Chapter 49 (1/2)

A piercing wind whistled outside the floor-to-ceiling window of the lobby. Many guests had driven away. Only a few musicians who met old friends still chatted in the lobby, planning to go out for a late evening meal.

Despite his advanced age, Farrel was still hale and hearty. Not only did he have no problems keeping up with the talkative Daniel, but he also said something relevant on every topic and make the gathered crowd burst out laughing.

After half an hour, the musicians finally tired of talking and began to leave one after another. Eventually, only Daniel and Farrel were left discussing what songs to choose for the next tour season.

Christole, who stood beside them, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pointed out, “But Mr. Farrel, Daniel. . . You are not in the same orchestra, so. . . You don’t have to agree on your theme, do you?”

These words surprised Farrel. He nodded with a smile. “Indeed. Daniel, I don’t have to care about what you decide.”

Daniel also smiled. “That’s true. In fact, we in Bai Ai have talked about this already. This year, we will perform Schumann’s works.” At the end of the year, there was a heated discussion about what theme to use for the next season’s tour. The members proposed various programs and the concertmaster and the conductor would make the final decision.

Min Chen, who followed along without speaking, looked at Daniel and asked nonchalantly, “I agreed to that?”

Daniel was stunned, then he remembered: “Oh, at that time you were on vacation in Huaxia!” He abruptly stopped because something occurred to him—they forgot to ask this big boss!

Frightened, Daniel cleared his throat and said, “Min! Don’t tell me that you think this topic is not right?! This is the 160th anniversary of Master Schumann’s death! Don’t make fun of me!”

Unexpectedly, Min Chen’s thin lips curled upward slightly, his tone flat, “I didn’t say it was inappropriate.”

Daniel: “. . .”

Christole: “. . .”

Farrel: “Ha ha ha ha, you’re still so mean, Auston.”

Min Chen shrugged noncommittally and the four men walked toward the exit. Farrel did not come by car, so he let Min Chen offer him a ride. Daniel and Christole went to pick up the car. Min Chen watched the bright lights of the traffic on the distant street when, out of the blue, he heard the man beside him speak.

“Auston. . . you and Qi are acquaintances?”

Surprised, Min Chen turned to Farrel and saw the latter gazing at himself with a smile. Min Chen was a little taller than Farrel, so he had to look down at him. He pondered for a moment, then replied, “Well, I know him. Why do you ask?”

Farrel nodded. “He’s a good violinist, very skilled. Seeing him reminds me of how I used to look when I played the violin. Partly due to his age, I guess. He’s really young!”

Min Chen’s expression did not change as he listened to Farrel’s praise of Qi Mu, but his deep eyes flashed. After a moment, he asked, “Do you think he’s outstanding?”

Farrel smiled again and asked in reply, “You don’t? I listened to his performance with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra seven or eight years ago. If I didn’t have an impression of this talented young man, I wouldn’t have paid attention then. Over the past eight years, his music style has changed so much that I almost couldn’t recognize him.”

Naturally, as one of the world’s top conductors, a composer, and a violinist, Farrel’s hearing was incomparable. Even years after listening to someone’s performance, he could recall how they sounded.

And yet, when he heard Qi Mu’s 《D Major》 and 《The Butterfly Lovers》, Farrel was amazed to find that the former child prodigy’s technical skill and his ability to express emotions had grown significantly. It was not like that of a 20-year-old youth at all.

“Such excellent seedlings are rare in today’s music world. It’s good to be young. I’m old already.” Farrel’s sigh was full of emotion.

Min Chen narrowed his eyes in the dimly lit night, thinking about something. After hearing Farrel’s words, he said, “Well, it’s true. . . His music style has changed a lot. The way he deals with the arrangement has also changed a lot. His 《D Major》 was better than I imagined.”

One month before the performance, Qi Mu called Min Chen to ask him what he thought about when he wrote 《D Major》. Being able to talk directly to the composer was a fortunate thing, Qi Mu would be a fool to waste such an opportunity.

Half a month ago, Min Chen had listened to a recording Qi Mu sent him. Although the sound quality was not perfect, Min Chen could still tell——at that time, Qi Mu’s 《D Major》 was not at this level.

Thinking about this, Min Chen chuckled. He said, “He’s very hard-working.”

This was the first time Farrel heard Min Chen praise somebody like that. For a long moment, he stared at Min Chen in surprise, then laughed. “Auston, it’s rare for you to speak highly of someone; it seems Qi is truly exceptional. Looking at his age, he’s about to enter college. It would be bad if there wasn’t a teacher to guide him.”