the one song, ‘The Blue Danube.” Pressure wise. . . I’m not all that stressed, but I must perform this song. This is probably the best opportunity of my life, and I have to hold onto it firmly. Yu Sen, after the concert, I’ve set a 92-year-old bottle of European Ode to celebrate at home.”

Listening to this, Luo Yu Sen’s eyes flashed, and his handsome face revealed an obscure expression. He smiled, “Right. I just saw someone calling for the concertmaster outside. Is that not you? Do you want to go and see?”

Lu Zi Wen was a bit surprised to hear that but told Luo Yu Sen to wait in his lounge and went to ask the staff outside.

When the door clicked shut, the smile on Luo Yu Sen’s face suddenly vanished. He turned and looked at the cup of water next to Lu Zi Wen’s violin case. There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes, but they soon filled with horrific ambition.

“Zi Wen. . . Don’t blame me, it was you. . . It was your luck that blocked the way of others. If there is anyone to blame. . . Blame yourself. This evening, you still have time, you can always come back here some other time.”

As he spoke, he took a small capsule out of his pocket and, after turning it a few times, poured its contents into the cup. When the powder had vanished, he feared it wasn’t enough, so he took out a second capsule and started pouring it in.

“Yu Sen, did you hear it wrong? What did you. . . what are you doing!?”

In too short a time, Lu Zi Wen had come back. The guilt made Luo Yu Sen’s hands shake, and the capsule fell to the carpet. He swallowed back his nervousness and quickly said, “Zi Wen, let me explain. . . This. . . this is just vitamin C. I was worried that you would be uncomfortable on stage, so I. . .”

“You could give me the Vitamin C directly, why would you sneak it into my cup while I was away?” Lu Zi Wen’s mind quickly flashed through several scenarios, and he suddenly remembered listening to his predecessors. There were some orchestras where severe measures were deliberated to incapacitate people before they went on stage.

Lu Zi Wen did not dare believe his eyes, so he said, alarmed, “Luo Yu Sen?! What do you want? What’s in that capsule?”

Luo Yu Sen would have never imagined that the second capsule, actually just for the sake of insurance, would be found out. He never would have considered that when Lu Zi Wen went out just now, he did not have to go far to find a staff member, which caused everything to go wrong.

If it weren’t for those two things, his plans would have never been discovered.

But, it just so happened by coincidence.

His face blanched white, and he continued to argue, “This. . . it really is Vitamin C, Zi Wen, I was concerned about you. . .”

“Since you say it’s vitamin C, then I’ll take this thing to the orchestra’s doctor and see just what it is!”

Lu Zi Wen said it in a rage and picked up the capsule that had fallen to the floor. He strode to the door, but Luo Yu Sen panicked and pulled him away. The two men struggled for a minute, then Luo Yu Sen pushed Lu Zi Wen into the side table, and the capsule fell to the ground again.

He snatched it up.

Lu Zi Wen’s face went completely black.

Since it had come to this point, he no longer believed in this man standing before him, and he also understood that the pill was definitely not anything good. Whether it was a laxative or a sedative, the end result must have been to keep him from participating in the concert!

“Luo Yu Sen, do you know what you are doing?” Lu Zi Wen’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and the two stared at each other coldly. “We only got together last month. All those things you have been saying to me recently, but now this. . . this is what you are doing to me?”

Luo Yu Sen’s face was pale, and he fell silent.

Lu Zi Wen was so angry that he could not bear to hear him speak again, so he sneered, “I really did not expect to encounter such dirty things in my lifetime, or. . . That my lover would drug me! Luo Yu Sen, let’s go. I will talk to the conductor today, he will decide what to do with you.”

“Zi Wen, you can’t tell the conductor! If he finds out about this, he’ll drive me out of the orchestra!”

They were both violinists in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, but the difference was that Luo Yu Sen was thirty-three years old, but still only second in the second violin. In the recent rehearsals, his performance had been very dissatisfying. If the conductor knew that he used such means, he would definitely be driven out without mercy.

Lu Zi Wen no longer held any sympathy or affection for this Luo Yu Zen.

Yu Sen had chased him for three years, until last month when he agreed to be with this man. Before tonight, Zi Wen had directly said to him just how much importance he attached to this night’s “The Blue Danube.” He had worked for more than twenty years to play this song on the Golden Hall’s stage as the concertmaster.

But!

Luo Yu Sen actually did such a shameless, filthy thing!

It made his heart turn cold.

“Luo Yu Sen, you have done this to yourself. You’re not the first to do this. You know it’s the most shameful thing you could do in this industry. You will return to China and teach. Having the Vienna Symphony on your resume will do you good.”