Chapter 19 (1/2)

Although he became B City Symphony Orchestra assistant concertmaster, Tan Lao didn’t sign a long-term contract with Qi Mu. This surprised him a little, but he knew Tan Lao didn’t want to tie him up.

In Tan Lao’s heart, he hoped that Qi Mu would further his studies. This was normal for traditional elders. They always thought that the young should study before working. Although his idea was different from Qi Mu’s ambition, he still went along with it.

B City Symphony’s contracts usually stood for 3 years, and that was too long.

Having decided to stay in the orchestra officially, Qi Mu planned to move first. The original’s house was too far, and it usually took him half an hour to get there by Zheng-ge’s car. And if he took the subway. . .

He didn’t want to experience B City’s subway ever again!

That experience. . . To put it delicately, was too outstanding and refreshing!

On the fourth day of him becoming the assistant concertmaster, Zheng Wei Qiao came early in the morning to help him move. The original Qi Mu’s house was located in a residential area towards the east side of B City’s fourth ring. It was a relatively high-class district and also the last real estate that Qi Mu owned. Yesterday, he contacted his relatives to rent it out.

“Xiao Qi, ah, you don’t have to rent it out. After this. . . if you want to come back, what would you do?” They didn’t have much to move. Zheng Wei Qiao held a small box and set it on the back of the borrowed pick-up truck. He continued, “The new apartment you rented is a little too small. Do you want me to find you a bigger one? Will you be comfortable living there?”

Qi Mu gently placed a heavy box onto the truck. Hearing Zheng Wei Qiao’s words, he smiled. Shaking his head, he said, “Zheng-ge, thank you very much. I think the single apartment is good, and I don’t want to bother you to look for another one.”

Zheng Wei Qiao frowned, struggling with a dilemma. He seemed to want to say something but, in the end, decided not to.

Zheng Wei Qiao was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to live comfortably in that place. He barely survived even in this relatively upscale neighborhood that he abandoned before he lived here.

This, Qi Mu naturally understood. While sitting in the car, he quietly turned his gaze toward Wei Qiao who was driving seriously at his side. There was a trace of gratitude in his eyes.

In fact, Zheng Wei Qiao couldn’t have known that he once lived under a bridge when he was poor at the very beginning. Vienna was really cold in autumn. Although it was quite humid because of the temperate marine climate, once it was nighttime, it was really, really cold.

He spent all his savings to attend school, and he worked hard to earn money. When he finally finished his studies and graduated, apart from the small house owned by his foster parents, he only had a few hundred euros in cash left.

It was impossible for him to sell the house and, although he rented it out, the rent was not high. So in the last ten days before he got his pay from the orchestra, he could only huddle alone under a bridge, and most nights, he couldn’t sleep.

This simple apartment, to Zheng Wei Qiao’s eyes, was a paradise compared to that ice-cold bridge in Vienna.

“The traffic jam seems a bit serious today. We’ll arrive soon. Do you want to eat lunch first, Xiao Qi?”

Qi Mu had already seen the seriousness of B City’s traffic jams a few days after his rebirth. Initially, they felt lucky to get on the highway, but after leaving the highway, even if they could see the apartment building, they couldn’t reach it as quickly as they thought.

He looked at the traffic jam that seemed to barely move at all. He laughed helplessly and nodded, “Ok, it’s already noon anyway. Let’s have lunch first, Zheng-ge.”

They parked the car on the side of the road, found a restaurant at random and went in. There were not many people in the restaurant, and suddenly a handsome young man entered. They all stared at him in amazement then quietly shifted their eyes away.

This overly attractive face brought some trouble for Qi Mu, but it was not a big deal. When they finished their lunch, Qi Mu hurriedly paid the bill. Zheng Wei Qiao went to use the restaurant’s restroom, so Qi Mu stood at the door of the restaurant to wait for him.

Maybe because they we’re about to enter winter, there were no clouds in the sky. There was also no sign of spring’s dust, and the blue sky was like a shallow lake, glowing with a bright light.

Qi Mu was in a good mood when he saw this. Waiting for Zheng Wei Qiao, he turned to look around the surrounding area. He found a small Ouzan supermarket, a good-looking gym, a bustling small commercial district, as well as. . .

Qi Mu’s eyes widened.

His eyes were wide in surprise, and he stared in that direction for a long time. Feeling incredulous, he wiped his eyes and looked again. With a sigh of relief, he laughed lowly, “I saw it wrong. How could that man be here. . .”

“Who? Xiao Qi, ah, did you see an acquaintance?” Zheng Wei Qiao came over and looked curiously in the direction he was staring at. He could only see a passenger truck blocking the entrance and exit of the street while making a turn, almost blocking the entire path.

Hearing the man’s words, Qi Mu looked over again briefly. Then he smiled and shook his head, “It’s nothing, Zheng-ge. I got it wrong. It’s already quite late, let’s go quickly. It wouldn’t be good if we got stuck in another traffic jam.”

Zheng Wei Qiao nodded. The two checked their things and got in the truck.