Chapter 96 (2/2)

There wasn’t a single movement in the corridor for quite a while. It wasn’t until a small, black bird perched on a branch of a tree outside flapped its wings and flew away that Qi Mu was suddenly awakened from his reverie, and he clenched his fist.

He once again continued toward the rehearsal hall. His shocked expression had already returned to normal as if nothing happened.

Qi Mu had just stepped into the rehearsal hall when he heard the familiar ringtone of his mobile phone before he could even spot Jenny.

He used 《Concerto in E minor》 as his ringtone until a few months ago when he changed it to Paganini’s 《La Campanella》 played by himself. So when the melody rang out, he knew it was his phone.

Qi Mu hastened his pace, but before he could come close, he heard a sudden cry, “My God! Min. . .Chen?! That’s Mr. Bertram’s Chinese name!”

Qi Mu suddenly had a bad feeling. His steps quickened, but just 10 meters away, he heard Jenny’s voice again, “Ah. . . Mr. Bertram? Well, I’m not Angel. I’m Jenny, Jenny from Dresden. . . Ah, Angel? Angel was called by Mr. Farrell just now, and he needed me to. . . Ah! Mr. Bertram, Angel is back! Do you want me to give him the phone?”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

What was the Chinese saying again? Escape on the first day but can’t hide on the fifteenth.

Facing Jenny’s expression full of expectation and excitement, Qi Mu could only sigh softly and take over the phone. Setting it to his ear, Qi Mu hadn’t yet spoken when he heard the magnetic voice through the speaker——

“Qi Mu.”

Time suddenly flashed back to three days ago. It was this voice and intonation that gently said the same two words while the vinyl rotated.

Qi Mu was stunned for a while. After the other man repeated his name, he let out a bitter, helpless laugh and answered, “Well. . . I’m here.”

Over the past three days, Qi Mu had ignored dozens of text messages and countless phone calls from this man. Now that he heard the man’s voice again, it felt like a century had passed.

On the other side of the line, Min Chen was silent for a while before whispering, “I’m in Paris.”

Qi Mu understood the meaning of his words in an instant. He was frozen for a moment before replying automatically, “I’m in Dresden?”

“Well.” The man answered. There was the sound of a car passing by, it sounded like Min Chen was walking. He then continued, “I’ve been very busy lately. Dresden is close to Berlin, but, in the next week, I might not have time to spare.”

Qi Mu didn’t know how to answer. He could only hum as a reply.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Qi Mu could only listen to the wind coming from the speaker, and suddenly, he heard a familiar bell chime, bright and clear.

With a flash of inspiration, Qi Mu asked, “Where exactly in Paris are you?”

“I’m at your house, downstairs.” After a pause, Min Chen’s voice contained a slight smile, “You’re not at home, the window is dark. It’s only two floors. . . I should be able to climb up.”

Qi Mu finally couldn’t stop himself from laughing. He could imagine the man with a very good face casually climbing up the window of his house and being caught by the police or neighbors but still calmly explaining it away as he just forgot his keys.

Well, there’s no doubt this man would do such a thing.

“Didn’t you own a house in Paris? It’s late now, don’t climb my window if you’re not going back to Berlin today. I locked the door and windows when I left.” The joke made Qi Mu’s tight nerves relaxed. He thought for a while and said, “If you’re hungry, the croissants from the bakery you like across the street are good. The boss is German. You can talk to him for a while.”

Over there, it seemed Min Chen had started walking again. Qi Mu heard the whirring sound of wind blowing, then Min Chen’s spoke again, “What’s the name of the bakery?”

This time, Min Chen spoke fluent German instead of Mandarin.

Qi Mu automatically replied, “1iebedin??” But as soon as his voice fell, Qi Mu realized what he had said. In an instant, a red flush spread across the youth’s fair cheeks.

Qi Mu quickly reached out to cover his face and whispered, embarrassed, “The owner is German, and the shop’s name. . . that. Well, I have something to do here. I can’t talk to you, see you later.”

After that, Qi Mu hang up in a hurry without waiting for the other man’s response. At this moment, he could feel his cheeks burning, and he had yet to recover from the impact of the words he just said.

But when Qi Mu looked up, Jenny with startled eyes wide waited for him, “My God! Angel, did I mishear?! Did you just say ‘1ebedih’ to Mr. Bertram?! It turns out. . . you guys are in that relationship!”

When Qi Mu spoke to Min Chen before, they used Mandarin which naturally, Jenny couldn’t understand even a word of. But the phrase “1iebedih” was the only thing she did understand and that shocked her to the point she couldn’t pick her jaw off the floor.

Qi Mu: “. . .No! Jenny, listen to me. There’s a bakery named that near my house. Really!”

Jenny shook her head and said incredulously, “But, Angel, since it’s a bakery in Paris, why is the name German?”

Qi Mu immediately responded in defense, “Jenny, that’s because the owner is German, so he named his shop in German.”

Jenny looked at Qi Mu with disbelieving eyes, but her mouth still said, “Okay, Angel, I see. Near your house, there’s a bakery named ‘1iebedih’ whose owner, though German, ran to Paris to open the bakery and named it ‘1iebedih’. I see. Rest assured, Angel, I won’t tell anyone.”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

Ich liebe dich。

In German, it meant I love you.

Then. . . Liebe dich?

Yes——love you.