Chapter 60 (1/2)

After a round of applause, melodious music carried through the concert hall.

In the box Qi Mu was in, the acoustics rang clear in his ears.

Whether it was the tambourine, the timber drum, the triangle, the trumpet, or the oboe, the British tube, or even Christole‘s violin, he could hear them all distinctly.

Before, Qi Mu had guessed this box to have the best location, but when he heard the vibrant echo of the multi-layered symphony, he affirmed his previous conjecture.

No. . .

Perhaps he had confirmed it when that man entered the box.

Wherever Min Chen went, it would naturally be the best.

Schumann’s 《Vienna Carnival》 played on stage, and its magnificent performance was so powerful it intoxicated the audience and drew them into the carnival experience.

While the music played, no one spoke. Although Qi Mu was surprised to see Min Chen, he did not talk to the man beside him.

There were six seats in the box. Three in the first row and three in the second. Akkad had chosen the leftmost position when he entered, and Qi Mu sat beside his teacher. He hadn’t thought there would be someone else in the box with them.

When Min Chen sat beside him, the concert had already begun, and Qi Mu could only smile at him for there was no time for words.

During the thunderous applause after the first song, Qi Mu whispered as he clapped, “I didn’t expect Bai Ai’s first show of the season. . . to be in Paris.”

The young man’s voice was deliberately low, almost masked under the roar of the audience’s applause. The box’s lighting was dim, Akkad reminisced about the exhilarating rendition of 《Vienna Carnival》, so he didn’t notice the other two beside him.

Min Chen’s gaze flitted to the side, and he answered just as quietly, “Daniel said the orchestra shouldn’t do the same thing all the time. He decided we’d do something different this year. The second show will still be in London.”

Qi Mu nodded and asked, “Didn’t you. . . could it be on the phone the other day, when you asked if I needed a ticket, it was for this?!”

A smile flashed in Min Chen’s dark eyes, and he hummed an affirmative “En.”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

So, even though he refused the invitation before, he still ended up at the scene with the other man?

Min Chen didn’t seem to notice Qi Mu’s tangled expression and clapped his hands. The family emblem engraved on his left hand’s ring caught in a ray of light, but he frowned as he pondered. After a while, Min Chen narrowed his eyes and asked, “Little Seven?”

“Yes?” Qi Mu subconsciously answered.

Min Chen: “. . .”

It wasn’t until after his reflexive reply that Qi Mu noticed it wasn’t his teacher calling him.

Qi Mu covered his mouth with his hand and coughed twice. He whispered, “Teacher Akkad calls me that. He doesn’t know Chinese and my name is a bit of a mouthful. Did he tell you my name? I don’t care if you use it, you can call me Qi Mu.”

Min Chen: “. . .”

After a long time, a low-pitched noise came from Min Chen’s throat in reply.

The applause had subsided and the second song began. Qi Mu turned his attention back to the state and did not see the indifferent man beside him lick his lips and swallow unpleasantly.

Fortunately. . . he doesn’t know what I did.