Chapter 112 (2/2)
Qi Mu looked at it and saw a pair of hands laid over black and white keys on the cover. These fingers were slender and pristine. Just by looking, he knew they made beautiful melodies as if by nature.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, the boy said, “I love Mr. Bertram’s piano, and… I heard you were close to him. I was wondering if you could ask for an autograph?”
Thrown off, Qi Mu smiled and took the CD. “Yes, I’ll ask him as soon as possible.”
The boy sighed in relief and repeatedly thanked him.
Qi Mu looked at the taller student bowing to him, and before he could react, over half the orchestra had surrounded him——
“Oh God, can you really ask for Mr. Bertram’s autograph?”
“I’m a big fan, but when he was here as a judge, I wasn’t here!”
“Little Seven, you’re so nice. Please help me get an autograph as well. I’ll bring the CD tomorrow!”
…
By the end of the traffic jam, Qi Mu had collected eight albums and more than a dozen reservations for an autograph, all of which would be sent to him tomorrow.
Qi Mu had no choice but to pack up all the CDs and store them in the bag with his music scores. As soon as he turned around, a young boy around fifteen or sixteen looked up at him. With adorable blue eyes, the boy was as lovely as a doll.
Qi Mu’s heart softened. With a smile, he asked, “Do you want Min Chen’s autograph, too?”
“N… No.”
He shook his head rigorously. At Qi Mu’s surprised gaze, he removed a CD from his bag and thrust it forward. “… May I have your autograph, please?”
Qi Mu’s eyes widened when he saw the album.
The words “New York Philharmonic Orchestra” were written on the cover, and on the back, a familiar name was credited under concertmaster——
Qi Mu.
This was the album Qi Mu recorded at last year’s festival in Hong Kong.
Qi Mu’s heart warmed. He smiled and took the boy’s pen, signing his name in the black space on the cover.
“Thank you for your appreciation. I will work harder.”
His acknowledgment made the boy blush. The young man then ran to the back door, and Qi Mu took out his violin. Before long, the assistant conductor entered the room and introduced their new temporary concertmaster whom everyone had already met.
In front of nearly a hundred people, Qi Mu looked at their young, immature faces and felt something inexplicable——
This was the first time he had become the concertmaster of an orchestra.
Over the next month or so, he would be responsible for leading the orchestra even higher together with the conductor.
And, in the future…
“Hey, Little Seven, this orchestra has a rule. I don’t know if you know it.”
Qi Mu, already planning for the future: “…”
The interrupted Qi Mu coughed to hide his gaffe then turned to look at the young man. The brunet stood toward the end with empty hands. Qi Mu smiled, “This… I do not know, can you tell me?”
The young man smiled, baring his teeth, and spoke like a salesman: “It’s very simple. That is, as our concertmaster, your skills need to be advanced. For example… playing 《Infinity》 in under three minutes and forty seconds?”
Immediately, the orchestra sizzled like a frying pan——
“Playing 《Infinity》 in 3 minutes and 40 seconds? You have to be joking! I would be thankful if I could play in 3 minutes and 50 seconds!”
“This is too much! Since when did our orchestra have this rule? It’s 《Infinity》, you know!”
“Wasn’t Angelo’s record 3 minutes and 47 seconds?”
…
Finally, someone couldn’t stand it. “Hey, Kale! Just because the violin department won first twice in a row, and you beat Langston and Seven, doesn’t mean you can cause a ruckus! We’ve never had this rule! You’re just damaging yourself. If you have the ability, beat everyone in the assessment with your own piano.”
The boy from the piano department just shook his head dismissively and said, “What about the rule? Angelo has yet to graduate, and he’s already been replaced. He needs to be more skilled than Angelo. Fine, it doesn’t have to be 3 minutes and 40 seconds, I just made it up. But Langston can play 《Dante Symphony》, and Mr. Bertram appreciated it a lot!”
Everyone was so disgusted they hissed.
They knew “Kale hated the violin department” was practically his slogan because he was mad he lost twice in a row. Therefore, he deliberately made trouble for Qi Mu and twisted his words, all consistent with his personality.
It was no big deal to lose a verbal match anyway. He had nothing to lose.
Even though the other members shared these thoughts, Qi Mu stared at the vigorous brunet. Eyes narrowed, a trace of ridicule lit up his gaze. He held his violin and stepped forward.
In the noisy rehearsal hall, the young man’s low, even voice seemed to gain infinite power. The room fell abruptly silent——
“Since you want me to prove my ability so much, then…”
“Thank you for the invitation.”