Chapter 38 (1/2)

At the end of the day, Qi Mu and Min Chen left together, and on their way out, Min Chen received several text messages and phone calls. Some were sulking: “Okay, I won’t see you again.” Others were complaining: “If I knew you were there, I wouldn’t have left so early.”

The large number of messages had his mobile beeping constantly, as if it was going to explode. Those sulking messages were from musicians who had come to perform at the festival. For them to be able to contact Min Chen directly, naturally they had to be world famous.

Among them, there were people Qi Mu only knew of and was only able to listen to their concerts. All of them were difficult people to meet.

Some were not as good-tempered as Boswell. Qi Mu heard a voice yelling in English over the phone line, “Helen, why can’t you play the etude decently? The break is over soon. If you can’t play this piece by then, you can eat the damn score!!! . . . Hey, Min, you are not a good friend. I’ve already returned to Canada, so you have to treat me to a meal, a meal, okay!?”

Min Chen nodded calmly and answered flatly, “Okay, I will treat you.”

“Helen! The third note on your fifth bar is wrong! Again! Did you leave your fingers at home. . .”

The cold man directly hung up the phone without hesitation, cutting off the voice coming from the speaker.

Qi Mu: “. . .”

The call came from Nagano, the current conductor of Montreal’s Symphony Orchestra. This master was said to have returned to Canada today, just after attending the festival. He was quite angry when he learned from Boswell that Min Chen had actually attended his concert without letting him know.

Yet Min Chen hung up on such a world-class master without a second thought. . . if the younger generation that wished to make connections with this maestro knew about this, they would surely vomit three liters of blood in anger.

Compared to Qi Mu’s helplessness, Min Chen seemed to be nonchalant. He waved his hand and hailed a taxi. Once they were inside, Qi Mu softly sighed, “Today. . . was really troublesome for you. I didn’t expect it would cause such an inconvenience. Now I understand how Daniel feels.”

Min Chen was a bit surprised. A trace of confusion flashed through his Phoenix’s eyes, and he asked, “Trouble?”

Qi Mu nodded: “Well, there’s a lot of maestros calling you and sending you messages. And Mr. Nagano just now. It sounds like he wants you to treat him to a meal.”

Min Chen finally removed his hat after they were settled in the taxi, and he leaned back in his seat. He said leisurely, “It’s no trouble. They were just contacting me. If not today, they would have gotten around to it tomorrow.” After a slight pause, as if he just remembered, Min Chen added, “And I said that carelessly. I won’t actually treat him.”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

As if he didn’t notice the young man’s blank expression, he tapped his finger to his thin lips and whispered, “His appetite is too big, I can’t afford it.”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

It’s just a single person’s portion, not an elephant’s!

Besides, even if you invited an elephant to eat, You! Could! Still! Afford! It!

Only just noticing Qi Mu’s prolonged silence, Min Chen turned slightly to look at him. Seeing his unclear expression, Min Chen stared for a while then said, “Today. . . I troubled you quite a bit. If you don’t mind, I’ll treat you to dinner.”

Qi Mu: “. . .I have a large appetite.”

“. . .”

Apparently, this “savage” refusal hurt this maestro’s fragile heart. On their way back, he didn’t utter another word, and that made Qi Mu uncomfortable.

*Can I pinch their cheeks! How adorable!

He tentatively turned to look at the man beside him only to find Min Chen looking out the window with indifference. The brilliant sunset reflected off his face, making his cool expression soften a little.

After a long while, Qi Mu said carefully, “. . . Actually, I can control my appetite?”

There was no reply for a long while, and Qi Mu did not wait for one. He was both amused and helpless. This was the first time he saw someone begging for a meal, but when he loosened his tongue a little, the man wasn’t happy at all. Really. . .

“There’s a good beef steak place near the hotel.”

“. . .”

For such a large orchestra, three days of rehearsal was tense. Even the New York Philharmonic Orchestra bumped their attention up 120,000 points. They had to play Sibelius’ 《Symphony No. 1》 perfectly.

In fact, when Boswell chose Qi Mu as the temporary concertmaster, the members had some objections. They had already rehearsed with the substitute for two days, so it was easier to perform with him.

But, just because Boswell’s temper was good, didn’t mean that he had no prestige. Since he had made the decision, no one dared object. The day after the recruitment, Qi Mu went to the rehearsal hall to rehearse with the world famous——New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Qi Mu had never spent time practicing just Sibelius’ works before, and he had only practiced 《Symphony No. 1》 a few times. Though he had made some adjustments the night before, he still encountered problems on the first day of rehearsal.