Chapter 45 (2/2)

《D major》 was that one Zheng Wei Qiao mentioned before. . . the nightmarish one. The first movement was called 《Constance March and had a variety of complex tremolo, jumps of the bow, and notes spanning from G to E string repeatedly. It was all challenging to a musician’s skill and endurance.

Qi Mu hadn’t touched this piece for a long time, so he honestly replied, “I haven’t played it for a long time, Uncle Zhu. But there is still just over a month to prepare. Give me three days, I’ll master it again.”

Zhu Wen Jun asked, “Three days? Is that all you need?”

Qi Mu smiled up at him then solemnly nodded, “Yes.”

Getting an affirmative answer from Qi Mu, Zhu Wen Jun smiled gently and said a few words of encouragement. He then discussed the song selection with Cheng Ting Wen. Qi Mu, led by his assistant, returned to the hotel arranged for him by the S City Symphony Orchestra.

When the original left S City a few years ago, he went with a bad attitude. He sold his house, so when Qi Mu returned, he had no choice but to live in a hotel.

His room had a view of the Huangpu River and today’s weather was unusually good. Qi Mu could see the oil tanker sailing along the river with just a glance. Qi Mu put away his luggage and took out his violin case. He then went to the S City Symphony headquarters not too far away.

The headquarters was a small three-story building over a hundred years old. It was one of the oldest buildings in the city. Qi Mu entered and went to the music room marked with his name. He thanked the girl that guided him to it then closed the door and was alone.

Placing the case on the table, Qi Mu took out the bow and rubbed it down with rosin. Before he could start tuning, he suddenly heard a familiar ringtone. It was the 《E Minor》 that the B City Symphony Orchestra had performed. Qi Mu was surprised when he saw the name on his screen and quickly answered, “Hello, Min Chen?”

A magnetic voice echoed over the phone line, “Yes, it’s me. Are you not home?”

Qi Mu was stunned and asked without thinking, “Are you at my door?”

Qi Mu smiled helplessly at the affirmative he received then put down his bow and said, “I flew to S City today. Did you know about the S City Symphony Orchestra’s Centennial Celebration? It will be held next month. It was decided they were going to showcase some young musicians, so I received an invitation. . .” Speaking of, Qi Mu suddenly remembered, “By the way, you should have also received an invitation, right? I forgot about that.”

Holding the phone with one hand, Qi Mu set his score on the tripod then looked down at the familiar name on the score. He said with a smile, “It’s a pity you can’t participate. It’s a rare centennial celebration after all. Do you know what score I’m looking at right now?”

He listened to the answer from the other side then laughed, “I’m looking at your 《D major》. I’ll be playing it next month. This piece is quite difficult, so I wanted to. . .”

The youth’s pleasant voice filled the quiet room. After speaking for a few minutes, he suddenly remembered, “Why did you call me? I thought you returned to Berlin and wouldn’t be back for a while.”

There was a long silence over the line, and just as Qi Mu thought the man wouldn’t answer, he suddenly heard Min Chen sigh, “It’s nothing. Just. . . I just found out you weren’t home. I’ll be going back to Berlin tomorrow. There’s something I have to do.”

Qi Mu nodded with confusion and just happened to see a small moth flapping its wings in front of the score. He automatically waved his hand to drive it away and turned to close the window at the corner of the room. Behind the music room was a small garden of flowers. It was common for bugs to wander in if the window wasn’t shut.

When Qi Mu closed the window, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he asked on reflex, “Did you call me. . . because you found another bug again?”

Min Chen: “. . .”

Qi Mu realized this joke wasn’t funny and said, “I’m just kidding, don’t mind me.”

Min Chen: “. . .”

After exchanging a few more words, Qi Mu hung up the phone. He first read the whole score then whispered helplessly, “It’s really not easy.” He began to practice the piece.

What he didn’t know is that in a well-furnished high-end apartment in B City, a man was staring silently at a bug the size of his fingernail on his porch.

This staredown lasted for five minutes. Finally, he closed the door and turned to walk away without hesitation.

Where was he going?

Ahotel, of course!

Don’t you see that big bug on the floor?!!!