Chapter 47 (1/2)

The wind blew into S City from the dark east sea on February 6th, 2016. Due to this sea breeze, the temperature wouldn’t even reach zero degrees, and everyone felt the streets were cooler than usual——

This was the damp cold of the south.

Even in this weather that chilled everyone to the bone, there were still several women down from one car after another in bright, thin layers of clothing. On the arms of their male companions, they walked into the S City Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall.

There were a total of 1200 invitations issued for the centennial celebration. In addition to world-renowned musical masters, many other guests with outstanding talent in various fields in Huaxia were invited. Out of these 1200 invitations, except for a handful who did not respond, the majority were gathered here tonight waiting to experience this grand concert.

Of the guests who came tonight, most could be considered at the pinnacle of the classical music world.

From the world’s four greatest conductors, the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Min Chen, and Dresden Symphony Orchestra’s conductor, Master Farrell Louis, were present.

Additionally, Bella Keim, known as Queen of the American Violin, and the Canadian natural treasure composer, Spencer Rice, and Bai Ai’s concertmaster, Christole Mensa. . . all of these famous international musicians were gathered at this magnificent hall.

The S City Symphony Orchestra’s concert hall was one of the top concert halls in Huaxia. This suspended building featured a 1200-seat main auditorium and a 400-seat chamber hall.

The main hall had an open design. But, regardless of whether it was a golden architectural style or a computer-calculated scientific design, it was exceptional. One could not help but appreciate the grandeur of classical Huaxia music.

There were two VIP lounges and ten preparation rooms backstage. Qi Mu and the other young musicians were waiting in the ten private rooms. The backstage was busy, but the S City Symphony Orchestra continued to play.

Qi Mu made the final tuning of his E String in his prep room when he heard the high-pitched sound of a sad erhu coming from the stage. With the orchestra’s cooperation, this 《Er Quan Ying Yue》 was completed successfully and won the audience’s applause.

——Obviously, this was an excellent start.

Once the erhu song ended, there was 《Moonlit Night》 on the zither and 《Overlord Unloaded》 on the lute. . . When Qi Mu took his violin to the lounge, he saw a young man walk past him toward the stage, hands clenched into fists.

It was Wang Zheng.

The thunderous applause in the hall had yet to stop, and Qi Mu saw sweat on Wang Zheng’s forehead. He frowned slightly and reached out to grab Wang Zheng’s arm. The latter turned to eye him strangely.

He saw Qi Mu lick his lips in hesitation then smile, tone mild, “Wang Zheng, yesterday. . . when I talked to Min Chen, he said he was looking forward to your performance today. He watched your video at Xiaosai, and he thinks your level is good.”

Wang Zheng jerked in surprise and didn’t know what to say.

He believed that Qi Mu wouldn’t tell such a lie. After all, there were media reports about the Sea Music Festival in Hong Kong that showed they had participated in it. It was proof they did know each other.

Wang Zheng swallowed subconsciously, and his heart jumped a little. “You. . . are you telling the truth?”

A light flashed in Qi Mu’s eyes, and he nodded calmly, “Yes. Min Chen is sitting at the side of the stage now. He said yesterday he believed you would be able to perform well today.”

Qi Mu paused then said, “Wang Zheng, you earned the approval of Xiaosai. It shows you have the strength to perform well. Do not worry, just like the rehearsal over the past few days, remember not to focus on just your performance. You have an orchestra, you must listen to all their voices.”

Wang Zheng was older than Qi Mu, but in front of this youth, he felt a bit immature. Of course, he did not realize it himself. But after listening to Qi Mu, he nodded seriously. His pale face, originally due to stress, was replaced with a flush of excitement.

Qi Mu watched as he turned to the stage.

After shaking hands with the conductor, Wang Zheng sat on the bench. After a moment, the gentle melody of a piano emerged. The first movement passed, and the second, then the final, and once that last movement came to an end, Zhu Wen Jun quietly sighed. Qi Mu smiled and nodded but did not speak.

Wang Zheng had the ability. Some people just became nervous once they made a mistake. Therefore they became increasingly prone to errors. Error, nervousness, more mistakes, more nervousness. . . there was no way to escape such a vicious cycle.

Wang Zheng exited the stage with an excited expression on his face, and Qi Mu smiled. They gave each other a hug, and Qi Mu took a deep breath. Then he stepped onto the stage for his turn.

There were at least 1100 people seated in the 1200-occupancy concert hall. The stage was in the center and surrounded on all sides by the audience. With listeners on both the first and second floors and the numerous watchful eyes that missed nothing, many newcomers would panic.